Hiatus

I apologize for the hiatus.  We had a tragedy in our community (see previous post -and if you've seen it, I've added a video on there as well), and then I had finals, then I got sick, then I started a new semester in nursing...blah blah blah.  SO-I apologize for being gone for a month.  :)  I do have a project.  Of sorts.  I have been on this mirror kick because our house is circa 1980s, and has about 1 window per room--and is a very closed floor plan.  The plan is that the mirrors will help lighten things up some-you know, reflecting light and the whole gig.  :) We have a hallway that I've been wanting to place a mirror on for the longest time.  The hallway is very closed, no natural light, and the light that's there is kinda wimpy (its on the list of lights to be replaced).  Here it is:

I found the double matching mirrors on craigslist:

Well, I decided I didn't like them.  So I took them apart.  My friend bought a HUGE mirror at the peddler's mall, but she only wanted the mirror, so I took the frame.  It was the kind of mirror that goes on the back of a dresser.  Well, my wonderful hubby helped me cut the frame down to the size of the mirror and put it back together.  I honestly thought I had more pictures, but I guess not.  Oh well.  Here is the finished product:

Here it is with the mirror and the nice paint.  It is the same paint as the trim, kitchen cabinets, and chairs.  I just keep reusing it. :) I have now placed this mirror at the end of the hallway!  I like it because it helps brighten the hall, but also serves as a full-er length mirror.

Well, that's all I have right now.  I'm working on some other things, so I can't wait to share them soon!

Mirrors, Peddler's Mall, and a craft

So I mentioned that a new peddler's mall opened in Lexington. Its huge. I am so excited. I love peddler's malls, flea malls, antique malls...junk malls. :) They make me so happy. A friend and I went to this new peddler's mall last weekend. I had some good finds including a green lamp (I'll show you later), a glass lamp (again, another post), some blue glass ball jars with zinc lids, and a mirror. Not just any mirror...but a matching mirror. What does it match? Well, it matches my mirror that I found on craigslist...as in, it is the same mirror.  I now have two!  This is what I did.  I decided I did not like the awesome gold color...still.  So I primed and painted it white, and hung it on the wall in my living room.  I had been given some shelves.

The problem is, they are a nice butter color.  So I sanded them down, and repainted them white. When I finally got to the painting part (after priming) this happened:

Can you see it?  The cracking paint on the corner there?  So I scraped it all off, started over.  I finally finished them, and now they are hanging with my new mirrors.

Living Room

 Kitchen

What have I put on there?  Well let me show you.

 

And

These are the ball jars I found at the peddler's mall for $2 each!  My birdies are from DT, and the candles are as well.  Those are candle stick holders and hurricanes held together with some e6000 and a candle placed in there.

This is in the kitchen (please don't mind Hubby--he did most of the work on hanging this stuff, and it looks great-thank's babe!).  Again, I have my DT birds, and the blue tea light holders I also found at the DT.  I like the blue in my yellow kitchen.  And the same with these candle holders as before.

So, that's what I've been working on...Oh-and hubby and I are hoping to finish our last mirror project. :) Also in the next post (when I show our last mirror), I can't wait to show you my mantle and what I got for FREE at the ReStore!

Thanks for your patience while I've been trying to fit in the blogging during my time at nursing school.





 p.s. I'm linking up to:





Sundae Scoop @IHeartNapTimeWithChocolateSundaes
  Talented Tuesday @MyFrugalFamily
 

New Peddler's Mall

I apologize that I have been absent this past week.  I got caught up with some school stuff-by the way I ended up with a "B" on my nursing test last week-and I was wanting to finish a project.  That didn't happen...instead it has kind of turned into another fiasco similar to the lampshade.  BUT that was all fixed today with a brief shopping excursion.

We have a new peddler's mall that opened up in Lexington on April 1. I have not had time to go until this weekend.  When we went, it was packed, we were rushed, and its THREE buildings AND an upstairs...OH MY GOODNESS!  So, 2 1/2 hours later, we still hadn't made it through and had to leave.

Today I went back with a friend of mine, and I have some AWESOME goodies to share-and hopefully I will be able to reveal the rest of the living room makeover.  I am soooooooo excited!!

Mirror Mirror on the wall...

