An Office Project Finished
As I said before, I have recently started a new job. With that has come a new, but bland, office. So, I got to work. The first project I have completed is a table for the office. I found this ugly guy with a paper top for a couple of dollars at the thrift store:
I started by sanding the wood legs and sides a bit and then painting them black. I then used scrapbook paper on the top. I taped the paper down, starting with a full sheet in the very middle of the table. When the sheets were lined up nicely, I used ModPodge to cover the sheets, using a foam brush. I did several coats of this, drying in between.
Black and white, of course!
One thing I learned from using the ModPodge was that it makes the paper wet, so at first it will bubble up. This smooths out as it dries. But, I did make the mistake of lining the paper sheets up perfectly edge to edge. Lining them up with a bit of overlap would have prevented the sheets from moving as they dried. I do have a few tiny spots where there are gaps between the paper now. I learned! 🙂
Wine Corks
Our friends at the bistro up town have been saving all of the used wine corks for us to use for a project. Months later…we have a cork board!
I painted an antique frame that was falling apart with a shiny black paint. The nailed a piece of solid peg board to the back of the frame. I used a hot glue gun to glue the corks in, and viola! A message board for the kitchen.
Actually, we have a little gap in one of the rows due to corks all being different sizes, but we are cutting a cork down to half size and filling in the gap. Also, if you are going to try this, nail the peg board to the actual back of the frame, not inside where a picture would go. this makes the framed area a bit deeper, for the fat corks.
Simple, easy, and best of all, free!
Mason Chair
Tony knows me well. The other day he sent me a message and said he had a surprise for me that I was really going to love. Aw. Yup, he was right. He pulled in the driveway with a chair in the back of his truck! Tony is in the Masonic Lodge and they are updating and selling off some of their old chairs. So, he nabbed one. He picked the oldest (see, he does know me well!). It even has straps underneath holding old straw stuffing in!
The leather seat is in bad shape, so we plan to refurbish it. I would love to find some old, worn looking leather for the replacement (if you know where I can accomplish this please let me know!). We would really like to keep the nostalgia of the chair, so are trying to keep it similar to its original look. Currently Tony has set up camp for the new chair at the head of the table 🙂
Now, where to find pre-worn leather pieces!??
Ruffles For Me
So craving this entire bathroom right now! I love the industrial look mixed with very feminine touches. I’m sure you can all tell from the rest of my home that my style isn’t usually very feminine, but in small amounts I think it can be a great touch.
So, when I found the budget bathroom remodel in the Country Living magazine I was swooning! Unfortunately, I can’t post pictures from their site here. So, here’s the link: http://www.countryliving.com/homes/makeovers/budget-bathroom-makeover-0609?click=main_sr . I particularly fell in love with the ruffled shower curtain from Anthropologie. But, $98 was quite a bit out of our shower curtain budget. So, I started searching…
Here is the curtain from Anthropologie:
Snow Field Shower Curtain by Anthropologie: http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/category.jsp;jsessionid=ED2A98B77A9062003BA15D4E3C0DB04C.app43-node4?popId=HOME&navAction=middle&navCount=5&isSortBy=true&pushId=HOME-BATH&id=HOME-BATH-SHOWERCURTAINS
Bed Bath Store: http://www.bedbathstore.com/rushwhfashcu.html?id=rushwhfashcu1
Ruffles Curtain by Target: http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/179-2733649-8695932?ASIN=B000HPTSE2&AFID=Froogle&LNM=B000HPTSE2|Ruffles_Shower_Curtain&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=B000HPTSE2&ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001
Ruffled Curtain by India Rose: http://www.burkedecor.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=09223-24-25
Chair Love Inspiration
I am in the process of working on a few chair projects for the shop. So, this week’s chair love is a compilation of some funky chair makeover inspiration!
“Tie Chair Ala Alabama Chanin,” by smoothepebble. I just love these woven tie chairs, especially the ones with the dangling ends!
“Painted Chair,” by kimhas6cats. So bright!
“Design Sponge Table Chair Redo,” by thirtyeight20. Awesome fabric choice, and, I love love that ghost table!
“Fav Chair,” by k*8. Again, great fabric gives this old chair a new life.
“Repurposed Chairs Make Laundry Bench,” by jgrnly. I have an idea for a bench of chairs, but a bit fancier…
“Chair Project 1, ” by Le Silly. Collage on a chair can be really funky and unique.
Well, for now I hope this gives everyone some inspiration… I definitely have my wheels turning!
Junking!
I had just the best weekend ever! Tony and I decided to go to the flea market that isn’t far from us. Not only is this always a fun trip for me, but on the way there Tony decided to take country back roads. What a great idea! We just happened upon the first antique and junk yard I have ever seen near us! My squealing had him pulling over immediately. And of course I didn’t have a camera!
