home...

our preggo lab has decided she needs to pee every twelve seconds, and since mike could sleep through an earthquake, guess who gets to put her out? yeah, this girl right here!!

at her 4 a.m. potty break, i couldn't go back to sleep and all these thoughts were churning thru my A.D.D. brain... furniture... custom orders to get done... ideas for new pieces... blogging... topics i want to cover... why am i not a professional writer?... why didn't i take art in high school?... i loved going to my grandma's when i was a kid... why did i love going to my grandma's?... why won't my kids go to their friends' houses?... why do all the kids congregate at OUR house?? ...

WOW!!! i totally need medicated!! 

unfortunately, i've forgotten about 95% of my 4 a.m. brainstorming... i guess that's why they say to keep a note pad on the nightstand.  heck, i think i HAVE one on the nightstand... buried under socks with no mates... my dog chewed Cubs cap... nail polish... treasures my dogs chew and i take away... 

but one thing i DID retain is this issue with my kids... they almost NEVER go to friends' houses!!  95% of their social time is spent having friends over to OUR house!  WHY??  why oh why won't they go anywhere?!?!  now, i'm just kidding really!  i'm glad our children like being at home.  and in six short years when i'm dropping my bigs off at college... i'll cherish every one of these hectic weekends!  soooo.... WHY??  our kids explain that "our friends like you guys and think your fun.  you are way funner than other parents".  ok, duh... we all knew that!!  of course mike and i are fun!!  hello!!!!  but i think it's more than that....  i think it's the whole "atmosphere" of our HOME.  we don't have the biggest house... or the newest... its almost never perfectly clean... it has it's share of clutter and we offer all our guests a lap full of dog hair as a parting gift :)  ... but our home is cozy... and full of love and laughter... a listening ear... a shoulder to cry on... and always a cuddle or two!  i think THAT is why our kids like it.  they know i can whip up a bake good on demand... they know their dad will always go out to play ball with them... we're always ready to hear them when they're ready to talk...

welcome to the gonsers...

 

 

all that got me to thinking... WHERE WAS THAT PLACE FOR ME??  of course i loved being at home... but if i could tell you the one place on earth i could go... and have all those feelings i mentioned above... it would be my grandparents (speraw)... i have so many many memories... grandma's cooking... grandpa's chair... the coziness of their family room... the tidiness and calmess that was always present... the perfume my grandma wore... the hostess snacks she kept in the drawer... and i never worried what my grandparents would say ... or that they'd judge me... 

so on this dreary day... when so many people on the east coast CAN'T go home... i'm asking you ... where is that one place... that one cozy homey place you love to be... ??  cherish it! 

phil 2:3

last night, mike and i sat down to go over our sales and expenses for ReInVintaged Designs ... a task i dread.  but after looking at it in black and white, we realized how truly BLESSED we've been with the business!!  mike commented, "we're doing well... we've even donated several items..."  and i said "yes, and look how blessed we've been in turn!!"  this after coming home from getting the chifferobe (i know what it is now!!) 

 

i think it's somewhat natural to doubt yourself... and i find myself questioning my ability and value... stupid i know... but it must be human nature.  when furniture isn't flying out of the house, i start wondering what i'm doing wrong...

 

today has been a GREAT day!!  "rudy" a chest that just wouldn't sell, finally did!  then, i got  a GREAT email from the buyer thanking me and telling me how much his wife loved it!  that made my day!!  i love hearing from satisfied buyers!  ...  i also found some fantastic new treasures!!  ...  i've had several inquiries about other pieces!!  ...  just a wonderful day!!

 

then at lunch, i remembered back to 7:15 this morning... in the mcdonald's drive-thru (where i am every morning!!)... as i pulled up to the window, i could hear the lady behind me ordering...  she sounded mad or cranky... and i knew then i had to pay for her breakfast!  i know what it's like to start the day grouchy!  so, for the first time, i did that thing... where you pay for a random person's order.  it was only $3... menial really... but i'm hoping the gesture put her day on the right track!

 

did i have a good day because i bought a stranger a sausage mcmuffin?  are we selling more furniture because we continue to give furniture away?  i don't know.  i do know God wants us to BE a BLESSING and BE BLESSED!!

i'll leave you with this:

 

 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves

Philippians 2:3

get a NEW vision!!

i've said it before... sometimes my first "vision" of a project... doesn't work!  it's hard to admit.  we all want to think our work is great and everyone will love it!  but sometimes that's just not true!!  this theory was just proven!!

i picked up "rudy" at a yard sale just down from my house.  he was A MESS!!!  mike had to do some work to him just to get him ready to paint. 

