The Author....

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I am a mom to twin boys, full-time employee of a telecommunications company and wife to a professional musician. I work, do yoga, cook and try to squeeze in DIY projects and spending time with friends.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

In search of a definition.....

It's hard to say when it started....

First there came the rain barrels.  I grew up in water-starved Southern California, so rain barrels seemed to be a good way to conserve water from the hose, using instead what falls from the sky to water the garden when it's needed.  In the end, this simplifiies my life, as our rain barrels are closer to the garden than the hose.

Then came the consignment store shopping trip.  I'd always bought used clothes for the kids, and thought it was time to get some deals for me too. And I have gotten some really good deals!

Next, we had a stressed-out cat who ruined two sofas.  Sadly, not the kind of 'ruined' that can be fixed by reupholstering.  These sofas were toxic waste dumps and required replacement.  But not knowing how long the cat would be with us, we didn't want to buy new sofas.  So we purchased replacements off a local neighborhood listserv.  Because it's the folks on the list are local, I felt I could trust the provided description (age, wear and tear, etc).  So we ended up with a sofa for the family room, plus a sofa/chair/ottoman for the living room, all for a song.

Along the same time as the sofa adventure came our basement fix up.  We built a recording studio for Mr. Unwired two years ago, and then finished the area outside the studio, incorporating part of our unfinished storage/utility room.  Once the 'outside' space was done, it somehow became a personal challenge to spend little-to no money outfitting it.  One of the few things I bought was a $50 shelving unit to use as a pantry; but I reused containers/crates/boxes from other parts of the house to organize it.
No labels on the shelves.... yet.

The desk was once the solid core door separating the semi-finished basement (pre-studio) from the utility room.  I painted the door to have a metal like finish,and used legs that came off a table that had been in Mr. Unwireds last bachelor pad.



Here's the desk, fit perfectly into the space thanks to a kind contractor who trimmed it down. 
I had forgotten to measure before I painted.

Close up of the metal-like finish of the desk.  Really easy, very high impact.
The printer table is the old stereo stand (stereo is now in the living room, where it gets frequent use); it's painted in a grey complimentary to the desk, swirled on with fine grain steel wool.


This was a cherry finish wood when I started.  Not anymore!

The stairway carpeting came from Flor tiles, purchased from a local listserv for $20, and carefully cut to size by my handy husband.


Theses carpet tiles are from the Modern Mix collection.  Four shades of red in one rug- very cool.

The bookcase came from the studio (Mr. Unwired didn't need it inside anymore).   Even the light fixtures were reused, having been first purchased to replace ugly brass fixtures in the basement back when we moved in six years ago. 

Looking at the preponderance of evidence, I'm looking for a definition of my attitude and/or behavior...  am I:

Cheap? 
Frugal?
Green?
Thrifty?
Creative?

I've updated my blog roll to reflect the crafty, recycling, thrifty bent I seem to be on.  Check it out for inspiration.  Post in the comment how you would describe someone like me, and any other blogs you follow!




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