Create More....Spend Less

Hi there. Been awhile huh?

Sorry for the interruption but you know....life.

2016 - When the hell did that happen?

So, to start off a new year, I am resolving to do something new too. I have decided to put my wallet on a diet. No carbs for that beaotch! Let me explain.

Greg and I make a nice living. We have little to no debt other than our mortgage. We own our cars. We have savings. We can afford to do or buy what we want but lately *want* has been a slippery word.

We had a major windstorm prior to Christmas which prompted an insurance claim for roof damage (they sweetly only offered 25% of the cost - ugh!) and we can swing a replacement in cash if we are careful. Bummer that we had plans to renovate the downstairs bathroom with that money but hey, life. Again. Need vs Want!

That said, I am feeling the crush of clutter, the real pressing of *things* in our home that we do not use, don't like, have no use for due to life changes, boys growing up and out of things...so rather than getting freaked out and going out to BUY ALL THE THINGS that would make me giddy (for a while), I have decided to concentrate on getting RID OF ALL THE CRAP.

This seems to be a theme for a lot of people in January judging by blogs and Pinterest lol

Greg and I started taking pics of or posting items for sale or for free on local Facebook sites or on Kijiji and most of it is flying out of the garage :) That is happiness I tell you.
Any funds received will go into those roof repairs. It won't be much but it will help.

In the meantime, I am on a no-spend spree. I got so serious I started unsubscribing from all my fave shopping sites and flash sale emails from sites I like to shop from, cutting the temptation is huge for me. No more THIS IS A GREAT DEAL Dharma....spend, spend, spend!

It will be a journey. I know this. But it is a bit of a relief too. Focusing on what we CAN afford in cash after we do the roof, making room for reducing the mortgage in real time and not at a snail's pace and *buying* experiences rather than STUFF is where I see this headed.

Are you doing anything drastic this year?

Thanks for diving back in the deep end with me.

Dharma

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Louise strikes again!

My "free to me" partner in crime, Wendy (she is the Louise to my Thelma) texted me one morning to tell me she was GUARDING a free desk on the side of the road and I needed to get there ASAP. Greg, who blessedly is always down for a hilarious curb find, and I jumped in the truck and found her parked immediately in front of a home essentially blocking all comers from taking an old warped waterfall desk and mirror.

That, my friends, is love.

I am peeved that I didn't take a before shot cause that thing was SHOT. Glue, sanding and a few brad nails later, the body was in better shape. I started with a pickling stain to lighten the stank but thought the inlay dressers were kinda pretty so I left them. The inlay between the column was done, as in DUN so I applied some Aubusson Blue ASCP. Progress shot:

What's a junk find without a little humour?

A little dark wax, lots of elbow grease and this is starting to look like something I would actually wheel inside (lovely brass casters yo).

Back to trying to finish off the livingroom....did I mention Greg painted the whole room white last week? Now......what to do about that mirror?

Muahahahahahahahahahahaha

Free. My favourite F word.

So after finishing my mermaid spa out of the master bath, I was still lacking artwork for the far wall. How does one find specific mermaid inspired art....for no money?

Enter my girl Louise (I am her Thelma), my garage-sailing babe. She was given 4 weird canvas art pieces of shoes at a garage sale by a man who just wanted these 12x12 canvases gone from his life. Yup, shoes. I mean, I like shoes but I do not want art of shoes. Each to their own.

Weird right? Weirder is it was a set of 2. Times 2. Doubles of shoes. Weird.

I had mermaid stencils, cause what Mermaid doesn't? So I set to work covering the canvases in ASCP 'Versailles". Broke out the stencils and used the same chalk paint in Aubusson Blue (leftovers from the dining table and chairs). Finished these babies off with a bit of white pickling stain to soften the colours and VOILA.

mermaid art yo :) fo free.....fo sure!

From SPAZ to Spaaaaaaaaaaah with only $80

So here is the thing. I am a cheap Scot. No, really. Cheap.

I like a bargain but mostly I don't buy anything because even fabulous bargains have that horrible part of the process where I actually have to lift my wallet out of my purse. If you opened my change purse the Queen would squint from not seeing the light of day in weeks ;)

When I decide to "redux" a room, I always challenge myself to do it as cheaply as possible with the biggest TADA for every dollar.

I feel like I hit this one out of the park, yo!

Here is where we started.

10 year old paint job in BM's Straw Hat, fabulous green laminate and some quite decent cherry-ish builders cabinetry. Not HORRIBLE but not awesome. Not "rustic modern beach cottage"...like my inspiration shot.

So, like all cheap, albeit inspired, Scots....I started planning. The plan started with reusing all my former paint and transformation materials and we got to the point where the green counters were now black ala Rustoleum's Countertop Transformations and the cabinetry was going Old White (ASCP).

Greg busted out and completed painting the whole room BM's Cloud White, which is now going to be the Casa's signature colour (listen for the Steel Magnolias drawl there y'all) and then it stopped.

Like a needle on the record. Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech.

I had the inspiration, I knew what I wanted but how is a girl like me, a.k.a CHEAP, going to achieve that look for NO MONEY? So far, I was in it to win it at $75.

So, I started shopping the house for my accessories, hoping I was only going to have to incur the cost of the paneling for that wood look I wanted behind the sink. I found an old tin Spongebob tub at the Salvation Army ($2) that I painted up and distressed, I printed out a sailor/ mermaid pic for the frame I wanted to use, knew I was going to finally hang our brass door knocker and I located the spa rug and slat.

