Tag Archives | furniture
6
Dec

A wee tiny makeover

I’m not totally ready to reveal my office makeover as there’s a few details I’m still attending to. At this point I’ve probably yacked on too much about it and you’re going to be totally underwhelmed. It’s not that different than it was.  But I have enjoyed transforming it.

One of the pieces I wanted to modify was our ye olde IKEA dresser from when we were newlyweds. If memory serves, this was the first piece of furniture we purchased as a married couple for our little cute love nest.  You can see it below in its original glory, minus one of the drawer pulls.

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I really wanted to move this thing out and sell it on Craigslist. But as I sat there and considered my budget, I thought that perhaps there could be new life breathed into that old dresser.  It was just so dark and blahhh – not the glamorous fabulous office that I was envisioning.

Enter MyOverlays.com. I can’t remember where I first stumbled on them, but I was really impressed by their fretwork designs that can be applied to existing furniture, like my IKEA stuff. Check out some of their designs shown below. The hardest part was picking the pattern! I seriously sat in front of the computer and agonized over what to pick. I could go nuts with their stuff.


Cool, right? I’m dying over that cobalt blue number.  And it was reasonably priced, too. So I measured my dresser and ordered up a couple of pieces. They arrived a couple of weeks later ready to apply.  But first I painted the dresser with leftover paint from Jude’s room makeover – Martha Stewart’s Heavy Cream, but mixed in Behr’s premium paint w/ primer.  Heavy Cream is such a gorgeous color. It is totally my new favorite white as it seems to look good almost anywhere. Not too ivory, not too cold white. Just perfectly creamy white!

Here’s the finished product, awaiting the new knobs I picked up in Dallas this week!

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I’m really happy with how it turned out. The paint went on nice & thick and the coverage was perfect. It took several coats to get it right but it was worth the time. And the overlays look great, too!

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As for the hardware, I wanted something bold and glamorous and what’s better than crystal? The Cabinet Carat knob from Anthro fit the bill perfectly.

So there you have it – a brief little before & after!  Can’t wait to show you the rest – the lamp in particular!

Let's Chit-Chat { 2 }
28
Nov

Deck the Halls

 

After begging Simon for over a week to put up our Christmas decorations, he finally conceded on Saturday. But wait, before I launch into the holiday decor photos, perhaps a bit of a back story, hmm?

I am a serial rearranger.  Since I was a kid,  I LOVE to rearrange furniture. I might even say that I live to rearrange. It’s like having new stuff for free. Everything seems new, exciting, and fresh in a different rearrangement of furniture.  Last week, I was feeling the itch. See, the problem with our family room is that there’s really only one wall to put the TV on. Unless you put it over the mantel. So one day, I got a wild hair that I was going to rearrange the entire living room before Simon came home from work. This is not a new thing for me. But this particular day was NOT the day to do it as he came home from having the no-good, very-bad day and heavens-to-Betsy, his wife had MOVED THE TELEVISION.

“WHAT. DID. YOU. DO.”

“Uhhhhh …”

Well, here’s how it went down. I could not, with my weak little woman arms, lift that TV up over the mantel. So it ended up on the hearth where it now resides today as neither Simon nor I wanted to move everything back again. So there it will stay til Lord knows when.
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I really kinda like it. Yes, the TV is kinda awkward there in front of the fireplace.  Buuuut, that’s ok. It can all be put back.

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So, after all that, I was ready to get in the holiday spirit and deck our halls with boughs of holly glitter.

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Is it just me or is our tree top leaning in that above photo?

And. AND!  For the first time in our six years of being married, we have stockings! Legitimate stockings! That will be filled with goodies on Christmas morning! Aren’t they cute?  They came from the Melange Collection and it was so hard to pick just 3 as they were all adorable.

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Furthering my nostalgia is my handpainted (by me!) vintage Christmas tree.  My mom had one of these when I was little, and it was one of my favorite Christmas decorations that she had. It’s long gone and we have no idea where it is. So one day when I was making some plates over at the local pottery painting place,  I noticed they had these bisque trees ready to paint and decorate. I about died of happiness as I have never once seen these for sale anywhere. I happily painted mine and it was ready for pickup this past week. I love how it turned out and I know we will enjoy it for years to come.

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Cute little elf puppets by Martha Stewart Crafts that Jude made.

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Right now I’ve got the stockings hung in our front entryway on the mirror. This drives Jude crazy as he insists that stockings only belong on the mantel.IMG_4463

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Tom, our Elf.

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Last year I picked up these star lights at IKEA and I am loving them this year in our kitchen. They’re so whimsical and cheerful. I wish I could leave them up all year long.

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My favorite photo this year so far — my little Rudolph complete with his cowboy boots on. Notice our collection of swords lying about on the floor. Boys. ::sigh::
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Oh! Wait — remember how I told you that I was really wanting a white Christmas tree? The craziest thing happened. My friend Lauren sent me a link to Treetopia’s Christmas tree sweepstakes, and I got an email last week stating that I was the grand prize winner!  Simon nearly swooned with relief that I wasn’t going to go out and buy a white Christmas tree when we had a perfectly fine green one.  I expect it to arrive this week and I can’t wait to see what it will look like.

Are you all decorated at your house, friends?

 

Let's Chit-Chat { 12 }
17
May

Interior Inspiration

Recent interior faves.  I’ll admit it – I’m feeling a little dry on inspiration these days.  Overexposure? Maybe.  I guess I just want to see something fresh and new.

Source: twolia.com via Rachel on Pinterest

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20
Jan

Bookshelf Envy

I have never seen anything so fab.

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14
Dec

Estate Sale Find: Campaign End Tables

I love estate sales for the thrill of the hunt. Admittedly the voyeur in me loves going into different kinds of homes, particularly the ones in ritzier neighborhoods.  The one I hit a few weeks ago was in a mid-century bi-level crazy house. At one day it was probably pretty swingin’. The house rambled on and on for a few thousand square feet. In one bedroom, I walked in the door and my eyes landed on a pair of white campaign end tables. Score! I never see these things in person hardly, mostly on eBay and other blogs. Or Craigslist in far-off places like San Francisco where good finds seem to be in abundance.

Nonetheless, I approached them and was delighted to see that they were $20 apiece. BUT it was Saturday and everything was 50% off. So I was able to score the pair for $10 apiece. No, they’re not the best quality I’ve ever seen, but to get the look for that price, I just couldn’t pass it up.

One is now in Jude’s room and the other in the upstairs bonus room. Nice!

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