In one trip 2 weeks ago I scored big at Goodwill. Not only did I come home with a nice upholstered chair that I painted and shared last week, but I also found matching nightstands. I’d been scouring Craigslist for a few months for a set. My goal was to find something mid century in good condition for a fair price. I was willing to refinish or paint a set if the right ones came along to save money. I didn’t score my dream set but these would work with my plan. Knowing the tops would likely be damaged on a older set I wanted to paint all but the drawers white for a modern two-tone look. It would be important to find a set that was all wood and where, if possible, the drawers were in good shape enough to leave intact. Boy did I ever find the perfect set for this! I paid $45 each.

You can see that I did one pair first to make sure I liked it before I potentially ruined the next.

The lighting from the open garage was a little too flattering, there are scratches on the front and sides too.

They came to me with scratches, some pretty deep. They weren’t in poor condition and could have been used as is for some people.

I sanded the surfaces I intended to paint down as much as possible to remove the shiny finish so that paint would adhere. I also filled in the deeper scratches so that when I painted the surface would be pretty smooth.

I realized after painting that the joints were open and would look like cracks. After giving the whole thing a coat of white I went back with some caulk and filled in any of those obvious cracked joints then added more coats of paint on top.

You can see this made a pretty big difference. I don’t think I would have been as happy with the results had I not done this.

I used a gloss white spray paint from Rustoleum and made sure to tape the cabinet opening since it would be visible when opened. Also taped off the brass ends on the legs. It took 4-5 coats.

Here is the finished product. The hardware took some hunting… I wanted a bar but the width between the two holes from the previous knobs was an odd width for bars. I managed to find some at Ikea that are just a hair too narrow but you can’t tell since I screwed them in each a little crooked. The cabinet hardware is also Ikea.

It has a coat of poly on top of the paint as well for a nice “lacquered” looking shine and this made the whole piece look much more professional. I did sand the paint before applying. I did a wet sand on the tops and a regular fine grit sand everywhere else.

On my husband’s side.

A front view of them side by side.

Like I said, I never would have picked these up had they not worked perfectly for the two-tone plan. The paint and hardware make them look so much more modern to me and I feel like they could be mistaken for new pieces that cost a lot more than $45 each. With the hardware and paint they would be about $58 each. If you run across a dresser or nightstand this scheme could work for you too.

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Since learning that it is possible to paint the upholstery I’ve had it in my head that I was going to find a chair and do it. There are different ways to paint fabric including actual fabric spray paint or Tulip fabric paint. I chose to use a latex paint/water/fabric medium mixture seen on Hyphenated Interiors and various other blogs.  I scored a chair for $10 at Goodwill that was perfectly suited to be painted.  In photos it doesn’t look too bad, even the color isn’t hideous, but I needed to match the pillows in my living room.  There were some marks on the seat that only paint would have covered so I promise I didn’t ruin a good chair!

I knew, because I’m lazy and hate doing a ton of coats, that I would need to pick a chair that was light in color. In total I did 2 full coats and went back to cover a few missed spots I noticed after the second coat dried. It took longer than I expected and was more effort too. Luckily I chose a chair with less fabric to paint.

After one coat it was still pretty soft once I sanded the paint, but the coverage wasn’t there yet.

The material is a velour and, after painting, feels and looks more like a microsuede. The sheen the original fabric had was lost during painting which adds to that microsuede look. It isn’t nearly as soft as the original fabric but I wouldn’t describe it as rough or crunchy either.  Also, to take care of the scratches I rubbed a walnut over them, then washed the whole chair with Murphy’s Oil Soap, which made the wood look almost new.

I painted in all of the nooks and crannies but one and this should give you an idea of the texture difference.

My intention for this chair was to fill a corner in my front living room, a spot that wouldn’t often see an actual visitor. I figured that, if nothing else, the chair would look nice there. To tie the chair in more with my “mid century modern” decor I picked up an “as-is” lamp that I’ve been eying from Ikea for half off! I went there thinking of buying it full price, I just got lucky that day!

The total cost of the chair after buying 2 bottles of fabric medium (1.99 each at Michaels) and a quart of latex paint ($13.00 Glidden brand from Home Depot) was $28.00.  The materials cost more than the chair itself!  Had I not been trying to match the look of my couch pillows and had used paint already laying around the cost would have only been $14.00.

