MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL

A couple of weeks ago, when I made a trip to the Ballard Design Outlet, 

I also stopped in Ikea for a quick jaunt through the Marketplace. 

I came home with two of these. 

You certainly can't beat the $4.99 price tag.

You know I like to buy things in pairs.  

Even though my husband said he doesn't need to see his face magnified, 

I got one for his side too. 

See those valances?  Yep, still just pinned under and tacked up there. 

One of these days.....

Ikea is about 30 minutes from my house, so I don't get up there too often,

but when I'm in the vicinity, I almost make a point to pop in. 

I occasionally pick up a pack or two of these drinking glasses.

They are the perfect size for the kids.

I also love their waterproof mattress pads, pillow inserts, throws, storage supplies and picture frames. 

I made the mistake of going to Ikea once on a weekend.  I won't repeat that one!

I think Ikea is one of those stores that people either love or hate.  I'm a lover!

How about you, are you an Ikea fan?  

DOUBLE DUTY MIRROR

I bought this mirror at Target a few weeks ago. 

It used to look like this.....

It took the place of a  this small chalk board/cork board/key holder in our mudroom.

I didn't need another chalkboard or cork board in the mudroom 

since we have this massive thing on the opposite wall.

However, I did need a spot to hang my keys.

I added these hooks, which I took off of the old cork board.

Since the mirror hangs right next to the door we come in and out of many times a day,

this is the perfect spot to hang our keys.

Looks like someone needs to go out.... 

(I told you he likes to be in all the pictures)

It's kind of nice to be able to do a quick check in the mirror on my way out the door.

You know, just to make sure there's nothing in my teeth or my hairs not looking all crazy.

A CLEVER FIX (REPAIRING A SUNBURST MIRROR)

Okay, first of all, thanks for the words of encouragement 

from all you awesome people about THE BIG DAY!!!  

I'm happy to report that it went quite well for everyone, especially me. 

We walked the kids to school, there were no visible tears from anyone and all was well. 

Next I stopped at dear friend's house for a "moms only" back to school breakfast. 

I may or may not have consumed a mimosa or two. 

I kept having this nagging feeling that I needed to hurry up so I could 

pick someone up somewhere, but nope, not today.

I spent the day doing a bunch of nothing and it was fabulous!!

Now, on to the clever fix. I mentioned the brilliant solution in this post earlier in the week.

My client scored this bone starburst mirror from the Ballard Outlet for a mere $50. 

It can be found here for $269.

There was one little problem.  It was missing a section of "bone".

This certainly wouldn't have stopped me from buying it, and 

I'm so glad my client saw past this tiny flaw and snatched it up. 

However, I'm not sure I would have been clever enough to make this simple repair, like she did. 

I probably would have bought it and let it sit in my garage for two years 

while I pondered what in the heck to do about it. 

She, on the other hand, swiftly removed another small section of "bone",

took it to Kinko's and had a color copy made of it.  

She then went home, cut out the color copied section of "bone"

 and mod podged it onto a piece of cardboard.  

Next she placed both sections of "bone" back in place.  

Wah Lah!!  I dare you to try to find the faux "bone". 

Couldn't do it, could you.

Pretty clever, right?

Why can't I ever come up with brilliant ideas like that.  

Anyone else have a simple clever solution they care to share. 

Oh come on, I dare you.....

SUNBURST MIRROR MAKEOVER

A big perk of my job is having to shop.  I know, tortuous, right?  

Sometimes as I'm slipping out the door and the kids are asking where I'm going, 

I quickly reply, "Mommy's going to work."

And sometimes, that means, mommy's going to Homegoods or an antique store or a thrift store, 

all in the name of "WORK"!

A few weeks ago, while I was "working", I came upon this great sunburst mirror.

I originally bought it for a client.  

It didn't work out for the client's project, but it sure worked out in my living room.

I loved the rustic look of it and the size was perfect for a blank wall 

I have been living with for a couple of years now. 

It helps bring some light to this little corner of the living room.

However, the dark finish felt a little heavy with the dark piano and the dark frame.

So what do you think I did? 

Yep, you know me too well.  I broke out the good ole' Rub N' Buff!

I actually had to purchase my second tube of Rub N' Buff for this project.  

My first tube lasted for many, many, many projects.  

Seriously, when is Amaco going to contact me to do an infomercial for Rub N' Buff?

I'll have my cell phone on all day tomorrow just in case.

I am digging this corner now.  

And how about this view, 

my new favorite corner with a reflection of my other favorite corner. 

Wait until you see what else I Rub N' Buffed. 

I know no boundaries when it comes to that stuff.  

I'll share next week. 

In the meantime, I hope you all have a fabulous weekend.  

My daughter turns a decade old next week and I simply can't believe it.

I'll be spending the weekend resting up for her slumber party on Sunday night.

Sharing with:
Thistlewood Farms
Our Fifth House

I just Couldn't Leave Well Enough Alone

I wouldn't call myself indecisive, but rather fickle.  I can make a decision, no problem, but sticking to it is another story.  Take for instance the mirror from this post.

It used to look like this.

I decided to flip the mirror over and paint the back with chalkboard paint.  Then it looked like this.

Today I decided to paint the frame.  Now, it looks like this.

Something about it just wasn't funky enough for me.  I'm digging the new color.  It's Sherwin Williams flower pot.  I had some paint leftover from this bookcase transformation.

It was a bit of a pain in the you know what to paint.  Spray paint would have been much easier, but since I had this paint on hand, I went for it.

Speaking of rain, I have a few thoughts on the subject.

I went for a nice long walk by myself tonight after dinner and this is what I was thinking about.

What I like about rain:
1) the smell after a rain (especially in the Spring)
2) the way it makes everything so unbelievably green
3) if the sun would ever come out, there's the possibility of a rainbow
4) forces me to get things done inside the house
5) on very rare occasions, provides the perfect excuse for taking a nap

What I don't like about rain:
1) water in our basement
2) kids being cooped up inside the house
3) dirty floors
4) muddy yard
5) brings my mood down

Okay, there you have it, my thoughts on rain. We have had our fair share of rain here and I am more than ready for the sunshine.  Bring it on!  Here's hoping your day is bright (even if it's not sunny).

I am linking to:
A2Z Home Stories
Tip Junkie
Restore Interiors