I Just Don't Get It Times Two

I have so many talented friends (blogging friends included)creating amazing pieces of furniture and home decor out of trash.  I've said it before and I'll say it again.  I'm an "as is" kind of girl.  If it ain't working or looking great, don't count on me to fix it.  So how do I feel when I see a piece of trash transformed from dumpster-dive to huge decorating or money-earning potential?

Honestly, I think:

I just don't get it.

My talented friend Kristen has a blog called The Urban Barnyard.  Recently, she found this nappy old piece of trash at Goodwill. 

Here's what she did.

Kelly would be proud of the black spray paint.

Using the Cricket machine to cut out the initials of her four children.

Adding black & white photos and look!

It's gorgeous and perfect and looks like it should have cost a lot more then what she paid for it.  

I just don't get it.

But, as you know, this "as is" girl has to try.

I do enough shopping that in no time at all I get amnesia.  I find a piece of trash and I think

"Maybe this time I'll do it.  Maybe I can be like the rest of those majorly talented freaky cool people."  

It's like if I hung out with movie stars maybe I'd think I could be a great actress too.

So, I thought I'd be cool like all you talented people when I bought this piece of trash at a yard sale.

I paid $40.00 for it.

First of all, in my defense I must tell you I thought this piece was solid wood. "I can just spray it black and call it a day," I told the counselor when he helped me take it out of the truck.

When will I learn?

You see, once I got it home I realized it opens up like a cocktail bar from an old Hollywood film.   

Like maybe this cocktail scene from the 1972 movie Avanti.

Image found here.

You see the similarity, don't you?

My $40.00 investment also has this great 1970's plastic material that's indestructible.  It's screaming back at me "You can't sand me, you can't paint me, so what are you going to do with me you "as is" girl?"

This piece of trash has a bad attitude.  

Did I mention the cutlery drawer?  Yes, bad attitude indeed.

 

I'm not even sure if I can get rid of it on Craig's list.

So, I went to work, in my own special way.

I took the out-dated fixtures off & added something really special.

Well, not really.  It doesn't look any better, does it.

I've learned enough from Kelly to know I should "stage" it, but that just makes it look like I'm trying to hard.

So, in my case I will say "I just don't get it."

I just don't get how I say any potential in this piece of trash and if any of you say something like:

"Laura, it turned out great,"  or "No, really, it's cute."   

I'll know you're lying.