The shower curtain was reversible to a nicer, softer colour so....I almost had it. I found more shells, a few nautical IKEA lanterns I had bought years ago and a cool stainless basket for the mags I like to have nearby. Switch out the garbage can with the one from the downstairs loo, bring in the $3 table I distressed a few weeks ago and BAM. I am good, right?

Yes, grasshopper....but what about the paneling?

Cue the light tinkling of bells in the background, cause I think this is where someone's (me) Guardian Angel finally came in from having her smoke outside and realized I needed a hand. Friday night, out at a friends for bevvies and I see this ripped up building leaning against his shed. Apparently this is an old hottub enclosure that is about to be firewood....being nosey I go take a gander. As I approach the pile of crud.....I smell it. No, not that. I smell CEDAR. Yards of tongue and groove red cedar slatting jammed into the framing of this pile of walls leaning, waiting for their demise on the bonfire.

"OMG! BILL! CAN I HAVE SOME OF THIS?"

Bless my husband down to his wee boxers, he and I were up and pry barring, removing screws and hauling 3 piles of slats the next morning. I think he may have woken up to me sitting on him, clapping with glee to get going at 8am....and not the way he probably would have liked that to have worked out LOLOLOL

So, Dharma busted out her old friend Chomper. Because these slats were pretty rotted at some ends. You can see that.

Chop, saw, chop, saw, measure, chop, saw, measure, screw, chop, measure, saw, chop.

C'est FINIS! I have never liked one of my redux more than I like this one. $80, I did it myself, I got someone else to do the painting on the walls and I reused all my own beachy stuff I have hoarded around my house forever. The room feels like it grew 3 sizes that day (Grinch shout out).

I am verra proud of this lass, she did her Scots Grandad proud.

C'mon you knew there was going to be a mermaid somewhere!

Thanks for diving in!

Showing off at:

Seeking Lavendar Lane

A Stroll Thru Life

A Bowl Full of Lemons

Vintage Inspiration Party @BlissRanch

Wow us Wednesdays @SavvySouthernStyle

Flaunt it Friday @ChiconaShoestring

Eau de toilet....

I started working on the very first room I ever painted in the Casa over 10 years ago now. How I ever got ready in the morning in a YELLOW main bathroom I will never understand. Maybe I have been jaundiced for years and couldn't tell?

The original room was Benjamin Moore's "Straw Hat", which do not get me wrong is a beautiful shade of warm yellowy green, but maybe not what I would pick now as a hue I'd like to reflect first thing in the mirror....ya know?

The cabinets were the warm cherry-ish that is throughout the builder's special and the counters were the same spectacular green laminate with a scroll design that became the bane of my existence in the kitchen. BANE! Thankfully those were replaced 2 years ago now.

So as it happened, I had 5 days off over the long weekend and I said to myself...."SELF, you are worthy of a new bathroom makeover!". But then my other self (am I the only one who has a few me's in there??) said...OK ShopperJo, you got $200 buckeroonies.

So here is the breakdown so far:

I rejuvinated (which means I busted out the leftover Rustoleum Transformations Kit from the kitchen, where I originally tried to cheap out on new counters) the countertop in the black stone finish. Used my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White and clear wax on the vanity drawers and doors. This is an in progress type post so here is an in progress type picture, LOL.

So far, free to me and only incurred the cost of repetetive motion on my tennis elbow.

Greg is painting the walls and most of the trim BM's (pun intended...teehee....I am 6) Cloud White as I speak. That was 50 dollars....But I have big plans for that blank, square wall behind the sink!

Here is my inspiration from Me and My DIY.

Like Arnold, I'll be back.

Turnin' the tables

I was very busy this very rainy weekend. After purchasing and having a shed built within the last 2 weeks, the garage at Casa Dharma has finally realized it's glorious purpose.

My Workshop LOL!!! 










Seriously though, I have room to paint, turn up my tunes, create....and give me two solid days of rain and create I did. I put all my new workshop skills that I learned at my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint class to the test.

I started with a plant stand Q and I had rescued from the Salvation Army this spring. You have to love my model lololol

ASCP in Old White and clear waxed for protection. The relief work
on this piece makes it!

Then a pair of $3/each beauties picked up a local thrift shop....

ASCP in Aubusson Blue, top coated in Old White, clear waxed,
distressed and finished in dark wax.

ASCP in French Linen (grey), clear waxed, distressed and
finished in dark wax.

This little grasshopper is getting her learning on - WAX on and WAX off.

Partying at Funky Junk Interiors

The table that took 8 months?

No....it didn't. I've just been a bad blogger. Like, really bad. Bite my lip and hope for a spanking bad, Mr. Grey?

So to make up for it, I took on a mother of a project. No, really this dining suite came from my mother :) Here it is all granny'd up for Thanksgiving. Old Country Roses china and everything.

....and here it is all modern and funkified. Dharma-style. I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint for the very first time. We now have a distributor here in Niagara! Simply White  with their full ASCP line and lovely staff were a great help. I am planning on taking a workshop there with the lovely owner, Brenda, mid-June.

Tada!!!!

I used Versailles on the chairs which is a taupey sage, and Aubusson Blue on the table. Very Le Francais....no? I will keep you in the loop as to whether all the paint falls off given how much my menthings use this table daily :)

Nice to SEE you, thanks for coming in and seeing if I was still breathing.

Over at Flaunt it Friday for fun!