Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover!

Finally, we are inside my house!

I wanted to share with you one of my very favorite projects. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of the process but the end result is pretty neat and simple to do. So, I will walk you through the steps I took to make it in case you want to create one of these handy dandy cabinets for your home.

It all started with a dresser I found on the side of the road.

I had wanted an amoire to hide the TV in my master but didn't want to pay the crazy prices that the stores were asking for one.

So I decided to create my own.



(this was the cabinet in my old house)

Here's how I did it:

1) I took three of the five drawers out of the dresser (keeping the best two for the bottom)

2) I measured the new opening on the front of the dresser. Then I went to Home Depot and had a piece of MDF cut to the size of the opening and then cut again down the middle lengthwise.

I also bought some square trim for the doors and to make the faux bookshelf.

3)I bought hinges for the doors and magnetic closure thingies.

4) I nailed the trim in place and placed more trim for the bookshelf.

5) I painted the dresser and the doors with left over house paint and rubbed with antiquing glaze.

6) Now is when I went on the hunt for books at Goodwill and thrift shops and even off my own bookshelf.
Some books I simply liked the colors or designs on the spines. Others I liked the titles or had to do with things that interest me. I even used an Old Baptist Hymnal.

7) Now is when I had to enlist the help of a friend with a table saw. We simply cut the spines off of the books.

8) Then I gathered some accessories to help it look more like I would decorate a real bookshelf.

• I painted an old picture frame in black and put a black and white family photo taken in England in it. I had found some books about London to lean against it.
• I cut Styrofoam fruit in half and painted it to look like it is resting on the books.
• I placed the books in different ways, some leaning and some flat to try and make it look more realistic.

9) Finally, I glued it all onto the doors.

10) I screwed the hinges onto the doors and attached it to the dresser. I added the magnetic closure thingies and it was done.

(the cabinet in my new house)


When we moved, the colors in my master changed so I decided to add shelves (more MDF) and baskets and use this cabinet in my entry. Each of my girls has a drawer for their shoes and they each have a basket for all of their stuff they need to grab on the go. There is also a family basket for the dog leash, umbrellas, sunscreen, etc.

It has turned out to be a great catch-all and the best part is I can close it all up and not see the clutter.

Top Ten Things

Top Ten Things Every New Central Floridian Should Know

10. Buy a great pair of flip-flops...you will be wearing them all year.

9. All major roads have at least two names and a number and change back and forth randomly.

8. Invest in a tide schedule and shovel before you park on the beach at Daytona.
(Sad but true...this is my car)

7. There is nothing to love about love bugs. YUCK!

6. A brisk day is when it is 87 degrees with a windchill factor of 84.

5. It doesn't matter if you are local, your family will still look like tourists at Disney.


4. All roads have the number 4 in them just to throw you off...436, 434, 419, 417, 426, I-4, the 408, etc.

3. Fall starts in late December and ends in early January...when summer begins again.

2. It is always rush hour on the 408 and I-4.
(or at least always when I am on them)

1. Three foot squawking birds roaming around your neighborhood is normal.

(The Sand Hill Cranes that live in our community)

Sticks and Stuff

So this is a simple post, but I thought it was fun anyway.

I apologize in advance for my lack of "before" pictures. I am stinkin' impatient and usually forget to take pictures before I dive into a project. I will try to do better, but for now you will have to close your eyes and imagine the hideousness of the "befores".

I wanted to share with you another Christmas clearance find from last year. I get just plain giddy when everything starts going 75% then 90% off. I just happened to be in Micheal's at just such a time last year when I spotted this beauty. It was normally $99. Way too much, but again that is why we have clearance. It was marked down 75% off making it now, $24.75. Still kinda high, but here comes the kicker...it was the last one and happened to be the display model. Lovin' it! It also conveniently had a broken twig (all the more natural looking, I say) so they marked it down $15 more dollars, bringing my lovely grand total to $9.75 plus tax.

Now, it did take some small modifications. A simple can of 97 cent matte black spray paint (I always keep this on hand) to cover the gold urn and some peat moss left from another project to cover where I pulled the pine sprigs out of the Styrofoam core and WA-LA (you love that spelling, don't ya?) I have a decoration for my front porch that looks great all year round.

And I just love it lit up. It is fun to plug it when we are expecting guests, so let me know when you are coming and I will plug her in for ya!

Warts (I mean wreaths) and All

Okay, I have to say, I am feeling pretty vulnerable showing you a mess up first thing. But hey, believe me, there will be more to come...so you might as well see one now.

These are the front doors on our house. When we first moved in I tried everything to try and get things to hang on these hollow metal doors. Here is where the mistake came in...

Yep, that is peeled off paint. I tried these handy dandy suction cup hooks (they look so cool on the infomercials)...after spray painting the fronts black to match the doors, of course. Well, evidently one of my first Florida lessons was that humidity and great suction aren't friends. Not ten minutes after admiring my success...boom, my wreaths are on the ground and the hooks took paint with them. UGGG! And somehow my craft paint was not quite the same shade.

So, I shared my delima with a friend and she shared a great tip. So I thought I'd share it with you.
There is a wood support at the top of the door. By screwing a simple screw into the center of the inside top part of the door it gives you a great place to hang a ribbon.


Here is what is looks like from the front.

And here is what it looks like from the back. It is hardly noticeable and it keeps everything clean looking on the front. I used wide ribbon with wire in it so it fits flush with the door and doesn't hinder the doors opening and closing like the over the door wreath hangers from the store did. When I want change things out, it is easy.

Here is a picture of one of the finished wreaths up close. It started out as a clearnce Christmas wreath from TJ Maxx (gotta love clearance from there) and then I took it to a friend of mine who does floral design and she added some funky feathers. I just loved the artichokes and olive-like berries in it and after pricing what it would have cost for me to buy all the elements and make it myself, I was fired up to find it already done at a great price. The ribbon is a brown wired ribbon that has a crinked look but lies (or lays...whichever, you get the point) nice and flat. I had to be a little strategic to cover my oops spot but I think they turned out great.

Here they are on my front doors. I love them so much I keep them up all year round except Christmas. How ironic.

I hope this helps someone out there before they mess up their front doors. My loss, your gain!

Welcome Home!

Well, at least I hope you feel at home here.

This is the Byrd house.

We have lived here for one year.
It has been quite an adventure adjusting to Florida but now there is no other place I would rather be.

Not because of our town or even our neighborhood...but because of our home.

After alot of wading through garage sales, thrift stores and junk shops, I began to cast out the doubt that it was impossible for us to furnish a house twice the size of our former one.

Through repurposing, waiting for sales and thinking outside of the box our home has come together in a way that makes me love to walk through it's doors and say "Welcome Home".

So, I would love to walk you through and show the process. Not because it's great or fancy or even chic...but so you too, can feel like you can grab a cup of coffee and stay awhile.

Hopefully we will get to know each other along the way. I would love to hear your comments and ideas.