A Thrifted Bedside Table

About a year ago I was thrifting at the local Goodwill store when I came across this pretty, two drawer cabinet for $20.  It was designed to be a large file cabinet, but I thought it would make the perfect bedside table for Husby.

Husby's  'Table'

I think I've talked about this before, but I'm not a go-out-and-buy type of person.  For one thing, I think a lot of people spend too much money on brand new things that they really don't need (oops, did my Granny just pop out of my mouth?!?! 😆).  The whole consumerism mentality bugs me as it's wasteful, unnecessary and bad for the environment. But treasure hunting and thrifting?  Sign. Me. Up!

I absolutely love going out and finding a perfect item at a garage sale or thrift store.  Not only am I saving a ton of money, but I feel good to be recycling too.  Also, it's just plain fun!

I have to admit though, that there is no guarantee of finding exactly what you are looking for the moment you decide you want it.  So instead of completing a space all at once, I'll make do until I come across that perfect item.  Hence, you can see in the picture the closet organizing shelves that Husby had been using prior to me finding the cabinet.  The shelves were neat, clean and served their purpose, but I like to have things pretty too 😁

As Was

Here is a shot of the file cabinet in it's original state.  The large size is perfect for Husby as he can now fit a lamp, his laptop, phone, remotes, drink and a plate of food with room left over 😎  It is also big enough that I can comfortably sit on top of it when I want to say, "Hey, lets talk a long time about stuff" - because men love that. they love talking a very long time about stuff....just kidding.  I don't really bug him like that....that much! 😀😂😄  And really, he's the best.  He actually does spend quite a bit of time talking with me ❤

Anyway, what I didn't like about the cabinet was the color of the drawer pulls, the dark finish of the wooden top and I wasn't sure about the fat, rounded legs.

Painted Pulls

Right away I took of the drawer pulls and spray painted them my favorite shiny gold. I also removed the legs from the bottom.  You can't see it in the photos, but the cabinet now sits directly on the floor.

The Top

After checking out the top, I could see that it is a veneer laminate.  I could sand it down easily enough If I wanted to repaint it, but I would rather it was a lighter wood top.  I decided to keep the wood and paint combination ('cause it's my favorite) but lighten the top with some sort of covering.  I briefly thought about some sort of framed mirror, but yeah, he'd end up breaking that eventually 😇  So in the meantime I tossed an old towel up their just to protect the surface from food an water.  And you know what?  I ended up really liking the way it lightened the wood, so.....

Table Cloth & Accessories

....I pulled out this linen table cloth and folded it to fit the top instead.  I mean he eats there anyway, right? 😉  Then I decided to play around with a few accessories to see how it would look.  A large picture frame, a couple battery candles and an assortment of milk glass did the trick.

So far the items have been able to sit there and not get broken or be in the way, so I think it's going to work.  I wouldn't mind a lamp that was a little larger though.......😊

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I hope you enjoyed this thrifting post, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2018

From the Archives: Baby Girl's Room & Closet Decor (2015)

I love blogging and sharing the creative aspects of my personality, however, I strive to be really careful when it comes to protecting the privacy of my family. 

I took these room decor photos when my Baby Girl was only 2, but didn't feel quite right about sharing them at the time.  Now that 6 years have passed (😌) and she's a completely different person, I think it's ok to go ahead and share a bit of her -used to be- personal space.  Enjoy!

Welcome to Baby Girl's room from 2015:

Rocker by the Window

The rocking chair in the top left photo used to belong to Husby as a child originally featured a dark wood finish.  A fresh coat of white paint updated it nicely and allowed it to blend right in with the existing decor.

A pink black-out shade was a pretty way to stop the light and prevent sunshine from interfering with my Baby Girl's sleep.  I used a twin sized flat white sheet to create a curtain and pulled the fabric to the side with a few smiley fabric flowers from the dollar store.

(You can click here to read more about making curtains from sheet fabric)

Toy Corner

Lots and lots and lots of toys here 😄

 I love the use of toy hammocks for corralling a million stuffed animals into place.  They run about $10 each but I was able to find these while treasure hunting for .50 and $1.

The table was a freebie from a family member and served as a great way to store the dollhouses as well as to provide a play surface.

The cabinet hanging above the table was handmade by Husby's father to match the rest of the bedroom furniture.

A Set of Beds

We always intended on having two children so when it came time to move Baby Girl into a 'big kid bed', we opted for adjustable bunk beds.  For the time being we turned them with the ladder toward the wall to keep Baby Girl off of the top unsupervised and used the top for additional toy storage and she slept on the bottom.  Later, after the Little Man was born and big enough for his own 'big kid bed', we took them apart and had two beds ready to go - no additional purchase necessary 😎

I also opted for plain white sheets and plain comforters.  Kids acquire so many different character items over the years (and go through so many different phases) that I figured basic colors would be easiest to decorate around.  No matter what the current interest is, plain pink (and now plain blue for the Little Man) goes with just about everything.

