Flora Nirvana - McClendon Hardware

 

I confess.

I would spend my whole

(really substantial)

paycheck on flowers.

If only I didn't go out of control in the store

only to not really gauge how much time it takes to plant them

and grow them

in my yard.

All said,

there are really about five places I shop for plants:

Fred's [Hobby] Wholesale Priced Nursery up the road

Home Depot/Lowes clearance racks

Fred Myer
Wal Mart clearance rack
McClendon Hardware

I know.
It is quite the assortment.

Today, let me introduce you to the place
where I pay full price
all the time
because the plants are that great.

McClendon's Hardware is a local (I think) semi-chain hardware store.
Think ACE without the nationwide network
but with the hometown feel
and the everything you could possibly ever want to buy inventory.

There is a McClendon's by my work and one on the way home by Wal Mart.
This was my recent trip to the one by Wal Mart.

They had these gorgeous fuschia baskets for $10 each

I promptly left it on my porch
not hung up
forgot to water it
and killed it in 3 days.

Sigh.

You already know the fate of my .99 each colorspots
(I love their color spot specials)

What I love about the Renton McClendon's is the variety.

I need to purchase moss, like I need another hole in my head.
I mean, people try to kill all sorts of this stuff off for days on end.
Although I do have some rocks that I want to grow specialty moss on.

Now that we finally stained the side gate,
I really want to do a really large pot
and stick some wisteria in it
and grow it over the side.

I'm sure he (who shall not be named)
would L.O.V.E that.  Something about
wood rot
and plants too close to foundations
etc.

All things considered.
This is one of my many Flora Nirvana stops

Where do you shop for living decor?

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Week 35 Random Pinehurst

They have long faded from purple

to brown.

And in California,

I saw the largest,

most awesome

allium ever.

Can't wait until they are back next year.

I must buy more.

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Latest Thrifty Finds - End of August

Ahhh, August.

So many yard sales and so little room in my garage to justify buying any of it.

I passed up many a great deal this summer.

I didn't get these little apple banks

(so WA appropriate, apples and all)

or the apple green bottles

(which would have been great with a find that I DID end up buying).

 Never fear, I found plenty.

 I may have had to pass on these globes

Seeing as I might or might not have

gone on a globe buying binge

in my trips this August

I found other really great school inspired

vintage goodness too

Like this cute little microscope

 

For some reason,

after I found one of these vintage wooden cars

all of a sudden, I started seeing them all over

Then, when I was hanging out in the old textiles

(my fave part of any thrift store, in case you're wondering)

I found this (forgive the photo - just know that I did NOT unfold it at the store)

This is gigantic!

As in, not home pole worthy.

As in, I will finally have a huge flag bunting

to hang off of the top of the back 2nd story deck

next Fourth of July.

Or Memorial Day.

I can't wait!

Also, as we finish out the entry way,

I picked these two display boxes up

 

And I also picked up all these keys and wood plaques

My husband would say to me

as I walked in the house with yet another

large bowl or white serving platter

"Just who are you having over for dinner?"

Then we hosted 50 or so of our closest friends/colleagues and their families for the Boeing Classic.

Next year, we are so catering that gig.

Finally, I picked up a few little odds and ends

Like this wooden airplane (planes and cars...if only I could find some more boats)

and this little mini cloche and some mini clay pots

The only piece of furniture I picked up was this cabinet

Which I've yet to stage and photograph

It is on the wall to the right in this photograph.

Which reminds me that I picked up more wicker rounds.

That's kind of a given though.

I picked up these FANTASTIC glass gallon jars with handles.

I did the coolest thing with them.  And he (who shall not be named)

promptly asked me what the clusterf%(#* hanging from his ceiling was.

Men.

Last and fave finds to share.

I think I might have actually found these end of July.

The two large square sailboat photos.

I think they are my priciest buy this year at $10 a piece not on sale.

They are Micheal Kahn.

Yeah.  I snapped those up real quick.

And at the foot of the bed.

I almost died when I spotted it.

Vintage. Authentic. In mint condition.

Also found in July

Life is so good when we're thrifting.

Linking to Today's Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality

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Learn from Me | DIY Sunburst Mirror Fail

I think I might start a new series.
I shall call it "Learn from Me"

Or really, you could probably learn from other bloggers
if they would only come back and tell you
that the nifty shortcut they suggested
would fail miserably in t-minus 31 hours.

As you know,
everyone and their mother
has made a wood shim sunburst mirror.
I even made one that I showed you here

Now I am back.
To honestly show you
Just how well that glue gun option worked.

Yeah.

Honestly, I started out with clean wood shims
and a notion to use construction adhesive

 

The construction adhesive had other ideas.

Namely, it wanted to play like the Sahara (aka, hard and dry).

I figured because I was using floral rings for support,

the glue gun would be fine

(thank you blogger for being a punk about formatting right now...)

I even finished off my mirror with a little 

embroidery hoop frame

and some fanciful staining techniques

with some leftover stain I had

And it was gorgeous.

Then it fell apart the very next night.

First,

it was just one shim or two that came

well, literally they lost it and came unglued.

Then, I took it down.

I put it into the room we shall not talk about.

