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Can you believe that a week ago I didn't even know what Ampersand meant? I would search for "and thing", "and symbol" and so on trying to find one.
Now I think I'll name my next child Ampersand, I love them! (just kidding Mom!)

So guess what my We Can Do It Cheaper project is this week!!
I wish I could say that I made this myself, but I bought it.

I found it at Hobby Lobby for half off and it was gold. I painted it white and very lightly distressed some of the edges with my fingernails while it was still drying.
(yeah my dresser decor needs work, can't find a rhythm here yet)

My total cost = $5! I couldn't find one to compare prices on, if you know of any then let me know!

So go ahead and link up whatcha got this week. I'm waiting.....
1. Only link your post, not your blogs address!
2. Be sure to take that button at the top with you so that everyone can know where you're linking up!

Did I ever mention that I like to do things as quickly and cheaply as possible? There are no 10 step programs for me. Paint drying before you add another coat? Nah!
I often regret my hastiness but most times I am happy that I got it done in 10 seconds flat.

So, let me tell you about my pool house floor. Originally I wanted a beautiful white and gray checked floor. It was awesome in my head, but as I started to read about all the steps of painting a concrete floor and the price of it all... well I wavered.
Viola! Another one of my brilliant sisters mentions the idea of painting bricks on the floor. Hmmmm, sounded good. As I looked at ideas then I saw an even better idea, stained brick floors.

Keep in mind that this floor is very rough, very uneven and being that it is a pool house then it also gets very wet. So the whole painting thing was never a very good idea. This was so easy and I only spent $2 on it!! I bought a run-of-the mill sponge from Wal-Mart (auto department) and cut it in the shape of a brick. Then I used some red wood stain leftover from the previous owners.
It actually looks better in real life and once its used a bit I think it will give it a more weathered, aged look.


My old peg board that I made has also found a home as well and seems to be enjoying himself. We use him all the time and he looks good with all kinds of things hanging from him!
Next step, finish the trim and another little building project I have planned for storage in here. Stay tuned!

By the way, I am one of four sisters (and two brothers) and I find them a great source of idea's when I need help. Never be afraid to use ALL your resources:-)

Join me tomorrow for We Can Do It Cheaper!!

I had a yard sale a few weeks ago and one of my friends had this desk leftover. I decided to try and give it a little face lift since I was actually in need of a desk.

Here is what we started with.


I got a smaller piece of plywood (most hardware stores sell them in different sizes, or just have them cut it for you) and cut it to hang over just a little on the sides.
We set the blade of our circular saw really shallow and scored the top to give it an old schoolhouse desk look.

I don't mind using the saw but I have to admit I enlisted my husband to cut and score the piece of plywood for me. His experience made his lines straighter. I did forget to have him score the edges as well, but that's ok.
I got four large screws and screwed the plywood straight to the top of the laminate on the desk. I scarred and carved the wood with nails and other objects I found sitting in the garage to make the wood appear old and used.

I then sanded down the edges and sides and stained and varnished it. I got some really thin wood cove and stained it, then used Liquid Nails to attache it to the sides of the laminate top.

3 cans of Rustoleum Heirloom White spray paint covered the desk. My sister had the genius idea of using jute for the handles since they were an odd size to replace. I actually just braided some twine and used that. I love how it turned out!

I'm thinking I might paint the legs black at some point.

But for now I'll just wait for my Mac to come back from from repair (yes Mac's break too) so that I can set it up on its new home.

This was a really fun and easy project that I worked on at my leisure. I would love to do another one in the future, maybe retro looking or something. These kinds of desks are easy to find and normally very cheap but can clean up well.
Let me know what you think!

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I'm back this week after missing last weeks addition of We Can Do It Cheaper due to having no computer. Thank goodness we are in business again!

So I'm picking my favorite from the previous We Can Do It Cheaper and here she is....
Joy from Thrifty Parsonage Living is one of my faithful followers and always leaves me sweet little comments.
Her Ikea Mirror makeover was a very thrifty idea. I actually have these same ones and I wish I had bought more since they were so cheap and you can do so much with them.

Be sure to stop by and tell her hi and see how she did her mirror makeover. Joy also does many other creative things including wedding flowers.
Thanks for linking up Joy!!

Your turn again. I can hardly wait to see what you have!
1. Only link your post, not your blogs address!
2. Be sure to take that button at the top with you so that everyone can know where you're linking up!

I just got my brand new cord in the mail, and how very happy I am!

