Look at this thing. Just look how gorgeous it is. The full write up is over on the Country Chic Paint's blog today, but some eye candy below, including the very dark before. read more this way >>>
a charming dresser makeover
This dresser was a $15 thrift store find that I grabbed for the hardware alone. Look at those amazing drawer pulls! I can't for the life of me find the before photo (taking and remembering where I file before photos is a serious problem for me), but just imagine old honey colored wood. Head on over to the Country Chic Paint Blog to learn more about the colors and method behind this super simple upcycle. read more this way >>>
mid modern {two tier} table makeover
I love this style of table. I've had similar styles in college apartments and even in the years immediately following college. They’re so functional with the two tiers and can be quite charming with a quick makeover. This one I scored for a whopping $5 at our local thrift store. It was 10, but it was 50% off day. You guys seeing a theme with my thrifted projects? I try to hit up half off day, because, why not?! I have to be in the right frame of mind because it’s insane and chaotic, but if I’m in the mood to deal with it and wait in line forever then it’s totally read more this way >>>
kitchen cart makeover
I'm so in love with how this kitchen cart turned out! It went from a drab, store-bought storage cart to a gorgeous, functional kitchen piece. We need all the extra storage we can get in our kitchen until the big reno happens and this was the perfect solution. We got this on Craigslist for $75, which is way more than I would normally spend on something like this, but it was the exact dimensions to fit our space and I'd been looking for a few months with no luck. Head on over to the Country Chic blog to see more photos! read more this way >>>
a quick file cabinet makeover
As we continue to work on the office I realized quickly that we were lacking storage space for things like crafting supplies, important paperwork, electronics not being used at the moment and more. Simple solution was a small file cabinet.Head on over to the Country Chic Paint blog to see the full details. What do you guys think, should I add casters to it? read more this way >>>
how to modernize a thrift store dresser {and remove those scrolly wood pieces}
After hunting for a large enough dresser for months I finally stumbled upon this one at Goodwill for $30. It was solid wood, had a million drawers and was the perfect size for our bedroom. Even better, it was unfinished which meant a whole lot less prep work. It was awfully strong-smelling of musty wood and thrift store scents so I cleaned it really well, about three times, with a strong vinegar/water mixture, and let it air out for a while. Probably a few weeks – mostly because we didn’t get to this project until then. The scrolly detail on the bottom read more this way >>>
bright front porch table
Our front porch was feeling boring and drab with the white siding, reddish flagstone and black railing. I decided it needed a pop of color and a bright one at that. Head on over to the Country Chic Paint Blog to check out the before and how it's adding some brightness to our porch! read more this way >>>
DIY monitor stand {healthy work habits}
We’re clearly pretty passionate about healthy work stations. There has been so much research done about how bad desk work can be for you and your body, so why not try to help yourself, ya know?! While I love my custom-made desk, the positioning of my chair and monitor, plus some existing neck and upper back problems just wasn’t working out. What I needed was a monitor stand to lift it up a tad so I wasn’t always looking slightly down. I made it by using a scrap piece of wood and four door stoppers. The door stoppers come in many different finishes, but I read more this way >>>
dining table refresh
This dining set, which I cannot for the life of me find the before photos for, was in need of a major updating. It had tan suede seat cushions and a cherry wood colored table top. You can read the full method behind painting the tabletop and finishing it with a top coat over on the Country Chic Paint blog. We gave it a few coats of Country Chic Paints Pebble Beach color and topped it with their top coat product, which protects the surface. For the chairs, I chose a fabric that was neutral enough, but still had some pattern to it. The transformation read more this way >>>
modernized guest room nightstand
I scored this nightstand for $10 at a local thrift store and knew it would be the perfect piece for our guest room. Head on over to the Country Chic Paint blog to learn more about the method behind this makeover. I wanted something that was a bit larger and was open at the bottom so we could add bath towels for when we had guests over. I love the added pop of the gold wax with the updated drawer pull. It’s also a bit higher for a nightstand, which I like. Makes it easier to reach the top of it and access the drawer. It was a quick read more this way >>>
how to make a standing desk
Last week I posted the following photo on Instagram with the caption: We did it. Went super dark in the office and it looks amazing. I feel so brave since I never choose anything but light gray! We had no intention of painting the office this weekend but a $9 gallon of oops paint at @homedepot changed that! Once we started painting we figured we might as well continue working on the office. I already have my favorite desk ever, but Al needed something to work on and his preference was a standing desk. We started thinking creatively about how we could make one read more this way >>>
how to update an old folding stool
I had been looking for an old folding stool like this for a while and finally found one on Craigslist for $25. I bargained with the lady and got it for $15 though (obviously I bargained with her). I love these folding chairs. They’re so functional and easily fold up to be stored away when not in use. I’m all for added seating that can be out of sight and out of mind when not in use. I used leftover fabric and clear vinyl from my folding table and chairs project and grabbed a can of ORB (oil rubbed bronze) spray paint to make it over. I removed the cushion from read more this way >>>
our finished DIY dining table {with hairpin legs}
Our dining table is now complete! I've already shared the building of it and staining of it, and now I'm back to show you the awesome hair pin legs we built for it. And by we I mean our friend Joe and Al. After realizing how terrible the original legs were (as seen in the staining post) we decided to go with some solid hairpin legs. Get ready for a photo heavy post! The process of making them was really cool and it was fun to see them come to fruition. Here's a very high level version of the process. If you want more depth feel free to email me directly. We cut read more this way >>>
how to stain a DIY dining table top
Last week I shared with you guys how to make the tabletop for our dining table. Today I'm showing you the original set of legs we purchased (and why they didn't work) and the staining process. {Click here to see Phase 1 and here to see Completed Project!} The legs we decided on were the Lerberg table legs from IKEA - at $10 each, they're very reasonable. However, once we secured the legs to the table we realized that they were much too short and didn't really flow with the look of the table or the look we were going for. So while we went ahead and continued on read more this way >>>
how to build a {simple} dining table
The problem with moving into a house that is three times the size of the last place you lived in is that you have nothing to furnish it with. While we'd love to run out and buy lots of wonderful things right now, that's just not our style. So we took it upon ourselves to build our dining table which resulted in saving a fortune, a lot of fun and the satisfaction of knowing we built it every time we sit down to eat. And it really was quite simple. {Click here to see Phase 2 and here to see Completed Project!} Supplies Needed For a 5' x 3' Table (3) 1" x read more this way >>>
vintage folding table & chairs makeover
Last weekend I headed out for some early morning thrifting for a few hours. I love going right when the stores open because there are no crowds to deal with. Especially on this day, because it was one of Goodwill's 50% off sales. Happy to report that I scored big time. The first Goodwill wasn't so great, the second, was awesome. One great find was this vintage style folding table and chairs. I've been on the hunt for a folding set to just have for extra seating and table space. This one was $20, but since it was 50% off day, I got it for $10! It was in phenomenal read more this way >>>
simple barstool makeover
I'm climbing out of the black hole called the real world to share a super easy project! I found this stool at Goodwill for $8.99. It was brand new, originally from Target, but there was a dent in one of the legs. My solution for that is to face that leg to the wall. While I liked the crisp, white color it was too neutral in our place that is a giant neutral box of white walls and white carpet. I grabbed a can of Krylon spray paint that I had on hand and headed out to the alley to paint it (city living problems, painting happens in the alley). Well, Al read more this way >>>
country chic paint review & dresser makeover
We found this dresser/chest thing for free in the lobby of our building. It's weird. It's like a free thrift store out in the lobby. Randomly there will be items that are up for grabs. Sometimes they're useful items, like this time. It's been needing a makeover since it's a terrible orange-y color and really isn't out style. When the nice folks at Country Chic Paint sent me samples of their {amazing} paint I knew this piece would be the first thing to get a makeover. Side note, look how cute the packaging of their paint is. It literally put a smile on my face read more this way >>>
diy rustic coffee table
Remember our desk that I shared over the summer? Well, Al got together with our friend Joe (who built the desk) and they built the worlds best coffee table. Like with the desk, I shared plans with them from Ana White as inspiration. They adjusted the size a bit to ensure it fit with our space and they also decided to put trim around the perimeter to give it a more finished look. Once they finished building the table we filled any holes with wood filler, conditioned the wood and stained it. We used Minwax's Honey Stain. I find the easiest way to use stain is to read more this way >>>
entry way bench makeover
There's a local consignment shop near us called Act II and it's become one of my go to places for finding fun pieces to makeover. I get amazing deals on clothing and accessories too but lately I've also been finding great home items and even greater prices. I scored this bench for $6.00 and it was the exact piece I've been looking for. I love when furniture has the original tags from back in the day. We have a small entry way (that is incredibly hard to photograph!) and we've been feeling like we need something there to sit and put shoes on, drop the mail or read more this way >>>