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We purchased a home in need of a lot of TLC. It’s been months since we moved in and I just recently completed painting the home. Every. Single. Room. Me. Just me. I couldn’t stop until each room was painted because when we bought the home every room was some shade of orange or yellow. Not only was our home orange but it was a badly painted orange. Light switches were coated with paint, splatters were all over the windows, paint was even dripped on the marble under windows and floor! The laziness of whoever did that job still astounds me. What ever happened to pride of ownership and attention to details? I’m not a miracle worker. Many of their mistakes can’t be fixed but I’ve done my best to make this home as polished as possible without spending a fortune on contractors and professional painters. It’s the little things like replacing every electrical outlet and light switch, re-caulking trim work, patching holes, and of course the new paint.  My husband and I couldn’t be more proud of the work we have done and we make a great team.  Even though I did the painting he did the electrical, much of the bathroom gutting and remodeling, and most of the heavy lifting.

Now it’s time to sit back and see what about $600 worth of paint and at least 100 hours of painting can accomplish. Keep in mind this is a work in progress. I’m still hoping to find the perfect mid century pieces to add to the home or to replace items I’m not in love with. Many of the items in the home were thrift finds (virtually all of the pieces in the Golden Girls room were). You can also find even more photos for each room if the room name is a link- just click it.

The Front Door, lights, and exterior

The Entryway

The Family Room

The Kitchen

The Master Bedroom

The Master Bathroom

The Front Room

The Office (formerly a dining room)

The Octopus Bathroom (our only full gut and remodel)

Everett’s Bedroom (serves as second guest too)

Fletcher’s Bedroom

The Golden Girls Guest Room

The Laundry Room

Just for fun, these are a few examples of the laziness of the previous owners (or contractors?) who painted and did “repairs” and some of the condition issues we faced. Many outlets were painted over and stuck to the walls, and there were dozens of holes left from feeding cables through the drywall for TV’s.

Despite all of the blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into our home there are so many projects on my to-do list. Now I feel at home here and can’t imagine living anywhere else. The thought of moving in the future is far from my mind (unless we find a true mid century home!) because this house has so much of us in it. The biggest next step- landscaping! Oy! Can’t a girl get some rest?!

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Two weekends ago my husband and I set out to redo the small laundry room in the home.  It was my birthday gift that he help me, because otherwise I doubt this project would have landed high on his to-do list.  The room prior was white (the only non orange room in the home!) with white laminate cabinets with a few holes in the back, not visible when the doors were closed.  The wall was filthy, partially my fault because I was spraying paint all over when washing out my brushes and pans.  A large hole was in the wall on the right side that I patched months ago in preparation for eventual painting.

Here she is before-

I decided to have some fun with this room since it was so much smaller than any other room I had painted before.  Rather than making life easy on myself I decided to use Frogtape to stripe the wall with a few shades of greay I had leftover.  One was a sage-y grey called Sedate Gray and the other was Pebble Grey, the same color as 3 other rooms.  The white was Dover White, which is a tad more tan than a pure white.  With textured walls I had to make sure the tape was nice and smooth for a straight line and no bleeds so I took a tennis ball and pressed over each line very hard.  This resulted in beautiful and perfect lines!

Now here she is After-

For the cabinets we spent over an hour measuring and analyzing the cabinets at my favorite store, Habitat for Humanity ReStore.  The vision was to find a set that would work to mount a bar between so that I could hang certain things right out of the dryer.  This set was $95 and is all wood with the slow close feature.  They look brand new.  Knowing I was losing the bar I used to have to make room for shelves this was something I needed so we mounted them about 8 inches apart.

Another must was hanging the laundry baskets from a slot rail system with arms to keep the small amount of space I had on the floor clear, and the tops of the washer and dryer clean. Steven found this rail system at Home Depot for a reasonable price, and the baskets are smaller than standard and sold from Target. I couldn’t have mounted my larger baskets and had the cabinets where I needed them too.  My husband also replaced the old utility sink faucet with a new one that has a removable spray handle.  That would have been used heavily while I was a painting fiend but it is good to have now too.

The room isn’t finished yet. Our kitchen is not equipped with a pantry and we have been struggling with food storage. Right now remodeling the kitchen and installing a pantry isn’t in our budget and the cabinets are relatively new. Instead I decided to add shelving to the back wall of the laundry room for larger food items and things we don’t reach for often. That hasn’t been installed yet but i imagine it will look like this with a set of two sliding doors.

I’m also looking to add a shelf above the washer and dryer to hide the outlet and duct that are exposed now. This is a professional artist’s rendering.

