Let's Put a Pin in That...Why I Never Throw Anything Away

Ever have a thought enter your brain, and no matter how much time passes, just refuse to let it go? I've personally lost track how often this has happened. I can't help it! I've got millions of plans, and thousands of ideas. When inspiration strikes, I'm overcome with this crazy urge, and have to do everything within my power to bring it to life! 

Pin all the pictures! 

Make all the lists! 

Organize all the supplies! 

Occasionally the idea dies, and that random thrift store purchase gets tossed, because reupholstering an entire chair turns out to be WAY harder than it looks. But for the most part, I'll eventually circle back to the idea, and my hoarding tendency comes in REAL handy. When I find myself rummaging around for that certain SOMETHING, I've usually got it stored away from that one time...I thought about doing that one thing...with that other thing.

Example A: Teal Hairpin Legs circa 2014. So here's the back story. While trolling Craigslist, I spotted this super basic desk for $20. My random-project-idea at the time was to find a side table for our entryway, and when I saw those legs, I figured I could build it. Weeeeelll I ended up just buying one from At Home, and sadly those legs never saw the light of day. 

But I didn't give up! Every time I went downstairs, saw them propped up in the corner just begging to be used, the creative cogs would start turning. So recently when my heart screamed "YOU NEED A PLANT STAND!", my brain calmly responded "Shhhhhh remember that desk you bought off CL three years ago?".

YES! I hustled over to Menards for a round wooden panel as the top, slapped on some white paint we had a sample of, and used the hardware already included with the desk to secure all the legs. A couple episodes of "Scandal" later, I had myself a plant stand! 

Isn't he the CUTEST?!! 

The downside is I only used three of the four, so now a single leftover leg is lying around. But what have we learned? DO NOT THROW AWAY THE THINGS! Just put a pin in it, you never know when you'll need it again.  :) 

Check out more craft projects, by visiting the GETTING CRAFTY page!

House + Love = Home

August 2013: Eric and I purchase our first house. 

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1 week later: we buy paint, a brush, and get to work! 

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2013 - 2017: 4 years, 7 rooms, 2 bathrooms, 6 ceilings, 1 banister, 21 spindles, 15 stairs, 6 doors, 1 bed frame, and ENDLESS trim later...

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Our very first paint brush has officially bit the dust.  **cue sad violin music**

The thought of just tossing it in the trash really bummed me out. This little guy has been with us during our entire home transformation. From "meh" to amazing! Frumpy to fabulous! Blah to BA-BAM! It needed to be commemorated somehow. 

So off to the thrift store I scampered, and for $5 found myself the perfect frame. To customize it further, I rooted around Eric's tool desk and pulled out boxes of nails, screws, and nuts. Laid each on the frame to create a pattern, and hot-glued everything down.

All it took was a few coats of white on the frame, silver on the back, more glue to secure the brush, and this project was DONE!

House + Love = Home

I adore this phrase. Simple, yet heartwarming. 

Only thing left to do is to find somewhere to hang it! I'm thinking right in the foyer, with maybe some hooks beneath where we can keep our keys. It'll be a nice little reminder every time we walk in, of all the blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into making our house into the beautiful home it is today.

Digging through all these "before" pics, reminds me how much I need to put together another home tour. It's been a few years, and things have changed so much! Not to mention all the plans we've got hidden up our sleeves. 

Check out all of our home improvements, by visiting the OUR NEST page.