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Obsessed....

Who me?  Yes me...I get obsessed about stores sometimes.  I've been obsessed with two stores this past year, I'm thinking I need a 12 step program. Hello...my name is Gabrielle and I'm addicted to Target and....can you guess the other one?   If you can guess the other one I'll send you a sweet little surprise in the mail from that store.....

First of all I have been to 3 Targets in my area.   I was in Target last week, can't remember why but I found these cute little wooden frames in the dollar section and I thought I could think of something to do with them and yes I know what I'm going to do with them...but I was browsing the aisles when I came across the nicely red labeled CLEARANCE section...so I made a nice left turn and my eyes gaze upon a shiny white ceramic....item....Love ceramics in glazed white....so I bend down to pick it up and man....I took one look a the price...and I was doing a little happy dance....right there.  I wasn't looking for something like this but man my brain got it's wheels a turning and I thought should I buy all three?  Yes...my BFF the one who gives me good, ol' furniture to paint birthday is tomorrow..so would these babies look cute with some lavender or maybe some Kale in them.   Now.....this li'l baby only cost $11.00 bucks.  Yes. that right, originally they were marked for $29.99 and I got three of them for 11 each. 

 

So I thought wouldn't they make great end of the year teachers gift with a pretty plant in them.  So I thought I'd check another Target..well they had them but not for the clearance price.  I went to another Target..nope they were only marked down to $25.oo.  I find it strange that all the Targets don't have the same things on clearance.  I did manage to find another couple of items for $3.38 ea.  I'm always needing small vases for the li'l bouquets that my li'l one brings inside for her Mama.  Aren't these guys cute? Came from Target.  Check her out she has lots to show......at my favorite store. 

 

I tried to get a clear shot of the price...but I'm not the most patient of photographers. 

Ok...now...what is my other......place of obsession?  

Happy Chinese New Year!!

 

When I taught in Hawai'i we always celebrated Chinese New Year.  One year my second grade class made a dragon out of cardboard, paper and paint.  We went through each class at the school banging our instruments and making lots of noise.  Those were the old days....I miss them....

Today marks the Year of the Ox in the Zodiac sign for the Chinese New Year.  I am born in the year of the.....................................

                                               {pictures from Kaboose}

Which means I display some of these characteristics...

The Dragon

Years: 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012

Positive Character Traits: Intelligent, enthusiastic, brave

Negative Character Traits: Easily tricked, likes to gossip

Most Compatible with: Rat, Snake, Monkey, Rooster

Famous People Who Have This Sign:Authors Roald Dahl and Amy Tan, musician Ringo Starr, actor Russell Crowe, actress Reese Witherspoon

yes...I agree with those Positive Character Traits....(hmmm, intelligent) 

I'm a gossip!!!  Not!   :)   

My youngest daughter was also born in the year of the Dragon....no wonder we are always fighting each other..too much alike as they say. 

According to this my husband who was born in the year of the Tiger (as my eldest daughter too), here are their character traits.

The Tiger

Years: 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010

Positive Character Traits: Caring, thoughtful, courageous

Negative Character Traits: Rebellious against authority, makes hasty decisions

Most Compatible with: Horse, Dragon, Dog

Famous People Who Have This Sign:Actress/director Jodie Foster, actor Tom Cruise, biologist Jonas Salk, singer Alanis Morisette

Rebellious against authority...yep that would be my husband..the original bad boy....

According to this...my husband is compatible with me but I'm not with him.....go figure.  Anyways...

Tonight....as custom in the Mader Household...we will have for dinner...

Orange Chicken, White sticky rice, pot stickers, Chinese peas and fortune cookies.  Yum!!   Hope you all have a great new year with good health and happiness!!

Check this out.....

Madison's Room.....

So...what took the place of the armoire that got the F you may ask?  This is the before state of the new armoire that does get an A....and I know for you purist out there you hate to see good wood painted...

