Furniture mash-up preview

My son is a book-a-holic. I think the real term is bibliophile? Or maybe that means lover of bibliographies? No, Webster says bibliophile is a lover of books. Yes, that accurately describes my son.
He has amassed quite a collection of books for a soon to be 13 year old and his current bookshelf from Walmart, that is 9 years old, is no longer cutting the mustard. We have lost almost all the pins that hold the littlest shelves in place and his books now tend to get piled precariously on top of the bookcase instead of in it.

In a fit of cleaning frenzy I decided to put the bookshelf out of its misery and just get rid of it already. But when I removed the inner shelves I realized it actually was pretty sturdy, so now what? Keep it or throw it and kick myself because I had an amazing reposhturing idea later after it's gone!!  I truly think this is how hoarding gets started......Can I get a witness?

He also is in need of more drawer storage and I had two night tables left over from my bedroom that were not being used.

What to do with mis-matched furniture?  A furniture mash-up is in order.

Take a long hard look at your mismatched pieces...... and if you just turn one on its side......and maybe stack it on the nightstands......

You might get something that starts looking like a hutch! 

I wasn't so fond of the legs sticking on the left and the top so I got my jigsaw and got to work making the bookshelf look like a nice, boring rectangle. We'll jazz it up later. For now I needed to make it NOT look like a bookshelf turned on it's side.  

However, if you have ever cut particle board, you know it splinters the laminate the minute the blade hits the wood. So here are a few pointers to make it look good, and thus less work patching with wood filler.

Take painters tape, or masking tape, and tape it so the edge is where you want to cut. This also has the dual advantage of being your cutting guide for the jigsaw blade.

All taped up and ready to go...Notice how I don't have a photo of me actually jigsawing. That wouldn't be safe and we at RePoshture are all about safety here. No fingers were lost during the making of this tutorial, just blue hair....you'll see.

Gone in 60 seconds

From the top

Beautiful clean edge with no splintering of the laminate

Now because the raw particle board will not look good painted, fill in all raw edges with wood filler and sand well. Then prime.

Then paint....navy blue or whatever color you happen to fancy today.

Just need to jazz it up a bit and then I can post the reveal. 

Here is where I need to vent a bit. I have been looking for paper or fabric to add to the book shelf but am coming up with nothing! Everything is for girls! It is just like when you go shopping for clothes for your kids.......20,000 racks for girls, 2 for boys. Frustrating is what I say. I'm down but not out so I am plowing ahead and trying tho think outside the rectangular bookshelf. 

I have a few more thoughts in my head and then I'll give you a peek, cuz I love ya and I want all ya'll to go out and mash your furniture into something totally saved from the trash, useful and AWESOME! Much like yourselves!! 

Thank GOD shampoo takes out oil-based paint because if it didn't, I hate to think what paint thinner would have done to my already thin hair. My next picture might be a reveal of the new bald and beautiful me! So note to self- buy a shower cap and don't forget to wear it when spraying odd colors on your furniture!

Always being renewed,

Work, Work, Work, oh, and more Work!!

I have so many pieces of furniture in my basement now because I have awesome friends!! Yes, my friends, this means you, now call me and tell me when good furniture is available from the curbside market.

It goes something like this, in a hushed CIA tone as they are usually calling from their cell phone with their husband's present....."Hey Kim, this is C. You might want to drive by Jackson street soon. I am pretty sure there's a desk under all the debris piled at the curb so bring your retrieval gear. It needs picked up asap!"  The verb "to be" is optional in Pittsburgh.

Me: "Thanks C, you are a great friend and furniture conspirator!"
        "Kids we have an emergency! Get in the car...no don't worry about your shoes, you won't need               them and we don't have a minute to waste. It's go time!"

10 minutes later...loudly to no one in particular, "That C, she is always right! It is AWESOME!" and another piece is added to the hoard.

The problem?

 I work 3 days a week as an educational Audiologist in the schools and I teach 1 day a week at Pitt so that leaves me 1 day a week to spend with my little soon to be 4 year old AND try to keep this fledgling furniture business going!!! I sometimes am very envious of bloggers who are stay-at-home moms who can work on their furniture more. Although I realize that being a SAHM is also a full day,  so no disrespect meant to anyone.

