New to Us End Tables

As we are trying to get back into the DIY spirit after vacation I did a quick-ish project two weekends ago staining our "new" end tables. 

In preparation for our bedroom re-do I started looking for new end tables the end of last summer at garage sales. I found one for $5 which I posted about here. I never found another one but then my mom gave me a table that someone gave her? Or she got out of the trash? It was not as stylish as the one I already had but after not finding anything else I thought some matching stain might bring the two tables together. 

The $5 table was wood veneer that was already stained and the free table was solid unfinished wood. I decided to try a new (to me) product: Poly-Shades by Minwax. It is different than regular stain in that it includes your protective polycrylic finish and you can use it over existing stain. Soo you don't have to sand or strip away the previous finish. Which is great news for me since I hate doing both of those things. 

I wanted a dark stain to match our dresser in the bedroom.  I didn't go so far as to bring a drawer with me to Lowes but I did bring a picture of the dresser. The stain on the sample wood pieces looked different then the color on the can so that helped with my decision. 

The directions say to lightly sand before starting and then to sand with fine steel wool between coats. I did it inside with a window open because I like to watch TV...but it was smelly and would be better done outside. 

The Poly-Shades was definitely thicker than regular stain. I had to stir it a lot and it was all goopy at the bottom at first. 

The transformation with the stain was amazing. After just one coat the tables already looked so much better. 

I thought that the free table may need more coats than the other table due to being lighter. After one coat they did look different but with a second coat on each they were much closer. I thought about doing a third coat only on the free table but Pascal said to leave well enough alone.

FIRST COAT

SECOND COAT

The unfinished free table definitely took the stain better. I think I was probably supposed to sand the pre-stained table more. The stain went on the pre-finished table more like paint instead of soaking in like stain. You can also see in the corners where it is darker because I got too much stain there. With regular stain you would wipe up any access with a rag but with this kind you brushed it on and then went back over right away with a dry brush to get any excess off. It seemed to get stuck in the corners though. Oh well I don't mind and Pascal doesn't care because this table is mine. It was good to try a new product though and I am trying to not just paint ALL THE THINGS. 

Instead of re-using the blah wood handle on the free table I bought an antique brass knob for $1.50 to match the existing handle on the $5 table . It really kinda just looks silver but it is good for now. 

Beautiful!

Our old tables had two huge drawers that we could fill with very important...junk. Since these only had one I bought some boxes at Target to add more storage. 

Pascal's box is cooler...Jealous. Clearance of course.

I am very pleased with how it turned out! Total project makeover cost $12 Poly-Shades + $1.50 knob + $5 table + free table = $18.50. When I tried to find new tables online I couldn't find any I liked for under $50 for one. So I think these were definitely a good deal, plus they are unique.

Master Bedroom Progress- New Rug

After a long awaited vacation it is time to get back to work on our bedroom! It was hard to come back from vacation but I did have our new bedroom to look forward to. Well part of it. We still don't actually have a bed but we do have a rug!

When I talked about our master bedroom plans here I planned on getting this rug from Target which was $250 for a 7x10. $250 is a lot for me but still less than most rugs out there.

Target Threshold Rug

Not long after that I saw an ad for Rugs USA saying that they were having a 70% off sale plus free shipping. Plus no tax since it is online. I have browsed Rugs USA before but always thought it was too expensive. However they have sales all the time so you just need to hold out for the really great ones. I looked at a lot of rugs but ended up with the same style as the Target one.

Rugs USA

With the on sale price it was $208 for the 8x10. So a bit cheaper than Target and a bit bigger. And it looked "fluffier". The rug arrived right before we left for vacation and it is definitely much bigger and fluffier than our old $20 Ikea rug! Totally worth the $208 and more. We did not buy a rug pad for it since our carpet is already messed up and we don't have to worry about ruining it any more...So far there doesn't seem to be any problems with it sliding around. It is very heavy so it is hard to even move intentionally!

Now we just need a bed to go with it! Although this carpet is comfy enough to sleep on. Okay well maybe just for a nap- not all night. 

