Dining Chair DIY Update

This project is mega old but I keep forgetting to finish my post about it. But no more! I finally have to post and share these lovely things. I inherited my dining set from my aunt when I first moved into my house in 2008. It is a beautiful and very traditional solid cherry wood set with four upholstered chairs. When I first got the set you could tell the chairs had scarcely been used, partially because of the pristine ivory cushion covers. Fast forward five years and multiple roommates later... those cushions were anything but pristine.

So I took em off!

The seats were so nasty I'm embarrassed to show you, so here's the bottom of the cushion. I simply stapled the new fabric (about 4 yards from Hobby Lobby) over the old after cleaning them with bleach and stain lifters so they wouldn't stink or anything.

I didn't paint the chairs or anything, choosing instead to leave the traditional cherry. The new cushion cover looks great though! It adds some great character and subtle fun to the room. I love it!

Here's a closer shot of the fabric. I sprayed them with water repellent designed for exterior furniture. I figured it would help these hold up better. Not that I plan on taking them outside or anything like that of course.

I moved the two armed chairs over to flank the coffee bar to make it easier to maneuver around the table and use them when we need them. Since it is just my sister and I at the house we don't need all four chairs around the table, and we tend to just eat at the bar area anyway since it is farther from the animals.

I think it looks awesome! I love the fun patern and the fact that I don't have to buy a new table and chairs just because they were dirty, a staple gun and $30.00 in fabric and they were fresh and clean! Now if I could just get the leg on the table to stay connected... we'd be golden... the struggles of DIY. haha.

Really, I'm Not a Fan.

****If you are seeing this content on http://manufacturedhomefacts.com/ please be advised it is there without permission! thismessybusiness.com is the OFFICIAL and only site I publish on!***

Happy Friday! I'm so glad that it is finally Friday! I love this day. I still have to work both jobs today but! It is Friday of our homecoming week. Kids are crazy for this homecoming stuff. 

For real.

Anyways! One thing that has always struck me as odd at my house is the fact that the previous owners installed only ONE ceiling light in the entire living room/dining room space. That particular ceiling light being a ceiling fan over the dining table. Let's get real here bro.

That's ah-nastah. (nasty)

Here's the view from the front door.

I couldn't be going around with that anymore. About 4 years ago I spray painted the original gold ceiling fan to make it passable until I had the money and the desire to replace it. Since I've upgraded the kitchen, the barstools, the entertainment center, the cardenza, the wall color, and the wall art, it only seemed fitting that I ought to finally fix the light.

I found this beauty on clearance at Lowe's for $129.00 down from $259.00. I mean that is definitely a good price for a 9 light chandelier but as an employee I was able to get it for $65.00. Sliding into home base with a steal!

Here is a final parting view of the ceiling fan, I got rid of it in true trailer style. Free sign on the corner! It was only out there for about five minutes. Nice right?

This dude came with SOOOO MUCH packaging it was insane. But I love the oil rubbed bronze look, and it really connects with the kitchen quite beautifully.

I had to paint that funny chunk around the light hole. Let's just say taking this sucker down and putting him up was not easy, I read the directions but they were remarkable unclear about all the wires and the cords and the chains and all that noise.

After several hours, my trusty assistant, Lucy, and I completed the task of hanging and swagging this beautiful light over. It was hard! But dang it looks sooooo good.

Here it is again!

Okay one more close up! I still have to fix the cords but it looks so awesome. I love it.

I love clearance! Especially since I get such a good deal on stuff working at Lowe's, working two jobs might be hard but it can be worth it!

Living & Dining Phase II: Greiging.

I've been working hard at balancing teaching and working my second job, thankfully I've gotten some time to really work on my living and dining room re-do plan. I've got all of the walls painted! Yay! I actually managed to do it all in one day over Spring Break. I was quite tired after that however.

Remember what it looked like before?

Peanut butter, peanut butter on my walls.

Before I could really break out the rollers and paint brushes I had to patch all the nail holes I could in the walls.... um there was a lot...

