You've got a hold on me

Hi.  I’m Katie and I’m addicted to pinterest….and painting….and decorating…and chocolate…and all things Christmas….and…wait, what was this post about?  Oh yeah, pinterest.  Have I mentioned I love it?  Well on one of my recent binges I spied a front door that had me at “hello.” I know what you’re thinking…didn’t she just paint her front doors and mailbox yellow?  Why yes, yes I did.  It was a year ago.  Sure, that's long enough to wait before repainting, right? I’ll admit, I change paint colors in my home as often as most women change nail polish, hair color, pocket books…yes, we all have our own guilty pleasures, don’t we?   So without further ado, here is a “before” picture of our front doors and mailbox:

And here are a few snaps now, with Benjamin Moore’s “Wythe blue” 

Swoon. I might be in love.  Have you been on any pinterest binges lately?  Did you get inspired to make any changes in your home?  I’d love to hear what you’re doing!  Let’s chat.  

Tufted Table and ebay

Hello! I hope you enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday. I’ve been a busy bee over here the last few weeks…and the “awkward entry” is coming right along. The first project I’m going to share is the coffee table makeover. Anyone with kids will probably agree, coffee tables and corners are big “no-no’s” when you have toddling heads….a perfect excuse opportunity for me to give “tufting” a try.
  


Here is the coffee table before the makeover:

And here it is now:





If you'd like to give this a try, here are the tools you’ll need:

1. Drill
2. Button kit
3. Yarn
4. Long needle
5. Duct tape
6. Fabric
7. Batting, foam, or just an old puff you have laying around (which is what I used!)
8. Staple gun
9. Paint (optional)

 

 

First, choose where you want the buttons to go to make each tuft. For this project I decided to make five buttons and evenly spaced them out.  I marked an “x” with pencil on the top of the table, then had my hubby drill each hole. (If you’re going to paint your piece, now would be a good time to do it).  I decided to paint the base white and give it a tone on tone look with a soft gray (Behr's silver screen left over from the painted wallpaper project)on the drawers.

 

 

 

Now place your stuffing (I used an old blanket that my Grammy thrifted—thanks GiGi!) over the table and cut it so it doesn’t overhang.

Find where the holes are under the stuffing and cut holes through the blanket/stuffing/foam whathaveyou. I cut five long pieces of yarn and tied knots through the holes to easily find them when putting the buttons on through the fabric.

 

Now, take your button kit, cut out circles of fabric and follow the instructions on the kit to make each button...like so:

 

Cut a long piece of yarn, and thread it with a long needle through the button, top of the fabric, batting, and all the way down through the hole. (I used yarn that I already had, but you can buy specific tufting thread if you prefer.) Now, tie a knot, and I used duct tape to secure the yarn under the table. You will want to tie the other buttons to this later. Repeat this step until you’ve got all of your buttons secure. 

 

Now take your staple gun and staple the fabric all around the table. I used a little pillow stuffing around the edges and corners just to be extra careful. (I’ve passed a klutzy gene on to my daughter and probably my son too). 

 

I wanted to give this table a little glitz so I shopped around for glass knobs. I quickly discovered that they aren’t cheap, and I really wanted to keep cost down on this remake. So, when I stumbled upon a batch of 10 for $8.99 on ebay I was sold. I'd never purchased anything on ebay before, but boy would I do it again in a heartbeat!  What a great experience!  It was one of those “buy it now” options with free shipping to boot!  10 days or so later they arrived on my doorstep...and they were totally worth the wait! I love them. They add just a touch of sparkle:

I’m in love. I hope this post inspires you to give an old piece of furniture new life somehow…and if it does, I’d love to hear what you’re doing! As for now, I’m off to make cookies with my little goobers…’tis the season! Check back in to see what else got a makeover in the awkward space!

