{Review} CSN

October 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Remember this?

What is it?  Well, it’s a contemporary coffee table from CSN that’s what!  Want to see more of it?  Of course you do!

Isn’t it purdy?

CSN has over 200 stores online, so they sell EVERYTHING!  They recently sent me a gift certificate to make a purchase from one of their many stores.  Well, I made that purchase, but sorry guys I have to keep what I got a secret.  Hello it’s a Christmas present!  :)     I can’t even tell you which store, because I’m afraid that might give it away.  However, I do think that my husband needs to take note of the above item, because I needs it!  The online store All Coffee Tables.com literally has a coffee table for everyone’s taste and to fit every decor. 

Looking for something ultra modern?

 

How about for storage?

 

Something totally square?

Yep all can be found at All Coffee Tables.com!  Now I know where I’m going to look when I’m ready to shop for my very empty front living room.  :)

 

 

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{DIY} From The Blue Chair

October 27, 2010 By 2 Comments

I’m so excited for this next guest posting, because I actually know her personally and she’s awesome!  I know that you are going to find her to be just dandy!  She crafts, she quilts, she photographs, she blogs…  I told you she is awesome!  This particular guest posting doesn’t pertain to her quilting, but I LOVE her quilts.  In fact she is entered right now in a Halloween quilting contest and you can vote for her fabulous Spooky Wonky Log Cabin HERE.  It’s quilt #1 so get voting!  :)    And here is my friend and former roomie, Kati…

Hi! I’m Kati from the blue chair. Thanks so much to Tara for letting me do a guest post today about my blue chair. Tara and I were roommates in college. I certainly have some good stories, but we’ll stick to refurnishing chairs today.

I have a thing for chairs. I like to get them from Goodwill for around $5 and paint them. It’s become a bit of a problem. My husband even asked me recently to stop. I guess no more Goodwill chairs for a while, but at least I have my favorite chair to use every day while I sew. This is the chair that inspired my blog name—from the blue chair. This was a pretty sad little Goodwill find, but sturdy. He definitely had some potential, but needed a lot of love.

 

When scouring for chairs I look for a few things—sturdy, solid wood, relatively good condition, and character (you don’t want just a plain old kitchen chair). Sit in it. Wiggle the back. Flip it upside down and make sure those legs are well attached. Once you have your chair, get it ready to paint.

Painting prep:

This guy needed some work, but it wasn’t too bad. I filled the deep scratches with wood filler then sanded the edges a bit to smooth things over. I cleaned it and wiped all surfaces down with an everyday kitchen cleaner. Then I wiped it with a clean, damp cloth.

 

Replacing the seat:

I removed the original seat by flipping it over and unscrewing it from the bottom. Then I cut a piece of high density foam using the seat base as my template. My foam was 2” which is pretty thick but I sit in this guy while sewing. I wanted it to be comfortable. I used a little hot glue to adhere it to the seat base.

The seat fabric is Tufted Tweets in Grass by Laurie Wisburn. I chose the fabric for the seat cover because I adore it, but it’s quilting weight fabric and not available in décor weight. To strengthen the fabric, I fused it to heavy twill using Ultra Heat and Bond. This made it a bit more difficult to work with than normal décor weight fabric, but it made it durable for long-term use. After getting the fabric ready, I started stapling it on using a craft staple gun. I did the sides first and then the front and back, pulling the fabric as tightly as I could.

Painting:

To paint this guy I used Pacific Sea Teal in gloss by Bear from Home Depot. I chose to brush on the paint rather than spray painting because I was a bit particular about the color and there aren’t a lot of color options in spray paint. I used their Ultra paint with primer in it, making painting one easy step.

Finishing:

After allowing the paint to cure for a couple days, I attached the seat using the original hardware. After a little work, some new paint and fabric, I have a funky new sewing chair that I love!

Painted chairs make a fun accent in any room or a fabulous photography prop. For a super funky look, collect an assortment of chairs and paint them each a different color for your dining room table. My next chair project might be a pink one. My three-year-old has requested a pink chair for the dinner table. I just might indulge her.

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Keep your eyes peeled!

October 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Be on the look out to see some greatness in contemporary coffee tables from CSN.  What will you see?  Probably something like this:

Now that’s a closeup!  What is it?  Well, you will just have to wait and see.  :)  

Definitely sometime next week.