Mid Century Garage Sale Find

Our master bedroom "redo" has officially started in that we now no longer have any of our furniture. We passed it on and we have just been staying in the guest bedroom. Its like being on vacation...in the upstairs of our house. Which incidentally is warmer, so maybe we should sleep up there all winter? Anyway. Part of replacing our bedroom furniture involves replacing the great big dresser that we used to have. I didn't really have any ideas of what type to get or where to get it. And then I remembered that we already have a dresser...upstairs in our spare room.

I bought said dresser last May at a garage sale. I had been out that morning with my grandmother at garage sales and then convinced Pascal to go with me to one around the corner at about 1 pm. It was one of the few times that he has actually gone with me. The garage sale was at an older couples house who was moving. They asked if we were interested in any furniture and said that they were really trying to get rid of it since it was the end of the day. The furniture was inside so we also got to see the house which is always fun.I am so nosy, I love to see what other people in the area have done to their houses since we all live in basically the same house.

They had what looked like a 9 drawer dresser but was actually a hutch. It had two bookcase looking pieces that went on top of the dresser part but were not currently attached. I didn't really need the dresser but it was beautiful and seemed like it was in good shape. It was a vintage Lane Furniture piece with dovetailed joints. I told them that I only wanted the dresser part not the top "hutch" part and the women said $25. I couldn't even negotiate with that fantastic price. She even said she would have her son drop it off since we lived around the corner and it was too big for my car. Sold. I decided that I would save it for when we one day have a nursery.

After I got home I did some research and learned that we really had gotten a great piece. I found a similar Lane dresser for sale online for $700! Here is another one that looks exactly the same as ours but smaller for $500! So all this time I have had this fabulous dresser just collecting dust. So it made sense to move it downstairs to our master bedroom where it would really fit much better than in a nursery.

The dresser did have some nicks and scratches on it but was overall in good condition. I cleaned it and used a magic eraser on some of the scuffs. I then bought Howard's Restor-A-Finish and Feed-N-Wax to polish the dresser. I read good reviews about it online and it was $17 for both products. I heardly used any of it so I will be able to use this on many other projects.

 

I used the Restor-A-Finish first and wiped it on with an old rag. After a half hour I wiped off any access. It already looked great but I then added the Feed-N-Wax once it was completely dry. The best part about that was the great orangey smell. Now I think the dresser looks basically new.

Before

After

Left Polished/Right Unpolished

Master Bedroom Plans

I am so excited about this project and am trying not to get carried away...After 2.5 years in our house I am re-decorating our master bedroom. Too soon? I am justifying this because we hardly spent any money on decor in our bedroom. We got the bedding and the mattress as a gift. The bedroom set was passed down to us from my uncle. The lamps came from Pascal's old room. My chevron dresser was free from the trash! Really the only things we bought were the room darkening curtains and the $20 rug to cover up the patched floor.

The room is  functional but not really my style. Which is probably why I have never really finished it or hung pictures on the wall. So I have been saving my money to buy new things. Since this isn't for function, I didn't want to take away from our home renovation projects so I have my own little pot of money now just for the bedroom decor.

I am working with the existing paint color, the curtains, and the chevron dresser. Everything else is changing. I want the room to still be dark and cozy but not so "matching". We are also taking this opportunity to upgrade to a king size bed. Which also means new sheets, mattress pad, pillows, etc...

To help better show my master bedroom plans, I learned how to make a mood board for the very first time. Since I don't have photo shop, I did some googling and found this tutorial from The Weekend Homemaker on how to download Picasa and make a mood board through that program. It was so easy and quick- I can't believe I waited this long to do it.

1. Bed: The Ikea Brimnes bed is only $250 for the king size which sounds great to me. I love the white to lighten up the room some, the huge drawers underneath, and the fact that it has no headboard. This will give me a change to DIY a headboard. 

