tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20803534520178092372024-03-14T03:16:00.340-05:00Retro RestylingRetro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-4002481311113197972013-12-02T10:00:00.000-06:002013-12-02T10:00:00.608-06:00Say hello<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A little over 2 years ago I met this uber friendly woman named Melissa through my Retro Restyling facebook page. Melissa loved the look of the furniture I restyled so she decided to contact me about creating some furniture for her. One chit chat led to another and she commissioned two dressers that would eventually end up being <a href="http://retrorestyling.blogspot.com/2011/12/say-hello.html">Thelma and Louise</a>.</div>
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During the process of that commission and afterwards Melissa and I grew a friendship that was very ying and yang, but pretty awesome none-the-less. She listened to country music and loved the shabby chic kind of look and I had the retro 50's look going on and listened to metal music. Yet, even though we looked different and had different interests in music and lifestyles we still hit it off and had lots of fun together. Through the short two years that our friendship grew furniture pieces like her <a href="http://retrorestyling.blogspot.com/2012/03/say-hello.html">mirror</a> and <a href="http://retrorestyling.blogspot.com/2013/02/say-hello.html">Romy and Michelle</a> were born. Then she decided that she wanted a new look for her old desk that was to be a centerpiece for an Americana themed room which would display her and her husbands achievements in the military.</div>
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...here comes the sadface...<br />
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See, Melissa is a flight nurse in the Airforce and every four years she is reassigned to a new station which is typical of that branch. In the time we met she just so happened to be stationed where she grew up outside of St. Louis, but she knew a move was coming in mid 2014. Neither her nor I figured "the move" would come so soon in 2013, but Melissa happens to kick butt at her job and the higher up's noticed and offered her a promotion to be a Major..... which came with a side of "you have to move to Japan as soon as you can".</div>
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Well then.... that escalated quickly.</div>
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Needless to say I got upset. I figured I would have had a little more time with my friend and I assumed that if she was relocated I could at least visit where she was going if it was state-side. But Japan? Not so much. "Well," I said, "maybe in four years I'll be able to see you, right?" She then breaks the "I think we'll be heading to England after that." to me. UGH... Seriously???? No Melissa for 8 years?!?!? Oh my achy breaky heart!!! There's not much arguing with military processes though, so I had to bite my lip and bear it and quickly get her beautiful desk completed for her. I guess I'll have to try to win the lottery so I can travel abroad.... </div>
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Then all of the sudden this happened....<br />
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I realized six pieces of Retro Restyling furniture (aka: my adopted out furniture babies) will be living in Japan.</div>
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*enter tons of anxiety*<br />
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Oh. My. God.</div>
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What if the moving company doesn't wrap the furniture well enough?</div>
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What happens if they screw them up with scratches?</div>
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Will they make it through the journey???? ACK!!!!!</div>
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*enter emotional break down*</div>
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I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry. In fact, at work on the morning I would be delivering the desk to her that evening I had a <b><i>really hard time</i></b> keeping it together. Not only was the exhaustion of working on the desk non-stop over the weekend and a few week days with no sleep catching up to me, the stress of the furniture making it to Japan was killing me and the icing on the "break down" cake was I was never going to see my friend again after I delivered the desk. That's a lot to deal with.</div>
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But I did my best to <strike>not loose my sanity</strike> stay positive and I made sure to thank Melissa for her friendship by doing something unexpectedly special for her. I asked her what her seven favorite US cities were, grabbed my two atlas's and used those maps as drawer liners. The long middle drawer (the last picture above) is St. Louis. Every time she grabs a pen out of that drawer I hope she'll remember home and think about the ones who are still here loving and missing her. She loved the desk and the maps, which I knew she would, and after a few hours of hanging out and a few hugs where I felt like I didn't want to let go, I left the desk with her and said good-bye. I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry... again.</div>
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Now that I've seen first hand how hard it is on a personal level to serve our country it makes me appreciate people who serve even more. Melissa's told me heart wrenching stories of being in harms way in Afghanistan nursing the wounded. I've seen the short-term stability of her life turned upside down repeatedly by deployments state-side. She's confided in me how hard it is to establish long-term friendships because she works so hard and moves around so much... which I have confirmed first hand.... but in the end, even though it is so hard for her and the people who love her, she wouldn't have it any other way.</div>
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She loves her job. She loves serving our country. She loves America.</div>
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Thank you Melissa...</div>
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...for your unconditional friendship, for your never ending support of my business and creativity and for the personal sacrifices you have made for us and our country over the last eight years. I wish you, Pebbles and Layla, and your new husband Steve Godspeed in this next chapter of your life. Work hard, stay safe, have fun, have babies (ha!) and always remember that even though you are in the future I'll still be back here in the past thinking of you and waiting to SKYPE!!! :)</div>
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xoxoxoxo</div>
Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-39305139739091185922013-11-06T10:00:00.000-06:002013-11-06T10:00:01.510-06:00Say hello<div style="text-align: center;">
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What day is it today????</div>
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It's WEDNESDAYEE, WHOOP WHOOP!!</div>
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That's right, I'm happier than a camel on hump day because I get to show you guys the whole shabang today. Ms. C has a beautiful home full of rich color and deep wood tones so this room she had these pieces in before they were painted needed some design TLC. Functional yet... Bland. Boring. Bone colored walls. Wallpaper border. Nuff said. There was so much potential for an update with color on the walls and on the furniture, and for that added pizzazz, crown molding. She and her husband did an amazing job flipping this room to continue the flowing richness of their home.</div>
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And a let me tell you... </div>
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When I was in the process of painting all these pieces and making it all tie in together I tried to explain the colors of the room, the colors of the furniture and how it would all blend together to people.... They would just give me that look like this:</div>
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O.o</div>
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Yeah, I get it. Some people have to see it to believe it, but boy oh boy I bet they'll get it now. </div>
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Deep. Rich. Beautiful. Pops of color.</div>
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Like I said before, it's been a long time coming, but to see it all together is really stinkin' cool.</div>
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What do you think?</div>
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Thanks for stopping by today!</div>
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xo,</div>
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Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-17540383326452571262013-11-04T10:00:00.000-06:002013-11-04T10:00:01.639-06:00Say hello<div style="text-align: center;">
...to the final piece of Ms. C's 1930's dining set!</div>
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It's been a long time comin', way too long in fact, but Ms. C finally has all of her pieces to her dining set. I decided to paint this piece to compliment the other pieces in the set by making it the same color as the <a href="http://retrorestyling.blogspot.com/2012/07/say-hello.html">harp shape in the chairs</a>, which was a custom color paint made by me. Also, knowing it was going to be on the opposite wall from her <a href="http://retrorestyling.blogspot.com/2012/10/say-hello.html">fabulous orange buffet</a>, I used the same color in the background of the cabinet. It's definitely the icing to this three layer cake.</div>
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As I said before, it took way too long for me to complete her set. I could go on and on about why, but see... that is for another post that will be coming this week. It's wondrous how life takes us on its journeys, and how sometimes you have complete control and other times the reigns are out of your hands. These travels can be positive or negative, healing or hurtful, amazing or terrifying.</div>
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I will also be putting up another blog post this week to show you all of these pieces together in their natural habitat, and boy are they a beautiful assemble.</div>
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Thanks for stopping by today! I sure hope you love this cabinet as much as I do!!</div>
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PS. Geez, can someone tell me how you take a straight picture of a piece with glass <i>without</i> getting yourself in the picture??? lol</div>
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xo,</div>
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Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-29053181472425775702013-08-19T13:59:00.001-05:002013-08-19T14:12:27.319-05:00For the Love of Helping Others<div style="text-align: center;">
I've always been one who has been drawn to helping others. I guess I've always had that little voice in the back of my head that said, "Susan... you should be there for people when they are in need." It started when I was younger and grew with me as I grew up, and when I hit my older teens I did the best I could to satisfy that hunger to help. When I turned 18 I volunteered as a firefighter in my city. While doing that I started the process to become a police officer. I decided to turn away from that calling and I enlisted in the Army instead. My military career was cut way short when I got very sick with mono even before I ever got to basic training. With my head hung low in disappointment I came home after being medically discharged. To this day I still find that voice calling me every time I see a fire truck, ambulance or a police car whiz by... or when I see tragedy on TV, I feel like I should be there helping as a first responder.</div>
