I SELL AVON
http://blowry.avonrepresentative.com/
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
5:12 AM | Posted by
Tina
I got up yesterday morning to the question of "Trash driving?" That was from my youngest son wanting to know if we were going to drive around part of our neighborhood looking for items that people were throwing away and that we couldn't live without.
Disclaimer:
I have to admit that many times I pick up things that I can't use, but that I can sell in our next garage sale, like baby strollers, which was the case yesterday. It's truly amazing the good "stuff" people throw away that others can use. Even if I didn't have plans to sell it, I would pick it up to at least give to a charity to they could sell it and make a little money.
Disclaimer:
I have to admit that many times I pick up things that I can't use, but that I can sell in our next garage sale, like baby strollers, which was the case yesterday. It's truly amazing the good "stuff" people throw away that others can use. Even if I didn't have plans to sell it, I would pick it up to at least give to a charity to they could sell it and make a little money.
Okay, back to my Monster. As we were cruising around, with the back of the pickup loaded down with other people's trash, but our treasure, we spotted these:
Now, mind you, if I hadn't had a 10-year-old boy with me, I would have NEVER stopped to pick these up. Most of the time, people are throwing these things away because they don't work and Christmas lights and I just don't get along real well. In fact, my Christmas spirit goes out the window when I'm trying to put lights on our tree, but I digress.
Since I DID have a 10-year-old boy with me, we stopped to pick them up, me thinking the whole time "I'm just going to end up putting them by OUR trash can when we get home, plug them in and see that they don't work". I bet the man who lived there, who, by the way was sitting there watching my son the whole time he was putting them in the back of the truck, thought we were completely nuts or desperate to find things to sell. He is definitely right about us being nuts. I REALLY need to find a different neighborhood to trash drive in besides our own.
We got home, plugged them in, and lo and behold, they actually work Granted, a few of the white lights on the body of the one of the deer don't work, so we might have to replace those (don't be surprised if you hear that particular deer met an untimely death because of my Christmas light "problem"), but the motors that make the heads move up and down WORK. You can just imagine my surprise.
Now the big question is "Where in the world do I store them until Christmas?"
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Do you remember the table I found in the trash? If not, here is the picture I originally posted.
Now this is what is looks like:
It doesn't even look like the same table, does it? I was able to sand the top down and didn't have to use any paint stripper (not my favorite stuff to work with). Then I restained it and painted the checkerboard. The top of the upper tier is black to match the checkerboard color because the previous owner had put something on it that has left a black stain that I couldn't sand out.
The really amazing part of the table refurbishing story is the legs. I actually found three spindles that were originally made for an outdoor deck rail. Somebody had thrown them in the trash several months ago and I just happened to pick them up. Can you believe I would do something like that? Anyway, my husband had used them as legs on a work table/storage shelf in the garage. We had purchased some other inexpensive wood at Lowe's to replace the legs on the table, but I just wasn't happy with it. It didn't "feel" right, so a couple of nights ago I was out in the garage and happened to look over and see those legs. They were PERFECT. I told my husband he was going to have to disassemble the garage table because I needed those legs. I was even nice and cut the Lowe's wood into 3 ft. lengths so he could have replacement legs. They are longer than the original legs, but that's okay. It really works better in the gameroom at that height. Now the boys have a "permanent" checkers/chess board to play on if they can find it under all of the "stuff" they are probably going to put on it (video games, cell phones, playing cards, etc.).
All in all I spent about $2.25 for the project and that was for the piece of Lowe's wood that actually ended up being used in the garage. I already had the stain, paint and varnish.
The lamp base in the "before" picture has also been painted black, but I'm trying to find the perfect (by that I mean really cheap or, preferably, free) lampshade to put on it. I'll let you know when that happens.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
I went to the high school yesterday to help fit approximately 12, 572 about 35 band members for their concert uniforms. Let's just say that teenage boys + trying on formal wear = a very interesting afternoon.
