Bedroom Makeover on a BUDGET ($1,500 - or less) - Part Two!

A bedroom certainly isn't complete without a BED! For a while I had my eye on this:

http://www.ballarddesigns.com/louis-bed/furniture/beds-daybeds-beds/10613?defattrib=&defattribvalue=&listIndex=5

However I wasn't really digging the price point, nor the fact that it isn't available to ship until the middle of October.....

So, I started scouring Craig's List for something similar. If you can believe it, the hubby found a vintage Thomasville canopy bed for $60.00(!). As luck would have it, our bargain find shared many of the same features as the Ballard bed shown above (wicker, delicate legs, french country feel).

The bed arrived in excellent condition, but was in need of a serious makeover. We primed and painted the bed to give it a fresh look (using the lighter of the two colors that we used for the dressers).

Before (I was a wee bit overzealous and forgot to get a "true" before, sans any primer):

During (bottom half has paint and primer, top just primer):

After!:

Due to limited wall space, we angled the bed in the corner of our room. We loved the way the placement of the bed made for "better flow"; however, we weren't having an easy time finding a nightstand for Andrew's side of the bed.

Then....we stumbled upon this gem:

It's a vintage "smoking stand", which was a piece of "novelty" furniture popular during the depression. Smoking stands provided a place for folks to place their cigars and cigar supplies. Ours is copper lined (the copper protected cigars from humidity) and it also has a place for an ash tray. I was able to find a little lamp that fit perfectly in the "ash try" space, so now our nightstand is complete!

We purchased the smoking stand at an antique store. The piece was priced at $40.00, but the place was cash only and I only had $28.00 bucks on me.....SO... 

We offered the guy $28.00, and to our surprise, he accepted!

We've decided not to refinish the smoking stand, because the color already works with our room, and I truly love the rustic patina.  

Budget Breakdown:

* Bed = $75 ($60 + $25 delivery charge)

* Nightstand = $28

* Lamp = $18

* Bedding (duvet, duvet cover, three accent pillows) = $150.00

= $271.00 ( roughly $700 remains!)........

Bedroom Makeover on a BUDGET ($1,500 or less!) - Part One...

Please take a moment to marvel @ FHL's new look (....OK....that was enough marveling, thank you!)

For those of you who know me, technology isn't really my friend. I've been following several other DIY blogs, trying to figure out how to make farmhouselove a bit more gorgeous - mission accomplished! I'm super thrilled with the damask background.

In other news, we've been slowly making over our bedroom, one piece at a time. With all of the renovation expense, we wanted to keep our budget in check on this project. After much debate, we set our budget at $1,500.00 total (this number needs to include all furniture, accessories, rugs, etc.).

Over the next several blog posts, I'll be piecing together our new bedroom look, with the BIG reveal coming SOON! (coming soon because, truthfully, we aren't finished ;)!

Our search for a great find(s) began at a vintage furniture store in Lawrenceville (http://www.pittsburghfurniturecompany.com/).We happened upon two amazing pieces ($400.00 total, including delivery!) both in need of refinishing (badly in need of refinishing!):

Tall Dresser Before:

Tall Dresser After (please excuse cords, etc. - NOT the final look!):

Long Dresser Before:

Long Dresser After:

We used BEHR premium plus exterior paint (more durable than traditional latex) in a stain finish. We decided upon two colors from the Martha Stewart line (I like the contrast of the light drawers against the colored base).

We did not sand the pieces, but we applied two coats of primer before painting. Trust me DIYers, primer is your BFF :)

 Budget Breakdown (post dresser project):

- Dressers = $400.00

- Paint (two quarts, one of each color) = $30.00

- Primer = $0.00 (left over from previous projects)

- Mirror (to add height to long dresser) = $35.00

- Sconces (to flank mirror) = $25.00

- 1 can oil rubbed bronze spray paint (dresser hardware and sconces) = $8.00

- Other accessories = reused from various rooms in house

.............roughly $1,000.00 remains!........

