Mr. Darcy

Yes. Stop blinking your eyes and close your mouth. I'm back. Again. I told you I would be so be nice and let's get this started shall we?

Since moving into the rental we now call home Noah and B have their own rooms. Oh happy day! Well, Mr. Little didn't have any furniture other than a crib and a cubby thing I bought at Target. You know the ones. They are made from cheap fiber board, have a piece of cardboard you tack to the back and then insert fabric totes in them. Sigh. Yes, I fell victim once when they were on sale. Don't judge me.

Anyway, while perusing the local Goodwill I stumbled across this guy.


We shall call him Mr. Darcy because I loved his figure, his solid frame and that he was only $30. The drawers pulled easy, nothing was broken and he would fit in with the ideas I had in my head. I quickly hailed a Sales Associate who stuck a PAID sticker on it and I came back a few minutes later in Rick's truck. When I got him home, I'm sad to say, he sat in the back of the truck for a few days until we moved him into the garage. Where he sat for another few days. Until this morning! I had the itch to get a hold of that dresser and make him as handsome as I could. After all, he was covered in 20+ years of varnish and it looked like some child had a very good attempt at fingernail art in the drawer fronts. It didn't seem fair to leave him that way any longer.





No mind. With my trusty hand sander



and some elbow grease



I got him all sanded down and shiny again. I have to admit, I paused for a moment wondering if I should just stain him. Nah! I wanted to give the old guy some character so after a quick wash in this stuff



I was thinking I made the right choice. See?



Paint washes bring me back to Huck Finn and the fence. Washes look so good on a number of things but personally I like it better on a boys furniture than the chippy style you see. That's more of my Miss Little. OK, I'm rambling now. Why didn't you tell me? Back to Mr. Darcy.

I originally wanted to do the pulls in rope but since Rick needed it out of the garage I decided on these small white knobs.



They were already white, came with the screw and cost a measly $.99! WOO HOO! So after attaching the I had Mr help me carry in my new found friend and place him inside Noah's room.



No, he's not perfect but what is? I see perfect as stuffy and normal and well, here at 4530 we are anything but perfect and this big guy fits in quite nicely.

Oh Mr. Darcy how I love thee. You hold all of Mr Little's things and look so distinguished doing so.

Ummm, yea.

So, I have no excuse. I forgot about this blog! GASP! Can we call it a blog? I see it more like a forgotten diary that was hidden too well. Maybe like an old penny that had fallen between the couch cushions.

What have we been up to you ask? Well, in the YEAR (I am so ashamed) that I have been absent both of mind and blog, tons. We moved into a nice home. We are renting actually. Our cabin is STILL for sale and somehow managed to escape the largest fire Arizona has ever seen. My 2 littles are not so little. My 22 month old is potty trained and Brynn just turned 4! Koley is now a high school graduate who has decided to join the U.S. Army. He's in the process now and will go next Tuesday to take the entrance exam.

I still try and decorate on a shoe string and it drives the Hubs nuts when he gets a call from me asking if I can bring home a dresser or a table to redo. Most of our convo's go something like this...

Me: Hey, do we have room in the garage for a dresser?

Rick: Ummm

Me: Alright, I found the perfect shape and size so I'll be seeing you soon. Gonna need help moving it into the space. I have big plans. Love you! See ya in a sec!

Rick: Umm

I use his power tools but I always put them back in their rightful place. I get paint from the oops section and I find the hum of the hand sander a lullaby. Why can't I have a $20 dresser for Noah? It's a double duty kind of thing. Furniture that is much needed as well as therapy for Mama. Also much needed.


If you haven't learned yet I am very scatter brained. Nope. Can't blame the littles or even the teenager. I just am. Born this way and have honed said craft in my short 33 years of life. Wow. 33. Gonna be 34 in a few weeks and can you believe I forgot how old I was? Yep. Had to take a moment and do the math. Good grief Charlie Brown.

So as far as the chair for Noah, I painted it and covered it and then went "I don't like the color". Soooo, I'm gonna redo the sunshine yellow into a muted gray and add trim. The lamp for Brynn, painted, got the bulbs and crystals but have yet to put it all together since her room isn't wired for an overhead light. What kind of room isn't wired for an overhead light? Even prisons in third world countries have overhead lighting. Oh well, alas, she waits for her jewels to be attached and her rope chain to be covered so she can hang with all the glory this self proclaimed DIYer can give her.

I am making a promise now, to you. To you small few that have read my "blog" at least once in it's short life. I will post once a week and keep you updated in this crazy circus I call home. After all, I am the ringmaster and I hold the, wait, what's that thing called? Oh yea, the bullhorn.

R U Serious about that lamp?

So this month has been all about re purposing stuff I have found, bought cheaply or been given. Most of it has made it's way into a design that will go to Miss Brynnan but I have saved a special chair for Noah. I can't do that till he has a room of his own though and I know what color I'll paint his room. Here are some of the projects I have going.

Her growth chart. I made this using wood, a cute fabric, a pink tape measure and mini popsicle sticks for the height measurements. I really like how it came out!






Her bed canopy made from a lamp shade, tulle and then green suede. I still have some tweaking to do on this one. Some butterflies to add and then make the chain cover.



I picked this up from Craigslist for $5. It's 2' tall and at first sight I KNEW what I wanted to do with it!

The before



Add some white spray paint in gloss and Brynnan's tutu that's too small for her now and viola!!



This is just waiting for me to get ahold of it.



OK I know what you're thinking but trust me. If my plan works it's gonna be so sweet. I want to remove the glass dome, paint it a ballet slipper pink, add some small candle shaped light bulbs and then some chandelier beads. Think Pottery Bark kids but on a poor mans budget. I mean, check out the price!!



So yea, how could I pass this little beauty up? Come on! Look past the 80's brass. Can you see it? Such a sweet light to hang in my princess' room.

This is the chair I was talking about for Noah. LOVE the lines, the detail in the wood and the fact it's a woven chair!! OH, I got it off the side of the road. I know, it WAS crazy to stop and toss it in my truck but I had to. It was sitting there, waiting for me. Now he'll look smart soon. A fresh coat of paint after a nice sanding along with stripping off that HIDEOUS fabric and covering it in something fun and durable. OH and redoing the weave. I have my staple gun ready, just need a room for Noah.

March Madness!!

So Noah is now 7 months old and Brynn has gained a whooping 26 pounds. He is big and she is tiny. Oh well, boys are suppose to be big right? hehe

We had a nice St. Patricks Day and ate corned beef and cabbage. YUM. We all wore green (except Koley the big rebel) and just goofed off! Brynnan got a new toddler bed and she loves it. She has done really well and only fell out once. We now have pillows on the floor.:) Noah popped out 2 teeth, one on the 22nd and the other on the 24th. Not to mention that he finally said Mama! That was on the 29th and it sounds so sweet! These kids are great and growing so much!

Koley has been driving me around townand to the store to get some practice before his big test on the 19th of April. It's crazy to think he'll be driving on his own soon. He's so tall!

Our house is still up for sale and come July it will mark 2 years we have had it up. Makes me so sad for so many reasons! Anway, enjoy the pics and be good!





Noah's first teething biscuit! He loved it.







St. Paddy's Day







Big 7 month old!



His teeth







My 3 loves!