Desk and Chair Makeover

My "little" (she is younger but taller) sister just re-did her bedroom and I was very proud when she came garage sale-ing with me to find some things for her room. We got really lucky and found an old sewing machine table to use as a desk for only $5! I had actually gone to the same yard sale the month before and they had the table for $40 then.

The next week I found this seemingly terrible and ugly chair in the trash for freeeee.

It was the perfect size for the desk and the wood was in good condition. My sister came over to my house and we re-did them together. For the desk we taped off some stripes and painted it with the light gray that she was using on her walls as well. I ordered 1 yard of fabric from Joann's for $12 and we used less than half a yard. 

First I cut a piece of batting to make the seat softer. I used to wrap the batting all the way around the seat cushion but sometimes that makes the seat cushion too wide for the chair so for this one I just cut it the size of the top.

I didn't take the old fabric off because it got covered by the batting anyway so would not show through. We stapled just once on each side first so we could check the front to make sure everything was straight and not too tight or too loose. 

Here is the nice little neat corner.

Re-upholstering the top was a little more complicated...And I was just winging it.

I covered it with batting too just to make it a nice smooth clean surface. 

I cut the fabric to size, wrapped it around, and cut slits in the back. I just used my hot glue gun to glue the fabric down on the back and sides and used staples and the hot glue gun on the bottom. 

And the after picture! We also spray painted the hardware with some Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint that I already had.

Her wall is actually red this is just a bad cell phone picture...

We already had the paint and batting, the chair was free, the half yard of fabric was $6 and the desk was $5! The only way you can get an awesome and unique desk and chair for $11 is by refurbishing! And getting lucky with some great garage sale and trash finds...

DIY Built-In Bookcase Complete

Once my bookcases (see how they were made) were done I couldn't wait to fill them up! I had piles of stuff just waiting. I don't have as many books anymore so I didn't have quite enough to fill the shelves. I would like to buy some more accessories and books to fill it up but it is a big area and I know it will come with time...So I shouldn't rush it.

I bought the white boxes on the bottom at Ikea. I bought them in July when they were actually $1 off with an Ikea Family Card so it cost me $20 for all of them. There are a lot of cute options out there for storage boxes but this was definitely the most affordable. I organized all my craft supplies in them and now have boxes for paint, tools, etc. 

And now the before and after pictures again!

DIY Built-In Bookcase

I love to read. I love books. I love bookcases. At one point when I was younger I owned 800 books which were all in my bedroom. Yes I counted. So now that I have my own house with many rooms I have wanted a built-in bookcase for a while. And our new wall in the office seemed like a great place: no windows, good size, in the office, and visible from the living room.

I pinned this tutorial from Censational Girl at least six months ago. It uses the Billy Bookcases from Ikea which are $60 for the standard size. There are a lot of Ikea hacks out there using the Billy which is a great price and pretty solid/sturdy. Easier and possibly cheaper than building from scratch.

So six months ago (all my projects take a long time) I measured my space and figured out that I needed 5 of these bookcases. They do sell extender shelves if you need to make your bookcase taller but luckily (at least for this project) the ceilings in our office are lower than elsewhere in the house so I didn't need any extenders.

At this point I figured out it would be $318 (with tax) to buy just the bookcases. Which isn't bad. But I waited a bit to save some money.

I then had the idea to look on Craigslist for the bookcases...There always seems to be a lot of Ikea stuff on there. This would be my first time buying anything on Craigslist but I thought it was worth a shot! I looked at least once a week and in April I found three of the bookcases from one person. I bought two more at separate times in June and July. And at last I had all of my shelves. Now obviously this took a while to find all of them...But it worked for me because I wasn't in a rush. And by the time I was done I had all 5 bookcases for $165! Half the price! Well worth all the time waiting.

And finalllyyy the project started...

The bookcases come with cardboard like backs. All the tutorials I have seen, the people either used the backs as is or painted the backs. I felt like since I was painting the room anyways I might as well just paint the wall. This seemed easier then having to prime and paint the backs. Also they are kind of flimsy so I thought the actual wall looked better. Now one thing I didn't think of was that the backs actually slide in so there is a gap on the sides of the bookshelf where the back is supposed to slide in. But you can't see it unless you are up close and it doesn't bother me.

After we put the bookcases together and put them in place we needed to buy trim to frame it all in. Here is my very technical drawing that only I can understand.

