From Facebook, an inspiring idea

'Pay it forward 2012 I promise to make something handmade for the first 5 people that comment on my status. They must in turn re post this and make something for the first 5 people that comment on theirs. The rules are that it must be made by you and received by the end of 2012. It can be simple as making a friends a cup of tea. Ready... Go! Please don't respond if you aren't going to participate :)'




I saw this on a  Facebook Friend/HS classmates Wall and grabbed it [after signing up for hers cause I know she's a knitter, a skill I really envy!]... and I thought maybe sharing it with my Blog readers would be a way to spread it farther than my Facebook reaches....




So far I have 4 people signed up on mine... already thinking what to make each of them.... so Fun and inspiring!

Repost and Update regarding my fav salvage spot

http://greendemolitions.com/

This place is a treasure trove and since I already got all the items I need for my house, and we're broke... I can share.  :D

Green Demo takes items from housing remodels, and clearance/end of season displays or stock and offers a tax deduction to those donating the items- so if you are ripping something out, donate it!

Then they sell the item- so if you are remodeling or redecorating- check them out.

I bet they have what you want and probably in an upgrade at builder grade price!  

In fact some items are brand spanking new like the Viking stoves.  Yes, I said Viking Stoves!  New, and with original warranty last I checked!

The $ they get for the items they sell is used to support rehab!  

See why it's a great idea?

Items we got from Green Demo for our house:

Master Bathroom vanity.  Yes, I swooned when I saw it.

It is 8'8" long and I was sure there was no way we could get it into the house... then they told me the cabinet is 3 pieces.  I don't know if I have ever whipped out the Visa that fast before or since!  It came with the counter, undermount Kohler sinks, and the faucets.

Recently I took off the knobs and added new ones from Hobby Lobby that were more in keeping with the feel of the house/bathroom

Before, nice, but not my style...

... after.  Perfect!

 

Mudroom cabinets.  These are Wood Mode cabinets.  We can not normally afford Wood Mode.

In the picture on the top is the cabinet that started out as my saddle cabinet.  The upper was to house 2 saddle racks for my saddles, shelves for helmets and bridle racks [yes, all that equipment for a horse I no longer ride].  The drawers held saddle pads and boots and other goodies... the bottom drawer actually held non-horsey items- my various throw entry rugs.

Since I no longer ride, I moved the horse equipment to the garage into an armoire I tricked out similarly.... and we installed a hanging rod in the upper portion of this cabinet in the mudroom, for an instant closet.  The drawers now hold our various hats, mittens, gloves and other 'stuff'.

This set of cabinets, also in the Mudroom, I finished with a granite counter I also bought at GreenDemo.  If I remember correctly I got that 2' x 2' piece with beveled edge for $80.  They have various sizes and colors of granite at great prices.  This was perfect for that spot where we keep keys, a charging station for cell phones,etc.  Leashes [yes plural] hang next to that cabinet.

The sides of the upper/lower cabinets were not 'finished' and I was hemming and hawing about what to do with them, when a friend suggested blackboard paint, so I painted both with that.  Now the upper is a message spot, and the lower directs people to leave their boots there.

The cabinets were an entire small kitchen, so I had enough to do my laundry room too.

The DEEP sink there is also from Green Demo.  Great for washing these stinky dogs.

[Yes the builder hung the hutch cabinet WAY too high originally over the sink]

Here's the laundry room more recently, with a bookcase that houses my grandmothers iron and other items.  This will someday be changed out with a pantry cabinet, in which I can store those mops/vacs you see there, as well.  Finally, from the pine Wood Mode cabinet uppers to the someday pantry cabinet, over the washer dryer, I want to install shelves, and then a counter over the w/d, once I get the frontload washer.   

My grandmother used this iron into the 1970s, heating it on her giant woodfired stove that she also continued to cook on.

Those canisters were in my grandmothers kitchen as well.  Alas they were a bit rusty when I found them in my dads barn, so for now they hold my washing powders.  On the top and bottom shelves, behind the curtains, are cleaning supplies.

On the other side of the room is a dresser that I use to store wrapping paper, my stash of wallpaper and other 'stuff'.  Someday I want that to be my project/craft center.  I want to get a new counter that runs the entire length of that wall, and create a spot for me to sit and paint small things.  The wall above will be fit with peg board and shelves above that.  As you can see I also have one of those wooden drying racks where I can quickly place air dry only items as I pull them out of the washer.

As you can see, really long rolls of wrapping paper do not fit in the dresser.

Above the sink I painted a chalkboard, as I did with the end there over my dogs bed.

We never use this door, so the girls bed is right there in front of it.

This is the sink in the 1/2 bath.  It's a Vitra sink and came with the Jado faucets.

I knew neither of those names when I bought it, it was simply the right shape and cheap, cheap, cheap price.

I got 2 of the 3 toilets there too- all Kohler, all for less than the cheapest toilets at Home Depot.