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Even though I decided to never professionally walk in that direction, I still get satisfaction in helping others any way I can. For instance... as we all know I paint furniture, and in the last few years I've had some magnificent people mentor me during my journey. As many times as I have thanked those wonderful people I feel like a simple thanks will never be enough to show my appreciation. I feel like I should keep moving that loving help forward to others as they gave that love and help to me. Even though I have this somewhat mediocre retail job at a local Home Depot in the paint department, I still find myself satisfying that little voice in my head every time a lost soul comes in with a furniture painting project. I devote one-on-one time to make sure by the time they leave my store they are not overwhelmed, scared, anxious or confused by any part of their project's process. I've recommended <a href="http://knackstudios.com/">my friend Barb's</a> book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Furniture-Makeovers-Techniques-Transforming-Stencils/dp/1452104158">"Furniture Makeovers"</a> a bunch of times and I even give customers my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/RetroRestyling">Facebook fan page</a> to make sure that if they ever get stuck in any part of their project, they can contact me outside of the store for help. I've been contacted many times and every time I did my best to try to help.</div>
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And then things like this happen: I get pictures... and I am blown away.</div>
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HELLO DOLLY....</div>
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Look at that beautiful natural top on that white table... </div>
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You had me at hello, dear.</div>
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I have to say that I am very impressed with Ms. T and her ability to transform this table and chairs into a pretty matching set on her first shot ever working on furniture. Even though there were a few hiccups along the way in her process, she pulled through and I give her mega-props. Hopefully I'll get a "in their natural habitat" picture in her kitchen all set up nice and pretty so I can share it with you.</div>
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But as for now let's all ooo and ahhh together for a second at that 2nd picture again...</div>
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haha!</div>
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Alrighty ladies and gents, I am out of here!</div>
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Thanks for stopping by, and remember... take a minute or two today and help your fellow neighbor, friend or even a stranger. Show this world that there is still hope for humanity among all the negative chaos.</div>
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XO,</div>
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Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-24560123446968534242013-05-03T18:39:00.001-05:002013-05-03T20:45:47.965-05:00Hitting Rock Bottom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There isn't much else to say when you can find the most perfect quotes that hit the tenderest, most sensitive areas of your heart, that clearly define what you've gone through in your life in the last few months. It's actually been more than a few months really... honestly it's been a steady progression over the years, and I finally hit that "rock bottom" place in my life.</div>
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Ladies and Gentlemen, I almost quit painting furniture permanently. In fact, I did quit. I threw my hands up at my life and quit everything.<i> Everything. </i>My finances took a turn for the worst, my relationship with my children and my father was faltering, my marriage was in shambles and I was just <i>done</i>. Before, I could handle a struggle or two in my life, but life had become so unstable... filled with so much heartbreak and uncertainty that I just couldn't deal with anything anymore. My genuine unbroken spirit had broken and was hiding in a fetal position under my blanket for the majority of my days. I came out to eat, go to the bathroom, cook dinner, do motherly duties and go back to bed. The slightest thought of responsibility past the unconditional care of my children would put me into an anxious state. Just looking at pieces of furniture in my basement staring at me waiting for paint would make me cower upstairs and hide.</div>
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It took a couple dear close friends of mine to tell me to never quit painting furniture.... that I was too talented, too inspiring to walk away from something I loved and was good at. Those friends helped me take those steps back to the person I use to be than the one I had become.</div>
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It took some time afterwards to begin to be brave enough to face all my fears and worries and anxieties and "decide that I want this life, more than I fear it."</div>
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This is why I haven't kept up with my blog or Facebook page, touched a paint brush, detail sanded an edge of a chair or even walked into my studio for more than a minute. My apologies for being completely vacant but I learned that if I didn't take one problem or step at a time I couldn't handle it all at once.</div>
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But I'm still here... even though I am at the end of my rope, I have tied a knot so I can still hold on.</div>
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xoxo</div>
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Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-29786689022308589232013-02-18T17:58:00.004-06:002013-02-18T18:22:10.495-06:00Say hello<div style="text-align: center;">
...to Seamus!</div>
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I read through the blogosphere recently that emerald green is the new "color of the year".... well how interesting! I already had an itch to paint something green but had no large pieces to work on, so this miniature fella seemed quite appropriate for the color. He needed a little work but in the end turned out fabulous!</div>
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This is Seamus, and even though he is a tiny guy he is busting out his green goodness large and in charge just in time for St. Patrick's Day! Tell me he isn't very handsome in that color, with those pulls and that paper in the desk and drawers? I love every little detail of this guy and as usual I will have a hard time letting him go.</div>
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If you are interested in Seamus head over to my <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/124032676/seamus-the-emerald-green-antique?ref=pr_shop">Etsy store</a> and pick him up for that special little girl in your life or that eclectic furniture collector friend!!</div>
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xo,</div>
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Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-63636905830165857112013-02-05T10:00:00.000-06:002013-02-05T10:00:10.081-06:00Say hello<div style="text-align: center;">
...to Romy and Michelle!</div>
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hahahah!</div>
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Just naming them Romy and Michelle cracks me up! See, these darlings are for my friend Ms. M and she currently owns <a href="http://retrorestyling.blogspot.com/2011/12/say-hello.html">Thelma and Louise</a>... so another friend of mine suggested to stick with the "movie name" theme and call them Romy and Michelle. I'll admit I've never watched the movie until today, and let me just tell you, these two girls are just like them! Hot messes that end up totally cool in the end!!! HAHA!</div>
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First off, lemme explain how these two girls became what they are. Ms. M was in dire need of a cute pair of night stands for her bedroom, but darn if those aren't totally hard to come by. So I went on the hunt for an old vanity that could be taken apart and turned into night stands. Enter said vanity above....well, enter a very used and abused vanity above. The right side (pictured on the left in the before picture) was over used and by the looks of her, someone wasn't cautious of the damage they were doing. The legs were wobbly, the left side was completely split and that whole side piece felt like it was going to fall apart. In fact, when I did remove the legs they all fell out of their joints. yay. Time for gorilla glue! </div>
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Oh if only making these beauties fabulous was as easy as lying about inventing Post-its....</div>
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Not only was the grace of a little glue and God holding these two girls together, there was some old teal and red paint that someone back in the day "accented" the rungs, front, top edge and that cute little wood design on the drawers with. Pfft... who would do that? Paint furniture like that.. that's just crazy... ;) Anyways, height was reduced by taking off the "foot" pieces, holes were filled, stubborn accent paint was stripped reluctantly, legs were glued and with <b>A LOT</b> of elbow grease and some pretty Kingfisher paint by Behr this is what Romy and Michelle turned out to be.... totally hot and unique. If they could win the heart of any guy it sure would be the one in the helicopter and not the one puking in the bushes.</div>
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Thanks for stopping by today!</div>
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I hope you love the transformation of these two beautiful ladies!</div>
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Don't forget to pin these to your favorite furniture transformations board in Pinterest!!</div>
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xo,</div>
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Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-14433445427843064282013-01-22T09:00:00.000-06:002013-01-22T09:00:05.155-06:00Say hello<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
...to Jeanne!</div>
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Funny thing about this dresser...</div>
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At first it was intended to be a dresser for a nursery, but then I deemed it unusable because of it's condition (it was one of those oooo it's so cute, but too stinky). Then I decided that I was going to use it as a test subject for some painting and sealing techniques that I was trying out. I figured I didn't want to ruin something important, so I'd just use it instead. Once it was done being painted I completely forgot to paint the middle drawer (whoops) ... it's actually just a faux drawer because the bottom wood panel was rotted out. Then I sanded it a bit... then I bees-waxed the middle drawer... then I sealed it... then I was like, hey now... this isn't that bad looking.</div>
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Granted, it isn't perfect in it's finish. There are paint drips on the top that I let dry and some other random "completely not acceptable by my perfectionism" issues... but it did turn out pretty. So I thought, maybe I should make this into one of those planter dressers you see on covered porches that are so stinkin' cute. I took a picture with the drawers open, whipped out the Photoshop and loaded up the dresser, some random plants from the interwebz and a picture of my new-to-us front porch.</div>
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Awwwww.... isn't Photoshop awesome? I mean... isn't that cute???</div>
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<b>Here's the plan:</b></div>
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1. I guess this cutie will stick around until spring time when I can stick some plants in some containers and stick them in the dresser that has been stuck on my front porch.</div>
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2. If someone local is interested in her, I'll be willing to part with her for a reasonable price. :)</div>
