Inspiration and Big News
After being out of town, and a little out of touch, most of last week, I am finally catching up. Reading through a backlog of blogs today I ran across the most gorgeous farm house tour on Apartment Therapy.
The details of this home struck a cord with me, because we happen to have just bought an 1891 farm house. Yes, one more move! We close in about two weeks. We are anxious, nervous, excited, and very busy. This is the first time I will really be moving away, although not far, just to Iowa. This is our dream home, and we are very excited to remodel and decorate once there. Pictures soon to come!
But for now, here are two of my favorite images from Shannan and Cory’s home tour. Check out the rest here.
I love that light fixture! And the pillow is gorgeous! I am so excited to put some of this inspiration to use in the new place!
This was one of my favorite photos because of the crate used to hold towels. We found an old crate of glass bottles at a garage sale for a few dollars, and had planned to use the bottles as wedding decor. Little did we realize that the crate had a Tipton, IA business emblem on the side, which is where we later bought the house! I would love to incorporate our crate in a useful way like this!
What do you think?
Our New Buffet
Our new buffet is actually what was once a very old and icky buffet. I saw it at a garage sale for a few dollars and couldn’t resist. I thought it would be fun to see if I could bring life back to this old gem. It was a lot of hard work getting the old veneer top all off and fixing some chunks that were missing from the detailing on the front. Then I sanded, filled, sanded some more and painted with a glossy black paint. It still has some areas that have small flaws, but I am probably the only one who notices now. But, it is sturdy and I have plans for this to one day become a baby changing table once I inherit a piece for the dining room from my grandmother. Here it was before:
And after:
No too bad, eh?
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!
My 50 Cent Table
Last weekend I found the sweetest little antique table and a garage sale. For 50 cents. Yes, 50 cents. Here she is:
I saw the potential. It was a bit wobbly, but with the tap of a hammer, the leg was put back into its slot, and viola! No more wobble. Next, I lightly sanded the entire table. Then I applied about 4 coats of a turquoise pant with a sponge brush to the entire table. Once the final coat was completely dry, I used a fine sandpaper and roughed up the edges of the table and legs for an antiqued look. Here she is now:
I love it! And I really like the way it fits in the living room, but I think this could be one of those pieces that travels easily from room to room. I’m completely satisfied, and all for a total of 50 cents!
My Own Chair Love
Here’s a chair that I inherited and eventually redid. I love these basic old wood chairs, but the white chipping paint and scratches on this one were in need of some help.
First I sanded the chair down until it was nice and smooth using a palm sander. I then made sure to clean and dry the chair very well. I first painted the bottom portion of the legs black. Once that was very dry I taped off each leg at the same place and proceeded to paint the rest of the chair with a fun silver spray paint. The final step was an idea I wanted to try, which proved to be the most work of all. I used black nail head trim nails to form a pattern around the seat. I measure where I wanted the nails to go and made small marks with a pencil. Eventually, this step proved to be useless and I was off of my marks anyways. Ah well, trial and error with a new project. I also learned that tapping these nails in with a hammer scratched and smashed the nails, as they have a black finish on them. I found that covering the nail with a small piece of cardboard from the packaging after it was in place, and giving it one good tap with the hammer was the most effect and precise way to apply these. My pattern still ended up a little bit off, but overall I like the idea and would love to try it on one of my chairs for the shop now that I have my technique down. I lastly tied on a pink and purple vintage scarf to tie the chair into the bedroom (which you will all see eventually!) So, here she is…
What do you think?
Dining Room Inspiration
I found this dining room photo on flickr and just couldn’t resist showing you all. This room is just awesome! I love how elegant and glamorous it is, even when paired with the rustic wood table. I love the mirrors on the table; what a simple yet glam way to dress the room up. The wall paper makes the room bright, but still in the shades of gray that I love right now!
untitled photo by uydurrukcu on flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/uydurrukcu/5033782889/
Mom’s Dining Chairs
One of my many recent projects is refinishing my mom’s dining room chairs. And yes, I am finished with this one!
Mom has gorgeous antique wood dining chairs. But, the cushions were reupholstered many years ago, and are now raggedy and faded. So, we bought so printed leather and I set to work.
Here is one chair before:
And the after:
This was super quick and easy… and my first experience with powertools, my new staple gun! 🙂
Mid Century Paintings For Sale In Shop
I went back to the thrift store and those paintings were still there. AND, they were 1/2 off! So, I snagged them and cleaned them up a bit. Now for sale in the shop! Check them out!
I think they would look really cute with the new roadside find chair!
Maybe in a little girl’s mid century room?
***SOLD***
Bamboo For The Home
My dad brought back from his recent trip to Hawaii a bamboo cutting board for us! It is not only functional, but really pretty. The brand, Just Bamboo, says that bamboo is harder than Maple and is a natural antimicrobial.
This got me thinking about the other ways I have heard of bamboo being used in the home. Bamboo is now used in flooring, rugs, window coverings, and even sheets and bedding, towels, and other furniture and decor items! Bamboo is growing in popularity because it replenishes itself much faster that trees. Here are a few lovely pictures I uncovered while checking out the bamboo wares:
The bamboo floorings come in a variety of colors and finishes. I love this dark one!
These cabinets are made of bamboo.
These sheets are made of bamboo. The bamboo keeps germs away! This set comes from Bed Bath and Beyond- isn’t that color gorgeous!?
In the right room bamboo shades look great. I had them in my childhood room and loved them!
And who wouldn’t love a soaking tub like this??
Garage Sale Day Find
Garage sale day in our little town was Saturday! This day has to be one of my favorite spring days. Scouring someone else’s junk for that perfect treasure is a great way to kick off the season. I even got Tony in on the fun. We didn’t find much to bring home with us, but a few treasures makes the day worth it. We brought home a few vintage glass marbles and a couple large dice for the collection. But here is our bargain beauty:
This is an antique set of mailboxes from a post office in Champagne Illinois. I came back twice to check it out, and at the end of the day he said it was too heavy for him to carry back home, so he gave me a sweet deal! It took two men to load it into my truck and we took the drawers out to get it into the house, but since it is on wheels it is easily movable in the house. I love it right here in the kitchen. The drawers were the perfect addition to the “landing strip” area. Tony was thrilled to have his own drawer for his pocket junk. I love its mismatched drawers, and the vintage numbers and letters above the handles. I know, I know. Some of you probably think this guy is tacky (my mom didn’t like it!), but we think its great. And, the drawers are big enough to function in the house! Here it is in the landing strip area:
I’m not sure if the school desk should stay now or not. But, for now, this is what the area looks like. Suggestions?
Also- we did pick up one other thing at the garage sales, but that project will have to wait… 🙂
Make Mine Eclectic 
