Step Stool Makeover, October Thrifty Style Team

In September's edition of the Thrifty Style Team,  I gave a vintage enamel bucket a makeover and explained how a local auction house groups things together so if you win the bid you come home with other treasures you may or may not want.

Same scenario for Octobers step stool - it was grouped in the same winning bid as the enamel bucket and sat in the garage til I took a paint brush to it.  A thrifty update to a thrifty castoff.

And speaking of thrifty, this month there are 16 Thrifty Style Team projects to check out, those links come at the end after I'm done blabbing.

Vintage School Chair

I've got some factual tidbits today from back before dirt was invented.

OK perhaps not quite that long ago, but long enough that it was hard for me to remember much about when I was in 2nd grade.

Fact; this metal and wood school chair did not belong to me during my elementary years.

My rear end never hit that seat to read about Dick and Jane or to see Spot run, and I think this style was in use before my days in the classroom.

Fresh Cut Flower Wreath, 29 Bloggers Fall Ideas Tour

Is it getting Fall-sie where you live?

Do you bring the outdoor colors inside?

At my place there are crisp nights, apples galore, and tons of Autumn decorating inspiration from the group of bloggers in this tour of ideas.

This is an annual tour for five days with 28 other bloggers, and I'm excited to be part of it.  There are links at the bottom so you can come along on the tour with me and see what each day of the week holds in store.

Imperfect Pumpkins Sign

One thing I am positive about is that there is never a dull moment around here, and there is also never a shortage of things to do, work or otherwise.

Along with my new found love of growing dahlias, we have a couple of kids with green thumbs growing their own veggie gardens, and this year Daughter #2 is throwing her hat in the pumpkin growing field.

Last Fall  D#2 decided she wanted to have a pumpkin patch so she saved seeds to sow in spring from her unusually shaped pumpkins and gourds that were sitting on her porch.

Vintage Bucket September Thrifty Style Team

There's a hole in the bucket Dear Liza, Dear Liza.....

Well not really.

The vintage enamel bucket below is very solid with nary a hole and I'm giving it an update for the September Thrifty Style Team, along with a second update using the inside metal cylinder from an antique ice cream maker.

You will find links to the other Thrifty Style Team members below, so stop in and see how thrifty they are this month.

Bliss Ranch Dahlia Garden

There are flower farmers, and then there are FLOWER FARMERS. 

There are people who plant flowers, and there are people who plant, grow, and tend flowers.

There are people who take their passion for growing flowers very seriously, or make an income from it, and some who grow tons of blooms for the pure enjoyment of the whole process from start to finish.

And there are also people like me.

Clyde The Duck Sign

If you have been reading here for a while you probably remember Clyde the duck.

Clyde belonged to daughter #2 and he was quite the character who wandered around the ranch for many years until a vicious racoon tore his head off.  Yeah that's a harsh visual, but it's the sad truth.

When more Peking ducks arrived at our house there was a name that duck contest for Clyde's girlfriends. My daughter picked the name Hazel, and Tina (follow her on Instagram at TLC4wwk) suggested the winning name that my daughter chose, and Clyde's main sidekick was named Clementine.

I affectionately referred to Clyde & his harem as the crapping quackers.

But Clyde was her main bird.

Clyde the duck celebrated his birthday, and was a pretty good sport when my daughter made him numbered hats each year to commemorate the day.  Daughter #2 will always have a soft spot in her heart for him.  A duck, go figure.

But I don't miss Clyde, Clementine and Hazel crapping on my porch and eating my flowers even though they looked cute as they waddled around the yard.  Nothing says welcome to my home like duck doo.

Recently at the local auction house I put a low bid in on a pile of junk - that low bid being $2.50.  Turns out no one wanted that pile of stuff so it came home with me.

August Thrifty Style Team Storage Crates

Hello hello hello, it's time for the August Thrifty Style Team projects, and you're invited to click the links at the bottom to find out how the other ladies are being thrifty for August.

Yikes, that means Fall is right around the corner and I would prefer summer to last a couple months longer.  Not that I don't like Autumn, it's my fav, but we didn't really get much of a Spring,  June was a wash, literally, with lots of rain, July flew by and now here we are at the middle of August.

Besides, I'm just getting into the groove of summer projects, and I realize there is so much on the list that won't be getting done.  Boo, and I don't mean that in a Fall ghost sort of way.

However I did have to add a few things to the indoor list because there is this puppy that came to live with us.

And he likes to chew.

And we like to wear shoes.

Variety is the Spice of Doggie Life, meet a Boston Terrier, Bernadoogle and a Lab

If you've been following along you know that Bliss Ranch has gone to the dogs the last few posts (links to the previous posts are at the bottom), and I thought I would tell you the real reason the canines have taken over....