INSTANTLY i had my "vision"!  i would paint him Annie Sloan "Coco" and his drawers would be "Old Barn Red".  He would be spectacular!!!

I think he turned out ok... but there he sat... august came to a close... september came and went... into the middle of october, i couldn't take it anymore!!  he was eating up precious workshop space!!  i drug him out and decided to leave his body "coco" but to paint his drawers ASCP "old ochre"... tone him down a bit... i got two drawers done and walked away... leaving him for at least a week... i thought about setting it on fire, i'm not gonna lie!! 

okay, time to get serious!  i was either going to finish this thing or burn it!!  not satisfied with the "old ochre" plan i tried "vision number three"!!!  i guess third time IS the charm!!  my new plan was to decoupage the drawers!!  so i sent my 13 year old daughter down to dig through scrapbook paper with these instructions:  "come back with some 'old looking' paper"... SHE DID GREAT!!!  she picked some fantastic paper!!!  and i set out to give rudy his final make-over!!

how i did it:

1.  using my ever intricate measuring and cutting techniques... i held my scrapbook paper up... pressed down and "folded it" where it needed to be cut.  hey, the piece is shabby chic!! no need for perfection!! 

2.  i applied watered down tacky glue to the front of the drawer.  i carefully laid the paper down... made adjustments... was super easy!!  each drawer was two pieces wide.  after the whole drawer was covered, i did a light coat of the watered down glue on top of the paper.  i gently pressed out bubbles and wrinkles with my finger. 

3.  after i did that with all the drawers... i set them aside to thoroughly dry for a couple of days. 

4.  finally, i did two coats of clear shellac on each drawer. 

5.  after letting the shellac dry for 24 hours, my husband put all new hardware on.

6.  the final change i made... i am IN LOVE with ce ce caldwell's "virginia chestnut"!!!  maybe it's because it looks like chocolate!!  i painted just rudy's top with this chocolaty delicious color... he had some natural "shabbiness" and that color enhanced it perfectly!!!  i topped it off with dark wax!

and...
TA DA!!!

after sitting in my workshop for TWO MONTHS.... one week with the new look and RUDY IS IN HIS NEW HOME TODAY!!! 

 

My husband ended up liking this piece so much, he wanted to keep it!!

 

2012 woman

glancing down at my freshly manicured nails, i just thought to myself,
"there is A LOT of pressure on a woman these days"... i FEEL the pressure!  i don't even LIKE getting my nails done, but i feel this pressure to look perfect and be "put together"...

maybe it's because i'm somewhat of an overachiever... but i feel there are a lot of demands on women!

Maintain a Beautiful Home...
Raise Beautiful, overachieving, smart, athletic, and artistic children who give back to society...
excel in a career...
be the PERFECT stay AT home mommy...
bake "pinterest worthy" treats on demand...
be thin, active, and look beautiful at all times...
stay UP to DATE on the latest fashions and never wear last years boots...
be a doting and attentive wife...

and on and on and on...

and for each of those things... comes ANOTHER list of demands!!!

am i saying i don't accept the challenge?!?  not at all!!!  i EMBRACE the challenge!!! 
what i DO say is:

women...

SOMETIMES, the house WILL be messy!!

Its OKAY if our kids get dirty, have hair out of place, get a C, and don't make the basketball team!

if your career is answering the phone at an accounting firm and you're happy, THAT'S GREAT!

we can't all be stay at homes... and if you are, you're still allowed a day off, so get a babysitter for the day and don't feel guilty!!

when it's your turn to send cookies to school, they CAN be store bought!  don't make yourself crazy!

we CAN miss a workout, we CAN carry an extra 5-10 lbs, you DON'T have to wear makeup 24/7, and when the hairs a mess, wear a ball cap!

its perfectly fine to wear the same jeans for three years and if you love that hoodie, WEAR IT GIRL!!

we do need to pay attention to our husbands, but we CAN hold the remote!!

so for me...

