Ugly Dresser Turned TV Console!

Believe it or not, I actually forgot to take some "before" photos of this guy. I'm sad because it truly was hideous, and I'm rather proud of the transformation. I found it for FREE on the side of the road. And yes, my husband was very reticent and really questioned my sanity on this one. But thankfully, he gave me some garage real-estate and now he admits that it was worth it.

I had found a paint sample a long time ago that was this jade color, and I decided to match it for a fun pop of color against our blue/gray walls. I'm glad I chose this color! It does tie in well with the rest of the house too. 

We brought the lamps that had previously been in our bedroom out here. I like the white base with the green dresser. The shades got dolled-up with some pretty yellow ribbon from Wal-Mart. 

On the left side of the dresser, I grouped a painting (an original watercolor by my grandmother), a pretty white ceramic owl, and a terrarium from my sister. 

The middle section of the dresser had 3 drawers hidden behind the doors. We removed the first 2 and cut holes in the back for all the cords, and now they house the DVD player and sound system! 

I love finding things that make better use of the space we have! With only 880 square feet to work with, we sure can use every bit of help we can get!

Backsplash is DONE!

The backsplash is done. And oh, what a difference it makes! It really brings out the white cabinets and pulls everything together. I love it! My husband did an amazing job. =) I helped lay a few of the tiles, but this project was definitely his baby.  Without further ado, here are more photos:

Say it with me: Ooooh, Aaaaaah!

Overall, this project cost us around $70. The tile was SO inexpensive. I worried for a bit that we would regret doing subway tile, because so many DIYers are going that route these days, but I don't feel that way now. It's just such a classic look, I think it will be "in" for years to come.

We still have to seal the grout, and add a couple more light switch covers, but it's pretty much finito. And so pretty to gaze upon.


Just for reference again, here's what the old kitchen used to look like:

 

Apparently, back then I didn't know that you're supposed to put away a few dishes and make your kitchen look a little less cluttered before getting all snap-happy with the camera. Oh well, it adds to the "before" effect. You know, like when they do makeovers on women and for the before picture they say "Ok, take off all your makeup, wear your most frumpy amish-housewife-type clothes, wash your hair in vegetable oil, and give me an expression that's somewhere between constipated and 'My husband just bought me a blender for our anniversary.'"

You know?

Don't Skirt the Issue...

A while back, I found this adorable houndstooth skirt at ye olde GW.

It was actually close to perfect just the way it was- high waisted, and hit right above the knees. However, I had visions of something even greater in mind... 

 Oh yes, I shortened that puppy! I love the look of a cute cropped skirt with leggings or sweater tights. All the modesty (not to mention comfort) of pants, but with the added pop of some hounds-tooth goodness.

{Sweater: Target, Tank: Gap, Boots: Blowfish (thrifted), Skirt: Vintage Express (thrifted), Tights: Target}

I love the versatility that a good pair of solid color tights or leggings can bring to a wardrobe. Suddenly, a whole new world of (shorter) skirts, and even shorts, is completely attainable! Have you been pulling off this look lately? I would love to hear about it!

*I should add as a side note, that I completely DO NOT condone wearing tights and/or leggings as the sole layer over your booty. I have seen this crime committed by younger girls as well as women in their 50's and it is just not cool. Even if you have the buns to attempt this, please refrain. Either that, or limit your wearage to your local Wal Mart. Thank you. 

Just for funsies... I thought I would share these pictures that I took to test the camera before the real photo shoot. Apparently, this is what Josh thinks I look like when taking outfit photos.... 

(I'm linking this project up to "What's Up Wednesday" over at Sew Woodsy)

More Mirror!

I started this mirror gallery wall a while back thinking that it would definitely need some more accessories to round it out! Me being the pack rat that I am, I actually stumbled upon this little gem in our garage. It was just waiting for the perfect place, and I finally found it! 

This bronzed beauty was actually a hand-me-down from my Aunt Jane. She wasn't using it anymore and gave it to me, and I'm so glad I finally found a spot for it! I will definitely be putting candles in there at some point too. 

So for a little reminder, here's how the gallery was started out...

And again, here it is now: 

So much better, don't you agree?



P.S. I'm linking up to "What's Up Wednesday" at Sew Woodsy- click over to see some more fun projects!

Week of Projects

I've started quite a few projects in the past few weeks, and I'm planning on using this week to finish them all up! After a fun and busy Summer, it's time to focus on getting the house in order for Fall, especially since I will be teaching piano again from our home. So, most of the projects are geared towards the music room!

First off, Josh and I found this wonderful specimen at a garage sale last weekend. Isn's she a beaut?

Actually, using my supreme detective skills (a la Hercule Poirot), I have deduced that this was once used in a clubhouse of some sort. Why? Because someone scratched in the surface "Boys Rule" and "No Girls Allowed." Awesome. 

Well, I couldn't really have that kind of propaganda in the house, considering that I am in fact a girl, so I sanded it down and gave it a coat of primer, 2 coats of a lovely off-white shade, and a protective polyurethane coat.

