Garage Sales R Us: 2014-06-01

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Decorating the Man Cave

When we first moved into this house C.J. made me promise not to touch the down stairs living room. That was HIS man cave and HE got to decorate it how he wanted it. At the time I agreed and helped him pick his paint color and what he wanted on the walls but after a while I got really tired of the Texas burnt orange and started dropping hints that I thought we could make it look better. At first he shot back with our agreement that it was HIS room and HIS wall and I was not to touch it so I backed off for a while. However, I am a girl who knows how to get what she wants. Here is a before picture.

After a while I realized I had to speak his language and started to feed him little tid bits about a plan for the wall that we both would like. "Wouldn't it be cool to put the antlers from your archery deer on the wall too?" or "I bet the deer I get in the rifle hunt would look pretty cool next to yours!" Slowly, I brainwashed him and finally when the time was just right I said "I know that if you would let me touch that wall, I could get more dead animals on it than you could" I thought I saw stars and hearts and little twitterpated birds flying around his head as his eyes glazed over with the thought of all his trophies on the wall. I am pretty sure he fell even deeper in love with me at that moment. Soon I was unraveling all of the secrets I had for his wall. With his approval of course here is what we came up with. I even got to put a few more feminine touches in there too!

First, I started with the paint. We are from Texas so C.J. loved his Texas pride burnt orange. My mouth dropped when he told me I could paint the wall if I kept it manly. I started looking around for some masculine wallpapers but they were all to expensive so I improvised and decided to go with an idea to texture the wall with a straw broom. (I will explain) We painted the wall white. I found some white paint that I had in the garage that I bought from a yard sale and coated the wall in it.

Finally, the burnt orange was gone!!!! Then I mixed up some grey glaze. You must have a glaze to give your wall this look! Believe me I tried to use regular paint. I used some grey glaze I already had. To apply the glaze we used a foam edger (D.I. $1) You will want to apply your glaze in sections to make sure it isn't drying at all. It's a lot harder to work with if its not freshly wet.

Then to give the wall the textured lines we used a straw broom we bought at Ace Hardware for a couple of dollars.

Start at the top and drag your broom straight down to the floor without picking it up. Try to stay as straight as you can so that your lines are straight. Ours were not perfectly straight in some places but I actually liked it that way because it gave the wall more character. Here is our finished wall.

And of course the deer went right back up when it was dry. This is the deer Mountain Man killed 4 years ago and his first Utah deer so it is special to him.

Originally, most of the decor that made it's way into my man cave wall collage was from a collage I was tired of in the kitchen.

That post is HERE. I have been trying to incorporate more feminine and neutral decor into the main level of my home so naturally this wall had to go. However, what I loved most about this wall was the price! Everything came from thrift stores or garage sales. The case is the same with our man cave collage except for the deer heads. Here is the break down of how much everything cost...

This is the deer I harvested last year on the rifle hunt.

I found this frame at Goodwill in Arizona. I paid $10 for it, which, for me, is a little pricey but I knew I wouldn't find another like it for a cheaper price, so I splurged

This statue was given to me by my mom. She bought it at a garage sale for a couple bucks. I found the old Bible it is sitting on at a garage sale. When I asked the lady how much she wanted for it she said, "Oh, I don't sell the word of God. Just take it."Woot Woot! FREE! It dates back to 1891! The metal bracket it is sitting on we found in an old junk pile a with lots of old rusty metal. We had permission to take whatever we wanted! FREE!

I found this old wheel in the same junk pile- also FREE!

This frame was bought at a garage sale for $20 (another splurge) and my mom bought the cow head at a garage sale for $10 and gave it to me.

I bought this frame at a garage sale for .50 cents.

This sconce came in a set and I bought the two of them for $7.

I paid $2 for this also from a garage sale.

Now this is a deer C.J. harvested in last year on his archery hunt. It's in full velvet and his first archery deer so it is one of his prized possessions. We made the fabric mount for the antlers, which only cost about $5 dollars and I will have a tutorial on how to make them soon!

I bought four of these small frames from a garage sale for .25 cents a piece. I also used these on the sign in table for my brother's reception. Check that out HERE

This was actually two separate pieces. I had them separate in the first collage that was in my kitchen but for this collage I wired them together. They fit perfectly above the deer head. I paid a total of $3 for these.

