As I’ve said before, I owe this all to my amazingly talented son who created this blog to be just exactly what I wanted.

happy 1st blog anniversary to me ...

Being the thrifty gal that I am … I re-gifted these gorgeous Valentine’s Day roses from my DH, to ME for my blog anniversary.  Smart huh?

Thanks to my son for giving me this avenue for creativity… and thanks to my readers for perusing these pages!

See … very boring!

In comes some beautiful fabric, some basic tools, and . . .  voila!

A new stylish, recovered chair.  Amazing what a little bit of fabric can do.

oooh la la!

If you have to work and pay bills, you might as well surround yourself with pretty, yet functional things!

Love

]]> http://www.capuchio.com/uncategorized/new-old-office-chair/feed/ 0 http://www.capuchio.com/uncategorized/no-mo-trash/ http://www.capuchio.com/uncategorized/no-mo-trash/#comments Sat, 30 Oct 2010 01:09:26 +0000 P http://www.capuchio.com/?p=1680 I stumbled upon this grosso little bookshelf at a garage sale in my neighborhood.  It was the last half hour of their sale, and these women were more than happy to get rid of this eyesore.

dirty little piece

Of course I offered them a ridiculous price (one that I thought they’d never consider) since they were asking only $5 for it.  Yep, $2 exchanged hands as I proudly meekly, and awkwardly carried the bookcase to my car.

They were happy to get rid of it, and I knew I had my work cut out for me.  There were spider webs, grit and grime, but this didn’t stop me from seeing the true potential in this bookcase.  It was made of solid pine, and solid wood is always a plus in my book.  The top and bottom moldings added some nice interest as well.

I scrubbed her clean, then my husband repaired the imperfections with wood filler.  He also hammered in some new nails to keep the trim work nice and tight.

After some sanding, I primed it, and gave it two coats of a lovely, creamy white paint with a smooth sponge roller.  After lots of time drying, she was given a few coats of polyurethane to protect her as books and other accessories were soon to be slid over the wood shelves.

Now she’s a beauty!  It doesn’t even look like the ratty piece of furniture that I began with.

sparkling and new

Cost breakdown :

$2.00 for the bookcase

free  primer – already had this

free  paint (house trim color)

$4.00 (or less) worth of polyurethane

_____________________

Grand Total:  $6.00

If you have the energy and are willing to invest some time (now that I have plenty) on a neglected piece of furniture, then you too can have a lovely result in the end.

I’m looking forward to filling the shelves with books, photographs and other accent pieces.  Its home will be in a reading nook in our office.

Go me!

]]> http://www.capuchio.com/uncategorized/no-mo-trash/feed/ 2 http://www.capuchio.com/uncategorized/day-15-arrivederci-italy-buon-giorno-america/ http://www.capuchio.com/uncategorized/day-15-arrivederci-italy-buon-giorno-america/#comments Thu, 30 Sep 2010 02:11:20 +0000 P http://www.capuchio.com/?p=1557 Travel Day Home

Today started very, very, early … before 5:00 a.m.  The hotel was kind enough to pack us a breakfast to go.  We sleepily got on the coach one last time and were driven by our adept, and faithful driver Benito to the airport, Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci.

Along the way, I reflected on this trip of a lifetime and knew I would always cherish the experiences and memories created here.   I did rub the nose of the Porcellino – little pig, which folklore says I shall return to Florence some day.  Woo hoo!

Santo cielo, (good heavens) Italy was far more than I ever imagined.   I hope you enjoyed my blog of this spectacular trip.

Molti bacios!  (Many kisses)

little kisses

Ciao bella! (Goodbye beautiful)

buon giorno Stati Uniti

P.S.  Remember in one of my first blog posts of this trip, referring to the plane ride,  I said that “my soft Target pants ended up looking like stretched out toddler clothing, while so many of the other lovely ladies on board were in their high heels and skin tight clothing, and full-on make-up … maybe on the way back home.”

Well … although I wasn’t in my stretched out toddler pants this time, I certainly didn’t get all “dolled up” either.  Oh well … maybe next trip.

no more pencils, no more books, no more teacher's dirty looks

Well we got no choice
All the girls and boys
Makin’ all that noise
‘Cause they found new toys
Well we can’t salute ya
Can’t find a flag
If that don’t suit ya
That’s a drag

School’s out for summer
School’s out forever
School’s been blown to pieces

No more pencils
No more books
No more teacher’s dirty looks

Well we got no class
And we got no principles
And we got no innocence
We can’t even think of a word that rhymes

School’s out for summer
School’s out forever
School’s been blown to pieces

No more pencils
No more books
No more teacher’s dirty looks

Out for summer
Out till fall
We might not go back at all

School’s out forever
School’s out for summer
School’s out with fever
School’s out completely!

Arrivederci

Local Trees

Evergreen trees are so beautiful when they have a sprinkling of snow on their boughs.  One of my best discoveries this winter, was Yak Trax.  These amazing little gadgets are criss-crossed coils of metal  that are attached to the bottom of your shoes.  They provide you with stability while walking on slick snow and ice.

Instantly, you’re transformed  into somewhat of a mountain goat!   I can climb up and down treacherous terrain (ie:  walk on sidewalks and paths) without even a little bitty slip.  Now there is absolutely no excuse for avoiding winter exercise.

Yak Trax

Hopefully I can put these away until next year!

Family, food, travels, and a big dose of crafts, are but a few of what my future has to hold.  Keep checking in to see my progress.  A great big “thanks” to my computer wizard son for making this possible.  I appreciate his patience in sitting with me tirelessly, and  re-writing HTML in order to make this blog format exactly what I wanted.  I love it!

Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!