That is one of those things I’ve started doing since working on the house so much. I photoshop in furniture items and rugs or paint colors just to make sure I really understand how it will look. It has been a lifesaver. I did this before I purchased the credenza for our entryway, I shopped the Octopus from the bathroom wall to see what color would look good, and I did the same for the stripes on the laundry room wall. It doesn’t have to look amazing, it just needs to give you an idea. Photoshop can save you a lot of money and heartache if you find out you don’t want something based on your rendering.

After painting the laundry room and our master bathroom I am now completely finished with painting the house walls!  I still have some door trim work left and the closets but… I’m celebrating!

Our master bedroom wasn’t as desperate as most of the other rooms in our home when we moved in (you can see the whole home in before photos here).  6 years ago there was a fire in that side of the home and so it was re-done including the master bathroom.  For this reason these two rooms came last on the list to re-paint.  While the original color wasn’t terrible for the space there were holes in the wall like swiss cheese from a TV mount and shelving that used to be.

I decided to keep a little warmth in the room and went with Independent Gold from Sherwin Williams.  After a lot of hole patching, some removal of a bad caulk job on spots on the trim and re-caulking, new outlets and plates, and a fresh coat of paint on the walls and trim we now have a whole new room!

The standing lamp was a 5 year anniversary gift from my husband. You might notice a plaque on the base which is engraved. Interesting gift choice…  I aslo replaced the antiqued brass knobs on the nightstand to the right with a new brushed nickel one.

I found a frame from Ikea that works well to hold my photos of Fletcher through the ages.

For Christmas my MIL gave me a painting of my husband and I’s favorite little hole in the wall bar and burger joint in Charlotte NC, The Penguin, which is on the armoire on the right.

A few tokens from our wedding- the invitation, the “Save the Date’s, the ornament he used to hide my engagement ring on when he proposed on Christmas Day in 2007, the tassel from my college graduation which took place 3 months prior to our wedding day, and my DIY handmade birdcage veil and hair piece.

Above our bed hangs a summary of our lives together- the center photo was my 5 year wedding anniversary gift to my husband. I went back to our college and photographed the exact hallway where we met. The photo on the left is from our wedding day of course, and the right photo is our whole little family.

The dresser was a fabulous thrift store find- a mid century Bassett for 63.00. It needed some minor scratch repair and a good washing with Murphy’s Oil Soap. The lamp was also from the thrift store for $5.00 and the shade is from Target.

The mirror to the right belongs to the dresser but I kind of like it just propped up on the wall and not mounted. We’ll see how it goes.

I really wanted to raise the height of the curtain rods so I filled the holes and raised it about 2-3 inches and mounted it wider a few inches. The curtains are from Ikea- $19.99 for a pack of 2 panels and I have 4. The rod was already in the home when we moved in so that was free. I have Ev’s 1-2 year photos framed next to the window.

The room isn’t complete just yet. Yesterday I found the exact doors I have been drooling over at the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store. Brand new craftsman style 5 panel doors. I’m planning on painting them black and replacing the door to my room, bathroom, and the laundry room. I’ve been hunting for a matching set of nightstands to refinish as well to replace the mismatch tables we have now.

With only one room left to paint, the master bathroom, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. And I can reclaim the closet in our home that is dedicated to paint materials. I’m so in love with our bedroom I can’t even hide it. It’s so serene and adult, free of toys and clutter, just the way a master bedroom should be.

The little ol’ granny in me has always wanted one of those cameo style silhouettes in a beautiful oval frame.  It is something that has been on my “must craft” list for a long time but only recently came true over the weekend.  I’m glad I waited because the craft came AFTER finding the perfect vintage oval frames at my favorite thrift store for $2.00 each.  They are completely made of plastic that is painted to resemble wood.  I think they are convincing.  The date on the back?  1970!

With the frames in hand I set about making my silhouettes of my boys.  Here is how I did it.  It was all by hand (no fancy Silhouette Cameo machine, but I would take one if I was offered it!) with an exacto knife.  Check the supply list, read over the instructions, and in one day you could have your own granny style art for your home!  Total cost- about $3.38 in supplies plus $4.00 for the frames.