I picked up some wood superglue

And I picked up said mirror

And I'll be damned if another bazillion shims didn't fall off.

Oh, and the mirror - the heavy part - stayed put.

Really.

And I'm here to tell you that super glue from the dollar store

is a no go.  Save your pennies.

After cussing (maybe more than once)

I went to Wal Mart and picked up some of this stuff

People swear by it.

I swore AT it.

It did NOT fix my mirror.

Even after I carefully scraped

ALL of that gunky hot glue residue off.

Finally I sucked it up and bought some more construction adhesive

Which was right after I realized I have no idea where my caulking gun is.

Big Lots to the rescue.

Maybe, in about 8 months, I'll have an update.

And by then, it will be so passe, but still so totally loved.

As it is, the space I was GOING to hang this in (the stairwell)

was finally adorned with something else.

A yardsale find of course.

A great yardsale find.

Till then.

DIY FAIL.

Miserable fail.

Linking this one up at Happy Hour Projects 

and to Fridays on Remodelaholic 

Show & Share Day at Just a Girl

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Week 34 Random Pinehurst

Who would have thought

I would be such a frilly girly girl

once I learned how to grow my own flowers?

LOVE these peonies and hydrangeas.

Awesome sauce.

I grew those.  In my backyard.

 

I think Peonies may be my new fave flower.

Cannot believe August is almost over.

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Upstairs Guest Bathroom - Progress

So before,
I was so proud of getting up
that waffle weave shower curtain.

Don't you just love the tiny mirror all antagonizing the wall of mirror?
Yeah.  Needed to fix that.

So I picked this up at Goodwill (of course)
for $3

That bad boy is massive.
I almost fell out getting it up.
But I did it all by myself.

And I only cussed once.

Now there is something pretty to reflect upon
rather than the endless time warp
of a mirror reflecting back a mirror
reflecting back another mirror...

I'm surprised I'm still here.

I call this progress.

Linking up to Happy Hour Projects

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Subliminal Inspiration | Typography Art

Finally, a new subdivision (and builder)
is getting to work on the Ridge.

We went to check out the models.
Lots of great ideas.

I was inspired by this little, subliminal message
for one of the little kid rooms

At home,
we don't have kids

But we do have a laundry room.
With lots of laundry in it.

Probably paint them bright red.
Just so that the message really gets across.

Linking up to  
Happy Hour Friday @ Happy Hour Projects.
Fridays on Remodelaholic

Show & Share @ Just a Girl

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Week 33 Random Pinehurst

Poor guys

They didn't quite make it 

to the garden.

but that thrifty bench

was a $6 score at Goodwill Des Moines.

Sweet!

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Bird Sketch Wall - Goodwill Find

So in this post about the progress in my MIL suite,

I teased you about what was going on on the other side.

You know, where the grass is greener.

Well on that green grass, there are some critters that frolic about.

I picked up a really awesome bird coloring book

from Goodwill

for 99 cents.

Yes.  One dollar.

Which, of course, meant I had to shop for a few other goodies

because really, who charges a quarter to their credit/debit card?

One of my fave DIY supplies are vintage coloring books

from the kiddie section at the thrift store.

There are no windows in this room

(hence, no natural light).

With the lights on at night, I love how the yellowish tinge

just makes them feel all that more vintage.

As you can kind of see in the first photo,

I just "tacked" them up with tiny finishing nails.

No frame, no fancy, definitely no measuring to get them straight.

Just eyeballed it after laying it out on the floor.

I like to do things the lazy way.

Happy thrifting.  Oh for spring to roll around again.

Linking up to Funky Junk's Themed Vintage Link Party

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Latest Thrifty Finds

A while ago,
I stopped by an estate sale
that my better half actually found for me.

See, we had gone to the church sale in Snoqualmie propper
And I left behind a wood, wheeled chair
That I was convinced I could repair and make into an awesome
office chair.
For $5.

I was pouting about leaving it behind.
wishing I had gone to sales on my own.

When he spotted the estate sale sign
on the way to the yard sale
where all I got were some lousy wreaths

Anyhow,
You can probably see in that shot,
that he more than made up for the grump enducing
fun making he was having at my expense
about The Chair.
Yes, Capital T, Capital C.

At the estate sale,
I picked up three items I've been wanting to collect
for a while now:

 zinc flower tub

A clear demijohn

Glass Fishing floats

Could have called it a day and been in heaven.
But we took our chances at the Ridge sales.

I was under the impression that one of the sales
is basically a kiddie sale
(all kid stuff, all the time).

We drove down a street at the end of the sales.
And low and behold, the rocking chair I desperately wanted
was in the driveway.

I blew past the real beauty of this sale
but because I really don't have "empty"
begging for furniture spots in my home
my better half wasn't 100% sold.

And really.
What do I need a rocking chair for?

Instead, I bought this beauty for $3

All in all,
I would say
it was almost as good
as the first set of Ridge sales this year

A bit pricier (the fishing floats were a good price, but he knew what he was selling)
but worth it

Even managed to pick up some more vintage books (free)
and some piano flashcards (also free | Freecycle).

Awesome.

Linking up to August Thrifty Treasures at Southern Hospitality

Stop by and check out the eye candy.

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