The Junk House: June 2011

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Quarter of a Century

Today’s my 25^th birthday! I can’t believe how fast the past few years have gone by. I’m halfway through my 20s! Eeek!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

One of my first posts on this blog was about the Purple Pooh room. I hadn’t closed on the house yet, but I wanted to show off what I’d be working with. If you were following back then (or have looked back at some old posts), you probably remember that one of the bedrooms looked like this:

Seriously, how could you forget?

Well, I mentioned yesterday that my parents were here over the weekend. Of course that means that a room got painted! We tackled the last of the fugly rooms on Saturday and I’m so excited so show off the finished walls.

Purple Pooh is gone!

I picked Behr White Clay for the walls and plain ol’ white for the ceiling and trim.

*The reason I use Behr paint has nothing to do with the gorgeous guy who works in the paint department. OK, maybe a little…but he’s so dreamy!

It makes me so happy to walk by the room now. I’m so happy with the color choice.

Yes, it’s empty except for all the internet and DIRECTV boxes, routers, and nonsense.

This room will be the office/gym…and by gym I mean treadmill. I bought a desk off Craigslist a while ago (still needs to be painted), I just bought a desk chair (needs paint and new upholstery), and I bought a treadmill a couple weeks ago. Now I just need an armoire for a TV (who uses a treadmill without a TV?!) and a small bookcase.

What do you think? Anyone miss the purple? Yeah, I didn’t think so!

Monday, June 27, 2011

Weekend Junk #12

Curb alert! I found my first roadside freebie on Friday after work! It took 2 drive-bys before I had the ~~balls~~ courage to pull over and load it in my SUV.

Table – Curb FREE!

I’m so excited to see how this looks with a fresh coat of paint!

I was so pumped after curb pickin’ that I stopped by Goodwill. My luck continued: I found my first piece of ironstone!

Ironstone – Goodwill $2.99

If you want to know a little bit more about ironstone, check out Miss Mustard Seed’s Ironstone 101.

Remember those white plates I bought last weekend? Well now I’m having second thoughts on using all white plates…so I bought a bunch of random china. I’m still undecided about the whole thing.

9 China Plates – Goodwill $8.00 total

My parents were here over the weekend, so that’s the only thrifting I managed to fit in. I think it was a pretty good haul! Anyone else have any luck this weekend?

Friday, June 24, 2011

Birthday Giveaway!

***Now Closed***

Sponsored by

My 25^th birthday is at the end of the month! In celebration I have an awesome giveaway for y’all courtesy of Belva June!

Shana is offering one of my readers an entire party collection of choice from her shop: Belva June. Any full collection in the shop!

If I had a little girl, I’d pick the Vintage Cowgirl Collection:

If I had a little boy, I’d pick the Little Man Mustaches n’ Ties Collection:

And for me? I don’t think you’re ever too old for Hot Pink and Zebra!

Here’s How to Win:

(please leave a separate comment for each entry)

Follow The Junk House, then Visit the Belva June shop and tell me your favorite collection (1 entry)
Follow Belva June (1 entry)
Post about this giveaway on your blog (include link in your comment) (1 entry)

3 chances to win!

I will verify each entry…I better see your pretty little face in my GFC friends list!

Giveaway will close Thursday, June 30^th at midnight (AZ time). The winner will be chosen via Random.org and will be announced Friday morning. I’ll e-mail the winner (please leave an e-mail address if not on your profile). If you have an e-mail, you’re eligible to win!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Jailhouse Rock

I love wearing leggings with a long shirt. It’s so comfortable, but still cute and stylish. I had bought a long striped shirt at Wal-Mart a couple months ago and I loved wearing it.

(ahhh, no head!)

Except the black and white stripes made me feel a little like this guy:

What’s a girl to do when one of her favorite shirts makes her feel like a monopoly criminal? Dye it of course!