Step 1: Take your profile photos 

Once you realize almost everything you need is already in your home you are probably like “Let’s get this craft started!”  The first thing you need to do is bribe your subjects into standing still long enough to take a profile photo.  I’ll include mine to show you what I started with.  Fletcher wouldn’t stand still for anything but Ev would, except he wouldn’t turn his body to the side so I had to fudge a little on his neck to pretend that he did.  Some people will include the bust area in the silhouette but I only wanted the neck.

Once that is over you are done with the hardest part!

Step 2: Make Your Template

After uploading the pictures to my computer I decided to make my templates using Photoshop Elements. You can skip this is you would rather simply print your images and cut around their faces with scissors, just keep in mind you might still need to re-size those photos to make them the exact dimensions you want.  In Photoshop I used the quick selection tool to select just his face and neck, then deleted the background around him.  Next I cleaned up the edges to make sure what printed would be exactly the shape I wanted.  Afterwards I set the image to grayscale and deleted everything from the insides.  This was just to save printer ink.

Step 3: Cut and Trace

After you have your templates printed and you decide they are the correct size you can start the cutting process. I should mention that you can also opt to print your template directly onto you chosen paper if it is a light enough color and the correct size paper- if you do this you want the silhouette printed backwards of the side you wish it to face on. If you choose to print on printer paper you will need to cut the template very carefully. You can use scissors for this cut but again, with very small cuts you will want to take it slow and easy. With your template in hand you can trace onto your nice paper- flip the template over so that you are tracing around it upside down. After cutting your final piece you will want any leftover marks on the back.

Step 3: Cut out your Silhouette

With the outline traced it is time to start cutting. Using a very sharp exacto knife you will want to slowly and carefully cut along your pencil lines. I would start with a half press and then retrace the same cut with full pressure to cut it completely. I wasn’t perfect by any means and the smallest cuts like the points of the cow licks and the eyelashes aren’t as smooth as the longer cuts. Just take it easy and remember that your guests won’t notice those tiny imperfections even if they are staring you in the face. After you have a tiny head in your hands flip it over. You might have raised edges from the pressure of the cuts in places, you can smooth them down. Trim any rough “hang nails” as well.

Step 4: Glue ‘er Down

When you are happy with your little silhouette it’s time to glue it down to your backing. I chose a nice black scrapbook paper with a slight sheen to add more interest than just plain black. I already had Elmer’s glue at home and wasn’t sure how it would work out but it did OK. I believe a glue stick would have been better though. I used a foam brush to very lightly paint the glue over the back to prevent the rippling of paper that is too wet with glue. You want to cover the entire surface area all the way to the edge, but again, as light as possible to prevent oozing and rippling.

Step 5: Frame!

I decided to hang a few framed pictures in the hallway, including my new silhouettes, to the three bedrooms on the east side of the house. Most guests would never see these unless they are staying with us so it is a hodge podge of pictures that mean something to us. I will add more to it as time goes on.

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After beginning the bathroom remodel process over 4 months ago I’m thrilled to call this project DONE.  After being quoted $8,000-10,000 for our little hallway size bathroom from professional contractors my husband and I unexpectedly decided that we would DIY it.  I was shocked myself but after doing so much around the home already we learned that we were more capable than we thought.  YouTube is a magical thing and it gets all of the credit for teaching us how to completely build a bathroom from studs to finish.

When we bought this home we knew the bathroom would have to be completely gutted and re-done.  There was a tiny, disgusting toilet, a mauve/pink little tub and plain tiles, and the kicker- the seas shell sinks and deteriorating vanity that was crumbling with each touch.

Steven had fun with the demo and tore down most of the room in one day, leaving us with a toilet, sinks, and bathtub in our living room for a few days until the junk guy could come!

Every weekend for the next 3.5 months was dedicated to remodeling.  It was exhausting and we both spent long days doing labor intensive work.  DIY renovation is not for the faint of heart or for couples on the verge of divorce.  Our love and sanity were tested again and again and this process just about killed us all.  It was HELL.

The results were totally worth it.

Grand Total: $4,800

Including the $500 for the labor used to install and cut the shower tiles (which is the only professional help we used for the entire remodel) the total cost of this bathroom comes in at about $4,800. The costliest item was the vanity and sinks coming in at $1500 (faucets were seperate). The mirrors were the best deal at $30 each from Homegoods and the texture matches the floors perfectly. It was a lucky break. We ordered most of our large items (toilet, tub, vanity, faucets) from FaucetDirect.com and were very happy with how that went. The artwork was purchased from Chelsea Burdick Designs on Etsy and she was kind enough to color match my paint after I sent an online example. The giant octopus stencil is also from Etsy from Olive Leaf Stencils. The tiles were all purchased locally at Floor and Decor.

