DIY - Welcome Mat "Iron" Headboard

My husband and I finally decided to upgrade to a king size bed to better fit  us, two body pillows, the dog, an occasional cat and regular guest appearances by our 7-year-old son. But it meant giving up our gorgeous hand-crafted iron bed. Since we paid a bit more to get a "green" (and really comfy) bed, we wanted to come up with a high style headboard on a low budget price.

I had seen a segment on HGTV where the designer used rubber "iron" door mats as wall stencils. Thinking I would try it, I visited my local Lowe's (too close for financial comfort) to check out their selection of mats. That's when it struck me--(ding)--the solution to my headboard blues. I could make my own "iron" headboard for under $50 the cost of four mats plus some nails in a similar color. One hour of later, we had a great looking headboard without breaking the bank.

Here's how you can make one too!

1. Choose your mats
2. Decide whether to use them vertically or horizontally. We based this partly on our design preference, but also considered which direction would match up better with the width of our bed.
3. Push your bed up against the wall where it will be. Measure the width of the bed and mark a center point on the wall behind it.
4. Hold the first mat against the wall just above the bed and and on the center line. Mark points on the wall where you can put the nails to hang your mats.
5. Do the same with the other mats, working from the center out.
6. Use a level to make sure all your nail holes will be even and start nailing.
7. Hang your mats up, push your bed into place and, Voila! One really cheap headboard.
8. Bonus note: If you ever change your decor you won't have to buy door mats for years to come!

If you want more specific directions, please sent me a comment. If you have great headboard creations of your own, please share them!

Thanks - Cristy

Shopping an estate sale in a haunted house: it must be Halloween!

Every neighborhood had one. The haunted house. Rumored to be the site of some grisly murder. Spooky. Foreboding. Mine was 400 McDonald Way. It was old. It was a weathered gray. And it sat in silence as our suburban neighborhoods grew up around it. It was now tops on my yard sale list for Friday, which I didn't realize until I pulled up out front and saw the "Estate Sale" signs.

Heart pounding, the theme to Jaws pounding in my head, I crossed the threshold. I was really glad my father was with me (they never cease to be daddy when things get tough.)  It was a house. A normal house. A sad house full of someones memories for sale. I poked around, picked up a vintage embroidered apron, Christmas tablecloth and a few knick-knacks. Then I noticed that there were items on the patio (I love vintage garden stuff!) I made my way outside where I found tons of goodies. I also found a small elderly lady warming herself in the sun.

We said hello and began talking. I found out it was her home and that she was having to move. She seemed sad. I told her the entire haunted house story and she laughed softly and told me she had heard many stories about the house from passers-by. Her favorite, she said, was the story of Old McDonald (I kid you not, that is what he was called) got the house to  put on his farmland. Apparently, Old McDonald won the house in a poker game. To move the home, she said, they rolled it on logs for miles. She continued to tell me stories and she brightened with each.

I ended up with some good stuff at that sale. The best was meeting the lady of the manor and finding out the house that seemed so scary was really a place of love, of light, of memories.

Thanks for indulging my emotional meandering. I'll post pictures of this weekend's finds tomorrow along with an amazing tip for making a beautiful wrought iron headboard for under $50.

Cristy

MY Yard Sale Plan for the Weekend

Hi all - wanted to share my personal yard sale plan for the weekend here in Bakersfield. I pluck these directly from ads and listings, so please forgive any format and/or spelling issues. For once, they aren't mine. This list does not contain every sale this weekend, but the ones that have caught my eye. Hope to see you out there!

Yard Sale List – October 22/23

Friday

11405 Clarion River Dr (Stockdale and River Run area.) Huge moving sale. Everything must go! Bedroom set, Living room set, Kitchen stuff. Too much to mention. Drive by Friday for early sale. Sat 7-11am

12213 Lone Oak Court -Lassen Dr. & Lone Oak Court Furniture, toys, rabbit cages, garden composter, gas BBQ, TV, household items, chipper shredder and lots of assorted kitchen stuff. No early birds please

4109 Garnsey Ln.....in front of Harris elementary school ( behind Mimi's on Calif ave ) furniture, household, misc...Antique display hutch, cedar trunk, Oak rocking chair, kids rocking chair, old chairs, tables, jewelery box, pictures, pots and pans. Will be getting even more, different things, later that day out of storage for Saturday. 7:30am Friday 7:00am Sat

305 S. Myrtle St. ROTOTILLER - SAW - HEAVY DUTY OPEN WOOD BURNING STOVE SAUCER - FIRESTONE 205/65/15 - BRIDGE STONE 235/70/ 16 - HOUSE BLINDS - MISL KITCHEN STUFF - SINK BASIN - Q / SIZE BED FRAME - GAZELLE - CHILD'S 3 WHEELER - ROCKINHORSE - SOME CLOTHING - MORE. FRIDAY AND SATURDAY 8:00 AM

12412 PRAIRIE ROSE WAY, ROSEDALE TO ALLEN LEFT ON ALLEN TO DOVE CREEK, FIRST LEFT, FOLLOW SIGNS! HUGH YARD SALE ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY LOTS AND LOTS OF STUFF ALL HAS GOTTA GO!!!
FURNITURE, HOME DECOR, TOYS, ETC...SOME NEW ALL CHEEEEEP!!

