Peacock Blue or Peacock Green?

 I finally did it.  My $1.00 can of blue paint is done and this is the last dresser it was used on.

Remember this can of paint.  I found it at a garage sale.  

At first, I didn’t think anything of it.  It wasn't a color I'd ever used before.  I didn’t even ask the home owner how much he wanted for it.

But, the next weekend, the homeowner had the garage sale again and that’s when it occurred to me that the paint might make a great color for painting dressers.

“How much would you like for this can of paint,” I asked.

“How about $1.00.”

Isn’t that just like music to your ears.

I brought it home and found the perfect funky dresser to paint.

Then, my neighbor the caterer came over when I finished painting the blue dresser.

“That’s such a great blue,” she said, “like a peacock blue.”

image found her

I thought her interpretation of the blue sounded quite trendy, so I listed the blue dresser on craigslist as Peacock Blue Shabby Chic Vintage Dresser.

I had several calls on it, each person asking if I still had the peacock blue dresser.

I really feel trendy adjectives in a listing will help sell the piece.

So, I tried it with another color.

I found this green in the Oops! Paint at Ace.

When I first finished painting this dresser, I ran to show the caterer.

I wasn’t so sure.  Was it too bold?

“Does the green remind you of the signs the forest service uses?” I asked.

“No, it’s a great green, I really like it.”

Then, I had an idea.  Peacock feathers had green in them too.

image found here

I posted the dresser on craigslist as a Peacock Green Shabby Chic Buffet Dresser.

Once again, I had several calls for the peacock dresser and it sold that day.

I’m now on the lookout for my next great color.  Maybe I’ll find it for $1.00, maybe it will be a color that is found on a peacock, but probably not.
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Welcome To Funky Town

I've been feeling a little "Funky" 

Funky Town by Lipps Inc.  has been my theme song lately.  This is not a good funk, mind you- It's a weird place I go to a few times a year.  What triggers my trips to Funky Town? I wish I knew.  What I do know is that when I'm in a funk I'm way less productive- you could even say lazy,  I second guess myself, I think a lot and do a little, I'm impatient, crabby and I eat more chocolate and watch more T.V. It seems as a retired teacher that each summer I do go through a bit of a self reflection/evaluation.  August for a teacher is like January 1st is for everyone else.  You spend the summer evaluating the school year, adding new curriculum, tweaking old curriculum and setting new goals for your class.  When working I would start the school year feeling renewed, excited and ready to conquer the World.  The only catch, now that I'm retired, is I can't take an entire summer to get renewed.  I have a vintage market show I'm participating in that's only 2 weeks away and I have zero merchandise, my space at Qcumberz is near empty and my blogging has been sparse lately.  So I thought I'd put it out there on My Dear Trash... Have you ever been to Funky Town?  Like the lyrics say,  "Gotta move on, gotta move on..."  How do you "move on"  You've got my full attention and I'd love to hear your suggestions.  Love, Kelly.

Book Review: Matched by Ally Condie

 I just finished reading or should I say devouring the book Matched by Ally Condie.

This woman can write!

From the first page, Matched put me in a state of anxiety, and I mean that in the best way.  

I was hooked!

Cassia lives in an America that is run by a totalitarian government.  Her and her family are always being watched.  Every angle of her life is chosen for her from what she eats, where she lives, schooling, who she will marry and eventually when she dies. 

Matched starts with 17 year-old Cassia attending her matching ceremony; where it will be presented who her perfect match is.  All in attendance watch on a huge port who it will be.  Cassia is thrilled to learn her match is her best friend, Xander.  The society has chosen well, but when Cassia returns home with her match packet to review the guidelines, something goes horribly wrong.  She sees in the packet Xander was not meant to be her match, but someone else named Ky.  Was this a trick?  Who would mess with someone’s match.  She’s assured by her officer that Xander is her match, but Cassia can’t help but wonder.  For the first time, she considers the society isn’t always perfect and maybe they shouldn’t be making all her choices for her.  At the age of 80, her grandfather is assigned to die.  At his final ceremony, he privately tells Cassia to fight, to “not go gently” and that the government has it all wrong.  In her last visit with him, Cassia’s grandfather introduces her to a poem she has never heard of, which ignites a fire in her for more knowledge and more freedoms.  This sets in motion a fight in understanding why we think the way we think, why we follow even when we know it isn’t right and ultimately, what we are willing to sacrifice for love.

