Better Late Than Never...

So, I have finally discovered Pinterest.  I have had an account for months, but with the upcoming wedding, I just started actually getting on and "pinning."  I AM IN LOVE!  So many possibilities for new DIY projects.  Looking forward to using many pins for T's wedding. 

As you know, the work on the bedroom has come to a halt at the moment.  (However, I am asking for the materials to get my headboard made for my birthday/Christmas.  So, hopefully, that project will be completed soon.)  Right now, we are focusing on the wedding and I had a few items of interest I thought I would share that have saved us a ton of money already.

  The reception locale - We originally thought that we would be able to have the reception in the Commons Area (or for those Southern Baptists reading this, the Vestibule) at our home church.  Unfortunately, due to some smashing of food and spilling of drinks at a previous event, pastor has nixed any future gatherings involving food.  :(  OK, no problem, we can put a tent inside the unfinished warehouse portion of our church building.  Cost : ~$1500. Um, next. Then I followed a lead on renting the Polo Fields Country Club.  Only $450, they provide the tables, linens, centerpieces.  Sounded too good to be true.  It was.  Yes, it is $450 to rent the facility, but you have to have a minimum food and drink total of $3000!  Um, no.  Then we found it...  the Brannon-Heard House.  It is so pretty and simple.  Completely empty, so we can stage it however we need.  And the best thing, it rents for only $250!  So perfectly within our budget!

The date - The date was not chosen based on anything special or any tidbit of wedding planning info they had.  They liked the date itself... 3/1/13.  But, did you know that March is a slow time for rental companies AND Fridays or Sundays always rent cheaper than Saturdays.  I had no idea.  That gift of savings was from God.  ;o)

The wedding decor - Trees.  A friend of mine just purchased 13 acres of woods.  She has given us permission to take all the trees we want.  We have grand plans for them.  But I think I will keep that under wraps for awhile.  Lighting.  So excited to make DIY chandeliers out of a hoola-hoops and hanging tea lights for the trees.

The reception decor - Glass jars.  We are saving them now.  Have plans that involve rubber bands, salt, paint, lace, sheet music, vinegar, sticks, and twine to turn them into beautiful candle holders.  There will be a Saturday of DIY coming up that makes me happy just thinking about!  Pictures to follow.  Letters.  There are lots of empty wall space in the Brannon-Heard House.  We plan to hang various fonts, sizes, and styles of the letter "H".  Looking forward to that DIY day as well!

And finally, the dress -  After looking through magazines and theknot.com, T thought she had found the one.  We happened to find it locally while stopping in a dress shop next to a shoe store.  (We were buying shoes.  Had no intention of wedding dress shopping!)  She announces, during this impromptu dress fitting with no grandmothers present, that this was it.  I promptly informed her that she can't pick her dress without the proper family present, nor after only trying ONE dress on.  ONE dress!  That's insane!  She reluctantly decides to stay on the hunt, which we took to Savannah for a girl's weekend; all necessary personnel in tow.  There she did find THE ONE.  (Mind you, not the same "one" she had found before.)  We leave with all the information, sizing, etc needed to order the dress in the very near future as the salesperson informed us we needed 6 months to get it in.  Being the woman that I am, I came home and started a hunt of my own.  Craigslist, Ebay, Google.  And did you know that people are buying replica dresses straight from China for a fraction of the cost?  (BTW, that designer gown comes from China too!)  So, telling only 2 people, I took the leap of faith and ordered the replica dress.  I paid $20 extra to rush my order so if it arrived looking like a cheap knockoff, I could hang my head, box it back up, and buy the real one.  Not only did it arrive within 2 weeks, it is gorgeous!  It fits perfectly and T loves it!  Of course, I can't post pics of the dress until after the wedding, but I will and you will see how beautiful it is.  Original, designer dress - $1336.  Replica, just as gorgeous dress - $395!  Savings - almost $1000!  That includes the rush and delivery!  There are many replica dress makers to choose from.  I used http://www.ingridbridal.com/ because I was able to pay via paypal.  That gave me a little added security.  You can find one by googling your dress name and style number and "China replica".  Just take some time to research reviews and payment types before you decide.

