Keeping Things in Balance

Have you heard about the new zodiac calendar?  Did your sign change?  My sign suppposedly changed and I say, "Phooey!"  In my book, I'm still a Libra.

Which means I must keep things in balance.  Since I ranted about trends I dislike earlier this week, I'll balance that post with what I DO like today.

1. Recycling or Upcycling
Keeping things out of landfills is always a GOOD thing.  I love to trove Habitat ReStore for kitchen cabinet doors to make into message boards. 

Which leads us to Number Two...

2. Being Proud of Thrifting and Dumpster Diving
I mentioned before that I pulled this vanity from someone's trash.  In my pre-blogging days, I snagged two bar stools from the trash a couple of blocks from my house (read: no before pics).  They were originally medium tone wood with broken rush seats and lots of mysterious crud stuck to the legs.  Gross!  I gave them a fierce cleaning, removed the remains of the shredded rush, and considered teaching myself how to re-weave the seats.  In the end, I just removed the rush seat frames, painted the stools black and cut solid plywood seats for some new upholstery. 

Compare them to Pottery Barn's Napoleon Barstool, which is currently selling for $249.  EACH!  That's $500 for TWO!  Insanity!  Mine were FREEEE!!!

3. Cloches

Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chic turned me on to these, and it is on my to-do list this month!

Image from Thrifty Decor Chick

I finally found a platform for a cloche at a thrift store, but it's horrible green right now. As soon as the temperatures get above freezing, I'm going to repaint it. I like the way that cloches display fussy stuff together under cover and keeps them from getting dusty.

4. Burlap
This one teetered between "yes please" and "no thank you."  I was a slow burlap convert.  I wouldn't use it everywhere in my house, but I am loving these burlap totes.  Can't wait to spend a lazy Saturday morning at the farmers market with it.

I made six burlap totes last week for a bridal party.  I think I gave my bridesmaids necklaces that they probably never wore again after the wedding.  :(

5. Damask
I'd love to hang some damask curtains SOMEWHERE in my house.  I just can't figure out where!

6. Antique Accents
Like finials.  Reclaimed wood.  Mixing old dishes with the new.  Weathered garden statuary.  I'd take them all.

7. Trays
Same principal as the cloches.  Love them for keeping clutter together.  I keep one on every coffee tables so I can quickly gather magazines, books, and remotes and dump them in one neat pile.  And they don't have to be the rectangular wooden variety.  I corral all of Mr. Tallgrass's toiletries and what-nots in a tray that's actually the bottom disk of a ceramic planter. 

Pick one up at the garden center for a couple of bucks because they are usually sold separately from the flower pots.  It's easy to clean and I don't have to worry about the alcohol in the cologne or moisture from the sink ruining the finish.  Since the bottom is rather rough, I lined the underside with a piece of felt from a craft store.  I keep sheets of adhesive black felt on hand to protect just about anything.  Just outline the bottom of the object, cut, peel and stick!