This past weekend was our town’s big I2I Yard Sale. I must say planning it is very time consuming, but I have to admit, it’s also very rewarding. Not just because I sell to make a few bucks for my pockets, but … Continue reading
YardSale Fun
Freshened Foyer
I’m on my minimizing kick and next up was the foyer. I’m taking my time going room by room and completing this task. I had hoped to have it completed by the time the i2i YardSale happened, but I couldn’t accomplish it. One thing for sure is I’m happy that I’ve at least began making every attempt to do this. Letting go is always the hardest part and I’m realizing that once I’ve gone through a space redecorate, starting with a clean slate was easier for me to weed out what I no longer wanted. Such is the case with the foyer, living room and dining room. I wanted the color of the foyer to flow into both those rooms so I chose Sherwin Williams “Morning Fog”. It’s a bit of a grayish/bluish/lavenderish color..
When I saw it in this picture, I thought it was a bit too gray,
Contrare to my thought, it was actually what I was looking for. I finished painting the rococco console table/mirror and it looks a thousand times better. If you recall it was shabby black which did nothing for it.
Initially I thought about metallic gold, but then I loved the Rose Gold I used for the living room mirror, and decided to go with that color again because the console table has a mauve marble top.
This mirror was a royal pain in the toosh to paint. All the swirly edges made the task of painting it was even harder. (as much as I papered and taped, I still got overspray on it, but nail polish remover took it right off.
This is a closer view of the details that were on the console legs. Here is how it looks inside with the new wall color
Major difference right! Looks a lot more elegant! I also changed the light fixture and decided on the Jamee chandelier at Joss & Main
I loved the chandelier, but I didn’t care for the crystals it came with because – 1) I had to assemble them and 2) they weren’t real crystal. I had a bag of antique crystal prisms I had been saving and decided to switch them. The longer crystals did a bit more justice to the beauty of the fixture.
This small space has 5 doorways, and i felt it’s best not to put a bunch of items in here. I’m satisfied (for now)
I haven’t decided on an area rug yet, and I’m not rushing it either.. I’ll take my time and enjoy looking at the openness of the space. By not having a lot of items the area actually feels bigger.
I’m so glad I chose to keep it because now I’m forced to not keep a bunch of “stuff” that was filled in the drawers of the table.
I styled it simple with a set of Ikea Blomster candleholders that I picked up at Goodwill for $3.00, another one of my favorite female busts (which was a yardsale find $1.00), a bit of greenery and my favorite pic of hubby and I.
When the chandelier is on at night, there’s a soft glow of the reflection
and the rose gold changes the hue
On the other side of the wall, I brought in the bench from the bedroom. I needed a space to drop my handbag and workbag and thought that would be great place for it. I finally hung the birthday painting.
Another vintage swan (which I use as a planter) is perched right next to it
I’m definitely sure I appreciate the new space.
Although the sale of the console didn’t go through, sometimes things happen for a reason, because I truly am happy I have it and I love the new look. The foyer has been freshened up and I’m patting myself on the back because I was able downsize a few items.
To take the look of the foyer from this …
to this look
It’s a winner for me. The total cost of my new look was $150.00 ( with the bulk of it being the cost of the chandelier).
As always, it’s not how much it costs, but its’s how you style it. Happy hunting while you thrift your house into a home.
Smooches!!
Awesome Auction
A few weeks ago me and my two musketeers (mom and god-aunt) went to an auction. My aunt had just re-located here and had not been to one, and since she’s shopping for things for her home, we decided to go. I use to go to them all the time (it was the start of my “hoarder” sydrome) getting stuff “just in case”. While there I could feel the excitement building up in me and seeing all those fantastic items, my mind was racing 50 mph, and my mouth was salivating over all the goodies I could bring home with me. I could have really done some purse damage if I hadn’t stopped myself, and mind you.. my mom kept saying.. “Kim, where are you going to put anything..” but yet I was listening like Charlie Brown to his teacher “womp womp”
This was just a tip of the iceberg.. there were lots and lots of good stuff inside and outside. It’s so funny, I always joke about this scenario, but while I’m sitting there, I clearly envision my sons telling them to “SELL IT ALL!!!”.. lol.. all my worldly posessions.. gone to the highest bidder… I only hope they’ll get sentimental and keep a few items. But moving along and enough of that thought…. You know I have a chair fettish, and the white chair you see below almost made it home with me. I did give a bid at 25 but I wasn’t going higher…. (I know what you’re thinking.. foolish me.. and yes I regret not getting it.. but I had no space and had to let it be the “OTGA” mind you .. it sold for $35.00
I wish I had taken more pictures to share with you, but I was just too enthralled with watching the auction. But ….I’d like to share with you exactly what came home with us. My eyes zeroed in on this brass chinoiserie lamp and I snagged it for $10.00! (shade included but I want to change it) You know I was excited..