Yeah...That's why my husband is the one who draws not me. Basically we needed flat trim for in between all the bookcases and molding for the top and bottom. We bought the pre-primed stuff and ended up spending $105 on the trim and paint (Valspar Dove White which Censational Girl used as well) bringing the total project cost to $270!!!

Ta da! So much better already. Before putting the trim up Pascal used a LOT of L brackets to make sure the bookcases were sturdy and tight against the wall. Pascal used his finishing nailer to attach all the trim and then caulked all the gaps. 

We also got some quarter round to add at the bottom and some smaller trim for the top to cover gaps between the molding and the shelves. 

Bookcases completely built in! I spent like 4 hours painting all the trim...I might have also been watching a Criminal Minds marathon on a rainy Saturday while Pascal was at work so that is why it took me so long.

I wanted the bookcases to go all the way to the ceiling but there is a stupid vent there foiling my plans. But even with the gap I think it still looks good. 

So far I think this is my favorite thing in the house!!! Once we had all the bookcases it took us two weekends to completely finish this project. For $270 I think they make a big impact. 

When Open Floor Plan Is Too Open

When we moved in we had a former day care space, former former two car garage, to deal with. Which was right off of our living room.

We decided to use the first and largest room as an office/craft room.

View from our living room into office

Office and small room attached

We lived with it for a year and a half to make sure that we definitely wanted to add a wall in this room. And a year and a half later we still did. For one we use the smaller room at the end like a garage/shed and finally I do not need that many rooms all connected together.

Pascal took the trim off, added some two by fours, and then drywalled. 

Office in progress shot

Looks a lot different now! And then the wall had to wait for the next step...paint. And it waited until last month.

Here is a sneak peek!

I taped off the whole room nicely but then Pascal took it off because he does a better straight line without it...
My job is rolling in and he does the cutting in. 

Art for Non-Artists

I might know how to "do crafts" but that does not mean that I am an artist and know how to paint. I like to paint but I do better on a piece of furniture than a canvas. However one day when I was bored (Yes, I do crafts in my free time) I decided to make my own art for the living room with a canvas that I bought on sale. I found a quote that I liked online and picked out some of my favorite colors from my craft paint. Just plain craft paint nothing fancy. 

I painted a chevron pattern with some small brushes rotating colors. I didn't make a template or anything because I wasn't worried about it being perfect. I intentionally made the lines different sizes so it didn't matter if it was perfect.

I went over a second time with another coat. I felt like I picked a lot of dark colors so I added some silver metallic craft paint to brighten it up some.

After my paint was dry it was time to add the quote. I messed around on Microsoft Word until I got the letters the font and size I wanted. And then, since our office was in array and our printer wasn't set up AND I have no patience, I just held a piece of paper up to the computer screen and traced. Sooo this would probably be easier if you just printed the quote. 

I then cut the letters out and traced them on to the painting with a pencil. I filled the letters in with white craft paint using a square paint brush similar in size to my letters which made it surprisingly easy considering I don't have a steady hand. I also did two coats of the white paint.

An artist I am not but it works in my own home where it has personal meaning and pride behind it. And it only cost me a couple bucks for the canvas, a free "stencil" and craft paint that I already had.

Color Trend-Coral Chair

I love coral. Or salmon. Or whatever you want to call it. I see it everyone now. I even have a coral purse. So when I got a coupon from Valspar for a free test pot of paint I picked out the one I had been eyeing, Sonora Rose. Still not knowing what I would use it for.

I had this chair sitting around for a while. It was my grandma's office chair until she replaced  it with one we found at a yard sale in the spring. She was going to throw it away as the seat was not very comfortable so I took it.

The chair really wasn't bad as is. In a retro/mid-century modern kind of way. But being me I wanted to make it "better". So I decided to use my coral paint on it. I removed the seat, used a foam brush to paint it with oil based primer (See this post for primer details), and then used a foam brush to add two coats of the coral paint. Finally I sealed it with polycrylic. I did not tape off the top cushion because I wasn't too concerned about getting paint on it.

I used some HGTV fabric that I had leftover from another project for the cushions. It was $10 a yard, on sale, and I used a bit over half a yard. Its actually outdoor fabric so is a bit more durable. I reinforced the seat with three layers of batting before adding the fabric.

The top part was  trickier as I have never done something like that. I sprayed the cushion with spray adhesive to help the fabric stay in the correct position. I stapled it on the bottom since you can't see that part. For the edges, that are touching the wood, I used a glue gun! A little messy but it got the job done. 

