The Wonders of the Clearance Rack

 

My favorite spot in the fabric store; the clearance rack. Specifically, the clearance rack at Hancock Fabrics. In my opinion, it's the best one in town. There are many times when it's a bust, but sometimes (like this time) you find a real gem. 

In this case, the gem was about three yards of high quality upholstery fabric for $3.99 a yard;

Not only is it a beautiful, modern print in a really nice neutral gray and ivory color combination, but let me repeat the price- $3.99 a yard! Every other upholstery fabric that I've ever seen (and liked) is priced upwards of $15-20 per yard. So, this was a no brainer.

It was originally going to be used as a backdrop for our built-in book shelves (since Thane won't let me paint. For, admittedly, good reasons).

Living room built-ins.

But after testing it there and seeing that it didn't create the dramatic pop of color or texture I wanted, it went into what I'll call "craft supply storage"; the top of my heap of random fabrics, frames, ribbon, and other yet-to-be-utilized goodies up in the attic. And there it sat, brimming with potential. And it continued to sit...for months... Until, finally, I figured out what to do with it; make more curtains! And my new odd-end of gray and ivory fabric seemed like a nice compliment to our blue-tiled guest bathroom.

Let's get this show on the road. Since it was one long piece, I folded it in half, ironed down the center (which made no crease), and cut the whole thing in half (lengthwise, of course).

If you thought my kitchen curtain project was a tad unprofessional, check this out; sewing without ironing or pinning. I only wish I could do it this way every time. 

Since the fabric is so thick, I found out pretty quickly that pinning and ironing didn't make any difference. So, I just folded my hem as I went. I can't find the picture to show you, darn! Oh well, we'll just have to skip right to the finished process.

 

Ta-da! Ever heard of "new-sew" curtains? Well, these are what I like to call "no-skill" curtains.

What do you know? They actually reach the floor. That's a first, in this house at least. By the way, the hem is about half an inch around the bottom and sides, and then the rod tab at the top is about three inches.

What motivated me to finally put this great clearance fabric to use? The fact that I was tempted to go out and buy more things with which to start other projects when I have lots of things (like this fabric) sitting at home already. This is my new rule; carry out plans with things I've already bought/already have rather than buying even more. When I've completely run out of projects with what I currently own, then I can start thinking about what moderate purchase I'd like to make next.

Speaking of another project...back to the built-ins for a minute. Since Thane is (smartly) against painting a rental that we'll only be living in for a matter of months, I've been brainstorming ideas for adding a pop of color to these shelves with something we can take with us when we go. In that case, it'll pretty much have to be fabric, and only if I find another great deal on something that would work.

Hmmmmmm... :)

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Kitchen Cart

A good neighbor not only invites you over for dinner, but also inspires you to revamp your kitchen organization! You might remember my kitchen curtain post where I first introduced you to the White Elephant's shabby and not-so-chic heart of the home. You know, the post where I pointed out it's abundance of grunge and made the bright graphic curtain panels in an attempt to divert attention from this grunge? If you didn't, no worries, one look at the speckled linoleum tile flooring and you'll get the jist.

In addition, there's this odd little corner space between the dishwasher and back door;

This is actually a pretty "clean" photo. Usually this spot collects a lot of shoes and a hodge podge of other things. But you get the idea, it's a not so pretty little area for trash and miscellaneous items. Or that's what it was resigned to until I saw my neighbors kitchen and noticed that she had a microwave cart here. Not only did it look a lot cleaner and nicer, but what a good use of the space!

So, after perusing thrift stores and Craig's List for a week or two and still coming up empty handed, I finally went to Walmart and bought the least expensive storage cart they carried. As much as I would have liked to find something used, it was $20 well spent. What do you think? 

Not only did that grungy-corner-for-trash-and-junk look go bye-bye once the new cart was up, but a lot of counter space was freed up as well. And counter space is precious real estate in this kitchen.

Welcome to the new home for the coffee maker, microwave, cook books, and the green firebird rooster. He moved down from the windowsill to get a change of scenery.

Speaking of the coffee maker, it's now in close proximity to my coffee containers for maximum convenience. My daily morning coffee routine just got even easier!



Oh and let me point out a project within a project. Remember this tray? It came from a thrift store for about $1.50.

It needed some cleaning and spiffing up, and that's exactly what it got. For a few bucks more, I picked up a can of "Cherry Red" spray paint and gave it a fun new color to match the curtains.

Then I had a small pile of frames that I'd picked up from Rugged Wearhouse on clearance for $1 each. I also had some fun cards that happened to be the perfect size, so in the frames they went! (The other one's sitting on the windowsill where the rooster used to be.) You might have noticed the little yellow-green acorn frame as well. It was also on clearance for a buck, so I got two and then painted them this yellow-green color (they were originally brown, then lime green- the same color as the firebird, which was too much- and now this shade after mixing the original green with some white to lighten it up a little). As you can see, they (the little "acorns") are empty for the time being, but I have an idea for 'em that I'll eventually get around to.

The trash can still sits here, but now it's not the focal point of the space. I've been toying with the idea of spray painting it red... I've never heard of anyone doing this, but hey, I've got to do something with the leftover spray paint, right?

So that's it for now. We're slowly and surely improving our little "character-rich" kitchen. I say "we" not because Thane has any part in the decor aspect of the makeover, but because he's the one that put the shelf together. Thanks honey!

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P.S. See our ranch house kitchen plans here. (And pssst, they won't just be plans for much longer, the cabinets are going up sooner than we can believe!)

P.S.S. Spray paint works wonders; see how to use it to get the exact look you want for your decorative curtain rods here.

