Reupholstering the ottoman

I'm taking a brief hiatus from holiday postings to bring you a project I've been working on. I don't know if you remember, but back in November, when revealing my new family room, I hinted of a project coming soon. Well, this is it! I reupholstered the ottoman in the family room! I found a great ikat pattern at JoAnn's. I love how the trendiness of ikat keeps the space fresh, yet the colors of it still lends itself to the lodgy chalet I am going for in there.

Here's a shot of the ottoman before... 

And here's a look after...

I just flipped this guy over and attacked it with my staple gun. Haha, I mean I carefully folded and stretched 

the fabric over the edges and stapled it to the bottom of the cushion. Since I cheated and didn't take the legs

 off, I created a bias tape with the left over fabric and finished the legs off.

easy peasy!

hehe, yes, that's Nate on TV. I just love him :)

Shared on Blue Cricket Design & Someday Crafts

Bedroom Dresser REVEAL!

I'm back! Finally, after dealing with the theft and subsequent insurance claim of my DSLR, I have a replacement! We decided to take the opportunity and upgrade to the Nikon D7000 since my old D90 is about to be discontinued anyway. It was a major upgrade for me, this camera has mad skillz! Anyway, I am finally back in business and I'm dying to show you my bedroom dresser reveal!!

Who doesn't love a before and after?

So, here is the dresser BEFORE...

And here it is AFTER...

I painted it "Jazz Club" blue from the allen+roth collection.

I love being in my bedroom now. It is a much better reflection of me now. If you if you are new to FMA, or would like a refresher on the progress of my Master Bedroom you can see it in it's original state here, an accessory update here, and the painting process of the dresser as well as my inspiration photos and hardware information here.

It has come a long way, huh? I love taking risks and playing with color. I couldn't go wrong in this case. I am so happy with it. So much more sophisticated now. As with every other room in this house, I am not done yet. I still need to find 3 pieces of art for some of those frames and I also need another piece of art on the wall near the bed. Those things take time in finding the perfect piece, and most of the fun is in the search anyway.

Soooo, what do you think?

I linked this up at some wonderful link parties over at Domestically Speaking, Blue Cricket Design, Funky Junk Interiors, and Tatertots and Jello!

Progress Report: Bedroom dresser

Well hello there friends! Sorry I have been rather absent lately. This month seems to be disappearing faster than even last month did! We have been busy soaking up every last drop of Alaska's summer. Even though we seem to have been camping and fishing every weekend, I have still made progress on my bedroom dresser project, and I have made a decision! We all know that is 90% of the battle! The dresser will be (now picture Jim Carrey in Liar Liar here)......rooooooooyal blue!  

More specifically I picked out allen + roth's jazz club blue in Valspar from Lowe's. I am pairing it with some awesome burnished brass hardware that, get this, was on CLEARANCE! I paid 49 cents for the knobs and $1.19 for the pulls! Woot, woot!

And finally, I am going to let it shine with a protective coat of glossy polycrylic.

I came to this color choice after some of this inspiration....

House & Home, August 2011

House & Home, August 2011

House & Home, September 2011

And then I want to accessorize in the bedroom with these eclectic, curated looks...

House & Home, June 2011

House & Home, September 2011

So this is what my dresser looks like after I've sanded down its current black state...

And hopefully after a couple coats of this...

And with some accessorizing, hopefully it will look a bit like this...

Can you see my vision for the room now? Wish me luck!

I'm itching to be back here with a before and after reveal!

Painting patio and firepit furniture + outdoor cushions on a budget

Summer is here and it is time to enjoy the out of doors! We are working with a small backyard in our new house here in Alaska. We already have patio furniture but it is tired, rusty, and even has chipping paint is some places. While we have a seating around the firepit, it doesn't match our patio table and chairs. Our old yard was a big enough space that you didn't notice it but now that we have much smaller quarters it stuck out like a sore thumb.

My solution?

Spray paint, ofcourse!

Read on for the full story and before-and-after photos...

Monogram Letter Displays and a Craigslist Treasure

I have been on the hunt for a dining room hutch or sideboard for a couple years now. After years of scouring catalogs, trolling furniture stores, and combing Craigslist I finally found it!! And you wont believe what I paid for it... really! Well, now that I have it I needed some display art for the top. If you haven't guessed by now, I my newest obsession is decorating with monograms. I love it! Read on to find out about my good deal and how to make some lettered display art for yourself!

{DIY} Craigslist TV Stand to Custom Mudroom

Hotel living is starting to wear on me. While there are many nice things associated to not having to maintain a home, I miss having a home, and I really miss having a childproofed home! Anyway, while I wait for moving day I am keeping myself busy by planning for my new home. Read on for my latest big idea...

