My House: Reading Nook

What was formally known as the teeny, tiny office has become a sitting nook right outside our bedroom. This space has always been hard to address because of the odd shape and small size. 

I slowly collected things from around the house that I wasn't using like my chair, nesting tables and lamp so I didn't have to spend anything to create this space. Free makeover!

I've had this faux bamboo mirror sitting in my basement for a year 

so I gave it a fresh coat of white paint.

To give it some interest, I hand painted the inside a bright teal.

We recessed a book shelf for some extra storage.

For some cheap art I bought a calendar with some colorful pictures and framed them on the wall leading down the stairs.

Drum shade pendant is another thrift store find.

One more space done on my quest to finish decorating my house!

Little Updates

I managed to fit in a few small updates to the bedroom this 

weekend in between yard work and more yard work.

First, I painted my plain white lamp shades dark teal and I'm really liking the effect.

I felt like this side of the room needed some dark, saturated colors 

so I whipped out some acrylic paint I had stashed away and painted it on with a foam brush.

My next little bedroom update is I finally hung some art above the dresser.

I found a set of vintage metal wall frames while thrifting and used one of the free print outs I posted about last week to fill them.

 

So there's my little update.

Teal lamp shades...

Horse art...

And a sleepy cat.

He's not really an update, just more of a lazy blob.

Thrifty Tips

Has anyone picked up a copy of Laura Spencer's, I Brake For Yard Sales?

I'm still waiting to get my hands on it but MSN Living featured

a few rooms she put together using vintage/used items all while using a limited budget.

These are honestly my favorite types of makeovers because it takes true talent to turn something old and ugly into new and refreshing.

Here are a few of her rooms:

She offers a lot of great tips on what to use while on a budget.

Here, she found original art for $75. Compare that to a well known artist who charges in the hundreds or even the thousands and you've saved yourself quite a bit.

Another trick up her sleeve is hunting for deals on the Internet.

She found these designer nightstands on Ebay for only $135 a piece.

Everyone knows a great solution to unattractive fabric.

Reupholster! (Just like I had these chairs redone here)

And here the chairs are in a fun plaid print:

It's hard to believe that almost everything in this room was a thrift find!

I need to be more like this woman!!

Last but not least, the coveted campaign furniture...

(Very similar to my dresser, here)

Loving the inspiration!

Everyone needs to own a copy of this book!

Click here to buy it at Amazon.com



Reupholster & Repaint

Remember these chairs?

They were a thrift find from long ago. Too long ago.

Well they had a bit of a makeover and they now reside in my living room.

And here's the set a bit more dressed up...

I used this fabric that I purchased from Fabric.com

I wasn't about to take on the reupholstering job so I set out to find a professional.

I was able to get a great deal by calling around for prices. 

Don't stop at the first quote your given.

 The 4th place I called quoted a third of the price than the first place did. 

Also, don't forget to check references. Reupholstering is not cheap and you don't want to pay to do the job twice.

You will also notice my walls could pass for a patch-work quilt.

Who knew deciding on the perfect gray/green/white color could be so hard.

I'm getting to the point where almost every room in my house has been repainted.
Thank the good Lord because it was pretty obvious we did not know what we were doing when it came to paint selections!

I like to refer to the original living room color as "skin."
With a name like that, it's time to repaint.

After pictures hopefully soon!

Off To The Upholsterer

I've had these chairs sitting in storage for the past year

and a half with the hopes of one day reupholstering them.

Well that day has finally come because I just dropped them off this morning.

I'm getting them redone in this fabric I ordered from Fabric.com

Hopefully I will have some after pictures by the end of next week!

Table Top Reading

I recently picked up a few more books for the living room coffee table.

She was looking a bit bare and some good reading material was on my watch list.

Lucky me, I stopped in Half Price Books where I found some great books for only a fraction of the cost.

Some of the bigger books cost up $75 brand new!

I think the most expensive book I purchased that day was $10.

I loooove me some deals.

Just a few others from around my living room.

Happy Monday!

DIY Monogram Art

I have a quick DIY personalized art project for anyone to try.

I know monogramming isn't everyones thing and to be honest, I'm not really the type to go get a pillow with my initials stitched on it.

But I thought old metal letters & a shadow box might be a modern take on a fluffy 3-letter pillow.

My supplies:

• Vintage metal letters I picked up from an antique store this summer. N is for my husband's first name. M for my first name and R for our last name.
• Shadow box from West Elm
• Basic sewing pins

The letters were probably from an old building or sign. They had double sided screws that were easy enough to twist out with a pliers.

I was left with the perfect size hole to place a sewing pin head in. I made sure they fit snug enough so the letter would be held up tight.

All that was left to do was put the letters in the box.

Right now my DIY art is kinda hanging solo.

I think it might look good in a collage so hopefully I can put one together soon.

No fluffy pillows here!

Craigslist Find: Campaign Dresser

Like every other blogger out there, I was waiting to get my hands on a Campaign dresser.

I didn't realize how difficult that would prove to be.

I was constantly checking the local Craigslist (and even the not-so-local Craigslist) but came up with nothing.

With my plans slightly diminished, I decided to let it go with the hopes of maybe stumbling upon one in the future.

So you can imagine when I saw this on Craigslist one day I was beyond excited.

And when the asking price was this: $40.00

I was even MORE excited.

Who finds a campaign dresser for $40??

Uhm, Me. That's who.

I was even more surprised when I went to pick it up how nice it was.

Very clean, Had all the original brass handles and it even came with a glass top.

Here it is in my living room.

Old age took a toll on the brass handles as you can see.

And here is the glass top.

I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it but it might be handy with preventing scratches.

I'm currently half way through the refinishing process. I've got as far as sanding and priming and now I just have to paint it. I'm going to use a dark navy blue to really make the brass details stand out.

It's taking a bit longer than expected but hopefully I'll get some after pictures by early next week.

Anyone else have a campaign piece? I'm always looking for a good before & after.