i WILL continue to get manicures... cause i like the way they look :).  i WILL strive to stay up on bootleg, flare, skinny... jeans.  i WILL attempt to keep my children clean, well dressed, academically and athletically focused, and contributing members of society.  i WILL make every attempt to make hand cut out cookies themed accordingly to the event at hand.  i WILL accept and rejoice in my God given career.  i WILL continue to put my hair in a pony tail after it drives me crazy for half the day.  i WILL wear my husband's sweatshirt because its soft, way too big, and reminds me of him.  i WILL hold the remote at all costs as i remind my husband how much he means to me as i fold his batman boxers.

i will be me...  no matter what pinterest says... no matter what better homes & gardens says... no matter what cosmo says...  i WILL be ME and i WILL be HAPPY!!!  :)

oh.... and i WILL continue to take pics of myself even when my husband is shaking his head!!

HAVE SOME FUN TODAY!!!

 

precious brittin

today was another draining type day...

britt had an appointment with the neurologist to follow up, post seizure/hospital stay.  i think you know the appointment is off to a bad start when she asks "it's been awhile! how are you?"  and when mike and i both look at each other and answer "well, fine except the seizure and hospital stay" and the doctor looked STUNNED.  then she didn't know the prescription dose that SHE JUST PRESCRIBED LAST WEEK!  i supposed i shouldn't expect much... considering i wasn't even listed on brittin's file!  when they asked me to review the patient info, i noticed my ex-husband and mother were on there... mike's phone number was on there... but nowhere was i mentioned at all!  not that i need recognition, but i am kinda THE MOM!

i think there's a chance i'm more upset by this doctor appointment than i originally assessed... 

one of our other MAJOR issues with this doctor is WE CAN'T UNDERSTAND HER!!!  her accent is SO THICK, it's just impossible to understand her!  i leave there so confused. 

and to make the situation more frustrating, the appointment was at 11:30... allowing time to go get britt, drive 30 min to the dr., have the appointment, get blood work, get britt lunch (because we missed lunch at school), drive 30 minutes back, take britt back to school, and finally get back to my office... i spent NEARLY FOUR HOURS on this appointment!  how is that possible!?!

and here's something else that's getting to me... i'm not sure why, after 8 years its bugging me, but here it is:  when people ask "how is she doing?"  i know!!!  they only mean well!!  and i'm not exactly offended... its just my answer...  my answer is always polite and appropriate, but what i WANT to say is "there is NOTHING "WRONG" with brittin.  and her condition(s) will not change!!  TODAY is a ____ day.  but overall, she is how she is"  would i ever actually say that?  NO.  should you be afraid to ask "how brittin is"?  NO!!!  ask me!!  but don't be surprised if i start giving a slightly more accurate answer!

as i picked britt up for school today, we walked out holding hands like usual... and i was pulling her along... like usual... and i was thinking what it would be like if britt was "average"... if she'd never had a stroke... if she had NO medical conditions... and after a split second i stopped thinking about it.  why???  because i can't imagine it...  i love britt EXACTLY the way SHE IS!!! 

britt, yesterday at the pumpkin farm!  so BIG!!

britt and i over the weekend!  wearing her "satchel" of course!

this one is from last year... but i just love it! 

last night, as i watched her WALK to her bed room... i thought "how AMAZING she can walk!!!"  there were times, i didn't know if she would EVER walk unassisted!  i'm so amazed by her!  she doesn't let ANYTHING slow her down!!  and she lives her life with enthusiasm and love for everyone!!!

whew...  thanks for letting me vent!!! 

Before & AFTERS!!!

 

 

i always used to wonder where people got their "creative visions".  it seemed they could look at a pile of junk and see beauty.  i would look at the same pile and see a trip to the landfill!  lately, i've been getting better at looking past the surface and trying to think outside the box.  sometimes its really hard.  sometimes i still see garbage.  but more often than not, i see something that needs a new lease on life!!  below are just a few of my favs!!  enjoy, be inspired, and GET CREATIVE!!!  

 

 

 

 I picked up this drab looking number at an auction.  all sad and brown.... but alittle coat of Annie Sloan CP "Florence" and BAM!!  now she's a show stopper!!

 

1950's Toy Chest

this was a project just for me!!  in the before pic, you see a toy chest that was built in the mid 1950's for my mother!  this is it's ORIGINAL state!  even the vinyl is original!  before doing this project, i cleared it with my mom.  some people are sensitive to changing the original piece and compromising it in any way.  i respect that and didn't want to upset my mom.

as you can see, my mom was fine with an update for the beloved toy chest!  two things i did though:

1.  i left the original vinyl on.  i just went over it with the new upholstery.

