Latest Deals on Electrical Supplies and Stair Parts

Are you tired of hearing about all the deals I am finding for our new home?  If so, you can just close this post and move right along - you won't like it!  :)  I am excited to share with you another couple of great deals I found, following my own advice found in this post, particularly points #1 & #2. 

Following point #1, I found an amazing bargain on Kijiji (the equivalent of Craigslist, for my American readers).  Jason has told his mom that he thinks I am wasting time when I am online, scouring Kijiji, but then I find a fantastic bargain and he thinks it is all worth it (and just so you know, I do not look everyday, not even every other day!).  Back just before the Easter weekend, I happened to stumble upon an add for brand new electrical supplies.  Rolls of wire, electrical boxes, receptacles and switches, and cover plates and breakers and a panel box and the list just went on and on, all brand new and sealed in their packages.  When I told Jay about it, his first thought was that it was stolen!  Who sells brand new electrical supplies for a super price on a forum such as Kijiji?  His only conclusion was that it must be stolen!  Well, I responded to the add and they got back to me a few days later, by phone, and explained that their father used to be an electrician but had passed away and now they were cleaning out his stuff.  Apparently he not only had supplies in the house and garage but also in a storage unit.  Since that call, we have made 3 trips to pick up supplies.  The first time Jay drove about an hour one evening to pick up as much as he could for the cash he had.  Since we had no more cash in hand, we made arrangements to pick up more supplies at a later date.  A few days later he met up with them in a parking lot just about 15 minutes down the road.  We thought that was the end.  Then they emailed us a few days later to let us know that another buyer never showed up for more supplies, were we interested in those?  Absolutely.  We also inquired if they had any other items we may need for a new house and they emailed us a list we never saw before.  So, this past Saturday I met up with her again in a parking lot in the city where I was having lunch anyway to pick up the remaining supplies we needed.  Now we have a huge chunk of our electrical supplies for less than half the contractor price we were quoted.  I was very pleased to have found that deal!

Then on Saturday when I was in the city, I made a stop at the Habitat for Humanity Restore.  When I told Jay in the morning that I intended to make a stop there, he wanted to know why.  I told him you never know what I would find.  Turns out I found something I never expected.  Stair parts!  I walked past an aisle filled with brand new solid wood spindles (oak?) and contemplated how they might work for the house and if they were a good price.  There was also some huge newel posts in the stack.  Behind me a gentleman was looking through a selection of solid wood handrails.  The wheels in my brain started churning and I made a call to Jay.  I had no idea what price was a good price, how many spindles we would need and what length of handrail was necessary.  Jay promised to do a little researching and check out the plans and then get back to me.  I wandered the rest of the store waiting for his call.  When he called back, he confirmed it was a great deal and informed me how many of each item we needed.  So, there I was kneeling in a pile of chewed gum (eeew!) sorting through the spindles to find enough matching one.  So far, so good (well, except for the gum). 

Then I went crawling under shelves to sort through the handrails, finding one that was long enough and straight enough.  Then I went back to the spindles and returned all the ones I had picked out because they were the wrong size for the handrail.  So, I found a different style of spindle in the correct size and in the correct amount.  After I choose 2 huge newel posts, I was set to go. 

I was so proud of myself.  Yes, my nice light pink spring coat was filthy and I had the remnants of gum stuck to my pants but I was victorious in finding what I needed.  The icing on the cake?  Saturday was 20% off day at the Restore!  So, my great deal became a fantastic deal.  After getting home, I discovered that I paid about 65% less than I would have had I bought those items at a big box store.  No, the wood doesn't match but since I will end up painting them anyway, that part doesn't matter.  What does matter is that we are slowly accumulating items for our house at a fraction of the regular retail price.  As my neighbour said, I will end up building my house for nothing (or right next to it!).