Well, that's all the news from the wedding front.  Hopefully, I will be able to put up a post on the headboard in the next month or so.  I have some DIY designs I am pondering as Christmas decor and gifts.  I will definitely let you in on those when the time comes. 

Pottery Barn DIY frames...

Pottery Barn Frame

Finally!  Who knew it would take so long to get 5 mirrors?  I bought the 3 they had at Hobby Lobby,  and  2 1/2 weeks and numerous visits later, I finally bought the other 2 today.  For numerous reasons - the frames I have were wood, not metal and the current paint worked well with my room - I opted not to try to match the paint of the Pottery Barn frames.

These are the Pottery Barn frames.  They are much larger than the ones I made, 17" square.  They are white washed iron, while mine are wooden.  They are also $149 (no longer on sale) for 3 of them!

Yard Sale Frames

I think I have achieved the same over all look.  I purchased the five wooden frames, 8" square,  off a local online yardsale site for $2 each, and got a black frame FREE as a bonus.  I then replaced the matting and picture with 6" craft mirrors purchase from Hobby Lobby.  The mirrors ran $2.99 each, but I was able to use a 40% off coupon on 3 of them.  So, total spent on the mirrors was $12.17.

Total on the DIY project = $22.17 for 5.  Total savings = $126.83

My finished project.  Keep in mind the headboard will fill in that space above the bed.  There will end up being a 10" space between the bottom of the frames to the top of the headboard.

Phase 2 in progress...

OK, phase 1 is now officially complete.  Painting, check; furniture, check; bed & mattress, check; bedding and some accessories, check.

Now, off to phase 2.  DIY sofa table, check; some more accessories, check; AND (drum roll, please) Craigslist score on the Pottery Barn love seat, check.

I wanted a pottery barn style love seat, but I got an actual Pottery Barn love seat!  I found one on CL and after a week of trying to get a hold of the guy (finally had to put in the subject of my email "I want to buy your love seat"), he responded last weekend.  I couldn't pick up until the Thursday before we were to head out of town and he wasn't available.  So, I went and viewed it the Tuesday before we left and gave the guy a deposit to hold until yesterday.

Just a side note, the guy lived in St. Ives.  I had heard of this mystical place containing the homes of NFL and MLB players, but had never been in.  You have to be announced, you know.  "Amy Ouellette to see C.J. of Southampton Cir."  You have to show ID and be given a day pass.  Very exclusive...  Blah, blah, blah  ;)

Ok, back to the love seat.  Well this is what I got:

 

This is the "PB Greenwich love seat in brushed canvas stone" (to get the full affect, say with a slight British accent with you nose pointing upward) currently selling for $1,349 plus $80 shipping!  I paid... wait for it... $300!  And those really cute pillows - $12 for the pair on clearance at TJ Maxx!  Savings on that one piece, $1129.  (Insert applause here.)

Other accessories acquired -

Hobby Lobby clearance - $3 (yes, that price sticker says $21.99!)

TJ Maxx $19.99 - Actually bought for T's upcoming wedding to hold cards.  But before, and after, it will hold movies in my room.

PB Antique Silver Canister - facebook online yardsale - $4; Glass vase with "twigs" - facebook online yardsale - $12.62 (Originally, paid $3 for the twigs, corks, and glass spaghetti canister.  I did replace the vase at a cost of $9.62)

Well, you are now up to speed.  I have two more mirrors to purchase to finish the DIY Pottery Barn framed mirrors and hope to finish that up this week.  The money well has run dry, so the other items in Phase 2 will be coming little by little.  Still want/need - headboard, ceiling treatment, TV, and a coffee table/ottoman of some kind.  And of course, art and accessories. 

In the meantime, if you have a project you would like input on, email me.  I would love to help!

Phase 1 complete (really!)

Yes!  We are no longer sleeping with our mattresses in the floor.  The bed has arrived!

RH Chesterfield Upholstered Bed

Remember the inspiration bed from Restoration Hardware?  It is the Chesterfield Upholstered Bed without Footboard (and no longer on sale!) $1760 - $2695, depending on the fabric.  Priced in our size and comparable fabric to what we did purchase, $2290!

