Thursday, April 29, 2010

Road Side Chair Beautified

Sorry I haven't been around. Working on a Top Secret Project. Started on it Wednesday and just finished it. I CAN'T WAIT TO SHARE IT!!!! Of course you can't see it until Monday...sorry:oP. Anyway, as promised, here is the reveal of S.R.'s new (old) chair. Let's take a minute to remember the BEFORE:
Oh yes. Sad, sad, sad. I told you that a friend from church found this on the side of the road. Well here is the AFTER:
Now that's much better. I am still not completely finished with it. I missed a spot with the spray paint where I thought the fabric would reach...OOPS! Maybe I'll take care of it this weekend if it's not raining.
I added some piping around the edges, and bows at the corners just to cutesy it up a bit.
The reason why it went in S.R.'s room...The "S" at the top of the chair.
So here's the before:
YOWZA!
And the after:
Ahhhhh....much better:o)
*****
Here is S.R.'s room in all of it's glory. I am done with it for now, unless I get a wild hair and decide to paint the walls, which would require painting AROUND the mural...ack!
I hope that you all have a great weekend!!! See you back here on Monday!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Coffee Table Make Over(Round 2)

I finally finished it! I have been wanting to change this coffee table for a VERY long time! I haven't had it that long, but after I finished it the first time, I realized I didn't love it like I should have. It just seemed like a black hole in my rug. To see the "before the before" go here...Here's the second before:
Just black and boring. The paint was starting to chip off and I am all about some distressed looking furniture, but it just wasn't doing it for me. I bought some sample size paints from Lowes about a month ago, after I found this table over at Miss Mustard Seed. She is simply AMAZING! No other word for it. She can take any junk and turn it into something FAB! I wanna be her when I grow up:o) You should definitely check out her blog and her gallery when you get a chance. She's a STUD when it comes to painting furniture. Anywho, I pulled out the chalk board spray paint that I always have on hand, and sprayed a big square in the middle of the table(using painter's tape as well). After two coats of that, I painted the rest of the table in a very soft gray.
I did attempt to replicate the pattern of Miss Mustard Seed's design because I thought hers was so beautimous.
I actually had a lot of fun with this table, and the kids think it's really cool. Hopefully they will only write on this table instead of ALL OVER THE WALLS...thank you S.R. (heavy sarcasm inserted here). Someday when we get around to painting all these walls, I will show you some of S.R.'s "artwork" that she has "created" for us ALL over the house:o/. 
So here it is again:
BEFORE:
AFTER:
I LURVE IT...YES I DO!
I definitely need to change the pillows. They just aren't cutting it either..but that's another project for another day!
Participating in:


Monday, April 26, 2010

Painted Stool and Hot Mess Mommy Bag

I have missed you guys! So glad to be back on here. I feel like it has been ages since I talked to ya'll last. Any-who, I have been super busy on finishing up on some projects that have been filling up the "hub's garage." He has had enough of me bringing home all my treasures b/c he says it junks up his garage:o) I don't have pics ready for all the furniture projects that I have completed, but I do have these pics of some gifts I made for a baby shower I attended on Saturday.
I found this little stool at Michael's in their unfinished wood section. It was very inexpensive. I already had the paint on hand, so all I really needed to do was invest some time into painting. I really didn't realize how many coats of acrylic paint I would have to apply, but I just found something else to work on in between coats. I had fun making it and I think it turned out ok for this being my first attempt at doing anything like this. Don't you just love the name Quinn? I can't wait to meet him!

I didn't want to leave the mom out, so I made her a Hot Mess Mommy Bag. My inspiration came from Prudent Baby. They have a section with ideas to make yourself look a little more presentable when you're strapped for time and you haven't had a bath in like 3 days;o) You know you have had one of those days:o)
I made the bag with some fabric I had on hand. I also made a head band and matching bracelet. The rest of the stuff was just picked up from the Dollar Store. Things that always come in handy: mascara, lotion, lip gloss, hair brush, and hair bands. The bag has velcro on the inside all the way across to keep it completely closed, just in case your having a dropsy sorta day. Mommy was very pleased with both gifts...I think;o) Regardless, I had fun making them:o)
*************
Remember, I will have a give away when I reach 50 followers.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Give Away Coming Soon.