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{DIY} Have a Seat, Right There on My (Garbage) Bench

September 25, 2010 By 16 Comments

I’ve been in organizing, rearranging mode lately and a few weeks ago I was telling the hubs that I wanted to get a bench for our front entryway.  Until now, it’s been just a place where you kick your shoes, race hotwheels around and thow the pug’s leash.  But I wanted a place to sit and put on your shoes, and perhaps hide said mountain of shoes a little. 

So I browsed around Craigslist, but didn’t really find anything I liked.  Two days (trash day) I was driving down my street and my neighbors were tossing this baby.  I reversed, drove past again to see if my eyes were playing tricks on me — after all, who would throw away a perfectly good bench?  Never mind the fact that it was covered in cobwebs, stained, warped and U-G-L-Y.  But I had the vision, so I hopped out, loaded it up in the van and went on my way. 

Here she is before.  Nasty, huh?  Never fear — she got the makeover she  deserved.

{1} Sand, sand, sand.  Power sanders are your friend.  Don’t have one?  Well then congrats on all the calories you’ll burn sanding.

{2} Prime.  I always use KILZ.  And it’s almost always the spray.  It’s the best and the easiest to use… but this time I didn’t have any, so I used the bucket.

{3} Paint.  A few coats of Rustoleum’s Semi-Gloss black spray paint.

{4} Sand again.  After painting, I decided to rough her up a little (looks like she’d been through a lot, thought I’d keep it real).

{5} I considered finishing here, but I’ve been seeing cute number projects all over the place, so I thought I’d try here, nothing to lose if it didn’t turn out how I wanted.

{6} To do my numbers, I printed out my numbers and eyeballed where I wanted it on my bench.  The font I used is called Greer, and I got it from these guys. 

{7} Then to transfer it to my bench, I colored the back of each number with yellow sidewalk chalk.  Then I turned it over, lined it up on my bench and outlined the numbers using a sharp mechanical pencil.  The chalk transferred the numbers and I knew I could just wipe it off when I was done.  I filled in my outline with craft paint that I had laying around and a small brush. 

{8} Then I let it dry for a bit — probably not long enough, because I’m impatient — and then sprayed a quick polyurethane top coat.  Perhaps not totally necessary, but I figured it was in a high-traffic area, so it couldn’t hurt.

And here she is, all done — Whatcha think?

By the way, when I was telling this to my friend – she was appalled.  ”I’m all for your projects Lan, but this is yuck, even for you!” Ha!  Could not believe that anyone in this world would just take someone else’s trash… who’s laughing now?  (She has since retracted her scorn.)

And I’m linking up I’m linking here, here, here, here  here and here.

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{Review} CSN Stores

September 22, 2010 By 2 Comments

My toddler was out of a crib by the time he was 18 months old — NOT our choice, but he was practically pole-vaulting out every ten seconds.  So… we were forced to move him to a bed.  He was pretty little, so we started out by giving him a twin mattress just on the floor.  We figured that he wouldn’t have far to fall and it seemed like the best option at the time.  Well, that was 11 months ago and he is still on a twin mattress on the floor.  Don’t judge me – he likes it, it’s way easier for jumping on and somersaulting off of, so we haven’t moved up to a real bed yet.  But we’re starting to look for an actual bed and I’ve got my eye on a platform bed or two out there. 

Did you know that CSN has platform beds?  Of couse they do, they’ve got it all!  Stay tuned for a closer look at all the CSN goodness!

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CSN Dining Rooms Direct ***ENDED***

August 23, 2010 By 145 Comments

August 23rd is a super big day for my husband to REMEMBER!  Hopefully he reads this posting…  Just kidding honey!   Today the parents of Banjo have been married for 8 years.  That’s like 4 times 2 people!  :)   A long time,  but extremely wonderful amount of time.  In that amount of time we have moved to one new city and then back to the other.  College graduations happened.  We bought our first home.  Our little Banjo arrived.  We bought our second home.  Yep lots can happen in 8 years.  Back up to that second home bit…  With the second home came loads more rooms, loads more space, and a bit of fixing up.  Now we have room for a kitchen table and dining room table.  But how does my dining room look?  Picture just a table and 4 chairs.  That would be my dining room!  Recently I received a gift certificate from CSN and I’m looking forward to using it towards adding some things into my dining room… at Dining Rooms Direct!