Honest Abe the Mock-Viz gets up at 5:00 am sharp every.single.day. 

And he wants my company.

So to fill my time at the crack of dawn while he gets some outside time, and inside time, and outside time, and inside time, I scroll on Facebook and see what the bloggers I know are up too.

I discovered I wasn't alone in this new puppy business, there are other new puppy mamma's who have cute pups too, and you know the saying "misery loves company", well we might not really be in misery but we all certainly do understand what bringing a puppy home can do to life as we once knew it.

Honest Abe The MockViz Mutt

With Dog Week continuing at the Ranch, today's post will be breed specific to Abe.  You can read his introduction to the ranch (here) and about his puppy fav's (here).

Today I'm gonna write down for the ages what kind of dog Abe is suppose to be, and also is suppose to become, based on his mixed breed personality and looks.

A mutt.  Abe is a mutt, that's what kind of a dog he is.  Well that's if a mutt has a minimum mix of two breeds of dogs.

A Vizsla, pronounced Veesla, (don't pronounce the Zzz among full bred owners), is a Hungarian dog.  I'm not all into what dogs were bred for back in ancient times, my modern intention is that he is our pet and likes naps when I like napping.  So far so good on that.  But when he's not being a regular pet his natural instinct is to point and find game.  That is a trait he inherited from his English Setter mother as well as his Vizsla Pa.  Many of his fathers Vizsla qualities overlap with those of his English Setter mother.  Except looks.  Honest Abe gets his good looks and charm from his papa.  The two breeds don't look anything alike, with the Vizsla being the better looking of the two in my opinion.



I have to remind myself he is only half Vizsla, which means regarding his temperament and personality he is just as much English Setter.  It's easier to think of Abe as only a Vizsla like his dad, because he looks like one, or so it appears anyway.  But digging a little deeper I found out he has some differences from his full bred father and anyone who owns a pure Vizsla would probably look at Abe and know right away he is a Mock-Viz. 

Honest Abe's Doggie Fav's

Even though around here we spend a great deal of time on home improvements, DIY and furniture makeovers, we also spend a lot of time with other peoples dogs as a pet sitting home, and now a new puppy of our own.

It's dog week here, but rest assured there are still some DIY projects that go along with new dog ownership, and I am not becoming a pet blog.   And lest you think I favor dogs, I also like cats, we just don't have one anymore, and I'm worried I could become the crazy dog lady.  But the truth is this little pooch has been occupying a lot of my time and the last three home projects all involved keeping the house and dog safe.

In the last post I told you how a new pup has claimed this place as his domain, what went in to the decision to get another dog after not having one for 1.5 years and how we were turned down for a rescue puppy because we have a doggie door that goes outside.  Today you'll find out his breed, and the products I am finding to be money well spent.

Abe's age is now 19 weeks, he's lived here for 10 and he's catching on to the rules very nicely.

And yes he is spoiled.

 Abe on his outdoor Coolaroo Dog Bed

Meet The New Dog On The Block

I don't normally dedicate a post to something other than DIY or projects, but it's dog week at Bliss Ranch and I've got a new right hand man.

Right around Mothers Day life around here got a little more energetic.

No I haven't signed up for a marathon, although I might argue that chasing a new puppy around should certainly qualify.

Meet Abe, the new dog in the yard. 

Some of you might recall that I sit other peoples dogs, and you also know that about a year and a half ago our 12 year old mascot Mo moved on as dogs do.  I said I'd give it some time to see if I wanted the responsibility of another dog living here full time.

Well I guess I do.

Rusty Crusty Antique Milk Cans Refreshed

Around here sometimes yard junk goes to the woods to die.

You know, it's that out of sight out of mind thing.

And such is the case with some antique milk jugs I have had forever that were stashed behind the backyard garden shed where I didn't have to see their rusty crusty-ness.

I hauled them out with the intention of giving them a makeover, I just wasn't sure what sort of a makeover that would be, but it seemed a shame to leave antique milk cans rotting in the woods.

The cans were sporting spray paint in a salmon color with sun signs stenciled on in yellow, from I don't know... maybe 20 years ago.

I picked the cans up at a garage sale and I think they were used on the deck holding plants till they were decommissioned behind the shed to wait for their next makeover.

Fusion Mineral Paint Front Porch Update

Summer had seemed to be taking it's dear sweet time arriving in my neck of the woods, but I really didn't mind days with temperatures in the 70's.  Considering we received snow in April, those mild temps felt more like the spring we were cheated out of.

The cooler temps also meant that catching up on a few things on the to-do list would be more enjoyable not to be working in the blazing heat.