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PS - This dresser is named after Jeanne Baret! In 1766, Frenchwoman Jeanne Baret disguised herself as a man to work as an assistant to renowned botanist Philibert Commerson on the first French circumnavigation of the globe, meaning she was the first woman to ever travel around the world! A royal ordinance forbade women from being on French naval vessels; prejudice and custom prevented their participation in science as well. Nevertheless she maintained her disguise, classified hundreds of different species of plants and in the end was never recognized for her accomplishments until now. Just recently a new plant species was discovered and dubbed "Solanum Baretiae". Found in southern Ecuador and northern Peru, the fruit-bearing vine is part of the Solanum genus, one of the largest and most economically vital on the planet. (It also includes the potato, tomato and eggplant.)</div>
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How fitting for a dresser that didn't look like what, in the end, it potentially became right?</div>
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And look atcha growing your brain a little bit today too!!</div>
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Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-2749104768109881712013-01-14T10:35:00.000-06:002013-02-01T17:02:38.456-06:00A "Knacktastic" Buffet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's become quite an awesome tradition that every year for Christmas I thank Barb Blair from <a href="http://www.knackstudios.com/">Knack Studios</a> with a mini-replica of an authentic Knack piece. I do this because from day 1 when I began this process of restyling furniture, she has been there step by step encouraging me along and helping me when I get stuck in a pickle. If it wasn't for her taking her precious time out of her day to do this I would be L.O.S.T., and definitely not as educated as I am today about how to restyle furniture.</div>
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So this year I scoured her portfolio page on her website for the perfect piece, then I went to a local doll house store and sought out something relatively close to what I wanted to replicate. I knew it wouldn't be spot on identical, but I wanted the same type of style. In the end I picked her "Knacktastic" buffet and bought a long 3 drawer buffet from the store, some accessories, green beads and paint and went to town!!</div>
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If you are a fan of Knack you'll know that Barb just loves the odd bubble shaped vases to put single stem puffy flowers in. She also often uses books covered in white and different types of buntings in her furniture photo shoots. If you didn't know, Barb has a new book that is coming out in April called <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Furniture-Makeovers-Barbara-Blair/dp/1452104158/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1351706194&sr=8-3&keywords=furniture+makeovers">Furniture Makeovers</a> </i>that I know she is super excited about. Head on over to Amazon and pre-order it!!</div>
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I took all these inspirations, turned on the Photoshop, and recreated her book cover to fit one of the teeny tiny books and then downloaded a font to replicate the chalkboard so I could line the drawers. I then cut itty bitty triangles out of newspaper and hot glued them to some black sewing thread to make a miniature bunting. Then after some paint, some distressing and 3 green bead pulls later, I created this magnificent mini-buffet with the best decor accents ever!</div>
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How friggan' caaaayute is this!?!</div>
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It literally made my inner 5 year old girl squeal with glee, and as usual I had a hard time packing it up in a box and sending it to her. haha! I just loved it so much.</div>
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But alas, I wasn't done...</div>
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With the focus being on how absolutely adorable tiny things can be, I hit up my uber talented jewelry making best friend Ann Marie from <b>Archaic Mementos. </b>I snatched a super awesome miniature terrarium necklace with a grazing deer in it from her and added it to gift box for Barb. That thing is the bomb diggity and she has a ton more for sale on the <a href="http://www.archaicmementos.com/">Archaic Mementos</a> website!!! Go snag one up before they are gone!!!</div>
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I just know Barb will "dig" her terrarium necklace, and I'm pretty sure this new mini-piece of heaven will be proudly displayed on one of the shelves in the <a href="http://retrorestyling.blogspot.com/2012/02/piece-of-piece-that-holds-tiny-pieces.html">display drawer</a> I made last year for her. I hope you guys like it too!!</div>
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xo,</div>
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Thanks to Marian, Miss Mustard Seed herself, for the feature on</div>
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!!! :)</center>
Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-23848877828250410762012-12-31T14:37:00.000-06:002012-12-31T14:37:05.770-06:00Watch Out 2013, I'm Comin' Atcha!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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That's right 2013, you better watch out because I have your number and I plan on owning you!! You are going to be a great year! Don't you forget it, or try to run astray, because I have so much planned...so you're gonna be a busy and successful year!!! No back talking, it's happening so you best just hush!</div>
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I'm so pumped, can you tell? I just can't wait to get moving!!</div>
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If you're willing to take the trip with me, lets reflect back on 2012...</div>
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*insert Wayne and Garth doing the "flash back" hands and sound*</div>
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At the beginning of the year I took some time off because I was utilizing a gift from my maternal Grandmother who passed away in 2011. This is her holding my now 7 year old son. She lived on the other side of the states so I'm so glad that we had this time for her to meet him. Who knows when we would be back to see her again.... Unfortunately she became ill and we never got a chance to visit before she passed.</div>
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Thanks to her generosity, I paid some bills, took care of an extensive amount of hail damage on my truck (like over 200 dents and almost $3k worth of damage) bought my Canon T3 and put some money into my business.</div>
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After all that was settled I finished up my annual "thanks for being awesome" <a href="http://retrorestyling.blogspot.com/2012/02/piece-of-piece-that-holds-tiny-pieces.html">Christmas gift for Barb at Knack</a>. I painted her a union jack chest and made this display shelf out of a left over drawer. I was so excited because I knew that many more wee pieces of furniture would be sent to her and this would be the perfect item to display them in.</div>
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Then my friend C and I got together and made plans for her 1930's dining room. Since I started working on furniture I would drool over her set every time I came to her house so I was stoked that she finally decided it was time for a makeover. Even though it's taken longer than I expected (I have one last piece to go, which is the china cabinet) each piece turned out AMAZING. I have received the best compliments on the <a href="http://retrorestyling.blogspot.com/2012/06/say-hello.html">yellow table</a> and <a href="http://retrorestyling.blogspot.com/2012/07/say-hello.html">the matching chairs</a>, but the blogosphere lost it (in a good way) when they saw <a href="http://retrorestyling.blogspot.com/2012/10/say-hello.html">the orange buffet</a>. It was featured all over the place, pinned like crazy on Pinterest and just adored by the masses. That made me feel SUPER special and made C quite happy.</div>
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When I first initially started my journey with her furniture I planned to whip right on through it, but life jumped in the way a few times and stalled me out. In March we lost our Pop, which is my husbands maternal Grandfather, to a stroke. Losing him tore our hearts in two. This is Pop with our kids 7 years ago.</div>
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Right after Pop passed at the hospital we went outside and I looked up and saw this heart shaped cloud, and before it blew away I snapped a pic of it. </div>
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We love you too Pop.</div>
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I got back to work on C's furniture, but when summer came we decided it was time that we move on from Collinsville, IL and move back home to Missouri. <a href="http://retrorestyling.blogspot.com/2012/08/moving.html">So we bought our first home in St. Charles.</a> It was hard <a href="http://retrorestyling.blogspot.com/2012/09/saying-goodbye.html">saying goodbye</a> to our rented home because it's where my dream of restyling furniture started, but bigger and better things called to us and in the end we are happier that we own now.</div>
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My good friend T, who I've known since the early 90's and who was our real estate agent, was pregnant through our whole house buying experience. In fact, I hadn't seen T since probably the late 90's and thanks to Facebook we reconnected. I was so ecstatic because I hadn't seen her in years and it was like time stood still and we were the same goofy kids from back then. After we moved in T wanted me to<a href="http://retrorestyling.blogspot.com/2012/11/say-hello.html"> restyle a wardrobe for her baby Tallulah</a>. It turned out very pretty and little Tallulah made her wonderful appearance the day after Christmas!!! She's B-E-A-yooootiful!!!</div>
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And as if the year couldn't have got any better, I was blessed to meet and work with a new customer Ms. L!! She had another 1930's set for me to work on plus other projects that are still up and coming!! This was the first piece completed of the set, <a href="http://retrorestyling.blogspot.com/2012/11/say-hello_19.html">a mini-buffet</a>!</div>
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So throughout the year I had: hardships, losses, wins, re-connections, laughs, fun with friends, frowns, a few tears of frustration, a few days I didn't want to get out of bed, a few days where the bed couldn't hold me, aches and pains, excitement, feeling humbled, struggles, successes, praises, blessings in disguise... but even though there were so many ups and downs I'm still here. I'm still pushing on, persevering and determined to succeed and grow. </div>
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I hope you enjoyed my walk through time. There was so much more I could add, but I'm sure you're groggy eyed by now. haha! I hope you stick with me through my journey in 2013, because like I said at the top of this post <b>I'M GOING TO OWN IT.</b> </div>
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Have a safe and fun New Years and I'll see ya on the flip side!!\</div>
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Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-72510673811082433992012-12-28T14:56:00.000-06:002012-12-28T14:56:13.183-06:00Well That's Pinteresting | It's Spa Day for Your Shower!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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That's right ladies, it's time for a spa treatment! Oh not for you, oh no... it's for your shower! Let's get those cleaning gloves on and give that dirty DNA water receptacle a good cleaning!</div>