2.  i did not fill in any nail holes or imperfections in the wood.  it was kinda cool thinking that the last person to ever work on this box was my grandpa... over 50 years ago!

i LOVE this funky bright fabric!  i used CCC's "Maine Harbor Blue".  in this pic, it's not waxed yet, but i was too excited to not take a pic!! 

 

the sad box that once sat in the basement furnace room will now be a statement piece in my living room!!  i think my grandpa would be proud :)

 

 

 

 this picture frame was a garage sale find.  it was so depressing looking it took me three months to dig it out of the pile and work on it!  i <3 old books, and when my puppy chewed one of my favs, i was pretty mad.  but i quietly tucked it away, certain i could salvage it in some way... sure enough, one of it's pages, a little puppy nibbled, fit perfectly in this 5x7 cutie!!  i think it would be adorable in a nursery!

little boy blue

another garage sale, this frame was also very dreary.  i softened it's look with CeCe Caldwell's "Blue Montana Sky" and i think it's just lovely!!  there are touches of "Alaskan Tundra" and "Pure White".  I also made a concoction of Pure White and clear wax... and coated it in that.  that aged it as well by distressing the paint.

 

 

 

Lady Lilac

 Lady Lilac was a craigslist find.  she may not look like it in the picture but she is a BIG GIRL!!!  i under estimated her size and when the seller saw us pull up in our Mazda 5, he chuckled and said "you'll never fit it there".  well, WE DID!!!  but my 6' 3" husband was NOT very comfortable on the 45 minute drive home!  i think it's so cool what the paint did for this dresser!!  in the before picture, you don't even notice all the cool trim and designs on the front!  i opted to use this "purple'ish" color mike created.  he WANTED brown... what he got was nearly a QUART of purple!!  perfect because like i said, she was a big girl!!  the accent color is ASCP "Old Ochre".  LOVE Old Ochre!  one of my new favs!!  we kept the original handles, but she's getting new pulls.

 

 

 

 

Victoria

there was nothing exceptional about this garage sale dresser.  nice and solid, but super boring!  I dressed him up with ASCP "Olive" on her body and "Versailles" on her drawers.

 

 

 

 

 

Hope

 

i knew "hope" had potential the minute i saw her!  she was one of my father-in-law's finds.  and i decided to do something special with her.  when Hope sells, 50% of the proceeds will go to "Hello Gorgeous" an organization that provides women fighting any type of cancer with a day long make-over!

 

  she was so dark and drab.  her new colors are ASCP "old white" and a custom pink made from "old white" and "primer red"  i think she's absolutely beautiful!

 

 

George

there is just NOTHING cute about this... thing!  another one of my father-in-law's finds.  when he called to describe it to my husband, it supposedly SOUNDED great!!  when he brought it over, mike was quite sure it would be kindling because NOTHING could help it!!  we've since insisted his dad get a better phone with pic and texting!!

alas, mike was wrong!!  there was hope for George!!  first step- LOSE THE "JETSON" LEGS!!! those things were a bad idea in the 50's and they are STILL a bad idea!  ugh!  we replaced them with some plastic feet we salvaged from a couch we threw out.  step two- DITCH that DISASTROUS GLASS!!  Lord help me!  now... PAINT!!!  i used a ASCP custom color of "Coco" and "Old Ochre".  inside is CeCe Caldwell's "Virginia Chestnut"... a new fav of mine as well!!  the original hardware was GROSS!!!  so we put on a simple dark brushed brass.  what once was a hideous... thing is now an awesome Retro TV Stand!

Jordan

jordan was a great garage sale find.  i loved her so much, when i brought her home, i went right to work on her!!  she got a coat of ASCP "Graphite" and then she got dark waxed.  some poppin' new upholstery (look familiar?!) and she was a show stopper!!

Pink

 

the difference is almost unbelievable!!  "pink" is from our "rock star collection" but Pink got to stay at our house and is now in my 13 year old daughter's room!!  circa 1976 dark and depressing!  first i painted her with ASCP graphite then went over it with a black lacquer.  the drawers were painted ASCP "old white" and then valspar's "berry pink" on top.  i got super creative with the pulls.  i used salvaged and new ceramic pulls and painted each one differently.  i was super please with this AFTER!