If your enjoyment, some "action shots":

"Before" and "After"

We've officially moved the renovation and decorating shenanigans upstairs with the start of the bedroom redesign this weekend....

So I figured now would be an excellent time to bust out the "before" and "after" photos of the first floor.

Enjoy :)

Living Room BEFORE:

Living Room AFTER:

After includes - New floors, new paint, crown, chair rail, wainscoting, gas log insert, light fixture and radiator cover.

Dinning Room BEFORE:

Dinning Room AFTER:

After includes - New floors, new paint, wall paper feature wall, new light fixture, crown, chair rail and wainscoting.

Kitchen BEFORE:

Kitchen AFTER:

After includes - New floor, new appliances, back splash, paint, new light fixture, white washed existing cabinets, new hardware, moved placement of fridge and custom built wine storage. 

Kitchen BEFORE:

Kitchen AFTER:

Kitchen BEFORE:

Kitchen AFTER:

Eat in area BEFORE:

Eat in area AFTER:

After includes: New paint, new light fixture, crown, bead board and new floor.

As you can see, we've been busy ;)

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Thrifty Find!

Alas, my return to the blogosphere.......

The new gig has been taking up most of my time these days, but I have been finding some time to do small projects.

Last weekend Angie and I spent Saturday checking out some of our favorite antique spots (cue the "ahhh" music) and we ended up with some fab finds.

Angie really rocked it out and found an AMAZING bench, that just needs a little TLC (the picker gods would be so proud!).

I ended up with a gorgeous end table for the unbelievable price of $5.00! I love the delicate look of the table, as well as the cute little lion detail on the side. Also, the guy selling the piece asked me to place my 5 bucks in a coffee can (instead of handing it over to him) which was certainly an experience....

A little bit of chalk paint later, and we've got a new end table!

BTW, if you're not familiar with chalk paint, you should become familiar with it. It is a DIY'ers dream, it basically allows you to transform your thrifty finds without the hassle of sanding and priming...

Here is the recipe I used:

http://howtodistressfurniture.net/how-to-make-chalk-paint-2

Check out the new table, pictures below!

Happy weekend, x0x0x0x!

Before ( I placed the end table next to our sofa and chair to get an idea of what it would look like):

Let the chalk painting begin!

Getting there.......

All done!

In place, yay!

Pottery Barn, I love you.

Good Morning!

Feels great to be at HOME on a this rainy Friday morning. Yesterday was my last day at my previous job, and on Monday I will start fresh in a new position in a completely different industry.

I'd be a massive liar if I said I wasn't slightly nervous. A "good nervous" though, the kind of nervous you get when you feel like you're starting something worth pursuing...

As with all things, we shall see how it goes. Well, hopefully!

I wish I could sit in my new p.j's all day and do nothing, however, I've got  a few things I need to accomplish this morning (drum roll please...!):

Dropping off Marv to be groomed (ugh......always a massive production).....
Getting my hair cut (fresh new do for the new job!)
Tending to a mountain of dry cleaning (this requires an entire paragraph of complaining, see below)

I feel super, SUPER old when I look in my closet and realize that darn near 1/2 of what I own is "dry clean only". Honestly? What the F. Who buys so many garments with ridiculous cleaning requirements (um, yeah - this girl!). After researching the cost of dry cleaning in our town, I vowed to cut back on my purchasing of such items. My vow = out the window.

I swear, I've got 25 things waiting to be done. OUCH!!!!!!! (that, ladies and gents = the sound of my wallet crying).

I wish, with my entire heart and soul that a ZIPS dry cleaner (one of those places that charges $1.99 for everything) would come here. I was be so happy, I'd nearly die.

Until then, I guess I'll be stuck paying $5.99 for a suit jacket! Lameness.

In other news, we're just about ready to start moving upstairs (reno project wise!). Or should I say, I am ready to move upstairs.....

