I just wish I would of bought new barstools
It’s not like we can’t afford new barstools, the problem is, I’m a die hard DIYer. Buy new? Nah. I can make them look great. So she said.
Here they are right before I took them out of the kitchen for my magic makeover {via a bad iPhone picture}
It was going pretty darn good. I took the chairs apart and took out the million nails on the seat
Wiped the frame down, lightly sanded the wood and then started spraying {heirloom white}
But in reality, it was the wrong time of year to start such a project. It was cold and off and on raining. But I kept going. And I must say they were looking very nice. Until the last coat
This is where the nightmare began. They were a hot mess. But I wasn’t going to give up. So back to sanding, and more spraying. I wanted to tone down the white paint, so I wiped a mocha glaze over the stool. This step went well.
Now it was time to reupholster them. I was being oh so careful…but of course, I cut the dang fabric wrong and had to start over. SO this time I knew my cutting mistake right? I was confindent it wouldn’t happen again. WRONG! I cut the fabric once again incorrectly. What the heck? UGH!
How to wallpaper with fabric using starch
Putting fabric on a wall with starch has been around for a long, long time. I used this technique in my kitchen pantry a couple of years ago and I was shocked on how easy it went up and how easy it is to take down {I still have mine up, but I have pulled back a piece to see how hard it would be to take down, and it just peeled right off like butter}
Last weekend I used the fabric with starch on a bigger area at our river house guest bedroom. This time I did a whole wall and I am so pleased on how well it turned out. Of course I didn’t think before I left the house to bring my good camera. Then once I started the process, it dawned on me that some of you might like to know I how I did it, so iPhone pictures is all I got.
This is how the room looked before
But after 6 years of this, I was ready for a change. I wanted to add a more modern look to the room and use a pop of color and a pattern on the headboard wall. I knew wallpaper was too permanent, and the thought of taking it down when I tire of it was not appealing. And so I came up with the idea of using a bold fabric instead of wallpaper as the alternative. This whole concept is great for renters, or a designer like me who is constantly wanting to re-design a room.
Navy blue tufted sofa
Back in October, I decided the sofa in my office had to go. It was pretty with all it’s curves and tone on tone damask, but not comfortable to lounge on. I have had my sights on replacing it with a navy blue tufted sofa for a long time, and I figured it was time to pull the trigger.
This is the only decent picture I could find of my old sofa. It’s from years ago when we first moved in, before I found side table lamps. That’s my daughter’s dog Daisy, she loves lounging on my sofa when she visits.
I spend 80% of my time in my office when I am at home, either on the computer or lounging on the couch watching my shows. I would say it is my “woman cave”.
I had the navy blue tufted sofa custom made, and I added a chaise lounge for you know…lounging. Oh and that tufting? LOVE!. And let me tell you, this sofa rocks my lounging world! It is so darn comfy and soft.
I opted not to do a skirt like I had on my other sofa. Instead, I had them frame the sofa on a wood base and then added brass nail heads. Even though this room has a French feel to it, I wanted to add a more modern look to the sofa. I only used the nail heads on the lower portion of the sofa, so that it wouldn’t be too modern.
Inspiring blogs
Happy New Year! To start off the new year, I thought I would share a couple of projects that I did last year that I didn’t put on my blog. The great thing is that all these projects were inspired from blogs that I read. Not Pinterest, but from actual bloggers who put their heart and soul into showing you how to make things and introduce you to new ideas. To me they are where the true inspiration comes from.
I was inspired by Lucy from Craftberrybush to I make my own version of her sugar cookies for Thanksgiving
Hers of course were much more healthy and prettier, I made mine from a box mix.
Who hasn’t been inspired to paint a wall or door in chalkboard paint from a blog? It was Janelle from House of Fifty back in 2010 who first introduced me to chalkboard walls.
I didn’t get to do a wall like Janelle, but I did do a chalkboard door for my daughter’s room. We already had the old door, I just inserted a thin piece of wood that I sprayed with chalkboard paint.
