DIY POUF

 This spring, I finally bought myself a sewing machine to rekindle those skills I learned long ago from home ec class and from my grandmother. I had been intimidated by the thought of all their is to learn, but after I saw the adorable and affordable IKEA machine, I decided it's now or never. I learned that you don't have sew completely perfect lines for your project to turn out!

My first big project was this pouf idea I had pinned long ago, with the tempting free pattern from Better Homes and Gardens. My feet longed to be propped up in my reading corner slouching in my leather chair, but being big on thrift, I refused to pay the $100 price tags I had seen in stores for foot poufs. I am so proud of my results-the best part is that it only cost me about $15 to make!

Here's how I made my foot pouf: 

I followed this tutorial from BHG

I scored some sturdy cotton upholstery fabric for only $2 in a cream color that I decided to PAINT, yes PAINT with yellow latex paint. I just rolled it on each panel before sewing with a paint roller and let dry. It actually makes the fabric feel more like suede than just cotton, but if I ever did it again, I'd paint the fabric AFTER sewing because it was quite thick to sew through (but still doable).

The project is so affordable because it says to use an old clean bedsheet as the second lining for the panels, and to stuff the pouf with old towels, blankets, etc. It saved me a trip to donating old things to the thrift store! Get this, I actually repurposed some 2 liter plastic bottles in there to fill up space. No one would ever know!

To finish, you just fill in the outermost parts with soft fiberfill for evening out the appearance of the pouf.  The hardest part about this project was the embroidery part-I guess I could have done without it, but it makes it look so tailored that way. You just have to measure between stitches and practice the stitch. Using a curved upholstery needle helped too!

As you can see, the pouf is great for tickling little toddlers on...and propping up the feet! My corner is so much more cozy and bright. So glad I tackled this big project and refreshed my sewing skills!  I am excited to try some of these fun projects from my Pinterest page: Sewing Skills

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Pressback Chair Revamp

These pressback chairs were in need of some updating, said a friend of mine, who asked me if I could work some magic on her set. She gave me a gallon of antique white enamel paint and a bunch of creative freedom. Here I will show you the process as well as some helpful tips and shortcuts I figured out along the way:

Materials: 

-antique white enamel acrylic paint (I used self-priming Behr paint). 

-black wood stain (I used Minwax in Onyx) 

-sanding sponge

-paint brushes in different sizes

-soft cloths

-cotton balls or cotton pads

-protective gloves

First, I prepped the chairs for painting by lightly sanding each chair with a sanding sponge (much easier on the hands than regular sandpaper)

Then, I wiped off the dust with a soft cloth.

I gave the chairs two coats of paint, allowing each layer to dry a few hours. The first two chairs I painted only with a brush. Then, I figured out a shortcut that cut the painting time in half: Use a small paint roller to apply the paint in one section, then immediately brush over it with the paint brush, to leave nice brush lines.

 After painting the chairs and some Pinterest research, I decided to antique the chairs using black wood stain. 

 For the antiquing, I rubbed the black wood stain over the grooves in the wood in small sections and immediately rubbed the chair down, leaving the stain in the grooves only. For the first chair, I tried using a soft cloth-which resulted in a drippy mess. I tried using a cosmetic cotton round and which worked so much better. It also helped to wrap plastic over the parts of the chair I wasn't staining. 

Here are the finished chairs in my friend's dining room with the matching table painted and stained in the same colors. I think they look so elegant and bring lots of fresh style to her home-dare I say Pottery Barn style?

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Pottery Barn Knock Off Chairs

When I found this set of chairs at a thrift store for about $5,  I had no idea they were the exact same style as Pottery Barn's beautiful Napoleon Rush Seat Chairs. While browsing through PB's online catalog, I couldn't believe how similar they looked and decided it was time to paint the chairs a much lighter color to create a great knock-off look like the ones I was admiring online. 

Here are Pottery Barn's chairs:

Source: potterybarn.com via Kristina on Pinterest

Why would someone have gotten rid of these? They were sturdy and in great condition. I was happy to be the lucky recipient and couldn't wait to cover them in a creamy shade of paint.

Here are the chairs before: 

And here are the chairs after! 

I revamped these chairs by spray painting the rush seat covers with a few coats of white spray paint, then painted a few coats of latex paint + primer in my off-white shade on the wood. (A cheap way to do small painting projects like this is to buy one or two of the $3 paint tester cans tinted in whatever color you like.) I lightly distressed the edges of my chairs with my Dremel to finish.

Here are the chairs in my dining room. So light and airy. By the way, did you know dining room chairs don't have to match? Here I mixed two different styles of chairs all painted a pale color to create a uniform look with eclectic style.

I am so happy with my transformation! It's amazing what a few simple coat of paint can do. (And, I have to laugh when people think I actually shop at Pottery Barn...)

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Shaker Style Cabinet Revamp

One of the big projects I've been working on this summer has been my bathroom makeover, changing up paint, lighting, mirrors and adding storage after I took out a medicine cabinet. I am almost done, but wanted to do another post update on my progress.

