Instagram - Because it's Easy

It's a revolving door around here of thrifting, free stuff, projects, and kitty shenanigans.

I take a lot of pictures but clearly am not great at keeping the blog up to date. So, at the entirely needed urging of several friends; I've started an instagram account so they can see what I work on without wasting their breath on urging blog updates.

I am enjoying it thus far, but think I need to work on my hashtagging, which seems a bit anemic as compared to other users. #kittysnuggles #newfinds #ilikewine

I put up a feed at the top of the blog too, so enjoy the oversharing.
#thecabindo

-Lindsay

Weekend thrifting finds

Did you know Lowes has a discount plant rack?? I did not, but now I do.
Tons of poor little plants that just need a good watering and to be in either less or more sun.

I picked up a succulent mixed pot from that little forlorn orphanage on the way home from thrifting with a friend. (this happened about forever ago, as you can see from all the greenery in the background)

And I certainly did not ditch what was dead in the mix and
cherry pick from the other forlorn pots a few replacement pieces.
Perish the thought..........

It turned out to go perfectly with a little brass bowl snagged for $2 that morning!

bowl me over

Brass and succulents, it's a thing I hear.
I feel so 'hip', or whatever the kids are calling it these days....

It's happily living on the long n low mid-century dresser I'm using as an entertainment center.

When it was perfect and compact.
Now it's a little gangly.

-Lindsay

Say whaaat? - Stool edition

On my way to a friend's house for dinner a few months ago, I stopped by a bakery to grab some treats for dessert. The pastries were delicious but the real score of the evening was a wooden stool from the dumpster behind the neighboring optometrist's office.
And that's saying something, because I really love dessert.

Scandinavian simplicity? Check
Solid build? Check
A good place to set my drink/feet/cat/remotes? Check
Not ikea? Check
Freeeee? Check

The legs were pretty dinged and dirty, and though scrubbing cleaned them up; they still needed help.
I gave them a quick sand and a few coats of bright blue paint to bring them back to life.

I got a fever.
And the cure is more cowbell paint.

They got reattached to the also-scrubbed seat.

Et voila; portable side table extraordinaire.

I'm in the camp that considers painting good wood semi-sinful. But these legs were not in great shape, and in the end I really like the combination of wood grain and paint much more than straight wood on this little guy.

It fits well in the corner between my couch and trunk, and gets A LOT of use. ie. dinner table for 1.

No Mr.Stool, stay away from the light!!

Only today when writing this did I look up the makers mark.

I found out this is an Alvar Aalto 'stool 60'; designed in 1933, and considered an iconic modern design piece.
They have been in production since then, and new; a single stool is worth upwards of $300.
Um.......... wow!!! That is one good dumpster diving investment.

My feet/beer/cat/dinner are feeling FANCY right now.

-Lindsay P

All Keyed Up

My Grandfather the engineer loved tools. At one point several years ago as he was getting older, my Grandmother was tidying up his extensive assortment of tools and gave me a box full of keys. This accidental collection of unusable or orphaned pieces seems to have grown over the course of many decades, as there were both shiny new keys, and older worn pieces ornate enough to be art.
I've moved several times since then, and had put the keys in a 'safe' place somewhere along the line......famous last words.
Naturally, I didn't see them for years until just recently when I opened a random box labeled 'office desk'. It was all keys and pens.
I blame the cats.

Name: Navy
Likes: long walks on the porch, snuggles, and grouping things together

She really is a bit of a hoarder and likes making piles of things. Mostly her toys and dolls. She only likes the ones she can mother, no jingles or non-soft cat toys for this little lady.

"Don't you touch my babies, mama!"
-As she sprung into the frame to keep an eye on me

New rug? Needs babies!
STAT.
Those are her two favorites.

As usual, I digress.
So, I love shadowboxes. Very much. We have a storied past, and bright future together; me and shadow boxes. I had gotten a large (~1.5'x3') one several years ago on sale for dirt cheap, earmarked for displaying Grandad's keys. It too was in a 'safe' place for a while.
When the keys resurfaced the other day, I went about getting them in said shadow box before I lost one or both of these key ingredients again.

Materials: Ruler.Chalk. Hot Glue Gun. Wine. Keys. Shadowbox.

I counted out the keys and got really lucky that they, along with two key rings, numbered such (36) that they would all space out neatly within the frame. Because no one deserved to be either left out or crammed in.
(Side note: here is a tumblr that will make all the OCD pieces of you happy)
Things were going well as I measured out a grid for the keys and made a chalk mark at each point where a key would sit.
I put all the keys on the board in a rough approximation of where they would go, and started to rearrange them in the most attractive order I could muster; distributing like items and putting the best ones towards the middle.
Then I realised that I had made 13 too many little chalk marks......and the chalk wouldn't come off. Whoopsies.
Cross that wine off the materials list I suppose?
Nah.
It turned out to be a happy accident in the end. I just scooted the keys in between each chalk mark, and hot glued them down. #wineforthewin

The little blue chalk marks add a lot of interest and charm to the piece. What a good mistake!

I showed it to my Mom (the daughter of my Grandfather), and she thought it was great. I did not have a suitably honorable place for it in my home; so it will be going to live on a prominent wall in her kitchen.

