I FINALLY Have a Foyer!

Since the moment we moved in I knew that our foyer/entryway would be a challenge. We didn't have a true entryway in our condo in Waco so I had zero furniture...thus began "the search". I have been actively searching for an entry table since August. I have been to every second hand shop, good-will, and Salvation Army in my area. After going to all of these stores I decided that the Salvation Army was going to be my best bet. The Salvation Army here is HUGE, I've never seen anything like it. They also get new inventory constantly. After going about a MILLION times (I am literally not exaggerating...I've been SO MANY TIMES) I found what I had been looking for. All of you know when you've been looking for "that" piece of furniture there is a moment when you know you've finally found it. I had that moment on Monday. The Hubster and I weren't even going to look that day...I was tired and just knew we would walk away empty handed once again. However, I saw this beauty the moment I walked in...

It was the cheapest entry table I had seen at $62. Not to mention it was EXACTLY what I had been looking for! I was sold!

And here it is in it's new home :-)

Our foyer is finally inviting and it is SO NICE that it isn't empty anymore! :-)

I also hung our key holder and mail "slot" by the front door!

This is in the corner at the bottom of the stairs across from the table. I found the shelf/iron work piece at the Plow and Hearth outlet for $19.99!!! Yes, that's right!!! I was thrilled! It still needs to be decorated and I'm going to hang pictures on either side of it. It's a work in progress :-)

All in all I'm very happy and this little entry way is proof that you CAN find the perfect piece of furniture if you wait long enough. The best part is...I was planning on having to strip/sand/stain or paint whatever I bought (since I wasn't buying brand new) but I don't have to now! I LOVE the wood color and there's literally one scratch on the whole darn thing...that the lamp covered up!

Now I'm not totally thrilled with the whole arrangement but it works for now. Other than the wall art and the lamp everything else on the table is "fall home decor"! HA! But I didn't spend a dime decorating this table...I just shopped the house for what I had, which is currently a TON of extra fall decorations! I also don't love the wall letters...that will be changed at some point. But everything works for now and I have bigger things to worry about ;-)...so it'll be a slow work in progress!

 

Productive Procrastination

I literally have one million and one things to do before tomorrow at noon when friends are showing up at my house. So what do I decide to do? A project that has NOTHING to do with anything for tomorrow! I went to the Salvation Army today on my endless quest for an entry table, but yet again walked away empty handed...kind of. I ended up getting some cute little candlesticks that will be PERFECT in EC's nursery on her shelf, all they need is a touch of spray paint and they'll be good to go. Yes...ANOTHER nursery project..but it should take all of 5 seconds! Anyways, I also grabbed a $5 tray that was sturdy, very festive, well made, and I had no idea what I was going to do with it. When I got home I saw a pile of scrap scrapbook paper and decided to see what I could come up with. 

Not too shabby...I think it'll be pretty darn cute in my kitchen or on my coffee table!

So to add to my procrastination I am now blogging about this project...I should really go clean up the mess I created  ;-)

Happy Fall Y'all!

What a welcome change in the weather! Right now it's in the 50's outside and I am LOVING IT!!! Saturday I spent the morning cleaning and decorating the house before our friends came over and we went apple picking! I got out my fall decor that was in storage containers in the garage and got to work. I had a few fall decorations up before but now I feel like our house really feels like it's fall outside! I also love making our house smell like fall! One of my favorite ways to do that (besides lighting a candle or turning on my scentsy) is to boil cinnamon, cloves, and a dash of vanilla on the stove. If you've never done that YOU NEED TO! It smells amazing and I always have people ask what the amazing smell is :-)

To do this I just fill up a pot with water, add in some whole cloves, break up one or two cinnamon sticks, and add in a little bit of vanilla. Then set your burner on low and enjoy!

It does boil down over several hours though, so make sure to watch it! If it boils all the way down you get a yucky burned smell, which is no fun.

My kitchen now has some fun pumpkins and fall picture frames!

Do you remember these candlesticks?

Well now after getting a coat of spray paint....

they are on top of my fridge holding up my "BOO" pumpkins! So now the fridge is festive too!

Football on the TV and fall decorations out :-)

Our side table with a picture of the Hubster and I at Thanksgiving two years ago...it's one of my favorites!