I got a good deal on this shaker style cabinet I found at a consignment shop a few years ago. It was originally green with these cutesy, horrific pink cherries someone had painted inside it. So, I painted it white with blue distressed doors and it sat in my living room for a year and a half.

Until I needed more space for storage in our small bathroom. After taking measurements I found out the cabinet would fit perfectly in the upstairs bath right next to the tub. Like it was made for that space!

The nice thing about this cabinet is that the doors pop out-how convenient for me and my idea adding chicken wire after painting a cheery pop of tangerine orange on the shelves.

my finished cabinet!

I used small baskets to hide toiletry items neatly in the cabinet

As a finishing touch, I added chicken wire easily with wire cutters and a staple gun so the pretty orange shelves could show through.

I can't wait to reveal the entire bathroom remodel-new lighting is in, new mirror, paint colors too. All I need to do to finish is create some homemade art for decorating the walls. I found some good deals today at Saver's that have lots of potential to be transformed....stay tuned for the big reveal!

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Boys' Bedroom Makeover:The Big Reveal!

What a busy month! These past few weeks, we have tackled the big project of creating a fun, colorful bedroom for our boys to share. It was past time for our two year old to be done with his crib so to maximize play space on the floor, we bought bunk beds for them from IKEA. (They have a nice low to the ground set perfect for toddlers and preschoolers that they can grow into). 

These past few weeks we ripped out carpet, painted wood floors, painted walls, assembled bunk beds, put up curtains, painted garage sale furniture and even created a huge chalkboard wall! Then, we passed out...

I added finishing touches with handmade decorations and transportation stencils.The end result was an eclectic blend of modern and vintage, salvage and store-bought and of course, repurposing and I am thrilled with how it turned out. And so excited to share with all of you!

Our whole house was painted with this shiny beige paint that reminded me of liquid makeup-not a huge fan. After a year and a half of slowly getting rid if it in different rooms, I decided to change them in the boys room to a soft gray called "Sharkey Gray" using Glidden paint and toned down the semi-gloss sheen by using eggshell. I also painted the white trim a shade lighter than this in a pale gray.

Then it was time to rip up carpet! I left this job to to the hubby. Why paint wood floors? Well, it was cheaper than refinishing wood floors. And, ours were dinged up and stained from age so it was a good option for us. And, the carpet that came with the house was pretty cheap and ugly.

 So, when I first thought about painting wood floors, it sounded a little intimidating, but after a little research and some easy tutorials, it sounded about as hard as painting a wall. Turned out to be so simple!

Here's how we did it: 


First, we patched up all the dents with wood putty. 
After they were dry, we sanded them smooth primed the floors and allowed to dry, using a brush for the edges and a roller on an extension pole for the rest of the floor. 
After the primer was dry we added two layers of floor paint. We used indoor/outdoor latex paint in a soft white. 

Then, it was time to paint the walls. I chose navy blue and bright orange as accents to paint in the ridged rectangle sections we were lucky enough to have in a few of our rooms. (Anyone know the technical name for them?) Gotta love built in character of an older home!

Wonder how I got those perfect paint lines on my textured walls? Click HERE  to see an easy trick using painter's tape to do just that.

Here I added some cute airplane and cloud stencils in the entrance using the Martha Stewart craft line, and switched out a basic ceiling fan for new lighting and bunk beds from IKEA.

My boys love their new room! The only downside is that my two year old has decided playing in his new room is more fun than sleeping...

A vintage 7-UP box makes a fun place to store their books.

Chalkboard monograms and huge chalkboard wall

my sweetie! 

I told you the chalkboard wall was huge! We painted this section with green chalkboard paint and it really feels like it's time for school. In the corner is a name pennant I made out of old jeans and burlap. I'll share more details in a later post about how I did it.

my other sweetie! 

IKEA has the best wooden toys! They are learning how to count with this abacus.

We created a fun school room look by adding vintage desks found at a consignment shop and an old globe snagged at a garage sale.

Another name pennant made with jeans, burlap and stencils.

A garage sale table transformed with paint, stencils and glow-in-the-dark painted tracks! (Don't worry, I'll show you what it looked like before in a later post).

Having fun coloring on their chalkboard-yes, they love their new room...

Another fun schoolroom accent was adding an old map to the wall framed in pallet planks.

No, I did not pay the $125 that Land of Nod suggests for this toy bin. Below is their version:

Modern Toy Storage design by The Land of Nod

I already had this one found at a garage sale years ago and painted it navy for a great knock off look for cheap!

Ok, another cute kid shot. I can't resist! 

So, there it is! All done on a budget to create a high-end look.  Our labor of love is finally done and I'm really proud of all the hard work it took to transform this space from blah to boy's wonderland.

Looking forward to sharing a few more detailed posts with before and after pics of my garage sale furniture revamps and how I created the room accents.

Hope you enjoyed the room tour and thanks for stopping by!

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