I actually didn't have a big enough piece of fabric leftover so I had to use two pieces for the top. I am afraid of sewing machines. I used one when I was younger but they just intimidate me. I am trying to work myself up to learning how to use one again. In the meantime I used iron-on sewing tape to connect the two pieces! You can see the seam here.

I love this chair! I really didn't make it to match anything I just loved the colors. So for now it is in the guest bedroom. 

Guest Bedroom- Working With What You Got

Our guest bedroom is one of the most "done" and furnished rooms in our house. Which is funny because A. It will one day have to switch to the nursery and B. We have hardly bought anything for this room!

The bedroom set and linens are from Pascal's old bedroom. The curtains and lamps are from my old bedroom. The only things I bought for this room was new sheets and a $10 piece of art!

The hope chest was made by my grandpa for my mom when she was younger. I may paint it one day.

Pascal finds all my old dolls that I have in the room very creepy HA

More creepy dolls... And Pascal's old trophies

I love these art pieces that my grandma gave me

I got this owl art for $10 at Ikea! I have a bit of an owl collection...

This room is also where I have all of my present wrapping supplies. The dresser and closet are full. Also in the closet I have some of my winter clothes. I like this room a lot. I could just hang out in there and read. I think its calming because it is always clean and I am not looking around at what I want to change HA. This bedroom is still the original color but we aren't going to paint until it actually becomes a nursery.

Refurbished Table and Chairs

This was my first official furniture renovation! I started this last summer and after that was inspired to do this 

dresser and a coffee table.

My grandma had this table up in her attic that had been in her family for a long time. It was a beautiful table, particularly the legs, but the table was in rough shape and I didn't love the color. We lived with it as is for almost a year.

 I did a lot of research before starting and bought the following products.

I read good reviews on the CitriStrip and I decided to get it because it is supposed to be safer than other strippers and you can even use it indoors. Which I didn't but the fact that you can says a lot.
I thought it worked well. The bottle says that you can leave it on for up to 24 hours but you need to wipe it off before it drys so I found that after 30 minutes was a good time for me. I stripped the chairs and table legs twice. I used a combination of steel wool and just plain paper towels.

Bunny helping me

These are the chairs after I stripped them. Note that one of them is different. My grandma has no idea when that happened! After stripping them I decided that I liked the color of the wood and didn't want to stain them. So instead I just sealed the wood on the chairs, and table legs, with polyurethane. I decided to be a little lazy and I spent the extra money to get the spray can version. It was definitely a time saver! I think I bought 6 bottles and did two coats.

I decided to paint the table top since the wood was in worse shape and I wanted a two toned look. This picture is after primer and paint.

Instead of leaving the table top as is I roughed it up some so it matched the antique table legs better. I sanded the edges, sometimes down to the white primer and sometimes down to the wood.

I also added a brown glaze on the edges. I just bought this small bottle at A.C. Moore. A little goes a long way and I have used this on several projects! After glazing I added the polycrylic to protect the paint. 

 Next up I reupholstered the seats! I am not sure why I took off the old covers instead of just reupholstering over top...I think I just wanted to see what was inside. Which was very interesting. So that's what antique cushions look like! I did save a piece of one of the covers, maybe I will frame it one day?

I put batting over top the cushions to make them more comfortable. My handy staple gun from my mom with flowers on it. The screws sticking out in the corners were so I didn't cover up the screw holes...I made that mistake before I realized I should do this.

Done! I used some Scotch Guard on the cushion covers to protect the fabric. 

So after we made the cushions nice and comfy we realized that the chairs were now too tall for the table. As in your legs scraped the bottom of the table. So we bought the below table legs. Which made the table too tall. So we took off part of the original table legs and THEN added these. Kinda a mess for a minute there.
You can see on the below table legs the before and after of glazing them. I just rubbed a bit of the glaze on and then wiped it off quickly so it wasn't too much.

And finally the finished product!

And so you don't have to scroll to the top here is the before again.

The table was free and my total budget for renovating it was $100 between the fabric and all the supplies. This was still cheaper then buying a table this size even at Ikea!
It took me about a week to do but that was working on it a bit each day after work. The wood stripping was the most labor intensive part.
This was kinda  a big project to take on for my first furniture renovation but it was good because I learned a lot of different things- stripping wood, painting wood, and reupholstering cushions. All of which have come in handy!