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When I use to clean my showers I used Comet Bath Cleaner. Every single time I would spray it, even if I was covering my face with my shirt, I would gag and sneeze from the chemicals. So when I found this <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/84020349269858400/">Martha Stewart recipe for a homemade tub/shower cleaner</a> I just had to try it. Then I found this great idea on how to <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/84020349269863470/">remove mildewy grossness from the caulking in your tub</a> and thought, well heck... if I'm in here cleaning the shower I might as well put 5 more minutes of effort in and make it nice and sparkly.</div>
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There really isn't much to this other than simple house hold cleaners you should already have laying around, but if you don't, jog over to your local grocery store and grab what you need. </div>
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<b><u>Supplies for your day at the shower spa:</u></b></div>
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water</div>
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1 teaspoon dish soap</div>
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1 cup baking soda</div>
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a dual sided sponge or scrub brush</div>
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a bowl</div>
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bleach</div>
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large cotton balls</div>
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Toss your 1 cup of baking soda in a bowl and add the teaspoon of dish soap and add just enough water to make it pasty. Not too thick, not too runny...it should look like this:</div>
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Now depending on the grossness of your tub (I know it's harsh to say, but common... some of our tubs really need this and you know it) you can either use a double sided sponge or a scrub brush. Even though mine was pretty dirty, I just used a sponge like this and put a heaping spoonful of baking soda mixture on it, then flipped it on the scrub side for abrasion. You will find that some will drip down into the tub, which is all good because you'll be using it down there too.</div>
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How dirty was my tub, you ask? This dirty. Not only had I just bathed my Sphynx kitty (she has major oils that come off of her which leave a nasty ring on the tub) I had dropped a bottle of shampoo and it sprayed everywhere plus there was the grimy soap crap on the walls too.</div>
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Here's the spotted dirty fixtures.</div>
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I used 2 heaping spoonfuls on the left wall, 3 on the large middle wall and 2 on the right wall with the fixtures, then a little more to clean the fixtures themselves. I would say I used a couple in the bath as well, plus all the stuff that dripped down. After a good rinsing I had a beautifully clean shower!</div>
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Hey look, there's me in the reflection!! So shiny!!</div>
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SOLD.</div>
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I'm never buying stinky chemical cleaners for my shower ever again.</div>
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Now on to that pesky mildew crud you see under my fixtures... (I do clean after midnight sometimes. haha!)</div>
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I poured some bleach into a small bowl (sorry Princess Jasmine...) then soaked a large cotton ball in it and stuck it up against the caulking to where I felt like it was snug enough to do it's job. You can use your fingers, or Q-Tips or whatever you want, just make sure it's nice and snug. Darn it if I didn't take a picture of this process, but I think you'll get the idea that you'll need to apply as many cotton balls to the area that is mildewed as you'll need. In the original pin the girl who tried this used the perm cotton strings you can get at a beauty supply store, but good 'ol regular cotton balls work too.</div>
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Here's my before pic. BLECH. GROSS. We just bought this house, so I'm getting use to its quirks, and that night whilst cleaning I found out that the water drips down the fixture underneath on the bottom and follows it down to the tub....hence the reason for the mildew build up right there. We have a couple other nasty areas as well, like the corners so I slapped some cotton balls there too.</div>
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Leave the cotton on overnight.</div>
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Awake in the morning, remove and toss your cotton balls and yell "BOOYAH" because the mildew will be totally gone.</div>
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Ahhhhhh... wasn't that spa treatment so relaxing?</div>
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Ok ok, cleaning is not relaxing, but rather satisfying instead knowing that you aren't spending a horrible amount on cleaners and you aren't damaging your lungs by breathing that nasty stuff in.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">TIP TIME</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">1.</span></div>
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As you can see, my shower walls are tile and my tub is old school porcelain from the 70's. This concoction of baking soda and soap worked great in my situation. It should work well in yours too, if you have the same type of thing. I've also read that fiberglass shower/tubs will be ok and shouldn't scratch up using this mix.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">2.</span></div>
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In the original Martha Stewart post they suggest using anti-bacterial essential oils like Tea Tree Oil. I didn't have any of that, and personally didn't see a use for it. And as for fiberglass showers, apparently essential oils can mar the surface, so I wouldn't suggest adding any to the mixture if you have a fiberglass shower/tub.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">3.</span></div>
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I didn't even use all of the baking soda soap mix during this process, even though I was using heaping spoonfuls, so next time I think I might do 3/4 of a cup instead of a full cup.</div>
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I hope you enjoyed my shower cleaning day at the spa!</div>
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<b>Make sure to pin one of my pictures from this post please</b></div>
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and have an amazing weekend!!</div>
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Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-58293530831907871852012-12-17T11:57:00.000-06:002012-12-17T12:28:09.456-06:00My Heart Bleeds for Newtown CT<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HkuLt1CwwcU/UM9R-KKNPmI/AAAAAAAABbM/at0C1F0BXYU/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Newtown_CT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HkuLt1CwwcU/UM9R-KKNPmI/AAAAAAAABbM/at0C1F0BXYU/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Newtown_CT.jpg" /></a></div>
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I have shed many tears since Friday. MANY. I can't, in my right mind, put together the complete and total utter loss the Newtown, Connecticut community is going through right now. I mean, I can't make sense of it period. I can't imagine the pain and heartbreak the parents and siblings of the children lost, the family members plus surviving students of the school staff and the emergency responders who had to witness the gruesome crime are dealing with right now. I can't fathom it. I can politely say I feel your pain, sure I could say that... I've unexpectedly lost my brother, friends, grandparents... but how could you possibly feel the soul shattering loss of 20 innocent children and 6 adults who did nothing less than try to protect the children under their wings?</div>
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You can't.</div>
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I can't.</div>
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Unless you are in their shoes, it's impossible.</div>
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It all comes down to this, I have a 7 year old boy in First Grade, so this has all hit close to home which is why it's rattled me so. Since Friday all I could do was think about what if it was him? What if I lost him like this?</div>
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And I'll admit, <i>I'm scared</i>.</div>
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I was scared to let him go to school today. I'll be scared tomorrow. And probably the day after that. And people will say, you're letting the fear get into your head. Welp, yeah... I am. If something like this can happen in a quiet community like Newtown, CT who's to say some random crazy won't bust their way through my sons school and do the same thing? His school is 3 stories tall, but he's on the first floor closest to the doors. And the last time I checked, there's not a mandatory police officer there protecting the school like there is at the middle schools and high schools. I'm sure there is today, but how long with that last? A week? A month? Until this has died down and we forget about the loss? Or how about until it's quiet enough for the next random shooter to feel comfortable that we've let our guard down enough for their plans to be successful?</div>
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These are all questions that I'm sure run through the minds of parents world wide. I know I'm not the only one to be scared. But who do we have to beg to make this stop? What are our solutions? People everywhere have their own opinions on what we could do, and I'm not necessarily wanting to open that can of worms here, but this <b>HAS GOT TO QUIT</b>. Not just in the schools, but in public places... movie theaters, shopping malls, etc. These are places we are supposed to feel free, places we are supposed to enjoy and not feel threatened.</div>
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It's senseless.</div>
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It's tragic.</div>
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It's beyond heartbreaking.</div>
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Whatever solution you feel is right in your own mind, just remember to love the ones around you first and foremost. Without your loved ones, life is a big bowl of emptiness.</div>
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xoxox,</div>
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Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-35591803850830019872012-12-14T12:31:00.001-06:002012-12-14T12:33:25.528-06:00Well That's Pinteresting | Homemade No-Grate Liquid Laundry Detergent<div style="text-align: center;">
For about a month I took some time in the evenings to research ways to save money by creating our own homemade items. I'm still doing research and messing with fickle recipes, but in the end even the "store label brands" like Wal-Mart's "EQUATE" won't hold up to the savings I am getting from making homemade products. Thank goodness I did my research when I did because we ended up running out of laundry soap and I was totally against spending more money on store bought stuff.</div>
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Seriously you guys, this is the simplest recipe ever for homemade liquid laundry soap.</div>
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I originally found the <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/84020349269762359/">No-Grate Liquid Laundry Detergent</a> pin on Pinterest (the mecca of all wonderful ideas) and decided to try it out.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-81AEJEOnCd8/UMtmMkWLl5I/AAAAAAAABZw/LtLuN7zGhbQ/s1600/homemade-laundry-detergent2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-81AEJEOnCd8/UMtmMkWLl5I/AAAAAAAABZw/LtLuN7zGhbQ/s1600/homemade-laundry-detergent2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I thought to myself:</span></div>
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I'm so excited. That I just can't hide it. And I know, I know, I know, I know I'm going to save money. Money.</div>