The old yoke I bought at a garage sale for $15.

For the final touches we outlined the wall with a wood frame and stained it.

Since all the decor on the wall was found at garage sales, the total cost of my wall was really inexpensive. I used paint and glaze I already had so the paint job didn't cost anything. We also had the wood on hand that was left over from a previous project. The total cost of everything on the wall was $64 dollars. (not including what it cost to taxidermy the deer in the middle) $30 of that came from the two frames I splurged on. The other deer skull that is not listed is a dead head C.J. found while out shed hunting (looking for the antlers deer shed every year). It was F.R.E.E! I love that word.

Garage sales are the best way I know of to create an inexpensive wall collage. It also allows you to use unique items that no one else will have. For other tips for decorating on a budget check out my Budget Decorating and Updating post Here

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Garage Sales R Us Update

Hey everyone!

I am working hard on a few things around here. I am in the process of re-doing Jaysa's room. I just finished painting a dresser for it and I have been sanding and painting lots, and lots, of wood...Can't wait to post about it but for now you will have to wait! Mountain Man and I spent all day yesterday fishing at Lake Powell.

I have spent the day trying to get my house and life back in order so I don't have my post quite ready for tonight. However, I do have a little blog update for you. I am going to start the transition to Word Press and have Jake over at Flitch Creative working on a web page for me! Just one little sad thing....I am also going to be changing my name from Garage Sales R Us to Inside The Robin's Nest! I am so sad to see the Garage Sales R Us go but I love the new name! It will encompass everything I do and I think it will be a better fit! Here is the logo we have been working on.

I will have a post up soon about decorating the Man Cave and the second part to my His Ability to Choose post!

Sunday, June 1, 2014

How to Havasupai: Experience and tips

Just a little shameless photography plug before my post: This is Alex. I just LOVE this picture of her and had to share! She was the brave soul that brought her camera and was nice enough to take pictures where ever we went. I have to say her photography is amazing!!!!!!!! I love it! Alex lives up in Utah Valley area so if anyone around there is looking for a photographer I would highly recommend her! I linked her website so you can check out her work:

alexwrightphotography.com

(Thank you Alex)

I made it out alive!

The hike almost killed me.

Every muscle in my body hurts.

My skin is sunburned.

My toe nails are falling off.

And I don't think I will ever get rid of this dusty feeling.

But I had a blast!

(Thank you Jessica)

Havasupai was easily one of the most beautiful places I have been to! I am not going to lie, I did not take my camera down there so all of these pictures you are seeing were taken by other people in my group.

(Thank you Alex)

(Thank you Ashley)

We had such a fun group of people! I loved getting to know all of them! Initially I only knew 4 people in the group. After we all endured the ten mile hike down, packs and all, we sat down around the table and introduced ourselves. After introducing myself, I pointed to my husband, who was a clearing a spot for our tent, and asked "Who is that guy?" We had a short laugh and then joked that I had paid for the deluxe Havasupai package, which provided a mountain man to carry my things, set up your tent, protect you from the wild life and keep you warm at night. Indeed, I had the best mountain man out there and he did his job well!

One of my favorite parts of the trip was getting some good old one-on-one time with Mountain Man. I loved hiking and running the trails with him, pushing each other on the ten mile hike to just make it a little further and by far my favorite part was this:

Mountain Man even enjoyed reading the Elizabeth Smart story with me. Most of the time we laid there quietly and read together, but every once in a while I would sneak in the tent and read ahead a chapter or two. I loved seeing the look of disbelief on his face when I confessed I had read ahead. Seriously, that tells you that it's a good book, if this guy wants to read it as much as I do! One of my favorite memories will be the night we tried to turn on our head lamps and read. Light in the night, equals bugs galore!!!!! Finally, we got smart and zipped up our tent to keep any incoming bugs out. But the bugs that were already in the tent would not leave us alone. Desperate times call for desperate measures, people! Anytime a bug landed on the pages of our book while we were reading, I would slam the book shut. Not ideal for keeping your place while reading but between all the giggling and the homemade Venus Fly Trap we smooshed them all and were able to finish our late night reading session, bug free! There is probably a smashed bug on every page between chapters 21-24. What a fun trigger for a good memory!

