project paint-the-walls

we're starting to get knee-deep in joint compound at the lantz household! after some minimal prep-work, we got right down to it with smearing joint compound on the walls in hopes of someday being able to paint on a smooth wall surface.

it was s-l-o-w going until we agreed that it will take a few coats, so the lumps, bumps, and other imperfections were okay. we've got the first coat applied and ready to be sanded. once the major ridges and bumps are smoothed out, we'll be on to round two of joint compound and then hopefully one last sanding will be enough to create a nice smooth, even wall surface.

as promised, i finally uploaded some photos of my thrift store dresser. it's a little rough looking now, but with some tlc it will clean up nicely. those scratches should sand right out - they look worse in the photos than they are.

and of course, i can't leave out the surprise "goodies" i found, stuffed behind the top drawer. some new and some "possibly used" baby items. socks, tights, a leopard print skirt, and a plastic diaper cover. nice.

good will hunting

yesterday we literally went goodwill hunting. love it! vince's sister kristin, who always has the neatest finds, was kind enough to share her honey spots with us. we hit up three columbus-area goodwills/thrift stores and made out like bandits.

i'll do my best to upload photos soon. at our first stop, we left with two milk glass vases (i LOVE milk glass) and a milk glass globe light fixture for $5. a sweet deal if i ever found one!

at our second stop, we found a three drawer, one cabinet solid wood dresser for just $25! it has a few minor little scratches, but is in overall very great condition. i can't wait to re-finish it for vince to use in place of the dresser for my childhood room. it's just a tad too feminine for his personal taste.

then, feeling optimistic we went to a third store and i fell in love with a pair of chairs for only $10. for.the.set! they were a club chair style and it really good condition, but definitely would need to be reupholstered. not for a lack in quality of material, they were in good shape, but because they were covered in a large brown, cream, green and orange floral pattern that screamed 1972. :) but, alas there was absolutely no way in the world we could fit them in the car since the dresser was already in there. and of course, the salvation army doesn't have lay away. and vince absolutely vetoed driving home, dumping the dressing inside, and turning back around to get them. be still my heart. i still miss them today.

and then, on a whim, we stopped at a new consignment store in town. before we made it in the door, we both spied an air compressor for only $30. i think we blurted out "i want that!" at the same time, without having any idea that we both coveted one of these! so, in addition to the air compressor i got a paint sprayer attachment (yay!) and vince got an attachment that can staple or nail, depending on your need. we are so pumped!!

as for house projects, we finally started attempting to skim coat the dining room. let me say, for the record, this is a slow going and very frustrating project. if we wanted to texture the walls, it would be fairly simple. but to try and get a smooth finish is more frustrating than my econ class during my junior year of college. and that was pretty painful.

hope your countdown to christmas is a happy one!

weeee wiiiiiish you a merry christmas!

merry christmas from ours to yours!

'tis the season

to decorate your house with obnoxius christmas lights! and we did!!

all that's left is getting our tree and setting it up. the stockings are hung and the pets have visions of sugarplums (and treatsies) dancing in their heads.