Lamp Doctor

 I found this HIDEOUS lamp at a local thrift store for $2.00. Poor thing, it can't help it that its maker made it SO UGLY! But luckily, I saw the potential for it and thought,"What a wonderful lamp this would be for my buffet!" So it came home with me, along with a few other awesome items I just had to pick up.

 So today, i'm going to share with you its makeover, hopefully you'll think it went from hideous to HOT like I do!

In its ugly glory, ready for primer...

Looking better already!

LOVE THIS COLOR! It's Aqua by Rustoleum.

Getting a coat of Ralph Lauren Faux Technique Glaze!

FINISHED! 

(Weird buff on the wall, musta scraped it getting the buffet in!)

There it is, sitting on my UNtouched buffet.

My heart melts.

Don't you just LOVE IT?! I'm just swooning over how cute it is now.

New FAV color? Rustoleum Aqua.

Well, and Rustoleum Brushed Nickel. They tie.

Linked up at-

My gorgeous "buffet"!

I've been looking lately for a hutch that I could score for a steal on craigslist. They seem to be hard to come by....when I DO see them for a good price, they're snatched up QUICK. I have this area that was built by the previous owners obviously for a hutch.

         

         PLEASE excuse the horrendous faux brick laminate, I guess it was "in", but the painters seemed to not think so because they got paint ALL OVER IT! I'll cover that hot mess in due time..

So Tuesday, as I'm perusing craigslist like a ravenous lion, a dresser pops up. He's asking $80 OBO. I arrange going down there (45 min. away), and after lining up a sitter to watch our four kiddos, getting them TO the sitters and taking out all the van seats, we were off!

Let me back up for a minute-I always feel bad about these spur of the moment finds that seem to drive my Husband batty, but with craigslist, you HAVE to be quick like a cougar ready to pounce because others out there are just as quick! You gotta be faster! And to save a buck, I'm pretty darn fast!

So! We get there, and the house is pretty barren. It turns out, he's going through a divorce and his soon-to-be-ex wants him to sell all her stuff she left behind. So he was MORE than happy to take $65 for it! I felt sad for him, but glad that I got to take home such a gorgeous piece!


And guess what? It fits PERFECTLY in the nook thingee! I'm tickled pink!

It's going to act as a buffet, because well, I can't find a hutch, and now I'm thinking I'm going to do something amazing above it, so I'm okay with that.

Here it is untouched-it has LOADS of potential! I can't wait to go to town on it!

L.O.V.E. I.T.!!

Goodnight, everyone!

*SQUEAL*

So like I said, I LOVE craigslist. My blog name says it all-it's all about craigslist!

Before craigslist, I used the pennysaver. The recycler. Garage sales, which is still an amazing way to get things for cheap. But craigslist, how I love thee so!

When I don't see something I need on there, I'll post a wanted ad. And sooner than later, I will get an email from someone who has exactly what I'm looking for, and are willing to sell it to me for the price I named! For instance, a bike seat for a baby. I didn't see one on there, so I posted an ad and got one brand new in box for $20. And the girl even brought it to me! Cool!

So if you're not using craigslist, USE IT! It's the best.

I got something so awesome from craigslist today! I am SO excited to share it with you all, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see the whole thing-and hear about what I plan to do with it!

Until then, I'll leave you with a sneak peak!

Project Hallway COMPLETE!

So, I can finally share my finished hallway with you all! I am SOOO proud! I can't say I did EVERYTHING without my hubby, but I was darn near close! I did the cuts for my moulding trim, painted, placement...the only thing he did(which I am soooo grateful for, honey!) is the cuts for the boxes and HELPED me get them up-he couldn't help it! He was excited too!

 So let me remind you what it looked like before, in all its glory, lol....

                                                                    Before

Now here it is!

AFTER!



Amazing RIGHT?! The whole project from trim down cost about $50! I already had the white paint, and all the picture frames I either had or went to dollar tree for, so that's a different cost for a different day ;-)

 I'm so happy with how it turned out! I think it looks great! Do you agree?

Linked up at-

Just another manic Monday...

Wow! The past 36 hours have been CRAZY! We've traveled over 500 miles, crossed through 3 counties, attended a wedding AND visited an old volcano! All with 4 kids! It was hectic, to say the least.

 I will hopefully write all about it tomorrow in a HALLWAY IS FINISHED POST!!! Woohooooo! Can't wait to share it with you, so come back tomorrow to read all about it!

 Also, DON'T forget to enter my FREE GIVEAWAY! I've extended it because of low entries, even thought I LOOVVVE my new followers and appreciate them! So enter, you have a chance to receive a free item! You can read about it HERE.

