How I took the Bachelor out of the dresser..Furniture Makeover

This is a story of a guy, a girl........ and a dresser . 

Once upon a time when the girl first met guy he was a hunky, hot, eligible bachelor. She.... a creative, smart, DIY bachelorette and not so bad to look at her self.

And although the guy was really hunky, his furniture ....well not so hot,but the girl fell in love anyways and since she was creative, she saw the possibilities in him and his furniture. 

 
And so the years passed, dating, marriage, kids and that same ole bachelor dresser.
 Their life was abundantly blissful and full of so much love for each other but unfortunately not so much for the dresser.... But all that was about to change.

 See, that's where the creative girl who saw the possibilities years ago transformed that dresser and gave it a new life and purpose.... as a credenza in her office.

In the end, the hunky guy was still smitten and very much in love with the creative, smart, DIY and not so bad to look at girl, and she with him. 

And the couple and credenza lived happily ever after.
The end.

PS- To see more of my home office click here.

Grateful for~

The guy

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Family Room Teaser

Do you ever get ahead of yourself....

and fall behind at the same time? 

 Chomping at the bit to start a new project, only to look around at all the unfinished one's? 

So that be me...and my family room. 

The hangout. 

The hub.

The place where the family congregates.

The place where I have no chance at the TV remote, and just lovingly smile through another episode of How's It Made with my husband.

But see this is where I get ahead of myself, wanting to show you the latest changes to the space without sharing the history and the "few" transformations of the room.

Oh and before I forget...did I tell you that this space that we all cuddle up on the couch on, was not even intended to be a family room and rather a screened in porch?

See after a "favorable" builder blunder, meaning we were actually glad that he screwed up, we were able to create a fully functional room by putting in windows and some solid flooring.

And just as fast as that remote changed the TV, so did the colors and styles of the space. We installed a wood burning stove and  years later an air conditioning unit, so until then, the room was primarily used in the fall and winter months....

Thus my fall like color pallet.

So after installing the air conditioner and feeling cooler, we quickly realized that we wanted to make better use of the space,  but not until I decided to lighten it up and change out the furniture for a  more "sun room" feel.

 

I think it's when we found a solution to move our TV into the room, that we began to use the term "family room" more freely to describe the space. So walls were painted, furniture cycled  it's way throughout the house and all was good and cozy, until.......

  I found this $10.00 coffee table.

  More on that, my stone floors and the latest room changes coming soon. After all..... I don't want to get ahead of myself, now do I.
So tell me , do you ever get ahead of yourself too?

Grateful for~

A loving husband of 14 years.... that I wish I knew my whole life

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Coffee, Tea and a Table Makeover

I just love the chance to meet up with my girlfriends for a little uninterrupted chit chat don't you?

 The chance to catch up on whatever we want. Drinking our coffee or tea, and for a good hour just talking about our kids, our husbands, decorating and life. Oh....and tables.

 Tables like this that needed a little more cream, or sugar...or both.

I wasn't  exactly sure what this experienced coffee connoisseur  really needed, so I brought it home with me to figure it all out. Did I tell you that my girlfriends love when I come for coffee cause I always leave with a piece of furniture.

But I don't mind, because cause I get so much more then another project and a cup of coffee. I get someone's friendship and a glimpse into their heart. I get the chance to be a girlfriend, to be trusted and to be loved. We get to laugh at ourselves and kick back.... if only for that precious little hour. 

But that's okay. I will take my hour any morning!

Tell me, do you make time to have coffee/tea time with friends? 

PS- I used AS Old White Chalk paint on the base of the table and sanded the top and applied Minwax in Ebony followed with a clear protective on the top.

Grateful for~

Girlfriends

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I Love The Underdog and a New Coffee Station

I don't know what it is, but I have always cheered for the underdog. The guy, gal, team or furniture, that has so much potential but

 just can't .......... make it

Until I saw this piece of course. Sitting there in the corner of the twins preschool with all the other 1970's oak wood rejects. 

Waiting to be discovered. 

Waiting to be heard. 

Wanting to get out of detention hall.

I had a vision for this soon to be coffee station, for the teachers that help shape my kids lives and......drink coffee.

Wanting so bad to be noticed and to fit in, I began to think of ways to help my little underdog out using a sign from the preschool as my inspiration.

 After a good cleaning and sanding , I applied some primer to the base. 
That alone got it out of detention.

The rest of the plan was simple.  Paint the base with two coats in blue and stain the top with a few coats of stain in ebony .

Now, not only is my underdog turning heads, it's been invited to this years prom and was voted most likely to succeed by all the other left over 1970's oak furniture and.....

 from the teachers drinking their morning coffee.

Who or what's the last underdog that you helped out?

Grateful for~
The gals over at First Baptist Preschool for the love and learning that they share with my children.
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Home Office Journey

There is always that one project where the vision is so crystal clear, the planning is so thought out and the timeline to complete, seems so attainable.........

But not this one.

This project started 365 days ago and just finished for all the wrong right reasons.

First....... it started with my indecisiveness with the wall color. After 150 Grays and 200 blues a decision was made. 

Then .....  I lost some time because these built-in's that I stenciled here I ended up painting over after I discovered that it just wasn't the look that I was after.
Note to self: Next time you are going to stencil , apply your stencil to a scrap piece of wood or drywall and then determine if you like it. This will save a lot of time and effort.

Next...... I added some additional time and another project to the list when I decided to paint the desk using the same color that I used with this piece here . I am happy to say though - no regrets with that decision either!

Then...... I  not only ordered the wrong size rug but didn't like it for my office when I put it on the floor. The rug below was from Rugs.Com.

I tried a few ( well 4 to be exact) drapery choices along the way and it wasn't until the 4th choice that I was happy with how they looked in my space. FYI- This was number 2 from Target. 

 I even thought I would try to create a cover for my chair but 
quickly realized that this simply was not my forte, and probably never will be.

And when I finally landed on what I 'thought' was going to be the accent color..... I  created some simple art work for the walls here . Luckily, I ended up repurposing the frame for another project.

Needless to say, that although my original vision did not exactly come to fruition, the look I got is even better then I had planned and is finally finished.
 So it's only fitting that after 365 days, 5 hours, 20 mins and 11 seconds of starting the project, that I share the room. I hope you'll come back later this week so we can celebrate this journey makeover together.
Curious- do you have any of these 365 day projects?

PS- Until then, I promise I won't make any changes.

Grateful for~

A finished project!

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When My Paint Brush Takes Me To A New Level

Ever since my latest paint project here  my confidence with my paint brush is soaring to try new things, to be bold, to be daring, to go places I have never been before.

So I took a chance with my built in shelves in my breakfast area and painted them to "lighten" up the space. This was a fairly daunting project for me, because unlike a piece of furniture that you paint and don't like the way it turns out, I couldn't just put a blanket over it and stick it in storage. 

This was a 'no turning back now' event and I was making my move during the course of several long days, sweaty palms, contingency planning and the occasional raised eyebrow from my husband . 

And what a move it turned out to be. It turned out better then I expected and created just the look that I had envisioned for this space.

A move I have no regrets making, and would make again if presented with the same situation.

and to hopefully have the same outcome.

Hmmm....... I wonder what's next?
Click here for the full room reveal.

Are you a risk taker with painting movable furniture or with permanent pieces?

PS- Just for the record. This was the largest piece of "fixed" furniture that I have ever painted and I am sure it will not be the last!
PPS- for this project I used ASCP in Old White ( 2 coats)  and clear wax.

Grateful for~

A good life 

Lunch with Girlfriends

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