I've walked past this little cart about one million times since moving into our house last July.

It's been hanging out in the garage, collecting junk for our eventual yard sale. We've had it for 10 years or so and it's been through a lot.

The dog used it as a chew toy... cleaning supplies have leaked on it... there have been many generations of spiders birthed beneath it's wooden slats {shudder}...

Yep. Yard sale material.

However, I walked past it last week and it was like a light bulb came on. Eureka! I could paint her up and use her to store my sewing machines.

And I did just that.

I had the cart. I had the primer. I had the paint. Score for zero investment!

Painting this cart took FOR.........EV..........errrrrrrrrr.

But, I'm the lazy sort of painter that starts out really excited and then loses interest after about 15 minutes. {Truth.}

I thought it would be a grand idea to paint outdoors while the weather is so mild! Apparently, the bugs thought it was a pretty grand idea, too.

Two coats of primer and two coats of paint later, here she is.

I had the notion to do some creative finishing touches, but I was so glad to get that last coat of paint on that I called it done.

I did make a yo-yo knob cover to dress her up just a bit more.

I'm super-pleased with this zero-cost makeover that helped to meet a need in my studio.

That's right! I'm sending a copy of Nicholas Spark's "The Lucky One" to two lucky friends!

The random number generator selected comments #1 and #4 from my last post. Congratulations, Cindie and Cort! I'm e-mailing you both right now.

Enjoy the reads and be sure to catch the movie. It's in theaters now!

Ladies, Mr. Nicholas Sparks has it figured out - exactly what we want out of a love story. And his latest movie release, The Lucky One, is no exception.

{Hello! When did Zac Efron become appropriately drool worthy?!}

As a member of HouseParty.com, I signed up to host one of the 1,000 "The Lucky One" parties offered to promote the movie and was selected! Yippee!!

Who doesn't love a big box of F.R.E.E. showing up on their doorstep?

If you're unfamiliar with HouseParty.com, it is a free online community for brands to connect products to customers. A marketer's dream, really. Top companies, such as Godiva, Keurig, and Grand Central Publishing (obviously), select a members to send their products to. As a party host, you agree to plan a gathering of your friends, promote the product with the tools provided, and pass out all of the free swag! 

Girl time and freebies - what could be better?

So, here's what my party pack contained:

For this event, HouseParty encouraged a potluck dinner. I came up with my own interpretation and planned a salad luncheon during the middle of the workday. It was PERFECT!

We all gathered for lunch and everyone brought a salad to share - from chicken to fruit to quinoa. It was such a yummy lunch!

As everyone gathered, I conducted a creative photo shoot with their good luck charms.

(She's an amazing athlete!)

As we finished eating, we watched the extended movie preview and played a little Nicholas Spark's trivia game afterward. It was a very competitive match, but Megan reigned victorious and walked away with an awesome movie t-shirt.

Kellie was "the lucky one" selected for my door prize - a movie poster (that now hangs on the wall directly across from her desk. Nice placement, Kellie!).

Everyone left with a goodie bag containing a movie edition novel of "The Lucky One" and a bookmark.

All in all a tremendous success for my first HouseParty! We all had an amazing time together and left with plans to gather more often for little lunch parties.

**big smile**

Hey! I have one goodie bag left over! I'd love to send it your way! Leave me a comment below and I'll pick a winner at random on Friday, April 20. 

Tell me about a HouseParty that you've hosted. Not a member? You should definitely sign up at HouseParty.com and invite me to your next event.

**wink**

Usually I would be referring to my hair, but, today, we're talking clothes.

I've never dyed fabric so this was a first for me.

And, if you follow my weekly musings via Facebook, then you know I anticipated either success or disaster for this first attempt.

It turns out, I was correct.

Two of my favorite dresses had... ummm... issues.

This white one was feeling a tad yellow and sad.

And this cream and white floral...

Well... I don't really know what happened to it, but I discovered it was covered in blue and pink-ish stains the last time I wore it!

So, thanks to a little box of RIT dye, the white one is feeling lively again in a pretty spring green.

(I was hoping for a more intense green so I may try dying it again.)

 My favorite shoes are back out of storage!

And, the floral... well... let's just say, it still has issues.

What happened here?! Any ideas?

I followed the instructions online for dying rayon knit, but clearly, something went terribly wrong.

Oh, well.

I couldn't have worn it as it was anyway. Maybe I can make something out of the material.

In the meantime, I'm digging through my closet again to find something else to dye.

Maybe, ombre?

Do you have any tips or tricks to share for dying fabric or any ideas about what went wrong with the floral dress? Can it be saved? I'd love to know!

Look what arrived in the mail today.

This isn't just an order from Zulily.com. This box contains a pair of free shoes that they sent me to "make nice" on an order that they couldn't fulfill.

And I didn't even complain!

Allow me to back up.

I placed my first order with Zulily.com back in February. They were hosting an amazing sale on Calving Klein Jeans shoes. And when I say amazing, I mean AH-MAZE-ING.

So, I ordered 4 pairs! 

And waited...

And waited...

And waited...

Nearly one month later, I finally received notification that 2 pairs had shipped and 2 were cancelled.

{Well, poop. This is not a good way to start a relationship.}

But, to make up for my trouble, they gave me a $10 credit.

{Okay. I forgive you.} 

I used that toward the purchase of an AH-MAZE-ING swimsuit. Not only was it super cute, it was another really great buy.

A few days later, out of the blue, I receive a message from Zulily.com stating that they found one of the pairs of shoes that I had ordered and they were sending them to me for... wait for it... FREE!

Sho-nuf! Here they are.

I'm one happy girl!

And, Zulily, you have a customer for life.