Table Makeover with Stories of a House {guest post}

This is the last post from my guest blogger line up. I hope you have enjoyed all the lovely ladies who have been filling in for me during my move to Alaska, and maybe you've discovered some new friends along the way! Today, we have a table makeover from Christa at Stories of a House. Christa's blog is fillled with fun and inspiring home projects. I was so thrilled when I discovered Christa and I both built the same exact laundry riser! Let's she what she's working on today!

Antique Table Refinish

This past summer I bought an antique table for my breakfast nook. It had been painted a light cream color. I knew I would have to refinish and reupholster it to make it what I wanted. After months of waiting, I finally did it! Read on for the before and after and to see how I did it...

A Goodwill Goldmine!

Quite often I can come home from thrifting with just one or two small treasures or even empty handed. The experienced thrifty knows that patience is a virtue, persistence is key, and that tomorrow is another day- another truckload. But yesterday was not one of those days! I walked into Goodwill and felt like I walked into a goldmine! Read on to see my treasures...


My first find of the day were these mint-condition microfiber chairs...

Yep, you read the tag right! $39.99 a piece, with another 20% off furniture sale! I had just walked in the door but I literally raced to find a salesperson so I could claim them! By the time the salesperson and I had returned to the chairs to finish filling out the sales slip there was already a crowd around them. Sorry people, today the luck was mine!


After I shooed the disappointed thrifters off my chairs, I wandered the store a bit more and came across this copper lantern...

Isn't it pretty? I love it and I knew it would go perfectly with my decor. I have drooled over similar lanterns in home decor mags for years now. 


My last thrifty find is this adorable pear lamp. It's so gorgeous! It just might be my favorite... 

Don't you just love when the stars align and you are blessed with such thrifty luck? These finds were like striking gold for me! I find some awesome deals but nothing like this! Have you ever had such a lucky strike? What are your most treasured thrifty finds?

6 simple steps to transform a sofa table

I designed my dining room as an homage to my love of the Southwest. I love the bright colors of cactus blooms, sun drenched peppers, and glazed pottery that pop when paired with the muted tones of the desert, adobes, clay pots, etc. We used to live in and visit Arizona and New Mexico, however, I live in the Northwest now so I wanted to be reminded of the Southwest but not punched in the face with it by using too much themed decor. I choose elements that when put in the Southwest would be authentic, but here in the Northwest might be subtle. I tried to create the effect of Mexican carved doors by hanging "shutters" flanking the windows (World Market $20 total) and painted the details with turquoise and burnt orange. I was lucky enough to find an actual agave plant here in the NW, so I potted it along with a few other succulents and cactus in glazed pots. Finally, I painted the tray ceiling a muted gold. It was a nice way highlight the feature and define the space in my open floor plan.

 I picked up this table for $35 while antiquing a few weekends ago (same trip I found my breakfast table). Looking at it now in all its shabby chicness glory, would you believe that this is going to be a feature piece for my Southwest dining room?

Sorry, I don't have step by step photos, but I would be in big trouble if I had used our nice camera with my paint covered hands. So, a detailed description will have to do.

1)  I lightly sanded the whole table. 

2)  I painted the table muted gold using a foam roller and foam brush for the detailed areas.

3)  While it was drying, I pulled out my acrylics and started blending a dark brown to match the wood of my dining table, and the turquoise/burnt orange found on my "shutters".

4)  I painted the entire trim detail the dark brown, then I highlighted the details with the turquoise and burnt orange. 

The table looked brand new but it had to look aged to fit into the design and seem authentic. 

5)  I dabbed a little of my dark brown paint into the muted gold, just enough to make the gold slightly darker than its original hue. I then dry brushed the darker gold all over the table, highlighting the existing cracks and corners.

6)  After I was happy with the finish, I gave the whole table a good slathering of satin polyurethane.

Here is the finished product...

Table for four please

I went antiqueing last weekend and came home with some gorgeous treasures. This is the first one I am sharing with you! I laid eyes on this and fell in love...

with one exception...can you guess? Yep, the hideous upholstery. However, I was actually elated it wasnt recently reupholstered as it meant I could finally learn how to do it myself. I didnt think it would be hard and I jump at any chance to sort through piles of fabric to find the perfect choice.

Now, here is the result! I LOVE it! :) It isnt quite the bold statement I wanted to make but it was a compromise with my leery husband. I got my color palette but in a more traditional pattern. Since he has to live with it too, I deemed it only fair. Who says compromise cant be beautiful?