Character Close-Ups

At this point in time, Disney Princesses, Care Bears and Lalaloopsy were much adored!

Back of the Door Storage

Baby Girl also used to have a large collection of Beanie Babies which we displayed in hanging shoe organizers. 

I love re-purposing shoe organizers in other areas of the house.  Currently, the white organizer now hangs in the kids bathroom to collect all of Baby Girl's hair accessories and the green one ended up in the garage.

Paintings & Wall Art

The water colors were painted by my Grandpa and are actual pictures of Baby Girl. 
The butterfly art is the front of a gift bag that I cut out and framed.

Disney Castle

Husby and I found this vinyl castle sticker on clearance at Wal-Mart right before we moved into the house.  It was a bit of a splurge (for something that would undoubtedly be ripped apart by tiny hands - and yes, it eventually was 😁), but worth if for Baby Girl's very first room.

I used glow in the dark plastic stars to accent the castle (found for .50 while treasure hunting) and the night time effect was adorable.

More Wall Art

Each one of these framed posters is actually the front of a gift bag from Baby Girl's second birthday.

I can't stress enough how easy and economical this project is!  Kids are always changing tastes (and always having birthdays) why not continually update their room decor and recycle at the same time?

In to the Closet

Part storage and part fun, this walk-in closet is large enough that it almost served as another room.

Storage...

I think even storage areas should be neat, bright and welcoming 😊

I opted for open basket storage (instead of drawers) because I am creatively better when I can see all of my options - yes, that also applies to choosing outfits 😁

Having all of your clothing on display however can mean things look messy pretty quickly.  One obvious tip is to keep everything neatly folded, but using the same color throughout the space also helps.  By having most of the storage baskets, bins and drawers in the same shade of crisp white, the storage furniture visually blends away.

...And Fun

Since the closet space is large enough, I set up a little dressing area for Baby Girl as well.  The makeup table was a $5 find and the purple flowered wall pegs were $1 for the set, all treasure hunting finds.

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And that was my Baby Girl's room, back when she was 2! 
I hope you enjoyed the post, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2017

Statue Decor

Sir Lancelot

A long time ago I walked into my Granny's house to see a very ugly statue sitting next to the TV in her living room.  I asked, "Granny, what the hell is that?!?!" and she told me that she bought the statue at a garage sale (of course 😊).  She said she thought she should have her very own knight in shining armor.  Well, when you put it that way, all of the sudden it's a pretty cool idea, right? 😁😁😁

So when Granny eventually passed away one of the things I asked to have was her statue of Sir Lancelot.  Now, don't get me wrong, he was still very ugly, but I had a plan for that.  I spray painted him in a shiny solid gold and then draped him with a few golden necklaces (the necklaces came from my Granny's costume jewelry box)

Now he is fabulous and looks right at home in my closet!

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Now for another Granny story:

Once at an antique sale I saw this absolutely gorgeous statue lamp that was about 5 feet tall.  The statue was a beautiful Greek/ Roman lady (I love Greek/ Roman pillars and statues) and the entire thing was gold.  Perfect for me, right?!  Well, almost, she was $400 and didn't even work anymore! 😕

So I passed up the statue, but I told Granny all about her the next time I saw her.  Granny was just as impressed with my description and claimed that she would have spent the $400 just to have the statue!  Granny never spent that kind of money on anything that wasn't  really needed, so I never forgot the conversation 😊

Fast forward about 10 years later and guess what I found while treasure hunting last month?!?!?!?!  That's right, I found my beautiful lamp-lady statue!!!!  This one is smaller, intended for use on a table top, and was painted realistically, but still - it's her!!!  Annnnnnd.....she was only $3 😎

Of course I brought her home and fixed her up, take a look:

As Purchased

Here you can see the lamp with the original painting - ok, but not 'me'.

(I removed the lamp hardware from the back before taking the photo)

She's so pretty! ❤

After a coat of gold paint.

So. Much. Better. 😀

This photo was taken on my kitchen counter, so you can see that even though she is smaller than the lamp from the antique sale, she's still a pretty decent sized statue.

And with a bit of Jewelry.

Now she is perfect, and definitely 'me'!

I decided to name the statue 'Helen' after Helen of Troy from Greek Mythology and because my Granny's first name was Helen.  So now I have two awesome statues in my closet, and they both remind me of my Granny - Score!

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I hope you enjoyed this home decor/ treasure hunting post, thanks for stopping by!
-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2017

New Curtains

(Master Bedroom)


It's been awhle now since I first posted about how easy it is to DIY your own curtains using flat sheets.