Dear Stephanie

Yes, it’s odd to name a piece of furniture, unless you work for Ikea I suppose.  But, as I was ripping into one of the wingback chairs, a small tag fell out of the tattered batting.   It read, "Stephanie." Well Stephanie, if you’re out there, (if that’s really your name …if you’re even female…I digress) you did one heck of a job putting this wingback together.  There must have been over a thousand staples holding the upholstery on.  I may have cursed you a few times as I slipped up with the needle nose pliers and cut my hand.  Sorry.  Anyway, I’ve decided to name the chair after you.  Consider it a tribute to all of the hard work you put into this chair back in her day...which...by the looks of these before pictures, was way, way back.  Here is “Stephanie” when I first brought her home from the lovely land of craigslist:

And here she is now, outfit with sparkling white duck cloth and snazzy gilded nail head trim:

 

 

 

 

 

Let me be the first to say, I am not a professional, not even close.  I really winged it on this, (no pun intended) and yes – it does show, but I don’t care.  It’s…perfectly imperfect let’s just say.  Some might even call it “shabby chic.” More shabby than chic, but who’s counting.   I litterally took it piece by piece, guessing as I went along.  I plan to take better "during" pictures when I do the second chair (this one was the proverbial guinnea pig)  so look forward to a DIY tutorial coming soon.   As for now...lookin' good Steph.  You almost killed me a few times, but I survived and am ready for round two.  Bring it.   

Making (a "yiddle") Progress

I blame the hurricane as I find myself talking like my 2 year old this week.  Amazing how much we rely on power with little ones.   Just as we thought we had made it through the storm unscathed– out went the lights…and off went the monitors and sound makers…annnd yep, cue baby crying.  Ah yes, it quickly became a long night for all of us.  Thankfully though, a little sleep deprivation was all that we suffered, and our thoughts and prayers go out to those who were not so lucky.

Slowly, I made a little (or as my 2 year old would say, “yiddle”) progress in the “odd” room this week:

I think a little bit of paint can bring the random pieces some unity.  I haven’t decided if I want to go all white or mix things up a bit and do tone on tone like I did in the adjacent living room.  As I contemplate…remember these guys? 

 

    

Finally decided to get started on them. I know, it’s about time! Here’s what one looks like after a few hours of ripping, tearing, pulling, sweating:

 

Kinda looks like a cat got caught up in it…but I keep telling myself, it can only get better...stay tuned!

 

Awkward Inspiration

As I slowly make progress on the “awkward entry” as I’m referring to it…I thought I’d share with you some of my inspiration:

(Better Homes And Gardens)

I pinned this photo on pinterest months ago.  It is similar to our space in that they have a breakfast bar open to another area which, in this photo, they made into a living room.  I love how the sofa, the tufted coffee table, and the soft color scheme make this space so cozy and inviting.   Well, since an office space and dining area didn’t seem to work out in here…why not try and give it new life as a living room?  I’ll certainly give it a try anyway! 

An Odd Space

Hi There! I hope you had a nice weekend and are enjoying the lovely fall weather as much as I am. We’re expecting family this weekend so I’ve been doing my usual feathering of the nest. Funny how the small projects left on the backburner suddenly jump out and scream for attention when company is coming. First on the chopping block is the entryway, a.k.a. dumping ground. This room has always been troublesome. First off, it’s oddly shaped. It has one diagonal wall where the garage is attached which makes furniture placement quite the challenge. It also has 4 doors/entryways, so it needs to be set up in a way that allows for good “flow” from room to room. Third, it has two baseboard heating units on the two walls, thus a 4 to 5 inch gap is made if furniture is pushed up against it. Lastly, there is a breakfast bar/half wall that divides this space from the kitchen. Like I said, it’s odd. Since we’ve lived here, it’s also worn many “hats.” It was at first, an open empty space. Then it was an office space, and then a dining area…none has really fit the bill. If you have a space like this at home, and have found a good solution, I’m all ears! In the meantime, I’ve got my work cut out for me. This is what the room looked like just yesterday:



Here’s hoping that I will get it in ship shape by the end of the week! Thanks for stopping in...

Furniture Switcheroo

Ahh, finally…Friday night, kids are asleep, cup ‘o tea in hand. Thought I’d pop in and share a quick little update I made to the living room before calling it a day. I’ve wanted to put something up against the picture gallery wall to help balance out the room a bit…let me show you what I mean:

It's missing something right? Something to anchor it down…So, I decided to take the table and stool set that I’d painted for our dining room and give it a new home in the living room:

For now it fits the bill, or at least until I come across a real buffet.  Do you move furniture from room to room, repurposing it and giving it new life too?  I'd love to hear what you're doing...OK I'm off to put these tired feet up...and do a little pinterest surfing...Happy weekend!