COLORADO DREAMIN'

I don't think I showed you all the fun interesting times I had when I was out in CO this summer! I had a chance for a quick trip, so I drove out there to see my daughter and her husband, but also to work on my little vintage trailer! Did I say "WORK"? I mean, DOWN AND DIRTY GRUNGEY GUT JOB!! It was NASTY! Of course, it was SUPER HOT those days, too! WHOO-EE!

Here's the BEFORE.........very western-girly! YIKES!!! OUT IT GOES!

 

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? This stuff was molded into place!! TEAR IT OUT!!

 

RIP THOSE CABINETS OUT!! POOF! GONE!

 

 

Bench seats on both sides...............

 

G O N E!!

 

Flooring ripped out, paneling partially removed, cabinet doors taken out and heavy-duty stripping involved! Sanded and LOOKIN' GOOD!  Brain-stormed with Richard planning the re-do strategy!

That's his expertise! Poor guy! I must've changed my mind a KA-ZILLION times! Vinyl flooring or tiles? Bead board walls? - YES! Old tin ceiling tiles - come on! "What are you thinking?" NO? OKAY!! But, the chandelier STAYS!

 

Then I had to leave to get back here! Hopefully my ideas were LOUD AND CLEAR! I noticed he didn't write any of them down! ah, ha, ha, ha! He's a great son-in-law!! He'll make it beautiful - I have no doubt! Next time I get out there to CO, I'll be making the finishing touches. I CAN HARDLY WAIT! It'll be like having the playhouse I always wanted as a little girl!

 

Before I left CO, my daughter, Vicky, (that's her on the right) and I went to Palisade (another FAVORITE PLACE!) and picked up some peaches! Nothing better than Colorado peaches right out of the orchard!!

 

We stopped at the distillery in town and had a few samples of various vodkas - who knew they made so many different flavors?? It was interesting to hear about the whole process. I'm not much for drinking it straight - I'll take mine with some tonic and a twist of lime, please!

 

While we were imbibing, there was a torrential thunderstorm going on outside. When it was over, we headed down I-70 toward Glenwood Springs and got a few miles down the road when we noticed vehicles at a standstill ahead of us. A COMPLETE STOP! The heavy rains had washed over all lanes in BOTH directions. We weren't going any where!! After an hour of sitting in the middle of nowhere, we decided to turn around and go back - others had done it earlier, but we kept thinking certainly the road crews would get the road open soon! HA! Anyhoo.........we did get turned around. BIG PROBLEM! Mud slide on interstate the OTHER direction!  Good news was we were within a few miles of a turnoff that goes up over the pass into Cedaredge that eventually gets you over to Glenwood - ONLY 150 MILES OUT OF THE WAY!  Keeping our fingers crossed that no other roads were washed out - we finally made it to Vicky's place late that night. MAN, THOSE WERE SOME EXPENSIVE PEACHES!!

 

I always have good stories to share every time I go to CO! I love it!

 

 



 

 



Cruisin' down the highway singin' along to my favorite songs!

 

 

BeYOUtiful!
XOXO

Tortoise and the Hare!

Well.....I've managed to do it AGAIN! I've gone and filled up the garage with more trash that needs to be turned into treasures before the snow flies it gets cold! Now, I surely didn't intend to bring in more work to do - especially this time of year when there's all that landscaping that needs to be getting ready for fall and garden produce to harvest! This time of year is full of opportunities for 'junkers' like me, though! I just HAD to take advantage of all those pieces that were too good to pass up! YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN??!!

In between all the OTHER stuff I've been working on, here's a couple of projects I've managed to get done!

screech!! Curbside Alert! Old metal 'tea' serving cart - dirty, rusty, and covered with EEK! nasty spider webs! Turned into a 'wine' cart! Much better choice, don't cha think?

 

I painted the top tray with black chalkboard paint to write your favorite saying or wine label on. The trio of French Chefs are décor 'rub-ons' that are part of a French Cuisine theme package.

 

I used different ones for each of the trays. Adds a bit of whimsy to an otherwise BORING cart!

 

 

 This cart is one I picked up out of somebody's trash pile a long time ago!! Tried to sell it in it's rusty, crusty condition - HEY! I've seen plenty of things in worse condition at some pretty posh junk shops!

 

 

A little - who am I kidding! - a LOT of spray paint didn't do the job of covering up some of the rust, so I applied some textured wall covering that I had from another project! VOILA! The top tray comes off to use for serving - how cool!

I picked this chair at the What Cheer flea market. What a find! Painted it Antique White, added the vintage grain sack seat cover (I'm making a matching pillow, too!)

Looks great with the newly-reconditioned rolling utility cart! A match made in junk heaven!

 

What to do with a beat up table? Well.....cover up the ugly top with a colorful map of the USA!

 

The map needed something interesting to go with it, so why not add some clever saying! It adds the perfect sentiment! This table would do great in an entryway or office. Makes you want to

 TAKE A TRIP!!

 

Ghost mirror - I love making these! I got this old mirror for free at a ranch sale while I was in CO this summer. It had been out in a barn or shed for years - covered in dried mud and straw debris. Probably why it was FREE! YA THINK?? Turned out super cool! The girl with the mandolin is a graphic from 'The Graphic Fairy'. What ever graphic or photo you're looking for, you can find it on her site!

 

 This must be my year for CHAIRS! I seem to have had a plethora of them! Coming out my ears! Everywhere I look! MORE CHAIRS! Anyhoo......this lovely chair was destined for the dump! It had lost one of it's arms - so that made it WORTHLESS??

 

Look at those beautiful sculpted legs!! Not a scratch on them! A bit of paint brought out the curves! Sometimes a little makeup is all a girl needs to be GLAMOROUS!

 

I played with different fabrics to see which one would enhance the color the best. This is a vintage crewel fabric that I had saved from another CHAIR project! It seems to fit the style and grace of the chair itself. A bit of frou-frou trim doesn't hurt, either!

 

  I've got more projects in the works! A distressed dresser that I'm recreating, a fun mannequin getting a new look, and GUESS WHAT?..........MORE CHAIRS!!

 

Thanks to all my JuNKy FRIeNdS for all your love and inspiration!!

 

 

 

 

XOXOX

 



WELCOME FALL!

Well, not really! Fall isn't my most favorite time of year!! Although it's nice to have cooler mornings and evenings, it's just sad to see the flower and vegetable gardens starting to fade and turn brown!  

Where did summer go? Yes, it's still steamy hot and muggy, but can it really be SEPTEMBER already! What did I do all summer?..........for one thing I wasn't as busy working on projects like I usually am, but it seems like I was plenty busy doing SOMETHING! And now summer is winding down and I still have a lot more things I want to do!!

The best thing about this time of year? It's loaded with great 'JUNK EVENTS' ! HALLELUJAH AND PASS THE TACOS! I can't wait to get going! First thing to do is check out www.fleaquest.com to see which direction I should go! Junk Bonanza, Little Prairie Girl, What Cheer Flea Market, Junk Jubilee Holiday Show, WOO-HOO!...looks like my weekends are going to be chock full of good times and good finds!

 

 

ENJOY THE RIDE!!

 

XOXO