Thrifty Thursday

This week I am showing off a thrifty project that has taken a loooonnnggg time for me to finish! It started years ago when I saw some plate collages on blogs. I started gathering random plates from yard sales and thrift stores. At that time I did not even know where I would hang it. So I had way too many plates...just in case I needed a certain color or size....and because I have a plate addiction...

I played with arrangements on the floor for weeks after I knew it was going in the dining room.

It started out too big and I knew it would be too heavy to hang. So I had to cut down the number of plates.

I came up with the design I liked best and arranged it on a piece of 1/4 " plywood. I traced around the outside of the plates and had my Hubby cut it out. I had him also cut out some dowels of various heights to elevate the smaller plates.

I painted the plywood the wall color and screwed the dowels on the plywood in the correct places. Next I used Liquid Nail adhesive to glue the plates in place. I did not glue the top platter or the bottom plate because we screwed the plywood to the wall on a stud behind those plates.

The cans of food held everything in place for 24 hours to dry. After we hung it on the wall I glued the last two plates in place and propped a ladder under the bottom plate for another 24 hours. The top plate rested on 2 of the dowels so it was held in place to dry.

This will not be coming down anytime soon because we would have to break the plates to get it down!!! It's a good thing I am so happy with it!

I'm going to the Thrifty Thursday Party at Bloggeritaville to see what other ideas I can steal!

The Man's Shed

The shed is just about done! A record 2 weekend project! Well, it still needs paint and landscaping, but, it is already in full use.

The guys put the roof on Saturday. Sunday the stuff got moved in... Let's take a look inside....

It is already filled up....I guess we should have gotten a bigger one!

This Year's Yard Project

A few years ago my Hubby "tricked" me into a swimming pool. First he said he was going to get an above ground pool...I told him - NO! because ..."if I ever have a pool it will be in the ground" And he made it happen. I love the pool, but I guess I did not learn how he gets what he wants by making sure that it what I tell him to do! So this year he wants a riding lawn mower....and I told him - NO! because "we are not getting a riding lawn mower when we do not have a shed to put it in" And he is making that happen...

Before: Well actually before this area was overgrown with bushes and vines... Kit from Home Depot:
The kit was missing a few important pieces and included a rat's nest- I'll spare you the pictures of that!

The workers- I am not included in this Father/Son project! And it is wonderful!!! I love seeing the boy working with his Dad. He is learning to use power tools!

To be continued . . .

Wordless Wednesday

Thrifting in NC for Easter Weekend

We hit the road last weekend for a trip to NC to visit my family. This is Lilly...my Mom is her slave. I took a few pictures of some of Mom's vignettes.

Laundry room- I have always been afraid of the Chinese sprinkler...

Great Room..

Dining Room....

Kitchen...

More Great Room....

We ate,visited, ate more, yard saled and thrifted all weekend!!! One of the most interesting places we went was the Goodwill Outlet in Winston-Salem. It was a whole new experience for us! It was huge and filled with waist level bins of Goodwill rejects. You just had to dig! Then you put your buggy on the scales and paid for your treasure by the pound! When they brought out a new bin the crowds would descend on it and it was "every man for himself"!!! That's when we drew the line!!

But, we had a good time and ended up stopping at another one on the way home in Greenville, SC. That one was more expensive - I think it was $1.19 a pound... This is something I thought was interesting so I tossed it in my buggy.. When we got home I researched and found that it was a Dansk peppermill and salt shaker. We put it on ebay and quickly got a GOOD offer to "Buy it Now" !

I think this tiny girl is so sweet and she is marked Occupied Japan. She was at the bottom of a bin- perfect - no chips. She also has gone to ebay!

These were in the bottom of a bin, too. They are English Mudlen End pottery cottages.

And here is Andy, all 34 inches of him! He is handmade with great embroidery on his face. I hope he finds a good home!

This old humidor came from a yard sale. I thought it was worth $10 for makeover. Mom thought I paid too much. My hubby said the couple were arguing after I put it in the car because she wanted to sell it for $50. I would not think of paying that much in the condition it is in!

The copper lined shelf is to keep the cigars fresh.

Finally I will leave you with a picture of Skinny- the other cat that owns my Mom! I'm going to visit Leigh at Bloggeritaville for Thrifty Thursday....as long as we have electricity....the weather tonight is horrible and Alabama has suffered a lot today. Please keep the families that have lost so much in your prayers!

Happy Easter!

I won a Giveaway at the Cranky Queen last week! Isn't she sweet?

BCS Trophy

The Championship Trophy came to visit the Sheriff's Office today. We got to get up very close and have our picture made with it!