 Until tomorrow, friends! :)

Antmaggedon

 I am THISCLOSE to finishing the hallway. I just need to repaint the moulding where I covered the nail holes, and voila! It'll be done. So you gotta wait....

So while I keep you waiting, I want to share a tip with you guys that I found after moving into our new house!

Apparently, this house was built on top of the world's biggest ant hill because once we were settled in, we were INFESTED with ants! It was AWFUL! I hate any creepy crawly thing, and a house full of ants just won't do!

 I was going to call a pest control company because I was so frustrated. But after some intense searching, I figured out that I could really eradicate these little beasts myself!

 And guess what? You can too! You can get rid of every.single.one.of.them! So I'm going to share with you a tip on how to wipe out the whole ant colony that seems to reside closely to your house.

Boric Acid Ant Bait

1 Cup Sugar
3 Tbsp Boric Acid
3 Cups warm water

 Mix the sugar and boric acid well. Add the warm water slowly, mixing all the while so it won't be too lumpy. Store in a jar. When ready to use, saturate cotton ball with mixture and leave it where the ants seem to frequent.

 In my case, it was in our bathroom, by the sink. Now PLEASE be warned-once you leave this cotton ball there, and in my case, I left a few sopping wet on the countertop, they WILL come to the cotton balls. Hundreds. RESIST THE URGE TO KILL THEM! It will disgust you, you will want to throw up, you will DEFINITELY want to bust out the ant spray and kill every one of those little suckers. But DON'T! They are drinking up the poison water and taking it back to the queen.

 I was hesitant at first-I really thought it was a waste, and that I let my bathroom get even MORE infested with ants for nothing...but within DAYS, they were gone! GONE! They came back a few weeks later, but only for a day, and then THEY were gone also. Now it's been a month and a half and I haven't seen them since. This mixture is a miracle. It's just plain ole boric acid that you find at walmart with the pesticides. I'm sure it has saved me hundreds of dollars in other products and pest control services!

 So there you go! I hope SOMEONE benefits from this-we sure have!

We're gonna be gone until monday night, so I'll see you all when I get back!

Linking up at-

A good day to be glad!

 My wonderful Husband met a man from craigslist today for a new lens-and it's PERFECT! Soooo happy
and relieved. It's nice to have my camera functioning again...now if I can JUST.BE.CAREFUL! I got it for a steal, and it was still in its box! Oh, how I LOVE craigslist. Hence the blog name, teehee!

 I want to share with you guys that are visiting (and I KNOW you are, say Hi!) my hallway. It's a teaser, because it will not be all the way finished until tomorrow, but let's take a look at the progress so far!

                                                                      Before

 Please take note of the arrows. I'm just a mess-look! Door ajar, FREAKY dino staring into the camera, clothes by our girls' room,  and the HIDEOUS gold hall lights-ugh! I'll be spraying those Krylon ORB this weekend, so excited for their transformation! I'll definitely document the progress.

 Not too sure what's going on with the ceiling, I promise we don't have stains! And are you frightened by the tiles? I AM! Ignore it though, that's what I do. FOR NOW.

                                          Semi-after (still in progress)

 OHMIGOSH! Looks 3498574396704 times better already, don't you think?! Please excuse the wood laying all around, was trying to figure something out. The color is distorted, but the top is a neutral color(look above the second hall light to get an idea of the ACTUAL color), and the bottom is white. Where the painter's tape is will be boxes we'll be making with the new toy I bought my hubby today, he was beside himself! Well, I am too. But I need to watch first before operating. I am DEFINITELY liable to cut off a finger. That's just me.

 SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited!

So stay tuned for the finished product-go ahead, follow me! I promise I don't bite :) PLEASE don't miss my giveaway, which you can find Here. It's something free, people! FREE! Can't get better than that!

 Happy Friday!

 Linking up at these places-

Funky Junk Interiors

Tatertots And Jello
Remodelholic
Sawdust And Paper Scraps
TidyMom
Todays Creative Blog

EDIT @ 2/21 9:31pm-We're home from our trip and the hallway was finished late Saturday Night! WILL have pics up tomorrow, SO excited to share the finished hallway!!! :)

Our little photogenic bug

 Goodness, I see that getting off to a good start is harder than expected here in blogland! I guess it's all in who you know....

 ANYhoo. Today was busy busy! I have been working on my latest project, the loooonnng hallway. Well, it's not THAT long. But it's pretty long. And I've been avoiding it. But today, it got a much needed overhaul. Can't wait to share pictures of it when it's done! Faux wainscoting and gorgeous pictures....I'm lovin' it so far!

 We also had the dreaded 6 month appointment for our youngest daughter today, which came with THREE shots! Poor thing. And our 18 month old (yes, they're 12 months apart if you're counting!) had her appt as well, but she hid behind the corner in the room most of the time!