Right next to the Restore is a tile warehouse store so I made a quick stop over there to check out what they had.  I am not that particular about stair parts.  I know what color I want but the style is not that particular.  Tile is a different matter.  We need tile in our master bath around our tub and in the shower and a back splash for the vanity.  I would also like tile for the floor but that is a matter for a whole other post.  I am very specific in the style of tile I want.  Not just anything will do.  And up until Saturday I hadn't found any that I liked.  (To be honest, up until Saturday I never stepped foot in a tile store!).  I was so glad I made the stop because I finally found a few choices of beautiful tile that just might work.  And one of them is actually affordable!  When we choose our tile I will be sure to share with you what we actually went with.  Fortunately, that is not something that needs to be rushed right now.  For that matter, neither did the electrical supplies or the stair parts but with prices like that, you buy immediately.

This week should bring its own set of thrills and excitement but I will share that with you at the end of the week.  Until then, have yourself a fantastic week!  I know I will!  :)

Lamp Redo - The Base

A bit over a month ago I found the perfect lamp for the nursery makeover I am working on - it was a $5 thrift store find.  It was a beautiful lamp - well, it had potential.  I could imagine a different color base and a different color shade and I knew it was the one. 

And like all things around here, it takes a bit of time before I am either:

A.  Able to start a project

B.  Able to finish a project

C.  All of the above, all of the time!

So, sometime between then and now I spray painted the base silver.  I was hoping for a chrome color - you know, a nice shiny silver.  I wasn't finding the spray paint I wanted so I went with this one from Valspar.

I love the way it turned out.  A very soft, dull silver but with much potential.  Today I finished the base while the kids were doing chores.  I took some charcoal craft paint and a sponge brush and dabbed some paint on the brush then proceeded to dab most of it off so it is almost a dry-brushing technique.  I then rubbed the brush in each of the recessed areas on the lamp.

I would paint three stripes at a time so the paint wouldn't dry too much before I was able to wipe it off.

Then using a paper towel (or in my case, a paper napkin), I wiped most of the paint off, until I liked what it looked like.  I wanted it dark in the depth of the recessed area and lighter on the outsides, if that makes sense.  Since this is a very heavy lamp base most likely made of resin, it is not a smooth surface, so the black paint gets into all the little nooks and crannies of the lamp, which I love.  Gives it an antiqued look.  Very different than the chrome look I originally wanted but I like this even better!  So, I continued to rub black paint over most of the lamp and then wiping it off, making sure there were no definite lines anywhere.  It needed to blend but if some areas were darker than others, that was fine by me. 

I love how it turned out!  It gives so much definition to the details of the lamp and gives it a beautifully antiqued look.  So much better than the brown clay look of before.  I sealed it with a satin spray sealant and now the base is complete.  Next step - the shade (which I stripped down to the wire so that will be interesting to redo!)!  I cannot promise it will happen anytime soon but I do promise to show you the process and the end result!

Latest Thrifting Treasures

I love our local MCC thrift store and frequent it occasionally (I rarely come home empty handed so I need to limit how often I go - less during the school year, more during the summer). The kids and I biked over yesterday and these are the three treasures I found:

First off, I love footed glass bowls! I have a growing collection. I found this dainty crystal version for $1 then carried it around the store knowing that if I put it in the cart, little Ari was sure to break it. I imagine serving jam in it at a beautiful brunch! I usually make a nice brunch on Saturdays - maybe I will up it a bit and use my really pretty dishes to serve all the food!

Secondly, I found 2 boxes of 4 1/4 x 4 1/4 inch arctic white wall tile by Dal Tile. One case is unopened and one case has only about 5 of the 100 missing. They were $10 per box - new they would have been $0.28 per tile so about $54 for both boxes. Not a massive savings but certainly a deal. I am not sure where they will go but maybe in the powder room?

Finally, this beauty I had seen the week before and I was hoping was still there. I hesitated then and thankfully, no one bought it. At $8, this was the best deal! I told Jay we must name the dress form as that is just what you are supposed to do - he gave several options and finally came up with "Lacey". I liked that one so Lacey she is! She is in need of being recovered but for now, she works just fine like she is. Obviously I couldn't take her with me on the bike so we had to make a return trip to get her and the tiles.

