Doh!!!!!!! Why didn't I BUY that??

See those cute little framed bells 

from Pottery Barn?

The ones framed all cute like with a hefty price tag? 

I think they run about $129 for all 3....

hmmmm...not fitting in with my "bargain" themed lifestyle...

Don't get me wrong,

I'd love to be able to throw down big moolah and snatch up every little trinket my heart so desired

but

that just ain't reality. Not in my world anyways.

Well...I was shopping this weekend at my local Open Door Mission Thrift Store 

(it is kinda small but has some good treasures)

anyways

I saw 2 of these exact bells in frames. 

Price....$5!!!!!!!!!!

I am screaming on the inside....ok on the outside too!!!

See how cute they look?

Why didn't I get them when I had the chance?? 

Somebody give me a cyber-bonk upside my silly head already!!

I am racing there as soon as the hubby gets in the door.

If I get them...I will be doing a happy dance home...in my car of course...with DMB playing in the background.

Wish me luck!!

Cynthia

Plain little Cinderella bed gets her princess slipper...

My sweet 4 year old daughter wanted a "princess bed".

Enter CL sweet find of the day...that's Craigslist to you people out there in bloggy land. I only discovered CL 2 years ago (I know how completely in the dark ages am I??)

Well, as you know, CL is a plethora of good bargains. 
And some really nasty stuff too. 
Like c'mon people...are you really going to sell that dog peed on, nasty, ripped, brown & orange tweed, looks like a tornado dropped it on your front porch couch for $100?? Well, whatever floats your boat!

I did, however, find this little antique spindle bed--with side rails--for $30. I even found a cute matching spindle side table for $5 (no pics sorry). It was boring, brown stain & poly finish peeling and chipped. Looked weathered after being in a storage shed for too many years.
But it did have the makings of a cute little girly bed...

I saw her cutie-pie potentail peeking out from beneath that weathered exterior...but she needed a makeover...so I whipped out my trusty trigger finger--thank God for the spray paint holder gripper thing--(bought at Wally World what a life saver) and I started spraying like a crazed woman gasping for air between blasts. 

Seriously, spray painting in a breeze outdoors can be a pain in the butt but I hadn't any room in the over stuffed garage!! 

It took some wood filler for the gaps in the wood grain, a face mask, some goggles, (for that wind induced over spray) 1 can of oil based spray primer and 3 cans of white gloss, sanding the bugs off between coats (darn gnats!!) but....

I

have 

unveiled 

a 

princess

bed!!

You should have seen her with her little sidekick spindle legged table (sorry, no pics *sniff*)
all cute and crisp white with a little vintage lamp,
chunky antique picture frame-turned tray, & cute porcelain bunny 
all bought for a mere $5 at a garage sale

Fit for a 4 year old princess :) I should have dressed her all up but she looked cute as is!

ok...one more look...

(ok you didn't notice she needed another coat of paint right?)

she got it post pics 

I have to admit, I did find another (even cuter!!) 4 poster bed for my daughter (for $20!!!) so I sold this set for $175...not a bad profit at all I must say!
I am looking forward to seeing all the other "before & afters"at the Metamorphosis Monday Blog party hosted by Between Naps On The Porch.
Enjoy! :) 

Cynthia

Sunday Snackers---Leftovers turned tasty Quesadilla

Got leftovers?? 

Well we do...we always do. Such is the life when you have 3 kids who eat like birds. So do I throw away the leftovers from their meals...heck no!! I recycle them. Oh I know that sounds a tad icky gross but it is not as bad as you might think. I get soooooo frustrated when we bring home the Colonel and his tasty fried chicken and the kids eat 1/2 of a piece and leave the rest!! 
Try to serve that 1/2 piece later in the day and you'd think you just put a dead mouse on their plate...."EWWWWWWW!!!! Who ate 1/2 this chicken leg Mom???"....um you did my little carnivore. *Sigh* Like I said, I hate to waste good moolah on perfectly good food....

So........

Enter the leftover chicken & cheese ranch style quesadilla

Yes...my cutting board is clean I just finished chopping up the Colonel's famous left-over chicken.

Slap (spread thinly) some Ranch dressing on one side of a soft tortilla. For you low carbers like me, use a cardboard, um low carb, flatbread...

add thinly sliced chicken, then add some grated cheese, if you can get some diced chives in there go for it!!

  Put another tortilla shell on the top and bake in oven at 375 degrees F for 10 mins. Let cool for 1 minute and then use a pizza cutting tool to cut into 4 wedges....serve with favorite side dish and some sour cream. I love tarragon with chicken so I added some to my sour cream. It is best if you let it chill in the sour cream for 1hr.

Serve.

Now sit back and hide your smug little smile as your children eat their leftovers and actually enjoy them.

Cynthia

Spring Vignette--you light up my life!

Spring is here!!

I think anyways...it was icy cold last night but I see buds on the trees and the recent time change made the days sooooooo much longer...so I am going with it!

Anyways, I miss spring flowers so I thought I'd post about a little vignette I put together in my kitchen over the summer. I love the use of light in dark corners & I especially love being able to throw in some wild flowers (plus my rooster--he worked with my discontinued gold Waverly toile curtain fabric--which I love).

Yes--I love toile--I probably always will--so sue me! I really don't care if it isn't the "in" thing right now--it is "my" thing and it makes me happy ;)
I admit I am not rooster crazy but being in the country--he fits right in. I had an ironstone platter which I used as a tray to keep the grouping together--ta-da!

A dark corner with a purpose.
Sorry no before picture. You can use your imagination...
super boring, useless, dark corner.


Now...a cute, bright, corner vignette.
Here it is again...

You my have noticed something (other than those wretched terra cotta countertops)...waiting...tick-tock tick-tock.....ok I'll give you a hint....NO cords. Admittedly, yes, they are in fact there but I have Adobe Photoshop...it is a handy piece of software. It erases many a faux pas so I can pretend there are no cords, only a cute spring vignette. Simple but effective.

Cynthia