I Broke My Record!!!!!!!!!

Oh yeah! I am stoked! I just got back from Harris Teeter grocery store. They are having double coupons up to $1.98 face value. I got $116.89 worth of groceries for....drum roll....wait for it........$46.76. I saved $18.50 with my VIC card and $55.20 in coupons. There was $20.95 of that which had no discount at all. Bam baby!

You would think I won the lottery when I got home and showed the savings to my man! That is what I teasingly refer to as earning my keep. LOL

Seriously people.....if I can do this anyone can. I will not lie. I was in that store for darn near two hours. I used to hate getting groceries but now it is like a game or a treasure hunt. I forget the whole chore thing! Let me hear what you have done with coupons.

Where I am today....Could change tomorrow!

Today I have decided not to sell my refinished pieces yet. Threre are two reasons.
1. I listed my table for $100. and had a call and was offered $75.00. That is what I had decided I would actually take for it. When it came right down to it I could not sell. The thing is I need more pieces in my house. I can always start selling after I have completely furnished my home.
2. I have started following My Dear Trash and have been so inspired about the ability to make money on ebay with clothes. I have tried it and in my first 10 days I made a nice little profit.
3. Oh ....I did say 2 reasons didn't I? Well I just couldn't end this without saying how much I love my stuff and can't let it go.....yet! Is that gloating? I am so sorry....but I can't help myself!! :-)

I Listed Them...But It Might Surprise You Where.

I am gonna keep this short and to the point.

 eBay has classifieds and they are free. I know! I couldn't believe it either. But it is true.  Just Google eBay classifieds and bam...there it is. I listed my Chalkboard for $45 and my Blue Table for $100. I will let you know what they sell for. I also listed them on Craigslist.

What would you do? Really!

I posted about this before but think everybody thought it was a re post. I only got 2 responses. Come on ladies you can do better than that.  What I need from you is suggestions. Don't be afraid that you will insult me. I want your honest opinions.
In my earlier post I asked for help with best place to sell furniture and decor items. Two in particular. My blue table and my fancy chalkboard. I went ahead and listed the table for $100.00 on Craigslist. I hope this is a fair price.
I can not wrap my head around how much to list the chalkboard for and would it be a better Etsy, Craigslist or eBay listing? Please be honest and help a girl out. Scroll down for picture. I am trying to keep the picture  off the Dashboard so that I may get better response. Don't want you guys to think I am bragging about it. LOL

 

25 x 13.25

Toot Toot. Iv'e Been Featured!!

Toot Toot? That is the sound of someone tooting my horn! Someday Crafts featured me from their Whatever Goes Wednesday Party. What makes it even better is the great company that I was in!
You should head on over and check out her blog! Make sure you have plenty of time cause there is tons of great stuff to check out!

Thanks Someday!!!

Need A Lil' Help From My Fellow Bloggers!

OK. I need some help from my fellow bloggers! I am going to try to make a little money off this thing I have been doing since being introduced to Blog ville and all of you who inspire me so much. First I must tell you I am cheap, well lets say thrifty. Now that sounds better. The reason I started out with that is because I want to sell some of the things I have been refabbing. I can't keep it all and might as well make a little mullah doing what I love. Being that I am so thrifty, I have a hard time pricing things to sell. That is where you guys can help me. some of you are experienced at selling and could give me some pointers. Be brutal....don't spare the feelins'
I have two items that I am going to sell

Etsy? eBay? Craigslist?
How much?
Should I tell their life story and share my blog?
I will update on Where I list, how much listed for, and how much they sell for. This should be fun!

All Those Months Of Stalking Blogs Paid Off!

I had my first invite to Guest Host!! Yeee-Haaa! Thanks Meg! She has a great blog called A Little Knick Knack. She has a lot of great craft projects and kids projects, so go on over and check her out.

