A Rock Show

Every time I think about this silly conversation I had once I just laugh to myself.  Years ago it was my first week as a receptionist and I was chatting with a courier that came in and introduced himself.  So on Friday I asked him what he had planned for the weekend and he told me that he was going to a rock show.  So I asked for which band and he looked at me like I was a weirdo.  He said, no a Rock and Gem Show, oh gotcha, I said.  He was a rock collector.  Silly me!

A few weeks ago Jay and I spent the afternoon at Carkeek Park in Seattle.  One of our 'things' we like to do at the beach is make rock stacks and then take a picture of them.  We always make them side by side and they have to be at least 7 rocks high.

We also found some beach glass. I have a large apothecary jar that we fill with our finds of driftwood, beach glass, shells and heart shaped rocks.

Well tomorrow is Friday!!  It is also my first day back to work in a month.  No more staying up late surfing blogs and sleeping in.  

Sleep Talking

Part 2:  Here are some new things Jay has said in his sleep.

'No I will just use my mug.'

'Oh okay but then that would work.'

'Name one thing?'

'Whose birthday is that for?'

That's quite the big Bible, I will tell you that.'

'What are you doing?'

'Josie did it.'

'What did you say?'

'What do you mean by that? Yeah that's a re-try.  Yep.'

'You don't like that one? Okay put that one aside.'

Coupon Challenge

How many of you have watched the new TLC show, Extreme Couponing?  Kristen (my brother Marc's  fabulous girlfriend) and I have been watching and taking notes.  We are both trying to figure out the science behind this art of saving money.  Anyways since this show has aired we have both tried shopping the sales at the local grocery store and looking for coupons and then trying to find double coupons to see what our end price is.  Let's just say that we have both failed at our first attempts.  This brings me to my coupon story for today.

My mom and I were at the North Bend Outlets shopping for slacks, a dress shirt and tie for Jay to wear to my sister's wedding in May.  After paying for my things the cashier handed me two coupons that printed out at the end of the transaction showing a $5 savings at the 2 nearby stores.  Me being the Extreme Couponer that I am (please insert laughing here) I read the coupon, it read Take $5 off a purchase of $5 or more, TODAY ONLY! I looked at my mom and said this is a challenge for us to find something for $5 and then use the coupon and pay only tax.

After browsing through the store mom spotted a bucket that was filled with socks for .99 cents each.  I promptly grabbed the 6 cutest pairs and proceeded to check out.  Well it worked.  I ended up paying just $1.02 for 6 pairs of socks, and my receipt showed that I saved $25.06!!!  I would say that was a successful coupon transaction, wouldn't you?

Before you all start sending me emails saying there are only 5 pairs of socks here, let me be the first to tell you that the teenager had already snagged a pair before I could get a picture.

I collect...

...vintage antique butter knives.  Is that weird?  I hope not, because I just love them.  I keep them in a Pottery Barn vase of some sort on a shelf in my craft room.  Call me crazy but I have about 100 pounds of vintage mismatched antique silver ware.  Some of you are recipients of my spoondeliers I have made, silverware glued into a shadowbox etc. I just have to have it. Below are some pictures of my collection.

A Spoondelier in my backyard. 

What do you like to collect? Hope you had a fabulous start to your week.  Happy Monday!

Congratulations on your graduation

I found this recently while out thrifting with my friend Jen.  It was marked $5.99 but all picture frames were half off that day!  Score!!

I have not been able to find much information online about this. However I did read that if you sent her your graduation announcement she would send this letter back to you.  Jay did a little more investigating than I did and found that their is an official watermark located in the left side of the seal.  He thinks this is real and not a copy or reproduction. 

Here is a close up of the letter.  

I have this on my small sideboard next in the family room.  See that cute little lady?  Just scored that for .50 cents at the Salvation Army.


Hope you had a fabulous weekend!  Saturday was beautiful here, I had a very successful garage sale.  Jay and I worked in the garage all day today.  Wait til I show you pictures of the organized and clutter free garage.  You will be amazed...I am amazed!! 

Oh Betty!

It's finally Friday (well 11pm on Thursday is close enough)  but I wanted to dedicate Friday's post to our dogs.