 

Lily Lilac

This was a piece we saved from the landfill!  that's my favorite kind!  what a shame to let something this nice go in the trash!  sure it's dark and dated and the hardware gives me a headache from it's shiny atrociousness!  but never give up!!

 we used a ASCP custom color "old white" + "primer red" + "Napoleonic blue" = lily lilac!!  what can i say... mike is a mix master!  we THREW AWAY that hardware!!  it's so bad i refuse to put it on anything else!!  she got new dark brushed brass hardware... and voila!!  she's so beautiful!

 

 

i'm fairly certain, the majority of women my age can say they've owned at least one piece from the "french provincial" line of furniture.  i know as a child i had the dresser, hutch, and canopy bed.  ooo lala!!  but lets face it... they're classic yet terribly outdated.  i didn't do anything drastic to this one (just wait till you see the next one!!)... i kept it simple with ASCP "old white" and the custom pink.  all original hardware.  so pretty!

 

last one!!  there's not much to say... it's amazing what happens when you ditch the top doors and choose some awesome colors!!  ASCP "Coco", "Versailles" and "Primer Red".  LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!

 

 

being brittin's mommy... a day in the life...

today, i am completely overwhelmed by what it means to be brittin's mom.  i think i've answered the same five questions 12 times each.  i'm pretty sure i've told her 20 times, "no, the dog CANNOT take a bath with you".  i'm just waiting to say it for the 21st time.

not only am i answering the same questions over and over, i have literally said "do NOT put your satchel on" and she did it RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!!  that is just one instance of her blatant defiance today.

how is this any different than parenting in general??  i don't know.  i guess it shouldn't be... but parenting my child with "special needs" can be... A GREAT BIG OLE CHALLENGE!!!

i'm not going to go through the whole story about brittin again... you can read it in an earlier blog if you havent already...

AS I'M WRITING... britt just hollered from the bath:  "if rudy doesn't get in this bath with me, i'm gonna have a THREE MINUTE FREAK OUT!!"  rudy is the dog.  see... 21. 

briefly, incase you don't know... brittin was a micro preemie... 2 lbs... born at 29 weeks with lots of complications that resulted in:

hydrocephalus
cerebral palsy
agenesis of the corpus collosum
epilepsy

over the weekend, brittin had a seizure.  well, several.  and they were good ones.  that was said in my most sarcastic voice possible.  we had our 2nd ambulance transfer and 3rd hospital stay in one year.  THANK GOD FOR INSURANCE!!!

we have this rectal prescription we are supposed to use if she has a seizure.  and we used it.  for a couple of hours, we thought it was working.  then at 11:30 saturday night, after two serious seizures, it was time to head to the hospital.

one of the worst things is the "after the seizure".  as if it's not bad enough watching your child lose complete control of her body, after it's finally over, it's just as bad.  brittin has always struggled with anesthesia and has a hard time coming out of it.  they give her adavan to stop the seizures and not only does it KNOCK HER OUT COLD for 18 hours, when she does wake up, she has no appetite, nausea, and is straight up MEAN!!!  the meanness only last a couple of days, but it was so bad last time, we had to have my mom come get her because the five us at home couldn't take her anymore! 

then there's the guilt.  oh the guilt!!  i feel SO BAD when i get frustrated with her!!  sometimes i need to give MYSELF a timeout!!  when my super awesome employer told me not to come in today and just take care of britt, i was THRILLED!!  i envisioned my self accomplishing a lot at home and getting some much needed rest.  yeah... NONE of that happened!!  i'm looking forward to going to work tomorrow so i CAN get some rest!! 

on a daily basis, i don't even think about brittin's special needs.  to me, she just a regular eight year old... who smears purple eye shadow on her cheeks and insists on wearing a satchel to be JUST LIKE HER BIG SISTER!!  but it's weekends like this past that remind me how special and cherished britt really is.  i've said before that she's my miracle baby, and i'm reminded now, she really is.

i'm also reminded at how blessed i am to have mike as my husband.  as a single mom, it was always difficult to explain britt's condition... and many guys just don't want to get involved with that.  i can't blame them.  that is a lot to take on.  but mike has embraced britt and all her quirks and needs.  he remains calm and collected.  i don't know what i would do with out him!

i've come to a sort of... conclusion... or maybe realization:  brittin's medical conditions are not going to go away!  no amount of medication will "fix them".  at ANY GIVEN MOMENT, brittin can have seizure!  at any give time, we could find out her shunt(s) isn't functioning.  brittin will ALWAYS need extra attention and i have to stay on my toes! 

okay... enough rambling :)  have a blessed day!
laurie

saving the Ta-Ta's with "Hope"

Meet... "Hope"

$295

see below for more info on where the money will be going...