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<b><u>What I bought at Wal-Mart:</u></b></div>
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1 Box of BORAX - $3.38</div>
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1 Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda - $3.24</div>
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1 super big bottle of blue DAWN Advanced Ultra Soap - $8.XX</div>
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****I bought the bottle of DAWN at Cosco so you won't need a huge one and regular sized ones run a few bucks at Wal-Mart</div>
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<b><u>I already had on hand:</u></b></div>
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Water</div>
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A tablespoon measuring spoon</div>
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An old container to use for the new laundry detergent - nothing bigger than 1 gallon</div>
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(FYI: Tandil is the generic ALDI version for TIDE. If, for some reason, you don't trust this recipe go to ALDI, if you have one, and buy the Tandil. It's like almost $7 which is WAAAY cheaper than TIDE but works just as well.)</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WycPg9vruXg/UMtmasoAlOI/AAAAAAAABag/sAbapGYOLZg/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Handmade_Liquid_Laundry_Soap_Supplies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WycPg9vruXg/UMtmasoAlOI/AAAAAAAABag/sAbapGYOLZg/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Handmade_Liquid_Laundry_Soap_Supplies.jpg" /></a></div>
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Ok... here it goes... this is so simple... are you ready?</div>
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<b><u>Here's the recipe:</u></b></div>
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3 Tablespoons BORAX</div>
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3 Tablespoons Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda</div>
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2 Tablespoons blue DAWN<br />
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Once you have all of your ingredients in add your 3 cups of HOT water.<br />
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Mix it well with a wooden spoon or let it sit and cool off just so the ingredients melt well. I would not suggest shaking it, you don't want a ton of bubbles. After it cools, stir well if you haven't already, and fill your container up with water slowly until all the bubbles come out.<br />
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TA DAAAAH!!!<br />
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You now have new homemade liquid laundry soap for fractions of what it costs to buy at the store. And when I saw fractions, I mean FRACTIONS... it's ridiculously cheap.<br />
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I use a half cup per load in my HE machine.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">TIP TIME</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">1.</span><br />
I personally double the recipe. I'm sure a regular recipe would suffice, but for some reason it was too watery for me so I doubled it. It's probably just my "so use to thicker laundry soap" brain making me do it because others have successfully used the thinner version.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">2.</span><br />
Regardless if you use a more concentrated version like I am, or you go with the original recipe, it will work. I promise. At first you'll think... no way, look at this stuff, it's so watery. But I swear on the life of my HE washing machine, it will work. It even works as a mixture with bleach when you run a load of whites.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">3.</span><br />
Whether you double it or not, you're still saving an ungodly amount of money. I mean, look at the prices of the supplies! We're talking maybe $9 total and you probably won't need to repurchase new supplies for <b>A YEAR. </b><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">4.</span><br />
If you're like me you're use to the thicker detergent. Starting out I couldn't tell you how many times I put this detergent into the dispenser at a million miles an hour only to loose 90% of it as it splashed out of the dispenser and onto the floor. Take it from me, slow down when you pour it.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">5.</span><br />
If you are worried about soap suds, fahgetaboutit. You'll get none. Nothing will set off your suds alarm on your washer. But with that said, you don't need <b>SUDS</b> to clean clothes either. You'll notice when you take the clothes out of the washing machine they will smell clean.<br />
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There ya go! Super cheap! Super easy! Super super!<br />
If you decide to make some, let me know in the comments below!!<br />
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<b>Make sure to pin one of my pictures from this post please!!!</b><br />
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Have a great weekend everyone!!<br />
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Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-63205930796582009622012-12-07T14:31:00.000-06:002012-12-14T11:41:07.392-06:00Well That's Pinteresting | Homemade Whipped Mens Body Wash<div style="text-align: center;">
Yesterday I felt like I needed to be wearing a white lab coat while concocting crazy stuff in my kitchen. In all actuality the final product to what I originally planned on making whipped up another end result. No pun intended... ok, it was intended. I initially was going to work on creating some <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/84020349269858375/">handmade liquid hand soap</a> which I found on Pinterest.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I thought to myself:</span></div>
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Just as much as we need liquid hand soap in this house (I never buy it because it's so expensive), we need body wash badly for the boys, all three of them including my hubs.</div>
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I wonder if I would be able to swap out soaps and make something comparable to a body wash instead of just a hand soap.</div>
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My boys love the smell of Irish Spring, but hate the tackiness it leaves on your skin after you use it.</div>
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Would I be able to create a body wash with that soap and be able to ditch the tackiness in the process?</div>
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<b><u>What I bought at Wal-Mart:</u></b></div>
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2 - 2 Qt Rubbermaid Containers - $1.98 each</div>
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1 - 6 oz bottle of Glycerin (found by skin protectants) - $3.88</div>
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1 pack of 2 bars of Irish Spring - $.94</div>
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<b><u>I already had on hand:</u></b></div>
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A grater and large bowl</div>
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A blender/mixer</div>
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A pickle jar to hold extra shavings</div>
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A "tablespoon" measuring spoon</div>
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A "cup" dry measuring cup</div>
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A "cup" liquid measuring cup</div>
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A big pot to heat everything up with</div>
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(<b>Disclaimer:</b> I always buy a lot of stuff at Wal-Mart because I find it cheaper and easily accessible.</div>
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I'm sure you can find these supplies at whatever store you prefer.)</div>
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The first thing I did was grate the soap (I almost typed cheese.. silly me.) With it being deodorant soap it was soft and easy to grate. The recipe I used called for 2 cups of soap. 2 bars of Irish Spring shredded made 3 cups so I stored the extra cup in the pickle jar.</div>
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I then put 10 cups of water into my big 'ol pot and 2 tablespoons of glycerin plus the 2 (full, not packed) cups of soap. I turned the heat up and slowly brought it to a boil.</div>
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After the concoction came to a boil I didn't let it cook for long, just long enough to make sure everything melted. With the bars being deodorant they took a few minutes to melt down. When it was cooled down a bit I carefully poured the liquid into both of the containers. I could have poured into just one, but I didn't know whether it would expand or not during the cooling process.</div>
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After I poured out the liquid into the containers I was left with this crappy residue in the pot that I actually had to take my own dish soap and clean out. That distressed me because I didn't like the fact that I would have to clean soap with soap.</div>
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It got me thinking, "Uh oh... is this going to work?"</div>
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I put the open containers in the fridge to speed the cooling process up... I would say they were in there about 4 hours. When I came to get them out I noticed they didn't expand at all, they just gelled up after cooling completely. It was weird... like one big cold glop of gel.</div>
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Again I thought, "Dang... I don't think this is going to work."</div>
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So then my husband comes home from work and is like... "<i><b>What </b></i>are you doing?" I tell him I'm playing chemist today and he should check out my cool soap I'm making. He proceeds to shake the ever living <b>CRAP</b> out of one of the bottles after he scowls at the gross gel like substance it turned into.</div>
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*enter extremely bright light bulb above my head*</div>
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I whipped out my blender...</div>
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(again, no pun intended - Oh whatever, you should know me better by now...)</div>
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...and realized that I'm missing a gasket at the bottom of the glass top so I can't blend the soap to make it mix better. So I grabbed my mixer and plopped a container of the soap stuff in a bowl and beat it on a low/med speed. </div>
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Seriously? <i>Are you kidding me</i>? Whipped body wash??</div>
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<b>SCORE!!!</b></div>
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I used just one container - so half of what I created - and filled up our empty body soap dispenser from previous body soap I bought at Walmart (which was almost $4!). Then I had a TON left over. The whipping expanded it like crazy so I put a bunch of it back into one of the containers.</div>
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Ha, look at my wrinkled old looking hands. That's too much hot water use on your hands ladies... </div>
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So this is what it looks like when you squirt it out of a dispenser. It's very foamy and soft. I tossed my 7 year old in a bath and used him as the guinea pig. I had to squirt about 3 pumps into a bath puff to get it to lather up well, but it definitely did the trick.</div>
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So let's do some math...</div>
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After looking at the cost of supplies up top, just for the soap and the Glycerin alone, you're looking at maybe 6-8 bottles of whipped body soap for $1.60?</div>