Now that I have been through the Havasupai experience I have a few tips for those of you who may go in the future.

Here is the packing list my friend pulled from the internet and shared with us all. She got it HERE. There are some other great tips on this site also so go check it out.

CLOTHING

Shorts
Swim Suit
Shirts
Long sleeve shirt (one)
Hiking Socks (one per day)
Flip-flops
Hat / Bandana
Poncho or large garbage bag (for rain)
Water shoes / Tevas / Old sneakers

PERSONAL ITEMS

Small Soap
Deodorant
Tooth brush
Tooth paste
Sunscreen
Chapstick
Blister-Aids
Advil / Pain Killers
Vaseline / Baby Powder
Camera (Extra battery)
Toilet paper
2 Large Zip lock bags (pack out trash)
MP3 Player / Earphones
Sun Glasses
Small/Light Towel

EQUIPMENT & GEAR

Backpack
Sleeping bag
Sleeping mat
Pillow Case (put clothes in as pillow)
LED Flashlight
Spare batteries
Camelback w/ Hydration bladder
Aluminum pot
Spoon
Water filter (if you have one)
Stove and Fuel (if you have one)

FOOD & DRINKS

PB & J sandwiches
Trail Mix / Nuts / Pistachios
MRE’s (“Mountain House” Brand)
Candy
Muffins
Granola bars
Gatorade powder
Gatorade
Grocery bag (food storage)

The other tips I would share with you are:

1. Rent the mule. The mule was a little less than $100 but can fit 3 to 4 packs (about 130lbs) on his back. The hike down was H.A.R.D.! Unless you are some incredible hiker who carries a pack around all the time like Mountain Man (C.J.'s new name) and even he was struggling for the last 2 miles. So rent the mule, you will not regret it!! The hike down took 5 long back-breaking hours. It was so tough, we decided that at the end of the week we would put everything heavy in Mountain Man's pack and put enough water and snacks in mine to make it through the hike. We split the cost of the mule with 3 other couples in our group that did the same thing. The hike back, even with the last 2 miles of steep inclines and switchbacks, only took us 2 hours and 45 minutes.

2. Timing of your hike- The time of day that you hike down is really important! We went to Havasupai at the end of May so the heat wasn't excruciating. If you are going mid summer it is going to be H.O.T! Hike in early in the morning. We started our hike at 4:00a.m. Less heat also means carrying less water to keep your body cool, which also means a lighter pack! There was an employee that told us we couldn't start the hike till the first of daylight (but there is no one there to stop you either)so we went ahead and followed suit with a couple other groups who decided to start their descent early. Starting early also gives you more time in the day to explore Havasupai once you get down there!

3. Lounge pool floaties. In the list above it states that you should bring a sleeping pad. I would change this to the long pool floaties you blow up and use in the pool. Those sleeping mats are not soft! They only give you an inch or 2 of hard cushioning between you and the ground! The pool floaties feel more like an air mattress and you can give them to someone else or pop them when you leave so you don't have to pack them again. They are only about $2.00 a piece at Walmart. Plus they can double as an actual floating device in the water. Crazy, huh? I would bring extra though, Mountain Man and I brought four and lined the bottom of the tent with them and slept across them. By the second day, 2 of them had popped and we were sleeping on 1 each.

4. Trash bag. Bring a trash bag to put your food in and hang it in a tree. There are no bears or large animals that will threaten to eat you or your food but there are some vicious squirrels! The sooner you get it in the tree and they realize there is no food there for them, the sooner they will leave you alone. I know this sounds weird cause they are just squirrels but DON'T feed the wildlife! They will keep coming back for more and they will find any food they can reach. I am speaking from experience here. They chewed a hole in Mountain Man's pack and stole a Costco muffin so he put all the food in the tent. Then they chewed a hole in our tent and had a Thanksgiving feast! They ate half a loaf of un-opened bread (grandma sycamores), EVERY almond and cashew and yogurt chip out of an un-opened bag of trail mix, as well as 2 more Costco muffins, and they took samples of just about everything else we had.