Here's a hodgepodge collage of the rest of my fall decor! :-)

Fall is hands down my favorite season...how can you not LOVE fall?! Great weather, fun candy, warm decorations, wonderful smells, and great food! This weekend the Hubster and I went apple picking with friends (post to come on that soon!) and I now have a half of a bushel of apples to bake with! I am already going to make apple pie, an apple braid, and homemade applesauce! Nothing says fall more than apples and cinnamon!

Happy Fall Y'all!

Linked Up With: My Romantic Home

Fun Fall Craft

A while back I found this cute idea on pinterest and just knew I had to make one for my house, and I had the perfect spot in my kitchen!!!

{VIA}

Here's my version! It was super easy! First I painted the inside and outside of the letters with black paint, then traced the letters with scrapbook paper and applied with Mod Podge and lastly added the ribbon and fun bow! Then I just hung it up in my kitchen! :-)

I LOVE it! :-) It adds another cute element to my little fall corner in my kitchen!

I know I've said this before but....

What did we do before PINTEREST?!

From Striped and Yellow to Calm and Mellow

Words cannot describe just how busy the week before spring break is in 1st grade! I was full teaching in my classroom and there was SO MUCH that needed to be done before Friday, PLUS I had to attend the job fair at Baylor on Tuesday! Whew...I feel like I just got done running a marathon! Due to the crazy week I had I didn't make ANY progress on my many projects! So I've decided to share my bathroom remodel that was completed this past summer! This was the first big project that the future hubster and I worked on together, he was such a trooper! Here are a few before pictures of the bathroom!

{BEFORE}

Ya'll all know that I LOVE yellow...BUT this wallpaper made the room have a very yellow glow...and it was peeling off in several places. Time to intervene!!!

{BEFORE}

Yes...that is a PLAIN white shower curtain...as in the one that's supposed to be BEHIND the real one...very classy ;-)

Here's the Future Hubster mid-wallpaper teardown...it was a painstaking process as those of you who have removed wallpaper know! Once he had the wallpaper removed Future Hubster went above and beyond and textured the walls! He is so talented! We painted the walls a light blue, I'm not sure of the exact color but I still have it if anyone loves it and wants to know the name of the color!

{AFTER}

The textured wall, he did such a great job! I think I found a keeper, ya'll!

{AFTER}

The new shelf that we hung, along with the "Relax" wall hanging! And the wall isn't that much of an electric blue! It just looks that way in the picture.

{AFTER}

Sink area with a new lamp!

{AFTER}

Yes folks..that's a REAL shower curtain! :-)

Well that's all folks, thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed my bathroom remodel as much as I do! I'm glad to be back in the blogging world...after being gone for almost a week there's a lot I have to talk about, and a lot of blogs I have to catch up on!

"Praise him for his acts of power, praise him for his surpassing greatness." Psalm 150:2

From Trash to Treasure

Today I'm linking up with Kelly's blog, Kelly's Korner, to share what I make. I'm also linking up to Funky Junk, My Romantic Home, and The Shabby Nest! :-)

Although fixing up furniture doesn't technically count as "making" something, I feel that I transform the furniture into a brand new piece each time I restore or fix it! I'm still a newcomer in the furniture restoration business, so I'm going to share the projects I have completed so far. I am going to start with the first piece of furniture I ever fixed up! I wanted a new headboard, and after much research I found this beauty for $40. I knew that I wanted it to be white, and this old brass headboard was the perfect candidate!

{BEFORE}

{AFTER}

I painted it outside, and had to use my planters to hold down the tarp..it was really windy that day!

Here the headboard is in the bedroom. I just love the way it fits! And with this picture I will introduce my next "rescue" project! I don't know if I've talked about my love for Craigslist before...but I LOVE CRAIGSLIST! My favorite pieces of furniture have come from Craigslist. I had been looking for nightstands FOREVER, when one day I was on Craigslist in my favorite section, Antiques, and I saw these beauties...$30 for both, such a steal!

{BEFORE}

Here they are before I gave them a little TLC, can't you see the potential there?

{AFTER}

All these night stands needed was a little bit of sanding and some wood rejuvinating oil.

 

This is the kind I use, WATCO rejuvenating oil, if you fix up furniture at all I highly recommend it!

Another one of my little projects that I am proud of is an unfinished bookshelf that I stained and finished! I sadly don't have a true before picture because it slipped my mind! Here it is mid-staining!