I’ve already started the sequel Crossed and so far, it’s just as great.

How’s your summer reading going?

Selling My Trash

Lately, it seems, things in the My Dear Trash world have been crazy.  Crazy in a good way! Not only has craigslist been very reliable, but I've had two estate sales in the past 2 weeks, my space is nearly empty at Qcumberz and I'm completely out of merchandise!  Selling trash seems to go in phases:  The buying phase and the selling phase.  Sometimes it's hard to balance just the right amount of merchandise.  It seems I either have a houseful of stuff or nothing.  Now that my estate sales are over, hopefully I can get back out there and buy.  Here's a peek at a few of my recent sells.

I've had this Princess dresser for over a year.  I really thought I could get $300 for it, but after a few months on craigslist and then taking it to two different estate sales,  I decided to take it to the shop.  It has has been staged, restaged and staged some more.  I finally brought it home, took it to another estate sale and still no luck. I've lowered the price numerous times (accepting offers as low as $95 and then having the buyer change their mind)  I finally relisted the dresser the day before I left for Savannah for $195 and wouldn't you know it... It sold 2 days later for full price.  

This armoire is an item I was selling for a client.  It sold this week for $500.

This chair is part of a retro dinette set with table and 5 chairs.  I recently sold the chairs for $30

I really wanted to update this set of french style chairs (I had two) before selling them- I pictured them reupholstered in vintage feedsacks.  However, the cost to reupholster would make the chairs too expensive to resell and I have no room in my house to keep them.  I paid $50 for the set and resold them for $80

This tell city bench was $50 at auction.  I painted it black and hoped it would sell for $150, but finally settled for $80.  When I have a piece for more than a month I'm just ready to let it go.   So wish me luck on finding some new items- I'm doing a vintage show in a few weeks and really need to stock up.  What have you been selling lately?  Love, Kelly.

Who is the real Rodrigo Hurtado?

I may not really be Rodrigo Hurtado, but that’s the name printed in gold on my scriptures.

These are the scriptures I read every day.

These are the scriptures I take to church.

So, who is the real Rodrigo Hurtado?

A long lost love?  Of course not.  You would have heard of him by now.

A distant cousin?  Blonde hair, green eyes, fair skinned girl and from what I know, I do not have a trace of Mexico running through my blood.

Best friend?  I’m sure he’s a nice enough person, but I’ve never meet him in my life.

So why do I have his scriptures?

I purchased a beautiful set of scriptures, the Bible along with the Book of Mormon before I left on my mission in 1995.  My name was printed in gold on the cover.  My scriptures were my constant.  I read, studied, highlighted and carried them with me everywhere.  They were in my lap the morning Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley spoke to us sister missionaries in the Salt Lake City Tabernacle.  I had them when I met Margaret Thatcher as she walked through the visitor center and shook the hands of us missionaries.  I had my scriptures when Mike Wallace of 60 minutes walked through Temple Square with Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley at his side, interviewing him for a television feature.  

My scriptures were also there when I escorted the ambassador of Iceland and his wife on a tour of the Temple Square grounds.

After my 1 ½ service, a time I will forever cherish, I packed my bags, scriptures included and flew back home to Mesa where my scriptures stayed with me until a few months into my marriage.  I left them at church, on a chair and when I returned just a few minutes later to get them, they were gone. I was concerned, but certain they would be found.  For months, I searched the lost and found.  I wondered who would want an old pair of mission scriptures, but they never turned up.  To this day, I still ache for my scriptures from my mission.  The photos tucked in between the pages, notes, letters and poems from family and friends, impressions I’d written in the pages while I learned about Jesus, dreams, concerns and hopes I shared while pondering God’s plan for me.  It was all gone.

The counselor purchased a new set of leather scriptures for Christmas that year, engraved with my now married name on the front cover.  I cherished those scriptures and used them for almost 10 years, but still I ached for my mission scriptures.  No longer did I have the time to read like I did before and the everyday miracles that came from scripture reading were tucked in the back of my mind.  I had high intentions to read everyday, but most days it didn’t happen.  I packaged them in a box in 2008, the day we moved two houses down the street to our new home.  Reef was 3 months old and it took weeks, even months to unpack all those boxes.  I didn’t know the garage leaked, so the day we had a huge monsoonal rain, I didn’t think anything of it.  It was too late when I noticed a mildew smell.  I inspected the unpacked boxes and found them full of photos and books, including my soaking wet green and black moldy scriptures.