 

 

i am soooo excited about this piece!!! 

 

 

about a month ago, i got the "vision" for this dresser.  i was thinking about Breast Cancer Awareness Month coming up... and breast cancer prevention is a cause near and dear to me.  My Grandma Barb was a SURVIVOR!  And my Aunt Mary was a fighter!  i knew i needed "the right" dresser... and i wasn't sure that i could pull it off for this year.  a few weeks ago, my father-in-law dropped a dresser off to us.  i really liked it... but i wasn't in a hurry to paint it.  so she sat... waiting...

 

i guess it had to have been God that pointed out, this quiet dresser was PERFECT for my breast cancer awareness project!  so last week, i dug her out!  for those of you who are interested in the processes... here's what i did:

 

1.  cleaned her up.  sanded out a few imperfections.

2.  Annie Sloan Chalk Paint "Old White" over everything.

3.  PANIC!!!  i was getting like a ... bleed through.

4.  Made a custom pink out of ASCP "Old White" and "Primer Red".

5.  put a coat of pink on the top and drawer fronts.

6.  pray the bleed through is covered by this sweet pink.

7.  PANIC MORE!  the bleed through will NOT go away!!

8.  put the paint brush down!  mike lovingly suggested i WALK AWAY FROM THE DRESSER!

9.  call my favorite ASCP store- Peru Mercantile.  explain the bleed through.  learned i had sanded down past the original "seal" and SAP was bleeding through.  ergh!  learned how to fix it!!

10.  applied Minwax White Tinted Shellac!  sealed in all that nasty sap!!  mike did two coats of the shellac.

11.  another coat of my custom pink.

12.  alittle sanding... distressing...

13.  MADE A RIBBON PATTERN ON THE BACK OF UGLY CHRISTMAS PAPER. 

14.  positioned the ribbon on the dresser.  my super awesome husband helped hold it in place.  i didn't want to tape it.

15.  i traced the pattern with a pencil... very lightly... which my husband lovingly suggested may not be a good idea as pencil can be hard to cover, even with paint.  I DO WHAT I WANT!!  I USED THE PENCIL!!!

16.  apologize to my husband and tell him he's right.  pencil IS hard to cover, even with paint!!

17.  i filled in the ribbon using some latex paint i had left over from Lexi's room makeover.  i did two coats.

18.  sent my loving hubby to walmart for a pink paint pen.... which only comes in a pack with five other colors.  he must really love me!!!

19.  traced around the ribbon with my paint pen.  die pencil lines, DIE!!!  it worked!!!

20.  free handed "hope" onto a drawer.

21.  wrote an inspirational quote on the top.

22.  awesome husband put handles back on.  we are missing one, so the top drawer is still... in process!

23.  took lots of pictures!!

 

so the question i've been getting is "WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH IT!??!!"  here's the answer!!

 

as i said, breast cancer causes are dear to me.  i've chosen Hello Gorgeous as the organization to donate proceeds to from this piece.  here's a cut and paste from their website:

 

http://hello-gorgeous-of-indiana.org/index.php/about/

                          

Hello Gorgeous! is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that provides complimentary, professional makeovers and cosmetic education to all women battling all cancers. We create an experience for these women beginning with a nomination by family and friends that if chosen, includes surprising her with flowers, chocolates and a big “Hello Gorgeous!” She is pampered with spa services such as manicure, pedicure, facial and seated massage, as well as instruction in new makeup application and hair care (or hair substitution) methods advantageous to her individual issues, helping many times to:
•Appear much less affected by her treatments
•Strengthen her confidence
•Empower her to feel more acceptable to the public eye
•And, more importantly, more acceptable to herself

