More Ledge Art

Still haven't spent a dime on my living room picture ledge but I did dig around the house and come up with a few more frames.  I filled them up with some temporary printouts and magazine clippings to help me visualize.  I'll continue to tweak the ledge but at least it's better to look at now.

Living Room Picture Ledge

Way back in 2013, my living room was pretty put together.  I had my nice little 32" TV in a freshly painted armoire and some nice little Chicago Instagram pics framed down the wall.

I also had a lovely plant that I managed to kill in record time.  Fast forward to 2014, I upgraded to a 60" TV with a new IKEA console.  I love that I can actually read words on the screen now!

I also got a lovely Rubber Tree.  It has been dropping leaves lately so don't hold your breath on that lasting forever.  I loved the new set up but have been staring at that wall for 6 months now trying to figure out what to put on the wall.  This weekend I caught up on 6 episodes of Fixer Upper on HGTV and I guess I got inspired.  I went digging around in my garage for something to make.  I came up with the idea to make a picture ledge with a spare 8' 2x3 leftover from my closet remodel.  That and a little leftover white paint and some leftover hardware from my guest room headboard project had me on my way. 

As you can see, I did this project while watching Big Brother.  Go #TeamDonny!  Anyway, it was a pretty easy install.  The shelf is centered on the wall at 64".  I may need to move the TV a smidge because I don't think it's centered.  Sorry for the poor evening lighting.  My iPhone and the recessed canned lights in the house do not mix.

I don't know what art will go up there but I'm working on getting a few prints and a little more color and height variety.  I guess I should start watching more HGTV since it tends to be what motivates me to get things done these days.  I'm pretty hooked on Fixer Upper and last night I caught the first episode of Flip This Block.  I have a new free furniture piece arriving soon that will need a major overhaul so stay tuned for my next adventure.

Terrific Trash!

Man, between the holidays and a nasty cold I've really fallen behind in life.  Fear not, I'm back.  Remember the nightstands I stole from my neighbors bulk trash pile in the middle of the night?

Over the past couple of weeks I'm been working on them off and on.  I sanded them all down and primed them with some Kilz primer I had on hand.

I decided on a bold Purple for the chests.  After a failed attempt at buying regular paint to use, I resorted to my old standby...spray paint.  It worked like a charm!

I moved them into my bedroom and they work great!  It's still a work in progress in here.  I need to figure out what I'm doing with my headboard situation but I'm still up in the air on that.

So the some total of this project amounted to 2 cans of purple spray paint...$7.50.  You just can't beat that.  I think they look like I could have spent a couple hundred on them.

More Thieving

I have no shame.  This week is bulk trash week in my neighborhood.  I can't help but scan people's discards when I drive by.  You never know.  I've rescued frames from dumpsters.  My now navy office chair was once just a lonely wooden chair on the curb.  I think of it as recycling.  Upcycling even.  Giving new life to stuff and saving space in our landfills.  Or at least that's how I sleep at night.  I say this because this past weekend I "stole" some curbside trash.  I passed by it a few times before running across the street, dressed in black, around midnight on Saturday.  I also made sure to turn all my porch lights off.  The last thing I need is the neighbors talking about me.

Behold!  Two nightstands that I don't really need...still damp with dew.  But they have such potential that I couldn't let them be destroyed.  They just need a little spray paint!  [Doesn't everything?]

The hardware and gold trim are pretty awesome.  Like I said, I don't need any nightstands in my house but I still might be able to use them.  They could be end tables for my low sectional in the living room.  Or possibly a storage bench at the end of my bed.

I have no idea what color I'm going to paint them.  I could do something really crazy, like Kelly Green.

Or I could just go with a crisp white.

At least this project is a cheap [read: free] form of entertainment for me.  As I mull over my color choices I just pray my neighbors don't come over to borrow any sugar soon. 

More Office Accessories

A few more pieces have been redone to accessorize my transforming office.  I found a few knick-knacks around the house to turn orange and then painted two more Birchboxes to go with my first two.

I also painted the mirror that originally was supposed to connect to the back of my free dresser turned sideboard in the dining room.

Nothing has been moved in to the office yet.  I need to paint my desk first and foremost and then once it's in place I can start thinking about where things will go.  Making progress!

Iron Chef: Produce

My friend Anna sent me an email last week to try out a produce (and more) delivery service, Greenling.com, for free.  I immediately signed up to try a Local Box.  Basically, they deliver hand picked produce from farms around Texas based on what is in season.  I've enjoyed the forced creativity of preparing all the food I've been harvesting from my own garden so this would just up the challenge.  Thursday night, as promised, my Greenling box showed up on my porch.

I had seen a list of what was going to be in last week's box but I was still blown away by my bounty.