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The Firebird Goes Green

This guy is a little on the wild side. He reminds me of a rooster, but in a Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter kind of way. Probably because he's actually a firebird. But we're going to call him a rooster anyway. And since roosters tend to hang out in kitchens and ours was completely void of one, I couldn't help but imagine him perched on the big windowsill over our kitchen sink.

I spotted him on a cluttered shelf at the local Goodwill. I picked him up, turned him around, cocked my head at him a little, and wondered how a firebird, I mean rooster, could hold my attention for so long. My practical side told me he was too zaney and redneck, to put him down slowly and walk away. But there was just something about him, (I still don't know what), and I couldn't leave him behind.

He needed some touching up. So out came the leftover lime green paint from Asher's nursery project. It's "503 Yellow Citron" by Folk Art (from Walmart for about $1.50), if you're wondering.

Speaking of Asher, he had his first try at finger painting. He was in my lap during this little project, and it only took him about two minutes to grab my cup of paint and do a little "creating" of his own.

Awwwww...grubby, painty, baby fingers.

And here he is! Mean and green. I was going for a contrasting pop of color that would stand out next to the coral and red curtains, plus pick up on the other lime green accents throughout the living and dining room. Although sometimes I think I might like him white again... He may have another makeover coming his way, eventually.

Oh! I almost forgot...want to guess how much he set me back? $1.50.

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P.S. See more fun thrift store finds here and here.

P.S.S. On a more serious note, a search of the word "rooster" on Blue Letter Bible turned up this verse:

Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." {Mathew 26:34}

So here's another opportunity to remember and meditate on God's word. Just like I'll remember the call to obey His commands every time I see the tassel in the laundry room (from yesterday's post), I'll try to remember this verse when I see my rooster in the kitchen. In order to actively pursue a life of faithful obedience and proclaim Christ rather than deny Him, I need as many reminders as I can get!

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Stylin' Shelves



Don't you just love custom built-in shelving? I certainly do, especially the ones flanking our living room fireplace here in the Elephant. I'll always admire the beautiful detail found in older houses. I'll never forget hearing one of our movers comment that these homes should be torn down so that couches would fit through the doors easier. For shame! I couldn't bear to see these places get the bulldozer! Old world charm beats modern construction any day, in my book at least. But I suppose I should give the guy a little more credit. After all, he was the one carrying the couch in, not me.

But back to the built-ins. Ours needed some love. They were displaying a hodge-podge of cards, books, boxes, board games, and miscellaneous items, including a tire pump. There's nothing chic about a tire pump. So, when I wrote my to-do/wish list a few weeks back, the shelves were the first thing on it.

Can you spot the tire pump?

What about the fabulous gold Iraqi tea set box?

It turned out that this wasn't nearly as easy as I thought it would be. I've stared at these things for a week now, just trying to figure out what to put on them and how to arrange it all. I'm a perfectionist when it comes to arranging things, hanging things, making sure they're centered, that there are straight lines, etc. Possibly from my days as a graphic designer, where details were key. So, for someone who's a tad OCD when it comes to decor, you might liken this experience to nightmarish tedium rather than your general enjoyable reorganization effort. Admittedly too much effort, that should have been directed elsewhere like bible reading and exercise. At one point I found myself seriously asking Jesus how he created the whole universe in six days when it took me just as long to arrange two shelves.

But it's done! So, if you're interested in hearing the thought process of an obsessive-compulsive shelf arranger, here it is.

This is what I came home to. The "before", if you will;

Step one; remove everything. Leaving it all up makes it harder. Trust me, I've tried! A clean slate makes for the best results.

Step two; add the largest items first. In my case, it was the two banana weave baskets. These are great for Asher- not only do they look nice and clean (from the outside), but they hold all manner of baby "equipment". Stylish and functional=good! They also tuck nicely under end tables, as you can see here.

Step three; continue to add items, from large to small, until you've achieved the look you want. It helps to go for "sneaky" symmetry. In other words, try to do some subtle matching and balancing. This applies whether you're working with one shelf space or two. (I recently reorganized a single shelf as well.) Here you can see the common elements on both shelves.

For instance, use pairs if you can. As you can see, I have two baskets, two decorative pillows (yes, I put pillows on shelves, that's how much I like them), two pieces of art, two figurines, two storage bins, two frames holding fabric "art" (more on that here), and two sets of decorative items- candles and silver champagne glasses. Oh, and two round objects, one wooden container and one ceramic vase. Okay, you don't need that many matching pairs. Especially if you're only working with one shelf. Remember, I'm OCD.



I tried putting a few framed photos back onto the shelves, but they just weren't meshing. So instead they went on the wall where they're much happier. See them here!

And here are some detail shots, just for fun.

 Remember this guy? He came all the way from Kentucky.

You might remember me mentioning that I wanted a pineapple from Hawaii, to go along with the horse from Kentucky. Well, this one didn't exactly come from Hawaii, but I'll explain later! :)



One last look- it's so much cleaner, isn't it? Ah, there's nothing like a little bit order when it comes to home. And we'd better enjoy it while we can... Asher's not even rolling over yet, but before we know it he'll be crawling. And grabbing. And destroying pretty things. At which point these shelves will need another re-haul for the sake of baby-proofing. 

Tell me I'm not the only crazy shelf organizer/decorator out there! Anybody else do anything similar lately? What's the goofiest thing you have on a shelf at your house right now?

-P.S. The world really was created through Jesus...see the verse at the bottom!

-P.S.S. Remember my comment about how I should have been reading the Word with all that time I spent on the shelves? Well, it's true. So, to get more bible in during the day I've started putting sermons on while I'm doing chores and things about the house. It's great- a constant dose of learning, encouragement, and edification. My favorite places to watch sermons are www.marshillchurch.org and www.mannachurch.org. Check them out!

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In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. {John 1: 1-4}