Ever read the blog Before & After? TONS of inspiring furniture and room makeovers. Plus Lindsay who writes the blog is pretty darn funny in her descriptions of the before and afters
Which inspired me to make a cushion for my daughters settee
$40 Ikea Vittsjo sheliving unit
When I saw this Ikea Vittsjo hack on Ana Antunes blog I was smitten. The high end look she achieved on the shelving unit was genius and then to top it off she is Portuguese! Which made me even more an awe since I am half Portugese. 
It seems to be the new Ikea hack lately. You can’t beat the price, $70. I love that you can really transform the metal and glass unit to fit your own decorating style. Kate from Centsational Girl did hers in white and replaced the glass with wood
For Chic Sake did a single shelving unit in gold but replaced the bottom shelf with a mirror insert. Smart, wish I would of thought of that.
So when I needed something to flank the two sides of my new credenza out at our river house, guess what I did? Yep went and got me two of the Ikea Vittso shelving units and sprayed them gold. I used the single shelving units which are $40 each
I haven’t finished styling them yet but I love how they turned out. I assembled them first and then sprayed them with Design Masters Brillant Gold
I didn’t bring my good camera with me so here is another iPhone blurry picture
And because we all love a good before and after, here is what this area used to look like {I finally got the tv hung, which made a world of difference}
Making an “Antiques” neon sign into an outdoor light fixture
A couple of months ago I bought this LARGE antique neon sign at Architectural Salvage in San Diego.
I was looking for an unconventional item to use as a light fixture over my new outdoor table from Frontgate
This is the plan I came up with to make the transformation
The sign is an old and rusty neon sign that is 8 feet long. The store employee told me it was double sided, and since I couldn’t see the other side being that it was against the wall, I took their word for it. And technically it is, but not exactly. Since the sign is so large and heavy, I wasn’t able to thoroughly check it out until they delivered it a week later. That is when I actually got to give it the good once over. I still loved it, in all it rusty goodness, but the other side looks nothing like the side I saw in the store.
There is a trace of the word “antiques” on the other side, but barely. So I have been hand painting the letters back on the sign.
I wasn’t sure how I was going to make the letters look old and rusty like the other side. I started with the “a” and the “n” and used white acrylic paint, which was probably not the best choice. I lightly sanded the area first but didn’t bother to put on a primer or rust inhibitor before painting. Totally winging it as I went along.
Operation Baby Shower – The Nursery
What is Operation Baby Shower? It is a charity event my friend Linda Millimaki is part of that throws a baby shower for all the couples on our local military base. Linda is the Director of Operation America Cares. They send care packages to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Over 7000 packages have been sent from her home in 3 years. She gives of herself to this charity like no other, she is such an amazing woman! I have seen her house full of care packages and it is astonishing to see the work that goes into getting those packages out. It is such a huge undertaking, but she will tell you that her reward is in the smile it puts on the soldiers faces and the endless thank yous when they get a one of her packages. Truly inspiring.
For me personally, I can not express my gratitude enough for the men and women of this great country who dedicate and sacrifice their lives for our freedom. I asked Linda if I could offer my design services as a donation for the Operation Baby Shower, a little something from me to give back to our military.
The couple that won my services are from Minnesota and are stationed here in Oceanside, the sweetest people you ever met. They are having a baby boy in September, and his name is going to be Noah.
Sprucing up some HomeGoods mirrors
I bought two mirrors at HomeGoods for our river house, for $39 each. I loved the shape of them and I knew the blue would be a perfect match to the room. Well, actually when I got them out there, I realized that they were too perfect of a match {I forgot to bring my camera charger so I had to resort to using my iPhone camera}
See how they just blend into the wall? I decided they needed a pop of color on the frame to really stand out. Since I don’t have a lot of options when I am out at our river house, no craft room or Michaels close by, I have to hunt around to see what I can use. All I could find in my limited stash was some old liquid gold leaf paint that was almost the consistency of syrup. It wasn’t the best medium to paint with, but it did the job
I used tape to mask off the blue area I wanted to keep. Much better right?
Here are both of the mirrors in the room
Look at how much the mirrors stand out now
Even though the paint was hard to work with, I am glad I got it done. Adding the gold made such a difference, and it didn’t cost me anything. Gotta love those kind of projects!
