Better Built-ins

I painted the back of our built-in bookcases, and I can't believe the transformation. It really makes everything pop off that wall.  *sigh*  I love paint.

I'm seeing Red

I bought this glider chair at a thrift store a couple of years before Leo was even born. (I think I paid $40 for it.) I know it's kind of ugly, but I could see its potential.

I envisioned it either red (for a boy) or hot pink (for a girl). Of course, we didn't know Leo's gender until he was born so I wasn't able to paint it beforehand. And having a newborn, well, that didn't give me a lot of time for DIY projects...

So here we are. Leo is now 18 months old, and I have been tweaking his room... trying to transform it from a baby room to a little boy's room.

I finally painted this chair red.  I used my favorite spray paint (it has the best coverage ever), and the color is "apple red".  It never ceases to amaze me how something can be completely transformed with just a coat of paint. Wow.

Now that the chair is a new color I decided to remake the cushions that my mom had made for it. (they were a nice pale green, but I wanted something with more color)  I used this fun fabric I bought at IKEA several years ago. It's such a cheerful fabric, and I love it against the red chair.

I think the new and improved chair looks great with the flags
over Leo's bed. (I made them for his 1st birthday party)

Ding-Dong, the door is done.

I have been wanting to get a new door for some time. I wanted something with a window to let more light into our front room. But all the cool, modern doors that I like cost over a thousand dollars.  Ugh.

And then I found this- a DIY kit for installing glass panels into your door. They specialize in window styles appropriate for matching the style/era of your house. Perfect!  I found this one, that is just right for our little 1962 Ranch. I love it!

Was it scary to cut three huge holes into my front door. YES!  But it turned out great. I love the way it transforms the front of the house.

I just removed the storm door too.  I still need to patch and paint all the trim. I'll post another photo once I get that finished up...

Here's what those 3 big holes looked like:

Lest we forget, let's take a look at how this entry started out.  The country blue color is now gone. I switched the black carriage-style light for something cooler. I took down the ceramic tile address numbers (with the golf motif), and painted over the blue flowers on the mailbox.  And of course, now the door has windows.  What do you think?

Octagon

I bought this cool octagon coffee table at ReStore for $20. The top was very scratched up, but I thought it had a lot of potential.    

I sanded down the top of it, which took a while.

And the finish was very thick, so I went through a lot of sandpaper.

I finally finished the sanding, which allowed the beautiful grain of the wood

to really show through.  Then I applied some clear polyurethane. 

Here it is, with the finished top.  I have plans to paint the bottom part of the table, but I haven't decided what color.  Teal?  Lime green?  I've also thought about gold leafing it, so you can really see the detailing around the cut outs.  It has a cool Moroccan vibe, which works with my basement decor.

Guest Room

Here's our guest room, which I finished a few months ago so that we could entice our friends and family to visit us here in DC. 

I tried to find a 'before' photo, but I guess I didn't take any. This room was a bright yellow before, and the moldings were a dark wood color. I painted everything white, with the accent wall a deep plum color.

I've always wanted to use this color in a bedroom, but wasn't sure if Jack would go for it. (That's the great thing about guest rooms, you can go BOLD because you don't have to live with it everyday.)



Wonderful in White

I saw this huge dresser at ReStore a few weeks ago, and loved the shape of the hardware, and the great detail on the drawers. I knew it would look fantastic painted white. It was marked at $100, which I would never pay for a project like this. Then I saw the sign that said all furniture was 50% off. Sweet.  But $50 still seemed steep. I left the store without it, but thought about it for the next two weeks. I finally went back to the store, hoping it was still there, and it was!  I was thrilled. And it was now marked at $40! Sweet.
I went to check out, and guess what?  They were still offering the 50% off deal!  I got this thing for 20 bucks!  I was stoked.
I know it looked pretty ugly, and my husband thought I was nuts. But look at the transformation!  It's amazing what a little paint can do. 

Rock-a-bye-baby

Everyone loves a good rocker. But the problem with most of them is that they're just so... ugly. I couldn't bring myself to getting one of those brown monoliths which would take up half my room and be a real eye sore.

But...I really wanted one to put in the baby room. I mean, Leo is past that stage, but I knew that I needed to get one before baby #2 comes along. (It would be so great for those sleepless nights the first few months!) 

 So I've been hunting for one I could get cheap, and recover. Sadly, the thrift stores here in the DC area are really lacking in the furniture department. But then I visited 'ReStore'... which is a great thrift store owned by Habitat for Humanity. That's where I found this lovely little gem for just 20 bucks. Sweet!  Don't you just love that 'Dusty Rose' color? (If you were alive in the 80s, you will remember it well)

I knew that I didn't have the upholstery skills to recover this thing for real, so I opted for a fitted slipcover that I sewed together then stapled down over the original fabric. I simply measured each section of the chair, cut out rectangles of fabric in those sizes, then pin-fit it all together. It was actually pretty easy, and took me about a day to do. 
It's super comfy, and I love the new cover, which is made from a silvery/gray corduroy.