I also got this lamp for $10.00 too.. I said “shucks” for ten bucks its got to go somewhere..
I got a box of shades and vintage belts and evening purses all for $20.00
This rolling utility cart guess how much – $10.00 (yes, that’s my clutter behind here.. and I’m embarrassed.. so glad the yard sale is this week, because it’s all coming out and major cleaning is about to happen). I promised my sons I won’t let this pile up happen again.. (insert eyes rolling) yea right…
My aunt was the big winner – she got this outdoor sofa set for $120.00
The set included the sofa, chair, coffee table, side table and cushions and it was like new. The colors were perfect for her porch and not to mention, how comfortable it sits.
She found the cute mosaic candle holders at “At Home” – (we’ve found our new addiction..lol)
and last but not least she bought two of the Victorian green chairs you see in the back drop for $35.00 each.. I’ll be showing you a closer look later on when they’re all set in the house.
This was by far one of the best auctions I’ve attended in a long time. High five to my buddies Johnathan & James of Ammons Auction for coercing me to come. I’m so glad we decided to go, but really wish I had taken more pictures.. but next time, I’ll have more pics to show. Have you ever gone to an auction? Auctions and estate sales are just other venues to shop for home items and they’re really fun to go to. If you had never been to an auction, get there early, and be prepared to be there a long time, so pack a lunch or snack and something to drink and enjoy the show. You never know what you’ll find and as always – Happy Hunting – thrifting your house into a home.
Until next – smooches!
Happy Friday!
Hey Guys! I guess you’ve been wondering what have I been up to – at least I hope I’ve crossed your minds. :-), if not, it’s cool.. I know you’re just as busy. But your girl has been quite busy, between finishing up the foyer refresh and gearing up for our town’s I2I 49 Miles to Shop Yard Sale – which has now been lengthened to 70 miles!! Isn’t that awesome..!!! If you remember me talking about it last year and how much fun it was – well this year is expected to be even more fun. My sister is headed down to join in on the fun again and we’ve got lots and lots of stuff to sell. By taking on my Living Room makeover, the Budoir Refresh, and now the Foyer, I’m realizing it’s time to let go of some stuff. I’m really trying hard to minimalize my hoarding. It’s something when you remove items to begin a re-decorate project, how your thought changes and you somehow are able to let things go that you’ve not thought to get rid of. That’s where my head is now. It’s great because I just recently won first place in a de-clutter contest that was hosted by Goodwill_SC. Along with gift cards, I also received the book “The Life-changing magic of tidying up” – perfect timing right??!!!
So needless to say I’ve got boxes all around the house and just dumping stuff and I’m vowing to price this stuff to sell because I have to let it go. I want to have less stuff to dust, less stuff to store away and less stuff in the way. Wish me luck on this process because it’s not easy.. trust me.. it really isn’t. But..moving along.. I’m really happy how the foyer is coming along. No major big renovation (because hubby ain’t having that..lol) – just painting and changing the light fixture. I love how just doing those two items made a big difference. I pulled an item out of storage to replace the table you see here. I had no love for the table, but it held “more stuff” that I wasn’t using.. I mean really – why did I still have the last 5 years of telephone books in there.. smh. I found candles that I should have been burning, papers, receipts and just – stuff.
It’s not a big space so I wanted to minimize the items I had in there to make it appear more spacious. I had a rococo style mirror and console table to sell, but the buyer decided not to take it. I was going to put it in the yard sale then I took another look at it and decided to use it in my space. Reason #1 – no drawers to hold “stuff” and reason #2 – I love it. Here is the before:
Isn’t that a sweet looking mirror.. I’m not feeling the black or the shabby look of it though..