5. Wipes. There are bathrooms down there so all you women don't need to worry about peeing in the woods. On the list above it tells you to bring toilet paper, I would change this to a small bag of wipes. Your toilet paper is provided in the bathrooms they have down there, but I loved using the wipes to clean my hands after meals and wash the dust and mud off my feet before getting into bed each night.

6. Pack Light. Again if you are taking a mule this will not matter. If you do decided to pack everything in on your own, which is actually what most people do because they don't realize how difficult the hike will be, it is essential to pack light! I know that when you are packing your thinking but this is so light!! And again when you put that pack on your pack and think Oh, I can handle this. Believe me, by the end, I was thinking OH! I SHOULDN'T HAVE PACKED THAT EXTRA TAMPON!!!

7. Cash for Local Food. I would also suggest bringing some cash. At mile 8 there is Supai Village and they have a tiny cafe that you can eat at. A lot of weight in your pack will be food. If you’re using the mules you won’t have to worry about this, but if you are packing it in, then buying food once you get down there is a great idea. They also have a place you can buy snacks from and a shack right there in camp that makes fry bread and sells cold drinks and snacks. They are very reasonably priced at the shack and cafe so don't worry too much about being taken advantage of. In fact ,I think the snacks in the village were pretty close to gas station prices.

8. Cooking. Freeze dried meals are nice and light and an easy way to get a meal in. We used the Mountain House brand and we were actually pleasantly surprised at how good they tasted. They are about $7 dollars a pack but if you get the packs that feed 2 people you can make your dollar stretch a little more. You just have to boil some water and pour it in. For boiling water, I would highly suggest getting a Jet Boil or any other backpacking stove. We used a friends the entire time and LOVED it! It was fast and nice and light at the same time. It also beats packing in a camping stove! You can find a Jet Boil HERE or if you get on camofire.com, they come up every once in a while and you can find some pretty good deals on them.

9. Food. Take food that is light weight. Fresh food weighs a ton because it contains so much water. However, if you bring dried fruit, popcorn, puffed snacks and other light weight foods, your back and legs will be much happier. If you are packing any sort of condiments like peanut butter, jelly, ketchup, mayo, mustard, Neutella and such, one of my genius friends used the method of saving Popsicle wrappers filling them with your desired condiment and then re-sealing them using the heat from her flat iron. Genius, I know!

10.Water- There is a piped spring at the camp site that clean water constantly runs from. The Ranger on site told us that it is tested twice a week to make sure it is clean. He also said "Don't boil it. Don't filter it. You will ruin it." When you are packing only bring enough water for the hike down. For your stay bring empty milk jugs or any other light containers. Having less water in your pack will really lighten your load. Once you actually get down there you can use the water from the spigot.

11.Homemade Lantern- Having light in the evenings is really nice. Everyone in my group grabbed head lamps and wore them around but this makes for a lot of moving lanterns, shining lights in people eyes and bugs flying in your face trying to get to your light. One of the girls in my group had a great idea. Instead of packing down a lantern she filled up her milk jug of water and put her head lamp around the jug. This illuminates the water inside the jug to create a homemade lantern. It didn't give off a really bright light but two was enough to light up the table we all sat around.

12. Down time- Once you get down to Havasupai you can fill your schedule till it bursts with hikes and other fun things to do or you can just lounge around the campsite and swim in the falls that are near by. Let me tell you, after a 10 mile hike with a 30 lb pack on my back I was not going to take another step once I got there. The day we hiked down no one really wanted to move anymore than they had to so we hung around camp, napped and explored the falls right there in camp. The second day we hiked about a mile to Mooney falls and the third day We finally got up enough strength to hike to Beaver falls which is an 8 mile round trip hike. For the days that you choose to have more down time you will want to bring a book or some card games to keep yourself form getting restless.

Now having given you all the tips I can think of to make your trip more enjoyable I have to say that Havasupai, although THE toughest and most physically exhausting hike I have ever done was an incredible experience and one I would never trade for anything less demanding. I loved it and had so much fun with Mountain Man and the rest of the group!If you ever have a chance to do it I hope you will take the opportunity!