friday favorites: a great afternoon

This was a glorious day. A glorious day that I did not want to end as mentioned HERE. Those who responded gave me hope, and a reassurance that I am not crazy. So thanks for that, we all need it sometimes. Okay, back to this day. This particular day, Jared had the afternoon off. He NEVER has the afternoon off, or at least that's what it feels like. It's a miracle if we get to see each other during day light. So of course, the natural decision for what we were going to do first was Chick-fil-A for lunch.

Okay seriously, just look at him in those scrubs. I was giddy when I saw him in them and so were all the old ladies with their never ending googly eyes just about everywhere we went. That's okay ladies, stare away.

Since Jared told me that I could do whatever I wanted that day (best boyfriend ever), we of course went to Goodwill where I proceeded to find this beaut of a chair. $12.99 and just perfection. Not that I need another chair, but would you pass this up? I don't think so. Plus, my man bought it for me. I mean, can you think of a better day so far?

Around 5pm, we headed to the beach where I have not been in ages. Just a few things about these pictures. First, you should be jealous. Second, just LOOK that that sunset. Absolutely breath taking to say the least. Third, my feet are almost as white as the sand. It's a sad thing to live in this sunshine state and having nothing to say for it according to your skin tone. Should be a crime I think.

After watching the sunset, we strolled to the Circle where we shared some Italian fried cheese and pizza. Half cheese for me and half pepperoni for him. It is prime people watching time when you sit outside in beautiful weather. Probably one of our favorite things to do, especially when you get to sit beside the cutest golden doodle. Before we left I grabbed a couple of these macaroons to eat when we returned home. My fave? White chocolate coconut and gingerbread. I would excuse the drool from my mouth if you could see me right now.

If you know anything about me, you know I love spending time with my man, any time I can get. This afternoon was one for the books.

What was your favorite thing you did this week?

See more of my instagram pictures: @amyjpalmer

a(nother) DIY chalkboard

  So here's one of the simplest DIY's you've ever seen. And by seen means you've probably seen it before, many times. But I wanted to share my experience with you in using chalkboard paint and spray paint.   Here's how it happened. I picked up that beauty from Goodwill. With a $12.00 price tag, I thought it was a little pricey, but I just HAD to have it. I would have loved to keep the aged gold, but it was just too aged. So a spray with white MATTE spray paint did the trick. The back was covered with chalkboard SPRAY PAINT No piece would be complete without a little distressing And it's now hanging nicely on my wall, just waiting for little notes   Observations: Matte paint or light gloss paint is always best. I did a coat with gloss white spray paint and it was just not cutting it. The flat matched the chalkboard better. Which bring me to my next point, I highly recommend REGULAR chalkboard paint. My local Lowe's only had the spray in stock so I gave it a try. It was messy and uneven. I'm sure once I have time to get my hands on some regular chalkboard paint I will paint over it.   Happy DIY'ing! Go make or get yourself a chalkboard. They make life better.  

  Oh and this little nugget in it's yellow perfectness has been very neglected in a Target bag waiting for your opinions, or for me to just make up my mind about returning it.   So here's the deets: yellow (adorable) small in size, probably couldn't hold everything sturdy $21.00 did I mention cute?   So what do you think? Does this satchel have a home? Or back to Target does it return?  

a DIY card file

So there's this blog, called The Painted Hive; this blog has a DIY that I fell in love with. Please admire it HERE. Everywhere I would go, I would look for the perfect piece to make my own. Guess what? I found it. An ugly little box with crooked handles at Goodwill for $5.99. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was perfect for this project.

Isn't she a beauty? I think so at least.

 So here's how this ugly little box came to be. The handles were unscrewed as well as the silver bottom and the whole box was sanded down to the wood with a thick 80 grit sandpaper. The corners were rounded with the sandpaper as well to make more of a worn look instead of a modern one.

Such a different already! Using a Dark Walnut Minwax stain, the bare wood became darker. All it took was one stroke of stain with a brush and a wipe with a towel to get the excess off. Then to make it even more worn, I used a minimal amount of left over white paint, and brushed a few strokes on the wood. The whole thing was then gone over randomly with the same 80 grit sandpaper to let some of the natural wood show through.

Next came the hardware, and oh that hardware. I knew I wanted some vintage brass card pulls, and I found mine on eBay for $1.95. They were smaller than I expected, but any bigger I would have had to shell out the big bucks. They were tacked in place and filled with some handmade stained paper. The final touch was the Martha Stewart stencils. Placed on the box and lightly touched with paint, I think they really complete the boxes.

I can't wait to fill it with items and I hope this inspires you to do something creative. Like, run to Goodwill right now and find something to redo. It will become your weekend therapy, trust me.

So here's the breakdown:

box: 5.99

hardware: 11.00

tacs: 2.00

stencils: 5.50 (with coupon)

all other items were already purchased

totals around: 24.00

 

It's hump day everyone! Friday's just around the corner.

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winner will be chosen Thursday, June 26th

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friday favorites; sarasota

Sarasota is known to have old people. Bad drivers, early eaters, etc. However, with most old age in Sarasota comes money, and lots of it. There are many places that you could easily drop two hundred dollars on dinner, six hundred for a pair of shoes. Now, I know my wallet can't afford that, but if you can, could we please trade places for a day? Believe me, I love to shop at your every day stores like Target and Gap, but my all time favorite one stop shopping in Sarasota is Goodwill. Say what? You read correctly. I could go in this store and spend hours looking through anything. I adore thifted items. The worn that they have received and the stories that are behind them are what make them so priceless to me. Seriously though, what is better than one-stop shopping with the lowest price tags around? I told you here that I like to stretch my money as far as I can. This kind of shopping even stretches it to the max. They even have COUPONS. Just when you thought Goodwill couldn't get any cheaper. Every month or so a precious little email is dropped in my inbox for $5 off a $25 dollar purchase, which is a price I could easily spend in one trip.

I have found the best things in this Goodwill that I could never find anywhere else. Everything is so unique and I cannot wait to fill my future house with it one day! See that beauty of a chair in the last picture. Well that's my baby purchase. Despite what it might look like from the pictures, it's massive. Not quite big enough for two people, but the perfect amount of room to sit criss-cross and enjoy a good read. How much did you pay you may ask? $30 whole buckaroos. It was in perfect condition, just a little dirty. So I stuffed it, literally, in my friend's jeep and home with me it went. There it got some deep cleaning and much love. It is just waiting to be put to good use when I have a place of my own.

Wondering what else I have acquired from one of my favorite places?

These shorts and suitcase

This gingham shirt

These blouse and skirt

These clutch and shoes

This hat

These blazer and heels

This skirt

plus much, much more.

Oh and p.s., did you see that vintage Christian Dior tag up there? Another priceless Sarasota Goodwill find. Too bad it was a size 0.

What are your favorite places to buy your thrifted finds in your hometown?

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