Since then I have changed mine and wanted to  give you a photo update,
but first click here to get the instructions from that earlier post.

Old Curtains

Six years ago, these curtains were a nice sage green.
Unfortunately time, sun and repeated washing had faded them to an icky sallow beige.

I was fed up with how awful they had become and decided it was time to switch them out.  I also decided to go with a nice clean white this time, instead of the sage green.  Not only will they resist fading and I can bleach them, but they let in so much more light!




(Dining Room)

I ordered the new twin sized microfiber flat sheets in bulk from Amazon for $5 each.
I love the brighter, cleaner look that they provide and you can't beat anything that's kid proof!

Remember, click here if you want the tutorial.

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I hope you enjoyed this how-to post, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2017

Easy (No-Sew) DIY Curtains

I love curtains.  Not only is privacy a must in most spaces, but curtains also add to the decor of your home.  Sure you could get by with just blinds to meet your privacy needs, but curtains add so much more cozy.  Know what I'm saying?

But, curtains can get pretty expensive, especially if you have several large windows (like we do).  And if you are like me, you want to be able to take down your curtains frequently for cleaning.

Somebody missed the trash can and food splattered all over the kitchen curtains?  No problem!
Somebody (I'm talking to you here, Little Man) finished their dinner and headed to the dining room curtains to wipe his little face?  No problem!  Don't want to deal with the hassle and expense of dry cleaning (like me)?  No problem!

So what do you do?   Make your own curtains out of sheets!  Yep that's right, I made my curtains myself.  Out of sheets.

Now how did this even come about?

-I wanted a lot of fabric on the windows because it looks more luxurious.
-I wanted to be able to throw my curtains in the washer frequently.
 -I didn't want to spend a lot of money (do I ever???)

I was trying to figure out how to accomplish all of this when I remembered a conversation with my Granny a long time ago:  

Granny was great at the sewing machine and used to take things like bedspreads and turn them into Halloween costumes (helloooo upcycle!).  We were talking about it one day and she pointed out that sheets were a great source of fabric at a great price (compared to buying fabric at the sewing/ craft store).  I remember we were sitting in her van on the way to a garage sale and she said, "You can do a lot with sheets Jennifer"  It's funny what sticks in your mind after someone has passed!

So anyway, I decided that sheets were the answer.  I went to Wal-Mart and purchased twin sized flat sheets for $5 each.  I used two per window and when you add in the pre-made sheers (also purchased at Wal-Mart) you end up with a cost of only $20 per window.  $20!!!!! That's insane!  And you can wash them so easily!  Love!

Side Note:  You don't have to limit yourself to the inexpensive cotton sheets like I did.  There are all kinds of fabrics and patterns out there, just waiting for that crafty someone to give them new life.  Go crazy!  

Sheets!

Top Left:  My kitchen window has just a sheer to keep things bright.

Top Right:  The master window has queen sized sheets.  I liked the way this size created more fabric volume and will be switching to larger sized sheets for all windows next time.  Also of note, these sheets are layered on top of black-out curtains.  Husby needs to be able to nap comfortably any time of day without being disturbed by all that bright light.  By hanging a set of blackout curtains (found treasure hunting) behind the sheet curtains, we were able to combine the look I wanted with the darkening ability he likes.

Bottom:  Patio door in the kitchen.

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So how do you turn a sheet into a curtain without sewing a thing?  Keep scrolling!

Making Curtains

All you have to do is this:  Flip over the flat sheet and find the hem.  The hem should be at one end of the sheet (would be the head of the bed) and will consist of a folded over section that is stitched in place.  Simply use a pair of sharp scissors to create a small opening in the backside of the hem at each end of the sheet.  Now you are left with a nice and tidy spot to slip your curtain rod through.

You could certainly get a bit more detailed and cut/ sew nice openings, ad trims, vary the lengths, the options are endless.  But for me I like simplicity, and left them as pictured.  And I can attest to the fact that they have remained quite nice with repeated washing and plenty of wear and tear ;)

So there it is;  an easy way to create inexpensive window coverings that stand up to a family of four, without ever having to touch a sewing machine.  Love it!

I hope you enjoyed this how-to post, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2016

Baby Girl's Memory Quilt

It has occurred to me that while I have shared numerous posts mentioning my holiday memory quilts, I've never shared the one I made for Baby Girl!

These 'cheat quilts' are something that I found on Pinterest when I was looking for a way to re-purpose a pile of Baby Girl's blankets and clothing.  Basically all you do is take an existing comforter and sew your patches right on top.  You can hem your patches first to keep them smooth and straight, or leave them raw to fray over time.