If your mouth is still agape at the age difference, YES, there is insanity in our home daily. And DRAMA! But we are so thankful to have a full nest(that is still open for one more, in the FAR future!).

 Here is our gorgeous 6 month old...hopefully her big eyes will get me some followers! LOL!

                               
                                                   Isn't she a DOLL?!

Oh, and please don't mind my bed fuzz, I was washing the sheets and had to snap a few of her RIGHT.THAT.MINUTE.

  Yes, she's gorgeous. I'll just say it. Not that I'm bragging or anything. But she IS. So it's OKAY!

 I have an AMAZING camera (that I keep replacing lenses for, you can read about THAT a few entries back!) I'm getting to know....I think I'm getting much better at photography, but I still have alot to learn :)

 So I'm going to go ahead and link up to WhipperBerry, I LOVE her blog and well, it's friday flair!
                                                     
                                                                  

My FIRST Giveaway!

Sooo EXCITED to have my first giveaway! I really do love the blogging world, and want to be welcomed into it so I figure I should link up and give something away!

This is a really awesome painted tile, brand new from Family Christian(LOVE them!). It has verse Joshua 24:15 on it! It measures 7 in x 7 in.

 I'm sure you're familiar with what to do-

1st entry-"Follow" me and leave a comment letting me know you're a follower!
2nd entry- Blog about this giveaway and leave another comment letting me know!

 Giveaway open until Monday, Feb 21st 11:59pm.I will announce winner Tuesday, Feb 22nd! Due to low entries, the giveaway will run until Monday, Feb. 28th 11:59pm! I will announce winner on Tuesday, Mar. 1st!

 Good luck!

Behind Every Name..

There's a story.

 So, I feel obligated to share why I refer to myself as the craigslist queen.

 I get EVERYTHING off of craigslist. I mean, everything. Well, except my clothes. Those come from thrift stores. But all home things-craigslist!

 The other day, one of our students said to me, "Oh Janet, so and so should talk to you about getting a dryer off of craigslist because you get EVERYTHING there." At first, I was a little embarrassed. But then I thought, hey! That's ok. At least the students know I'm frugal and being a wise steward with what God's given us. Hence, the name craigslist QUEEN fits perfect for me :)

 I have to say my BEST craigslist find would be our couches. They are my FAVORITE find! The lady was originally asking $250, and that was out of our budget at the time because we were about to enter escrow-so I emailed her and asked if they didn't sell, if she would take $150 and get back to me if she could. Well after waiting on pins and needles for a few days, she got back to me and sold them to us!

 I LOVVVE the pattern, the color, the feet-everything about them! I didn't get a shot of the loveseat, but I'll explain THAT later.

 Isn't it GORG?! Too bad that ugly tile is showing underneath. But, well, we'll get to it. My Husband just so happens to be an AMAZING tile layer, but he's not ready to take it on yet. I can deal with that-for now.

 So as I was going to take a pic of the loveseat, my hand got caught up in the camera strap and I watched my beloved bounce on that hideous tile floor SEVEN times. I screamed, picked it up, and saw a big crack on the lens. It was my prayer that the uv filter lens was cracked, and not the actual lens glass. And it WAS the uv filter! PHEW! So I turn on the camera, go to turn the lens to zoom in, and.....it's stuck. I peer into the glass to see the shutter, and there's a piece of plastic flopping all around in there. The shutter's broken. Boo, hiss.

 How sad for me :(  What's REALLY sad is, I replaced that lens 3 weeks ago. The last one broke because my husband was messing around with it, and the teeth on one of the gears stripped. So two lenses in a month. GREAAAT.

 It's been one of those weeks. But it'll get better, it's Wednesday! Which means it's almost over!

Well hello out there, blogland!

Hi there! SO glad you found me, PLEASE allow me to introduce myself-

My name is Janet, and I am a daughter of The Most High! I love Jesus Christ with all my heart, and am so thankful that I have been chosen by Him and REDEEMED!

 I'm married to my Husband Jon, who is a youth pastor and also works an amazing job which he loves! We have four kiddos-An 11 year old boy, A 7 year old boy, a 18 month old girl and a 6 month old girl! Needless to say, it's chaos around here!

 So when I'm not homeschooling, changing never-ending diapers, feeding everyone and CLEANING, I'm reading BLOGS! I get so much inspiration from blogs for our home that we bought in Dec. 2010! It was a bank owned, with freshly neutral painted walls and new carpet in each room(they left the checkboard style marble green and white tile all throughout the house *shudder*). So far, I've got my bedroom done, both bathrooms, and the laundry room. I have many, many more rooms to do. But one day at a time!

Next entry will be of the rooms I've done!
 I hope you'll join me along my journey in blogging, and that we can become friends!