It doesn’t even seem real that we built this bathroom with our own bare hands. Drywall hanging, spackling, sanding, tile laying, mitering moulding, tub installing, plumbing moving, painting, the list goes on. It came out beautiful and exactly as I imagined. Sleek and modern but still fun enough to be a kid’s bathroom. My husband and I made a great team. We both had strengths and we played to those. He is great for caulking but I’m the master of perfectly smoothing it out. As a perfectionist DIY really is the way to go. If you make a mistake you can live with it and know you did your best. If a contractor makes a mistake you feel cheated and annoyed at their laziness/carelessness. I will admit that I have to paint the trim still… but I just couldn’t wait to shaire the new bathroom!

My latest project in the never ending mission to make my home beautiful was, you guessed it, the Front Door!  When we moved in the previous owners threw (almost literally) a coat of flat light grey paint on the door and side lights.  They slopped it on and left paint on the windows and hardware in what seems like an effort to continue making my life harder when it comes to re-painting this home.

 

As much as the color and the workmanship bothered me I just kept putting this project off.  I’ve never painted a front door and there seem to be so many “best” ways and paints to do so.  It was overwhelming to research the methods, the best paint brands, best brushes, and even the colors.  Because our home is very light in color (shades of light grey bricks) any color we picked would POP, especially with side lights being painted as well.  I won’t admit how many hours I researched door paint colors…

After photo shopping a few different color ideas on the door in a photo we decided on a deep purple.  I fell in love with a majestic purple seen on Pinterest but couldn’t quite match the shade in a brand sold here.  I tried so hard to find a match at various stores in different brands but nothing could compare.  With my closest choices I painted swatches and the door and still didn’t love them.  Those 3 squares stayed on my door for about 2 months!  I just couldn’t pull the trigger.

Since we have a whole house full of guests coming for Thanksgiving I decided now was the time.  Our door before painting was just sad, in color and in promise with those 3 purple squares in waiting.  In the end I made a rash decision and chose a color I had not tested.  Scary…. Sherwin Williams Quixotic Plum was the winner.  It seemed dark enough.

After taking a sander to the entire door to smooth down the terrible and crazy brush strokes as well as the paint globs and runs I was ready to paint.  When painting an exterior door you can’t just remove it and take your time.  I had to carefully plan to start first thing in the morning to allow the many coats to dry before closing the door that night.  It was obvious this courtesy was not done with the grey paint since there were ridges left.  Can you tell how annoyed I am by that paint job?!

I knew enough that I had to do at least 3 very light coats to let the paint dry faster and for a smoother finish.  After one coat I was petrified.  Holy cow… the color was much lighter than I envisioned and it was streak city.  I knew that after more coats it would darken and there would be no streaks.  Still, a part of me was in panic that I was ruining my front door with a loud color and doing a bad job of painting it to boot.  Then my Mother-in-Law walked out and the look on her face said it all.  She tried to save face but I could tell she was not impressed.  I assured her that after another two coats it would look great.  Now I had to fulfill my own prophecy and maintain my status as “painter extraordinaire.”

Thankfully after another coat I saw the promise and true form taking shape.  I just love how painting can (almost) instantly transform something formerly boring and ugly into a shiny new beautiful new thing!  I am addicted to the “after.”

Relatively smooth, even brush strokes, and a nice new shade of purple are words that describe my front door.  I would still like to replace the single door and side lights with a more contemporary style of French Doors but for now this will keep me satisfied.

Tip- rub a white wax candle on the inside of the door where it meets the jam so the paint won’t stick.  The latex paint won’t be cured for at least a week so expect sticky doors and possibly some touch ups…

 

Almost 4 months ago the boys and I moved into our new home in Florida where we reunited with my husband after a very long 6 months.  For those new here the short version is this:  Husband got a new job in Florida and we announced our move.  We looked online for homes near Tampa from our home in Syracuse, found one we loved, Steven toured it, we bid on it.  House was a short sale with an unknown closing date- could be 3-6 months.  Bank accepted our bid but it took 6 months to close and we never knew an end date.  The kids and I lived with family while Steven lived in Florida.  The house needed lots of TLC and was purchased “as-is.”  We picked the house because it met all of our ideals: cul-de-sac, 4 bedrooms, on a street with character and shade, no backyard neighbors, plenty of yard, open floor plan, and the bonus was that it had a pool.  The only drawback was the wait and that it wasn’t exactly “turn-key” ready.

