Finished Projects

There is nothing like finishing a project.  Sometimes I just drag my feet on things and I'll have things sitting around for weeks before I get to it.  That's how the guest bedroom has been lately.  I have just been procrastinating.  I found this headboard at the thrift store and liked the detail on it.  Even though it is not in great shape.

 

The room is obviously still a work in progress, but I think it turned out pretty well.  Although I'm already wishing I had gone for an upholstered headboard.  Maybe after I get the rest of the room done.

And the new starburst mirror.  I've had the idea forever, and I finally got it done.  The starburst part is made from wooden skewers and the frame is a cross stitch frame.

 Now if we could just get that crown molding up!

Dream House Hunting

I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but last week I started looking at houses again.  We almost have our house finished, and I'm kinda getting that itch to look for something new.  I just get antsy every so often and like to look.  Erin didn't even acknowledge me when I told her I had been up late the night before looking at houses online. 
Since a new house is definitely not in the cards.  I can at least dream right?  Most people would think I'm nuts for this, but I would love for my next house to be a historic fixer upper.  I love the Save This Old House articles in This Old House.  Old houses have so much more character and charm to me.  A lot of attention was paid to every little detail.  They just don't make them like they used to!

It all started with the Ouerbacker Mansion

 

It's a little creepy now, but it would be gorgeous restored.  It would be perfect for my dream bed and breakfast.  You can find more pictures of it here.  Unfortunately despite the fact that it is FREE; it would be ridiculous to fix up.  .

This one is pretty too and is in livable condition (always a plus!).  Maybe a little frou frou for me though.



More photos here

I looooove this one; it might be my new favorite.  It just has a lot of character.  It reminds me a little of the house in Pippi Longstocking.


Check out the doors and details.

 More here

I really like this one too, the Weaver Mansion.  Although ghosts  might be enough to deter me.  That gives me the heebie jeebs just thinking about it.  I'm the type that changes the channel when scary movie previews come on.  I don't think I'll be moving to a home that is rumored to have ghosts.  I don't really believe in them, but I'm not going to take any chances either!

Trimmed Out Picture Frames

I've been a major slacker this week.  Some weeks it just feels like everything happens all at once and life just gets crazy busy.  That was this week, so I've been zoning out on the couch pretty much as soon as I get home and that's about it.  Needless to say, I have no major projects to share.  Honestly, I feel like it will be quite an accomplishment just to make it to Friday!

I did work on frames for the extra bedroom though.  I couldn't find the exact right size frame.  I thought about using a canvas frame of one of the kits to make your own frame, but they wouldn't have glass.  So in the end, I just bought two of these poster frames.

Nice, huh?  I had planned to leave the frame as is and just paint it silver.  I spray painted both of them and it looked to flat, so then I silver leafed them which didn't work either.   Sometimes I love the look of leaf, but sometimes it just looks so wrong.  These poor frames looked like they were wrapped in Hershey Kiss foil.  Not so much what I'm going for. 

I was stumped, so I threw them out in the garage for a few weeks while I looked for new frames.  Then Erin and I went on a mini Lowe's shopping spree (we should buy stock in Lowe's) and I convinced her to buy me some rope wood trim I've had my eye on for a while. 

I made a frame out of the trim and stained it.  I seriously love the way it turned out.  You can see the silver peeking out a little bit and I like how the wood trim warms up the print and the wall a little bit.

 

 

 

 

The love of my life...Duncan

I have never told you about my love before... Duncan.  He is perfect traditional and modern, chiseled.  Oh how I love him


He can be traditional

or modern

 

Either way I love this style couch.  My favoritest thing ever is refurbished, reimagined antiques a la Ruthie Sommers and Jamie Mears.  So you can imagine my excitement when I found one a couple years ago at Salvation Army.  It was not so cute at the time with it's nasty floral fabric and tag that said "Grandma's couch." 

I loved that couch and went to visit it frequently, but I decided I didn't need to spend the money on it.
That is until I went for my weekly and it wasn't there.  Of course then I had to have it, you don't know whatcha got until it's gone.  I asked the sales person about it and they said they moved it to another store. 

I called every Salvation Army in the area {they all thought I was nuts} and tracked him down.  I was going to Nicaragua the next day and couldn't get it.  Apparently realizing my desperation, they agreed to hold it for me.  My sweet Mama went to pick it up all by herself and had to load it with the elderly man that works there.  She then drove 30 miles an hour the whole way back just to get it to me.  That's love.

That was a long story to just to say I've got my very own Duncan. 

Somehow all of my before pictures have disappeared.  You can at least see the icky paisley-ish fabric.  You just can't tell how dirty and lumpy it is!

I just love the details

Gallery Walls 2.0

I think I somehow deleted my last post.  That is assuming I haven't lost my mind and did actually write it!?  Any way a quick summary.

Printing on burlap does work and is soooo easy.  I used spray adhesive to attach the burlap to a regular piece of printer paper.  The burlap should be slightly smaller than the paper and just run ti through like normal.  Erin was pretty impressed when she got home, but she also let me know pretty quickly not to make it a habit (she secretly loves my projects).

I printed a little doodle on burlp to frame in our gallery wall for now.  Mainly because I still don't really know how to use Photoshop!.

 I'm still loving our gallery wall.  It's a nice homey touch and I'm glad I decided to go for the more eclectic look.  It's definitely more my style.

We'll keep adding to it over time as we collect new pieces and memories.

Here's Erin's cross gallery again.  I like having them all hung together and added bonus we don't have one sitting on every flat surface in the house!

Printing on Burlap

Apparently I'm a little late to the party, but did you know you can print on burlap with a regular printer?  I think these are so cute and it sounds super simple.

via Domestically Speaking

via The Poor Sophisticate

 

I'm dying to try this.  I'm working on a gallery wall and need something graphic/text-y to go on it.  Has any one tried it and is it really as easy as it looks?  I really don't want to buy Erin a new printer if it doesn't work!

Credenza Afters

Did you watch the Super Bowl last night?  I have to admit I was really pushing watching Downton Abbey instead.  It's my new obsession.  I literally watched all the first and second season this past week while I worked on the credenza.  Erin decided to have a last minute super bowl party and wanted to have it done before the party.  Which meant working non stop on the credenza.  We cut it so close; I literally woke up early Sunday morning and put one last coat of poly on it before church and just prayed it would be dry by game time.

It's still not quite done, but it at least made it in the house.

I ordered drawer pulls and handles for the door off Ebay and it definitely needs to be re-styled.  After I finish a project I always immediately start thinking of things I would do differently, but overall I'm happy with it.  It definitely fills the wall space much better.