purpleliscious

Do you love thrift stores?

I never used to visit them but now I can't pass one by; it's my favorite thing to do these days. Not only is it a bit like a treasure hunt, you never know what you're going to find, but I love going up to the checkout counter and seeing the final, low total. I mean, what could be better than getting a bunch of great stuff for a low price?

In California we had a wonderful Goodwill in our little town and I found several treasures there, all sorts of fun painting projects for the future. On a trip a few months before moving away I found a metal hanging basket that I instantly fell in love with...except for the color.

 It's not a bad color but I just imagined it could be even prettier with a little paint. 

But I'd never painted metal before and somehow that intimidated me so it just sat around and sat around while I ignored it, occasionally feeling guilty that I hadn't gotten started yet.

So when it was time to move I threw it into a box and shipped it straight to Florida because I figured I would have more free time there, at least at the beginning.

Basking in the success of my jewelry organizer, I felt confident to tackle this so I decided to start with a coat of white paint inside and out just to cover up the green.

I really liked the way it turned out, there was such a neat texture with just one coat of paint. I considered leaving it this color and then I, briefly, thought about painting it blue (I had a lot of blue paint left over) but I decided to throw caution to the wind and go wild. What could be wilder than soft lavender...am I right?

There was just one problem with this plan.

I've been using really inexpensive line of paint and the color selection wasn't extensive so the only paint I could find was a deep, dark purple which was not what I wanted at all.

I was hesitant to mix my own color because I was afraid I wouldn't make enough to finish and then wouldn't be able to ever match the color again but I gave myself a little pep talk and off I went to mix up the perfect shade of lavender.

I think it turned out perfectly, I just love the soft pastel shade. After all my worrying about having to color match, I ended up mixing enough the first time especially since I chose to only use one coat of paint so that a little of the white shows through.

I still think it needs something around the top, maybe some lace, so it's a work in progress but other things have demanded my attention so it's hanging up on the wall of my bedroom just like this and likely to stay that way for a while - perfect as it is.

i'll be shuttered

Welcome to a brand new month - Happy June! I've got to admit that my May was a bit of a roller coaster - some good, some bad, some terrific, some...well, bad. But the month is over now and it's time to look toward the future.

I have a bunch of blog posts planned for this week because there's lots to talk about but I need to do it in order so hang on, it's going to be a thrill ride!

 Remember that shutter that I bought at the Fancy Flea in late April? I had great plans for using it as a jewelry organizer but first I needed to make a few changes to make it more "me" so it became my first Florida project.

Before I could begin painting I had to set up a workspace. I drug an old, broken table out of the garage. This was a leftover from when we rented out our house to vacationers. See how nicely they took care of it? This was a beautiful painted table for the entry hallway but one day it became a crash site and it's been relegated to the garage ever since. I'm quite handy with repairs, see how I fixed it? Ok, it's not pretty but it worked!

hey look, I painted the shutter blue. Didn't see that color coming, did you? 

I do have other colors of paint (as you'll see in my next project) but blue was what I really wanted for this project plus I was missing my blue benches in California. 

It took 2 coats of white primer to hide all the dark burgundy (and keep it from bleeding through) and that part seemed to take forever but finally I got to start with the blue.

The great thing about having a dedicated craft space (rather than using the dining room table the way I did in California) is that I could take my time and leave everything out while I waited for the paint to dry completely. 

Oh who am I kidding, it's not like we ever ate at the dining room table in California but it sounded good, didn't it? I'll bet I had you fooled for at least a minute or two.

And voila - the finished product!

I am thrilled with the way it turned out, exactly as I pictured it on that hot April day at Fancy Flea. Not having much experience with painting or crafting in the past, it's a real victory for me to be able to say that. Plus it really helps to keep my necklaces and earrings in order rather than having them all jumbled together in a basket.

yay me!

I had so much fun, I couldn't wait for my next project. More on that tomorrow.

jonni

fancy flea

Greetings from the Sunshine State!

Jasper's Cottage is all boxed up and in storage for a while as we settle in for some time in sunny Florida. Sunny and warm - just the way it's supposed to be.

Mr. French is busy working during the week but we've been trying to have new adventures on the weekends by visiting places we've never been before. Not too long ago we went to a fantastic vintage market called The Fancy Flea which is held a couple of times a year. I actually planned my arrival so that I wouldn't miss it this year and I'm so glad I did! 

Doesn't it look awesome? As you can see, it was full of all sorts of pretty treasures but the best part of the day was getting to meet up with a friend from the blogging world. I was so excited when she said she and her husband were driving up for the show. I don't know how we found each other in the crowd but it was great to meet in person and walk around together. She has great advice about how to navigate this DIY world that I'm so new at. Thanks, Victoria, for hanging out with us! I hope we can do it again sometime.

Being surrounded by so many beautiful things, it was hard to pick just a couple of treasures to tote home. Right away we saw a cute sign which was perfect for our French-inspired living room but after wandering around for a couple of hours, I hadn't found anything else that spoke to me until, there it was on a table in front of a booth I'd walked past at least 20-hundred times. How had I missed this diamond in the rough?

Isn't the sign cute? As for the shutter, I admit, it doesn't look like much now and I really didn't like the color but in my mind I instantly saw the perfect jewelry organizer for my dresser...once I got out the magic paintbrush and worked a little DIY magic, of course.

But that's a story for next time.

just another Shifu Monday

In the midst of packing and loading (Jasper's Cottage is moving across country!) I find myself missing my boy an awful lot so I thought some pictures would cheer me up. I hope they make you smile too!

The last two pictures were taken in Florida, the new home of Jasper's Cottage. Read all about it later this week!

saying goodbye

We had to say goodbye to our precious angel a few days ago. He was getting better and then he wasn't. 

It's so hard to say goodbye.

 

under the weather

The man of the place is on the road much of the time these days but it's not (awfully) lonely here at the cottage because I have the adorable Shifu.

who clearly has no concept of personal space or boundaries. He's my little buddy.

So it was especially distressing recently when he started acting different. At first I put it all down to aging, he was slowing down, etc. But eventually it became clear that something else was going on so off to the vet we went yesterday. 

I had some fears, we've been fighting a cancerous tumor in his ear for 2 years now but luckily this was just a run of the mill ear problem that can be treated. We were sent home with 2 different medicines and lots of relief.

Today is going to be all about taking it easy and getting plenty of rest while we let the medicine do its good work. Soon enough we'll be back to running through the halls but today I'll enjoy snuggling with my baby on the couch.

how's your weather?

Big things happening here at Jasper's Cottage - I've been busy packing up all my crap cool stuff in preparation for a cross-country move and I'm afraid my poor blog has been a bit neglected.

Truth be told, it's a little hard to find beautiful things to take pictures of when the house is filled with boxes.

Luckily this past weekend provided plenty of inspiration - while the rest of the country is having horrendous weather, we experienced summer-like heat...which is ironic because it was actually way warmer than the temps we usually get in summer.

So, if you're buried up to your noses in snow and ice, here are a few pictures of our amazing weekend.