This is the console table. Black did nothing for this piece not to mention the beautiful rose tone marble top that was on it. They both got a new look with my faithful can of spray paint. I’ll show you the after next week. I want to finish up the foyer and then surprise you 🙂
That’s all for now, and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and I’ll see you next week! Oh and if you’re wanting to travel to the Yard Sale, hop over to the website and read all about it. I’d love to see you there. But in the meantime.. Happy hunting.. Smooches
It’s All In My Head
I just want to take a quick break from the norm and share my experience with you. Two weeks ago I had a Saturday fun-day planned spending the day with my mom and aunt shopping, having lunch and just hanging out. That Friday eve, I felt kind of queasy and decided to eat a bit before bed (since I hadn’t eaten all night). Saturday morning I woke, got out of bed, my head was spinning and I felt weird. I laid back down for bit to get a grip of things and about 45 mins later I decided to try it again. Again, I got up and the room was spinning, my head was shaking and I felt sick. All I can say was “oh God” help me.. I was home alone and didn’t know what was happening to me and trying to think what virus had invaded my body. I remember my aunt Pookie telling me she had something called “Vertigo” and told me what it was and how it made her feel. Long story short, I couldn’t get out of bed all weekend, but came Monday, I was feeling better. I went to the doctor and sure enough was diagnosed with Vertigo. I couldn’t understand what had I done to bring this on. As she explained, given I didn’t have an ear infection and nothing was physically wrong with me, she just said it’s something that happens with your body and eventually it’ll work its way out my system. That completely had me baffled as I’ve never experienced anything like that. My head was feeling like I had been on a spinning ride, got off and it was spinning and I couldn’t walk straight. At that point I knew what a real life bobble head felt like (I always hated those things)… what an awful feeling.
My husband was worried about me 1) because I’m not usually sick and 2) we were set to go on vacation. It was absolutely the worst timing (like Murphy’s law). The doctor gave me a prescription for Meclazine, but since I felt better I didn’t take it (I’m very skeptical about taking medications). Last week, the dreadful “V” word came back again but this time in full force (stronger than before)..
My head felt like this picture..
This time I was bedridden 4 days –
I had to take the medicine. After 2 days of taking Meclazine, it made me feel better but I wasn’t 100% – the spinning stopped but I had the queasy feeling for about 2 days. Needless to say, I did feel better, just in time for our vacation (thank God) but I was truly worried about getting sick again on the ship. We were all smiles the day we were leaving because I was feeling a lot better. 
To play it safe, I didn’t move around alot, didn’t do fast movements with my head and did not stare at the water. I made it back without any bouts of getting sick and I thank God for healing me in time for our trip. It was a glorious – much needed vacation for both of us. Although the hubby wasn’t quite happy to be back, but I was truly joyful that I didn’t get sick. I got all the rest and vitamin D I so dearly needed.
Here’s what I learned about Vertigo and I thought I’d share my experience with you. I just thank God for the love and care my family provided me during my time of illness… their support was truly a blessing.
GET A DIAGNOSIS
Getting a proper diagnosis is essential, so you know exactly what is causing your vertigo. Treatment will depend on the kind of vertigo you have. It may be caused by an inner ear disorder, a head injury, migraines, strokes, or tumors. It may also be something totally benign. This is why it’s essential you find out what’s causing it.
SLEEP WITH YOUR HEAD PROPPED UP ON MORE PILLOWS
If you only sleep using one pillow, this could make your vertigo worse. By sleeping with your head propped up on two or more pillows, you stop your inner ear crystals from moving and becoming dislodged as much. You can also sleep on your back rather than your stomach or side to avoid unnecessary disruption of the ear crystals.
TRY NOT TO LOWER YOUR HEAD PAST YOUR SHOULDERS
Lowering your head past your shoulders can also cause your inner ear crystals to become dislodged and float around. If you must bend to pick something up, do it at the knees rather than at the waist. Don’t do any exercises that require you to bring your head past your shoulders either!
TRY NOT TO STRETCH YOUR NECK
Stretching your neck forwards, as if you’re reaching for something, can also affect your inner ear crystals. Try to be more aware of the movements you’re making and avoid doing this with your neck.
AVOID SUDDEN MOVEMENTS
Sudden movements can wreak havoc with your inner ear. Unfortunately, this means you should avoid riding roller coasters and taking part in high impact sports. You can still exercise and enjoy sport, but low impact is usually best. Try jogging, swimming, and walking.
DON’T SMOKE
Smoking is a very bad habit for so many reasons, but it can also affect vertigo treatment. If you do smoke, you are minimising the effectiveness of the treatment you’re receiving for vertigo. For the sake of your vertigo and other problems you could encounter due to smoking, get the help you need to quit now. There are many support groups and online forums that could help you. It’ll be hard, but it’ll be worth it.
ANTIBIOTICS
Antibiotics may cure the reason for your vertigo, and it’ll go away as a result. There are many medicines that treat vertigo, but your doctor will prescribe the best one to you.
To learn more about Vertigo, such as causes, cures and treatments, you can visit this website. I hope I never have to go through this ever again because it’s truly difficult to deal with. It’s not a good feeling when it’s all in your head and you can’t control it. I hope by sharing my experience with you, I provided some helpful information and if it ever happens to you, at least you’ll have a some insight about what to do. Have any of you ever had Vertigo, and if so, would you like to share your experience & treatment with me? I’d love to hear about it.