Here's just one spot in the dining room... hehe. oops.

I just used this spackling paste that I had on hand. I prefer to not buy things if I don't have to.

I also tried to finish up our patching of the cracks in the wall. My dad always does a better job but here's the best "before" color and "after" new color picture that I took. I freakin love it.

Sebastian not a big fan of all the changing around... the house was destroyed the entire time.... he no like that.

The ceiling looks so dingy after the new color was in place (notice that I even painted the fire alarm by the doorway so it blends in?? It's AWESOME.)

Did I mention it was destroyed in the house? The walls take on different colors throughout the day. It's a greige so it has grey and neutral tan tones in it. I love it because it's just so versatile.

I started to put a few things back together the other day but here's the progress so far.... The ceilings have been killer to paint, same with the trim, but once the whole thing is done and updated it will be so completely worth it!

Phew! Hopefully within a few weeks I can get you the ceiling updates as well as start doing bigger projects in the dining room and living room. But no lie this has been pretty epic. I think it totally modernizes and changes the look and feel of my house. Love it!

Critter Art

*I used to have a picture of this while I was in progress... now I can't find it... sorry!*

 This is my furbaby art! The whole project only cost me about $8.00 to create, and that was all just buying the canvases in a three pack at Michael's. I decided that since I don't have any children I could make some cool silhouette art, like I've seen on Pinterest to honor my precious babyfurries.

I'm pretty good at free hand drawing just from seeing something, like the animals moving around the house. But you can google search black and white images of cats and dogs and find some good silhouettes. At that point you could then cut them out and trace them and just fill in the space with black paint. They would also look really cool on a color. I just can't commit to more than black and white (maybe why I'm single? haha).

The living/dining area currently. They'll be changed to a different location once the whole redo action starts happening but they look pretty good right now I think! 

Does anyone else do tribute art to their animals? 

Happy Friday!! It's Spring Break for us next week and I start my second job working at Lowe's (uhmmm can you say... diy discount?!)  but I am sure I will be starting to make some headway on the walls and painting. Bye peach beach walls!

Linked to: I Should Be Mopping the Floor Savvy Southern Style House of Hepworths  Liz Marie Blog 

The Living Room... Before

I finally took some better pictures of the "before" living room and dining room. Before being before I start painting and changing out decorations. I used to only have one which I decided wasn't a very accurate show of how the living room currently looks.

Standing in my "entryway" space this is your view:

I have already started some of the patching, the thing with a trailer is that instead of taping and mudding over the seams in the drywall they put these lousy stripes. As your house settles (mine's not on a concrete slab) it can cause slight shifts which make the new mud crack. Also is part of the reason floating floors are good in trailers.

Here's the view into the dining room standing in the actual doorway. (Hi Pouka kitten!)

See my lovely gigantic tv hiding out behind the dining table? haha. I just need to get that fixed and it will be all ready to power up and watch HGTV in wide screen high def. Woot. There's also a sound system hiding behind the couches. Pretty clever. That's one way I'm saving money on this whole upgrade ya' thing. Using older model equipment rather than running up a credit card for new crap. (Dave Ramsey, you be proud.)

Speaking of older model my best friend, and roommate, Seth upgraded his laptop to a MacBook for his classes in college and was no longer using his old computer. So he gave it to me! For free! The only finicky thing is the power cord has to be plugged in at a weird angle at all times. Whatever. I'm good with it.

Pouka likes it also.

(Shopping for some new art on Etsy.com. Love that place.) Next step is to take down all the wall art and patch the nail holes, fill cracks, etc. I'm trying to leave everything up until I find a new roommate. I hope I can remain that patient. lol.

Dining Room Bones

The dining room was one of the other locations that I've been wanting to update. This would actually be one of the easiest rooms to get started. It's really just updating furniture. Here's what the joint looks like right about now:

The traditional style solid cherry table is beautiful, there is no doubt. But it is pretty big for my dining room. Also the upholstered seats just attract cat hair like crazy so no one will really even sit in the seats at this point. Basically the table is useless for anyone but the kittans.

