Friday, July 30, 2010

It's FFFFFRRRRIIIIIDAYYY!

I linked up to Life in the Fun Lane's Fresh Coat Friday again...check it out.  You know you wanna!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

A pretty place to sit.

Before I go into a recent chair overhaul I wanted to update you on the dresser.  The dresser was delivered last Thursday and I spent the weekend sanding and cleaning it.  I was hoping to get it primed but with the end of the quarter quickly approaching grad school has kept me busy.  I plan on priming tomorrow night and hopefully painting, distressing and glazing this weekend! It really has turned out to be much more work than I thought, but I hope it's worth it.

On to the chair!

I was given a chair just like this that was my grandmother's so when I saw one almost an exact twin for $6.00 at a yard sale I had to snatch it up!

Funny story for you.  The chair was at a sale a couple streets from our house and the chair wouldn't fit in the trunk.  My dear, sweet, loving husband was kind enough to carry it home for me while I followed behind him in the car.
  That's love ain't it?

Here's the chair before. I had already removed the orange and brown velvet 1970's fabric seat. I just couldn't even bring myself to photograph it.
  Oh, it was BAD!

While I have almost an entire gallon of primer I opted for spray primer since the chair has so many rounded parts. 

She's got such pretty legs, doesn't she?

All painted and ready for a new dress!

As for her seat I found a gorgeous green and white fabric at Hobby Lobby for $1.00 a yard after all sales and coupons! I should have bought more, it would have made great pillows.
I hate having reverse shopping regrets.


In her "for now" place in the den.


With the addition of the dresser in the upstairs living room some things have to be rearranged and moved to the den.  So pretty chair's new home may be here instead of the vintage sewing rocker (it too was grandma's.)

Or here instead of the large chair (which is getting a new dress as well.  I love that white slip cover but it feels harsh in the room.)


So for $7.00 I have a new, bright, light, comfy, chair.  I don't think you can beat that.

What, you can? Well show me! I love to steal see your ideas! ;)

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Can I do it?

I've been trolling CL for weeks now looking for a buffet for the living room.  I found one, on the cheap, but couldn't fit it in the in laws SUV.  So while I wait for my father in law to fix his pick-em-up truck I've been searching for alternatives.

While I have myself on a pretty tight budget ($100 total, buffet, hardware, paint) I also want a piece that serves multiple functions.  First, it has "fit" the room.  Our living room is eclectic to say the least.  There are new couches but vintage touches so nothing too modern. Second, it has to have some storage, I have way too much "stuff" and not enough drawers in which to hide it.  Lastly, it has to fit behind one of the couches, a la couch table.  This last one is the kicker.  I can't have anything too wide as it will cause the couch to sit out in the room too far.  The only time I will be used as a couch table will be during Christmas when the tree takes up the front window.  I could avoid having to use it in this way by putting the tree in another area of the room but I WILL NOT do that, a Christmas tree is meant to be in a window.  We have a 12 foot long window in our living room, who in their right mind wouldn't put a tree there?? 
Here's a pic to prove my point.

I started searching for buffet's but most of them are too ornate, too expensive or just too ugly. Then I started searching for "hutch" thinking I would just remove the top part, resell it or re-purpose it.  Again I'm finding nothing but ugly, expensive, ornate.  I had to start thinking outside of the box so I start searching dressers and find what I'm looking for.  Most dressers are 18-20 inches deep which meets my "must be used as a sofa table" requirement and most of them are dirt cheap.  I also found one that the owner was willing to deliver.  I was in CL heaven! Then the clouds parted and the rain started; the post was from June. I emailed them anyways, even offered to up the asking price some.  Let's hope it's still available.

If so, it's fate, it's meant to be, all is right in the world.

Let me be honest with you.  The dresser is ugly.  U G L Y it ain't got no alibi, ugly.

See, told you so.
I'm also not sure it's length, which I was hoping to find one at least 60".
I have no idea what that white thing is either.

Are you scratching your heads in wonder yet? Why, oh why would I want such an atrocity in my house?

This is why...
photo: Life in the Fun Lane

Still don't believe me? Here's what they started with.
Not too far from this is it?

Little white (actually I would probably use grey) paint, little tons of sanding, some new hardware, little distressing and walllllllla! I can also guarantee I'd come in under my $100 budget!

So, do you think I can do it?
What about this one?
Or maybe this one?


If so, can I borrow your truck?
Seriously, I'll gas it up! ;)

Update!! The dresser lands tonight.  I was lucky enough to get the one with free delivery! I plan on buying an orbital sander and getting started on her tomorrow night.  It will be my first adventure into distressing, so I hope it's not too...distressing!

Friday, July 16, 2010

It's Friday, Get Fresh!

Check out the list of fabulous DIY'ers, there are some uberly-duberly great things on Life in the Fun Lane's list this Friday!



Tuesday, July 13, 2010

I discovered Polyvore!!

Where has this little gem been hiding?  Granted there's a HUGE learning curve on how to use this program but ohhhh myyyy once you get it, it's SO much fun!

Here's my first attempt.  It's a homage to the current (and most likely soon to be changing) blog theme.  I have a thing for grey, yellow and black right now so I thought I'd put together a living room in that scheme.