Two sets down, and now my third set from Rodrigo Hurtado, found at Desert Industries, a thrift store owned by the Mormon Church.  When I purchased them for $4.00, I was thrilled.  Not only were they in excellent condition, but they didn’t have a single marking in them.   I wanted a new set as soon as possible, but didn’t have the money for a new $60 set.

I carry my Rodrigo Hurtado scriptures with pride, just don’t call me Rodrigo.  Sure, I still hope my mission scriptures will turn up, but until they do, these work just fine.  

Payson and the Seal

One day while we were in California, we were all relaxing in our hotel, just kicking it with cable television (an indulgence we do not have at home).  Earlier we had been swimming at the resort pool.  I had just finished making lunch; quesadillas, watermelon and homemade cookies.  The ocean view was just outside the window and I could feel that cool sea air.

“Who wants to go to the beach with me?” I asked, waiting for a handful of offers. 

Good Luck, Charlie was on in the boy’s room, Storage Wars was on in the master bedroom (a show the counselor really got into) and SpongeBob was on in the living room.  Everyone was content.

“Will someone please go to the beach with me?” I said again, hopeful at least one of my children would jump at the chance to walk the ½ mile down the coastal road, through the nature reserve and finally descend down the steep cliff hill to the beach, when my son Payson looked up “What?”

Do you see why I don’t have cable television in my home?

“Do you want to go to the beach with me?”

“I don’t know,” he says rolling over back towards the TV, putting another cookie in his mouth.

I didn’t want to go the beach alone and going with the counselor was out of the question.  One parent needed to stay with the baby and he’d already volunteered to do that (although between you and me, I think it was to see what Barry found in that storage unit).  I needed a friend.  So, in an act of desperation, I bribed Payson with s'mores later that night if he’d go to the beach with me.

My Payson, I don’t really get to spend much time with him.  Between school and basketball and scouts and his IPod and me always helping his younger brothers and sister, we’ve been like strangers passing in the night.  Yes, I wanted to be with Payson.

So, off we went, him and I hand in hand and in a matter of minutes he was thanking me.  We ran, literally, chasing each other down the coastal highway, laughing, stopping only once to look at an amazing spider web.  We crossed the road and started the walk (yes, I was all ran out) through the nature reserve of Crystal Cove.  It was here Payson started with questions from his 10-year old mind:

“Did dinosaurs ever live here?”

“What if a snake tried to bite me?”

“Do you think I run faster then Dad?”

“What if I got lost?”

And it was so sweet, I was so grateful because I think sometimes Payson gets lost somewhere in the middle.

How ironic!  Here's a photo of him in the middle.

I rarely answer his questions with more then a “yes” or “no” and “have you finished your homework?”  Walking to the beach, I had time to really think about his questions and laugh and ask him more questions back. 

We hiked down the sand cliff road to the beach and into the water.  We caught wave after wave, going under and over, splashing, rolling in the sand and running back into the waves again.  I wished the experience would never end, but eventually the sun did start to set in that beautiful California sky.

It was already an amazing experience; feeling the love of my child, the ocean water so pure as it rolled over my body, the health I’ve enjoyed, how my legs felt so strong when I ran in the sand, how my manuscript is currently being reviewed by a small publishing house (I just had to throw that in, because I am so excited that my manuscript is ACTUALLY IN THE HANDS OF A WONDERFUL EDITOR) but God gave me more.

I stood next to Payson in the water waist deep when a seal just a few feet in front of me popped its head up.  A gray seal, almost within reach!

Image found here

I stared at it for only a few seconds, watching its eyes scan over me and I was in awe. I motioned to Payson just as the seal ducked its head back under the waves. Payson wasn’t able to see it.

“You saw a seal?” he said, a little jealous that he wasn’t able to see it, then his tone turned serious.

“What else is in the water?” he asked and we both got a little freaked out.  “Don’t sharks eat seals?”