A month or so ago I bought a bedroom suit on Craigslist. It was advertised as  having a night stand, dresser, mirror and chest of drawers. When I got there I notice a headboard on the front porch. I asked if it was for sale and they said it went with the suit I was getting but it was broke. I checked it out and it was a mess. Not just a mess, but ugly to boot. It was 4 panels hung on 2 runners. Just not right! I had been looking at too many blogs to let ugly stand in my way. They said I could have it. We tried to get it in the truck but it was full. So what do I do???? I asked for tools and started to dismantle it. I didn't want it for a headboard. I just knew I could do something with the panels that were on it.

Let me show you what it started out as.....This will help you to see why I couldn't leave them behind!

Had to cut off a little on the bottom and sand it.

All primed up and starting to show her potential

Taped with Frog Tape and 3 coats of chalk board paint.

Chalk board dried, then covered and sprayed with  several coats of white satin Krylon

Sand her up real good. It's OK to be rough.

mixed a little black paint with some brown glaze, looks kinda like grey mud. Slather it on and rub off with a damp cloth. I prefer micro-fiber towels

From white and bright to just right! Just about there!!!

At this point in the journey I finished slathering the glaze on and rubbing it off. When that was done I sprayed a coat of Clear Sealant on it, then pulled of the paper to expose the chalk board! TaDa!

I can't stop here...a few more parting shots.....

Aged to perfection.

I have 3 more of these beauties to do something with!

Great party links:

 

Painters block solved!

I found this table at a yard sale and loved the lines and the storage it offered but was not crazy about the southwestern feel it had with the rough pine. I knew I could make a beauty out of it though. I summoned the help of my bloggin' friends as I was having myself a good ole' case of painters block!

 My first thought was black...which was echoed by Crystal over at  Crystal's Cottage. I then went to distressed white....which was echoed by April at The Painted Cupboard. But then it hit me...the color I keep seeing out there was calling to me. Bahama Sea Blue. Now you must know that blue has always been a color I could live without. None in my house or my wardrobe. But something has shifted! I want it in my house!!!

Let me just show you what we started with ~ then the transformation

I got the cute littel mini cup pulls at Hob Lob and painted them ORB

Let's see how we got there!

Much better. Looks black but is ORB

STOP THE BUS! NO PAINTIN' TODAY SAYS MOTHER NATURE!

Take 2

Now for the goodness! I just can't stand it! Needed a little somethin-somethin.....

maybe some sanding and then.......

WHAT NOW!!!!!!!

A Blue that even a blue hater can love!!!

Linking to these great parties!!

 

STRIPPER SHOWDOWN

OK people...if google lead you here for anything other than furniture finish stripping get to steppin'

This here post is about a furniture stripper showdown officiated by my boy Tank......pictured below.

Don't worry we had good ventilation and Tank was lounging in the yard while the work was done.

First thing I must confess is that my ignorance is what lead me to this showdown. I painted a laminate table black. I used Deglosser instead of sanding and that was only the beginning of my foolishness.

It sat in the center of the garage as I moved on to other immediate gratification projects. Somehow it got over spray on it from these other projects....imagine that! Then one day when we were cleaning out and organizing the basement it sat in the hot sun for hours. To my surprise when we brought it in it was hot to the touch and the paint had bubbled. UGHHHH!

Lesson learned....SAND!!!!!

I decided that I would strip it down and start again. I have three different strippers and wanted to know which was best.

Citristrip Gel, Olympic Premium, and Klean Strip

I started with putting Citristrip and Olympic on half of the table

waited about 15 minutes.....very impatient!

Tank says that Citristrip did a better job on the real wood on the edges and the formica top. He noted that it wasn't as stinky either.

He said that round goes to Citristrip!!!

Now the reason we saved one whole side  for the Klean Strip is because it says it is #1 and smells like it could eat your lungs. We thought it would melt that paint like butta'!

People we thought we had a winner here....it bubbled up in seconds. The formika came off like butta' so we got a little excited

When we got to the wood it was another story....

What a disappointment! Had to go around the edges with Citristrip to get the rest off.

Tank declares CITRISTRIP the challenge winner!

The bottle says it is safe to use indoors. I believe it....the smell is like an orange grove and it worked like butta baby!

Do you have a stripper that you would like to put up against Citristrip? Bring it!