Furniture Factory Cart Large

Restoration Hardware

$1,295 - restorationhardware.com


EKTORP
$799 - ikea.com




Bell Jar Table Lamp
west elm

$149 - westelm.com


Bell Jar Table Lamp
west elm

$149 - westelm.com



Modern Heraldry Rug
$78 - anthropologie.com





10" Pillar Holder. 3.5"x10"H
$17 - crateandbarrel.com



Decorative Accents
Restoration Hardware

$69 - restorationhardware.com


Pyrite Cluster
$38 - anthropologie.com



 
To begin with, I love the mix of the vintage feel and modern.  My favorites look in the room is the starkness of the white Ektorp sofa and complexity of the rug.  I love those open glass lamps and the industrial flare the gears and the pyrite add.  

I love the graphic black and white of those pictures but how they give a nod to vintage design with them being silhouettes. Did you notice there's a Boston Terrier in one of them????  They would look great above the couch or the buffet.  They also tie in nicely with the other silhouette pillow on that fun modern chair. I think mixing timeless modern pieces with vintage or traditional pieces gives a room character. It also allows you to involve everyone's taste, if the hubs is tradition and you're into modern, it's ok, do what you love! That chair could also be easily slip covered for a new look years down the road.

Speaking of buffets, I'm trying to hustle discuss purchasing one on craigslist, it's the EXACT price I had in my budget and exactly what I was looking for so hopefully you'll see a post about my new buffet and not a headline in the paper about fat girl goes on craigslist rampage. Feel free to send me good craigslist juju that it's still available and he'll hold it for me until Saturday.

Also, the EXACT buffet I used above is currently on craigslist, they are asking $150 I believe, good deal if you're digging the style. I like it in the above example but it ain't how we roll at Bellom House right now.

And, we can't forget that divine Edison chandelier.  I love the modern look with the vintage feel from the bulbs and you can't beat a light fixture that looks like a huge spider! I am not a fan of the archnopobes but this light makes me toes tingle. It would be super simple to replicate with lamp cording and individual sockets (you can buy all that at HD, just don't blame me if you try it and your house burns down) the problem would be finding those huge glorious bulbs.
 
I WILL be doing more Polyvore sets, don't you worry and I will try to figure out how to make the pictures bigger in the process.  Not too bad for the first time though!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Chalk it up!

I've been trying to come up with a project that I could use chalkboard paint. I've had dreams about it which I won't go into detail about, I still blush when I think about what happened to that chalk.

I've seen it out in blog world most often used by busy momma's to keep their punks organized and to prevent dropping Jimmy off at Susie's piano lessons.

I don't have any punks and my dogs are lame, they don't have a very busy schedule. 
They can usually keep their eat, sleep, play, poop schedule without reminders. 

Then it came to me. Why not just use it for decoration? Even I, the punkless one, could enjoy chalkboard paint that way.  So I set out to find something, anything to paint.

I found the following frame at a garage sale.  I was so smitten by it's husky frame that I coughed up the asking price of $10.00.  Granted, it's not really worth ten bucks, but neither E nor I thought to whittle them down until we had already paid.  I wanted that frame dang it and the perhaps $2.00 I could have saved wasn't worth it at the time.

This is what I started with.  Frame, chalkboard paint (which you can get in a can and then brush on, but I opted to be lazy and got the spray version) primer and a deliriously fun can of aqua spray paint.

I admit that I even sort of liked the actual painting.  I toyed with painting the frame a deep espresso until I saw the suspected bird poo on the painting.
Does it look like poo to you?


Yeah, I thought so too.  After thoroughly cleaning the frame and the suspected poo I primed the entire thing, canvas and frame.  The chalkboard paint can said you don't HAVE to prime, but considering the canvas had texture I thought it would help to prime it.  I was right, the primer once dry even helped tighten up the canvas which was a bit loose.
Once I had it primed I covered the frame with painters tape and put 3 coats of chalkboard paint on the canvas.  It went on super well, and only did 3 coats due to pure unadulterated OCD.

Once the chalkboard part was dry I covered the entire area with painters tape and painted the frame.
Again, OCD made me cover EVERY inch of it with tape instead of using paper or plastic taped down.

Here's the finished product.

That picture doesn't do that divine turquoise color justice. Seriously, it makes my soul warm and tingly.  I would paint the entire house that color if I could but I want to stay married.

Want to see the finished product in use?
We interrupt this message for a dose of Boston Boo-Boo lip.

Thank you.  Back to our regularly scheduled program.

Here is the frame at work in the den.

I thought I had a "better" picture of it, but it was so blurry I think I'll submit it as proof of the Loch Ness Monster.  The quote is my favorite; you must be the change you wish to see in the world, Gandhi.

I cannot wait until Halloween though.  I already have some fun "menu" ideas for it.

I love it. I feel so accomplished that I have a chalkboard in my house now.  I'm all set if I ever get me some punks.

This wasn't the only thing that got a makeover, this $6.00 garage sale chair got a new dress as well.  But you'll have to wait a few days to see her afters.
I'm a tease.  I know.

Facelift

If you can't tell, I've given the ol' blog a facelift.  I'm not sure I'm feeling it. 

It's not blowing up my skirt.

Hasn't tied my tail in a knot.

Not the bee's knees, cat's pajamas, Boston Terrier's farts.

Not over the moon, in lurve, takin' it to the chapel.

What do you think?

Love it?

Hate it?

Suggestions?

Also, for some reason the side decor isn't always showing up,
if you have nothing but the black and grey lemme know.