My confession: I am addicted to Hobby Lobby's steller and deep discounts even if the pickin's are slim at those prices. It doesn't help that the grocery chain I shop has a store in the same shopping center and the other (of the same chain) store near me doesn't stock my favorite flavor of Coke Zero - vanilla - thank you very much. I knew when I moved into this apartment it might be a problem. I don't shop the closest grocery (different chain) near me because their prices are much higher and the Target near there is a regular Target so their grocery selection is severely limited.
I can pass 3-4 liquor stores on my way to that grocery store yet I can't stand the idea of not making a run into Hobby Lobby - perhaps I have transferred my addictions!?! Since I set up shop in this apartment, I've been looking for something(s) to fill the corner of my bedroom above the nightstand. Something that isn't a flat and framed picture or set of pictures. Of course whatever I put there has to be inexpensive.
I had seen a couple of neat, certainly unique round wood carvings (hard to explain) that were painted robins egg blue that I thought would look cool painted black in that space but Goodwill wanted $7+ each for the two and also the weight was a concern because they were solid wood, about 2-2 1/2 feet in diameter, 3"-4" thick so hanging them could be an issue. I was bummed that I felt it was too much money and hanging them would have been an issue but I kept my eyes out.
Thanks to the bazillion home decor/DIY blogs and sites I read, I really have started to look at home furnishings, decor etc much differently. One of the key things to take with you to any store, thrift shop or yard/tag sale is look at how something is constructed. Can you use it in a different way?
Well, I had spied these in previous trips there:
But I just couldn't see any beauty in them at all. More dust collectors. Things that wouldn't have a home until I find a house to call my own. It just didn't make sense. However, I turned them around and upside down:
Aha, I thought to myself...they are flat on the back, they are screwed to the bases soooo I went looking for some kind of hook packet and found mirror hangers that should work, I hope (I am going to mount them on the back, not on the top, they didn't have much in the picture hanging hardware section - oddly enough).
When I got them home and their portraits of before were done I took them apart:
I have to admit, they aren't the prettiest things around and the one will need something to fill the screws in before they get a good coat of paint. But I thought for the price I paid for them I will figure out a way to make them work:
If you can't see the pricing two of them are $29.99 originally and I got those for $2.99 each. The other is $24.99 and I got it for $2.49. That's a total cost to me (before painting) of $8.47. I am probably going to sound very mean here but even at that price I am ashamed of what I spent on them...I would have preferred to pay about half that given the quality but I need projects (rather than alcohol) and I need to fill that blank wall...
What makes me sad is for those that actually paid full price for them. For three of those the full price would have been $84.97(!) and when I took them apart, you can see that (and feel too) that they are some kind of hard foam with a finish that isn't very durable. Granted I bought them after they've been shipped, moved around the store, handled a hundred times but $25 - $30 each for that material and labor is pretty excessive. Oh well, I got them and they will be put to use after I paint them.
I will keep the stands as I am sure I will be able to find something to use them for. I already have a few holiday ideas but finding the "right" things to mount on them is a different story.
I am going to have to paint them a flat black because that's what I have, both in spray and in craft acrylics. I probably should use the spray but since these aren't going to be used in a way that will be handled a lot, I will save the spray paint for something bigger and that needs to have a more durable finish.
I have a satin "espresso" color spray paint that probably would work better with the fake detailing to give it a bit of a sheen but with the mirror so close and I put the biggest of the "garden bowls" above the wash stand on the other side of the bed along with the flat black of the frame on the back wall, the brown just doesn't make a lot of sense.
Hmmm, I could also paint them terra cotta/burnt sienna, burnt orange, avocado green or golden straw (yellow) but for some reason that just doesn't jazz me for my bedroom...the burnt sienna might work but I don't think I have enough for all three.
At least I have a project to keep me busy because if I am not busy I could think of all the reasons I could just drink "this one time" and I know where that got me before. Painting is much easier on my wrist too so I haven't picked up my afghan in a while. I may have to figure out a way to get a couple of rows here and there done as I really would like to get that completed before it gets chilly.
I may make another post in a bit about some of the fun DIY blog things I have found recently. My sleep schedule is a bit buggered right now so I have a lot more late night-early morning idle time to kill. Silly me took a nap during "Wipeout" tonight so that didn't help matters any.
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