After much searching and considering, I opted to purchase just the upholstered platform (which also kept me from purchasing box springs for the new mattress).  I plan to make the headboard (yes, yet another DIY!) 

Prior to this project, I had never purchased from Overstock.com.  There I found not only the bed, but the mattress as well.

While traveling, J has been staying at the Hilton and just raved about the newest craze - a memory foam mattress.  We shopped around and tried out several; however, they run around $2000.  Just slightly out of our budget.  ;)

Final purchase decision: Select-a-comfort king memory foam mattress, firm $477.89.  While it took a while to get used to not losing myself in the indention of our too old pillow top "no flip" mattress, I actually like the memory foam and my back appreciates the firm setting.

Overstock Sarajevo King Platform

As for the actual bed, the Sarajevo Taupe Velvet King Platform Bed for $239.39 made the cut.  I estimate the headboard will cost around $100-$150 to make (I have made a tufted headboard before for T.  Surprisingly, not a hard project to tackle.)

I was not too concerned with the color, as I read some of the reviews and someone else had opted to make their own headboard as well.  She commented that the bed was very easy to re-upholster.  Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, the color is actually good for my room.  However, non of the fabric swatches I ordered match!  So, either I use the one that is close enough and not worry about the bed, or I re-upholster the entire bed.  I'll figure that out later.

For now, we are enjoying having a bed up off the floor with the new bedding somewhat in place.  I think the pillows will look much better with a headboard.

Oh, total savings just on the bed and mattress $3572.18.  Even if I subtract the headboard material costs, I am still looking at about a $3400 savings!

To date, inspiration room total : $13,489.  Actual spent: $2094.18 (includes allotment for the headboard).  That is an unbelievable $11,394.82 saved!   And don't forget $550 of what we have spent, was from the sale of the old stuff.  So we are only out-of-pocket about $1500!

DIY sofa table - check!

So, after a few days away with J and kids in Jacksonville, I hit the ground running today.  Not only did I catch up on the laundry and steam clean the carpet, but I finally finished up the DIY sofa table.  "How does she do it?" you may ask.  It is amazing what can be accomplished while waiting on the washer/dryer cycle.  (I have never understood those that complain about loads of laundry.  I mean all you do is sort, put in the washer, and add some soap.  You don't actually WASH them.  Then you move them to the dryer and push a button.  You don't actually take them to the line and HANG them up.  Anyhoo...)

The table transformed looked very similar to this:

This was my mother's.  She had the complete set - 2 side tables, coffee table, and this sofa table.  I remember a picture of T when she was 3 at Christmas with this sofa table in the background.  She is now 19.  This table has been around.  It even spent some time at my Grandmother's.  The other tables were sold, but this one stayed in the family for some reason.  As with all things my mother has and doesn't know why or has replaced, it was offered to me.  I rarely pass up a hand-me-over and brought it home.   It has been many things in my mind; but today, it actually became something.


Now, as with everything in my mind, it all stems from something I have seen, either in a magazine, on HGTV, or in a store.  One of my favorite inspiration spots is IKEA.  What this table became evolved from this dresser I saw at IKEA.

This is EDLAND.  Isn't it cute?  I just loved the non-traditional color mixed with a very traditional look, yet still with clean lines.  I even tried to talk my mom into buying it for her guest room! There is a 3-drawer chest, a 2-drawer chest, a 6-drawer dresser, and a 5-drawer chest.  The cheapest of which is $199.00. 

Of course, even if I chose to purchase the item from IKEA, none of the these pieces would actually work in my space.  After all, I have my inspiration Restoration Hardware look-alike furniture already.  I just need a sofa table (for the Pottery Barn love seat I am searching CL for; not that I actually have a love seat... yet!)

So, after thinking about my hand-me-over table all week, I immediately got started on it today. 

First, what to do with that Queen Anne inspired scroll along the bottom.  Lucky for me, the scrolled sides were actually separate pieces that ran the length of each side extending below the back piece and held with a few small nails.   So, I just popped them off, put a little spackle in the holes, and brought out the left over paint from the crown molding in the bedroom.

