Labor Day weekend has come and gone, and my tradition of laboring over the weekend continued in full force. Joining up with Hallie at Moxie Wife today to bring you four of my favorite "work of our hands" creations and one pretty thing that has struck my fancy.
1) Outdoor furniture: we bought this set of chairs and a matching bench a few weeks ago for a cool $20 at a garage sale. Over the weekend, I finally got to sanding down and refinishing the chairs. The bench is a project for another weekend. All that is left is to distress the chairs a bit and add a protective coat. As is my MO, I bought paint from the "oops" pile at the Depot for $7 - I think the color came out great upon drying, but there was a long while there where the sweat on my brow wasn't just from the sun and work. The color looked awfully Grimace-y purple. The Hubbers, to his credit, never once winced. I think once dry, they match the rest of our patio furniture pretty well (see next picture).
2) Wizards' Outdoor Chess/Checkers: when my mom was in town for the little man's birthday, we went to a little artisan market store where we saw an outdoor table made of cement that was a chess/checker table. It could have been ours for just under $300! While mom-the-extravagant wanted to gift our backyard with said table, I was still able to get enough oxygen to the brain to insist we could do better things with that kind of money. Enter $2 yard sale table plus a little elbow grease. Voila! Now seeking the perfect chess and checker pieces so we can actually play.
3) Wall vase: I've been lamenting since the cats entered the Casa upon marriage that we can never really have fresh flowers in the house safely. We've had shattered vases and a few spills to remind me that it just isn't worth the risk. I saw those homemade wall vases on Pinterest but had never gotten around to making one when I ran across this little beauty at a garage sale for just one little George (dollar, not monkey). Add some paint to the dingy, dirty white that it was, and I can't wait to hang it up and add a pop of colorful flora! There's just something joyful about having fresh flowers in the house from time to time, don't you think?
4) Summer salads: ok, so I didn't make this in the same way, but some of our garden fare was involved in its creation! I swung by Trader Joe's this weekend and saw some yellow grape tomatoes that caught my eye. My taste buds later lauded my decision to bring them home. Add some black beans, some tomatoes and peppers from the garden and a little green onion and light dressing, and...nom nom nom. The trip to Trader Joe's was worth it for this alone, not to mention the garage sale I found on the way back. Alas, I will leave that wonderful find for another day!
5) Last, but not least, a little something pretty. Wouldn't this look lovely around my neck? It is from Dear Prudence, the cutest little boutique-y store out of Grand Rapids. Just Jilly is a huge fan which is where I heard of them, and she has great taste! It is good for our pocketbook that they are in Grand Rapids and that I am kind of a lazy online shopper. You should really check them out, though, to admire the pretties!!
That is all from the Casa today, where mama is attempting to conserve non-existent energy after a night of toddler meltdown and feline hijinks whilst battling an oncoming cold. Poor Hubbers had to go and teach the kids on no sleep - go easy on Mr. McCormick, you young whippersnappers! (What IS a whippersnapper? Anyone?)
Now go on over to Hallie's to see what others are raving about - maybe you'll find a new favorite among them!
Your table is really really cute.
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