Andrew thinks we should wait until the fall, but I don't think I can stand the old floors upstairs for much longer. They're so hard to clean, and we've got the materials sitting in the basement, which makes me feel totally wasteful. Of course, once they start working upstairs, we will be living in a cloud of dust, which goodness knows will test my patience!

I've decided that if we meet our savings goals for the next few months, I'm buying myself a new sofa (getting crazy now!). I think I've finally found the one, check it out below. Of course, the fabric I've selected is a grade C.....

Alas, Pottery Barn, you own my soul.

http://www.potterybarn.com/products/carlisle-upholstered-sofa/?pkey=ccarlisle-sofas&

Happy Weekend!
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muffins, meal planning and rental property snafus....

Good Morning & Happy Sunday!

I'm getting off to a s-l-o-w start this morning as it is nearly 10 am and I'm still in my p.j's (doesn't happen often, I'm trying to enjoy it!).

Andrew and I had a late night at the condo (window emergency, ah rentals...) so I've decided to take it easy this morning.

I baked some cranberry muffins (only turned out so-so) and now I'm planning my weekly meals. Meal planning is something that I always remember my mother doing growing up, and I must say it isn't nearly as fun as it looked back in the day....

I remember watching my mom sit at the kitchen table on Friday evenings with a giant stack of magazines and cook books (pre Google, oh the horror!) combing through page after page looking for healthy meal ideas.

My mother is an excellent cook and completely self-taught. She did some experimenting in those early years, but trial and error has certainly worked in her favor. To this day, I can honestly say that I would prefer a dish prepared by my mother over anything else that you could put in front of me.

With the recent rehab of our kitchen, I've been spending more and more time cooking (I would consider myself to be very much in the "trial and error" phase) and I've got to say I really enjoy it. Maybe one day I'll have a daughter who will help me comb through recipes, with the help of Google of course!

Because my cranberry muffins turned out so-so, I'll include another muffin recipe that I really enjoy :)

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/carrot_banana_muffins.html

If you need help meal planning and you're tech savvy there are several great tech options out there for you, my favorite is found below.

I'm lame so I mostly use good 'ol pen and paper (pen + paper also = FREE!).

Website charge = $9.95 for 8 weeks (worth it!):

=mealplanning&flow=pw,nops&gsc_campaign=ppcmealplan&gclid=CNy82s6R_7YCFccx4AodvycAyg

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Happy Sunday!

Andrew and I had agreed to not work on the house this weekend (a break was seriously in order!) so instead we went antique shopping, and I cooked up several meals for the week.....

Call me crazy, but I totally fell in love with an antique baby toy thingy (picture below) and figured it would make a quirky little plant stand. Andrew hates it and we nearly left the store without it, however I'm thrilled that I ended up going with my gut. I think it looks really cute, and as luck would have it the wing back chairs we have in the room have both the golden color as well as the sage color - perfect!

We can't figure out what it truly is (after some Google searching, it isn't a trike nor a scooter) but nonetheless, it sure is a conversation starter!

I also discovered a delicious (and simple!) new recipe. Even though the weather is starting to get warmer, on Sunday I always feel like having some "comfort" food. As is true for the majority of my recipes, I found this one on http://www.eatingwell.com/. 

It was super easy, and didn't require many ingredients (onions, garlic, thyme, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, olive oil, and coffee). 

In case you'd like to try this yummy roast, the recipe can be found below. I'll also include a few pictures of mine (I didn't get a picture of the finished product, but it looked amazing!). 

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/coffee_braised_pot_roast_with_caramelized_onions.html

A few ingredients:

Onions, getting nice and yummy:

Adding the meat:

Once the onions are caramelized and delicious (about 5-7 minutes) all you need to do is place the meat in the dutch oven, cover the top with some of the onions and the juice and pop in the oven for about 3.5 hours. The meat ends up having a very nice, rich flavor and is very tender. I served the roast with buttered egg noodles.

Perfect meal to end the week!

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