Where Have You Been, Girl?!
Hi all! Yes, yes. It’s been forever. BUT, I am back. And with lots to share.
One more kiddo and a new (to us) house have kept us very, very busy. But this new house has also given us a TON of new projects to show you while we go. So, I’m back and full of fun stuff to document.
The house. If you have been following along here for very long, you know I love me some old houses. And old projects. And old antiques. Everything with a story. Let me tell you, this house had lots of stories. Built in 1860, and sadly remodeled in the 70’s, we have our hands full, both with old stories and new ideas.
So, here she is. All potential and boring right now.
Pretty cool, right?! And a ton of work, a few headaches, blood, sweat, tears… and love. I’m excited to be getting all creative again. As the new little one allows, of course. 😂
As many of you know, this space was created years ago when I got my first house to document and share all of my remodeling and decorating ideas, trials, errors, and adventures. This is where a plan to keep most of my focus now that I am back with plenty to keep sharing. But, I also plan to share some family, kids, health, and even personal stuff. Let me know if there’s something you would like to see!
And finally, I haven’t shared about myself in a very long time. So, my name is Jessica. I am a social worker with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and a Master’s in Forensic Psychology. I love to be outdoors, camp, and travel, decorate, refinish and repurpose furniture, and and hunt for bargains and hidden gems. I live in Iowa with my significant other, Jason, my 15 year old step-daughter, Jordin, my 5 year old son, Brantley, and my 4 month old son, Barrett. Oh, and our little growing crew of pets. Every farm needs chickens and goats, right? We not only love making our new old house a home, but we also love trying out new things along the way. I hope we can inspire you!
Glad you are here! It should be fun, and a little new, so stick around!
Chair Project
Hi there! Recently I found an old, scuffy, beat up antique oak chair at a garage sale. $5 later and I had another project to start in on. Before:
The oak finished was pretty spotted and scratched and the leather seat was so old that it was rotting. I started by gently scraping any paint splatters off of the oak. I also pried the old leather seat and padding off. I used a stain refresher to touch up the oak stain. I didn’t think that painting this one would do, and it wasn’t bad enough that it needed to be stripped and completely restained. Fortunately, this method seems to have refreshed the old chair fairly nicely. It still has a bit of antique charm in the uneven coloring, but I think I like it.  I then cut new batting to make a cushion and then stapled down the cute flower-y print. I then used black upholstery tacks to add black trimming around the cushion. Here we go:
I think it turned out very well! 🙂
Nightstand Redo
I found this ugly little nightstand/size table at a yard sale. You can’t beat $2, plus although it was rough and ugly, I thought it had cute potential. Here is the before:
And here is the updated and no longer ugly after:
I sanded it down and taped off the top from the bottom. I painted the bottom of the table in a satin cream color. I then painted the top in a black chalkboard paint. To finish it off I roughed up the edges to give it a worn look. I put the same handle back on rather than replacing this one because I thought it matched the style well. Overall I think it turned out adorably. What do you think? 🙂
Vintage Kids Desk Redo
Over the summer we found an old kids desk for $2 at a garage sale. Jeremy might have thought I was crazy, but I knew this baby had potential.
Before:
I sanded her down, and painted a few coats of this lovely grey. Then roughed it up with some distressing. The finishing touch was the adorable new yellow knobs! Here is how she turned out:
Adorable, no?
I’m pretty proud of this little baby and hope that someone else loves it and wants to give it a new home too! 🙂
Little Random Project
We have been hard at work over here. Finally one tiny, random project to show for it! lol. At a garage sale recently we found a couple of items to keep us even more busy, including this vintage wooden rocking horse. Rough shape, but only $2, so we decided to give him a little work.
Before:
And after some cleaning up and a new tail and handle…
There is not much in this little room… yet… but I think this will make a super cute addition some day.
We have also been celebrating! More news to come! And, we are exactly four months away from our wedding date!!
Small Dining Room Changes
I have been waiting months to bring home my grandma and grandpa’s antique ice chest. Its finally here! We planned to move the “buffet” I painted for a while in the dining room and next it will serve as a changing table/dresser in a nursery (someday). The ice chest is in gorgeous condition and I think it goes very well in the room (also to be painted someday!).
