About Me & You

I am a self-professed adventurous, creative borrower who will try new things and SOMETIMES I'm successful. I have resolved to be brave and try everything I find on Pinterest. But only until my husband comes home from Afghanistan, then I'll go back to being a coward with a clean house!

My husband convinced me to write this blog to chronicle my journey to creative decorating. I DO NOT have a degree in interior design or art. My degrees are in Early Childhood Education and Curriculum and Instruction, which allows me to blame my lack of creativity with any other medium besides chalk and crayons on my career choice! 

There are some general guidelines I promise to follow, and if you want to try this with me, you must agree as well. It's for our safety and sanity and for the safety and sanity of those around us.

1. Have FUN! If it's not fun, I don't want to do it. If I start out on it, and I don't like it, I'm going to stop and throw it away. Or maybe hand it off to somebody else in the neighborhood to re-purpose!

2. It has to be inexpensive! Visit the thrift stores, yard sales, and my new favorite place "Habitat for Humanity Store," which will now be known as "The TREASURE Store!"  It's not a sin to buy things cheap. I checked the Bible!  And inexpensive doesn't always mean CHEAP!  We are keeping things out of the landfills.  Just remember: wash EVERYTHING before you use it.  

**Special note on buying off online boards like Craigslist: NEVER GO ALONE! Always bring one or two buddies with you. I have driven to neighborhoods and not felt safe and kept on driving. No dresser is worth my life!

3. Check for Quality! Remember, you can't return it. Unless you want to have a yard sale and sell the stuff back to the poor slob who sold it to you, follow basic guidelines on how to check out a piece- especially when buying furniture.  Click on the picture below to learn about how to "inspect" your treasure!

4. BE PATIENT!  "Yeah. Right. Sure." Obviously you know me!  Want proof you need to take your time? Would you like to see the black paint on my living room carpet? Do you REALLY think I have 4 ideas for carpets in my living room are by accident?  ***If my husband is reading this, I'm using poetic license. Really. There is no paint on the carpet. And even if there WAS, I know I can get it up. OK, how many days do I have until you come home?....

5. Prioritize! I have all the fixings to complete 3 projects right now.  Decide where you want work first.  If I know it takes a week to paint furniture, then I CAN'T work on anything else that week. Especially if that criminal also known as laundry needs to steal time. 

6. Manage Your TIME! Have all projects and supplies cleaned up and put away by 3 pm. Your family needs your time.  Not to mention that you need to make sure your house is at LEAST able to pass a health inspection. (Just how long do you intend to let those dishes stay in the sink?) 

***If your list of critical creativity is up to 10, stay off Pinterest until it gets back down to 5. Yeah. I'm laughing my butt off just reading that...

7. PLAN first! This is very important. I want to paint my bedroom furniture. But how do I get it down 3 flights of stairs? And then back up again? If you ask your husband to do it, be prepared to have to bribe him with somethings that may be illegal in 4 Southern States (but is STILL legal in Louisiana during Mardi Gras!)

(SIDEBAR: You know that guy in your neighborhood who has the pickup truck with the bumper sticker that says, "Yes, this is my truck and NO I won't help you move"?  He doesn't mean it. If you promise him a home-cooked gourmet meal he'll do it. Or you can always fall back on the always effective crying!)

8. Do a cost comparison! Find the item you want to try in a store. Now add up how much it costs for supplies, and GAS to go get those supplies and the item you want to work on.  Many of us forget to compute the cost of gas when we buy an item off Craigslist.  And EBay is only cheap when you remember to check out how much it costs to ship. Many sellers will advertise the item at a very low price but jack up shipping costs.  

9. Don't settle for expensive alternatives! Don't be afraid to go to several thrift stores. But, if you fall in LOVE with it, GET it! It will be gone in a split second. I had this happen today, as I was walking away from the world's most gorgeous $20 solid wood buffet, another woman (also known as THAT BI*&H) got to the sales counter before me and BOUGHT IT! God says I'm not supposed to hate. But I can pray that a piano drops on her head!

10. Ok, now for the MOST IMPORTANT RULE: When you work on a project with friends, work comes BEFORE the wine!  You don't want your lines to be all ziggety because of the wine, do you?  For the record, margaritas make the lines zaggety, and you don't want to know what happens to lines after appletinis!  **Yes, another sidebar!  OK, FOCUS ALREADY! sorry.... Redbull and energy drinks are NOT good when you're doing detailed crafts. All my lines are both ziggety AND zaggety! 

Just remember, it's not supposed to be PERFECT, just MINE.  I can take pride in the adventure of trying something new. If it works out, wonderful. If not, look into trying it again. This time without the Redbull!