Yellow Chair Love
Maybe it’s because yellow is so pretty. Or maybe it’s because I am already itching for spring. Either way, I am loving these bits of yellow…
Bedroom Chair Love
What a bright, beautiful room! I could imagine napping in here. And did you see that gorgeous chair?! So unique!
(Found on Pintetest)
Mini Paint Project
I have finally completed a tiny project that has bugging me on my to-do list forever now!
Remember the little downstairs bathroom with the cute antique cupboard… (tiny room = bad photos, sorry!)
Well, here is the very sad, and a little scary inside of this cupboard…
So, a little paint and some pretty things to make the cupboard useful, and… viola!
The cupboard is antique, and therefore has many bumps and cracks, so it will never be “perfect,” but now its not such an eyesore. When company is over I will not be so embarrassed to let them reach in for another roll of toilet paper or necessity!
I even did a bit of decorating to the necessities in the cupboard. These antique jars got new fun lids. And a small box got a bright cover to hold small things.
Aah, much better! What do you think? More projects on the way too! 🙂
The Rug Hunt
Remember seeing the antique rug in the dining room?
Well, we thought this rug was a bit too bright and attention grabbing for this area. Plus, it was really taking a beating being in the center of our home. We were on the hunt for a rug. A very specific rug. Most importantly, we had to be able to afford it on our teeny tiny budget. We also wanted it to be big. It had to be at least 3 feet wide and at least 12 feet long. Wider and longer would be even better. This was the hardest part. Almost all runners were only about 2 feet wide. Not going to cut it with a large room and two dogs creating a lot of traffic. We were also hoping for either a print we could agree on, or something fairly neutral, but also not too light so that it would get dirty fast. Gravel roads and a farmer living in the house, oh and those two dogs again, means dust, dirt, and crud on a frequent basis. Do we sounds picky yet?
We hunted and hunted. Then we debated and debated. We found the one. Or at least what will be the one for a while! It was a “dark natural” colored banded jute rug. This one was 3 feet by 12 feet and was from the Home Decorator’s Collection, bought from Amazon.
We really like how the rug choice turned out. Its nothing fancy, but the neutral-ness of it allows for us to paint and change the room when we get the chance. This rug seems strong and durable, but is also soft and welcoming. Actually those bands you can see in the close up picture are super comfy on your feet, almost massaging! It does slip some, and in the future we may get a no-skid rug pad, but for now it has been perfect!
We couldn’t leave the dirty old door mat there with the pretty new runner! Here’s the old grungy mat:
It just so happened that I fell upon an awesome, and very inexpensive door mat right after getting the runner. You will never guess where I found the new mat! Dollar General! $12! And so adorable! It is also jute and looks so great with the runner!
So, what did we do with the antique rug? We put it upstairs in the hallway. We had some traffic issues with the light colored carpet in the hall, but not enough to continue to wear this rug out super fast, so we are trying it out up there. So far I think it is growing on me!
I think this little rug rearranging is going to work out just fine! 🙂
Chair Love
This week’s chair love is so fun! Enjoy!
I’d love to add some fun chairs to the new looking living room! 🙂
Blue Chair Love
This chair is so unique that its simply adorable. In addition to the ruffly curves, the chairs bright blue hue pairs wonderfully with the rustic wood walls of the room. What do you think?Â
See it at Design Crisis.
Bedside Inspiration
I came across this bedside photo on Apartment Therapy and was immediately in love with the bright pops of yellow. The photo comes from the house tour of Kyle and Erin’s home.Â
So bright and cheery and fun…
I especially love the yellow tray and am now thinking about doing something similar. With the new house finally starting to come together I am able to begin thinking about new ideas and projects to make the place special. I do have some sneak peak photos coming soon for you all! 😉
Bright, Gorgeous Room
I’m a black and white person. Always have been. Just recently I have started to expand my decor colors. I still tend to shy away from bold colors, but when I see a room so bright and gorgeous, there are times that I just can’t help myself!
Two bright colors in one little space and it still works beautifully! And, it doesn’t even scare me off in the slightest! Actually, I feel inspired by this room. Check out the whole lovely home tour here on Apartment Therapy:  http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/elizabeths-colorful-and-imaginative-house-house-tour-146539
No-Sew Curtains
Every room of my new house has needed curtains. But, wow! Curtains are expensive! I always see other people’s fun curtains and think, “I can do that!” But then I get started and realize, oh yea, I can’t sew. At all. My mom suggested using iron-on fabric hem tape and making faux roman shades. Light bulb!
I have a little mud room, where the dog kennels and laundry live. These blinds were broken and grimy. I thought this was the perfect place to try this experiment out on. Its a small room, so it can take a bright punch, plus we aren’t in there all the time, so if they aren’t prefect on the first try its no big deal.
So, after reminding myself that the situation couldn’t get much worse, I set forth. I bought a few yards of a fun, floral fabric for each window. I used tension rods, and used these to mark the width of each window. Once I had the width I used the hem tape and ironed a hem onto each side. Then ironed a hem to the bottom and a pocket at the top. I hung the curtains, rolled them up, and tied in place with matching ribbon. Viola!
The bright fabric ties in the red antique table I use for folding laundry, and the fun towels I bought for next to the sink. You can see here that the whole little room needs some work, but for now at least the curtains are fun!
What a simple technique with big impact, no?
I love this big old sink, even though it needs some work too. Here you can see the little purple and yellow picture that I hung too. You can also see the antique expandable mirror.
I think this experiment turned out pretty well and will definitely use this to make me braver for my next curtain project!
Old Chair Becomes New Chair Love
About a year ago I was given this kind of ugly old chair by a friend who knew I had a thing for chairs and also a thing for redoing ugly vintage pieces. The chair sat in my garage just waiting for me to be inspired. And finally… I have a new dining chair!
Here is the funky chair before:
This baby was probably gorgeous is its day, but the orange had to go. And the finish on the wood had also seen better days. So, I got to work. I first unscrewed the cushion from the chair from underneath. Then I had to pry off about a million staples. But, this step proved to be quite inspiring. You see, I am a beginner reupholster-er.  This chair gave me a bit of creative insight. Once I started prying off the staples I realized that not only was the fabric cover itself tacked down, but also the piping around the bottom of the cushion was a separate piece. This was a strip of fabric folded in half and stapled around the edge. Easy!
Here is a look at the cushion and staples. You can also see the strip of piping.
And here is my new dining chair, including my take on this simple piping idea!
I love how the piping contrasts with the leather fabric. The color ties in with the dining room so well. And here’s the new beauty in its place at the dining table:
The fabric on the table is another project to be coming soon! I am working on a fun table runner to brighten the place up for summer!
Make Mine Eclectic 