For those of you that may not know, my family and I like to give not only one name to our dogs but rather 2 or 3.  And the funny thing is that both dogs respond to any name we call them by.  

Ginger  Aka:  Betty, Gingi-vitis & Tramp   

Bear  Aka:  Pepper, Baron von Bach & Lady

 (yes he is a male and we call him Lady)

Silly you say?!? Yes it is but it brings us joy.  

Here comes the craft portion of this post. 

Ginger's Suitcase Bed 

I had seen a few ideas online for these adorable suitacase dog beds and thought to myself, "I can make that." (I seem to always say that for just about anything.  Oh well. )  So on my way home I stopped in at the local Salvation Army and looked for the cleanest and cheapest suitcase.  Found this brown beauty.

Next I found a fabric remnant and proceeded to use stitch witchery to make a nice cushion for the bed.  I wish I knew how to sew but I just don't so I use stitch witchery or hot glue.  

Our local wood shop had a few different legs to choose from, these happened to have a nice shape and were not too expensive.  I painted them with oops paint that I had in the garage.  

Here Ginger Betty is trying out her new suitcase bed.  We put her favorite blanket inside and gave her a few treats so that she would actually stay in there.  Haha!  After walking around the house looking for pictures of Bear and a postcard of my favorite saying and of course some framed silhouette pictures (all were hot glued into place) it was starting to look like home.  

At first we tried to use the saying, "Get out of town!" so that meant she would be heading to the suitcase, she didn't really like that to much so now we just say "bed" and she knows right where to go.  

Jay found the Jack Russell luggage tag at TJ Maxx on clearance and I found the Betty keychain at Goodwill.  We think it adds a nice touch!



Let's see how much this project cost:

Suitcase (half off)    $2
Wooden Legs   $16
Keychains    $1
Pillow Insert   $1
Paint, knick knacks and fabric   $0

Total Cost   $20

If I could I would...

... Chalk board paint EVERYTHING!!  Seriously though have any of you tried using chalkboard paint?  I have tested paint vs. spraypaint and have decided that I like the paint much better.  You can find it at any of your local hardware stores.  I like the Rustoleum brand best.  I have made numerous chalk boards for friends and recently started branching out to see what else I can possibly paint black.

BEFORE: A dirty white wood tray with cute rounded wood handles.  I immediately snatched this up at the local Goodwill for $3, came right home and started painting.

AFTER:  Here you have my new chalk board tray that sits on our ottoman in the family room.  Josie and I take turns writing different quotes on it.  See how chalkboard paint can transform something form boohoo to woohoo?  I like that boohoo to woohoo.  Might have to start a chapter in this blog of before and after transformations and call it that.  

I saw this in a magazine once and decided to try it out.  Found this oval monogrammed silver platter for a few dollars and painted a few coats of the magical paint on it and voila! 

This is a picture from my most recent Junk Sale {Ruffles & Rust Vintage Market 02/11} I had filled up the rusty wheelbarrow with assorted shapes and sizes of the silver platters painted with chalkboard paint.

These are my favorite chalkboard signs to make.  This one I keep in my entryway and also write quotes and welcome messages on.  Handy Husband attaches them onto vintage floor lamp bases.  

Here is a before and after of vintage wooden recipe boxes.  I cant take credit for this idea, this was all Josie's brainstorming.  Trying to teach her how to turn something old into something new.  We will see how these do at the next Junk Sale.


Question for you:  Have you tried using C.B. paint?  If so, what have you painted?

Have a fabulous Thursday.  I am off to IKEA and a few thrift stores in the morning.  I will let you know what I find.  

Today's Letter Is...

B for burlap.  Burlap you say? Yes burlap.  It is making a comeback.  I swear.  Burlap is everywhere.  Just  look at any home store and you will see.  Here are some pictures of the burlap I have in my home.  I have also made a few items such as my No Sew Burlap Curtains, Vintage Hand Tied Garland and some projects in the making.  

I was so excited when I spotted these 2 matching lamps at Tuesday Morning.  I needed to give them some height so I stacked one on top of an old rusty tool box and the other on a stack of vintage books. 

