My First Attempt at Upholstery...

I have been wanting to tackle an upholstery project for quite some time now.  I have a couch in my garage needing to be reupholster, however it is going to be a really big project so I decided to start with something a little smaller....like a slipcover.  I have been sewing clothes and quilts for years now but upholstery was a whole new experience. 

 I didn't work from a pattern for this chair, I pieced it together on the chair.  That being said I made my fair share of mistakes, I unpicked A LOT, but I wanted the slipcover to fit this chair tight.

Completing this slipcover took sometime, I would work on it for a bit, get frustrated, and leave it until I could figure out a better way to do it.  I am happy to say Finally it is DONE!!  There are a few mistakes and tucks, but for my first go we will call it a success!

  

I used an drop cloth for the fabric, which I pre washed in hopes to avoid any shrinking when washed. With 3 kiddos I am sure It will have to be washed at some point!

I need to make another slipcover for an identical chair, I hope it goes a bit smoother now that I have an idea of what I am doing.  I will try to take some more pictures along the way! 

I hope everyone has a Happy New Year!

TTFN

Brooke

Upgrading Those Builder Grade Closets

As you may know this summer we welcomed baby #3, creating quite the room shuffle. We only have 3 bedrooms upstairs and I wasn't too keen on the idea of sending my 6 year old to the basement so that meant room sharing....boo!!  

Our rooms upstairs are not large, in order to get 2 girls in the same room I built them bunkbeds (post here).  I have never really loved bunkbeds maybe because I had one all growing but my girls think they are the coolest things ever, which makes their mom (me) totally awesome for building them beds....RIGHT!!??  

With the bed problem solved now I needed to fix the storage problem.  Their room is only big enough for one dresser and so I decided to maximize the space in their closet.  My first thought was to rip everything out and start over new.  I think I just like to demolition things, my husband on the other hand did not like that idea, so we worked with what we already had, which I think was best!  It is a good thing I have him to keep me in check!

Here is the Before

Here is the new organized closet.  

I moved both of the rods to the same side allowing me to add 3 shelves.  

The wood for the shelving only cost me $20 and I found the shoe organized at Home Depot for $30.  I also added a few hooks for them to hang their purses and jackets on.

With 2 girls in the same room I knew it would be hard to keep things organized on open shelves, and with only 1 dresser I needed a few more spots to stash clothes.

The galvanized buckets I found at Ace Hardware and the canvas bags were purchased from Kohls.  They have worked great for organizing clothes and toys!

Now don't worry their closet doesn't always look like this, I actually cleaned it for these pictures.  However I have been very proud of them, I checked it today and it is still clean, I think this is a record!

 TTFN

Brooke

Another Vanity....They Never Get Old!

A client of mine brought this chest to me to be refinished for his wife for Christmas.  I always get excited to refinish these old chests/vanities and with it being a surprise it was even better.
We decided to go with a classic look and leave as much original as possible. 

We left the original silver backed mirror.  Over the years the silver has oxidized leaving some spots here and there, as you can see in the picture.  The character of the mirror added perfectly to this piece.  

A few of the original glass knobs were still intact but they were all beat up.  I just so happen to have some old vintage knobs that matched perfectly to the original ones for the bottom 2 drawers.  I used a smaller glass knob for the top drawers.    

This chest was made with oak, I was so glad when they wanted to leave the top stained, stained oak is just beautiful. I used Dark Walnut stain by Minimax.  

For the reveal my client brought his wife to my house.  I always love to see peoples reactions and I am happy to say she LOVED it!!

TTFN

Brooke

Christmas Gifts

I always like to give my neighbors a little something every year for Christmas to let them know we care. This year I wanted something with a little bit of my personality in it.  As I am sure you can tell, I love all things vintage, but vintage candy probably wouldn't taste so great, that is if I could even find some ;)  I decided to go a different route.

My oldest daughter is turning 6 this week {eek} she is getting to be good little helper.  She  cut all the stripes of paper down to size!  I am really loving this Mother Daughter crafting time.  I sure hope it keeps up, a mini me in training....maybe?!?

These are bagged Hershey Nuggets I found at the local grocery store.  I then wrapped each piece of candy with vintage sheet music I picked up at the DI, a local thrift store.  Once they were all covered with sheet music I used cellophane to wrap them up.  I tied some twine around and attached these awesome tags I found at Shanty 2 Chic for the final touch!

I used a little bit larger hershey bar for these ones, I loved all the fun colored wrappers!

To dress them up a bit I went with gold glittered ribbon instead of twine.  I love how elegant they turned out!

These are the perfect little gift to let someone know you care about them.  

The best part is they came out to be about $1.50 each!

TTFN

Brooke

A Coral Vanity

Man oh man just look at this chest, believe me when I say it had seen better days.  The top was not salvageable, the drawers were all broken, the mirror was non existent, and the caster wheels were broken as well.  You may say, Why oh why would you attempt something like this...my husband often says the same thing.  But there is just something about these chest that every time I can get my hands on one I take it!