After working nearly every single day on fixing the house I can say now that we are to a “live-able” state where the home isn’t in boxes, there aren’t tools in every room, and each room is functioning as the room it is intended to be.  The best part is where we live.  It has always been my dream to live somewhere that the kids can play safely.  With a large backyard and a cul-de-sac this home is most definitely living up to my dream.  Virtually every single day the kids and I go for walks on our shaded street, play on our ride on toys in the cul-de-sac, go for a bike ride around the neighborhoods, and visit the neighbor kitties.  My children are so happy here and it really shows.  In fact, I am really happy here too and that shows.  For the first time in recent memory I can’t complain about anything and I’m not wishing to be somewhere or someone else.

When we lived in Syracuse I can safely say I was suffering from depression.  I would call it seasonal and it coincided with the winter months when I was trapped inside with the boys for almost 6 months a year.  The effort of leaving in the snow and getting everyone properly dressed and undressed and re-dressed was sometimes too much for me.  So we stayed at home or took drives without ever leaving the car.  With no family or friends I was alone except the people who lived with me.  Steven would leave early in the morning, and in the winter, returned after dark.  It was a miserable existence and one I longed to leave behind for another place.  Florida is just about as opposite as we could get and so I begged my husband to look for opportunities there.  We knew eventually this would be where we ended up but I wanted it sooner, for my own sanity and happiness.  We lived in Syracuse for 5 years.  That is a long time to be miserable.

When we first moved here the stress was preventing us from enjoying the home.  And the state of the home wasn’t enjoyable yet either.  We called the house “A Temple to the Color Orange” since every room was some shade of it.  We had a mile long list of projects to tackle as soon as we moved in.  I knew if we didn’t jump on them immediately at some point we would start to become complacent and the projects would never get done.  To my husband’s dismay I became the project manager and barked orders and assigned tasks for every day and especially every weekend when he was around to help.  Each week I would paint 1-2 rooms and on the weekends we would work together on remodeling the bathroom.  I would try to work every other day and choose to spend the day off playing outside with the kids or taking them somewhere special to make up for painting the previous day.

To date I have painted the entryway, front living room, office, bedroom hallway, Fletcher’s room, the Golden Girls Room, the remodeled bathroom, and the great room which was all wood paneling and took 5 solid days to complete.  Every other room only took 1 full day each to paint except the bathroom which only took about 2 hours including priming the new drywall.  At this point I have the kitchen, Everett’s room, our bedroom, the master bathroom, the front door, the laundry room, and 7 closets left to paint.  Just naming all the rooms made me realize I have a few first world painting problems.

 

As of this weekend our bathroom has working sinks and a working toilet.  The last project to tackle before we can say she is completely functioning is the tiling of the shower walls.  I’m really and truly amazed at what my husband and I have done.  We have completely built an entire room and saved about $3-5,000 by DIYing it.  I won’t lie and say it was easy because it wasn’t at all.  Every time we thought something would be simple it never was.  I keep going into the bathroom, turning on the lights, looking around, smiling, and then leaving.  My husband and I make a pretty great team.  He gets most of the credit but I have done my fair share of the labor in that bathroom including lifting heavy toilets, sinks, vanities, drywall, and bathtubs.

It feels so good to live somewhere you love and in a home that isn’t the color orange.  I am thankful everyday that we waited that 6 months and trusted our gut.  We knew there was potential in the home if we were willing to put the money, sweat, and tears into it.  At this point we have exhausted our home renovation budget and the largest projects have been tackled so I’m looking forward to slowing down and finally just living in the home.  We do have a long list of small projects to finish before family comes for Thanksgiving but it is nothing like “take the bathroom down to the studs and rebuild it.”  Sometimes I just want to cry because we are finally settled and have a place to call home.  With the stress lifted my husband and I are once again having fun together.  One thing is for sure- major home renovations can throw a wrench in a marriage, even the strongest ones.

I’m looking forward to slowing down.

Some of you have expressed interest in my home reno/decorating progress.  This is consuming most of my time so it makes sense to use it as blog material.

This week I focused heavily on finding pieces for the entryway.  In our old home we had a small bench with storage and this sufficed.  This home has a wider, longer entry and the bench looked a little ridiculous.  The hallway also started out orange. It was the first room to be painted in the house but until this week sat untouched.