Two coats of paint (and two loads of laundry later), and voila! a sofa table for my bedroom transformation!  (Eerily similar to the inspiration piece from IKEA.)   Cost = $0

I am still deciding whether to add a drawer front and a cute pull.  Thoughts?

Did ya notice the love seat?  More on that in the Phase 2 post and the DIY Pottery Barn framed mirrors are almost ready to go up. 

Pottery Barn DIY look-a-like

Just purchased these frames off the Cumming Online Yard Sale:

Actually getting 5 (3 of one, 2 of the other) for $2 each

For a DIY project to mimic this Pottery Barn look:

Currently "on sale" for $129 for the set!

Phase 1 Complete...

I am now at a stopping point for our phase 1.  Thought I would share my inspired finds...

First, the furniture - Once I had my inspiration piece picked out, I went straight to craigslist to start my search.  I was specific; searching for "Camden" the name RH gives to this piece.  That pulled up an ad for the "Pottery Barn" piece from a seller in Norcross, GA.  By doing a google search on the company name, I was able to find the entire collection through Atlantic Bedding and Furniture (tell 'em Amy Ouellette sent ya!).  For less than the price of the one piece from RH, I purchased the dresser, chest, and two nightstands!  If all pieces would have been purchased from RH, the bill would total $3577.50! 

This is my inspiration piece from Restoration Hardware.

This is my find.  Purchased a dresser, chest, and 2 nightstands for $950.

Second, the bedding - Again, inspiration came from RH.  I have never purchased expensive bedding.  I usually find something at Target that I like.  Once I decided I really wanted the RH bedding, I turned to Ebay.  (Not sure I would purchase used bedding off CL, but it is always a possibility.)  At first, I purchased this bedding in "fog" based on the RH web picture of the color.  When it arrived, I hated it!  But what could I do?  It wasn't the sellers fault that I hated the color.  So, I called RH.  Explained the situation and since the bedding was in brand new, never used, never opened condition, they let me exchange it!  Kudos to RH for their outstanding customer service.  She even assisted me with paint colors, which I'll get to in a minute.  So, I got the color I meant to get and saved money by purchasing via Ebay.  Via RH, $367 for the King duvet and two standard shams.  Via Ebay, $199 shipped!




Third, the paint - Yes, I even saved money on the paint by buying from Lowes instead of RH.  By taking the RH paint cards and doing a color match with Lowes, not only was I able to tweak the colors to be a bit lighter, BUT I saved $10 per gallon on the cost.  The pictures are not the best, but you can see that I decided to paint the crown molding a darker color.  I had just been in a new model home a few weeks earlier and really like the dark trim color.  But when you have a home that already has white trim, switching over is a huge pain (I tried it in my old house when everybody was painting the trim the same as the wall color.)  I still wanted to get in that Craftsman look, even to the point that I got a quote for doing a coffer moldings in my trey.  A $1500-$2000 quote later, and I have opted for something just as interesting for way less.  More on that in the weeks to come.

Lastly, the curtains and lamps - I love fabric.com for DIY projects, so I had placed an order for lots of fabric swatches.  However, while in Ross over the weekend, I found these... faux silk lined drapes for $9.99 a panel.  After that trip to our Ross, a second trip to our Ross, and a trip to the Alpharetta Ross, I had 4 matching drapes for less than I could have made them.  The Ross package had the retail on the drapes at $18, but I had priced similar for much higher than that.  The rods also came from Ross with about a 50% off retail savings.  As for the lamp, it was love at first sight!  It didn't hurt that it was half the price I would have paid elsewhere.  TJ Maxx is the best place I have found for lamps.  They have a great selection for all tastes and styles.  I purchased these for only $50 per lamp including the shade!  I was checking out some much less fashionable lamps at Walmart today and they were $19 and I would have still had to by a shade.  Love my lamp find!



Final results for Phase 1 -

The "bedroom" will now become the sitting room.  The dresser in the pic above which is barely visible on the right will have a flat screen hung above.  And I am currently on the hunt for a pottery barn style loveseat to place in the large area at the foot of the bed facing the TV. Notice Mamaw's table is still in the room.  Can't bare the thought of taking it out so in the words of Mr. Gunn, I'll just have to "make it work."  lol



The "sitting" room will now be the bedroom.  (Never mind the queen mattresses sitting on the floor.  They will be replaced soon.)


So, if you are keeping track, our inspiration room price tag is at around $4500 while our total spent so far is $1226.90.

Per my husband, phase 1 really isn't over because we have purchased the bed and mattress, but they are not here yet.  So, I will get pics, prices of that up asap.  Then it is off to Phase 2...

Phase 2 includes (but it not limited to):  chandeliers, TV, loveseat, and really cool ceiling application!  Oh, and a sofa table DIY project that won't cost a penny!

Getting Started...

First step, I sold everything! - Bed $100; Desk $50; couch $100; dresser $200; 2 chests $100 (Figured I should probably keep the stuff from the grandmothers.)  Now I can spend without dipping into the regular budget.  Oh, I'm still gonna dip, just not as much. 

Second step, I found my inspiration.  Restoration Hardware!  (see below)

Chesterfield Upholstered Bed Without Footboard

Special $1490 - $2290

Italian 19th C. Medallion Duvet Cover

$209 - $279Special $159 - $219

 

Camden 11-Drawer Dresser

Special $1485

Third step, we divided our mission into phases. Doing this on a budget means searching for things and buying them when you have the cash.   We went for purchasing the furniture (excluding the bed) and painting first.  Accessories like art, lamps, curtains, etc. should come as you find them.  I always carry paint cards, fabric swatches, wallpaper samples in my purse.  You never know when you are going to find the perfect whatever.  (I matched paint and decor for my entire down stairs to a fabric swatch from Rooms to Go for a couch I didn't even have yet.  I later purchased it from craigslist for half the price!)

Forth step, I started the hunt on Ebay and Craigslist.  I love finding deals on those sites.  Since we have moved here I have probably saved $3500 buying furniture on Craigslist.   Whatever else I need, Ross and TJ Maxx has it.  I rarely ever spend full price. 

Before...

We moved into our current home nearly 2 1/2 years ago.  Every room a different color.  Nothing neutral.  The entire house was completely repainted within the first month or so, except our bedroom.  We have the most enormous bedroom I had ever seen.  Why do I need a "sitting room"?   I don't know very many busy moms that have anytime to sit much less alone in a room that could've been another bedroom!  I guess the architect didn't have 4 kids...   Anyway, because the bedroom was a color I could live with, I found a comforter at Target that worked with the scheme and called it a day.  Now, our bedroom furniture was either bought for me as a gift (prior to my marriage), handed down, or acquired (don't ask).  While I liked it, my tastes have changed... a lot.  So, when my husband received an unexpected bonus, I batted my lashes (which didn't really work, I think the fact the our mattress has permanent body indentations was the big seller), sold all our old furniture, and got to work. 

Like any normal person, we had the bed in the "bedroom" side of the master, because that other part is for "sitting."  We have never had nightstands, ever.  The table on the right handed down from my grandmother; the table on the left from Jason's grandmother.

You can see the "sitting room" in this picture.  It is a large room to just be sitting in. So, as any mom knows, wasted space becomes the "whatever" space.  It had an extra couch, a large glass computer desk with computer, the boys clothes buckets (you know the ones you store a good deal at Goodwill that won't fit for another two years), file cabinets, home school stuff, etc.  Not romantic in the least.









Everybody has a room like this, especially if you married young and life took over.  But never fear, she said; he said is here!  So excited to share my bedroom transformation...

My first time...

Well, here is it.  Me, stepping out into the blog world for the first time.  Hopefully, what is shared here will inspire and encourage you.  I know I have watched many an HGTV show and thought, "Of course they can make that room beautiful; they have money, a designer, AND a carpenter at their disposal."  But over the years, I have found that you can duplicate almost any catalog or magazine look if have patience and a little creativity. 

Currently, I am in the middle of a re-do of my bedroom.  So, that is where we will start.  I may also go back in time and share a little about other rooms in my house and how the look was done for less.  My hope moving forward is that we can get together to work on a project of yours and post your journey here as well.  I think it will make for interesting blogging and promote the "I can do that" mentality.  (Don't forget to become a member so you can join the discussion.)

So, here goes...