Well hi friend! I’m back! I sure hope you missed me a little bit! I received so many wonderful comments from you over my break and lots of great suggestions. The major consensus seemed to be … that you like the blog just the way it is!
So that’s good news for me, because I am pretty much lazy. But there will be a few little tweaks coming in the next few weeks, so get excited. Or don’t. But you can get excited about the cool giveaway that is coming up later today! Yeeeeah baby! (Pretty sure no one quotes Austin Powers anymore. I apologize.)
But not yet. Because first here are some sweet table redos coming atcha!
Let me tell you, I have dining tables on the brain because I’d been scrounging around craigslist looking for a new one for a long time. I finally found one last week, and it was really cute, distressed white, solid wood. So I bought it, got it home, THEN realized that the top of the table is NOT solid wood, just some weird laminate stuff that had a few scratches in it, which had bubbled up from moisture getting under there. Ugh.
So I had this conversation with myself:
“Why didn’t you notice this weird laminate top until AFTER you had bought the table and brought it home?”
“I don’t know! I get nervous! I don’t like standing around stranger’s homes, inspecting their furniture! It appeared to be stable and hadn’t been in a recent fire, so I took it!”
“You are so lame sometimes.”
“I know.”
So the moral of that long and pointless story is, do you know how I can fix this stupid table?
AAAND now, here are those table redos I was talking about so long ago … first from Patty at Nuestras Aventuras en Texas. This table serves as inspiration that “old and dated” is only a coat of paint away from “classic and chic!”
Woah. Can this table possibly be saved? It is so country I expect it to grow arms and start playing the banjo any minute now.
Christina knew there was hope (didn’t hurt that her solid wood table was ACTUALLY solid wood) so she sanded the snot out of it and stained it into deep, dark loveliness. You can’t even notice the heart cutouts, but I think it would be cool to find some sort of applique to cover them with as well. Maybe even a small ceiling medallion?
See more on her blog Christina’s Adventures.
Thanks so much for sharing ladies! Be sure to stop back in later for the giveaway!
Hi friends! Well, my kiddos have fall break right now, so I decided I’d give myself a fall break too!
I’ll be back in a week with all new before and afters for you. And to be honest, I need a bit of a break. Sometimes I feel trapped within my blog. It’s very content specific. You come here to see before and after pictures! So that’s what I serve for breakfast, lunch and dinner, all week.
But I would love to branch out a little more. Not a lot! I’m not nearly that creative or crafty. But I would like to get to know you — my dear reader — better, and I’d hope you’d like to get to know me a little better too.
So, I am welcoming any and all comments and questions! (Preferably of the kind and helpful variety).
What would you like to see more of? Less of? Anything specific you’d like to see here?Any burning questions you’ve been itching to ask? Would you prefer that I not use the words burning and itching in the same sentence?
I would love to hear your feedback.
I would also love to spiff up the blog design a bit as well, so if you can point me in the right direction, that would be appreciated too.
So, for now, I thought I’d introduced you to my family and answer a few of the questions I have been asked lately. I hope you enjoy!

Koy, the middle child. This was the only picture I could get of him: he does NOT stand still. And he needs a haircut. And he REALLY likes wearing camo. He loves to help me bake and can usually be found wearing the oven mitts around the house.
Do you photoshop the pictures you post on your blog? Sometimes I do, mainly to crop out clutter in the background, or else I might remove an electrical cord or something that is distracting.
And yes, I did photoshop myself in my picture. The zit fairy has been especially unkind to me lately. Just keeping it real. But don’t plan on seeing the original picture anytime soon, I’m not keeping it that real!
Here’s a little photoshopping before and after for you, cuz that’s what I do:


So, that’s us in a nutshell. If there’s anything more you’d like to know, ask away!
Would you like some photoshoping tips and tricks? (I can help!)
Picture taking advice? (Yeah, don’t ask, that one is NOT my strong point. Did you see my pictures up there? I don’t know if the camera is supposed to be facing the sun, if the subject is or what. And Koy dropped my camera so it is being held together with electrical tape).
Just stick to the before and afters? Let me know your thoughts!
I’d love to hear from you and I’d love to hear your ideas on improving my blog.
Thank you so much for reading! I’m so grateful to have you here and love each and every comment and email I receive. Have a great week!


Oh ingenuity, why do you evade me so? Why can’t I be the one to see something cool and unique and fabulous out of garbage, why?! If I ran across these dated light fixtures in a thriftstore, this is what would honestly run through my mind. “Uh, good for target practice I guess.” (Side note, I’m a pretty good shot, just in case you were thinking of robbing me in the middle of the night, mkay?)
I would have definitely never thought, “Yes! Perfect for a whimsically retro pair of laquered vases in vintage throwback colors of aqua and gold!” The credit for that goes to Carrie, (actually it was Carrie’s husband’s idea! Yeah! High fives to you sir!) from Carrie Saxl Jewelry. Love these!
So get this: Brooke had a friend who had a grandma, and that grandma had a hutch. Grandma gave friend the hutch, and friend gave the hutch to Brooke! Just like that! For free! (Dear my friends and my friend’s grandmas: Why you no give me awesome free furniture, huh?)
She invisioned it in red and that’s what it got, plus added depth and texture with a superb glazing job. And I hearty mcheart the fabric, which she applied easily with spray adhesive. Check it out on her site The Crafting Chicks. Thanks Brooke!