Before departing, we make certain the Gorgeous Woman understands how to reproduce her new look on her own. She is given a supply of the cosmetics, skincare and nail products used to complete her services that day. And all this is done for the Gorgeous Woman at no cost. She pays for nothing.
In order to help more women battling cancer in Michiana and other communities, we have begun the Salon Affiliate program, enlisting existing spa salons in different cities to be certified and perform (12) Gorgeous Visits in a 12-month period in their salon. Our goal is to certify 2 salons in each city of the United States in order to help 500,000 women each year.
Hello Gorgeous! is supported by public donation and by its fundraising efforts. Please visit our “Make A Difference” page to see how you can help us to continue bringing these service to those wives, mothers, sisters and daughters battling cancer.
God Bless.
Kim and Michael Becker

so here's what i'm doing:

1.  YOU CAN MAKE A $5 DONATION AND WRITE your name, or the name of a loved one on the dresser.  if you are not in the Elkhart/Michiana area... you can still add a name!!  contact me and we can make arrangements!!

2.  I AM SELLING the dresser at the end of October.  50% of the proceeds will go to Hello Gorgeous.

if you have ANY questions... please comment below or email me!!  i'm very excited about this and can't wait to see how much we can raise with "Hope"!!!

have a BLESSED day!!!
laurie

                           

30 pairs of underware

i've always said one of the best things about reading blogs is realizing there are other people in this world just as goofy as you!  well, that's why I love reading blogs!!

so today... not discussing furniture... i thought i'd just... blog!!

Lets talk about LAUNDRY!

i've mentioned on facebook... there is a universal sign i need to do laundry... and that sign would be when i see my husband wearing his "teenage mutant ninja turtle underwear".  when i see those puppies come out of the drawer, the guilt instantly sets in!  today, i am wearing my "TMNT" undies... well, not literally... but i'll tell you this, after a meer four hours in the MOST UNCOMFORTABLE UNDERWEAR EVER, i have learned three things:

                1.  this style of underwear should be banned... against the law... burned.
                2.  i completely get grannie panties now.
                3.  all members of my household must now own no less than 30 pairs
                     of underwear! that's just going to take A LOT of pressure off me!! 

i ask myself "why is doing laundry such a big deal"... well, it's not.  but just this week, i personally washed THE CLEANEST load of laundry on the face of the earth!  how do i know it was the cleanest?  because i washed the same load THREE TIMES because i couldn't seem to get it OUT OF THE WASHER AND INTO THE DRYER in a reasonable amount of time!  now you're either laughing right now and saying "i have so done that too!" or you're shaking your head at what an unfortunate homemaker i am! 

and then there's the "putting away of the laundry"... i'm not even sure why my youngest daughter has a closet or dresser... her clothes rarely make it from the laundry basket into her room!  i've had the same basket of clean clothes in my room for two weeks!  i even keep adding to it!  and every morning i get her school clothes out of it.  what is wrong with me!? :)

and don't even get me started on IRONING!!! 

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Total RooM makeOVER on $200!!!

raise your hand if you've ever told your kids something... then when it came time to follow thru, they DIDN'T forget and you're thinking "what was going thru my head when i promised THAT???" !!!!

that would be ME!!!  over the summer i made this huge declaration that for lexi's 13th birthday, we'd re-decorate her room.  well, she didn't forget... but my wallet wasn't prepared!!!  or so i thought...

i'm dedicating this blog to all the thrifty parents out there!! 

once again... i'm lousy with the "before & after" pics...  so let me give you a description!!

before:  lexi has a fairly large room, approximately 12x13.  she has vaulted ceilings with a large ledge.  she had two green walls.  two orange walls. she had a twin bed, a 1983 TV stand, a night stand and an ATROCIOUS put-together chest of drawers. 

lexi went camping with her grandma over the weekend and we went to work!!  lex thought we were doing her room NEXT weekend!!  the first thing we did... EMPTY THE ROOM OUT!!  we only kept two things:  the bed~ went into little sister's room and the night stand~ went back into lexi's room.  we saved the TV Stand to "reinvintage", but the chest of drawers became kindling!

lex had a few things she wanted:

1.  bright pink & black walls

2.  bigger bed

3.  super cool "reinvintaged" dresser

4.  desk & chair

SOUNDS EXPENSIVE!!!!  i did some checking... Value City Furniture- dresser $999, desk $249, chair $99, bed $699, bookcase $199... TOTAL= $2245

WE HAVE SIX KIDS!!!!  that is sooooo NOT HAPPENING!!!! 

here's how the gonser's roll...

