One Person's Trash...

In my ongoing attempts to make the world a prettier place, I am constantly on the look out for good deals and innovative ideas...and I found one that I have to share!

With the economy still struggling to turn around, our reluctance to spend money on "extras" like tchotckes, lamps and pictures is completely understandable! I mean, we're all buying the cheap toilet paper so we can save a few bucks right?

With that said, however, I am in the camp that firmly believes when times are tough, your home should be your sanctuary...a place that feels warm, cozy, safe...AND pretty. Are you buying any of this? Yeah, my husband didn't either, but hang with me...this is a really good idea!

Have you ever been to your friend's house and perhaps admired a pair of lamps or maybe a vase on her mantle, yet when you complimented her on it, she replied, "Oh, that ratty old thing? My mother-in-law gave it to me, and I've never liked it!"

Well, here's your chance to snag it and some other stuff too! All you have to do is host a Home Accessories Swap!

Here's how it works:

Invite a few friends over to your house (5 people is the recommended number to keep things managableble, but you could probably manage up to 10). Ask them each to bring five things from their house they don't want anymore...as long as they are (1) decorative and (2) clean and in good condition.

It can really be anything...pictures, clocks, flower arrangements, fabric, lamps, curtains, vases, frames...you name it!

As your friends walk into the door with their treasures, ask them to complete a "sales" tag for each of their items by writing something about it. (For example, if one of your items is a painting, you could write, "Original Oil Painting by W.W. Smith.)

Once everything has been tagged and set out for display, give each of your guests five clothespins with their names on them, pour everyone a glass of wine, and then go shopping!

Use the clothespins to mark the items that you want. If an item has more than one clothespin, drop them all in a hat and ask someone neutral (who doesn't want the item) to draw the winner.

Box up any items that don't get chosen and donate them to Goodwill.

Isn't this the best "Girls Night Out" party idea? Not only do you get to hang with some of your favorite people, have a little wine and catch up on the latest gossip, but you also get to get rid of some things you don't want anymore AND bring home some new things that you do want...and because all your new treasures were free, you can march triumphantly through the house and show your husband your new loot instead of having to hide it in the trunk of your car and sneak it in when he isn't looking. Come on...you know you do it! :o)

P.S. If you live in the Birmingham area, and want me to help you host a swap, call me at (205) 807-7434 to schedule your date.

Coming Soon!

In these uncertain economic times, you may have decided to hold off on tackling those decorating dilemmas that have been waiting on your "To-Do" list.

For some projects, like renovating your kitchen or bathroom, this is a smart and practical thing to do, but in rooms that don't require a major gut/rehab, you can still make your decorating dreams come true WITHOUT breaking the bank...and I'm going to prove it!

Doable Designs is about to take on a room and decorate it entirely using hand-me-downs, garage sale finds and items bought off of Craig's List. I'll walk you through the entire process step-by-step and keep a running budget total. With a little imagination, thriftiness and flexibility, we can design a beautiful room for a substantially lower cost than you think!

Check back in soon for the "Before" picture aka "Our Clean Slate!"

Second Life

The Challenge:

The armoire used to be THE BEST solution for storing televisions in a neat and tidy way. It was great for hiding wires and even offered much-needed storage for DVDs, blankets, photo albums, etc. That was when televisions were big, bulky boxes. Nowadays, however, everyone is switching to the sleeker, thinner, but much larger flat-screen televisions.

Places like Pottery Barn and Ballard Designs sell console tables and cabinets designed especially for the larger flat-screen televisions, but they are very expensive and don't really offer that much hidden storage. I've seen them range in price from around $800 to nearly $3,000.

But here is a less expensive option that offers a stylish way to display your new flat-screen TV, but still provide the storage that every family needs.




I wish I had taken a "Before" picture of this piece when we bought it, but alas, I didn't have a website when I did this project. This is an old buffet that I found at the Salvation Army for $80. It was made from real wood, sturdy and had nice lines. It was a little scratched up and the finish was very dated, but it offered a whole lot of storage and a nice large surface to place a flat-screen television.

I painted it with an olive green paint and then went over the entire surface with an umber glaze. We kept the original hardware.

To Do This Project:

Keep an eye out at your local thrift stores and flea markets for an old dining room buffet with closed storage. I think the best ones have both cabinets and drawers. The cabinets are great for storing DVDs and CDs and the drawers are great for storing blankets, photo albums, games, etc. If you plan to paint it, don't worry so much about it's finish (because most thrift store furniture is in sad shape), just look for a piece that is made from real wood, sturdy and has the style you like.
It might take awhile before you find it, but don't be discouraged. The flea-market gods tend to smile on the shoppers who know what they're looking for.

To achieve a "factory finish" on painted furniture, take a few minutes to remove all of the hardware and sand out any scratches, nicks or dings with 180-grit sandpaper. Wipe it clean with a damp (but not wet) rag. Then go over the entire piece with 220-grit (very fine) sandpaper. This will give you a smooth surface to paint.

Clean off all remaining dust. You may need to use the upholstery attachment on your vacuum cleaner to remove dust from corners and crevices.

Prime the entire piece with a water-based primer and then paint. I have painted a lot of furniture in my day and I think you get the best outcome with a satin-finish paint. It gives you a smooth, wipeable surface but hides brush lines better than a gloss or semi-gloss.

You will also get a better outcome if you apply multiple, thin layers of paint rather than one or two thick layers. It takes patience, but it's worth it!

Between layers, use a 220-grit or even finer sandpaper to gently sand out each layer of paint. This will remove any inconsistencies or blemishes from the paint but also help the paint adhere more strongly to the surface of the furniture and make the finish more durable to everyday wear and tear.

Give the paint about 48-72 hours to dry thoroughly and then enjoy!

Estimated Completion Time: Approximately 2 days
Approximate Cost for Project: $80 for the cabinet and about $30 for paint, sandpaper and glaze
Degree of Difficulty: On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give it a 4.

Two Great Tastes

The Challenge:

Hubby has a collection of liquor and mixers that would rival your nearest bar and we needed a place to store all of it. We also needed a place to store wine because our kitchen pantry just wasn't cutting it.

The Solution:

I found these two pieces at a flea market in Virginia. The guys who were selling them were bored and ready to get the heck out of there so they agreed to sell me both pieces for $5 a piece! It was too good of a deal to pass up, so I bought them and figured I'd figure out what to do with them later.

Turns out, it was my husband who had the brilliant idea to marry the two pieces together to create a wine armoire!


Of course, I have to make it look pretty with accessories and pictures.