After browsing Pinterest and other websites for hours trying to find a practical and appropriate way to fill the space without being too “formal” and traditional but still needing it was a photo a friend posted for a paint color that caught my eye!  The photo had one chair and an entryway table.  Initially I was looking for a long console but having chairs might work too.  I hit Pinterest again and found the photo for inspiration:

 

The chairs were traditional but clean and I liked the ottoman idea in the middle. I was hoping to score a set of chairs at a thrift store since I knew buying new would cost a fortune.

As fate would have it I ran into my dream chairs at Salvation Army. I walked in with the boys and they were right in the front. Two white upholstered, Mid Century style chairs. I’m a sucker for Mid Century furniture. I love the lines. I’ve wanted to start changing our furniture over but really nice pieces are expensive and I’m usually no good at finding these things! I worried they would be too low so I texted my husband a photo. By the time he replied I had already left the store because my children were running wild! I had forgotten my BobaAir and Ev won’t sit in a cart.

I couldn’t stop thinking about the chairs. The more I thought about them the more I knew they had to come home with me. The kids needed naps so I couldn’t go back right away. I called the store and asked them to hold them until I could get there but the manager said they couldn’t. He assured me it was a slow day and they would probably be there in a few hours.

When the kids awoke we left immediately! I took my tape measure to see if the chairs would even fit into the trunk of my car. I did another once over for damage and they were in near pristine condition minus some scuffed white paint from a wall and one scratch on the arm. The upholstery had some yellowing but I want to replace it down the line. I’m not a math whiz but I figured they would puzzle in, but barely.

I paid for them (all $80.00 for the two!) and the manager helped me get them in my trunk. They were MINE. I loaded them in my hallway and fell in love! Perfection. They were meant to be mine.

Next I needed a table for in between. I spied two that might work at the same store, one was the old school low octagonal table, but I would need to refinish them. I looked online and didn’t find much. The table needed to be low.

After reading a blog post on MODG (THE 11 STEPS TO GETTING THE BEST STUFF ON CRAIGSLIST WITHOUT GETTING MURDERED)  I remembered, DUH, check craigslist! I used my Ultimate Craigslist App to search for “table” in my area. Three possible contenders, one was sold, one never replied, and one was in St. Pete which is almost an hour away. The third option was my favorite but it wasn’t a table, it was a credenza. The height would probably be too much. However it was Mid Century and a 1950′s piece. Stylistically it was perfect. I photoshopped to (what I thought) was scale based on the measurements and it clicked. Friday while Fletcher was in Pre-K I made the trip. I measured my trunk and figured it would fit. If it didn’t I was prepared to remove Fletcher’s car seat for the extra space but that would be a pain.

 

On the way to St. Pete I arranged a breakfast with Calley, The Eco Chic, since I would be in her neck of the woods. Then onward to a little warehouse. It was hard to find and the GPS was clueless so I had to phone back and forth. The clouds overhead were looming and I feared a downpour. I arrived and saw my credenza. Not a scratch on her. Solid wood, glass sliding doors, and replaced legs with brass tips. The tapered legs, while not original, added a lot to the look and I loved them. SOLD! Except…. I forgot to swing by the ATM or ask her preferred method of payment. Of course, cash only she said. Ugh. Rain was still threatening and I had to find an ATM. Ev and I drove out and found a bank. I returned with my case and we dissassembled the doors and legs. I ended up having to remove Fletcher’s seat and put it in front so his seat would fold. It fit in my car by the skin of its teeth. I only had 1.5 hours to get home, get lunch, remove the large item (alone), re-install the seat, and pick up Fletcher. The drive was 45 minutes. Zoinks!

Unloading the credenza alone was tough and I hurt my back pretty bad. I had no choice because with it in my car I couldn’t pick up Fletcher! I got his seat in and picked him up just in time.

 

Now the final result is perfect and I’m beyond happy with it, despite how much trouble they both were. I don’t have an exact idea for the art above it yet but a starburst would look nice or these cattails I found on Etsy. I also need a new rug! The shopping never ends. At least it is fun. On Saturday my good luck continued when I found a Mid Century Bassett dresser in great condition (the top was replaced but the rest is original) for 63.00. Seriously. It is either going to be my new TV console or going in my room. For that price it would find a home.

Our bathroom is way behind since my husband is out of town. We have two weekends to finish it before guests arrive. Nothing like pressure to breed productivity! Once that is done I’ll share the outcome.