Now at the end of June our heat has arrived, and I'm glad I got the front door painted before it did.



One chilly day I looked at our brown front door and decided I either had to give it a good scrubbing to remove dirt, webs and bugs, or give it a good scrubbing to remove dirt, webs and bugs then paint it.

I opted for new paint as the end result of the scrubbing.

June Thrifty Style Team, Rebar Barbed Wire & Junk

Fathers day is right around the corner and here to celebrate the men is the June edition of the Thrifty Style Team.

This month the team is counting on the males for something thrifty - be it dads, husbands, sons or brothers - and the "style" could be just about anything.  

It's gonna be Junk Style at the Ranch.

I'm not sure if the man of this house considered it celebrating his father-ness when he had to add something else to his to-do list, but he did it anyway because he's always a good sport, so he combined weekend tasks for the end product.

Rubber Boot Door Wreath Easy Inexpensive

Back before the gnats and mosquitoes hatched, and before our Minnesota weather was stable enough that we could say Winter was actually over, I decided to whip up something to hang on the side door.

I wanted a little color since the trees were not yet in bloom and by the time April arrives, Winter usually has left us in a sea of brown till everything greens up.

I also didn't want to spend much money.

Bliss Ranch has a pin board with tons of beautiful door wreaths, centerpieces and porch deco's, and some day I might make one of the eye popping ones that make a person gasp before knocking, but this was not the day.

And tell me, does a wreath have to be round or is it simply something hung on a door?

When Daughter #1 found out I was looking for some little rubber boots, she gave me a pair of ripped black age two toddler rain boots that were heading to her trash.

Since I am completely out of tiny feet that wear little boots, this was the perfect example of one woman's trash is another woman's treasure.

Painted Stenciled Galvanized Buckets

It's that time of year when I purchase lush, thriving, spring flowers and plants, only to end up in a couple of months questioning my green thumb.

Sure some years I am able to keep flowers alive and looking good, but more times than not it isn't the case.  I have no rhyme or reason to how I betray plants after the promise of a healthy life, it's sort of hit or miss on the type and location of the ones that will pull through.

May Thrifty Style Team Wood Box

May flowers have arrived and along with those blossoms the Thrifty Style Team bloggers are blooming too!

You just never know what the other ladies will be thrifting, or how they will redesign an item they already have, so make sure and check out the links at the bottom that point you in their direction.

Some months I might thrift something for my own house, and other months I might  re-thrift something that was thrifted to me, which means I re-thrift a thrifted item back to the thrift-or, essentially going from being a thrift-ee of a thrifty item to myself being a thrift-or.   Clear as mud?

Route 66 Beer Tote Thrifty Style Team April

It's Thrifty Style Team for April, but I won't be writing about any April showers or May flowers, instead I'm gonna write about beer and one of those wood things that totes 'em.

Having a thrifty style, or thrifting items usually means hitting a garage sale or thrift store to find some treasure to use in a new way or upcycle into something interesting.

But when the occasion arises I like to give homemade gifts that are just as interesting made from junk I already have.  So I basically thrift from my thrifty stash, like old boards I found somewhere (usually on the garage floor).

I like to give homemade gifts, not to be cheap or easy - which I'll have you know I am neither of 😂😂😂😇😇😇 - but because I like to receive those types of things.  So to the people that matter to me I like giving a homemade gift that might be special to them someday, like when I'm cracking the cap on cold ones in the afterlife.  I do hope keeping my beer cold won't be a problem when that time comes.

A couple of years ago for Christmas, the jolly garage elf cobbled up six beer totes to gift to family and friends.  If you do a Pinterest search you can find all sorts of styles and ideas.

Thrifty Style Team Snowy March Table

Welcome to the March Thrifty Style Team celebrating SPRING.

Except for me, I'm not celebrating it yet.

Spring?

What month does Spring actually start?

Ringing In The New Year With 2018 Favs

I realize every other blogger on the planet has already wished their readers Happy New Year.  Some did it smack dab at midnight on the eve of, some before the new year actually arrived, and then at that stroke of midnight they were all promptly ready to post Valentine's Day projects for 2019 because they are organized like that.

Well I'm not one of those.

I'll leave it for you to ponder if that is because I don't give a darn what everyone else does, fly by the seat of my pants, march to the beat of my own drummer, or that I'm only organized enough -but proud- to get my holiday decorating put away before July.

We're just about midway into the first month of 2019 and I don't think that's so far into the year that I can't still use a Happy New Year greeting.  I guess I could change it up for the occasion..... Happy Mid January?  Happy 2019 that started two weeks ago?

Whatever, 2019 has arrived and twentyeighteen is a thing of the past.