I'm still in the process of gathering outgrown clothing for the Little Man's memory quilt but today you can take a look at Baby Girl's.  Enjoy!

If you look closely you can see that bibs, blankets, jammies and even her newborn hat made it onto the quilt.  I tried to keep buttons and pockets intact whenever possible, and placed smaller patched onto larger sections to create more visual interest.

How did I choose what items to include?  I went through all of her clothing/ bedding and if there was any item that made me go, "Awwwwwww" and had a specific memory attached, it went on the quilt!

Lesson Learned:  This particular comforter is a queen size, so once everything was added it became very heavy!  While it's certainly able to be washed and folded, it's can be quite the task.  Because of this I have scaled the Little Man's down to a twin size.  Remember you can still add just as many different fabrics this way,  just in smaller sections.,

Scroll on for more photos of this quilt!

*And please excuse the wrinkles, not only did I pull the quilt out of storage for the pictures, but a couple of somebodies ran across it a few times as I was working! ;)

Want to see more of my memory quilts?
You can click here to see my Halloween quilt.
You can click here to see my 4th of July quilt.

(My Christmas quilt is still in patches, but pics of my Valentine quilt will be up in February!)

I hope you enjoyed these photos of Baby Girl's memory quilt, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2015

Trash to Treasure: Fixing up a Neglected Mirror

A couple of weeks ago the kiddos and I ran into a garage sale where everything was free.  Yep, free!  (It happens sometimes when people don't want to bring anything back into the house.)

We ended up finding quite a few treasures, including the mirror pictured at the top of this post.  However, that is not at all how the mirror looked when we brought it home.  

The mirror was in good shape structurally - no cracks of chips - but it was a mess!  It also featured an antique looking paint technique that I didn't really love so much.

What to do?  Spray paint it, that's what!  I love finding neglected treasures that I can fix up and breathe new life into.  

Read on to see how easy this mirror was to fix up:

A dirty, dusty, grungy old mirror.

This is how the mirror looked when we found it. 
Underneath the mess you can see that the paint is sort of bronzy-red with gold on top.  

Step 1:  Clean!

I used a whole lot of Windex and the mirror cleaned up nicely.

Step 2:  Cover up the mirror.

A bit of paper and some painters tape protected the mirror from the spray paint.

Step 3:  Paint!

I used gold spray paint for this project (shocking, I know) but you could get out a brush and hand paint it as well.

Step 4:  Remove the paper

And there you have it; a brand new looking mirror ready to spruce up your home.

This mirror is now crisp, clean and shiny - just the way I like it!
What are some of the treasures you have fixed up for your home?  You know I love to see your pictures, send me an email!

I hope you enjoyed the post, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2015

Upcycle: Party Decor Turned Keepsake Wreath

I was all set to hit you guys with a treasure hunting post today when I logged in and realized that I still had this wreath post hanging out in my dashboard.  Oops! 

(We won't discuss the other 25 or so posts that are waiting there as well..hahaha!)

Anyway, read on to see how I turned leftover party decorations into an adorable keepsake wreath:

Leftover Flowers

Here are the flowers I used to decorate the Welcome Baby Party that I have blogged about recently.

I wanted to re-purpose them in some way and got the idea to recycle them into a wreath.

(You can click here to see the flowers in use at the party)

I looked through my stash of crafting supplies and found this partially decorated wreath.  

The wreath was a treasure hunting find from earlier this summer.  It came as you see it here: with greenery, purple flowers and a few seashells.

You can also see that it cost me quite a bit.....;)

The first thing I did (after washing the wreath) was to remove everything but the greenery.  I wanted a nice clean base for the pink flowers.

These purple flowers are pretty so I tucked them away into a supply bin.  Who knows where they might come in handy?  :)

*The seashells I threw into the trash, they were chipped up and nasty.

I used hot glue to place the white roses on first...

...and then followed behind with the pink roses.

I only had three each of the white and pink roses, so I started with them first.  That way I could make sure that they were evenly spaced apart.

After that I began filling in the greens pace with the pink daisies.

Overall I liked the way it was going, but one thing was bugging me: The white roses looked too stark, almost out of place.  

I decided that somehow they needed to be toned down a bit...

...and got out these light pink fabric rose petals (also left over from the party).

I used the pink rose petals as filler, and glued them in among the white rose petals.  You can see that they really helped to soften the look of the bright white.

A Close-Up

After 'fixing' the white roses, I continued to add in pink daisies to fill out the wreath.  I also decided to add in a few more rose petals here and there, just for kicks :D

And there you have it, a simple way to turn leftover party supplies into a beautiful keepsake.

I hope you enjoyed the post, thanks for stopping by!

-Jennifer

© Jennifer Adams Flowers 2015