Conversation between us moms and the boys:
What size pants do you wear. "I don't know" was the common reply. What size shirt do you wear? "I don't know." What size sport coat do you wear? "I don't know. I've never worn a sport coat." "Okay, then take this pair of pants, shirt, jacket and vest, put it on and come back out of the bathroom. DO NOT take anything off without us actually seeing it first unless it is way too small to even button. Some did exactly what we said to do. Some did exactly what we said not to do. Some were just completely clueless about any of it. One went into the bathroom with his "gear" and came out a few minutes later with his school uniform on (not the dress uniform, mind you) and said "It all fits, except the pants are waaay too long." We said "Okay, then you are going to have to go back in the bathroom and put the pants back on so we can pin them to be hemmed." Lord, give me strength.
Ya gotta love'em.
It was all worth it in the end, because this is how they look (except for the length. We didn't have time to hem before I took the picture).
The tie and vest are a silver print and look really nice with the black tux.
The girls are wearing solid black, long dresses that are very flattering for every figure.
They have a competition tomorrow, so I'm headed up to the school again today to help finish hemming. Ah, the joys of motherhood.
Conversation between us moms and the boys:
What size pants do you wear. "I don't know" was the common reply. What size shirt do you wear? "I don't know." What size sport coat do you wear? "I don't know. I've never worn a sport coat." "Okay, then take this pair of pants, shirt, jacket and vest, put it on and come back out of the bathroom. DO NOT take anything off without us actually seeing it first unless it is way too small to even button. Some did exactly what we said to do. Some did exactly what we said not to do. Some were just completely clueless about any of it. One went into the bathroom with his "gear" and came out a few minutes later with his school uniform on (not the dress uniform, mind you) and said "It all fits, except the pants are waaay too long." We said "Okay, then you are going to have to go back in the bathroom and put the pants back on so we can pin them to be hemmed." Lord, give me strength.
Ya gotta love'em.
It was all worth it in the end, because this is how they look (except for the length. We didn't have time to hem before I took the picture).
The tie and vest are a silver print and look really nice with the black tux.
The girls are wearing solid black, long dresses that are very flattering for every figure.
They have a competition tomorrow, so I'm headed up to the school again today to help finish hemming. Ah, the joys of motherhood.
Friday, March 5, 2010
It's been a pretty good week for freecyling, curbsaling, embarrassing yourself because people are watching you pick through other people's trash, etc.
My first find was this table.
My first find was this table.
I was cruising along through our neighborhood (I wonder how many people recognize me now as the "trash lady" and whisper things about me when I drive by?), when I spotted this table sitting by the curb IN THE RAIN. Can you believe someone would just put this beautiful table outside IN THE RAIN? What were they thinking? I opened up the hatch on my minivan and threw it (okay, well, I didn't actually THROW it because it's kind of heavy, but you get my meaning). I headed home and put it in my garage. The middle of the top on one side is a little sunken is which I think can be fixed very easily and it needs a little work on the top there the finish was rubbed off, but it's gorgeous. Those are wrought iron legs. Not sure where I'm going to put it yet, but I couldn't just let it sit there and get ruined.
The next day I was cruising along again, this time on purpose since it was trash day in one part of our neighborhood. Apparently someone had moved out of a rental and the owners had cleaned out whatever the renters left. I love it when that happens. I always get some good stuff that way.
I found these
The table is currently being sanded down to paint and put in our gameroom, along with the lamp. Now if I can find a lampshade I will be in good shape. It also needs a couple of new legs because it looks like some critter chewed on them.
I also found a cute Uncle Sam wooden stand-up "thingie" for my front porch for the 4th of July. He's gonna need a little cleaning and I'm going to put a flag in his hand.
I can't wait to show you how it all turned out. I'm also repainting the furniture in my youngest son's bedroom. He's decided he wants the University of Oklahoma colors in his room, so bring on the crimson and cream.
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