I'm thinking that selling the table is the best way to start making some extra cash for buying my new furniture. The table does have some slight scratches on the top from a roommates puppy 5 years ago. But someone with patience could buff them out pretty easily. So we'll see.

Here's the mood board for my dining room:

Dining Room Love by megmcd on Polyvore

I want it to connect back with my living room since it's just one big gigantic space really. So I'm sticking with the white table. Which would be this one from IKEA for $279.00 {here} and the four vintage chairs I like are from Overstock for $199.99 {see em here}

And I love the idea of having two bookcases on either side of the window. Right now I have my chevron buffet under the window which works pretty well, especially if there's a smaller table involved. I like these from IKEA. They are affordable and go with the one that I already have in the living room. Plus they are versatile, if I get bored with them there I can move them somewhere else. They're $59.99 a piece.

Total I need to raise for dining room extravaganza:

Dining Table IKEA: 279.00
Set of 4 Chairs: 199.99
Two IKEA shelves: 119.98

Total: 600.00 bones.

Maybe I should have a bake sale? lol. The first thing I would probably buy is the chairs since they are on Overstock and their stuff moves out so quickly. I guess it's time to start selling that dining table. Craigslist here I come.  

Dining Room Love by megmcd on Polyvore

Run-On List of Lists

So I got the idea to compile a gigantic list of all things my house from one of every home decor bloggers favorite sites Young House Love. Such amazing smart people. This list includes all the things I have done to each room and still want to do and is styled similiarly to the one on YHL. I think it helps me with prioritizing and knowing where to go. I know I've made a lot of lists lately but budget restraints have kept me from really starting any major projects. Hopefully this helps me decide what I can do. :)

 

Exterior/Porch:



(50% complete)

 

To-Do:

• Fix step into house
• Remove ramp (it's rotting and collapsing)
• Rebuild steps in back yard
• Pot plants
• Repaint porch
• Grow more grass
• Build new back porch
• Replace exterior doors
• figure out a new carport situation (former roommate drove into a post so it's on it's way out)
• organize sharage (shed+garagey thing=sharage)
• add more motion sensor/security lighting
• new gutters for the whole house
• enhance privacy in back yard either with new fence or just slats

Done:

• The yard has finally started to grow grass again...
• Repainted the lawn furniture
• Got a grill and lots of pots. 

 

Entryway:

 

(75% complete)

 

To-Do:

• Maybe get a runner rug somewhere down the line
• Keep updating accesories
• Paint walls
• Paint back of door a fun accent color

Done:

• Replaced the floors in the whole house
• Got a fabulous vintage vanity
• Hung some art 



Living Room: 

(50%ish complete) 

 

To Do:

 If you have seen my recent post about the living room you know the list is pretty long. I say "50%ish complete" because it's fully decorated and pretty I'm just in the market to go Beyonce on that room and "upgrade ya."

 

 Consign glass end tables

Fix 50" TV from rents

Sell IKEA entertainment stand

Build entertainment wal

make a decision on wingback chair (reupholster? Sell? Give away?)

New sectional couch

New flat weave area rug (more durable than fluffy shag rug now)

Paint ceiling (white, durr)

Paint walls (either Revere Pewter by BM or Moonshine by BM)

paint moding and beam to  match beadboard (white)

replace interior doors (the holey 80's hanging off the hinges doors suck)

Done:

replaced coffee table

upgraded wall art

upgraded lighting

love my curtains (hehe)

Dining Room:

(20%ish complete) 

 

To-Do:

This is sort of the same deal as the living room. I want to upgrade the dining area and make it more "my style" within the next year or so. Right now I have the same furniture in there I've had since I was 18. So it's totally done remodel wise.