  My dining room is really lacking.  It could use this:

One of these:

and…

A few extra chairs!

Oh and I can’t forget about this really cool rug:

It may take me a while to get my perfect dining room, but at least I know where to find everything I want.  At Dining Rooms Direct!  :)   

CSN has over 200 stores, so they sell basically everything!  Even new light fixtures for my perfect dining room! 

Ready to win?

One lucky winner is going to receive a $20 gift certificate to spend at a CSN store of choice!

***This giveaway is open to U.S. entries only***

There are 5 chances to win. Be sure and leave separate comments for each entry on this posting to enter. **If you qualify for all 5 chances then leave 5 separate comments**

(1): Leave your name, email address, or whatever you feel most comfortable leaving in a comment. (ex: “Dandy Smith”)

(2): Follow Dandy Giveaway (in the right sidebar) or if you already follow. (ex: “Dandy Smith = follow Dandy”)

(3): Tell people about this giveaway and then tell us how you told. (ex: “Dandy Smith = emailed, called, texted”)

(4): Subscribe to Dandy (in the right sidebar) or if you already have. (ex: “Dandy Smith= subscriber”)

(5): Have a look around at Dining Rooms Direct and tell us what you need for your home! (ex: “Dandy Smith= I need everything for my dining room!”)

This giveaway will be open for entries the entire week and end on Sunday, August 29th at 5 pm CST. Be sure and check back on Monday, August 30th to see if you won, so you can claim your prize!

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Treasure Rooms ***ENDED***

August 16, 2010 By 148 Comments

As you regular readers know, I’ve got two small kids — and so I’m always on the lookout for great baby and kids’ gear or furniture.  I love browsing nursery furniture and decor; I have a small fleet of strollers in my garage; and I love looking at all the baby gear that’s designed to make life a little easier — enter Treasure Rooms.  Treasure Rooms originated in St. Louis is 1989 and has been offering a huge selection of furniture, essentials and accessories for over 20 years now!  Treasure Rooms has been named one of the Top 20 Baby Stores in America by Baby Bargains Book and parents and grandparents just keep coming back for exceptional quality and outstanding customer service.  With everything you need to outfit a nursery or a child’s room, Treasure Rooms is the place to shop!

You can start with the Colgate Classica III Dual Zone Foam Crib Mattress .. and then you need a crib to put it in, huh?  And some bedding to cover it?  What about… 

And when you’re getting ready for that baby, you’ll need a stroller, a car seat, a playpen, a highchair, and probably a whole bunch more!    

So what does Treasure Rooms have for us this week?  One lucky duck is going to win the Miracle Blanket! 

This is truly a product that is near and dear to my heart.  True story:  a friend of mine and I had babies just a few days apart.  When the babies were a week old or so, my husband ran into hers at the store and they got to talking about their respective baby boys.  My friend’s husband told mine that they had this blanket, “The Miracle Blanket,” and that it was nothing short of amazing!  He said their baby had been sleeping so well and how great this blanket was — my husband raced home from the store, hopped onto the old world wide web and we had the Miracle Blanket on our doorstep just a few days later.  We were desperate for anything that would help us get more sleep — I was chasing a 2 year old all day and then partying all night with baby D. 

The Miracle Blanket works!  My kids loved to poke their own eyes, scratch their own faces and flail their arms and legs about like squishy little octopus’s.   And by love, I mean hate.  Hate, and yet can’t stop.  I would swaddle them up all as neat and tight as a wrapped gift and somehow they would always get free… free to commence scratching, poking, flailing.  But in the Miracle Blanket, I could wrap them up, tuck their legs in, tuck their arms in and that’s it!  No more escaped limbs, no more screaming. 

I’m not going to tell you that baby D magically slept 8 hours every night from that night on, but it was definitely a major improvement.   We consistently swaddled baby D every night in The Miracle Blanket, and after a little while, D would begin to calm down as soon as I would even begin to swaddle him.  Not only did the Miracle Blanket help me sleep longer because baby D slept longer – but for a paranoid mama like me, it even helped relieve some anxiety about SIDS.  The Miracle Blanket helps keep babies on their backs, reducing the risk of SIDS.   The Miracle Blanket is made of a stretchy cotton knit and will hold up wash after wash — for those frequent spit-ups.   It also has no velcro, button, zippers or other fasteners — this makes it the safest swaddling blanket out there.    