  But.......I think it looks a lot better......you know I'm a lover of all things white, so it had to be.....you know it did.  My BFF just renovated her kitchen in her new house (I swear I'm going to get over there and take pictures of it so you can be inspired, they did a fantastic job)  Anyways she wanted to get rid of it, it was in her little boys room and he is getting a fish tank instead.  Since that put in a new flat screen in the breakfast nook they didn't need a T.V. in his room anymore...so I of course snatched it up.  I'm no dummy!  Well I guess that's up to interpretation.

 

This is what I did to the inside.......

 

Now she has a nice place to hide her T.V., videos and board games...she is very happy about it.  Her T.V. was sitting on a little table that was made for a kids kitchen. 

I made this little pushpins recently and found that li'l friends sign at Joanns.  Now she has a place to put all of her pictures of friends and what not. These are from K and Company and they were brads I just cut the shank off and hot glued a pushpin to the back.  Easy Peasy...and looks too cute!

 I'm thinking I may change out the knobs on the armoire

 to this one...what do you think?

Would you like to see the rest of her freshly updated room?  C'mon let's take a tour...

This is looking in at the door...

  Now I know those shelves look off...I'll have to move them over or to another wall...

That spiral caddy I got at Marshalls...a few years ago.  I originally bought it for my craft table but she uses it much more than I ever did so I gave it up.  Those polka dotted boxes came from Joanns.  The baskets...I think Michaels..I painted them white and they already had the green gingham liners in them. 

 

 

Here is that chippy old bed of mine next to the nightstand that I repainted, it was an old grass green...and ugly grass green at that. So I redid it in Linen white and added a pull I had laying around from another project.  Now...for the green -glass bankers lamp..I would like to get another lamp or redo that brassy color.  Never done that before ya know...

Her bedding I got from Ebay and it's a old PB kids quilt.  It is quite thin so she has her old PB quilt underneath.  I don't know why this quilt was so thin and not much weight to it not like the other ones we have gotten. 

Aren't these fuzzy critters cute....this daughter LOVES her stuffed critters but when I clean her room I put out only the ones that match the colors in her room.  That li'l owlet  we got at PBKids last year sometime.  The girls mascot at school is the Owl.  She got an award last year for scoring Advanced in the Math section of the CAT test so when she came home.  Li'l Owlet was holding a bunch of purple balloons that said...Congrats on them.  So you may ask...where are all the other critters   

 

.....well they are stuffed in this..

 

and here are all of her Soccer and Softball trophies and ribbons.  My husband made the shelf for her.  I think I need to repaint that too.  Maybe a fun turquoise blue perhaps...

 

Some more critters, inside the blanket chest are the rest........she has a lot of critters, some are hiding in the garage too. 

And just to make it real.....this is on the TO DO list for her room...this light broke and I would like to put up a chandelier I saw on someones blog...it was from Ikea I think and it was tiered and had crystals and now for the life of me I can't find it but I think it would look work better than this look!!!

 

I know...Popcorn ceiling...wish that wasn't there but since we rent there is not much I can do about that.....also this crack in her window needs fixin'.....then I think her room will be done!

I got an F!!

On this project...of the many projects I have began this past year and never finished this one was probably the worst.  Meaning that I put so much work into by the time I figured out it would not work, for what I had in mind because I never measured!!   First My neighbor gave me this computer armoire she was getting rid of..my friends and neighbors know I'm a gluten for unwanteds.......(I should do a post on all the unwanted furniture I have gotten my li'l hands on)

  I had big hopes for it....I took off all the hinges and pulls...I painted it Linen White (Rachel Ashwell's signature color)

 

I bought some new glass knobs, some cute ball feet,  to give it some height..some vintage wall paper scraps...because I was going to do  this  to the inset of the armoire doors...wouldn't that of looked beautiful?  Just a patchwork of beautiful vintage wallpapers...I had such big dreams.....for this project.  BUT!!!!!  I didn't measure the depth of it, my daughters T.V.  would be too deep to fit into it.......so it never came to be....BUT....she gets an Afor her project...well done....So my brain won't let this project go I could redo my craft closet like this...hmmmmmmmm....I see another project brewing for 2009.   What are you guys up to this year?  Any ideas you think I should take a look at?  ya know I don't have enough around here to do!!!!!!ha!!