2020 G Street WAREHOUSE SALE Fri & Sat 7AM

400 McDonald Way. Fri & Sat 9am & Sun10am Roseville pottery & collectibles, furn., applc., and Much More!

ESTATE SALE 3916 Reno Ave Fri. & Sat. 7am. 20 years of teaching material,

Saturday

2216 Chris Ct., Bakersfield, CA 93306 (Located between Mt. Vernon & Oswell. From Mt. Vernon Avenue: Turn east on College, north on Manley, east on Angela and north on Chris Ct.)Antiques, Clocks, Mirrors, Books, Christmas Decor, Crystal, Canister Sets, Cookie Jars, Teapots, Collectibles, Vintage glassware, Lamps, Framed Art, Bird Bath, outdoor water fountain, TV's, etc.
Saturday 10/23/10, 7:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

2909 Manor  7 am until ???? Furniture: Hide-a-bed, several tables, chairs, small desk, queen headboard, Large Jewelry box, 2 entertainment centers, Vanity and much more .  Clothing: infant boys, toddler girls, teenage girls, women's and men's a few Halloween Costumes, shoes, purses, etc... Household: Decor, Knick Knacks, Pots and pans, dishes  Electronics, tools, fishing poles, tackle, Organizers, white boards, jewelry, Camping supplies, Art supplies, craft supplies, fabric and scrap booking items Too much to list!

CONCORD CT. NW off Brimhall Rd. Multi-Family Sale, Sat. 7am-noon. Lots Of Everything!

9202 Leslie Deann Ct, Multi-Family: Many estate items, vintage collect., antiques, some furn., vintage Xmas & more. Sat 7am-2pm

Korean Presbyterian Church of Bakersfield, 1600 Calloway Dr. 7am-2pm. Clothings, Furniture, Appliances, Electronics, & many more.

Fuel up with your chocolate mini donuts

Becoming a Yard Sale Ninja, Lesson 2

As promised here is the second lesson in successful yard sale shopping. I'm going to assume you used my advice from yesterday and have figured out where you want to go and gathered all your supplies. I need to add another reminder about Friday shopping. You may be thinking, "I can't do that, I work on Fridays." Nice try. Yard sales start at 5 or 6 a.m. whether the ad says "no early birds" or not. That gives you a good hour or two before work...primo shopping time! Okay. My Friday propaganda is done for now, so let's move on to working the actual sale.

1. Make sure you are prepared according to my directions yesterday. List of sales, chocolate mini-donuts and soda with crushed ice, small bills and a navigation system (called a map in my world.) In my advanced yard sale program, you can learn about the more serious tools I've seen in my work. Nothing says serious like a shopper in a miner's hat with a blinding LED light standing on the sidewalk at 3 a.m.
2. Be picky. If the yard sale looks lame, chances are it is lame. So do the annoyingly slow drive-by to see if they have the good stuff in the garage, on the side of the house or (nirvana) an estate sale inside the house. Don't be afraid to keep driving if you don't think it is worth your time. It means more time for you and upholds my personal political agenda of outlawing yard sales with less than 20 items.
3.  Be flexible. Another good yard sale tool is a small set of binoculars. Unless you're 17, your eyes may have difficulty reading those yard sale signs as you fly by, all hopped up on sugar, caffeine and hope. Use your specs to check out the signs you see, make sure they are current (people should have to take down their signs by the end of the weekend or face prosecution in my Utopia) and take a leap of faith as to whether you want to stay the course or follow this new path. Use the force to guide you. And the driver should never serve as the spotter unless you have a death wish.
4. Work with a partner. This is war. And how well you fight it determines how much booty you walk away with. Partner with other upcyclers or friends who "get" you and know what you want. Your last resort is your spouse, but beware. While they mean well, they can be easily distracted by shiny things such as tools, golf clubs or barbecue grills. And then they drop the Petunia Picklebottom Diaper bag in pristine condition for $5, only to have it snatched up by some lady who has no idea who Petunia Picklebottom is, but figures it must be good since you are now beating your husband with the tools and golf clubs (and the grill if you have the strength.)
5. A note about kids. If you must bring yours, it's a good idea to give them each a couple of bucks and teach them about capitalism while keeping them out of your hair. They'll get their new toy itch scratched and you'll have toys to sell in your next yard sale. Other people's kids aren't so easy. For every thoughtful shopper, there seems to be dozens that let their kids run amok. Take a deep breath, remember your goal and shove them out of the way if you have to. And for goodness sakes, watch out for the little urchins as you arrive or leave. Nothing can ruin your shopping day like running over someone.
6. Grab the goods! If you think you may even consider wanting something, grab it and carry it with you...this is where those great oversize recycled bags come in handy...kind of like your own shopping cart. If someone is looking at something you want, don't be rude and grab it (unless you really want it.) Lurk. Sigh heavily. Scream, "Oh my gosh, I just saw Justin Bieber at the yard sale across the street." Works every time. Once you think you've done your damage, hunker down in a corner and paw through your stuff. Keep what you really want and put the rest back (and stand back so you don't get hurt while someone else snatches it from you!)
7. You've heard that most people are more afraid of public speaking than dying. I'm thinking haggling is a close third. You don't want to insult the seller, but every penny you save is...well...a penny you save. Work it like an Ebay auction. Know ahead of time how much are you willing to pay and what you consider your walk-away price. Remember, the earlier in the sale, the less likely sellers are usually willing to haggle. Come back on Sunday and they will pay you to take it! My favorite technique is to let them try and tell me the cost of each individual item. Once I figure out where they are going, I graciously interrupt them and make an offer for the whole lot, usually about 20 percent less than what all the items would be individually. If you pull the cash out of your pocket as you say it, the motivation factor is increased. Nine times out of ten, they will take it rather than have to do the math. And, hey, you've already got your treasures bagged!
8. Finally, make sure your eyes aren't bigger than your car. There is nothing funnier than someone trying to strap a king size bed on top of a Nissan Cube, unless you are that person. Don't be that person. Drive a LARGE vehicle or make arrangements for a friend with a truck to come back later to pick up your larger items.