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I think it actually might be less than that.</div>
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Goodness... I'll bite at that anytime.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">TIP TIME</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">1.</span><br />
Unfortunately the tackiness the boys hate still slightly lingers around after a bath/shower. I'm sure that if you decide to use a moisturizing bar (even a men's bar like Dial for Men) it wouldn't leave this film. Good 'ol Irish Spring for ya...</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">2.</span> </div>
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After sitting all last night until today the whippedness of the soap is still whippy and holding well. It hasn't settled at all, which makes me uber happy.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">3.</span></div>
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At first I didn't think I'd need the 2 containers, but it's a good idea to have them on hand just in case your batch ends up large.</div>
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Alrighty folks! That's my post for the day!</div>
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If you choose to make some of this please let me know how it goes!!</div>
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<b>Make sure to pin one of my pictures from this post please!!</b></div>
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Next week I'll be making some more handmade cleaners so stay tuned!!!!</div>
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Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-82500851192853363772012-11-30T09:54:00.000-06:002012-11-30T09:54:13.887-06:00Well That's Pinteresting | Christmas Party Lights<div style="text-align: center;">
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Can I say that I just adore Pinterest?</div>
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I am so thankful there is a site where I can sit day to day and be thoroughly blown away by the creativity of people and have the ability to share things I love with everyone as well! That's where these posts come into play: real life pinterest recreations with tips and tricks on how it's done efficiently and inexpensively.</div>
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Just recently I saw a pin by Miss Mustard Seed showing the process of how to create <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/84020349269837768/">very cute party lights</a> with a string of white Christmas lights, dixie cups and scrap-booking paper.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">I thought to myself:</span></div>
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Those are super cute and I bet you could make them specifically for</div>
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whatever party you are having by customizing the paper. </div>
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I wonder how that would look with regular Christmas lights? </div>
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How would the paper hold up outside in the elements?</div>
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After checking out the visual instructions in the pin,</div>
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could there be an easier, quicker way to recreate this?</div>
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<b><u>What I bought at Walmart:</u></b></div>
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1 bag of Great Value 3 oz. 100 plastic dixie style bath cups - $1.98</div>
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<b><u>I already had on hand:</u></b></div>
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An X-Acto Knife</div>
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A multi-color 100 bulb strand of lights</div>
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(if you needed to buy these supplies you'd be looking at about $8 total for both)</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hxmIkwFUXkw/ULboi_ct5SI/AAAAAAAABXg/NO6RvDBbFPo/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Dixie_Cups.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hxmIkwFUXkw/ULboi_ct5SI/AAAAAAAABXg/NO6RvDBbFPo/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Dixie_Cups.jpg" /></a></div>
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The first thing I needed to do was hang my lights up the way I thought they would look the best outside. I'm sure any 'ol way would work, but I draped mine across my front porch from one side to the next. I know they are kind of hard to see in the light during the day.</div>
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Hey check it out!!<br />
There's my <a href="http://retrorestyling.blogspot.com/2012/11/well-thats-pinteresting-christmas-gift.html">Christmas Gift Porch Decor</a> boxes I recently posted about!<br />
I really like the way they turned out, they look great outside!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9MYSzSaTFk0/ULbojS4g1wI/AAAAAAAABXo/-XdTjcw1O7I/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Front_Porch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9MYSzSaTFk0/ULbojS4g1wI/AAAAAAAABXo/-XdTjcw1O7I/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Front_Porch.jpg" /></a></div>
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I took my X-Acto knife and cut a half inch X shape in the bottom of the cups, that way the cups could stick right on to the lights with no problem. That's the end of a sharpie to give you a size reference.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CetJd6rCqBs/ULboiZH23tI/AAAAAAAABXY/Pdqe_pKlwdo/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Dixie_Bottom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CetJd6rCqBs/ULboiZH23tI/AAAAAAAABXY/Pdqe_pKlwdo/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Dixie_Bottom.jpg" /></a></div>
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I took all of the 100 plastic cups outside and for about 5 minutes quickly stuck them on every light (it was really stinkin' cold out there). They slipped right on and hung on pretty well, so it was pretty easy to do.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GuR17CrP2HQ/ULbolOf35zI/AAAAAAAABX4/is_tFnIIXl8/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Porch_Party_Lights.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GuR17CrP2HQ/ULbolOf35zI/AAAAAAAABX4/is_tFnIIXl8/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Porch_Party_Lights.jpg" /></a></div>
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They could be Christmas lights, they could be Party lights, either way they turned out pretty nifty. I like the way the colors are projected through the cups. Instead of being one single dinky light it's a full cup of color awesomeness.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">TIP TIME</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">1.</span><br />
The reason I like using the plastic cups vs. the paper cups is they can get wet and they won't get ruined. The paper cups would work great for an indoor party, or even an indoor porch, but I believe this would be your best bet for something outside.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">2.</span><br />
With no cutting of a paper stencil to put paper on these cups it took no time at all to do this. It was super easy and cheap, especially if you already have the lights you want to use.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">3.</span><br />
You CAN write on these cups.<br />
You can take a black sharpie and draw designs and make them more interesting than just regular light projecting plastic cups. With the lights flipping this way and that I wouldn't suggest letters. I wrote some on a few cups to see what it would look like and you couldn't read them.<br />
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There ya go! That was simple and fun, wasn't it?<br />
I think I'm going to make these weekly posts on Friday's instead of Tuesday's that way you have something creative to work on for your weekend! Like you don't have enough to do right? haha!<br />
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<b>Make sure to pin one of my pictures from this post please!!</b><br />
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Stay tuned for next weeks post when I start diving into household handmade cleaners!<br />
It's time to take it back to the good old days and stop wasting so much money at the store!!<br />
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Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-50375407591811723902012-11-28T09:00:00.000-06:002012-11-28T09:00:10.105-06:00Well That's Pinteresting | Christmas Gift Porch Decor <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello there everyone!</div>
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I've been spending some time on Pinterest lately and have found that there are so many good ideas and items that I can recreate myself for our home. I guess that's the whole purpose behind Pinterest, right? So I decided that I'll be sharing these things in weekly posts called "Well That's Pinteresting". I'll show you all the deets on how I recreated what Pinspired me, such as: the cost, the process itself, some tips, plus a few ideas and possible tweaks I come up with too.</div>
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First up, being the Christmas season and all (and moving into our new home with absolutely no Christmas decor other than a blow up snowman, so you know we need some stuff around here) I figured I would focus on some cute decor for the outside of the home. I saw this pin for these super cute <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/84020349269848513/">wrapped Christmas gift boxes</a> and I knew that I would be able to pull off something close to it and it be rather inexpensive. Here they are in all their cuteness:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CGX5Oh_AVEc/ULWTXua4YeI/AAAAAAAABWs/J20DhGzYesY/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Pinterest_Christmas_Boxes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CGX5Oh_AVEc/ULWTXua4YeI/AAAAAAAABWs/J20DhGzYesY/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Pinterest_Christmas_Boxes.jpg" /></a></div>
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I love the way they are stacked with a little bit of a tilt. I also know that I wouldn't really be able to pull that off because there are a lot of kiddos and toys flying around this neighborhood. I could see a pile of boxes on my front porch tipping over with a quickness. Plus, I'm not even sure how they did that without some type of Harry Potter spell. Looks pretty, and complicated, and I really didn't want to spend too much time working on something simple. Inexpensive simplicity is what I'm going for here people!! :)</div>
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<b>Here's what I bought at Walmart:</b></div>
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3 staggered sized packing boxes - less than $3</div>
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One large shiny red bow - $2.50</div>
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One large roll of Christmas paper - $2.50</div>
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<b>I already had on hand:</b></div>
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Packing tape</div>
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Trash bags</div>
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Two empty containers to hold water</div>
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Some left over Christmas paper from last year</div>
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Some red shiny ribbon from my wedding 3 years ago</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NQUSclk4NOs/ULURzvWepdI/AAAAAAAABV8/_EUQAHGoS5c/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Christmas_Boxes_Supplies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NQUSclk4NOs/ULURzvWepdI/AAAAAAAABV8/_EUQAHGoS5c/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Christmas_Boxes_Supplies.jpg" /></a></div>