This economy is NOW directly affecting me....Obama do something!!

Have you heard?  I just heard from her .......that  

My beloved is being discontinued

 

And I got a notice last week that

is also shutting it's doors...they are replacing my subscription with Sunset...hmmm

and

too........something has to be done........

After Christmas I have been organizing my....dirty little secret or secrets....

here is another

  

  and another stash

my shelves are bowed from the weight...up until now I was debating which issues to get rid of/and or give to the library because I'll be getting another issue or 5 next month...well...how can I now part with them.  I can not because I'll have revisit them to get my fix.  

Top 10 Projects of 2008

I see a lot of blog posts on the DIY-bloggers of their accomplishments of 2008.   As I look back on MY UN -industrious year.....well.....what the hell happened?  Where have I been?  What have I done?   I was hard pressed to come up with 10 this year..but I somehow managed to.  Well this year I plan on being much more efficient on that TO DO list....I was pretty productive in 07....I looked back at my post then wow...I was a busy gal.  So...here is my pitiful list of 08 but LOOK out 2009........here I come.....

#10....had my favorite Vintage Rocking Chair reupolstered... the operative word here is had...not quite a DIY project I would want to tackle...maybe someday..but not today or anytime soon for that matter.

  It was an ugly beat up old thing that was left by the side of the road...kind of like a Charlie Brown Chair....

#9 Planting my mop bucket{now I have two} with Lavender, Bacopa and those pretty yellow flowers, which their name escapes me...I always plant Bacopa every year in my planters, it's t white thing, ya know?

  

#8 Made a LOVE banner for Valentines Day,used some Old song books for the background paper, Thanks Beka ....

#7 Sowed a skirt for my Craft table....I really liked the detail of the red stripe on the Linen...it seems so French General to me...and who doesn't like a little of the General.

   

Remember the skirt looked like this...all butter yellow, cornflower blue and sage green. When we got the sectional couch I had to rethink the color scheme in the family room, My husband is not the flowery type of guy and he claims the family room as "HIS DOMAIN"....so...out with the fl orals and in with the Natural Linen.

{Darn I can't find the picture}

#6 Acquired my old bed from my brother, this was my childhood bed and not sure I want to repaint it....what do you think?  My friend thinks maybe I should paint it a Tiffany Blue or turquoise...I'm thinking...maybe..what is your vote?

#5 Speaking of acquiring...finally I was able to find on Craig's list this sofa table with turned chunky legs that match my dining room table.  I still have yet to paint the legs (which has been on my TO DO list forever)...I only want to paint the legs..but I'm still debating on weather to paint them linen white or robin's egg blue.   I want it to sort of go with the dining room table which is going to be another project on the to do list....stay tuned for that project.  I like that the table top will match the arms of the above chair.

#4  Monogram Frame..which is an idea I stole from this this amazing DIY blogger...she has the best tutorials, you have to check her out, she posts almost daily and also posts over at the Homegoods site. 

 

#3  Stenciled Pillow..to go with the couch in the family room.  Don't look to close at my mistakes....I used a stencil and it blend underneath it...I'm thinking I need to sew an embellishment where the O gets all goopy.   I said don't look....I see you looking..

#2 Had Bench cushion redone..this is what it looked like before...

  Now it's all cushy for the tushy....much better......I think.

 

and the #1 project for the year 2008 is the Santa paint cans...for the teachers and neighbors filled with Chocolate filled Oat Bars and Peppermint Peanut butter Blossoms...

 

That's it for 2008...but I already got a jump start on 2009..just finished the first major project and it's not even February...yeah me...