• Buy new table (this one from IKEA)
• New chairs that don't have fabric seats
• Jute rug for under table
• Upgrade wall art on "big wall"
• Figure out how the heck to make window wall function/look good.
• Paint walls to go with living room and entryway
• Find a new fabulous light fixture. (sort of feeling a drum shade chandelier)
• paint the ceiling/molding (white o course)

Done:

• love my curtains
• painted the ceiling fan so it works well enough for now
• upgraded flooring through out the house

 

Kitchen:

(75% completed)



 

To Do:

• replace painted countertops with a new laminate (love solid surface-but it's a trailer ya'll)
• repaint cabinets with more durable paint (been a year since I've painted em and they chip)
• frame out doors to create shaker style
• replace hardware
• paint ceiling/molding to match rest of living space
• paint behind fridge (hehe)
• frame out wallpaper after new countertops are in
• install new faucet
• get prettier cabinet support sticks
• make bar counter out of wood for a butcher block effect (Like this blogger did here.)
• Make range hood less homely.

Done:

• repainted the cabinets
• repainted the hinges/existing hardware
• upgraded dishwasher/fridge to energy efficient
• upgraded art work
• added wallpaper tile backsplash

Master Bedchamber:

(90% complete) 

 

 

To-Do:

• upgrade tiny nightstands to small dressers upcycled from thrift store (I have lots of clothes)
• switch living room rug to bedroom and jute rug to dining room
• new headboard/footboard set up
• smaller pillows (brown ones)
• upgrade ceiling fan to pretty light
• paint the molding around bathroom entry, upgrade to prettier trim? maybah? 
• upgrade to double rods
• new bedroom door
• replace mini-blinds

Done:

• upgraded all the flooring
• removed crazy scary sliding closet doors
• installed closet organizer
• revamped filing cabinet
• painted ceiling fan so it's prettier for now
• took down uglio I-wish-I-was-French-doors
• put up curtains for closet/bathroom doors
• turned cheapy bookcase into magical shoe display land
• upgraded desk area
• added new/pretty artwork

 Master Bathroom:

 



(95% complete)



 

To-Do:

• replace/fix shower stall (at least the door, it pops open. Sebastian likes it. I don't.)
• take down cheap over the potty thing and install something prettier (only if there's studs)
• recaulk around the vanities/tubs/shower/wet places.
• upgrade the hardware (just painted the original stuff when I did the redo. heh.)
• add second shelf under little shelf that has been in my trunk for 3 years... no rush yo.
• work around garden tub area to add new tile or something. It's ugly.

Done:

• repainted all cabinets in a two tone fashion
• upgraded artwork
• painted the walls and ceilings
• added accessories
• installed jewelry cabinet
• added changing chair

Cube Hallway:

(60% complete)

 

To-Do:

• Paint the walls to match the living room space
• Paint ceiling/molding
• add beadboard wallpaper from Lowe's to bottom to make it match the living room
• upgrade switch covers
• remove drywall strips and texture
• replace/repaint light fixture
• replace both bedroom and bathroom door and handles

Done:

• added storage using old microwave stand
• upgraded flooring along with the rest of the house
• painted furnace cover (gotta love trailers)

Bedroom #2:

(10% complete) 

 

To-Do:

This is when my unique situation comes into play. Right now in order to afford the mortgage (just graduated college-seeking new full-time job) I rent out bedrooms #2 and #3 for extra cash. Meaning I can't do much in this room. My goal time to "reclaim" this room is by the end of 2014. So a year and a half. This list will read as the future office I want it to be.

• since this will be my office one day, I want to repaint it completely.
• replace bedroom door and knob
• add custom desk with lots of storage. ((sort of like this)
• add more to the existing closet organizer for files/paperwork/craft supplies
• get a wonderful amazing rug
• texture the walls
• upgrade the curtain rod

Done:

• flooring is all replaced with the rest of the house
• upgraded the light switch covers
• new water heater (it's in the closet in there, again, trailer weirdness)
• painted the ceiling and molding
• added closet organizer for max storage space
• took down crazy ugly closet doors and replaced with curtains

Bedroom #3:

 

(50% complete)

 To Do:
Again this is a similiar situation to what's going on with bedroom #2. I rent this room out also because I need help with the mortgage and such. Back in the day it was my office but in the future it will be a guest room. If my life follows it's current path that should be by the end of 2013. Yay!

