Thrift Store Decor Lettered Sock Bin

March has arrived and with it brings this months Thrift Store Decor, where 10 bloggers breath new life into a castoff item from the thrift store.

My project was fun and pretty fast, unless you count the hours it took me to sort through socks so I could implement my new sock mating system.

Poured Concrete Bathroom Vanity Top

One down, one to go.

I'm not going to bore you with all the details of tedious DIY, so I won't be giving you complete step by step instructions on how to pour concrete bathroom vanity tops.

I wouldn't want you to build and pour your own tops based solely on what I say anyhow, what if I forgot to include some important instruction and your project turned out like crap?

I'll just give you the basics and what *we* do that gives us the results we want.  There is plenty of expert advice on the web, you don't need mine, mostly because I'm not really into writing a 'how to' cement book and the fact that I believe experts often tend to over complicate things.

Even with a condensed version, there is still lots of steps to include.

A Vintage Radio Dollhouse Begins

Soon after a certain five year old was born, I started to think about the dollhouse I would craft for her in a few years.

Before - front of the dollhouse

And it didn't look anything like this dirty dusty vintage radio.

Pink Play Kitchen Featured At Bob Vila

When I was just a young pup - so long ago now I don't even remember when that was - Brawn and I would tune in to channel 13 and watch This Old House.

That was long before DISH, Direct TV, cable, the internet, and the plethora of home improvement shows.

Norm and Bob showed folks the tips and tricks to do DIY the right way.  Their show was how I learned what dovetailing drawers was, and how tedious renovating an old house could be.

Painted Pinstripe Wall

Choosing South Cypress For Tile

One of the hardest things for me in decorating has always been picking colors.

You too?  Well I've done the legwork for 'ya on choosing a tile place. 

It doesn't matter what it is - carpet, wood, tile, walls, counter - the color selection agony doesn't change for me.

Putting patterns and colors together does not come naturally to me.

I've gotten it wrong as many times as I've gotten it right, and it is not a wonderful thing when you choose the wrong tile only to make that observation after it's glued and grouted.

Or painting dining room walls four times in three days because you are SURE the color is perfect.... each time.

Yes that really happened, I'm surprised my husband even lets me pick paint anymore.

Stuffed Dog House

Last weekend a certain nine year old wanted to build his little sister a dog house for her stuffed dog.

He rounded up some 'additional help' and they discovered he didn't have enough raw product.

At least that's the way the 'additional help' - also known as #3 son, told the story.

So #3 son rounded up #1 dad, who located scraps of wood to make the toy dog house that the certain nine year old wanted to make for his little sister.  Got that?

A dog house is a pretty straight forward design, and I was not consulted in the least on this.  Probably for the best as I would have over complicated the job.

The completed dog house showed up on the dining room table with the instruction, "you can paint this if you want".

Well I wanted.

DIY Sink Forms for Poured Concrete Counters

If you are following along you might recall that we are redoing a Jack & Jill bathroom,
{here} & {here}, which was really a Jill & Jill set up that we are now making into a Jack & Jack bathroom.

Confused?

Don't be.  All you need to know is that we are taking the mid 1990's out of the bathrooms and putting in a bit of the new millennium.

One of the updates will be poured concrete counters. 

Brawn has done these many times before; we have a concrete topped small entertainment center, two other concrete bath vanities, and he poured kitchen counters for a friend.

How I Clean Old Furniture Hardware

Have you ever bought a vintage or antique piece of furniture and the knobs and handles look like they have been around since the dawn of time?

Me too.

The thought of scrubbing all those doo-dads used to turn me off to making the purchase or if I did buy, I wouldn't reuse the knobs it came with -  I'd just buy new hardware or search in the garage for old hardware that was less cruddy looking.

Perfect Linens Perfect Sheet Set Winner

Someone is getting a Valentines Day gift and

it won't melt or add inches to the thighs.

Cupid shot his arrow through number 42 for a win on a

set of Perfect Linens Second Skin Sheets.

 Congratularions to Gail, #42.

Didn't win?  You can still order a set for yourself with a 15% discount 

at Perfect Linens by using the code in red below.