{BEFORE}

I stained it with Minwax Red Oak, before the wood was VERY light...completly unfinished. Here it is after the second coat of stain and with the lining on the backs of the shelves!

{AFTER}

To line the back of this bookshelf I simply got scrapbook paper and used Modge Podge to apply and seal it! It wasn't as easy as it sounds, I had to use several pieces of scrapbook paper and match up all of the vertical lines. It was quite the process, but I love the end result! Here it is in my bedroom.

I love how it turned out! It's just the perfect size!

This next project was a random Goodwill find. Future Hubster and I were running errands and I saw this sitting outside and just had to go look. It turns out it was only $9! Which I think is a great deal for an ANTIQUE Sears & Roebuck sewing machine cabinet! It didn't include the actual sewing machine, but I was fine with that...I had other plans for it :-)

{BEFORE}

{AFTER}

Here it is in it's current location...as a vanity table in my bedroom!

It's just so cute in the corner of my room! :-)

One of the projects that I am the most proud of is the transformation of my kitchen table and chairs.

 I've already done a blog about them...that story can be found HERE!

Here are a few of my non-furniture projects that I've worked on. The first is a cute little frame that I made myself!

For this I used a frame I already had and backed it with scrapbook paper and then added a "Keep Calm and Carry On" image I got from The Graphics Fairy. If you haven't visited her blog yet...YOU SHOULD!!! :-)

I love chalkboard paint and haven't had enough places to use it...but I did create a cute little chalkboard from an ugly rooster hanging.

I've already blogged about it and you can view the transformation HERE!

I hope you enjoyed looking at a few of my transformations! I love fixing furniture and my obsession has only grown since I started. I'm currently working on several projects that I can't wait to share. I posted a sneek peek of an antique High Back chair I'm working on...you can read about that HERE. I also have an antique vanity and highboy dresser I will be working on soon! I hope you'll keep up with my progress and share any tips or tricks you've learned! Thanks for stopping by!

"All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." Proverbs 14:23

Sneek Peek...

This is just a little sneek peek at my newest project! Now remember, I said "sneak peek" therefore no pictures of the whole chair!

Don't you just LOVE the orange velour seat?! ;-) I bought this little beauty at the flea market a couple of weeks ago. I think..no I KNOW the Future Hubster thought I was insane for wanting this chair, but he was a trooper and carried it all the way back to the car for me! I could see beyond the hideous orange velour seat, chips and cracks. The best part....it was only $5!

Yes, that's right.....$5! The man at the flea market had it listed at $59.00 originally, then $14.50..but I got it for $5!

I just love the detail and coloring!

The back of this chair is to die for, it's just so elegant.

Can you tell a girl was working on this project? ;-) There are some places on the back of the chair that needed to be bonded together again, so I got out the trusty wood glue! Gotta love the pink clips to help hold wood glue together!

I went into the fabric store looking for toile, and I came out with this lovely. I am in LOVE with the boldness of this pattern, I think that I am going to like having this in one spot. It's beautiful and I feel like it will fit in nicely in my future kitchen or living room :-) I am obviously in love with blues and yellows, they just jump out at me! I hope you enjoyed the teaser! I should be finishing up the project soon, I just need to recover the chair and it will be done. I am so excited to show you the final product :-) Have a great week everyone!

"Let love and faithfulness never leave you, bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart" Proverbs 3:3

A Rooster & Some Chalkboard Paint

Today I'm linking my post to Funky Junk Interiors "Saturday Night Special"! I am going to share a fun little project that I did last May! My parents had a huge garage sale, but before my mom put everything out for sale I got to look through the goods! I instantly saw this lovely rooster hanging....

Special, right?! I have to say, I know some people LOVE their roosters...they're just not my favorite bird :-) But I had plans for this little beauty! I love the iron detailing on the top.

All it took was a little Chalkboard spraypaint....one of the greatest inventions ever! :-) And voilà, you get this...

How fun is this little chalkboard?! :-) I love it!!!

I have this hanging in my dining room now!

Today I linked up with Kelly's Korner again to talk about my alma mater, Baylor University, you can view this post HERE! It was great to connect with current students and alumni! I am just so thankful for all of the people I've met through this wonderful little blog community! :-)

"But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in." Psalm: 5:11