I gotta say I did enjoy my "vacation" just a wee bit and even came to a conclusion while I was "gone". I was reminded that my first priority is to first, serve God,and second serve my husband and kids. Sooo, I think I'm going to cut back my blogging to 3 days a week. This is not a rule I will stick by always, but for the most part. I feel I can serve my family better that way, sooooo we'll give it a whirl.

While I was gone I was working on a few things. One was my sons personal entrance to the pool house.
Still need to paint it again and put a handle on, but the boys love it already!


My other project is this incredibly plain and ugly desk that I got as yard sale leftovers.This one has changed by leaps and bounds. I'll show you what I did in a few days!

I also took some time to snap a few shots of my boys. I've been really lazy about taking pictures of them lately and here they are growing like weeds.




I have never regretted taking as many pictures of my kids as I have. It's so much fun to look back on!

Anyway, I have mostly been working on the pool house and I have to say, it's coming right along. I hope to have some pictures to share with you all next week. I don't want to share to much though and ruin my grand reveal!

I will for sure be here tomorrow to do We Can Do It Cheaper! I missed doing it last week so I hope some of you saved some of your projects for me.

It's great to be back!

So I'm writing this from my husbands phone. Yeah I'm that person. The one that had a computer to blog from until one of my little loves tripped on the cord... the rest is, as we say, history. So until our new cord comes winging itself from the loving arms of Ebay and lands on my front stoop, then I will be MIA. As much as I love you dears, I can only squint at this itty-bitty little keyboard for so long.

"Farewell" until my cord arrives or until I have a few hours to tap out a post from my little phone buddy thing.
Jillian
(yes I messed up my signature as well and dont have all the right "things" to fix it on here. Bother!)

Ok, so today I thought I would share with you some of my favorite tools and other handy little things I use ALL the time!

Starting the lineup is my Miter Saw. My husband bought this for me last year and let me tell ya, it's worth more to me than a hundred dozen roses. This is the exact same one that I have and I would highly recommend it for the price (Lowes $114).


This next one I don't use quite as much but it does come in handy! This is not the exact one we have but we do have a Dewalt and it's held up great for the last 5 years. (A little more pricey but probably worth it in the long run)


Someday I would love to get an orbital sander, but until then, my handy-dandy little mouse sander has squeaked his way into my heart. Once again, this is not the exact one that I have, but same brand and we've also had it for about 5-6 years with no problems.(this Black & Decker retails for $39 at Lowes)


This thing is like hardened WW2 General. He's been used, abused and lived to tell about it. My husband used this every day for about 2 years and we still use it all the time. Once again, there are cheaper ones you can buy, but this one is worth its weight in gold. Lowes sells it for $119 but I'm sure you could find it cheaper on Ebay or Craigslist if you are diligent in watching.I'm pretty sure ours is 18-Volt, though most of the writing is worn off so it was kinda hard to tell.



Ahh, this little honey really makes my heart beat faster. After owning 2 gas powered blowers that I could never get started then I went shopping. I actually did quite a bit of research before buying this Toro electric blower and it was rated one of the best. I love it!!! The best part is that it only cost $35! If you're looking for something to do those areas around the house then I highly recommend this.


Now another great thing that my husband bought me (isn't he great!) is this little vacuum cleaner. This is the Dyson DC16 handheld and he actually got it from the local pawn shop for like $50 or something. You can find them on Ebay for anywhere from $40 to $100+. I use it all the time to clean up after my kids, it's so much easier than getting out the big guy and my 3 year old can even use it as well.

I also use this, almost more than I use my toothbrush. No, I don't have this brand. Mine looks like it's been through all the major wars and perhaps a trip to mars. I don't really use the nail gun since I always have my boys somewhat nearby and I have a fear of a stray nail flying through the wall and hightailing it toward my boys. Soooo, I use my little friend Hammy. If you don't have one then I'm not sure what's wrong with you.

One more thing that I use like crazy is our shop-vac. I actually don't remember what brand we have and I'm too lazy to go look right now. But, I love it and have gotten much use out of it, not only for projects but also for cleaning the cars and vacuuming our garage. I know that makes me sound like a neat freak, but our garage does not house cars and has carpet in most of it. Shocker! A garage with no cars!!!

Anyway, hope you get some use out of my list of favorites. Let me know what you can't live without (other than toilet paper).

All opinions are mine and I was not paid or compensated in anyway for this review.

blogging!
Instead I'm taking a much needed "break" to clean my house, fold my 6 foot pile of laundry and work on yet another project. Wish me luck and I'll hopefully be back soon with lots of great stuff!

Oh and I have to say congratulations to some of my bestest friends that had their little girl yesterday! I can already tell she wants to be just like me, so she's a winner!