Frontgate Pool Towel Stand Knockoff

My $12.83 version:

Their $199 version:


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I do like the Frontgate pool towel stand alot.   I do not like the  price tag that went with it though.  It's normally $279.  But, wait!  Its on sale for only $199.  Um..., no I don't need to spend 200 bucks on something to hold a wet towel.

So, I was in Home Depot :-)  and thinking about a towel stand...  Hmmm I bet I could do something similar with some PVC...

Slip Tee's


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Caps

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I had a concrete umbrella stand already.  So, I used that for my base.  I took the 10ft piece of PVC and cut it down to make my 4 arms. Then I marked the left over pvc about where I wanted my arms to be and cut.  Then I put the slip tee in added my arm and put the next piece of pvc into the top of the slip tee. Then capped all the ends and the top. I did drill a hole into the pvc where the umbrella stand pin goes through.  Just to keep it from blowing over.   Then I just spray painted it and done.  So easy!!

1- 1" PVC pipe (10feet)...........................$3.50
4- 1"PVC slip Tee @ 0.69 each..............$2.76
5- 1" PVC slip Cap @0.54 each..............$2.70
1- can of spray paint..............................$3.87
1- umbrella stand (already had)...........$free
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Grand Total:.........................................$12.83

Savings of ............................................$187.17

Not too bad. Plus I can change the color whenever I want.  And, I'm thinking about getting another post finial and putting it on the top to make it even nicer.

Linking up to:

YAY!!!!

A Picket Fence For A Hydrangea

I live in Arizona, which is the Southwest, not the "South".  With that said.  I love:
Sweet Tea,
Hydrangea's  and
Magnolia Blossoms... 

Since I am not willing to transplant myself to the true South to have these 3 loves, I'll just bring them to me :-)

I am having fairly good success with my little garden patch.  By success I mean its all still a shade of green and I have not completely forgotten to water it (yet). ;-)  So, I felt somewhat confident in expanding my garden areas...  {the picture below might deceive you.  That is faux grass.  I tried very hard to grow nice "real" grass.  All I grew was mud.  So, we had this awesome faux grass put in. LOVE it!}

I had this little space between the "shed" and my husbands' "Mopar Garage"...  Which I deemed a perfect place to attempt to grow one of these:



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An Incrediball Hydrangea Shrub... which I had to order.  I went into my local HD and was talking with one of the awesome garden gals.  She was explaining to me how alkaline AZ soil is... not ideal for a hydrangea.  So, she told me what to do and gave me a little confidence boost to attempt it...  If its not going to make it I hope it lets me know within 90 days (I can take it back for a full refund... LOVE HD).  While I was talking to the awesome garden gal I told her that I also love magnolia's but "ya right on that growing in AZ."  She said that she's actually seen a couple of them in this area.... WHAT???  Ok, I'll try that too then.  (Got free shipping by ordering my 6.99 tree... A tree for 7 bucks??  Yep... Here she is:

:-) Do you see the little green thing almost centered? That's my baby Magnolia Evergreen tree... She's got some room to grow.  She might actually end up like this:


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Woohoo!!! Back to the hydrangea... it of course needed the classic white picket fence behind it.  So, I built one last week while I was waiting for my shrub and tree to come...

I even made a bird seed feeder.  Its on its own little post to the front right in the picture.  The 2 fence posts were set with some cement, as well as the little bird feeder post.  I had pre-painted all the pieces, so I need to do some touch up.  A little concrete got on the post. oops... This fence was loads of fun to build.  I love using the pneumatic nailer.  Wicked fun! 

Hopefully she makes it. 

Oh, and a garden update:

Nino :-)  decided that the pea's looked like a nice little bed for all 80lbs of him to lay on a couple of days ago... I was not impressed.

Check out where I might be linking up to by just clicking  HERE.

My Little Garden

I'd been wanting to have a little spot of earth to grow a few things in for a while now.  So, this year I did.  There's a little corner in the back yard between the driveway and our neighbors fence which I thought would be perfect. 

I'm not really sure how well all of this is going to go.  So, I didn't really want to invest alot into this.  I of course would love to make a beautiful raised bed.  But, I figured I better take it slow.

I have a little tiller which I used to till the dirt there and then I got some nice garden soil to add to it.  My sweet little Nene decided that I was taking to long to distribute the extra soil so she helped me out.  :-)  She's such a sweetheart.  Needs to work on patience (among other things).

I planted (from bottom to top) Onions, Sweet Peas, and Corn.  Of course I had to add a cute little garden thingy too.  :-) 

Hopefully I don't forget to water it this summer :-)  Its already super hot here.  We hit the 90's on Saturday :-)  I don't know what happened to Spring.  We went from Winter to Summer overnight.  Oh well, as long as my little garden makes it.