Okay, this is much longer than I planned, but I want you to be ready to storm the beaches tomorrow (Friday!) I'm going with some of my other gainfully unemployed girlfriends. I'll try and figure out how to post illustrative photos of the process and maybe a video or two! Happy shopping!

Brother, can you spare an authentic South American crewel work blouse in a large enough size for me to make a pillow out of it. Oh, and for a dime?

I've always been kind of into yard sales. The idea that you might find that hidden gem-- that first edition Mark Twain for 25 cents could be pretty motivating. But not motivating enough to get me out of bed at 5 a.m. so I can fight with strangers over cracked dishes and clothes that smell slightly of mold and moth balls.

But then I learned the ART of the yard sale and a whole new shopping world opened up to me. I love Nordstrom and would shop there every day of the week. But the reality is, I'm now unemployed and required to insure a 16-year-old male driver. Needless to say, my discretionary spending barely covers a Big Mac value meal and definitely not super sized.

Okay, so back to the yard sales. As an upcycler, this is your raw material: your canvas and paint. And it's your cheapest source of supplies, except for dumpster diving, which we will save for another day. So listen, dear student, and I will teach you...

Cristy's Guide to Getting What You Want at Yard Sales Without Having to Fight Some Lady and Her Kids, part 1: Where to Shop

1. Do your research. Check the newspaper classifieds, Craig's List, word of mouth, people with OCD who hang their signs on Wednesday.
2. Take Friday off. People are increasingly starting their yard sales on Friday. On Friday, you get the best stuff and there is a much smaller crowd, kind of like Disneyland on Thanksgiving.
3. Limit your options to make the most of your time. Neighborhood/group sales are great one stop shopping, so start there. After that, map out the sales in neighborhoods where you think you may find what you want (yes, this is yard sale profiling.)
4.  A special note about estate sales. The words "estate sale" have long meant that somebody passed away and their family is letting perfect strangers paw through all the stuff in their house for bargains. Sounds macabre and kind of is, but you can really score on the cool stuff! However,  people have started using the term for any old sale because they know we will flock like moths to the flame. I think they should pass a law that says you can't call it an estate sale unless you have a death certificate in hand. And while I'm at it, you shouldn't be able to call it any kind of sale unless you have at least 20 items. 
5. Fuel up for the long morning ahead. Make sure your gas tank is full and while at the gas station pick up a couple of packs of mini chocolate donuts and a soda with crushed ice. It's gonna be a long morning.
6. Get some small bills. If you try to pay for $2 worth of items with a $100 bill prepare to be jumped and detained as a counterfeiter. Or at least be ready for heavy sighs, dirty looks and rolled eyes.

Okay, now that your prep work is done, we can move into the sale itself. But let's save that for the next post, shall we. Don't worry, you will be ready to roll by Friday (YES-Friday,) with mad yard sale ninja skills.

Speed Dating, Tupperware Parties and How to Convince Your Friends to Follow You

Wow. So here we are. My first post, your first read. It feels a bit like speed dating. I've got a few minutes to convince you that I'm the blogger of your dreams before we both move on; you to another blogger and me, to Facebook to try and convince more of my friends to follow me.

Inviting friends to follow my blog feels like inviting my friends to a Tupperware party. "Hey, just drop by, you don't have to stay long and you're not obligated to buy anything," I say. They smile nicely, tell me they may drop by for a few minutes between the kids' soccer practice and music lessons. And they're thinking "I really don't want to go, but she read my Pampered Chef blog last week so I'm pretty much obligated."

Seriously, you don't have to buy anything! Just come when you can, learn what you want and above all, have fun. Talk back to me (I can take it, I have teenagers.) Share your ideas. Or if you figure out a better way to do my ideas (highly likely) share them with me and our friends.

I'd also like to feature your upcycling work. Just send me a photo of your work (with you, preferably) and a brief description of who you are and what you do. And you don't even have to buy anything.