I was just about in freak out mode, ready to grab him and high-tail it out of the water, but then I didn’t.  The sunset and the water and being with Payson was so special, that I remained calm, acting like it was no big deal to be swimming with seals.

 
“Payson, check out that wave,” I said.  It may have been a cheap shot, not really validating Payson’s shark concerns, but in a wave he was distracted and we body surfed another 20 minutes.

I felt so at one with the earth and my body and the water and my son.  I jumped up and down, so grateful to be alive and experiencing this wonderful life and thinking maybe one day before I’m 100 years old, I just might be a published author.  Then, it didn't matter anymore because writing my book and all the work that has gone it has been such a pleasure.  I write about the ocean because I love it, because it makes me so happy.

The moon finally came out.  The sky was purple and there was still enough light for Payson and I to dig for sand crabs.  We dug up hundreds, some the size of my thumb and watched as the buried in a furry back into the sand.  Payson and I looked like “hobos,” he so eloquently said as we finally walked back up the road of the steep cliff. 

“Where would we sleep if we were hobos?” he asked.

“Would dad be able to find us if we got lost?

“What’s for dinner?”

“When can I have s'mores?”

The walk home was full of questions, croaking frogs, the whistle of the wind and waves crashing on the shore. I thought of my book, my character Winona who loves the ocean and I was happy.

Oops! Paint

 Dear Home Depot Picky Paint Customers,

     I wanted to write this letter to thank you for creating such a great selection of oops! paint to chose from.  It appears the trained clerks who work behind the paint counter make mistake after mistake on your paint selections and you keep calling them out on it.  The last few weeks have been great.  Perhaps you requested a sea splash green, but instead the color was closer to a cucumber green or maybe a minted melon.  I don't mean to mock the process because I understand if the color is just one shade off.  It's insulting to the color you spent almost an hour picking out.

     Let's take the red can of paint I found last week.  Normally, a quart of premium paint runs around $15.00, but because you chose to be picky, I paid just $2.00 for it.  It was just what I've been looking for.  I wonder why you passed on it?  Perhaps you were looking more for a beet red, or maybe something more dramatic like a red pepper red or even better, red velvet. Either way, I'm glad you declined on it because I used it to paint my son Mayer his new dresser.

Before

After

     He was so excited.  You should have seen his face.  I'm glad he's not too picky yet. To him, red is red.
Keep up the great work, you picky painting people. I can't wait to see what paint color I find next time I hit Home Depot.

     Sincerely,
          Happy with Paint for Cheap

Savannah, Georgia The Final Chapter

I just wanted to share the rest of my photos from our Savannah trip.  We're home now and I'm literally dreaming about some of the meals we had.  Even though this was not a trashin trip (local antique stores were super expensive) I really fell in love with this city and hope to return in the near future. 

                                     

 If there was one restaurant that was suggested most often it was Mrs. Wilkes- so we had to try it for ourselves.  Mrs. Wilkes is only open Monday thru Friday from 11-2.  When we asked for directions we were told to go to Whitaker and Jones and then just look for the line.  True to the rumor, when we arrived at the intersection of Whitaker and Jones there indeed was a line going down the street...  

The line lead us to this sign and the smell of fried chicken.  

Mrs. Wilkes is a family style restaurant so they seat 10 people at a time at each table.  We waited about 45 minutes to be seated, but were greeted by this...

20 different side dishes included with your meal- This is what they call soul food; collard greens, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potato casserole, buttered beans, white rice, brown rice with sausage, cole slaw, pickled beets, potato salad, baked beans, okra & tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, rutabaga, macaroni & Cheese, cabbage, creamed corn, biscuits and cornbread.  And the fried chicken was delicious!  I was also happy to learn that most of the recipes are online- my favorites were the sweet potato casserole and fried chicken.  For dessert I had the banana bread pudding- another recipe online that I can't wait to make for my family.  Mrs. Wilkes is definitely a must stop if you're in Savannah.  Here's some other random food info...

Vinnie Van Go Go's had fantastic hand tossed pizza- This guy was a real pro.

Leopold's Ice Cream shop has a great atmosphere and delicious ice cream.  It wasn't just about the food though (insert a few random picture so you don't think all I did was eat)

Here's Mr. Right helping me collect shells at the beach on Tybee Island.

