necessity and invention

Necessity is the mother of invention, someone has said.

Well, I've done this before and am sure it is not MY invention,

but when I needed a larger envelope to hold some picture postcards

I wanted to give to Joy,

I pulled a page out of a magazine.

Stick glue sealed the edges.

I always enjoy the customization possible when I remember

to pull out this old trick that costs me NOTHING!

next...

I couldn't wait for the second coat of paint

to show your our current project!

The pedestal had sat in our garage for a LONG time.

(Found curbside, as I recall.)

Last week as we drove to a house walk in West Central Neighborhood of Fort Wayne,

I noticed a round table top sitting at someone's trash can.

I told my husband to back up and check it out.

It fits.

And the paint is a quart of blue we'd picked out for the cupboard 

we just completed.  

We thought of using this color, but at the last minute 

I changed my mind.

I DO think it's perfect on this table,

don't you?

By the way, there were also 4 legs sitting by the round top.

I already have a plan for them!

diamond in the rough

Call me what you want -

cheap, frugal, stubborn -

I have wanted a stereo for a long, LONG time.

Never has the price been right until THIS one.

"Free" the sign read on Saturday morning

(the last hours of a garage sale in a neighboring small town).

The gentleman even helped us load it.

He said he'd purchased it with his first paycheck in 1968

from a Murphy's store in Kentucky.

He said it had worked the last time he tried it but made no guarantees.

We plugged it in as soon as we got home

Sure enough!  It works.  Only a little bit of hesitation in the loud/soft control.

A friend of ours is coming over to fix it on Wednesday.

My husband mended the hinged top

and now I'm trying to decide on what color to paint it.

I'm thrilled with this diamond in the rough.

The first record album we played was an old Glen Campbell one I had

in a stack of records I've been saving for this day.

yes

"Yes" to free

and thanks to friends, Lynn and Donna!

And "yes" to my volunteer.

Thanks, Dad!

"Yes" to applesauce!

Oh......and that desk in the previous post?

"Yes!" 

And a huge shout out of appreciation to my talented husband.

ready-to-paint

 Just about ready for paint....

the chest above purchased for $5,

repaired/patched on the top left hand corner,

and fitted with some new legs.

This one, I have a plan and a place for in our home.

The desk below was found on a trash pile

covered with maps glued over several - maybe 3 - coats of paint.

My husband rebuilt parts of this desk and added the two legs.

We'll try to sell it since our home is already overrun with desks.

There's always a market for sweet, small desks like this!

two things

 #1 This piece which finished EVER so nicely!

(I showed it in progress a few posts ago...)

It sold minutes after I listed it on a Facebook site.

#2 This view of one end of our living room

for absolutely no reason at all.

I was giving my eyes a break as I read Village Centenary by Miss Read

(also mentioned in a previous post).

I know.  There's a bit of clutter up there!  No staging for me!

second thoughts

It's heavy.  It's not "real" wood.  It's in poor condition.

BUT...

the price was right (free),

there is potential,

and the pulls are impressive.

 My husband is ON it!

Creating a shelf for the bottom of the opening where two very-damaged drawers existed

will make this piece highly desirable when painted white!

Though my first inclination was to sell it when completed,

I'm definitely having second thoughts!

cutouts

 These sweet cutouts

 from a magazine insert years ago

 found a place among the few other ornaments on our little white tree.

Loving them!

all hands on deck

 The addition of two hands in our household

helped make quicker work of this puzzle (which definitely deserved the name "puzzle")!

My husband cut a piece of pegboard so we could move it from our dining table

to rest on the arms of a chair in our living room between meals.

Unfortunately, he didn't cut the board BIG enough to accommodate

the two NEW puzzles I acquired this morning when I met friends for breakfast!

I selected these two out of several my friend was going to donate to a thrift store.

What fun we will have.

What a fun and inexpensive way to keep all hands on deck occupied...

visually and functionally...

"Free," said the facebook post.

I was ON it.

My husband picked it up that morning.

Brought it home; fashioned a couple of pieces to replace missing ones;

and applied Restore-A-Finish.

Though "my" bathroom is small, it is greatly enhanced

both visually and functionally by having a piece of furniture in it!

simple and free

 It doesn't get much thriftier than free

(or purpler than above)!

 After church this morning, my husband and I

parked the car and set out for a leisurely walk

through an unfamiliar (to us) neighborhood.

 I used my cell phone now and then to capture sights

that interested me.

 I wish I'd taken more photos now.

There were so many unique features and lovely landscapes.

 This last one seemed especially significant and reassuring

as we returned home to the news of the horrific happening in Orlando.

Thankful that the best things in life are simple and require no money--

including prayer.

what he's up to...

 Always SOMEthing!

Using planed-down, old boards (some of which were free),

he's fashioning a potting bench.

I'm giving advice -

like "That's too long,"

or "Add this (or that)."

I'm thinking a shelf, maybe some hooks....

 Yes!  Like that...

how we roll

Yep!  This is how we roll!

Especially when we stumble on one of those rare, curbside treasures!

Here yesterday; gone today.
We decided to sell is "as is" and dream about what might have been.

cider

Thankful for the sweet, persistent kindness and generosity of friends! 

This may be the best cider I've ever tasted.

price-less

 Priceless!
That's right - no price.

 FREE!

Found curbside on what was apparently Big Trash Day

in a neighboring town.

If my husband had been in the car with me,

we would also have a chest of drawers.

Sigh.

free, healthy (and hot)

The forecast included a heat alert, so we started out early!

We picked up a map and followed it.

 Twenty rocking chairs painted by local artists

 were arranged primarily around the courthouse square.

 It added up to a free,

 healthy,

 and entertaining morning!

 We also checked out a few of the thrift stores,

looking for books by Claire Bee--sports stories requested by one of our grandsons.

 With no luck in THAT department,

 we enjoyed a great dinner buffet before heading home.

 I believe there are other towns that host similar events

 in the summertime...

 How about YOURS?

 I believe this last chair was my favorite.  

It caught my eye from a distance, and up close we discovered

that the design was burnt into the wood!