No projects to post today. I'm taking a break from all the hard work so I can enjoy my parents being here. I will get back to it tomorrow. I better get my spay painting finger ready since it's supposed to rain on Friday. I am planning another give away. I know I said I wouldn't do another one until I had 100 followers. I fibbed:o) I can't stand it! I feel the need to be gifty!
So I am almost to 50 followers...sad I know. Only 47 of you will claim me:o) So when I hit 50 followers, I will announce the new give away.
The picture above isn't anything significant. I took it last year when we were vacationing in Hilton Head. Just makes me miss some beach time. I LOVE THE BEACH!

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Repurposed Old Frame

Remember this picture from the last post? Not a bad pic. Would go nice in a kitchen. I got it for the frame. I care nothing about a painting of fruit and wine. This picture was $3. I couldn't decide if I wanted to paint the frame or leave it as it was, but finally just decided to leave it alone. There isn't a thing wrong with it. So I popped the picture out and flipped it over made a pretty on it:o)
My materials included: scrapbook paper (on hand), trims for a wedding gown(on hand), hot glue gun, regular glue stick, and free clip art here at The Graphics Fairy. Glued everything in place and popped it back in the frame. Here's the back...I moved the hanger over as well so that I could hang it horizontally:
If I ever want the fruit pic again, I can just flip it back over. Easy peasy.
Angle one..
Angle two
Here are some other new homes for my recently found treasures:
Here is the bakers rack that I told you about yesterday. It's a short one. I put it upstairs in the bonus room to house all the kids arts and crafts stuff as well as stuffed animals and their musical instruments. 5 bucks:o)
And as promised, here is a picture of the freebie from a friend. Can't wait to re-do it. S.R. is getting this sweet thing. Can you feel it? Do you see the potential?:o)
It has to go in S.R.'s room. It has an S on it:o)
If you're wondering about the coffee table, I have started on it. I just ran out of steam with these snotty kids:o) Hopefully I will finish it soon...along with the other gazillion projects I have brought home:o) Happy Tuesday!

Monday, April 19, 2010

SEARCH FOR ALTERNATIVE MEDIA BUSINESS MODELS HAMPERED BY NARROW THINKING

Media executives around the globe are clamoring for new and alternative business models and industry associations everywhere are holding seminars and conferences on how to create and discover them. There is just one problem: They don’t know what business models are.

When you cut through the rhetoric, you find that most executives are merely interested in finding new revenue streams. Even when you consider firms touted as having best practices in that regard, none have been very successful in establishing them. The reason is simple: The dominant thought about business models is highly limited and far too narrow to solve the contemporary challenges of media industries.

Business models are not merely about the revenue streams. Instead, they establish the underlying business logic and elements. They involve the foundations upon which businesses built, such as companies’ competences, value created, products/services provided, customers served, relationships established with customers and partner firms, and the operational requirements. If you get those elements right, the revenue issues take care of themselves.

The biggest problem of media business models today is not that the revenue model is diminishing in effectiveness, but that most media companies are still trying to sell nineteenth and twentieth century products in the twenty-first century. And they are trying to do so without changing the value they provide and the relationships within which they are provided.

Because of the enormous changes in technology, economics, and lifestyle in recent decades, the needs of customers have changed, they kinds of content they want, and the ways they obtain news, information, and entertainment have been dramatically altered. If media firms do not address these changes in consumer needs and behavior, no amount of worry about revenue streams will stem the fundamental challenge that audiences are leaving traditional print and broadcast media behind for content providers and distribution platforms that better serve their needs.

The content of traditional media products were created in specific technical, economic, and information environments that no longer exist. In order to evolve and prosper media companies must revisit the foundations of their businesses, ensure they are providing the central value that customers want, and provide their products/services in a unique or different way from other media firms.

The range of technologies and distribution and interactive platforms available in the twenty-first century require that firms increasingly see their business activities as cooperative processes requiring coordination and interdependence with external firms and customers themselves. Standing isolated and alone—at arms distance from the customer—is no longer a viable option.

This is not to say that firms must make sudden and dramatic changes in their business models, but they must start revisiting all the aspects to make regular incremental improvements and changes. Questions need to be asked about what is provided, why it is provided, how it is provided, and the entire structures and operations of firms. These need to be addressed first, then the revenue models can be sorted out and improved.

What A Weekend!

