Metamorphosis Monday

Please join me at Susan's, Between Naps on on the Porch, for more transformations! She and the other participants will amaze you with their creativity!

Today I'm sharing a complete transfer of my itty, bitty, laundry room. I'm going to have to ask you to do a little visualization, you see, I didn't have my glasses on when I took the before pictures...darn it! I didn't see the flashing "no memory card" on my screen. Ugh.....

Well let me tell you about the before...picture this...a 5 foot by 6 foot room {think of a small person laying down on the floor with their arms spread out to the side + a foot or more}. Got it? You're right, it's small. And inside this room is a list of many things: washer and dryer {of course}, medium dog crate on the floor ~ with a laundry basket overflowing with my boys' shoes, an overflowing paper recycling laundry basket siting on the dryer, and a dog food bag and bowl on the floor. Above the washer is a wire shelving unit I installed a while back. Above the dryer are wooden shelves {came with the house for storage - yeah right!}. Hanging from these shelves I hooked two more wire shelves.

Oh, you must be asking, where do I do laundry? Well, let me tell you, I just stand in front of the washing machine and lean this way and that to get what I need. Convenient? No...This room is right off my kitchen so needless to say the door is always closed because I'm just so very embarrassed of it!

Well, after reading through a zillion blogs posts and looking at gazillion pictures at Rate My Space, I decided, THAT'S IT! I CAN'T LIVE LIKE THIS ANYMORE! So I decided to do a quick fix. {My husband always gets a little nervous when I get that look in my eye.}

So, I started clearing things out, reorganizing things, and decided what could and couldn't stay. Dog crate ~ out; tub of shoes ~ out; paper recycling ~ out; laundry detergent - well that had to stay...and the dog food ~ of course!

I decided that since I had to keep all the laundry things in there, I would just have to get new pretty baskets or cover all the shelving units. After looking and trying to find 6-7 new baskets, I would be spending way too much... I decided to just cover them. In my mind, I knew what color and print I wanted to use, but I just could find it. {I can sew but I'd rather not.} So, I was browsing through Wal-Mart, looking for less expensive baskets and found myself on the aisle with kitchen curtains. They had Better Homes and Gardens kitchen curtains and they were the perfect colors I was looking for! Upon closer inspection, there were valances and cafe curtains that could be purchased individually or in sets. Could this be? Could it be this easy? No sewing? Yahoo! I picked up what I needed and I was on my way ~ watch out mrmessylaundryroomi'msoembarrassedofyou!

Here are a few before shots...{that I took afterward}... thanks for your excellent visualization!


See... dull, dingy, yuk!

Here are my after pictures!
This is actually the width of the room, I know, really small!
These curtains cover ALL the shelving. It's about 5 panels so it's easy to reach in and grab what I need. See the new globe light fixture ~ yes, the other one was broken. {I told you it was bad!}

I think I forgot to mention that I also have a window? I LOVE my window ~ it's small but it does its job...brings in the glorious sunlight that helps brighten this room.
On top of the dryer is a towel ~ the dryer is scratched and I just didn't want to look at it any longer. In the window sill are two finials from Hobby Lobby ~ 80% off.


I have a bulletin board that has moved from room to room and needed a new home. Here, it's functional and adds more warmth to the room. I just pinned another panel to it and then hung my Goodwill mirror in the middle. I really like it!

And finally, after reading a warm and enchanting blog, I decided to add the final touch, clothespins. Doesn't every laundry room need them? They were a quick and easy project. Please visit Twice Remembered for the tutorial on making these little dandy clippers. She has a wonderful, amazing site, you won't be disappointed!


Well, that's my transformation, thanks for following along. Now I love looking at my new little room and can actually leave the door open! I love doing laundry now... {did I really say that!?*}

Today's Thrifty Treasures

Be sure to check out Southern Hospitality for her weekend update. Here you'll find other participants as well and their finds while treasure hunting...you'll be amazed at all the terrific items!

My husband was gone for the weekend ~ setting up his deer lease ~ so I had a bit of time to browse the local thrift stores, one I hadn't been to before and it turned out to be the best. I'll be sure to put this one at the top of my list! Here are a few things I found:

The drum basket will match a stackable set I found at another thrift store a few weeks ago. I'm planning to use it with my nutcrackers this Christmas. I loved the little candle holder. It's very thin and dainty. I really liked the way it sits up nice and proud. Next to that is a little snow angel ~ she'll fit perfectly with my angel collection. The wooden set I originally thought would be neat painted white. But, after a bit of consideration, I think I'll leave it alone. Won't it be great for fall? And finally, I found this candle chandelier. It's from IKEA with the tag still attached. I don't think I'll hang it soon, but I do have plans for it as a centerpiece {more on that later.} All these treasures for under $ 8.00!

