Patio redo - before's

We are in the middle of a not-so-little patio redo...so I thought I would share some before pictures with you.

Before - yuck

Your eyes do not fool you. Those floors really are blue, but when we purchased them they weren't that color. Here's the story behind the unintentional blue floor.

10 years or so ago we had our first baby and needed to put down some sort of flooring in the patio. For this project we had a budget of NEGATIVE $100, and I'm not joking....we was struggling! The patio still had exposed sub floors that we had painted because we couldn't afford to put something else down, and we didn't want the baby crawling around on it getting splinters. So we headed to the home improvement store and bought the cheapest beige colored peel and stick tiles we could find. They were cheap, they were ugly, but they would do.

Fast forward just a few years later and I noticed that the floors were turning blue from the sun. For a couple  years they were EXTREMELY bright blue...but the sun kicked it into high gear and for the past two years or so they were a more muted shade. Still blue, still ugly, but our budget is still in the negatives....so they still had to do.

Then just a few weeks ago we replaced the oak laminate flooring in our family room. At first we were just going to give the old flooring away, but then I had the best idea ever! Put it in the patio!!! Brilliant.

I'm well aware that this floor is not meant to be put in a patio, and I'm well aware that the sun will do her handy work on it just like she did on the tiles....but the way I see it its a free fix for the current bad floor situation. Even if it only lasts 2 years before it needs to be replaced, well, at least it wasn't blue for 2 years!

 Do you see the brown areas? Nope...that's not dirt, that's the original color of the floor.

So....there are some "before" pics. I plan on replacing the fabric on the window valances as well (that was a DIY project from a few years ago that I might share here when I do them again). I'll post the "afters" as soon as its done!

Before and after....

I found a few things for the house recently that needed some "sprucing up" and I finally got around to doing one of the mini projects today. I love doing house stuff!!

This was a thrifty find that I picked up a few weeks ago knowing that it wasn't exactly "me", but that it had potential. I was so happy to see that it had all of the original glass bottles with it, and that none of them were chipped or broken. I also know that spray paint fixes a lot of what's wrong in the world...so that was my plan.

Here is the BEFORE:

Before it was a little dark, and a little too "mad scientist" for my taste. But after a few coats of white spray paint, and the addition of some vintage flowers that I picked up CHEAP at the very same thrift store.....it now fits perfectly in my home and will brighten any dreary space with all of its happy vintage-y goodness!

Whadda'ya think!? Doesn't even look like the same piece, right???

The vintage "feel"....

During my thrifting trips I often have to remind myself that I need to look at things in a different light.I walk around and try to envision things used in a manner that maybe they weren't originally intended, or altered some way to fit in the scheme of my home.

Maybe its an ugly color....I can paint it (you can seriously paint almost ANYTHING! And I have. LOL).

Maybe its chipped on one side.....I can turn it so no one will know but me.

Maybe its a trivet, but I like it and want to hang it on my wall (true story).

Here's another perfect example....

A few weeks ago I decided that my house was decorated way too neutral and needed to be infused with splashes of color here and there. I'm not going all out crazy with it and painting the walls in rainbow stripes....but I need to make an effort when shopping for decorative items to stop leaning towards buying accents in white and black and start reaching for other colors.

So while at my local thrift store the other day I came across this:

 
I'm pretty sure its not vintage, but it was colorful and had a vintage "feel" that I like. That was a plus. Another plus, it was only $1.50. The negative? It was a tote bag.The last thing I need in this house is another tote bag and I wasn't about to just hang it on the wall as-is. So I bought it, brought it home, cut the picture out, and dug around in my "closet of fun" (aka the closet where I keep all of my unused decorating supplies). I found a frame and popped it in. WA-LAAAA!!! The vintage "feel", a pop of color, and all for $1.50.

Go me!!!!

Do you have any other ideas or suggestions on how to achieve the vintage feel while not breaking the bank? Please feel free to share in the comments section! Thanks!!!

Thrift store finds!

I *love* thrift store shopping.

"One mans trash is another mans treasure" is absolutely true! In most cases, I would much rather have something old and vintage to decorate my home with than have something brand new and poorly made. I've even got my kids on the vintage bandwagon....whenever I tell the oldest 2 that I'm running to the thrift store they BEG to go with me (and are always amazed at how much I come home with while only spending a few dollars). They find the coolest stuff there too!

I took trip to my local thrift store today and here are just a few of my favorite finds:

Some old spools.... a few dollars.

No idea WHAT this guy is or what he was used for but he's made of metal, he's HEAVY and rusty, and he's odd and different (and exactly the kind of stuff I look for!) I believe he was $3.00.

This small framed house made of yarn for $1.00!

 Yellow glassware....

 Old wooden hangers for 25 cents each (that I have an idea for, I just need to execute), and milk glass for 80 cents......

 Old metal owl trivets for $2.00......

 This old printers drawer. LOVE. $22.00

We love owls in this house. My daughter brought home this wooden puzzle for my 10 month old son for 25 cents. So cute!

Of course there was more but I'll save that for another day! If you like seeing my thrifty finds just let me know and I'll share again the next time I hit up the thrift store!!!

200 likes GIVEAWAY!

This giveaway is now closed.

The winner of the headband is The Yorgus McGorgus Family!

Congrats and please email me at achrupcala@hotmail.com to claim your prize (I clicked on your name but your Blogger profile is private).

Thanks to everyone who entered!!!

 Wow.....I blinked and I reached 200 likes on Facebook, so it looks like we have something to celebrate around here! HOORAY! And just how do we celebrate at this here crafty blog??? With a giveaway, of course!

Before we get to the rules, I wanted to first say THANK YOU so very much to everyone who has shown interest in my handmade goods and placed orders from me. You are appreciated so much more than you know!

 

One lucky winner will receive the adorable fabric headband with polka dot fabric flower pictured above. These headbands are perfect for any special little girl in your life and would make an awesome gift! Oh, and shipping to anywhere in the U.S. is INCLUDED in this giveaway!

The giveaway will close on Monday, July 18th at 11:59 PM {EST}.

Here are the rules:

Everyone will have three chances to win.   You must make a new comment on this blog after completing each "task" below in order for your entries to be counted!  I'll choose the winner using a good old random number generator.

"Tasks" to complete (each "task" counts as ONE entry):

1.  Like the Funsize Creations Facebook page.  If you already "like" it, just leave a comment saying so!  

{Facebook page is found here}

2.  Tweet, blog, or link this giveaway on your Facebook page and come back here to let me know!

3.  "Follow" this super awesome blog (click the "join this site button on the right)!  If you already do, just leave a comment saying so!  

Remember, you must comment for each task in order to get 3 entries!  Good luck and I will announce the winner on Tuesday the 19th!!!

The Clover Market

A friend and I went to the Clover Market in Ardmore, PA this morning. It's an outdoor market with about 100 vendors selling high quality handmade crafts and vintage items. Each and every booth was better than the next, and my mind was swimming with all of the crafty inspiration! The weather was beautiful and it was the perfect day to do some eating of junk food, giggling, and browsing.

I hope to go and check it out again when it opens back up in the Fall. So much cool stuff to look at!


Here are some pictures that I took along the way....