Okay.  So I feel like I should show you what I am dealing with.  We have split foyer home.  It was my husbands before we were married.  I had a ranch style, and I cannot wait to move-why did we sell MY home?  It wasn't in the right city-and his was a little nicer...and bigger.  I digress...I absolutely cannot stand hate stairs.  I am working very hard right now to make our house more homey because when I moved in there were white walls, very little in the way of furniture, and no decorations.  Enter the woman.  Hubby and I have worked very hard this last year to paint rooms and we actually remodeled the kitchen (kind of).  Back to my blank slate.  This is what the living room looked like when I moved in:

Please ignore my BIL on the microsuade loveseat.

I rearranged when I moved in, and took the long sofa and TV to the basement, where a family room should be, left the loveseat and coffee table etc. upstairs.  There is the imfamous lamp I have been trying to make the shade for.   Please note, there are no curtains, the furniture doesn't match at all...and there is that ugly University of Louisville (gag) blanket on the loveseat.  First off, I needed to pick a paint color.  I really liked green.  A soft, light, green.  We chose sweet mint by Porter Paint.  Here's a look now. 

Sorry, its like 10:00, so probably not the best time to take pictures with no natural light.

The hallway to the bathrooms and bedrooms are connected to the living room, so it got a nice coat of paint as well.

Side note here-that vacuum is the BEST purchase my Hubby has ever made for me.  It will suck anything up-which is the point.  But I LOVE it.  Bissell Healthy Home. 4 Stars. 

Please note there is NO shade on that lamp-and you can barely see it, but the stupid UL throw is still here.  Granted, it is for the dogs so they don't get fut all over our sofa.  

The curtains are from Ikea, as are the rods...and the chairs/ottomans.  I love them, its a really great place to read and study etc.  The dogs like to look out the front windows here.

These bookcases are great.  They hold all of our books, but I am thinking of moving them and the two chairs to the basement.  I have to find new chairs for up here first.  One more picture...

This is my dining area.  The paint isn't that lemony in person, I promise.  Its just the lighting.  The table and chairs are a hand-me-down from Hubby's Parents, the light was one Hubby and his brother purchase for their mother one year, and it hung in several of their homes growing up.  I love it, and think it is pretty.  When we eat/have people over, we actually move the table more under the light-but if its just us two, we usually eat at the breakfast bar.  

Okay, so why exactly am I showing you all of these things?  Well.  I'm on a kick.  A mirror kick.  I love mirrors.  I love the way they reflect light etc.  I want mirrors.  So I was going to go to Hobby Lobby because mirrors are 50% off this week or something.  I know the ones I want.  They are reg $40 ea., and they aren't even that big (24x36" or something).  I wanted two (they look like window panes) of them to hang in the living room on that awesomely empty wall.  Something to keep the clock company.  Then I was going to add some of the shelves I've been working on (that to come later), and add some decorations and be done.  Well.  For some reason I got this crazy idea to check craigslist first.  This is what I found:

Yes that is a shooting target in the back ground...and it's mine!

The two tall mirrors were $25.  I already removed one of the mirrors to clean when I remembered to take a picture.  The second mirror cost a little more.  BUT-I love them.  The mirrors themselves are pretty thick and heavy.  I'm so excited.  Let's get a closer look:

 

Lovely detail.  Now.  I have another mirror Hubby bought me.  I was going to paint it and place it in the kitchen over the table to put something on the wall and help add light.  Here it is:

It is very red and gold.  Nothing a little paint won't fix.  So here is my problem.  Should I:

1. Place the matching mirrors in the living area, the short fat one in the kitchen, and the red one at the end of the hallway.
2. Place the matching mirrors in the kitchen area, the short one in the living room, and the red one in the hallway.
3. Place the matching mirrors in the living room, the red mirror in the kitchen, and the fat/short one in the hallway.  

Okay-you get where I am going with this.  I will be painting all of the mirrors.  As a matter of fact, I have already begun on the short one:

 

Primered (is that even a word?)

Love it!  I can't wait until I am home from class tomorrow so I can work on these some more! :)

-Jess

p.s. I'm linking up to:
Idea Sharin Wednesday @WomenWhoDoItAll
Whatever Goes Wednesday @SomedayCrafts
Ideas Under $100 @BeyondThePicketFence 
Transformation Thursday @ShabbyChicCottage