All in all, a successful shopping trip!

Any great thrifting finds you have found recently? Do tell!

Latest Kijiji Purchase

Remember that nice dark brown french provincial dresser & nightstand set I bought? Well, the lady selling it is clearing out her mom's estate and recently posted another gotta-have set on Kijiji! As soon as I saw it, I knew I needed to make it mine! It is an antique empire revival claw foot settee and the matching chair!

The details are just amazing!

The settee has been stripped right down to the frame and requires some regluing of the frame. It is not in perfect condition but is beautiful as it is. The chair still contains some of the upholstery but is in the process of being stripped. The frame itself is in better shape than the settee. An antiques appraiser told the seller that they are from Europe and over 100 years old. From my research online, they are made out of mahogany wood. The price for these two lovelies-in-waiting? $50 for the set! I know, a steal, I think! The boys have already been suggesting various different fabrics and all are some sort of animal print! They know their mom too well! This will certainly be a labor of love as I will have to figure out how to reupholster it without knowing how it was done originally. I also have to figure out how to redo the seat with webbing and springs. I love the challenge that it presents and I am thrilled to have them in my hands. I think I will wait until I find the perfect fabric but, like the boys said, I will probably lean more towards the fun and modern as opposed to the traditional. A long while ago I bought MANY packages of silver nail heads for really, REALLY cheap with no known project in mind. I think this just might be that project!

So, help me out, if you can. Any suggestions on how to reweb the seat cushion area? Suggestions on how to reglue the frame? Suggestions on fabric? If you had these frames, what would you do with them? I would love to hear from you!

I Installed a "New" Toilet & Sink

Remember at our new country property there is a house trailer? Well, it is not in the greatest condition and I find it a bit gross. Creepy. We haven't had the water hooked up until last week so everything was getting dirtier and everything that was dirty had yet to be cleaned. Now, we have no intention of living in the house trailer. Not that I am opposed to house trailers - my parents lived in one for 6 years when they managed a Bible Camp down in Minnesota and I lived with them for 1 year. However, this house trailer is in need of a lot of loving and there is no way 7 of us could fit in there! Anyway, the bathroom is used often everytime we go out there to do some work. It was a gross bathroom. I told the kids not to touch anything as I was afraid they would get sick. Granted a lot of bleach might have made it somewhat more acceptable. However, the float in the toilet was broken so it ran all the time and the tap in the tub never turns off so it is always running water. The sink was rusty. I wanted new fixtures so I got new fixtures. Well, new to me. We bought a sink ($10) and a toilet ($25) at the local MCC store and I was determined to replace them myself. I googled how to do it (check out this link, this link, and this one) gathered my supplies and set about the job. I figured if something went wrong it wasn't such a big deal. No one was needing the bathroom for a few days!

Here is what the toilet looked like before. A beauty, isn't she? I just love the green and turquoise combination! (Check out that wallpaper and vinyl flooring!)

I removed the tank

then the toilet bowl!

I replaced the bowl with a "new" white one

and a matching white tank!

