Where I've been

It kills me not to post here.  Well, it doesn't literally kill me, but it does make me feel like a slacker.  But if you've read my "About Me" section (or if you're related to me) you know that I work for five months a year.  What you don't know (unless, again, you're related to me) is that I work away from home.  Away from my lovely home, my husband, my cats,  DIY, and all things crafty.

Okay, it's not as dire as I made it sound.  First off, I am a shift worker, so I work 5 days on, 3 days off.  That means I do get to go home for three (sometimes four) days at a time. Not too bad. At least that's what I repeat to myself when I'm leaving for work.  Lol. (also *sob*)

And secondly,  this is my office:

Well, it's the view from my office.

Some days it looks like this:

A lot of days it looks like this...

Rain, rain, rain.  Rainy, rain, rain.


But some days, it could also look like this:

I have an amazing job, in an amazing location, with amazing people.  But unfortunately that job makes it tricky for me to keep up with this blog.  There will be posts.  But they won't be consistent.  I have things that I plan on doing but most days, when I'm home, all I want to do is relax and hang out with my hubby and my cats.  And weed the garden. Well I never WANT to weed the garden but it's one on of the few outdoor activities I feel qualified to do...lol.

I'm not leaving here, I'm just making sure you know where my head is at.....

Linds.

How to Paint a Cork Board.

This post is all about working with what you have.  Once upon a time I paid waaay too much for an ugly warped cork board.  It was all twisted and ugly but I bought it anyway and I think I paid twenty-five dollars for it!  Yikes. 

Here she is in all her glory.

When I was re-doing my office I wanted to have a cork board above the desk but I really didn't want to buy a new one.  So how could I work with the old one?  I decided I wanted to paint it so I googled around for the best way to accomplish that.  Here's the answer:

I covered the cork board with three coats of water based polyurethane.  This prevented the paint from soaking through the cork and ensured I would get nice even coverage.

You can see how shiny it is after I was done.  I let each coat dry for about an hour between applications.  Once I was sure everything was water tight I applied the color.  I used the same color that I painted the back of the bookshelves (Rich Navy by BHG) for a bit of balance in the room.

Mid Painting:

I did three coats of the paint just to ensure maximum coverage.  And I'm really happy with the results.

There she is, serving her purpose with style.  That's a "How to Identify Pacific Salmon" brochure pinned on the left.  Just in case I need to be able to distinguish between a Chinook and a Coho at a moments notice. Lol.

So far we've pinned a bunch of things to it and it hides the old holes pretty well.  You really have to look close to see where I've previously used it.

I might Rub 'n Buff the silver edge, but for now I'm quite pleased with it.

Lindsay.

I linked up to Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick.

Great Goodwill trip.

All of these beauties were picked up at the Goodwill on the same day.  Generally it doesn't happen this way.  I have gone into the Goodwill many, many times, only to leave with nothing.  On this trip I hit pay dirt.

I bought the pretty cut-out candle holder for a dollar, the glass tea light holder for fifty cents and my favorite of the bunch, that large brass mirror for two dollars.  It may not say brass forever because the finish is a little sketchy but I'm loving it for now.

All in all a very successful trip!

Lindsay.

Thrift Store Fabric.

Well a title doesn't get anymore direct than that.  This post is about fabric. That I found at a thrift store.

Every once in awhile I get lucky at my local Goodwill because someone somewhere donated a bunch of coordinating fabric that I actually like. It doesn't happen often, but when it does I am all over it.

The floral fabric is about two yards and the striped fabric is about a yard.  I paid 1.99 for the floral and .99 for the stripe.  I think it's meant to be used outdoors which I like because then it's fade resistant and easy to clean.  Eventually I will make pillows for the office.

Ever lucked out with fabric at a thrift store?  This is only the second time that I've found great coordinating fabric.  But hopefully it won't be the last!

Lindsay.

Expanding My Mind.

Another garage sale find today.  This has to be one of my favorites. 

I showed up really late to a sale and the place was nearly cleared out.  They had sold a household of furniture and most of their odds and ends in a matter of hours.  Just as I was kicking myself for getting the extra two four hours of sleep I spotted a pile of books in the corner. There was a billion of them and you could tell they were once a bright blue but had been faded from years of sitting in the sun. The price said ten dollars.  The lady that was running the yard sale noticed that I was checking them out and said told me that they were the complete works of Shakespeare.  And said I could have them for five dollars.  SOLD!

I needed a reference point for how big the stack of books was.  Yes I realize it looks like I bought orange juice on this garage sale expedition.  And yes I like my orange juice with medium pulp.

I love how faded the books are and that they fit into the office color scheme beautifully.  All in all there were 39 books (37 of Shakespeare's plays, a book of his sonnets and somehow a copy of Cyrano De Bergerac). I paid just about thirteen cents a copy.  What a great deal.

 When I told the lady I would take them she kind of squealed with joy and told me that she was happy that someone who enjoyed literature would be taking them home.  I didn't have the heart to tell her that I wanted them for their aesthetic qualities and not because I wanted to add some culture in my life (I get enough of that from Real Housewives, thank you very much). But maybe I'll start flipping through them? 

Here they are scattered all over the place.  There really are a lot of them!

Lindsay.

Thrifty Find......Monday?

That title isn't as alliterative as Thrifty Find Friday but as promised, I'm back with more of the treasures that have been coming home with me these past few weeks.

I found this next beauty at an estate sale.  I love estate sales because it seems to me that the stuff being sold is a little higher quality than your regular yard sale.

This basket was hidden outside with a bunch of other woven baskets. I think the previous owner used it as a planter because it was covered with dirt and cobwebs.  I was undeterred.

I love the woven pattern and the turquoise color.  The handles are metal and a little roughed up but that just adds to its charm.  And it's big!  About twelve inches high and 16 inches wide.  Eventually I'm going to use it to hold blankets but for right now it's a space filler on my wall o' shelves.

Man, I still have a lot of work to do with these shelves. 

Happy Monday!

Lindsay.