I got several light fixtures there also.  The one above is over the garage doors.

These were bronze... some spray paint and they are awesome and look like wrought iron.  I think we got 6 of these [and we only used 4 of them] for $24.  I kid you not.  $6 for a can of spray paint, and Viola!

And the chandelier, closest in this pic, came from there.

The pendant you see behind it was a last minute, 'I gotta' find something to go there' find when the electricians installed the 2 pendant outlets in the ceiling with one of them too close to where that cabinet on the right was going in... meaning every time you opened that cabinet you would have dinged the pendant.  Annoying. So, instead of the 2 pendants I had, I had to go find one pendant.  We capped the other one that was too close to the cabinet... and yes it annoys me every time I look at it.

Here's the Butler Pantry I wrote a blog about, also from GreenDemo

during install...

... tricked out and almost finished.   We still need to repaint the ceiling where the paint/drywall came off with the paint tape [OY], level the lower cabinets and add toe kick trim, and I would like to add lights to the uppers to highlight my grandmothers china.   On the right we'll add an upper cabinet over the freezer we installed, which will be to the ceiling and deep.  That cabinet, which will have to be custom made, will serve as storage for large, seldom used items like the waffle maker and the ice cream machine.

I chose the grey paint for these cabinets from the granite counter, which is white, light grey, dark grey, with flecks of rust.

I love Green Demo and I know my house would not have half the upgraded items in it if I had not found them when I did.

What I accomplished in 2011

The last few weeks everyone in BlogLand has been recapping their year, and I finally have a minute, since crippling myself doing 'yardwork' today, to do a little recap of my own.

Became

I needed new kitchen chairs and Habitat for Humanity had these babies for $10 each

Reupholstered and painted

I expanded my wall art collection

The top pic here is my own horse, Yo

My This End Up desk got Upcycled

Several dog beds

Sold

Sold

Sold

nailhead trim... so pretty... and so hard to do!

Sold

And my lovely model!

The horse rescue had several items donated that I redid and we sold Lickety-split!!

Normally anything I buy, upcycle, and sell generates at least a 10% donation to the rescue... but these items were theirs and I did the work gratis... and they made almost/over [I forget] $400!!!

I could never hand over a $400 donation... so it felt FANTASTIC to generate that kind of money for the cause I hold dear and the organization I know does so many good things!

This hutch....

Redone and still for sale

A Fathers Day gift

[Ignore the photo date- that was screwed up for a few months!]

This...

... became...

Habitat for Humanity vanity seat...

Painted, stenciled and reupholstered

I recovered the cushions on the porch swing... from 'so NOT me, to....

.... 'Now THAT'S me!'

Salvation Army tables

For sale

My sister claimed these

For Sale

For my sister

My new headboard for my soon-to-be-revamped bedroom

A work in progress

For my sisters new house

Here they are in her house:

A small update, we swapped out these knobs on our master bath vanity...

... and replaced them with these, from Hobby Lobby

Finally, my new kitchen hutch is nearing completion.

I know I'm fickle... here are the 'also rans' in the 'Ang needs a Kitchen Hutch' race:

... the original, WHY did I SELL it????

... no counter, sold it ...

... too small, for sale ...

And the latest contestant, before...

... during....

and well, ... still during, but almost there...

See the grey backed shelves?  Those will have a door over them... someday... and just the top shelf on the sides will be open, as well as that middle.

Upper knobs, thanks Hobby Lobby!

Lower knobs, again, Hobby Lobby

[the first step is knowing you have a problem, right?]

distressing

... and you will see below, my favorite Xmas gift on the right... a genuine MacKenzie-Childs, from my sister!!

You can't see them, but I added lights to the open area on top as well, to highlight my display items

Okay, apparently trying to update 10 minutes before Downton Abbey starts is not advised.

For some reason the new pics of the hutch most recently will not upload, so consider this a cliffhanger... and check back soon for those pictures!    Nevermind, got 'em done!!

What I want to do with this piece in the near future is add a Stainless Steel counter top.

Crazy idea?  Bad idea?   Is there a way to cheat and make it look like SS, but save $$ and time and effort?  Maybe using a skill I already think I have?

Anyone know how to add SS and want to mentor me?

I still have to add the pitted glass film to the glass doors, but it appears to be a 2 man job, so I'm waiting for a day that both D and I can do it...   

Today was not that day.  

Today was 'clear the view into the woods so we can see if the bear is waiting to pounce' day.

And as before I want to add doors to the sides, where the grey backed shelves are...  I either gotta' learn how to make those, or find some that will fit.  Any guesses as to which would be harder to do, more time consuming and/or more expensive?

The colors I used on this hutch are actually the same as the 'Original', 2 Ralph Lauren colors I get custom mixed.

Here's the view from where I sit.... these 2 girls are the bestest girlfriends, and spend almost all day snuggling, or sniffin' out what's been in the yard [again, that bear!].

Happy Dogs