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First off I filled my bottles up with some high quality H<span style="font-size: x-small;">2</span>0, as the Water Boy would call it. The bottles of water were to keep the boxes weighed down so they wouldn't blow off. Just because I knew the temps would drop outside then heat back up, I put the bottles in their own trash bags to keep the condensation from ruining the cardboard when/if any water would freeze and then thaw.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8mSXdbzUpTs/ULUR07KMUtI/AAAAAAAABWM/ZKV8oveKAHw/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Water_Jugs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8mSXdbzUpTs/ULUR07KMUtI/AAAAAAAABWM/ZKV8oveKAHw/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Water_Jugs.jpg" /></a></div>
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Here's the boxes stacked and taped. I would say they are about 40-45 inches tall or so stacked like this.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jtpHqHINhPI/ULURzMZIvjI/AAAAAAAABV0/NFPh5q_IccY/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Cardboard_Boxes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jtpHqHINhPI/ULURzMZIvjI/AAAAAAAABV0/NFPh5q_IccY/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Cardboard_Boxes.jpg" /></a></div>
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Here's the middle box wrapped in different paper than the bottom one in the background.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NzvPy5WGTdU/ULUR16ykkcI/AAAAAAAABWU/fZ6AOQM1azg/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Wrapped_Present.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NzvPy5WGTdU/ULUR16ykkcI/AAAAAAAABWU/fZ6AOQM1azg/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Wrapped_Present.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6sOutiT5ojY/ULUR0Urx24I/AAAAAAAABWE/4cGw4eO4Dic/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Porch_Christmas_Presents.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6sOutiT5ojY/ULUR0Urx24I/AAAAAAAABWE/4cGw4eO4Dic/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Porch_Christmas_Presents.jpg" /></a></div>
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Check em out!!! Too cute!!!</div>
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Granted, they don't have the funky cool tilt and all, but they were super easy and cheap to make... way better than buying some pre-made stuff at a big box store.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">TIP TIME</span></div>
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Here's the time where I tell you what I learned during this process, that way I can pass on good knowledge to you so you don't have any issues if you decide to make something like these boxes:</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">1.</span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Two bottles probably isn't going to cut it for weight in the boxes. I put just the two in the bottom box, an old gallon can of paint I didn't really want in the middle box (that way if it freezes and goes bad I won't care), and some grout we had in a bag in the top box.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">2.</span></div>
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Buy enough paper and ribbon. These boxes are big and you'll need a good sized roll of both to cover everything. The average sized paper roll I bought was just barely enough for the bottom and top box. I definitely didn't have enough for the middle box so I used two different kinds.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">3.</span></div>
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Be careful when you are putting the ribbon under the box after wrapping. You don't want to tip over whatever you have inside of the box weighing it down.</div>
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Aaaaand that would be it!!</div>
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There's not much else I could suggest other than have fun wrapping some pretend gifts and don't get a paper cut, those smart!</div>
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<b>Make sure to pin one of my pictures from this post please!!</b></div>
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Stay tuned for next week when I tackle an outdoor Christmas light idea!!</div>
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Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-6329645389827243542012-11-21T09:30:00.000-06:002012-11-21T09:30:02.885-06:00Say hello<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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....to Thomas!</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NJB3f1b9axE/UKvcGKs45yI/AAAAAAAABK8/4AOpYaTWWo4/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Thomas_Before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NJB3f1b9axE/UKvcGKs45yI/AAAAAAAABK8/4AOpYaTWWo4/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Thomas_Before.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JTSIErmVe_8/UKvcHLR68FI/AAAAAAAABLE/EP8E-nTjuH8/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Thomas_Side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JTSIErmVe_8/UKvcHLR68FI/AAAAAAAABLE/EP8E-nTjuH8/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Thomas_Side.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T0J9rKmb5K0/UKvcD2vu5gI/AAAAAAAABKk/oWe4Tu2OA_s/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Industrial_Vintage_Gears.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-T0J9rKmb5K0/UKvcD2vu5gI/AAAAAAAABKk/oWe4Tu2OA_s/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Industrial_Vintage_Gears.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FA3oowBPEbo/UKvcDZZb_HI/AAAAAAAABKc/9jvOKMu9Fa8/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Chair_Wood_Grain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FA3oowBPEbo/UKvcDZZb_HI/AAAAAAAABKc/9jvOKMu9Fa8/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Chair_Wood_Grain.jpg" /></a></div>
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Wallace: "Would you like a drink 'ol chap?"</div>
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Thomas: "Yes sir, I don't mind if I do."</div>
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Ahhhh yes, the 'good ole days' when furniture was made well and had class.</div>
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If you don't know who Wallace is, he would be the little table on the left who is offering his glass to Mr. Thomas, just like old friends do. If you've been around awhile, you'll remember <a href="http://retrorestyling.blogspot.com/2011/05/say-hello_13.html">Wallace</a> was a piece I completed from way back in May of last year. For some reason he never sold and my husband swooned (if guys actually do that...) over him forever and a day, so Wallace became a permanent furnishing to our home much to the delight of my husband.</div>
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Wallace is named after my maternal Grandfather, so how fitting was it to name this antique chair Thomas after my Hub's paternal Grandfather. At first the goal was this 100+ year old chair would be cleaned up and sold, but again the Hub's swooned over it (I guess guys <b>DO</b> do that). As much as I played it off like "I just coooouldn't keep it.. it'd be worth too much to clean up and sell"... little did he know that for hours I toiled over cleaning and oiling the wood and gears, plus bees-waxing the rest just to surprise him on his birthday with his new desk chair.</div>
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So now good 'ol Mr. Wallace and Mr. Thomas can stay together and share a drink and a cigar and reminisce of the days of yore when things were simpler.</div>
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:)</div>
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Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-39582108550866516932012-11-19T10:29:00.000-06:002012-11-19T10:29:43.494-06:00Say hello<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AmLCbGY3Rxc/UKpKmzG5A9I/AAAAAAAABBA/dR9dAFxWJaQ/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Mini_Cream_Buffet_Before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AmLCbGY3Rxc/UKpKmzG5A9I/AAAAAAAABBA/dR9dAFxWJaQ/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Mini_Cream_Buffet_Before.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dej8IMDyhGs/UKpKonG2pFI/AAAAAAAABBY/ZvM4T8kru_c/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Mini_Cream_Buffet_Legs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dej8IMDyhGs/UKpKonG2pFI/AAAAAAAABBY/ZvM4T8kru_c/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Mini_Cream_Buffet_Legs.jpg" /></a></div>
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...to just 1/4 of another vintage 1930's dining set I am doing for another great customer! This next set has this mini-buffet, a full size buffet, a large table and all the chairs to match. I honestly can't complain about working on these vintage pieces, they are fabulous with their leggy legs and great detail. </div>
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Ms. L is in the middle of a marvelous kitchen makeover/room addition at her house in God's country. Her plan was to get a new dining set to compliment the interior face-lift her house was receiving. She had already ordered her cream colored kitchen cabinets and thought, wouldn't it be grand to have something that matched it all? Insert me here. So she found the perfect dining set, I picked it up for her, we pow-wowed for a min and then the adventure began. Ms. L is quite fond of the natural top look. After finishing this pretty little lady up with paint, I left the top original and wiped her down well with Murphy's Oil Soap to get the grungy stuff off. Then I gave her a good waxing on and off with a layer of Johnson's Paste Wax. I delivered her just in time for Ms. L's daughters baby shower the next day. She used it as a centerpiece for her decor and it was a big hit with the ladies! Yes!!!</div>
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*fist pump*</div>
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Hope you guys enjoyed this little restyle!</div>
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I'm really busy here in the lab so stay tuned to the blog, more pieces will be poppin' out like a frying pan full of popcorn!!</div>
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XO,</div>
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Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-20781826657253528132012-11-05T18:26:00.000-06:002012-11-05T18:26:07.183-06:00Say hello<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FNK5fbQvnfw/UJhVn8KYaqI/AAAAAAAAA_8/oik1cUQZg4I/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Wardrobe_Before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FNK5fbQvnfw/UJhVn8KYaqI/AAAAAAAAA_8/oik1cUQZg4I/s1600/Retro_Restyling_Wardrobe_Before.jpg" /></a></div>
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You know what I love about babies? </div>
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1. They are uuuuber cute.</div>
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2. I can love on them like crazy and then hand them back to their parents.</div>
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3. I love how babies have the most stylish nurseries now a days!</div>
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4. I love creating furniture for aforementioned chic nurseries.</div>
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So when my friend Ms. T came to me and said, "Susan, you know I need you to make something cool for my bean." Well, of course I said HECK YEAH I'm game. So T found this pretty boring, yet seeping with potential, wardrobe on CraigsList for a really good price. She loved the robin's egg blue I used on <a href="http://retrorestyling.blogspot.com/2011/12/say-hello.html">Thelma and Louise</a>, and granted I had like<b> a ton</b> of paint left over, so all systems were a go and this baby got a makeover.</div>
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And let me tell you this...</div>
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Little sweet Tallulah is going to love her new wardrobe when she makes her debut in 8 weeks.</div>
