last fall i joined the masses on schuykill expressway a.m. speed derby to meet with a stranger in an area of philly that, um...ain't so safe. in my swagga wagon armed with "security"--my mom and killer cockapoo--i was headed to part the upholstered porch furniture for the freebies i spied in a craigslist "curb alert".
was it worth the hour drive, the stop and go traffic and the gas? (no, i can't keep up with that carbon footprint baloney so keep that calculation to yourself for now, k?)
yepperoo, it was.
1. cushy spot on which to rest my bootie in my "studio" FOR FREE. looking forward to it's future in a snarky ikea fabric and freshly painted limbs.
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3. remember barfy the brown buffet?
not so barfy and brown anymore, eh? work is in progress... when i scoot my arse off the sofa.
4. my little surprise.
yep, didn't spy that hunk o' missing chunk 'til he was unloaded. oh, well...F.R.E.E., remember?
of course, i could have done a 47 things with that delish table but--at the time--that (F.R.E.E.) partially amputated leg was more than i could take so, in a weak moment, i relented to allowing my 12 year old daughter and 15 year old niece to test drive a "magic" putty.
they crashed.
and burned.
shortly thereafter, i decided that it was a jolly good idea to participate in an itsy-bitsy, teenie-weenie holiday craft fair. a no-brainer decision 'cuz we all know 'bout the droves of folks who scramble to local craft fairs to shell out hundreds of bucks in a stagnant economy to purchase elephantine FURNITURE, right?
wife: "oh, bob, just what we need to top off suzy's stocking... a 200 pound three-drawer dresser!!"
husband: "that's perfect, jane! and isn't that 150 pound sofa table exactly what little jimmy has been looking for?"
moving on.
the day before i realized that needed i sign. no, not the lightening-bolt-on-a- sunny-day-kind-of-sign--a business sign.
i wanted to look official or professional or, perhaps, something more than a mom who paints furniture. kinko's wanted around $30 for a poster that i had no place to hang. i pondered.
with me so far? hey, rudie pittootie--perk up a tad. i'm talkin' here!
okay, to the point. what began life as a table....
has ended life as a sign. do you spy those fill spots on the top right? i kinda like 'em.
yes, i did it all by my desperate little self...and it only took 20 or 30 hours. ya see, when you haven't done the transfer-by-outlining-the-photocopy-in-pencil-thingy in over 17 years, you forget that that the pencil goes on the OPPOSITE side. plus, i suck at multitasking should one task involve even a spit of thinking.
it's not perfect....
but it was F.R.E.E.
yup.
(hey...if you don't receive a reply to your comment it's probably b/c you have your blogger account set to "NO REPLY". get on that, peeps!!!)
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16 comments:
Loved the entire story...and the table turned sign is awesome. Hope all goes well...
Stop...you're making me feel so laaazzzzy.
But, you're so good for a laugh! Don't sell yourself short- of course those two goobers want to buy that sofa table for Jimmy. What...are they crazy? Jimmy's gonna be a happy boy.
I wish I would have run into you somewhere on the day you were looking for a fix on the table leg...I too had a similar "chunk" missing out of an old tv cabinet I was working on that no amount of wood putty was going to correct. The answer...JB Weld.I think it is meant for auto repairs but it worked like a charm...it's a two part putty that you knead like clay fill your hole and it is sandable.It isn't stainable but if you are going to paint it works great. Love your Craigs List story...oh the places I have drug my husband to pick up CL treasures!
Love the sign, and love love LOVE those table legs...what're you gonna DO with those!? Swoon...
Love it! So resourceful!
amy, you had me cracking up! and your sign is awesome!
This is awesome!! I love it!! Your letters look great and I love the aged look!!
You are hilarious!! I love the sign...it's perfectly imperfect!
How cool!! Great idea and as usual...had me in stitches!!!
Ok, so I PROMISE I'm not stalking you (please hold back your mom and the cockapoo - I have 2 toddlers that could probably take them on)...I just always happen to click on your links at parties, not even knowing it's you. When your blog pops up, I think, "I should have known." Anyway, I think your sign is perfection - in that it's not perfect. If it were perfect, it would be boring. If we liked perfect stuff, we probably wouldn't blog or read others' blogs...or have the word "salvage" in our names. As always, very amusing and I love all of your treasures and I'm always up for a great "sign" (though I also like lightening bolts on sunny days types of signs too...I have trouble with making decisions, and will take advice in almost any form)
WOW!! Cute, cute!! Love the sign and the story of where it came!!
The sign is perfectly imperfect Amy! Love the stories - keep 'em coming :)
What a charming post...I love your trash to treasure sign! Neat! Funny idea bout wife and hub's talk about needing a 150# piece of furniture to top off gift giving for a stocking....ROTFL
Visiting from Miss Mustard Seed's Linky Party,
Smiles and thanks for sharing,
~Suzanne in NW Illinois
What a great read! Made me smile :D Love the outcome of this! The pencil looks amazing on here. So much more original than black paint. LOVE IT! Thanks for sharing.
Love your transformation. I have done that same thing,....load something unaware of a major drawback..., however, it was FREE! I am betting you will do something with those lovely legs. Love to read your blog.
~Pam
pamspaintparlor.typepad.com
Hi Amy
Have a ball and claw table in the same state. Thanks for sharing your table. We can now definitely safe it. Thanks for sharing
http://deoudehuize.blogspot.com/
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