Also, notice Jeremy’s newest addition to the room? 🙂
I thought the “L” paperweight was super cute!
I love it! Also, a tid bit about this room. The walls are wall papered, but with small, randomly torn bits of this cream marbled wall paper. It really was a neat technique. Now, if we ever need to patch a spot, all we need is a small chunk to cover it. The previous owners left us plenty. But, this isn’t my first color choice. Yes, neutral, but to me its a bit blah. I was thinking about testing a spot to see if I could paint right over these wall paper chunks. I think in a navy or gray the chunks could still give a layered texture, but be more my color. Anyone ever try this? Suggestions?
Also, I finally found a table runner I love. Now I can show off my pretty table a bit more. Well, as soon as its pretty, that is. Here is a shot of the runner:
The table is a gorgeous antique table that has leaves for expanding for company. We bought it from the previous owners as well. But, the top has seen better days. There are scratches and white marks where something sat. I am hoping to use Restor-A-Finish on it and be done. Soon! Here is a shot of the ick:
Very soon I hope to be back with an update on that table! Maybe a nice Easter table setting to incorporate my new runner! 😉
Rustic Blue Chair Love
I finally got the chance to finish a little antique chair project over the holiday weekend. This little guy was found at a late garage sale. Shabby pink paint hid the cute chunky style of this cutie. Enter my rustic blue paint…
Before…
And after…
Well, what do you think? I think this one turned out super adorable! For sale now in the shop! 🙂
Inspiring Chair Love
I have not posted a “Chair Love” post in a while, so, I thought I would show a few that have caught my eye lately. All are different and unique, and inspiring!
I love the updated print on the old chair. It goes well with the natural wood. I also love the sheepskin!
So bright and fun! And in this case the orange painted wood looks wonderful!
Right now I am craving anything tufted! Especially when the tufting is on soft, aged leather! MMM
It’s snowing here today, but this chair has me thinking about sun porches and nice weather!
I have also been craving fresh antique couches like this one, as we hate our couch. lol. Check out the link, because the have a bunch of awesome refinished chairs!
And, last but not least, a chair just for Jeremy…
Hope you are inspired! 🙂
An Addiction To My “Dressing Room”
I am absolutely loving my new closet, or “dressing room,” in the new house! I am getting used to having all of my clothes, shoes, and jewelry out on display where I can easily pick outfits and use things I haven’t in a while. With the new arrangment comes, well, arranging, however. As I get settled I am slowly making changes and getting ready to paint. So, with that said, that means that I have been making some changes to my organization. If you remember my pictures of my older house, you will remember that I kept a lot of jewelry and items in an old antique metal medicine chest hung above my dresser. There was nowhere to hang it up in the closet and sitting on top of a dresser did not allow the door to open… so…
I had gotten an old flower-y frame at a garage sale that just so happens to match the colors I want to use in the closet. I also happened to have some chicken wire in the barn. A staple gun and some elbow grease later…
I think it turned out super cute. It will probaby be going on the one wall shortly. So far its been handy too!
Desk Chair Redo
I was in an office chair conundrum at the new house. The office is large enough to hold the futon, DVD rack, desk, book shelf, and even file cabinet. But, its just not very comfortable. I loved using the comfy and gorgeous blue wingback chair in my last home office, but in this office there just isn’t enough space for a nice layout with the chair. So, the blue wingback moved to our bedroom. More pictures of that to come. Then there was no office chair. What to do?
During a recent (and quick) trip down to the creepy basement to store a few boxes I noticed a computer chair with wheels! It was ugly. No other way to put it. But, it was sturdy and heavy duty, and in good shape other than the abused crudiness of it.
The before:
First step? Remove the ugly arms. Then it was some paint and fabric…
Not too bad, eh?
So, what do you think? I think for being a completely free project it turned out super cute and will work for us for a while, while we have zero money. Oh, and don’t worry about the BRIGHT red walls. Come winter they will no longer be so obnoxious. It is especially strong paired with a big red filing cabinet and on the other wall is a red futon and ottoman! lol.
Make Mine Eclectic 