(In case you can’t tell, I am seriously excited for the person who wins this!)

*** This giveaway is open to US entries only ***

There are 5 chances to win. Be sure and leave separate comments for each entry on this posting to enter. **If you qualify for all 5 chances then leave 5 separate comments**

Entry #1: Leave your name, email address, or whatever you feel most comfortable leaving in a comment.

     Comment example, Dandy Smith

Entry #2: Subscribe by email to Dandy Giveaway (in the right sidebar) or if you already subscribe.

     Comment example, Dandy Smith= dandy subscriber

Entry #3: Tell people about this giveaway and then tell us how you told.

     Comment example, Dandy Smith= emailed, called, texted

Entry #4: Like Treasure Rooms on Facebook or if you already do.

     Comment example, Dandy Smith= like

Entry #5: Have a look around at Treasure Rooms and tell us what’s your favorite!

     Comment example, Dandy Smith=I need this pink striped rug!

This giveaway will be open for entries the entire week and end on Sunday, August 22nd at 5 pm CST. Be sure and check back on Monday, August 23rd to see if you won, so you can claim your prize!

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The Grove Furniture ***ENDED***

May 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Look around the room you are in right now.  You see furniture, right?  Probably more than just one piece of furniture, though.  Am I right?  After all, most homes and places have furniture inside.  It’s just one of those givens!  Now you might be thinking something like, “But I could really use some more furniture in here.”  And that’s okay, because I think that all the time!  We moved into our house in October and can I just tell you that it feels so empty in here?  Well, it won’t be that way for long since I discovered the online shop The Grove Furniture!  They gave me a gift certificate to use and I can’t wait to spend away!  Only somehow I think I’ll be spending way more than it’s for.  Like I said, I have an empty house here!  :)     Here’s just a sampling of things that I have on my list that I still need to run by my husband…

Our son is really in need of a toddler bed:
Isn’t this one so perfect?  Yep I’m thinking it’s a must!
But then I’m really torn between these two items:
Three Sided China Corner Cupboard
and the:
Now have you notice anything about the above furniture?  That’s right.  The furniture is unfinished!  In fact, much of the furniture at The Grove Furniture is unfinished.  That makes it more affordable and in my opinion more fun, because you can create the perfect piece for any room.  You can stain it or paint it.  We all know how in painted furniture is right now!  :)    Plus, the furniture at The Grove Furniture is durable, because it’s real wood! 
Ready to see what else I need to fill my house?
I could really use one of these storage benches:
Oh and this fireplace would be perfect for our front living room!
                                            
It’s already finished!
And for the backyard…
Is this all really too much to ask?  What do you think my husband is going to say?  Well, fortunately for all of us there’s a coupon code for 10% off until June 25th!  Just use coupon code “DANDY10″.  Plus, all items always ship free from The Grove Furniture.  Such a great online shop! 
Ready for the giveaway from The Grove Furniture?  One lucky winner is going to win this cute unfinished  Footstool:
It’s perfect for a child’s room or to be given as a 1st birthday present!
A $26 value!
The winner will also receive a name or saying cut out in vinyl lettering from The Grove Furniture!  That way the winner can create something cute like these:
***This giveaway is open to Continental U.S. entries only***

There are 5 chances to win. Be sure and leave separate comments for each entry on this posting to enter. **If you qualify for all 5 chances then leave 5 separate comments**

Entry #1: Leave your name, email address, or whatever you feel most comfortable leaving in a comment.
Comment example, Dandy Smith

Entry #2: Become a follower of the Dandy Giveaway blog in the sidebar or if you are already a follower.
Comment example, Dandy Smith= dandy blog follower

Entry #3: Tell people about this giveaway and then tell us how you told!
Comment example, Dandy Smith=emailed, called, texted

Entry #4: Become a fan of The Grove Furniture on Facebook or if you are already a fan there.
Comment example, Dandy Smith= fan

Entry #5: Go to The Grove Furniture and tell us your favorite piece of furniture.
Comment example, Dandy Smith= I love the Adirondack Chair!

This giveaway will end tonight (5/25) at 11:30pm EST. Be sure and check back tomorrow to see if you won!

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