And just in case you were really wanting to know what they looked like when they were "on"
I will dedicate a post later to my favorite piece of furniture.  Does it look familiar Vicki?  

The pillow on the left is from Pottery Barn and yes I did find that at Goodwill.  The other is from TJ Maxx.  

I found this hideous looking candle in the garage and didn't want to toss it, but it needed a makeover.  So out came the glue gun, some buttons and a scrap of burlap.  I also just received the cute bean bag from my mom. 

Here are my no sew burlap curtains.  {Please disregard the white splotch and the ugly paint in the background.  My next project is to repaint this room.}

One of my many handmade vintage garlands.  It has strips of burlap tied in.  

And a shot of one hanging in the teenager's room.  

Happy Wednesday!  Tell me what burlap you have in your house.  

I have an addiction....

...to garage sales, rummage sales, flea markets, estate sales, anything free sitting on the curb, thrift stores, you name it!  I have been sick the past week but I did muster enough strength and kleenex in my pocket to hit up one fabulous garage sale down the street.  My lovely mother picked me up and we were one of the first to arrive.  My mom and I don't even have to talk to each other, we both start on opposite sides of the sale and start making piles.  We communicate with head nods, facial expressions and hand signs.  We even have code words for things.  You're thinking to yourself, sounds a little strange, but I do that too?  Oh I hope you do that too.  Or I might sound like a lunatic.  

Here is my pile of small finds, vintage lace, silver plate tray, old door handles, paper ribbon, old composition book filled with vintage ephemera and an old gray table leg.  

These are TALL!  The gray brown one measures 30" tall and the white one measures 22" tall.  They still had the original price tags on them from her home decor store, retailed each for $139 and $99.  I paid $5 for both!  Score!!!

These are from the same home decor g-sale.  These beauties retailed for $225 a piece, paid $10 for both.  What do you think, keep this color or paint?

Jay and I were able to also hit one thrift store this weekend, after dropping Josie off at Prom.  Sick I know.   As in literally, I am still sick and we didnt mind taking her so we could go to the thrift store nearby.  Anyhow I collect yardsticks, project to come later.  Just wait....it will be fabulous.  I have been planning it for a long time. 

Sleep Talking

This is my first post on silly things my husband says in his sleep.  Lucky for him (and me) I keep the iPod next to my bed and write everything down he says.  This was from last week.  And keep in mind that most of the time he just starts snoring again, on a few ocassions he has woken himself up and asked what he just said.

'I don't know, what time did she say she was coming today?'

'Who told you about that?'

'You can't eat 1,000 pounds of fish in two days.'

'What do we need to do?  Interesting.'

'Good for you. Good for you. Calm down, take a deep breath. '

'That means all that weight is being held on by those?  That seems like a lot of weight.'

'Yeah I know where the money box is. It is in the back yard of their house. 6 to 8.  Yeeeeaaaahhh.'

'What? Wow! It sure is cold in here.'

Does your spouse or anyone you know talk in their sleep?

About Me

I love to play games.  A lot.  I grew up playing Parcheesi and the card game Speed. In my home now, sometimes we let a card game determine who gets to walk away from the dinner dishes. 


I grew up going to garage sales.  Now I am addicted to them and thrift stores.  It is so hard for me to pass yard sale signs on my way to work on Friday's.  


I logged onto Match.com in 2007 and found my someone.  We were married in a big red barn in 2008 and that was the beginning of  Bride on a Bike.  I am now a 'Bonus Mom' to three girls and a spirited Jack Russell named Betty.    


In a perfect world I would live on lots of acreage with my siblings and parents all in our own homes and a very large barn.  We would have fainting goats, a wedding barn, a large garden and all of our children would grow up together, climbing trees, fishing off the dock of our little pond, chasing the chickens around and living a carefree life. 


I love taking photos, painting furniture, crafting, collecting anything Martha Stewart related,  trying new recipes, collecting Fiesta ware, reading People magazine and meeting new people. I am sometimes loud, never shy, a hard worker and a very loyal friend. 


I like to be open and up front.  Please don't hesitate to ask questions, leave feedback, send me your blog ideas, recipes or craft projects you found scouring Pinterest. 


Thank you for stopping in at Bride on a Bike.  Welcome!