I finally made one, YAY!!!

I'm so excited about this post.  I have been wanting to make one  of these for so long.  This is actually  how I got introduced to blogging.  I had seen a headboard bench and wanted to make one so bad.  So, I googled around and found this post over at My Repurposed Life on how to make a headboard bench of my very own.   Awesome.! Now I just needed a headboard and footboard. 

I have only found trashcans on the curbs where I live, so I checked out Craigslist for a while.  Debating how much handy hunk would let me spend on this.  Last summer when we went out of town to visit my dad as we were leaving town  I saw this headboard and footboard on a curb.  I shrieked in delight.  Good thing Handy Hunk is a good driver.  I was screeching out, "turn around, turn around, go get that headboard."  :-) 

I've finally gotten around to doing something with it.  I was waiting for it to cool off and then I kept doing other projects.... Not anymore.  I finally cut up the footboard and made my bench.

I had 2 drills going.  The Dewalt to do my pilot and countersinking holes and my little Ryobi to put the screws in.  Handy Hunk wasn't home and the clamps I was trying to use could only help me so much.  

I learned that I should make the seat frame and then attach it to the head/footboards.  More level that way, but definitely need another set of hands.  This is the first seat frame attempt.  I used L brackets too.  But, when Handy Hunk got home he convinced me to take the seat frame out and start with new wood and no L brackets. I of course didn't take a picture of my seat frame.  But, I made it on the flat concrete and then attached it to the head/footboards.  Absolutely had to have Handy Hunk help me with that part.  No way to hold it up, get it level and drill the screws in. 

This is it after one coat of paint.  YAY!!! It's 56.5" wide and 22" deep.  Nice big bench.  I've moved it onto our back patio.  It is SO nice.  Absolutely love it.  I'm thinking about adding a little foot rest just because it is so deep.  I'm tall so my feet still touch the ground but I'm sure others would love a little foot rest.  I also added some furniture cushion glides on the bottom.  Similar to these ones at Home Depot.  I just wanted something to protect the feet from wicking up water when it rains.

Sorry I didn't stage it at all.  I was just SO excited to show ya'll what I did :-) 



Liking up to some great blogs, please check out the Party Blogs tab on the upper right to see where I might have linked up to.  Thanks!

Goodness Gracious, Great Balls of Fire!!

Top Gun.  Love that scene.  "Goodness Gracious, Great Balls of Fire"....  Anyways.... back to the post:

Fiona at just paint it white  was sweet enough to pass on the
























to me and 4 other awesome bloggers. Woohoo!!! Thanks Fiona!!  So, now I have to tell you five things about me:

1. I'm a vegetarian and my husband is a meatatarian...  I swap hamburger patties for pickles and lettuce with him :-)  Works out great. 

2.  I actually have to work to support my crafts and diy habits... So, after a couple of years and then a couple of extra years in college I'm a Registered Nurse.   I love blood and guts so it works for me. :-)  But please- keep your loogies to yourself.

3.  Reigna Layna was a nickname that my grandfather gave to me as a little kid.  Kinda sweet.  Reigna means Queen.  Layna is  a shortened name of my real name: Alayna.   Do NOT like Layna.  So if you take off the first and the last A's and you get: Layn.  It's my Starbucks name.  You know when you order your non fat, no water, extra hot chai latte and you give them your name?  I always say Layn.   Handy Hunk calls it my Snob name.  :-)  Whatever!

4. Beer or Wine????  Draft beer, please. Thank you!

5. I'm a native Arizonian.  Anyone know the Eagles?  Take it Easy??  Yep, I grew up in Winslow, AZ.  And, yes I actually drove a flat bed ford.  (Only when forced too.)  And, I am way, Way, WAY too young to have been the girl in the song. :-)  Although I did find grey hair in 2011!!!!!

That's enough about me. 

Since we are sticking with the number five. I now get to pass this on to 5 other wonderful bloggers. 
In alphabetical order:

Drum roll.................

Junky Vagabond


Paint In My Hair


Scissors and Steam


Sweet Ava Kate


Where Beauty Meets Function

Meet Melodee

I'm naming this piece Melodee because that is the name of the wonderful friend that I bought this table from.  I wish I had an original picture.  When I got it there were no doors.  Just 2 tension rods holding a blue curtain in place.  I made new little curtains for it.  Then I spray painted it black a couple of years ago.  I had my bird cage on it for a long time.  Then last year we ended up with another bird, and then another. Furniture shuffled around and it ended up as a side table to my couch.  But, it was looking dark and drab.  I wanted to try my ASCP on something else so I grabbed this one. 