My delivery came with a list of the contents, including what farm each item came from.  The back of the list had several suggested recipes.  Anna and I had our own little version of Iron Chef over the weekend, cooking our way through the food and texting our results.  The first challenge I tackled was fresh pinto beans.  Prior to this weekend my only experience making beans involved a can opener.  I have never even attempted dried beans. 

Now these aren't much to look at but they tasted amazing.  I cooked them with garlic and chili powder and then added a little sriracha before eating.  The next day I made the suggested Watermelon and Cucumber salad with a balsamic vinegar and oil dressing.

Another success!  As a matter of fact I'm having leftovers with my lunch today.  After all that healthy eating, I decided to really dive into this and use Greenling's recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes.  While I was in the frying mode I added in some of the okra from my garden.  I also winged my own stuffed portabello mushroom recipe after reading several recipes online and just going with whatever I had on hand (cheese, bread crumbs, garlic, onion, jalapeno).  It might not have been the healthiest meal but boy was it tasty!

Tonight I plan to grill some pork and my fresh peaches and then grill up a little zucchini to go with it.  It has been fun forcing myself to cook (and eat) things that I don't usually buy when I grocery shop.  Not to mention everything probably tastes 100x better than what I would buy in a grocery store.  Thanks to Anna for sharing this site with me.  Hopefully I'll be able to get fresh produce delivered once a month or so.  I might even branch out and try some of the fresh meat and dairy Greenling offers as well.

More Free Greenery

We have been having some good turnover with plants at our office.  Most either outgrow the pots they are occupying or just start looking sad because the don't get natural light.  Fluorescent lighting doesn't really take the place of the good ol' sun.

This go round I found a Mother-In-Laws Tongue and a sad tree sitting by the trash in the kitchen.  Both were a little sad looking but had potential.  The tree even had a few new leaves blooming.  I tossed the MIL Tongue into a random pot I had in the backyard.

It's hanging out in my kitchen right now.  The dogs have been ignoring it so hopefully it will perk up soon.  I bought a cheap plastic pot for the tree.  I couldn't find anything I really like so i figured at least this pot is spray-paintable if I so decide.

I've got it in the dining room, hopefully sucking in sun from the front window.  He's not the prettiest plant, but I have faith! 

More Freebies

A couple of weeks ago my neighbor brought me over a cutting from her Clematis vine.  It took me a while to figure out where I wanted to plant it so it's just been growing in the pot she brought it over in.

I finally bought a pot and a trellis for it this weekend.  Actually I only bought the trellis.  The cashier couldn't find a bar code for the pot so she just gave it to me.  I love free stuff!

Eventually the vine will cover my trellis and having flowers similar to this:

I can't wait!  It's a fun little free addition to my patio.

Free Foliage

Friday at work I spotted a nice surprise when I went into the kitchen after lunch.

Our plant lady had replaced some office plants that had grown too tall for their home on top of our hallway filing cabinets and offered the old ones up to a good home.  Now, I've never been too good with houseplants but I figured I could keep them alive if they could survive in our office, not even near windows.  According to my Googling, they are Zee Zee plants and they are tolerant of "low light and neglect."  Perfect!

I bought two pots at Home Depot and for the time being they are living in my living room.  I'm not sure if this is permanent.  I like the one by the TV but do they look too small to be sitting on the ground?

I may have to test them out in various locations.  I'm also not sure if they will continue to grow taller or maybe even wider.  While at Home Depot I also grabbed this cute succulent garden in a pot.

I like the idea of adding a little greenry to the living room.  I'm just going to have to play with the arrangement a little.  My general avoidance of houseplants has left me with very little knowledge on how to showcase them in the house. 

Free Art

They are in the process of cleaning out one of our storage rooms at work.  A couple of days ago I glanced  some foam board that was being thrown out.  One was an old presentation board but behind it were old aerials.  They were old school shots from helicopters; not Google Maps like the kids are using these days with its fancy satellite imaging.  I stared at one for quite a while, trying to figure out what city it was.  Eventually someone walked by and told me I was looking at it upside down.  Aha!  It was Dallas!  I saw the SMU stadium and then sure enough, there was my house.  Needless to say, I snagged it and ran it back to my office.

That's not stealing.  I swear it was in the trash pile.  And my house was on it.  It was definitely meant to be.  It's shot in color but apparently the world is pretty bland at that elevation.  I think the colors are going to go great with my dining room paint.

I think I will put it on this wall.  That piece of furniture will be gone soon and hopefully I will find an entry table to put in its place.  This aerial will hang above the table and the objects on the table (lamp/vase/decor/etc) will be bright bold colors.  Who knows, I might even spray paint the table itself a crazy color.  Either way, I think Dallas will make a great backdrop.

I will also find something a little more attractive than this "Sign Here" tag to point out my house in the future. 

Mockingbird runs along the bottom, and Greenville runs up the left side

How amazing is that for free trash art?  Also included in the aerial are some of my favorite stomping grounds...Super Target, Home Depot and North Park Center.  This was definitely meant to hang in my house!