Let me tell you all, this place was amazing! There were three barns filled to the brim with old wooden chairs! I mean stacked and tossed and piled all the way to the roof tops! It was just incredible. There was a huge field of every type of amazing junk you could think of. And, when we asked about a few things the lady was so sweet and her prices were perfect! Now I have a few more projects to work on.
Everything here cost me a few dollars! The old gas can is for we borrow Tony’s dad’s lawn mower. The little orange lantern will be painted and set on the front porch with a candle. Doesn’t that look just like the $80 one they have at Pier 1 (for $1!)!? And the elephant- he is my favorite- was an old lamp base! But, with a coat of white paint he will be a plant stand for the back yard.
These little guys were another awesome find. They are Acro window tacks from the 40’s. I have special plans for them and a nail head chair or bench with a bit of a number theme…
And, of course we couldn’t come home without a search for some dice! We found these at the flea market when we finally made it there.
Overall, an awesome day and a couple of dollars got us some awesome stuff! Next time I promise I am taking my camera! Oh, and stay tuned, because there are already many more projects in the works!
Lawn Chair Paint Project
I got the new lawn chairs done just in time for the party. Remember these sweet but boring old fashioned lawn chairs we picked up?
Well, with some bright paint and a bit of handy work, they are now unique and look good together!
What do you think? I think pretty soon all of these random tid bits will come together!
Picnic Tables and Hammocks
We are getting there! Almost ready for the party! And, not to mention, an enjoyable and usable summer yard! I snagged this little red pillow and teal votive holder yesterday:
It feels cozy now. And don’t worry about that plant hanger behind the table. Something has a spot there, but I will show you in the party pictures. We also got the hammock in the mail and hung it the other day. If you have never relaxed in a hammock then you haven’t lived. This is the coziest spot in our home now! I can see that Tony will never get the yard mowed now! 😉 I also added a couple pillows there.
Also don’t mind the bushy, patchy grass. We are letting that grow as long as possible before the party so that the freshly planted stuff has time to get strong before all the company tramples it. The grass we planted just a few weeks ago has really taken off though! (Probably thanks to all of the annoying rain we have had!)
Look how long and thick some of it is already! And, see the spruced up chair in the background? I will post more on that project soon. The dogs also say hi!
One more thing we added over the weekend was a vintage fiberglass picnic table. My grandparents have had this table ever since I can remember, and now it is ours. But, it is sun faded and scratched. I am looking for a way to refurbish fiberglass if any of you out there have suggestions. I read that some people have had luck with Penetrol. I tried that last night. This did give it a great shine, but as far as bringing back color, I didn’t think it worked. Not to mention it would never bring back the one extra faded area in the middle! Here it is, and let me know if you have any ideas!
Sweet, huh? Don’t worry, the yard won’t be so stuffed full of junk when the party is over. The other picnic table goes back to the previous owner of the house. We are just using it for extra seating. This gorgeous guy stays! 🙂
P.S. I just wanted to say that Tony has put in many hard, hot hours cutting and dragging out tree limbs and overgrown “things” from this yard. Even though there are still some naked patches and unruly weeds it has come a long long way from the unusable yard it was when we moved in. Thanks Tony! 😉
Adorable Little Chair
Behold the new addition to the shop (or soon to be):
Isn’t he cute?? I’m not sure if I will remodel this little guy or sell as is. Any suggestions? I was thinking black paint and new cushion. But then again, I love the wood and the teal vinyl. Hmmm… Let me know if you have any interest in this oh-so-cute MCM chair (refinished or not) and I will keep you all updated on what I do with it!
I did end up leaving the chair as is after a good cleaning, and a girl immediately fell in love with it and snatched it up!
**SOLD**
Fire Pit Finished
I picked up a few bricks yesterday and we finally got to work on finishing the fire pit. Yes, we are short by exactly one brick (not a bad guess!), but that will be taken care of next weekend. The bottom two layers which we laid a while back were now settled in mud and ash since we have been using the unfinished pit. After much digging and playing the mud we finally had them all arranged and neatly packed in. We cleaned out the bottom and laid a few rocks. What a difference! And, grass is poking up where we put grass seed already! We were so excited! Maybe there will already be some green out there in time for the party! I’m hoping it is strong enough be then so we don’t crush it all!
Yes, one quite obvious brick is missing! 😉
And here is the new chairs and table that we picked up over the weekend. They will be getting a special paint treatment…soon!
At first I was disappointed to not have found two of these style chairs that match, but we now think it will be fun to do them indifferent colors and embrace the uniqueness! (Plus, I couldn’t beat the price we found these for!)
Overall, it was a very productive and fun weekend. And, our softball team won our first game!
Make Mine Eclectic 