1.  bright pink & black walls... well, we had to actually buy the pink paint at full price.  but i found black paint on the "mis-mix" shelf at lowes!!  $5 for a gallon!  score!  Paint- $65

 those are some BRIGHT pink walls!!

2.  bigger bed... my dad called me "laurie, there's a double bed frame, head board, and foot board for free... you want it??"  DUH!!!  OF COURSE!!!  dad brought it home and it was PERFECT!!!  he did alittle work on it for us... and ba bam!!  lex has a bigger bed for... $0!!!

the picture is so bad... doesn't show the wall color accurately.

 

 

3.  super cool "reinvintaged" dresser... i was at a garage sale looking specifically at one dresser for our business, but while i was there, i went ahead and made a package deal- 6 drawer dresser with mirror, antique dresser, and kitchen buffet for $70.  i took them all home and sold the antique dresser the next day for $80.  i'm calling the rest free!  the 6 drawer dresser with mirror became lexi's!  dresser... $0!!!

this took awhile... i painted all the drawers with Annie Sloan 'Old White', then did the pink in the middle, then taped off to do the black.  i used a black paint pen to make the lines around the white.

4.  desk & chair... when mike and i started "ReInVintaged Designs" our parents were very supportive and offered any extra furniture they had laying around (that sounds funny!) mike's parents mentioned they had "grandma cooper's desk" down in the basement... "it has some damage... if you don't want it, we'll just burn it"  DON'T BURN IT!!  so we brought it to the house!  lex of course loved it even with the cobwebs and layers of dust!!  it did have some damage, but mike was able to repair it.  now we just needed a chair.  well, mike's parents also had "grandma gonser's chair"!  PERFECT!!!  the fabric on it was truly "vintage", so i ran down to walmart and it just so happened, they had black and white zebra upholstery material!!!  so... desk + chair... $4 (for upholstery fabric)

horrible picture... but this is a 1930's waterfall desk... lex wanted her name on the middle drawer.

5.  bonus bookshelf...  when we were cleaning out the room at the beginning, we realized lex REALLY NEEDED a book shelf... so my dad whipped one up out of materials he had on hand. $0

another HORRIBLE pic!!  i need a new phone with flash!!  here you can see the one black wall.  for the shelf, i painted the outside black... the inside is the same pink as the walls.  and zebra contact paper on the shelves.  the top is corian.  only MY DAD has pieces of corian laying around the workshop!!!


other expenses-

dresser hardware-  i believe the hardware on a piece is SUPER important!  i salvaged the drawer pulls off the original dresser from her room and i painted them with designs using a paint pen & acrylic paint.  i didn't have enough so i used four white ceramic pulls from a salvage shop i love.  i also got four handles there.  so... paint pen $3, paint $2, pulls/handles $4= $9

these were the black wooden knobs i saved from the old put-together dresser.  i painted them.

handles from the salvage store

white ceramic knobs from the salvage.  the paint pen worked perfectly.  just give the paint time to dry!!!

paint-  it's hard for me to put an exact price on the paint i used for the dresser, mirror, desk, and chair because i used paint from the business... but i know how much i used... so i can estimate...  $50

bedding-  lex originally found a set she liked at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $129.... yeah no... we looked some more and found a very cute set at Walmart for $39.  i also got a set of sheets for $15.  total... $54

canopy-  we didn't buy this, it was a birthday gift lex got from gma becky... but if one were to buy them, i believe it was $29 at BB, and B.  for my purposes, i'm not adding it in the total

contact paper- we needed to line the desk drawers and bookcase shelves.  $6

mattress-  lex inherited a mattress that gma and gpa weren't using anymore- $0

TOTAL=  $188 !!!!!  NOT BAD!!!!

and the BEST part, was listening to her enter her room and hear her go... "what the...WHAT??  HOLY CRAP!!!!"  IT WAS PRICELESS!!!!!

 just for fun... here's the BEFORE         and      AFTER  of lexi's dresser!!!!  not bad for a 1976 dresser!!!

we had A TON of fun surprising lex with this!!  i think the room turned out great and i'm happy it was so affordable!!!  it really goes to show, it doesn't have to cost a fortune to have a beautiful home!  after my parents stopped by to see it all put together, my dad came to me and said "i REALLY sucked as a parent!!  you NEVER had a room like that!!"  awe!!  he's right~ i didn't!!  but i love him anyway!!!