And speaking of the past, below are five 2018 fav's from last year.

The projects are nothing opulent, no exquisite decorating or room staging, which tells me that my readers want to see re-purposing, thrifty finds, and updates they can see themselves accomplishing.

If you want to take a gander at the before and afters, just click on the links.

Vintage Table Top Desk, Thrifty Style Team November

Hello hello hello.....  The November Thrifty Style Team is here with frugal tips, projects, or makeovers.  To take a peek at them, all you've gotta do is click the project photos from the participating bloggers at the end.

Markers, colored pencils, crayons, stickers, you name it I've got it thrown in a drawer for when creativity strikes the short people around here who need something to keep themselves busy.

Rustic Veggie Crudites Display

A rustic veggie crudites display......it was a last minute decision, sort of.

I mean, I thought of it months before hand, but with so many wedding prep thoughts clogging the working part of my brain I had to let it go.

Until 5 days before #2 Daughters wedding when I said, nope, gotta have something.

The 'something' was just a little something-something to nibble on while having beverages. 

A bit more than pub mix but nothing with peanuts because the groom is allergic. I didn't think sending him to the emergency room would make a very good impression on the new in-laws.

Sculpting Cement For A Frugal Spa Update

Autumn has arrived once again in parts of the country that experience the change of the seasons, which is always somewhat bittersweet for me.

I love Fall, hands down it's my favorite season, but it also means that when it's over, frigid temps and cold wet slushy snow are soon to be bestowed upon us.

So before the cold stuff falls from the sky we wrap up outdoor projects, and round here there isn't any DIY we won't attempt at least once on our own.

Sometimes the projects work out, sometimes they don't, and I have resigned myself to the fact that no matter if a project might or might not turn out, it will always take longer than anticipated.

Instant Pot Crab Apple Sauce

It's apple season in Minnesota.  They are everywhere.  The University of Minnesota has been developing apples specific to the region forever, and those varieties are now also grown in other states.

Big lush, tasty, crisp, apples.

Mmmmmm.

And then there is the under appreciated crab apple.

No....not a grumpy sour person, the actual small apple.

Thrifty Style Fall Sign Giveaway September

September has arrived, and with it Fall arrives too. 

If you're lucky Fall brings a few cool evenings enjoying a cup of hot cider

fresh apple pies, and a bountiful harvest.

It also brings an Autumn giveaway with the Thrifty Style Team.

If you visit each of the participating thrifty team members you'll have a chance to win  a little something-something from their thrifty stash.

Two Sided Railway Sign, Thrifty Style Team July

It's time for a summer Thrifty Style Team post but why does it look like Christmas in July?

I promise I'm not getting a head start on my December 25th decorating, nor did I just leave holiday decor laying around that never got put away, although that is the better possibility of the two.

No, I re-purposed the back side of a Christmas sign with a little thrifty style, and it happens to be July.

Thrifty Style Team June, Update a Painted Door Mat...Again!

Just shy of two years ago I got a wild hair not to part with any cold hard cash for a new front door mat.  I didn't know then, that my thrifty welcome mat redo was going to become one of my most popular posts.

So recently when I got a new question on the refreshed door mat post asking how it had held up I decided before I responded I better take a good look at the mat.

For this months Thrifty Style Team I will revisit how I refreshed that door mat.... for the second time.

Cedar Hot Tub Cover, Patio Updating

I'm gonna get right to the point with this post and tell it like it is ...... the typical spa/hot tub cover sucks!

Those of you with outdoor spas are nodding your head in agreement, and the rest of you are wondering why the typical spa covers suck.

I'm going to tell you why vinyl covers suck, and why our new cover from Canadian Hot Tubs is awesome, but first let me give you the cover story (pun intended) of our spa and its old vinyl cover.

Red Cedar Covers for ALL types of hot tubs and spas!

Easy Metal Door Update, Thrifty Style Team May

It's May in Minnesota - the birds are chirping, the trees are finally getting their leaves, flowers are starting to bloom, and it's time for the Thrifty Style Team with frugal finds for the month of May.

This month I have done a cheap update to an old, metal, dated dirty door.

Thrifty Style Team Projects, Where are they now?

April's Thrifty Style Team post is a where are they now? update on five of my past thrifty monthly projects.  You can find the links to all the projects I mention at the bottom.

April showers bring May flowers, but I'm not sure what April snow brings besides more shoveling and mud when it melts.

Thrifty Style Team Home Decor Giveaway

The Thrifty Style Team has a little something different going on this month.

If you visit each of the participating blogs you'll have a chance to win something from their thrifty stash.

Me.... I'm sending off an authentic Guatemalan coffee sack, minus the coffee beans.