This bookshelf fits the room perfectly! Originally, I was going to buy something from IKEA for this space, but really, this bookshelf was only $5 (plus $50 for materials I will be reusing on other pieces). And, it's solid wood!

The bottom shelf fits the boxes I store sheet music in perfectly. It's so nice to finally have a little storage in that space! 

Are you curious about what other projects I am working on this week? Well, here's my list (so far): 

• Paint bookshelf #1 (done!)
• Paint bookshelf #2 
• Finish curtains (yes, I started this project 2 whole months ago...)
• Organize and clean music room
• Prettify music room using things I already have
• Finish wooden tray (I found an awesome wooden tray at Goodwill that needs a makeover!)

So, here's hoping that I can check a few more projects off this list before this week is out!

Bye bye, crunchy floor!

I love being able to say that something is finished, what a good feeling that is! We checked another project off our "to-do" list, and it's taken me a while to actually pull the final-project post together, but here it is!

The flooring in our kitchen was definitely leaving something to be desired- yellowed and faded linoleum from the 1980's, that made a weird crunchy sound whenever you walked on it (I always used to think there were dead bugs under there, turns out the adhesive they used had just been pulverized over the years).

Here's a couple "Before" pics to jog your memory:

And here it is, all tiled and prettied up!

This corner used to be slightly rounded, but we figured with the new tile and the wood it would be easier to square it off. Turns out, I like it this way even more! It actually makes our kitchen feel a little bigger too. Score!

Just for funsies, here's a picture of what our kitchen looked like a few months ago (taken in January):

It's fun to go back now and look at those pictures. I definitely don't miss the 80's wood cupboards or the impossible-to-keep-clean white countertops. I'm loving the way this space has opened up and brightened up!

Here's what we've done so far:

• Painted the cabinets and added hardware
• Painted light fixture above sink and replaced shade
• Re-laminated the countertops
• Tiled the floor (yay!)

And here's what we have left:

• Add subway tile backsplash (can't wait to do this!)
• Replace overhead lighting (you can't see it in any of the pictures, but it's one of those ugly brass lights)
• Tweak the decor to my heart's content (but let's face it, when is it ever completely finished?)

We plan to start on the subway tile backsplash at some point in the near future. I'm excited to finish up the big projects (and be able to move on to some other areas of the house).

Clean House- Sans Niecy

I think if the crew of Clean House had seen my 2nd bedroom before I cleaned it, they would have been packing up their cameras and trying to move in for a major intervention.

After painting this room, I went through everything with the intention of getting rid of all the stuff we didn't need. That meant every drawer, every box, etc. got cleaned out. And this is what I was left with:

Wah. Ok, so maybe it doesn't look THAT bad in the pictures, but it really made me feel like bursting into tears at one point! However, I held them back and just got to work and now the room is looking much cleaner: 

Ah. Even the floor is vacuumed now, and all remnants of it's former disarray are but a faint memory. 

And if you are anything like me, you are thinking "Gosh, that is the most boring-looking room I have ever seen." It's true. It's clean, but boring. However, I do like to think of it as a blank slate. Now, I can pretty much do whatever I want in here! I can't wait to decorate it up. 

P.S. So sorry for being absent for so long! Between my sister's open house, hosting a garage sale (more on that later!), helping out with another open house, and getting ready for our vacation, it's been a pretty busy month! 

Sunshine, anyone?

Apparently, there's a few people who are on the edge of their seats to see the transformation of this little magazine rack. Seriously, you are women after my own heart. I rarely ever post the "before" pictures unless a project is actually done because, well, we all know how easy it is to get sidetracked. So I apologize profusely for taunting you with the before of this tacky, brass thingamabob. But, the wait is over my friends, and hopefully the "After" was worth it!


Ah. Cheery yellow. Just like the sunshine that I know is hiding somewhere behind those clouds. It will appear. And when it does, I'll be ready.



Sadly, I realized as I was taking the photos that I need to do a bit of touch up on the paint job. Argh. I just might face the good side out and forget about it though...

Nothing but Blue Skies from now on!

Oh, how I love re-fashioning clothes! I love taking something that is ridiculously hideous, and making it wearable and (dare I say) fashionable.

Maybe it's the Spring in the air and the fact that I'm longing for a new wardrobe, but I've been plugging away at the ol' sewing machine again and refashioning another ridiculous item of clothing.

This time, meet my $3 skirt from (where else?) GW (that's the good will for all you folks who don't shop there. Crazy people).


I affectionately referred to her as "Big Blue" before she was transformed. In her old state, she would have been a perfect candidate for an Amish housewife. But not for me.

She had some redeeming qualities, like the inky navy blue color, simple lines, and cute buttons.


After a little hemming and taking in, here she is now:


I think it's going to be a wardrobe staple from here on out!


I promise I'm not going to become a full-on fashion blogger, but I do love talking about it from time to time. You guys don't mind if I do some of these once in a while, right??? =)

Skirt: Thrifted
Tank: Made by Elsie (my sis)
Sweater: H&M
Bracelet: Vintage, from my Grandmother
Shoes: Fergalicious. And I love them.