Love these beach houses on the island- if you're traveling to Savannah and don't have a car I'd recommend catching the bus at the Visitor's center that goes out to Tybee Island.  It was only $3 per person for the 30 minute drive- We stayed a few hours and then hopped back on the bus and returned to our hotel.  Remember the haunted hotel?  Well, we survived our stay- with no incidents.  Here's some pictures of our room.

Sorry I didn't think to take a picture until after we took a nap in the bed.  Super beautiful surroundings, lovely hors d' oeuvres, tasty pecan floritine cookies for dessert and a good southern style breakfast.  The receptionist was very helpful and recommended a local restaurant, The Pink House.  The house was built in 1771.  When built it was a red brick house with white stucco over the bricks.  Over time the stucco turned pink- they think from the humidity of Savannah.  

I had to take pictures of my meal, because it was amazing.  Amazing taste and presentation.  For an appetizer we had the Crab cake with fried green tomatoes...

\

Very tasty.  I forgot to take a picture of the strawberry, goat cheese salad with candied pecans- I would highly recommend it.  Mr. Right had the pork tenderloin...

And I had the the chicken fried steak...

One of the managers even said, "Look at that bad boy"  This was a 16 ounce, grass fed ribeye steak that's coated with a flour mixture and deep fried.  This was my dinner AND Mr. Right and my lunch the next day.  The best part of the meal, however, was dessert.  A Praline basket...

filled with vanilla bean ice cream, mango sauce and fresh berries- truly dream worthy!  If it wasn't for us missing all our amazing children, we wouldn't have ever left Savannah!  What a fun week it was.  Love, Kelly.

QcumberZ and Weekend Trash

I made it down to Qcumberz this weekend and restocked the space.

I found this folding wood vintage easel while garaging last weekend.  It has a drawer for paints and brushes that sits behind the print.

Isn't she lovely.  The sketched fashion model art is from the thrift store.

What else did I find to take to the shop?

This gorgeous vintage dresser that I couldn't decide if I should keep or sell.  In the end, I didn't have any room for it in my house, so down to the shop it went.

Here's a better photo of it I took from home before I went down to Phoenix.

This end table/nightstand made it down there too.  Chandler says this is one of his favorite things I've ever painted.  He likes the futuristic look of it.  Does it remind you of Buzz Lightyear?

I paid $1.00 for these Anthropolgie bowls and measuring cups at a garage sale.

Here's a photo of the collection I found on-line.

The funky rock balls with the cool display stand was $5.00 at a garage sale.

The little light-up vintage owl and the vintage ballerina wall art were from the thrift store.

Here's a closer look because I heart owls.

Saturday was a lot of fun in blue jeans, but Sunday is the only day I dress up.
I think my trashy church outfit was worth the $11.00 I paid for it.

The skirt is from April Cornell and I paid $6.00 for it at a thrift store in Tucson.  These skirts run around $100.00.  The shirt is Tommy Hilfiger and it was $1.00 at Goodwill.  The shoes are J. Crew and were $4.00 at Mesa Thrift.  Eden's little dress is from The Children's Place and was $2.99 from Goodwill.  Chandler's $1.00 vintage tie was the only thing I found a few weeks ago while out garage selling.  I love that he already knows vintage means special and cool!

I hit one garage sell this weekend and I found Mayer something he's always asked for.  A Tony Hawk half-pike for his tech-decks.

What's great is after I paid $5.00 for all the skateboard ramps, the homeowner of the  garage sale looked through a big box of old toys and pulled out about 10 tech-decks, which she threw in for the same price.  One tech-deck is around $5.00, so this what such a sweet deal.
Eden played in her $25.00 thrift store play kitchen I found at Mesa Thrift.

Her little shirt, a Frances Elizabeth Original I found at Goodwill for $2.99 and is quite the show stopper.

 Eden is serious about playing house. Notice she's using the lid top of a can of spray paint as a cup.  She's recycling so young!  That's my girl.

Speaking of playing house, the counselor picked apricots, plums and apples from the fruit trees.

As I sit here blogging, he's pitting the apricots for freezing.  He's a smoothie lover, that man!  The apples are for applesauce, applesauce cookies and a much-desired apple crisp.
How was your weekend.  Hope it was a great one.  Hugs!
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