I filled my sink about half full with hot water and added half a bottle of Rit Dye in Royal Blue. I wet the shirt thoroughly before adding it to the dye bath. I stirred constantly with a wooden spoon for about 15 minutes. The bottle suggested longer, but I thought it looked dark enough after 15 minutes.

I rinsed the shirt with cold water until all the dye was out and the water ran clear.

Lastly, I threw my shirt in the washer per the bottle’s directions.

I pulled my shirt out of the dryer and (mentally) squealed with delight!

No more prison break!

If you have any shirts that make you feel like a prisoner (or just need an update), try dyeing them. It really is a cheap and easy change. Now I want to dye everything!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Highs and Lows – 3

2 weeks in a row! This girl is on fire!

Highs

-I got a raise! My manager stopped by my cubicle Thursday about 10 minutes before I was set to leave and asked if I had time to talk in a conference room. Uh oh! I thought I was in trouble, but I was actually getting a raise. Huzzah!

-I mentioned in my last Highs and Lows that we were supposed to have a weekend getaway to Greer. Well, because of the wildfire our trip was cancelled, but we still had a vacation day planned for Friday.

We spent the morning at the Phoenix Zoo, had lunch and played games at Dave & Buster’s, fixed my pool light, enjoyed a sushi dinner, went night swimming with my new pool light, and watched the new True Grit (I fell asleep 30 minutes in). It was way better than working!

Lows

-I’m sound asleep Saturday morning and someone rings my doorbell. Ugh! I get up and answer the door…it’s my neighbor letting me know that someone smashed the window out of the truck (my boyfriend’s) parked in front of my house. So, we spent Saturday morning sweeping glass out of the street and vacuuming glass out of the truck. I don’t know what they broke the window with, but the glass was EVERYWHERE…as far as the next house over. Luckily they didn’t steal anything, just some asshole kids being destructive…

So, these 2 don’t sound nearly as bad after writing about the broken window:

-I finally lost to my boyfriend in Words with Friends. I’m now 7 for 8 against him.

-I have the most ridiculous, painful blister on my right pointer finger from pulling weeds. And I’m covered in bug bites!

Thanks Jen for hosting! And helping me put my WwF loss into perspective!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Weekend Junk #11

I’m starting to get a little disappointed with my thrifting trips. I haven’t found a decent piece of furniture in awhile. I know I need to go more often, but with work that just isn’t possible.

However, I was pretty successful with the smaller items this weekend. I found enough frames to finish putting together my gallery wall and a few plates for another project. Although, now I’m feeling pretty indecisive about the project…should I use all white plates, antique china, or colorful plates? I can’t decide!

The Loot

from left to right

EV Lutheran Thrift - $2.00

Goodwill - ~~$0.99~~ $0.50

clockwise from top left

Goodwill - ~~$0.99~~ $.50

Goodwill - ~~$1.49~~ $0.75

Goodwill - ~~$0.69~~ $0.35

from left to right

EV Lutheran Thrift $2.00

Goodwill $1.99

Anyone else do some thriftin' this weekend? Find any furniture? If so, I'm jealous!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Happy Father’s Day!

Even though my dad will never see this, I want to thank him for being so wonderful!

Thanks Dad! I love you!

Every year I have a hard time deciding what to get him. So, I went with my usual gift:

A box full of Japanese rice crackers!

I’ve never mentioned this: My dad is half Japanese. He was born and raised in Japan. He moved to California when he was 13 after my grandma married an American soldier. He may not remember how to speak Japanese, but he still loves his Japanese snacks.

Eat up Dad! You’ll probably get another box for Christmas!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Christmas (Cactus) in June

I think y’all starting to find out that I’m a horrible procrastinator. I even slack on the simplest projects, like re-potting a plant.

I’ve had this Christmas cactus since my grandma passed away a year and a half ago.