2. Bedspread: This West Elm Duvet Cover was my first purchase. It was on sale for only $80 for the king size. I looked all over before deciding on this one. I checked out Target, Pottery Barn, Urban Outfitters, Wayfair, etc. I love the color of this one and I think it will go along with the dark and cozy vibe. Pascal was worried it was too dark but I think the white bed frame will help balance it out.  

3. Curtains: I might not get these exact ones, but I like the idea of these white curtains from Ikea . I would like to layer white curtains over our existing brown ones. 

4. Rug: Not definite on this one, but I would like to get a bigger rug to better fit the room. Rugs are so expensive but that is why I have been saving for this for a while now...I am leaning towards this $250 7x10 from Target. It reminds me of these ones on sale for $700 from West Elm and $400 from Rugs USA. They are beautiful but I can't bring myself to spend that much. 

5. Lamps: I actually already bought these but am not 100% sold on them. I need to wait and see them in the room. I bought them on a trip to Target for shampoo because they were only $23 which I thought was amazing for the lamp AND shade.  

6. Sheets: Since I have to buy all new sheets anyways, why not do it in style...I got these Nate Berkus sheets from Target for $60 (darn, they are on sale now). So now I have sheets and a bedspread but no bed. 

7. End Tables: Not these exact end tables, but I plan to have dark wood end tables to contrast with the white bed. I have two mismatched ones right now that I am planning on re-staining so we shall see how that goes.

I can't wait to get started on this project! I think part of the reason I am so excited is I actually have money to spend on this and get to buy brand new grown up things. I love refurbishing old furniture, which I will be doing in this room as well, but it is nice to get new stuff too. And as part of the reusing/recycling, my younger brother is getting our bed, end tables, and dresser. So I feel good that they are not going to waste and I can pass on the gift. 

Quick Headboard Update

I am not a huge fan of our current headboard and would like to have something more exciting and possibly make my own. In the mean time I decided to make a quick change. I used a throw blanket that I already had  in the bedroom and threw it over my headboard. It took about 2 minutes and I like it much better now!

Using Paintable Wallpaper to Disguise a Fake Wall

Once we put up the wardrobe in our bedroom something had to be done to the back... Since we put it in backwards the back of the wardrobe was just this thin cardboard looking board. And it stayed like that for almost a year. I went back and forth about what to do. I originally though of putting fabric up. But I couldn't decide a pattern, I would have to use multiple strips of fabric, and it might be expensive...My husband wanted to do a pallet wood wall but we thought that would be too heavy for the thin backing.

Then I found paintable wallpaper at Lowe's. It had good reviews and since it was thick/textured I thought it would cover the cheap wall well. AND it looked cool and was only $19! Its kind of a spongy material and is good for covering damaged walls.

The first step is making sure that your surface is ready. The directions recommend priming if you just have drywall up. Since I had a fake wood wall I used oil based primer on it. This was my first time using this inside and it smelled horrible! Even with the windows open we had to sleep in another room that night.

The next day I enlisted my sister, Barbara, to help. The wallpaper is pre-glued so once we cut it to size we just had to soak it in water. We soaked it in the bathtub and then carefully put it on the wall. It definitely helped having a second person. Especially since she is taller than me. Once it was hung up some of the glue/water dripped off of the bottom so I recommend putting a towel down.

The directions said to overlap the strips in case it shrinks once it dries. This felt weird since it is thick but it did shrink a little bit so you need to.

Overall it was easy, quick, and I love the results! One of the cool things about  this wallpaper is that you can paint it after you hang it up! I ended up not painting it because I liked the white. But that's always an option in the future.

The final step to make it look complete was adding molding on the bottom and top. Especially since there was a gap between the top and the ceiling.

We just used leftover molding that we had from ripping out the wall. If you wanted to make it look really complete you could wrap the molding all the way into the closet but we just put it on the front because that was what we had. After using a nail gun, caulk, and paint the walk in closet was finally done!

