The Cabinet is D-O-N-E

Okay. So it’s not completely done. I lied. But I figure I have held you off on this project for long enough. It just needs to be jewelry-fied, so I guess you can see it by now. Let’s take a look at the before, shall we?

I loved everything about it—the glass details, the shape, the storage, etc.  The wood was beautiful, but it was badly beat up. That certainly helped with my decision to paint. Of course, my favorite part of it was the price. $60.00 off Craigslist. Ya-to-the-hoo!

After taking it apart, this is what it turned into. For months. Michigan weather hit, and there was just no finishing it in that cold.

And here it is today…

I seriously looked into crystal knobs for it, but the idea of filling holes, drilling new ones, and spending more money on this than I already had was not appealing to me.

I’m pretty much in love with it, and I’m taking my time filling the top with accessories. It’s quite the balance making sure I like the way it looks, and it’s still functional for my daughter’s things.

Of course, her favorite part needs to be gussied up as well. We’ll be working on that one very soon.

Well, there you go! I’m in love, my daughter’s in love, and my husband’s in love with the price. That’s a win/win, don’t ya think?

I almost forgot…Dutch Boy sent me the paint for this project (free!!). It’s painted Timeless Ivory, and it’s just that. What a classically beautiful shade. It’s perfect.

A Sewing chair and SAS Day

As I said earlier, my shopping goal for Ikea included items for my craft room. Something I knew I wanted? A new sewing chair. A sewing chair that isn’t meant for sewing. It’s just a chair. That I’ll sew in. While Ikea had the chair I wanted, they didn’t offer the slipcover that I was looking for.

Our last stop of the day was to Marshall’s, and it wasn’t even on our shopping radar. The chair had alluded me at Ikea, Pier 1, and HomeGoods, so my hopes were low. And then…she appeared.

The clean lines were there, and the colors were spot on. Then the “worry words” as I call them started in. Would it be too busy? Is it truly what I was looking for? Blah, blah, blah…it’s a curse, really.

I decided that I would let the price tag decide for me. I thought I’d spend around $100, and if it was much more than that, I’d just pass it up. Then, I saw this.

$59.00??? SOLD.  The only thing standing in it’s way now were the legs.  I told BFF that I’d just paint them, and her response was, “Of course you will.”

It fits perfectly at the sewing table, and the fabric is exactly what I was looking for. Worry words, be gone!

There’s a little sneak peek of the new dresser in there, but I’m waiting for a little somethin’ somethin’ to arrive that will jazz her up a little bit. The reveal will just have to wait.

My week has involved some major shopping, sleeping in, and putting things together with only picture directions. Now it’s up to you to show us what you’ve been doing. Link up!

Ok. The Craft Room

I spent forEVer looking for a picture of my den “before”, but I could only find a couple of isolated shots. It all started with this desk.   I loved it, but it became useless once we purchased our laptop.

Once we sold it, I knew exactly what I wanted. A craftroom. Scratch that—I wanted an obnoxiously girly space just for me that no one could ruin with toys or camouflage gear.

It started with a table and a hutch. I refinished the hutch from my grandparents, and I painted the table to match. I was so happy to have a large workspace for all my hotglue, glitter, paint, and paper projects.

Well, after a few purchases, some creative resources, and some major elbow grease, I present you with---------the girl room.

 

I should have warned you about all the pictures. It’s the one room in my house that I didn’t worry about “showroom quality”. I wanted it to be pretty for me, but my main concern was function. You may notice that I’m still struggling with that just a bit.

Don’t believe me? Here’s a snapshot of all the projects I have yet to work on in here. The bench is priority #1. I’ve been looking. We just haven’t found each other yet.

I’m gonna show you the hutch side of the room. However, no making fun of me just yet. I’m still getting that area organized, but I couldn’t be happier with the amount of storage I now have.

If you have some catching up to do, you can read the other posts I’ve done on this leading up to the grand finale. The pegboard, dresser, hutch, lamp, and chair have all had their own moments.

In Media Res

My students try to tell me that they will never use some of the Shakespearean terms that we talk about in class. There. I just proved them wrong. 

That’s where we’re at, however. In the middle of things. The good news is that we went and picked up our new family member this weekend. Because I think Craigslist pictures are horrible, I thought I’d take some to show it off to you. Bee-u-ti-ful. It’s beyond my expectations.  

When my daughter saw that the “secret” desk pulled out, I thought her jaw was going to drop to the floor. It was totally worth the drive. 