And here she is all dolled up!

Now you see why I pick them up, they are so stunning finished!

This chest was pretty plain to begin with.  The perfect backdrop for a little creativity!

I ripped a baluster down the middle and placed one on each side, I also added the moldings in-between the drawers.  I painted the added molding with White Dove by Benjamin Moore to make them stand out! 

I had this mirror in the garage, and as luck would have it, the mirror fit perfectly on the chest.

As you can see from the before picture the top of this chest was in bad BAD shape.  I tried to pull the old veneer off but it wasn't salvageable.  On to plan B, replace the top completely.  

I stained the new pine top with Miniwaxes Dark Walnut to break up the coral a bit!

 And for the finishing touch I added these vintage knobs.

A Beautiful Hutch Makeover!

I am sure you have seen many of these hutches before, and your response maybe similar to mine....YUCK! After all they are a bit dated and dark. Well I have good news it is nothing a little paint can't fix.

This hutch was a custom refinish, and I have to admit my client picked great colors.  

I love the cream she chose, I don't have a name for this paint as I took one of my cabinet doors in to the paint store and had them match it.  

The wood top compliments the cream perfectly.  I used Miniwaxes Early American Stain, what a rich color this stain is on pine!

I spray painted the original hardware oil rubbed bronze for a new fresh look.  

I couldn't be happier with how this hutch came together, it will be beautiful in it's new home!

ttfn

Brooke

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Miss Mustard Seed

French Country Cottage

My Mom's Remodel Progress

 My Mom has been doing a complete overhaul on her home for the last few months, it is looking beautiful!  I took a few pictures of it this afternoon to share with you.  

Her Friend, Dave, with Liberty Home Remodeling has been helping her and he has done an amazing job.  He built this arch for her and added all this beautiful molding.  Imagine for a minute this opening going all the way to the ceiling, well it used to, he closed it in from the ceiling and created this amazing focal point for these 2 rooms.  

His craftsmanship is superb, he has taught me so many new things.  

The Perfect Shade of Yellow

One of my favorite parts of doing custom orders is pushing me to think outside of the box.  I often feel like I get stuck in a rut.  I find a few colors I love and paint piece after piece the same color, sometimes it is nice at times broaden the horizon.  

When I picked up these pieces from my customer she told me she wanted a yellow, that wasn't too yellow or too gold.  So the hunt began for the perfect shade of yellow.  

And here it is.....Whole Grain by Valspar

I slightly distressed these pieces.  Whenever I distress I always try to figure out where a piece will take the most wear and tear and start the distressing there.  I always distress edges and corners.  

This piece also has a brown glaze on it and is topped off with a satin clear coat.  

I love the fun details of these pieces, the new color and glaze really help it stand out!

Refinished Blue Dresser....

One of my good friends brought me this dresser to be refinished, she was contemplating giving it to the local thrift store but decided to have it refinished instead.  I think she made the right decision, don't you?  This piece is stunning, not to mention it is solid oak and in great condition. 

Old Nightstand, New Life

I have a cute helper, Ellie, who comes once a week to sand, take things apart, clean, or whatever I need her to do.  She is always so happy and cheerful, I look forward to working with her.  When her mom called looking for a nightstand to give her for her birthday as a surprise I had just the right piece. 

When I picked up this nightstand it was missing a drawer, but it is hard to come by wood nightstands so I took it anyway.  As you can see this piece was a little dated, but that is an easy fix, all it needed was...... 

My House Paint Colors

I have had so many questions about my house paint colors, which is a huge compliment!  I have complained all the colors in one blog post, so no more searching through my blog for the one color, however don't hesitate to still roam around!!

Master Bathroom

Putty by Pratt and Lambert

Front Room/Home Office

Walls Dansbury Downs by Pratt and Lambert

Moldings White Dove by Benjamin Moore

Custom Hutches

As I think back over all the furniture I have painted the first pieces that come to mind are always my hutches.  Each one is so unique and yet they are all so beautiful.  There is so much time put into a hutch to make it look just right, who would think it would take an hour just to take it apart...and that is if my kids leave me alone :)   

Needless to say, I am a sucker for hutches. As you can imagine when I had the chance to buy this one I couldn't pass it up. This is a beautiful very nice solid piece of furniture.  Before I just do what I want to do with it, which is pink and cream, I am putting it up for a custom job.  Which means you get to pick how you want it finished!!

It would be perfect for a little girls room, a dining room or any other small space. This is not your average oversized hutch. Here are the measurements. The lower section measured from the bottom of the legs: L×W×D -- 28 × 47 3/8 × 16 1/2. The top portion is 42 1/2 × 45 × 13 1/2. Please leave a comment or send me a message for more details.

My Etsy Store is FINALLY up!!!

For awhile now I have been designing some fun pillows and accessories and I am happy to say my Etsy store is finally up and running!!

I do love being a mom of 3 BUT sometimes {more often than not} I need to run wild with my ideas and let all that creative energy out.

I am in love with burlap right now, I love the texture it adds to any setting.  It is so versatile as well, it can be dressed up or dressed down and so you will notice I have tired burlap into almost everything in my shop...so if you are a burlap lover too...you better stop by and check it out.


Here is a little peek for you.....at my new DECOR STORE!!

Touching Up Painted Furniture

A few years ago I refinished this dresser for my daughter.  Now I wish my children were perfect little angels who were super careful with all their furniture, but unfortunately I am sure they act as most children do.  They write and climb all over my newly painted furniture or ding my cabinets or scratch my walls and the list goes on.  But I have good news, most of my children's messes I have been able to fix!  

One of the best parts of painted furniture is you CAN touch up almost any ding or mess.

Custom Made Bunk Beds

If you follow me on Facebook you might remember me talking about the Bunk Beds I decided to make my girls when I was 33 weeks pregnant, a little crazy I know.  You should have seen the look on my husbands face when I told him my plan.  But I couldn't find anything I liked within my budget.  I was being slightly picky too, I didn't want white ones since my walls are light, I didn't want wood ones, cause well I just didn't.  I am not a huge fan of black as I hate to dust and most of the time boycott it.   As you can imagine the list goes on and one...so I had no option but to make them!!

Paris Burlap Pillows

I don't know what has gotten into me lately, but I can't get enough of my sewing machine.  If you would have asked me a year ago if I liked to sew I would have answered that question with a BIG FAT NO!!!  However I have caught the sewing bug and I am loving it.  

Growing up my mom was an amazing seamstress, she even made my prom dresses.  I often tried to make a few things, but I would always get bored or frustrated half way through and later my mom always seemed to finish my half started projects.  One summer when I was in Jr. High I even took a sewing class from someone but it just never stuck....until now!  

And I am so happy it did, I love to lock myself in my sewing room and create new things.  For about the last month I have been working on some fun pillows, I needed a change in my house and here is what I came up with.

I have loved these pillows so much I have decided to make them to sell, as I think everyone needs one...RIGHT!!!

Our Pine Plank Flooring

I have had so many questions and comments about my flooring I will attempt to answer them all here!  

The previous owner of our home installed pine planks on the entire main floor, so, YES I have a lot of  it.  When we were looking at the house I was worried about the floors mainly because I didn't know anything about it, however I loved the distressed look and the charm it added to the home.  

Saying Goodbye to an Our Dining Room Table.

I must confess I get attached to my furniture. Each piece I refinish always has a story, whether it is how I got the piece or how I refinished it or even the problems I ran into along the way (which happens all of too often). This table is no exception, this was the first table we picked up to refinish and sell.  As you can see I fell in LOVE with it and we have used it for the last 3 years.  

When I originally painted this table I used Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint.  I loved how easy it went on and the smooth results it gave.  After I waxed and buffed it we moved it in to be used.  Things were going great until my daughter spilled red punch all over the table, I quickly clean it up, but unfortunately it was too late, the top of the table was stained.  I sanded it down and repainted it again with chalk paint, thinking that the wax wasn't durable enough I thought I would try sealing the chalk paint with Poly Acrylic to prevent this from happening again.  Much to my dismay the same thing happened again.  My conclusion, chalk paint, while it is a great paint, isn't the best choice for a highly used piece of furniture.  

I have now sanded down the entire table for the 3rd time (I am getting good at this) and sprayed it with a latex paint.  I don't have a name for this cream as it is a paint match.  After I painted this I sealed it with a spar urethane so there is no more red punch stains.  On a side note, I have boycotted the red punch around here now, it is to blame for WAY too many stains!  I am sure many of you Mom's out there can agree with me!

The chairs have always been painted with latex, the blue is Modern Blue by Pratt and Lambert and the Yellow is a custom color too so I don't have a paint name for it.  I know I know I am bad.  
This table is up For Sale, so if you are in the Salt Lake City, Utah area check it out on my Furniture For Sale Tab at the top of the page!!

TTFN

Brooke

A Teal Headboard ....

I LOVE brightly colored headboard!  They are always so fun to use as a statement piece.

I am a little mad I forgot to take a before picture of this beauty.  She was quite an eye sore, there was a big faux wood oval in the center with some weird hand painted flowers!  You can imagine how happy I was when the oval popped right off!  And in its place I added this beautiful appliqué.

This appliqué made the headboard so much more elegant it had to have lace pillows to go with it! 

After all doesn't every bed need a few pillows?!

Luck would have it this paint color was in the Mistinted section, I love it when they make mistakes with pretty colors ;)  After the bed was all painted up I added the glaze and antiqued it to bring out all the fun details of this bed!!  

This bed is for sale, if you are interested send me an email or please see the Furniture For Sale Tab at the top of the page!! 

TTFN

Brooke