Being Married To A Blogger, A Valentine Q&A

Last year Cassie from Primitive and Proper and myself decided to host a bunch of bloggers and do something fun where we had our significant others answer questions about us titled "So I Married A Creative _______".

It was a hit and this year the torch was passed on to a new group of ladies who interviewed their Valentine to see what they think of being married to a blogger.

Those ladies graciously invited me to participate in this man torture with them, thank you Claire for including me.

Upcycled Birthday Calendar

Welcome to Thrift Store Decor for February, where every month a group of talented bloggers turn a cast off item into a treasure.

This month's project is one of my favorites, I tend to like personalized ones.

A Sweet Perfect Linens Perfect Sheet Giveaway

Last summer I was given the opportunity to review a sweet sheet set from Perfect Linens.

I loved my sheet set then, and I love it now.

And my best-friend-forever Thomas - who is the big Kahuna at Perfect Linens - wants to give one of the Bliss Ranch readers the chance to get between a set of his sheets.

Valentine Chocolate Box Door Decoration

A funny thing happened on the way to the trash......

Do you ever save something you don't really want to keep just because you don't want to throw it away?

Every time you open the closet door, you see it hanging out in there and think, man I've gotta toss that thing out.

But you don't.

Then several years go by, and the damm thing is still in your closet..... right?

So you finally decide, that's it - to the trash it goes, but then pause because you remember seeing something creative made from the trash you are about to dispose of.

Maybe you could make something out of it then throw it away in a week or two after it had lived out it's usefulness?

Selia Faucet Combo

We're working on a Jack and Jill bathroom makeover with Pfister Faucets, and right now the bathroom  looks like this.....

It might not look like much to you, but new copper pipe has been plumbed and checked for leaks.

Tree Branch Wall Art

While I'm busy helping work on our Jack and Jill bathroom makeover - which really means since we are at the plumbing stage I'm sitting and watching - I decided to repost this cheap, simple, basically free project I made a couple years ago from a tree branch.


I regularly pin things to the Bliss Ranch Pinterest Boards that I intend on doing.

I'll be busy making stuff till the year 2050, which when I first typed that year it sounded so far away, but for a baby born today they would only be 34 years old.  Wow.

Beauty Of A Beast Step Stool

OK BFF in California.... if you are reading this say good-bye to the step stool your husband painted for Beth all those years ago.

Actually you're just saying good-bye to the paint, not the whole stool - I'd never get rid of that.

Beth's pretty tall now and probably hasn't used it herself in a long time, but the stool has been stepped upon constantly by someone around here since it was gifted to her.

Out With The Old.... Bathroom

There's no turning back now on our Jack & Jill bathroom redo.

Thank goodness!!!!  

Because I don't want any of that stuff back. 

Ever.

Metallic Coat Tree and Fusion Paint Giveaway

Today I have something special for you.

Melanie at Lost and Found

Susan from Homeroad

Danielle of Finding Silver Pennies

And from the Frozen State of Minnesota,

Linda at Q is for Quandie

Special because you will be able to visit some of my friends and see what they have painted, as well as have the chance to enter a giveaway for some of the Fusion Mineral Paint that we all use on many of our projects.

Thrift Store Decor Tiered Tin Stand

Welcome to the first Thrift Store Decor of 2016.

Thrift Store Decor is a makeover challenge that gives something thrifted a new lease on life.

On The Agenda - Redo of Dated Jack & Jill Bathroom

A new year brings new projects around here.

The first one on my agenda won't be just a 'paint a table' type thing.

I'm not fluffing any pillows, or hanging a new picture and calling it good.

It won't be happening in the wink of an eye either.

On the chopping block is a 23 year old bathroom that has been neglected and it's time for it to move on from the metallic-y pink shower tiles and girly touches.

Products & Projects, Where Are They Now?

Where are they now?

Where are what Bliss?

I'm referring to some of the products and projects that came to live with me in 2015.

I often get emails from readers asking how certain things have held up, or if I would buy or recommend a product, and often they wonder what I ended up doing with something I've painted or made.

To kick off 2016 I'm gonna answer some of those questions here and now.