• upgrade night stand and dresser
• add headboard
• buy a second curtain for the closet (currently has desk on one side, roomie clothes on the other)
• add more shelving to closet organizer so can be used for seasonal shoes/clothes, etc.
• replace bedroom door and knob
• replace mini-blinds

Done:

• upgraded all the flooring with rest of the house
• purchased a full-sized guest bed
• upgraded the curtains
• added new curtain rod
• painted magnificent stripes
• already own bedding for future guest
• have a good grey IKEA rug
• have a TV for guest room
• added closet organizer
• upgraded ceiling light

Guest bathroom:

(90% complete)



 To-Do:

• upgrade to energy efficient white potty (bye-bye bisque)
• add trim under countertop
• replace mirror
• touch up paint

Done:

• painted all the walls Dolphin by Home Depot's Martha Stewart collection
• replaced countertop
• replaced faucet
• tiled shower and flooring
• replaced bathtub
• fixed faucet/showerhead
• added storage cabinet
• upgraded light fixtures
• upgraded cabinet handles
• upgraded towel bar
• added new art work (see the reveal for the whole thing here)

Laundry Room:

(68% complete)

 To-Do:

• lighten up the paint color, it's pretty dark
• add tile wallpaper backsplash on space under cabinets
• replace exterior door with an outswing insulated door with dead bolts
• fix electric... :/
• upgrade light fixture
• added microchip pet door for Sebastian (little spendy but I don't want Pouka and Lucy going outside)

Done:

• new energy efficient washer/dryer
• build countertop
• added storage for kitty area
• added shelf for storage baskets
• painted ceiling/trim/molding
• painted cabinets
• added cabinet hardware
• upgraded outlet covers

 All in all, I have definitely done a lot since I've owned the house. (it'll be 5 years in May. craycray yo.) Some of the things I want to do just are reflective of where I am in my life and upgrading from the free college furniture to stuff that I would like to have for years to come. Some of it is to just keep up with the trends. At this point I think some of my redos are going to be a little sporatic. So for example, replacing furniture might be 6 months to 2 years depending on what I decide to get.

The first five things I do plan on doing are:

• repainting the living room (pretty sure Revere Pewter by BM)
• painting the ceiling in the kitchen/living room/dining room area
• paint laundry room
• upgrade countertops
• replace back exterior door

Hopefully some of those other nit-picky things get knocked off along with the ones listed above. I think it will be great! Besides I get my first paycheck in March for substitute teaching so I'll finally be able to do things! (thank all holyness everywhere.)

Free Furniture Re-do!

I am relieved to announce that I have finally, for the first time in about four months, done a re-do worth blogging about! Yay! Let's just say I've been super crazy busy with this whole graduation thing, college ending thing, student teaching thing, and working thing. It happens. But! Back to the redo.

My parents picked up this buffet/dresser/furniture thing on the side of the road. For Free! I love people's garbage sometimes. I have been looking forward to being able to put my coffee pot and other items in something (remember my house has zero storage) and this was perfect!

And free.  But ugly.

The top of the buffet was a little rough.... It had some anti slip contact paper that they put on it right after painting it. Not good. It stuck to the top. I sanded as much off as I could...

The only part that wouldn't really come off is that ring part. Oh well. I used the paint that I had already from my cabinets (read: free) and painted the top and sides...

While Lucy-kitten explored...

I actually kind of liked the hardware it came with.... It was a cool vintage bronze and so I kept it. I figure I can just replace it later if I decided. I free handed some chevron stripes across the whole thing. I accidentally painted the bottom drawer upside... my bayyy-d.

And I placed it in it's new little home in the back of the dining room! My table is a mess. Don't look at that. But my new buffet is totally cute!

 

Total investment?

Zero Dollars.

My kind of project! Yay!

Linking up with: House of Hepworths Lil' Luna