She had a serious green thumb, so my mom and I inherited a lot of house plants. This poor guy came to live with me and has been stuck in that plastic terra cotta pot ever since. This project was so simple (and cheap), I have no idea why it took me so long…

1. Buy pot on clearance at Hobby Lobby for $6

2. Fill bottom with rocks (optional)

3. Rip out plant and stick in new pot

4. Add soil

And done:

Yep. I seriously waited a year and a half to finish something that took $6 and 5 minutes.

Do you have any 5 minute projects? Get them done! Don't be a lazy bum like me!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Highs and Lows - 2

I linked up to Jen’s very first Highs and Lows Party, but haven’t participated since. Have my weeks been mediocre or have I just been too lazy to think back 7 days? Probably the latter. But I’m baaaaack!

Highs

· My block fence was finally fixed! Oh, you didn’t know it was damaged? Yeah, I decided not to post about it until I calmed down and the issue was resolved. So, expect a block fence rant soon…

· I’m 5 for 5 against my boyfriend in Words with Friends. He may beat me in sports and anything that requires coordination, but he can’t beat my mad word skillz.

· Our group camping trip was cancelled. Yep, I don’t like camping. I was only going because my boyfriend likes camping and I was trying to share in his interests…blah blah blah. So, I got to sleep in my own bed and enjoy indoor plumbing this weekend.

· I’d already planned a half day of work on Friday for camping, so I decided to keep my half day and was free at 11. An afternoon of Hobby Lobby is always a high.

· After giving up and hiring someone to care for my pool, the water is perfect. My boyfriend and I went swimming Saturday and it was delightful.

Lows

· I tried to slam dunk in my pool. I ended up ended up losing my bottoms, scraping my knee on the side, almost drowned, and didn't even make the basket...FAIL!

· My boyfriend and I have been planning a weekend getaway to Greer, AZ for months now. First the lodge we had reservations for burned down (arson). So, we were moved to a cabin. Now, the town has been evacuated due to the Wallow Fire. So, no getaway this weekend.

(Photo: Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest)

Looking back - It was a good week!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Weekend Junk #10

I didn't have a very successful thrifting weekend. A few odds and ends, but nothing worth showing…except for these!

(ignore the weeds)

Adirondack Chairs – EV Lutheran Thrift $8.00 each

This means I finally have seating outside! My backyard has been neglected lately (as you can tell from the weeds), so these were an exciting addition.

In non-junk news, I bought a treadmill.

I’ve been planning to buy one since I moved in, but I wanted to get the office/gym painted first. Unfortunately, my booty and thighs didn’t want to hold off growing until that happened. So for now, it’s in my bedroom. Should we take bets on how long it’ll take me to stub my toe during a middle of the night bathroom break?

Ellen at The Art of Losing Myself has been encouraging me to start running for the past couple weeks, now I don’t have an excuse not to start the Couch to 5K program. Wish me luck!

Friday, June 10, 2011

I Finally…

started unpacking!

3 months after moving in…

(some of my favorite books...and my fatty bird)

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Pillow of Shame #1

I’m going to start by begging for mercy. Please don’t take away my “I have good decorating sense” card. I admittedly have lived with this as a decorative pillow for ~~3 years~~ a while.

This (and another similar) pillow came into my life my senior year of college. My roommates’ old roommate had left them behind when he moved out. They were super comfortable so we kept them.

(My roommate Ryan ~~passed out~~ sleeping with the pillow)

When I moved out at the end of the year I took them with me. Never leave a pillow behind! And…it took me 3 years to finally sew a new cover.

I used the 10 Minute Pillow Cover tutorial from Alicia at Thrifty and Chic to sew a new cover. After I stuffed the pillow I decided it needed some pizzazz. So, I created a flower with the leftover fabric using the gathered flower tutorial from Emily at Jones Design Company.

I was going to use another color fabric for the flower, but I hyped up the flower color into "whatever color I pick is going to dictate the entire color scheme of the room." So I just took a chill pill and used the same fabric. I added a bling button to the center and voilà: