Well, the lack of posts certainly does not mean I have been idle. I don't think I've been idle in 21 years. Wait, I think I took a nap once. But, except for that, I always seem to be busy. Not that this is an excuse, but after that guest room makeover, I did set up a "She said; He said Design" facebook page. It is so easy to just take a picture and upload it on the spot, right from my phone. (There's not as much grammar and spelling to check doing it that way, either.)
Much has happened since April. X's room got an upgrade... from a room shared by two little boys, to a teenage boy room all his own.
That cool piece of art is a one of a kind. I bought a box of 45s from my favorite online store - the facebook online yardsale page - for $20. I drilled holes in the top and bottom of each, chose a few to spray paint, and assembled them with left over links from a chandelier chain. The top row of links are hung from eye hooks on the bottom of a 1x4 attached to the wall with small L-brackets. The pop of color ties in the red stripe in the comforter and the teal I painted his old dresser. The stripes of the neutral wall colors make it a bit less boring. X seemed to like it, then again, I could probably paint it bright pink and he wouldn't have much to say.
Next, I went after my stairs. A did all the prep work (pulled up the carpet and ALL the staples), and I just had to paint. I bought porch and floor paint for durability and went with Latex because it dried the quickest (2-4 hours to dry). Unfortunately, it has not held up. We do have 3 kids and 3 dogs running up an down those stairs, but still. I expected more. I am thinking I will repaint come July when everyone is at camp and use an enamel (2-4 days to dry). I'll let you know if the enamel passes the test.
I then moved on to my kitchen painting the cabinets and a wall mural. This was prior to my discovery of chalk paint (more on that in the next post). So, I primed and painted the cabinets the old fashioned way. It really didn't take too long. (Yeah, right.) I chose to expose the two cabinets on either side of the window. With my dad's help, we cut the center out of those doors. The plan is to make glass doors using antique bubble glass. For now they are sitting in my guest room, turned sometimes work room. I have to say I love the new cabinet color. It actually has caused me to more than tolerate that tile back-splash I have always hated. I also updated the overhead lighting. And, I LOVE my teal island! Always a place for a pop of color, even in the kitchen.
The inspiration for the mural came from a canvas print I saw at Hobby Lobby. My first thought was "I can paint that!" So, I took a pic and spent my money on something else. Well, instead of just painting it on a canvas I decided to go with the wall. It just makes me happy! I couldn't think of any better use of that space than for some birch trees and three little birds.
In addition to the above, I have repainted my entire downstairs and tackled my first pallet wall project. I also added a few up-cycled pieces of furniture, including my first re-upholstery attempt, I found at the local antique store, Goe Vintage. For one of the tables, I was even able to hash out a barter! Go visit Jonathan. Great guy and very entertaining. It's worth the trip just to chit chat.
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I stopped in and checked on this little find once a week for nearly a month. Finally, he let me have it for $40. I have no idea if that was a good deal or not. I'm just going to tell myself I pulled a fast one on him! The fabric was extra from the new curtains in the family room. I only had to by one yard of the green lattace. I did end up investing in a pneumatic staple gun. (Funny side story - I went into Lowes to check on one. $120! Holy moly! So after discussing my options with the helpful employee, I stood there looking like I was debating my purchase, all the while searching ebay for the exact model he recommended. I found it. Refurbished for $59.99 with free shipping. I bought standing right there in Lowes! Love my smart phone!) I have more than covered that cost with other paid upholstery jobs. So, not including that cost, this beauty only cost about $55 with the piping. I have been told it could easily sell for $140 in a shop. Makes me want a shop!
I bartered for this piece. 2 up-cycled chandeliers for this table and a sheet music wreath. Seeing as how those chandeliers had been hanging in my garage for close to 3 months, I welcomed the exchange. This was my second piece I painted with the chalk paint and then glazed. Since the glass top was MIA, I chose to buy a 1/2 yard of fabric and cover a piece of plywood. It turned out really cute. Total cost: $11 ($3 for the fabric and $8 for the wood. The paint was left over from a paid refinish job.)
This little table caught my eye because it has a hinged top. Until acquiring this piece, we had a red plastic crate sitting next to the piano full of music books. I eyed this one for a couple of weeks. Finally, I gave in, and was able to pick it up for a mere $30. I had pinned a small side table with a wide stripe like this and decided this was the table to try it on. I opted for a light olive green. (Another funny story - I went in to Lowes to get the sample size since I only needed to paint that stripe. They were out of samples. So, the guy offered to make me a quart for the sample price. OK. Not going to argue with that. I wandered around the store getting a couple of other things. I walk back up to the counter, and he informs me they are also out the the quart needed to mix that color. So, he had made me a gallon, for the price of a sample, for $2.98! So, I not only painted that stripe, but my downstairs bathroom as well. For $2.98!) I used the same left over paint and glaze from before. It is now the "music table". Total cost: $33.
Last little cutie from Goe Vintage, this trunk. It was my birthday present from my parents. I bought mounting plates and feet and used the left over paint from the stairs. Total cost: ~$20.
That just about catches you up to speed on what has been happening inside the Ouellette mansion. I have redone the downstairs bath (because I got a gallon of paint for $3!), but I have one re-purposed item I am trying to figure out how to hang on the wall (it's supposed to be a lampshade). Once I figure that out, I will definitely share.
Oh, and did I mention I kind of started my own business! Since posting pictures of that chair on the She said; He said facebook page, I have pretty much had some type of up-cycle job back to back- upholstery, furniture refinishing, kitchen cabinets, even a painting! Does that make me a commissioned artist? And I am loving it! I'll go into all that in the next post, including my new love of chalk paint.
If you haven't found the facebook page yet, click on over and "like" it. There are really cool re-dos posted just about weekly.
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