What the pictures don’t necessarily show well is that it’s pretty scratched up. It definitely needs some work, and I definitely can’t wait to tackle it!

For those of you who might expect the after pictures soon, let me forewarn you. I’m waiting for this baby. My birthday is on its way, and this is what I’ll be getting. I should probably tell my husband that.

I’m not stuck on this model (Porter-Cable PSH1 Gravity Feed from Amazon). As a matter of fact, if you have recommendations, PLEASE share them with me. I’m a newbie to this stuff, so any extra help is much appreciated!

Something else I could use some help with? How to take a true-to-color picture of this room! Egads! This is by far the biggest project I’ve taken on, and it’s a slow process to say the least. I’m doing all the trim work myself (see the handsome MDF baseboards below?).  I figure my kids will be able to use their bathroom again just in time for prom. 

The Story of a China Cabinet

If you’ve been following me on Facebook or Twitter, you know that there’s been an on-going saga involving a china cabinet--otherwise known as a pain in my bahoony.  It all started with my daughter’s room.

She had two pieces of furniture against one wall, and it was just taking up too much room. It came to me that I wanted to condense those pieces into something smaller. What I didn’t know is that I would sell both pieces in 22 minutes with a bidding war over the dresser. Woah.

So…the hunt for a china cabinet was on. Cabinet #1 was $50.00! I was in love! I was gonna marry it!  Unfortunately, someone else proposed to it 30 minutes before I did. I was heartbroken. Would I ever find something I loved this much?

China cabinet #2. Well, hello gorgeous. You’re quite stunning, and for $75.00, I think you and I could have a beautiful relationship. Too bad your owner never got back with me. My assumption? It was sold. WHY don’t Craigslisters know that it’s a common courtesy to let inquirers know that it’s not available anymore?

In comes china cabinet #3. YES! I love it. It’s mahogany; it has beveled glass; it’s in perfect condition! It’s $200.00. Ouch. Well, I’ve been saving money. I can afford this. I work. I earn, darn it! My final e-mail with the seller tells me that it’s only 70 inches high. It’s a deal breaker. For that kind of money, it needed to be taller. Again—heartbroken.

At this point, I’m feeling defeated. Perhaps this whole china cabinet idea is not meant to be. Perhaps I—wait…what’s that? WOW! She’s beautiful! She’s only $60.00?? There’s gotta be a catch.  There is. It’s 2 hours away.

What my little one doesn’t know is that it has a “secret” desk disguised as the top drawer. She’s been wanting a desk (hence the furniture sale I had), so this is brilliant!

I think my husband was so happy that I wouldn’t be spending $200, he actually agreed to make the 4-hour drive with me next weekend. We’re on week 6 of 8, so the fact that he’d take a day to do this means a lot. The moral of this story? Wait it out. Craigslist is a frugal buyer’s dream. It just might take a minute (or 120) to get there.

A Dresser Finds a New Life

In an effort to transform my office into my craft room, I knew it was vital to find some good storage. Unfortunately, my budget didn’t allow me to build this.

From my Feathered Nest 

However, this little beauty was definitely in my budget.

Okay, so maybe she’s not quite a beauty (yet), but at $23.00, I couldn’t resist buying it. Like the “handle” on the right side?  

As soon as I got it home, I went to town taking all that extra stuff off.  Big frilly medallion, be gone! I wiped it all down with my handy, dandy TSP cleaner and gave it a layer of primer.

Once the primer was dry, I rolled on some paint with a foam roller. I used a cheap craft brush for all the crevices. 

Wanna see my favorite part? Behind that big ol’ chunky door are three drawers. I love that feature!

Unfortunately, I can’t remember what color paint I used, and I stupidly threw away the can!  What was I thinking???  You’ll see why that’s a major problem for me in a minute.

And finally…the reveal!

Having a craft room, I find that there’s quite a balance between making it pretty and making it functional. I’m trying to include decorative pieces, but I don’t want to hide too many of my “go to” devices. Then, what’s the point in having a craft room?  

If you haven’t noticed it yet, you’ll see that I forgot to paint an entire strip at the base of the dresser. WHA????  I know. I painted it in the dead of winter, and I must not have paid attention to it. Of course, the major problem with that is the whole you threw away the paint can, you idiot! missing paint issue.  I’ll get to it. Someday.

I know you’ve been waiting (well, 2 of you have) for the reveal of this room, and I promise it’s almost there. I was on the hunt for cheap window treatments, and I just found them. Now it’s just a matter of getting my man of the house (that would be my 11-year old for three more weeks) to help me hang them!