Details

For now, for where we are, it's gonna be in the details. 

I keep surveying our home, scratching my head wondering what (in each and every room) is missing. And finally, after much pondering, I've happened upon the answer. It's the details. You see, I read so many amazing blogs about people completely renovating their older homes. And the things they're doing are just amazing! Intense reno work. Massive transformations. Seriously challenging DIY. 

And then there's me. in my newer home. No grubby carpet to rip out. No walls that need knocking down. No kitchen cabinets in desperate need of an upgrade. 

So, what's a DIY loving, project craving, nesting Nelly to do?

Decorate! That's what. Decorate with details. Decorate with smaller, subtler projects, unique acquisitions, trash to treasure trinkets and Goodwill goodies. Decorate to my heart's content. Decorate to make this house truly our home. 

Just a little pep talk I've been giving myself lately when it comes to decor and this home of ours. don't mind me. 

And on that note, a Goodwill goodie to discuss. This little metal basket. cute, no?

I saw this little basket the other day, perched precociously atop the 'Metal & Trays' shelf at my local Goodwill. Looking sad. Especially sad when you consider the company it was keeping. Ralph & Ronalynn's 'Celebrating 25 Years of Wedded Bliss' silver anniversary tray was holding up the bottom, while a super sinister metal penguin figurine sat idly inside. poor penguin. held back from ever truly exploring his new found Goodwill life. That was, until I freed him. You see, after gauging this goodie from afar, I decided to move in a little closer and really take stock. 

I liked what I saw. 

So, I delicately removed Gary (I assume that was his name) and set him down near Ralph and Ronalynn. While they got acquainted, I turned heel and made a break for it with my new metal basket. And by made a break for it I mean walked slowly to the cash register, exchanged pleasantries with the cashier, and paid my $3.50 to bring this little ditty home with me. 

I'm happy to report that this little basket is now on blanket & magazine holding duty. A nice little detail I'm excited to have added to my living room as I continue to define what exactly this room, and home in general, will eventually look like.

Quick Fix

It seems like little trays like this abound at Goodwill stores. Cheap little metal trays with cute details but less than desirable finishes. Probably old trays that once served cucumber and egg salad sandwhiches at a 50th anniversary soiree, in a small town community hall, long, long ago. 

I imagine. 

But I digress. Back to the trays in general. 

If they were actually silver, I'd buff them up and display them as is. But instead, they're just beat up, cheap metal, often dirty and stained. I had been reluctant to purchase any of them, because in the store, they're just so undesirable. However, at $1.99, this little one was just cheap enough to entice me to take the plunge. 

Turns out, all the little tray needed was a few coats of ORB spray paint, and voila! An adorable little candle tray, brought back to life through the magic of paint. And now, I can see that this tray always had super cute details that were simply too subtle, hidden by it's former finish. Like check out those sweet little embossed handles, or the quanit little dotted border. All hiding in plain sight. Much better now, I think.

And that's what I call a Goodwill quick fix.

Well lookey here

A certain Goodwill vase is finally serving its purpose in this world! From the second I laid eyes on this lil vase, I knew it was bound to hold biscotti for afternoon coffee cravings. I just. knew it.

I have since filled said vase with biscotti. And, as I suspected, all is right with the world.

The end.

P.S.  this biscotti recipe can be found here...

P.P.S. For biscotti to turn out as biscotti vs cookies, here are a couple things I've read and learned. Bake batter in a long, flat log. After allotted cooking time, and time for cooling, remove log from tray and lay on a cutting board. Cut biscotti to desired thickness (see below). Then, stand biscotti up on baking tray and bake for the time remaining. By standing biscotti up, both sides will get evenly crisp in half the time. Happy baking!

$3.99

That's what I paid for this beauty.

My baby sis and I were trolling Goodwill the other day, when I saw this swank piece. It was listed at $3.99. And yes, I felt the urge to barter. 

Unfortunately garage sale season is still a few weeks away. 

So, I forked over my $3.99 and took this pitcher home with me. It sat in the garage for some time before I got on to fixing it up. But this weekend, I took advantage of our lovely warm weather and got to work on revamping this sad, sad pitcher. 

I opted for some Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint that I've heard about so much about over here. Ordinarily, I'd go for plain white, but this color (can we call it that?), is just so intense. It's dark, but not black. It's super dimensional and sparkly and different from every angle.

So, away I went. 

Action shot. No big deal. 

A couple items to note in the above picture. 

1. Yes, I am wearing crocs. They're my garage-cleaning, yard-working, spray-painting shoes. One time, in university, I wore these crocs to school. It was a low point for me. I was told that by a friend that day.

They were very right.

2. Yes I am wearing my old softball tee shirt. Single tear for the now defunct Dodgers. 

But once again, I digress. On to the Goodwill pitcher transformation!

Coat 1. Lookin' patchy. 

Coat 2. A little more coverage? I think so.

Coat 3. Mmmmhmm. Ladies and gentlemen, I think we've arrived.

Let's zoom in for a few detail shots shall we?

I think the picture below best shows the iridescent quality of ORB. It's not black, not brown, not entirely sparkly and yet not matte. It's just perfect!  It's a delicious concoction of spray-paint that creates the richest and most delightfully pigmented finished product. 

At the end of the day, I have a beautiful little pitcher that went from grungy Goodwill to rustic and restored. It always had these classic lines, but the galvanized steel and gold detailing were competing for attention. With a clean, uniform coat of ORB spray paint, this pitcher can finally be the little flower canister it was always meant to be :)