 Before ASCP and new curtains...

I didn't paint the entire inside.  I didn't want to waste any ASCP so I just wiped my brush off in there before I cleaned it. The curtains cover it anyways....

Check out those legs...

I used the Paloma ASCP.  Some Miniwax (light) and then a little bit of the dark ASCP wax.  This one didn't chip.  ASCP is trying to help me figure out why my other two pieces chipped.....I'll let  you know.  I made a new curtain.  The 2 end panels are actually painters drop cloth.  I just made new living room curtains out of the rest of that particular drop cloth :-)  Of course- this was a no sew curtain.  My poor sewing machine hasn't been used in a L-O-N-G time. I can't help it.  I love my hot glue gun.

Handy Hunk actually likes this one.  We don't always have the same taste.  I like collections, he likes minimal/bare... :-)  This little cutie is SO soft.  I just love petting her. Never thought I'd go around petting my furniture, but I am with this ASCP. Its so creamy smooth.  I just can't help it.


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SOS! Why is my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Chipping???

I really hate to post this, but I seriously need some ASCP help.  Let me start with project 1:

I got the front door of a kitchen sink cabinet and didn't do anything but clean it and then I painted it; well I added a little embellishment so I could play with the colors, distressing and waxing :-). 

I painted 1/2 in the Paloma and the other 1/2 in the Emperors Silk.  Then I painted the Old White all over it.  I was so sad to see it chip.  What the hay? I thought this was never going to happen to me with ASCP.  Ok, maybe I did something wrong.  Let me sand it back and try again.  And, again.  Yep-still doing it on that door.  It mostly chipped on the Emperors Silk side.  Just one tiny spot on the Paloma side.

I googled and googled to see if there was anyone else in the entire ASCP world that had ever had something chip or peel... nope. Not really.  One chick had a chip, but she didn't transport her piece carefully. YAY- I'm still (sadly) hope that I had just made some silly little error somewhere...

Moving on from that project.  I did project #2.  I did the other door 1/2 with the Rustoleum Kit that a client had given me and the other 1/2 I was determined to do with the ASCP.  Painted 1/4 with Duck Egg Blue, 1/4 in Emperors Silk and the other 1/2 in the Rustoleum.  I actually got this one waxed and done with no chipping.  I love this door.  I like to run my hands over both sides.  You can feel where the Rusoleum ends and the ASCP begins.  Love the ASCP side.  I made my husband close his eyes and I ran his hand back and forth... he really likes the ASCP feel too. 
Ok, I was ready to try another project...

Project #3. I redid my sofa side table.  I had spray painted it black a couple of years ago (yes, with spray paint.  Came out pretty nice, actually. No comparison to it now though.) I painted 2 coats of the Paloma, waxed it, and now I LOVE it!!! Its so soft.  I just want to pet it.  My husband loves it.  Which is rare.  We have different style tastes.  Confidence rebuilt....

I didn't want to waste the paint on the inside. Just imagine a curtain across the open front area. Its cute. I'll be posting before and better after pictures in another post. 



Which brings me to project #4.  I decided to paint a buffet table.  Maybe I shouldn't call it that since my birds and their cages sit on it. Cleaned it off, put a little red paint on it (not ASCP, I thought maybe it was the combo of the Emperors Silk with the Old White that made project 1 chip).   I love the way the red comes through the distressing on the door in project 1 (where it isn't chipped).  Ok- painted 1st coat of ASCP after red was dry.  Thin coat.  Could still see the original table and a little of the red.  Applied 2nd coat.  As I was watching it dry I could see it chipping AGAIN!!!  What the hay?-again. 

When I try to sand it, its going all the way back to the red paint I painted on.  Not good.  This is 2 coats in most spots, 3 in others.  I just kept painting it until I felt like it was getting enough coverage.  

Any ideas or suggestions?  I'm thinking that its my Old White.  The Paloma piece came out great.  This is such a shame.  I really wanted the old white to work.



I don't do facebook, but I found this piece during my latest massive google search.  I'm not the only one. 

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Anamaria Shamoun-Grabowski

So I'm back with another Old White problem/question. I am getting amazing coverage with other colors but not the old white. This is only the second piece I do with it (old white.) I am finding that I'm 4 coats in and still have brush marks and wood showing through. With all the other colors I've tried I'm completely covered at 2 coats. Is this an old white thing. If you rememb my first old white piece was the one where the paint just cracked right off. I'm starting to think old white has a thing against me? Lol. But seriously, is there some old white secret I don't know about?

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    Anamaria Shamoun-Grabowski How would I know if my pot isn't "quite right?"

    8 hours ago