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I'm soooo excited to see her when she arrives!!!</div>
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:)</div>
Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-52672530375203115982012-10-26T13:43:00.000-05:002012-11-30T14:41:35.284-06:00Say hello<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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PHEW!!!</div>
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Can I just say how happy I am to be finally sharing these pictures with you? I added in some from the teaser post I put up a week or two ago, but was so excited for you guys to see the rest. This is my first orange anything I've ever painted and how cool is it that it's introduction to you comes during one of the prettiest times of the year! The color Ms. C picked for this 1/4 of her dining set is Falling Leaves by Behr... Perfection! So "fall" for sure! Our mums bloomed within the last week and we just so happened to have picked a white pumpkin at the patch, so how fitting it was to stick both on top of this beautiful buffet! </div>
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Next and finally on the list for Ms. C is her china cabinet. That will complete the much needed face-lift the whole 1930's dining set needed. Reflecting back... First completed was the <a href="http://retrorestyling.blogspot.com/2012/06/say-hello.html">mustard yellow table</a>, then <a href="http://retrorestyling.blogspot.com/2012/07/say-hello.html">the cap'n and his mateys</a>, now the buffet! I can't wait to get my hands on the china cabinet and git 'er done so I can go to her home and photograph the whole set all together!!</div>
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BY THE WAY!! This Say hello post is #100!! Let's do a little dance!</div>
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....but make sure no one is looking at you, that would be kind of odd for you to stand up at your computer and just start randomly dancing...</div>
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So what do you guys think? Is she a keeper? Love her color?</div>
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... I think I'm in love... </div>
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Link Parties and Features below!!</div>
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I submitted her orange majesty over at <a href="http://missmustardseed.com/2012/10/furniture-feature-friday-favorites-link-party-3/">Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday</a>!!</div>
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I also submitted her at <a href="http://primitiveandproper.blogspot.com/2012/11/poww-113-furniture-link-party.html">Primitive & Proper's link party</a> as well!!</div>
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AND WOW!!! She was actually <b>FEATURED</b> at <a href="http://westfurniturerevival.blogspot.com/2012/11/revival-monday-86.html">West Furniture Revival's "Revival Monday #86"</a>!!</div>
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Wooooo!!!!</div>
Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-58977920139090826592012-10-15T11:09:00.000-05:002012-10-15T11:09:49.497-05:00Say hello... kinda?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So you're probably thinking, hey... this isn't a whole "Say hello" post, where's the before picture? Then I bet you're looking at that <strike>supposed to be me </strike> frowny face up there and thinking "What's up with that?" Well, I'll put it to you this way: This girlfriend right here made a mistake and now is frustrated with the fact that I have to fix some boo boos on both the doors of this buffet. When I sealed them with oil based poly on top of the stain, then sat the doors up leaning on the wall because the backs were still tacky, the flippin' poly gathered, dripped and dried hard as nails which ruined the finish on the doors. *sigh* Everything turned out perfect until then. Shame on me for not waiting for the backs to dry fully so I could seal the fronts flat. So I had to remove the big globby poly drips and sand it down a bit. It makes me sad, hence the sad face and the arrow pointing to the boo boo spot. Hopefully I'll get it all fixed and be able to put a proper "Say hello" post up in a few days....</div>
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Until then, let us check out the first 3 pictures and oooo and aaaaah for a second...common...</div>
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it'll make me feel better.</div>
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oooooo.... aaaaahh.... it's so pretty!</div>
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I can't wait to show you all of it in its great "Falling Leaves" glory!</div>
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You might also notice that the blog has changed up just a bit. The banner up top is different, the navigation is on the side, the pictures are huge (which is just what I wanted - no more squinting to see my pictures)... but there is more to come. The development and change of the design and layout of the blog is a slow but steady process. I need to make this blog into looking like one "bonafide, non-hot-mess, karate chop you in the eyeballs with awesomeness" blog. It's been too long that I've neglected it and now that I created a new design, I'm going to be more active in posts. You'll just have to stick around and see what I mean. :)</div>
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Can I get one more oooo and aaaaah for me please? Yay! Thanks!</div>
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Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-68977087168921685142012-09-04T12:48:00.000-05:002012-11-21T19:59:08.731-06:00Saying Goodbye<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Saying goodbye is never an easy thing, especially when it's to someone or something you love. As much as I was so very ready for our move, I mean... I was counting down the hours before we were out of there... I never thought that I would get a little emotional during a break while standing in what was going to be considered my "old studio" room.</div>
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As I was removing the last items out of that room I stopped for a second and looked at the floor. I realized that a little bit of each piece of restyled furniture that I have ever created was left behind on the gray painted concrete. Random dabs, drips and brushes of color reminded me of those special pieces, each milestones on the path to where I am today. I'll admit it, I teared up a bit. I didn't want to let it go. I didn't want to leave it behind. This is where it all began... my adventures in painting furniture, my leap of blind faith into tons of hard work creating beautiful things for other people. But unfortunately I had no choice but to walk away, so I loaded up what was left, snapped some really quick pictures with my iPhone and didn't look back.</div>
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One phase of Retro Restyling stored away in that memory pocket in the back of my brain.</div>
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Now Retro Restyling 2.0 has launched in a brand new studio in our new to us home, and I am thankful for the ability to keep pressing on and creating beautiful furniture for others.</div>
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From the bottom of my heart, I give many deep thanks to those who started out with me while I launched into what I have become today officially 2 years ago this month. I am eternally grateful for your trust, advice, patience, support and business!!!</div>
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xoxoxoxo</div>
Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-45744906553946559322012-08-10T09:00:00.000-05:002012-11-21T20:00:04.708-06:00Moving<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Potential.</div>
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Really it's just one word that my fellow DIY husband and I think of when we see this house. Granted, it is a little fugly on the eyes at the moment, but boy does it have potential. It has an enormous amount of living space and you know, they just don't make 'em like they use to. That is a FACT when it comes to this house.</div>
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So in 2 days this is where we will be... in that house there ^^^^^.</div>
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This is a new adventure for us being first time home owners with an itch to get creative with our surrounding walls. Of course I'll keep you guys up to date on it all...</div>
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heck, I might even start a new blog about the process.</div>
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Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-12620909353495214022012-07-31T12:57:00.000-05:002012-11-21T20:00:47.886-06:00Say hello<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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...to Ms. C's chairs!</div>
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These lovely ladies needed some lovin' that's for sure. Just like the table they belong to, they were bumped and scratched up all over the place, but in the long run that proved to be useful during the antiquing process. With a fresh coat of Bitter Chocolate by Behr, they look 20x better than before. If you are wondering what that color is on the backs of the chairs, that would be the custom color I created last year when I painted <a href="http://retrorestyling.blogspot.com/2011/07/say-hello_18.html">Anne</a>. I also used it on my knacktastic friend Barb's <a href="http://retrorestyling.blogspot.com/2012/02/piece-of-piece-that-holds-tiny-pieces.html">Christmas gift</a> that I created for her this past winter. The wonderful thing about this color is what you see just above, it tends to morph to the lighting around it. Sometimes it can be grayish, and sometimes it can be this gray-purple color. The fabric I picked for the chairs does the same thing, and I was very lucky to find something to compliment the uniqueness of the paint.</div>
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This is just another quarter of the big project I am completing for Ms. C. A china cabinet and buffet are next in line... and be prepared for some bright colors to light up your day! The next two are going to be fantabulous!!!</div>
Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2080353452017809237.post-55025849876612994802012-06-15T15:26:00.000-05:002012-11-21T20:01:09.284-06:00Say hello<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Isn't it funny when you are pumped and ready to start a project, and you're sanding and sanding and then you're like.... *gasp* I forgot to take a "before" picture! Well I totally started to do that with this table, as you can see in the top picture. Thank goodness I stopped myself in mid-sanding swipe and said...</div>
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"DUR SUSAN.. grab your camera!"</div>
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So this is the end result of the many many hours of working long and hard on this table. Even though there were days where I was frustrated with it, I appreciate it 110%. Why? Because I stepped out on a limb that I have never ventured across in the past with a few new techniques and materials that I had never used before. Honestly, I was scared.... Very very scared to mess it up.</div>
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But I'm soooo very thankful that I did take those scary steps, outside of the comfortable norm that I am use to. The table turned out something more than I ever imagined it would. It is so very beautiful and I am jealous that my friend C will have it in her house and it's not staying here.</div>
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This is just a quarter of the rest of the 1930's dining set that I am doing for her. There is a matching china cabinet, buffet and 6 chairs that go with the table left to transform in the lab. I'm so stoked and cannot wait to show them to you guys!</div>
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XO</div>
Retro Restylinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18037031267263618544noreply@blogger.com6