Gettin' the Garage Sale Bug

I've never been big on garage sales. In fact, I've only ever been a part of one that I can remember in my life. I was 12. It was at my cousins' house and we had fun hanging out all day. I don't know what actually happened in the garage... We talked about having a garage sale when we were moving last year. We were getting rid of so much junk. But, it's so much easier to make weekly (daily!) trips to Good Will and be done with it. I can't stand the thought of collecting all that stuff until there's enough to make a good garage sale showing. Seems like too much work for a piddly showing.

But, I've been bitten. I have the garage sale bug. Not to sell junk. To buy someone's junk. (How wrong is that...?? Didn't I just get rid of all our junk!) After my run-in with the sander and paint with Bit's "new" desk, I've been hunting down my next project. In search of a great chair for her desk, I came across this rickety old thing.

But, here's what happened instead... I have ALWAYS WANTED a chair I could do this with! So cool! (Can't wait until those Bowles Periwinkles start cascading over the seat! Yes, that's what those flowers are really called, family.)

Now we need about 5 dresser/chests in this house and I've decided I want something with "character". Not gonna find that at Target. Anyone know of a good garage sale in the area??

Blogging Buddy

We've been discovered. The blog actually has a co-author. Dad is such a good encourager...

A Curtain - or A Bedskirt?

Thanks to Amy, I had a quick and easy curtain ready-made for Little Buddy's bedroom and bathroom. With a little leftover fabric (see honey, aren't you glad I kept that??), a couple of 1x4's and a staple gun, see a crib bedskirt go from hanging near the floor to hanging near the ceiling. Ok, so it sat in a box somewhere for a few years in between.

I was amazed at how well-planned Amy had made the crib bedskirt 9 years ago. The long side fit perfectly across the bedroom window and one of the shorter sides *just* fit the bathroom window. How did she know we would have windows that size someday? She's amazing. Too bad she moved away...

Now, how wrong is it that the BOY gets the first (and only, so far) curtains up in the house...

Oh, I guess I also have to note that after only two months in the house, Little Buddy also got a room re-do. He "inherited" a day bed from the grandparents so that we could have room to get his drums out of boxes in the garage. The LAST of the boxes in the garage, I might note. And the FIRST boxes that were packed up last summer when we put the house on the market. He has started his lessons up again. Unfortunately (fortunately??), he doesn't spend a lot of time practicing. I am itching to paint in there! Those walls are so blah! I need some "Gobi Desert"!

Photography Fun

"For my birthday", Dad signed me up for a photography club in town. I've gone a couple of times with a friend. We sit there enthralled, confused and overwhelmed at times. We always come away having learned something new. Just don't ask us to tell you what it is.

One reason for getting a new camera was to "take better pictures in poor light settings - such as school assemblies". They always have the lights turned OFF where the kids are when you want to get their picture (because of the projector screen). So, last week when Little Girl was getting an award, I was camera ready with a few new tricks I'd learned at my last club meeting. Are you laughing yet? You should be. By the time she was called, I had goofed up the camera so bad the pictures were just blurs on the screen. I'm so good!

I like natural light so much better. Less room for error. On my part.

I couldn't decide between the natural color and the sepia for this one. I suppose it's kind of cool that the picture is off-center and the swing (prior to paint) is all weathered looking. I like how half her face is shadow and half is light.

This picture of Bit is cropped way down (because she was wearing a spaghetti strap shirt while she was painting little toes in the backyard for her sister and a friend.) Of course, being 13, you have to wear earrings and lip gloss to paint little toes in the backyard. Hey, those are MY earrings!

Here's one thing I HAVE learned in my photo club meetings - it's not all about the TAKING of the picture. In the digital world, the EDITING has a LOT to do with the finished product. That's good for us fancy-camera-challenged people.