Isn't she so pretty (check out that fantastic silicone job at the base of it!) Now, truth be told, I have taken off and replaced that tank about 8 times. And I have to do it one more time. It kept leaking! Just a little note: if you are replacing a toilet with another used toilet, be sure to buy a new spud gasket and new tank-to-bowl bolts rather than reusing the old. It will make a world of a difference, you won't be mopping up water continually and nothing will leak. I bought a new spud gasket (in case you are wondering, it is the large "washer" that goes between the tank and the bowl) but apparently I should have chosen a different kind. After talking with my dad (who, incidentally, is a plumber!) I know which gasket to buy to solve the very minor leaking that occurs only when the toilet is flushed. You may be wondering why I didn't get my dad to do this job. Well, he is extremely busy for starters but come on! Not much of a DIY project if my dad does it, now is it? :) If you know me at all, you know I love to do things by myself! I wanted to figure it out and I did! I am extremely proud of myself (and, contrary to some of the tutorials, it most certainly does not take 5-6 hours - maybe 1 1/2 hours!). While I was at it, I also replaced the bathroom sink with a "new" white one that already had a shiny set of taps on it! I didn't bring the camera with me so no pictures of it. Just know that the green sink and green toilet were a match! I had to replace the pop-up drain assembly on the "new" sink, take out the old sink and put in the new. It all worked on the first try! So, with a coat of paint that I bought at MCC as well for the walls and the vanity, the bathroom will go from green and gross to quite acceptable. And I learned how to install a toilet and sink in the process (which, by the way, is very easy! If you can follow simple instructions, you can do it, too!)

My Latest MCC Treasures!

It really does pay to pack up the kids and visit the local (very, very good!) thrift store at least once a week, if not twice! I went on Tuesday and again today! On Tuesday I didn't buy one.single.thing! Very, very unusual! In fact, that may be a first. Today, however, was different! I bought some paint, some 3' (?) spindles that will come in handy somewhere at sometime, a gardening book and two of these:

I love them! They have a leopard look to them, which I totally adore! They glow ever so nicely when they are lit and they make a little bit of a look-at-me statement! Somewhere in the next house they will find their home. For now, they will stay in the box. Oh, and the price? $4 each. Yup, that is a bargain I can live with. I found a very similar one at Home Depot for about $30 so $4 is about 85% less! They were in a box that bore the picture of another pendant light but one that is really plain. Boring. I assume these were a little too "wild" for their liking! Their loss, my gain!

In order to easily test and see if these light fixtures I buy actually work, my wonderful hubby created a little "pigtail" for me. That way I don't have to wire the lights to see them in action.

All he did was take an old cord with a plug at the end and expose some wires for me while leaving about a 6' piece attached to the plug. I just join the exposed wires on that "pigtail" to the wires on the light fixture, plug it in and VOILA! However, you must make very sure the black and white wires don't touch each other. Remember, this is just a temporary thing to test the light! So, have you found any treasures lately?

INSANE Deals for Project 2012!

Jay and I had some very important interviews this morning. We are applying for our Enhanced Drivers Licence or Identity Card in order to travel to the USA by land or by water. We went that route as opposed to passports because it was cheaper and (we thought) easier. Well, cheaper, yes, easier, no. Anyhow, the applications are in, the interviews are done and now we wait to see if we are approved. Then we plan our trip to Minneapolis! I can hardly wait! While Jay was in his interview, I took the kids to the mall to hang out for the hour wait until my appointment. I spent all of that time in Liquidation World, a treasure of a place that sells items they receive through bankruptcies, store closures, and other such means and then sell for less than the other stores that carry those same items. I like the fact that I never know what to expect plus I usually find some great treasure for an even better price. I scored and I mean scored BIG today! I mean HUGE!!
First off, I spotted a number of chandeliers on clearance! Remember, this is a place that liquidates other people's leftovers. Their prices are already better than others. They would be the equivalent of other store's clearance prices. Add another clearance price on top of that and you have a major "I-am-practically-stealing-this-the-price-is-so-low" low price. I brought home two lovelies that will be perfect for the next house (and may just find their way into this one for the short run - although, I do like the idea of keeping it special for the next one!).

This first one I picture in one of the girl's rooms. I actually like it black and I love all the wire wrapped around the arms and accented with small little baubles.


The hanging crystals finish it off ever so nicely! It measures 17" across and 18" tall and is a 6-light fixture.

The price?


This next one is huge! I think it will be our bedroom light - or maybe the foyer? I don't see it staying white but definitely wouldn't do anything about it just now. It is missing a number of the crystals but I don't think they should be too hard to replace. Like I said, it is a big one - it measures 23" across and 25" tall and is an 8-light fixture!