That word says it all. This weekend wasn't anything that I would have planned:o) I told you guys that the kids had some allergy issues. Well that was just the beginning of all the unplanned events:o) My Saturday morning started at 5:45 a.m. I was pumped and ready for some treasure hunting. I was exhausted, but I wasn't about to miss out on some super neighborhood sales. I got my shower, got dressed and got out the door by 6:25. I got my cash b/c I didn't have a chance to get any Friday night, and hit the first sale of the morning. It was a dud. She was overpriced, so I made my way back to the van. I tried opening the door and it wouldn't open....the van was still running....not good. I always leave the keys in the van and keep it running for a quick get away...By this time it's 6:45 a.m. I called the hubs and ask him to call a neighbor to bring me the keys b/c I had BOTH car seats in the van with me:o/. Well, he couldn't get in touch with anyone, so he had to bring the keys to me...Yes, HE brought them to me. When he arrived, my kids were covered in dried snot, no shoes, and E had no pants on:o) I felt sorry for the hubs. Before it was all said and done, I was driving the CAR with both kids in the back seat, hitting the sales hard. You would have thought my last name was Clampet after the morning was done:o) Here are some of my treasures:
 Mirror for my half bath:$5
Pics for S.R. room, $4 for the pair. The Metal wall hanging in the background $3.
Chuckle sign(for my sis):$2, Mirror hanging:$3, Platter set:$3, Topiaries $2 for the pair
Smocked jumpers for S.R. $7 each. I also got her some sweet dresses, one of which was a Strasburg for $4!
Crazy looking cat: $1
My First Leap Pad with 4 extra books:$5. This is going to be S.R.'s for Christmas.
Fruit Pic. $3
Set of speakers: FREE! Going to turn these into end tables.
I loved the details. They are made out of some really good wood. Just have to finish gutting them. Off course they won't be this color when I finish with them:o)
This was the tag on top of the speakers:o)
I got a baker's rack for $5 as well, I just didn't get a pic of it. I'll post pics of my treasures in their new homes tomorrow.
 A lady at church brought me a chair that is GAW-JUS! I think she found on the side of the road. It needs some TLC, and I am more than happy to oblige! Thanks SYD! I'll post pics of it tomorrow. 
So even though the morning started out rough, I ended up having a successful treasure hunt with snotty babies in tow:o)

Friday, April 16, 2010

Wknd. Project: Coffee Table Redo

Long Night last night:( E. had a tough time with this allergy mess. Today is a Benadryl kinda day. I'm exhausted, but my mind is ready for another project:o) Gonna redo my coffee table this weekend, and it involves chalkboard paint:o) Hope to have a reveal up soon! Here's the before:
********
More neighborhood yard sales this weekend! Can't wait!! Hopefully I can catch a cat nap today while the babies are sleeping. That way I can be fully rested for tomorrow:o) Have a great weekend peeps!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Some Perspective, & Yard Sale Finds Get a Home


What another beautiful day! Here lately I have been waking up and thinking what a lucky girl I am. I have a great hubby whom I adore and am ever so grateful for his hard work. I have two sweet little precious babies who are my life. And I am surrounded by people that I love. Life is good. However, this morning has been a little different. The blessings were a little harder to see...because my day started just shortly after 5 a.m. S.R. has been having nightmares..poor lil one:( And E. is suffering from allergies, so he has been snortin', coughin', gaggin', and sneezin'. Not much sleep happnin; here. After getting S.R. settled next to daddy, I went and laid down with E. I opened his blinds to let in the morning light. It was the time of morning when there is that light mist and the sky is purple and pink. Beautiful! Then I thought, "Thank you dear Lord in heaven above for giving me this life with these precious souls". And then E. started singing...not sure what, but at that moment everything was perfect and good. I am so truly blessed. So needless to say, today will be a day of taking care of my precious sweet ones and projects will be put on hold, so that I can get some snuggle time in.
Here are some pics of a few of the yard sale finds from last weekend that have found a new home:o)
In this pic, $3 lamp and 25 cent flower arrangement. I plan on putting the decorative shelves above the chair when I get around to painting them.
$8 shelf on the wall being used as a side table. Someday, when I paint the walls a crisp light blue, all these accessories will POP. But for now they will just have to be blendy:o)
I hope that you all have a great day! I know that I will since I'm gettin' me some luvin' from my babies:o) HUGS!