Still not sure what we are going to do with this space and if we will keep it as a "sitting area". I would like to get a chaise lounge. For now I just put these two chairs there. The blue one was $5 at a garage sale. My husband cleaned it with Zep carpet cleaner which we love. The brown one is in not as good shape but it was freeee from a neighbor's trash. I cleaned it and painted the legs the same off white as this dresser. Soo this side of the room looks pretty good for $5 furniture.

Turning an Ikea Wardrobe Into a Walk-In Closet

When we started our house search I KNEW I wanted a walk-in closet. Its not just that I have a lot of clothes...My husband has a lot of clothes too! Also I HATE ironing so I wanted to be able to have enough room to hang most of my clothes up instead of using a dresser.

So this definitely factored into our decision to expand our master bedroom so we would have room for our walk-in. Originally we planned on building a wall to separate the bedroom from the closet. But it seemed kind of silly that we were knocking one wall down just to build a new one a few feet over. My husband suggested the Pax wardrobe system from Ikea. After exploring that option further I realized that the main cost for these closets was the doors! While there are a lot of cool options for doors you can save a lot of money without them.

We picked out two birch wardrobes to place side by side and added two shelves for shoes and four rods for clothes. The total for all of this was $265.

The walk-in closet is on this side of the bedroom

The next step was putting the wardrobes together which I won't take responsibility for. We put them up so that the back was facing out into our bedroom. Since they weren't flat against the wall my husband made sure to safely connect the two and then connect the one against the wall. We left one side open for a "doorway".

After putting the two wardrobes up with the back to the room and the front facing the inside of the closet and the window we needed something for the empty wall of the bedroom. We went to Home Depot and bought some of these white wire shelves. You are able to pick out whatever pieces you want so we got three shelves and two more rods for hanging clothes. We only spent about $50 and then added two $10 shoe racks.

Here are some pictures of the finished inside of the closet. Sorry for the tight pictures it was hard to get a good angle!

When you first walk into the closet

Wooden Blind is from Ikea

Light is from Ikea

Overall we love our closet and are able to hang a lot of clothes in there. I still rotate some of my seasonal clothes but that is just to make things a little more organized. I think this solution worked out great and using the Ikea wardrobes was much easier and led to much more organization than if we had built the closet from scratch. 

Master Bedroom-Done?

Here is our bedroom "completed". When I say "completed" I mean that the construction is over but its definitely not done.

I like this room, I do. It is very calming. However we decorated it two years ago...I feel like our design sense has developed a lot since then. The color on the walls is "Restful" by Behr which is a fitting title. I like it but I think I'm over it. The bedroom is full of earthy tones but I would like something clean and modern...

The bedroom set was a very generous gift from a family member who didn't need it anymore. It is very good quality but again not really my style now that I "think" I know what "my style" is. The lamps are from Ikea. We usually have a green bedspread but I changed it to this old white one I had for the summer. 

We also need some artwork to hang in the bedroom! We have a lot of empty wall space. 

We bought these curtains right after we moved in at Bed Bath and Beyond for $40 each. I would like something more fun/modern but it would be hard to part with these! They are noise blocking/light blocking. They do a VERY good job blocking light it is like a cave in there which is great for sleeping. The noise blocking is also important because about 10 feet from this side of the house is my neighbor's house and they have a daycare. And the entrance for the daycare is right outside our bedroom window...

You can also see my lovely $15 mirror in the above picture. It is not hanging yet because I would like to do something to beef it up...molding? Tile?

This is a view of our bedroom from the now en suite bathroom. We still don't have a bathroom door up! The door in the left of this picture is to the closet under the stairs which is now part of our bedroom. It is a coat closet. 

The too small rug ($10 from Ikea!) is there to cover where we knocked the wall down....Umm yeah we did not replace the whole floor. That is definitely something that we want to do when have the money (Dark hardwood?????) but for now we took a strip of carpet from the spare room that we are using as a "garage" and glued it down...Not the most "professional" fix. Buttt it works and you can't really tell.

That's the edge of the patched carpet in the above picture.

Soo that is the master "in progress". I will write other posts on the bathroom and closet portions of the master!