All for the bargain basement price of

Finally, this is the main deal! This is the big kahuna! This is the reason I am still giddy. How many of you know anything about plumbing fixtures? I am talking about bathroom taps, shower heads, etc? Yeah, me neither. Thankfully, my father is a plumber - has been since before I was even born - and probably knows most anything and everything about plumbing. As I perusing the aisles of this wonderful store, I stumbled across a couple of shelves of Price Pfister bath fixtures. Honestly, I had no idea where they fell on the scale of high-end to low-end. I saw this gorgeous Marielle roman tub faucet set in a rustic pewter finish. It has a distinctive French Country styling and was . . . well . . . gorgeous.

It was priced $78.88. Yeah. Meant nothing to me, either. So, I called daddy! Just to inform you, Price Pfister is a top-of-the-line company. Depending on what you are buying, their products can easily and generally run in the $200-$400 dollar and upwards range. $78.88 is a bargain. Dad asked if the rough-in parts were included - apparently they are often sold separately for at least $100. Yes, they were snuggled in their own little box within the larger box containing all the other parts, like the handles and the spout, which, apparently, can and are sold separately. So, for the complete set $78.88. Yup, it was a bargain, all right. I threw it in the cart and didn't look back. Well, I did look back but only to look at the Price Pfister 8" Rain Shower head selling for $28.88 - maybe I will have to go back (again) and get a second look! After I got home, I looked up this faucet set online - Home Depot, actually. They still sell this style of tub faucet. Their price? Are you ready for this? Are you sitting down? $306.31. Yeah, you read that right. Over $300. But wait a minute. That DOES NOT include the handles? Another $76.37. Remember the rough-in parts dad asked me about? Another $110.50. So, if you are doing the math (you really should be sitting) - the total cost at Home Depot for the exact same thing I just bought for $78.88 was $493.18. Are you as stunned as I was?! That is about 525% more than I paid at a wonderful place called Liquidation World. In my opinion, they had no idea the retail price of these. For example, they had some really nice Louisville Slugger bats in funky shades of orange and pink and yellow - the sale price sticker from the previous store said $199.99 and LW was selling it for 40% of that amount (no, we did not buy one but we certainly looked). I think because there was no price on these items, they just priced them however. Their loss, my gain! (Just so you know, I would never have paid $493.18 for a set of bathtub taps - that is just a whole lot beyond me - but when you can "steal" them for $78.88 I am all for it!)

Thanks for sharing in my excitement! Now it is time for a fashion show - you know, showing all the clothes I bought last night at Value Village to hubs! Gotta love it!

New Life for Old Shoes {New Heel Tips}

Well, these aren't actually old shoes. This pair I bought last year from Zappos

and this pair I bought a little while ago at our local thrift store for $2!

Both were in need of some new tips. Don't you just hate it when your favorite heels suddenly fall apart in the tips after all that walking? You probably think you need to throw them away but let me tell you a secret - YOU DON'T!! If the only thing wrong with your shoes is a smashed heel tip, you can very easily replace the tips and your shoes are as good as new! That is exactly what I did and for way less than the cost of new shoes, I have shoes worth walking in! Take a quick detour over to newheeltips.com and check out their large selection of different sized and shaped heel tips. They are cheap (only $4.95 for a pair) and shipping to here was $5.99. So, for a bit less than $8 a pair, my shoes are good to go!

The first thing you need to do is measure, in mm, the size of your heel tip. Try to measure the one that is the least smashed. And by smashed, I am referring to this:

Once your new tips come in, take a pair of pliers and remove the old tips. If you see the new tip (check out the photo above), it is a piece of plastic on a post. Your old tip is exactly the same. The one pair pulled out a little easier than the other but it really is quite easy. You may need to carve away the old plastic with a knife to expose the old post but then you just grab it with a plier and wiggle and pull. You will then have something that looks like this:

In the middle of that now-clean heel is a hole. You just pop that new tip into the hole, push down firmly, and VOILA!! In about 5 minutes, new shoes! I was so thrilled that I could wear these two pairs again! I will certainly be wearing the fringed one on date night tonight!