I'm so pleased with how it came out, and glad I finally was able to put it together, especially in time for Father's Day this year. Even though Grandad isn't with us anymore, he was a fantastic father to his small herd of girls (5!), and it makes me happy to have things of his displayed and enjoyed on a daily basis.
Here's looking at thinking of you, kid.
:)


-Lindsay

Cheater, Cheater, Baby Blanket Eater

I know infants gnaw on their blankets, I just fake-make them. Don't get me wrong, I have made many an adorable crocheted baby and large person blanket; I just lucked out recently and got to pass off someone else's handiwork as my own.

I stalk Craigslist, as is well known. One day I came upon a photo-less listing for two bags of yarn, located just a few streets over from me (in the swanky part of town, no less).
Yes please!
Upon pickup, I saw that there were several already worked on items in the bags. Bonus! Perhaps I can finish them, thinks me. But they were already done. And BEAUTIFUL.

I fish out a lime green cable knit baby blanket and think about a blanket I have already promised a friend with a very pregnant significant other, which I have neither made nor even started.

He might have forgotten if I'd substituted a cake.

But then I told the momma-to-be that I’d add her little man’s initial (which I had never done before). 
Look at me go with lots of talk and no plan! 
So with a looming deadline and a perfectly good blanket literally in hand, I knew what I had to do….fake it.

I've liked lime green & turquoise color combinations recently and decided a darker border and baby's initial, on top of the existing lime green blanket, would look nice.

Bing, bang, boom: a boarder.

I dont have a picture of the initial, as I finished that up minutes before having to wrap up the blanket to go to their baby shower.

 Just imagine an 'L' in the corner pointing to you. For baby Logan. Awwww
(I can say that now as he's out in the world; the name was a closely guarded secret before his arrival).


-Lindsay

Updated 90's Medicine Cabinet

Another month passed??? Well $hit.
I've been doing little projects here and there when I have time, and helping my parents with an exciting undertaking; all the while neglecting The Cabindo. More to come on that undertaking soon, but in general: I'm back! And seeing as how I have little vengeance, I'll instead tell you about a recent project that will help me be ready for any potential incoming vengeance.

Enter: Lot of Misc. Construction Supplies and Various Items. Had you at 'Lot of Misc.', didn't it? Yeah, me too.

But soft! What stuff from yonder auction breaks? It is the east, and that First Aid Kit is the sun!

Arise, fair First Aid Kit, and kill the envious random-yellow-bin, who is already sick and pale with grief that thou, her erstwhile forgotten kinsman, art more fair than she.
On second thought, I'll keep the yellow bin for hardware.
You can take out Lord Sprinkler Head. I'll take an 'A' in High School English for $300, Alex.
BOOM.

Goodnight sweet prince, and flights of angels sing thee to thy dumpster.
Sorry bro; without a yard, it couldn't have ended well for us.

Anywhooooo.....I acquired an ugly yet functional first aid kit. It looks to be from the early 1990's (hellooooo stripey turquoise images!), is painted metal, came decently stocked, and has room for more stuff.
It has a handle on top and is clearly meant for wall mounting.
I have limited storage space for first aid stuff in my 2nd bathroom, so I figured with a little updating; it could attractively be ready to provide me band-aids come any vengence-related-injuries, and Advil when my head is about to explode and "dammit-I-can't-find-where-I-stashed-that-stupid-bottle" moments happen.

I took said First Aid Kit Box and wiped off a layer of grime. Yum. It had an emergency number taped to the front which was stubbornly holding on for dear life, but a little razor blade action removed what picking at/begging couldn't.

Time for a power tool!

What happens inside my head every time I get to use one.

All the turquoise graphics that were absolutely 'rad' in their time came off quickly with a little low number palm sanding. I wanted to just remove the graphics and leave the white base coat, but got a little overzealous and sanded bare some of the edges. This gave it a nice worn look, so I continued to over-zeal several more places.

Picture taken before the excess of zeal applied.

My bathroom is quirky and the walls are full of pretty random things, so I knew I needed to paint something on the front of the box to help it fit in with the other kids.
Several times I've seen Emily Henderson's use of a large Red Cross flag, and thought this would be an exceedingly appropriate place to use that sort of graphic punch and color scheme.

Style By Emily Henderson

I had some reddish/pinkish/coralish paint lying around that I'd gotten for $0.25 from the 'oops' paint bin at Home Depot, so decided to give it a coat and see how that looked.

Same paint used on the legs of this once-forest-green table.

Measuring very carefully first, of course.

After one coat it was spotty as heck but had potential, so I forged ahead with a glass of wine and gave it a few minutes to dry.
Several coats later, along with some razor blade edge touchups, the cross was finished.

Awesome kitchen lighting, I know

Because the sanded white surface was super porous picked up every spec of grime; the whole thing needed to be sealed. The next day when the cross was good and dry, I grabbed a can of semi-gloss poly-crylic spray from my paint bin and utilized the gloved-hand-on-porch method, with the accuracy and lung-protection properties that have made me famous smarter lazy.
I did 3 coats of the poly-crylic and let it dry outside for several days.

It has great little tab mounting brackets, so I was able to center and hang the thing faster than I can tie my shoes. Which is saying nothing, as I usually get distracted by a cat mid tie.

"Resistance is futile, you will rub my tummy."

-Beans the Snaggletooth

See how the First Aid Kit leans upon the wall. Oh, that I were a fastener upon that wall, so I might touch that First Aid Kit! Ay me!

Weird? Useful? Check and check.

But I can, and I have, and it is working great!




-Lindsay

(yeah, it's been a long month, thanks Shakespeare)