Then, I visited the second store. I had seen a glass decanter there that I liked, but it didn't have a stopper. After thinking about it for a few days, I went back to see if it was still there and to my surprise, it was! Well, as I was perusing the shelves, I found another one, in better condition with its stopper! SOLD! {It's the clear glass one below.}


My final stop was an antique mall. Here you can see the lavender decanter I found. I think it's new, but I couldn't resist. It matches a set of glassware that I have ~ you'll see it again with a tablescape soon. The two little candle holders are a deep red. I have two mugs from this pattern and I thought these sweet little additions would be great! They are Avon! Who knew?

It was a great day, one filled with anticipation and a lot of fun!

I hope you have a wonderful Monday!

Weekends...

Weekends...it's a chance to catch your breath...a chance to just sit back and enjoy...a chance to recharge with things that are simple and uncomplicated. Today's post is dedicated to just that...

I love flamingos. They just make me happy. They make me smile. I love the fact that they get their coloring from their diet - isn't that cool? They just seem so graceful, so elegant.

Ok - I'm going to admit that I even like the cheap plastic flamingos. They just say "fun" to me. My son gave this one to me as a joke {I think}. I put him in my lilies...I think he's happy there!


My mother gave me these two. They're very friendly, don't you think? I love them. They're always looking for their next meal in my pond.

Have you ever heard of being "flocked"? It's a fund-raiser. The group covers your yard with pink flamingos and you pay to have them removed. How fun is that? Heck, I'd pay to have them flock my yard!

I hope you have a terrific Saturday!

Show and Tell Friday

Welcome to Show and Tell Friday. {Thanks to Kelli for hosting this event.} Grab a second cup of coffee and visit her and the other participants as they share pictures and stories about their treasures!

My grandparents were very special to me. I was lucky enough to be able to spend quality time with them as I lived only a few miles away. It was fun to listen to their stories and watch their eyes light up as they relived their past.

Both my grandmother and grandfather were from a time where nothing was discarded...things were not wasted. Because of this, they both had collections of all sorts. My grandmother, being quite the seamstress, tended to keep things she "might" need for her next outfit. My grandfather like to collect keys, watches, clocks, or other small mechanical objects. He was quite an inventor. With some of his findings, he'd construct an entirely new item. Thrifty would be the word that comes to mind. Hm...looks like it's gone full circle. I've always been conservative, but since I've become a blogger, I've become even more so {...but that's another post...}

The item I'd like to show you today is something I've made from my grandparents' collections. It's a pin that displays buttons from my grandmother. She kept a jar full - it included all sizes, colors, and styles. They'd be recycled from garments that were no longer needed and reused on new pieces she lovingly made.



Also included on this pin is a skeleton key from my grandfather's collection. I just love the shape of these keys - aren't they neat? As mentioned above, my grandfather also tended to clocks. He had drawers upon drawers of the internal and external workings: gears, faces, hands, etc. These too were all sizes, shapes, and designs. I can still see him today, hands ever steady, working diligently on his next project.


I proudly wear this pin, it's always a conversation starter. I love telling the story of my treasured grandparents.

Tablescape Thursday

It's time for another Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. Be sure to visit, you'll be inspired by all the creative and beautiful tables.

The tablescape I'm sharing today was put together with a current find at Marshalls. I found these salad plates for $1.99 each. I loved the colors - especially the pinks and greens. I have promised myself that if I love it and can find a set of 6, it's a done deal (well, and the price has to be right too!)

I thought the little plates would look pretty with a few vintage pieces that I have from my great aunt's collection. It's not a perfect match, but I think the colors blend nicely.




The plates were layered. A charger from Hobby Lobby, white Lenox dinner plate, and the new salad plates. The silverware was a purchase from eBay. The stemware was a wedding present - Lenox. I had only four striped napkins, so I used two solid green napkins for the end settings. It worked!




Thrown into the mixture was a small green depression glass sherbet dish. This was given to me by my mother.

For the main centerpieces, I used a ceramic "boot" and an anniversary clock. I wanted a little bit of height, so I raised the clock with two books. They just happen to be two volumes of "Who's Who".

The finials are part of a set purchased at Stein Mart several years ago.



To close this post, I wanted to include a great shot of a candle holder on my buffet. It was taken by my son, who enjoys photography. Thanks Jake!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

If you'd like to visit other Wordless Wednesdays, check out Simply Joyful Photos.

2nd Time Around Tuesday

Ok, I've been bitten by the "thrift store shopping bug". After reading and reading everyone's wonderful blogs and all their "treasures", I just had to try it for myself. I'm a bit jealous of some thrift store shops some of you have in your area...

Being a novice, I've had my trials and triumphs. I've learned a few lessons already - if you like it - buy it. That I learned the hard way.

Yesterday I went out on a search for, well, anything. I had a little spare time so I thought I just stop in for a minute. We'll, here's what I found. I think I spent a total of $5.35. I LOVE this type of shopping. Now, I just have to decide where I'll put my new treasures...

Be sure to visit, 2nd Time Around Tuesday, hosted by Diane at A Picture is Worth a 1,000 Words.