Just one more look at the difference a new heel tip can make!

A Morning Out!

Rarely do I take all kids out with me to go . . . well, to go anywhere. It really is a lot of work. At least, I thought it was. Today I wanted to get out. Go someplace. Do something out of the ordinary. It has been wonderfully hot around here, in the 30's, so I have been busy planting and digging and weeding and pulling and staining the deck and a host of other projects outside that have left me well tanned! I wanted a break from that so we - all of the kids and I - went to Steinbach garage sale-ing! I was not planning to take all 5 in with me - the plan was to take 2 at a time and the other 3 could stay in the van, in plain sight of me. Well, we got to the first place and they all wanted to come. I thought we would try it once and see how it went! What little angels they were! We looked and shopped and found some great treasures and they were fantastic. So, each of the sales we went to they came in, if they wanted. What well-behaved kids they were!! One garage sale we went to had a park right next door - I think all sales should be that way! Mom can shop while the kids play! So, with some sales under our belt and some time for the kids to play, we headed off to DQ for a yummy lunch! Let me tell you, it almost killed me to throw away partially eaten sundaes - AGH!! Normally Jay would have finished them but he wasn't with us. And with me not eating sugar, I didn't have a choice! Anyway, the day was great, the kids were gems and I just may go out more often!

Baby Name Plaque

I am amazed to see how many followers I now have on this little adventure I call blogging and I sincerely apologize for my lack of posts lately. However, I have been trying to keep up with the chaos around here and set a more "family friendly" schedule - whatever that means. I go to bed earlier and get up earlier so I can clean earlier which means less time for this. If that made any sense. Annnnnyhow!

Since I last blogged, we have taken the kids on a field trip to the local Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature - they LOVED it! Gigantic dinosaur skeletons, a real Nonsuch ship to explore, a vintage town! Everyone, from the 11 month old to the 6 year old, had a fantastic time! Our farm bought a business membership so we can take the entire family to the museum as many times as we want for the next year for FREE!! Cannot get any better than that! Plus, with the membership, we can also go to the Science Gallery and the Planetarium, all housed in that same building! I sense a few more field trips in the future. And just today, with the balmy -6C temperatures we have been experiencing, we went out to Jay's parent's place and spent the late afternoon/early evening skating and snowmobiling! So much fun!

I know, you are thinking, get on with it! I want to see the baby name plaque. I found a couple of these "country" signs at our local thrift store for $2 and knew immediately what they would become.

One of my dearest friends had her baby girl just days before Christmas so this is the name plaque I created for her! Super simple! If you want the directions, check out my post from earlier.

As of yet, I have not met this beautiful little girl so I cannot wait to see her and give this to her. Now to get working on another project for this little sweetie!

Christmas Decor - Table Scape

I have been trying to postpone pulling out the Christmas decor until we have had our final Thanksgiving celebration this coming weekend. However, when I saw a certain piece of fabulousness at London Drugs, I said forget that! I am not hosting the gathering at my house so why can't I decorate for Christmas?! I started (and for now, ended) with the dining room table. As I mentioned, I found this set of 3 tall covered cake stands on sale for $29.99 at London Drugs (reg. $49.99) and I once I saw them I knew I had to have them and I knew exactly what to do!

I bought a number of tree ornaments and, with the bowl part held upside down, placed the ornaments in the bowl. Then, with the bowl still upside down, I placed the stand on it (so now the bottom of the stand is sticking straight up - make sense?) and inverted it. Voila! A beautiful stand of ornamental wonder! After finishing all three the same way, I placed them on a mirror I bought at MCC a while ago for maybe $3. Perfection! Add a couple of feathery ornaments and the table centerpiece is complete! Oh, so fabulous! Oh, so pretty! Oh, so easy! I cannot wait to get out all the other decor. {Patience, my lovely, patience!}