This week I have just been feeling less than motivated to work on furniture and I am not sure why. Maybe tired this week, or maybe I just mentally need a break to renew connections with my family.

That usually jump starts the creative juices.

Thanks for listening. You always let me say what I need without interruption.

<3 u!



Always being renewed,

LOOOOOOVE Pancakes..MMMMMM!!!

Here is a fun way to make pancakes for dinner (and holidays/birthdays) more fun!! Is that even possible?

For Valentine's Day we made pancakes in the shape of hearts and the word "love". Super easy and the kids just eat it up (bad pun, I know).

The key is the squirt bottle. Totally helps control the pancake batter and helps you write the words

IMPORTANT: Watch what your doing....No one wants to be burned by love.

Write your words backwards....

so they look AWESOME when you flip them! A bit of a challenge but isn't love worth it?

Then we had fun cutting up the hearts and saying things like, "oh no! You broke my  heart!"

I thought to add some red licorice whip arrows after the fact. Next time I do pancakes (tomorrow anybody?)

Enjoy and have fun. Next up...Presidential faces in honor of their birthdays!!

Always being renewed,

Valentine's Hair Pins

First thanks  so much for the encouraging words as I sort out my faith and this foggy blog. I say foggy because all is not clear to me yet but I am stayin' true to the path.

I <3  <3  <3  u! 

So because I heart you guys so much I am going to show you what I made today while I was sitting with my oldest as he suffered through the flu. We thought he had made it out alive, since last week 3 of us had it, but alas, he is infected. Poor kid. 

I had gotten some fun foam sheets out for my girls to make bookmarks this afternoon after school and it sparked the idea for hairpins. Not sure how foam and hair are connected, only in the mousse sense I guess.

 Start with your foam sheets, scissors, hair pins, glitter nail polish and glitter glue or paint, regular glue and glitter (although did not use today in light of the extra mess I was already having to clean up!)

I used a cookie cutter to make the perfect heart shape

I cut some with decorative scissors and some with regular.

Some examples of how I cut and arranged them

Stick your hair pin through the larger heart and slide the foam all the way to the end

Then I realized I probably wanted to put the hairpin in like this so it would look correct in their hair. Always somethin'.

Glue the smaller heart over the hairpin covering it up

Now the fun part.... Decorate!!!! Here I used dots of  my daughter's glitter nail polish

 I even took my hole punch and made some small polka dots out of the foam and glued them in place. If you do this, just make sure you keep the two poke holes close together and small when you put the hairpin through the foam. That way the polka dot will cover the hairpin. I truly hope that made sense.

Now go show your hair some love!

Always being renewed,

Blogging Dilemma

I need help. I am addicted to how many followers are following me. And not in a good way. I feel like Forrest Gump when he just started running and then people starting running with him. Soon he had quite a "following". The difference is He had his eyes on a goal in front of him, he didn't turn around to see what was going on. I keep turning around.

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Believe me when I say, I love each and everyone of you who take the time to stop by my blog and leave comments. Whether you follow me or not is not the issue. It's not you, it's me.

See PRIDE, yes in capital letters because it is such a huge stumbling block for me, is driving this obsession.

Everyday, several times a day, I peruse my dashboard stats to see the traffic, what sites are referring, oh and the comments too.  I seem to say to myself "Oh look, they do like me!!" or, insert crying like a baby...."WAAAAA, nobody likes me."



My goal when I started this blog was to make the Lord visible through my posts. I know I have stayed true to that but at what cost? Am I really making Him visible or is it a means to MY end of getting validation?

I know that followers and link parties are the ways that most blogs work and that is the trend.
But I also know that if God wants my furniture business to prosper, than HE will make it happen and not by anything that I am doing or not doing, for that matter.

Is anybody else going through this????

I am really torn about whether I should keep my followers widget and my comments widget on my blog layout. Does that sound ridiculous? If I don't have them there will it stop my need to know if I am "good" at what I do? Shouldn't I be looking to the Lord for my self-worth?

Please help, I am really torn by this and I am looking for a word, so speak it because I need a reality check.


Always being renewed,