Walnut Bench To Go Please!

This year I have transformed more pieces of furniture than any other year! I hope you all are not getting bored with more furniture transformations than decorating.

Cute Owl & Pigs!

 


Just a quick baby gift...




Inspiration was the cute owl bedding chosen by the mommy from Baby's r us.

A Tufted Beauty!

Meet the new stool in my life!

This one is full of charm, like most of them are, however, this one is tufted and oh so soft.

I first met this gal at a summer garage sale. She spoke to me when I passed her, but I paid little attention. I was on the hunt for something else.

Then, I looked down and saw her...

Fall Mesh Wreath & Stool Cover

Just a couple of things that I whipped up today...

 A Fall wreath made with a base of  green mesh.

Solution to a Hole in my Vintage Tapestry!

Isn't it funny when you just can't think of a solution to a problem and someone walks up and gives it to you on a silver platter? In this case, I had picked up an old tapestry. The problem: a hole right in the middle of it. Too big to repair without notice. One day, my lovely daughter, Lisa says, "why don't you just cover a stool with it!"

I just happened to pick up this very old and very ugly stool...

Iron Bench!

Last year during garage sale season, I picked up an old iron bench.




I reupholstered it and put in my booth for sale.

Early Christmas Bar Stools

Little Toile Stool & Funny Ad!

I have re-vamped a little stool with paint, tassel fringe and bird toile fabric. I think it turned out really cute and reflects my taste and style.

I originally purchased the material from Ballard Designs on clearance for either some pillows or a to make a new valance for my bay window in the dining room. However, when looking for something to use to upholster this stool, I decided to use

Old No. 1 Stool

I was lazy a week or so ago and didn't take before pictures. Actually, I was overwhelmed with fixer projects that I just didn't take the time.

However, this stool is an old wooden stool that has a rotating two-step, step stool attached. It was painted a lovely light and happy green and my intention was to leave it alone. But upon closer inspection, it needed some small repairs which caused me to have to paint it.

Out came the Annie Sloan, Paris Grey Chalk Paint.

Bench Fetish

Some would say I have a chair fetish. Some would say I have a birdhouse fetish, Some would say I have a stool fetish. I just love so many things.

On this post, I would like to share with you a before and after of a bench that I just finished.

I purchased it at a garage sale that you can see HERE on my Week 14 Diamonds In The Rough! weekly posts. I paid a whole $4 for it!

One, Two, Bar Stools!

I recently showed you a couple of bar stools in my Week 6 - Diamonds In The Rough! post that you can see HERE.

I purchased them at a garage sale for my daughter's apartment. They cleaned up good but they needed to be jazzed up. The apartment has white cabinets so I left the base of the stools white.

Before

However, I did sand down the tops, painted them black, distressed just a tiny bit, then I still didn't think they were fun enough, so I stenciled on numbers in a creamy white on the tops.

I wiped a stain over them, sealed them and now they are ready for her to take to her apartment and put in place.

NOTE: You should be able to click on most of the pictures to enlarge to see further details.
These parties I love to link up to or check out my Blog Parties tab
Party Time @ It's So Very Cheri
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps On The Porch
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple
Creative Blogger's Party @ Homemaker On A Dime
Making The World Cuter @ Making The World Cuter
Amaze Me Monday @ Dittle Dattle 
Twice Owned Tuesday @ House Of Grace
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Time to Shine Tuesday @ A Diamond in the Stuff 
Tuesday Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia 
Trash 2 Treasure @ Sassy Sites
Power Of Paint @ Domestically Speaking
Swing Into Spring Wednesday @ DIY by Design
White Wednesday @ Faded Charm
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Piece of Work Wednesday @  Primitive & Proper
Good Life Wednesday @ A Beach Cottage
Open House Thursday @ No Minimalist Here
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
100 Ideas Under $100 @ Beyond The Picket Fence
Show And Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed
Remodelaholic Friday @ Remodelaholic
Frugal Friday @ Shabby Nest
Look What I Found Friday @ Vintage Revivals
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage
Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground
Weekend WrapUp Party @ Tatertots and Jello
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Strut Your Stuff @ The Saturday Morning Blog
Show and Tell Saturday @ Be Different, Act Normal 
Sunday Showcase Party @ By Stephanie Lynn 
Sundae Scoop Weekend Wrap Up Party @ I love Nap Time 
Before and After Party @ Thrifty Decor Chick

Slipcovered Stool and Pillows

I love change. The change in the seasons, and changing decor in my home. I had a stool and some pillows that I decided to make slipcovers for and I could change them out every few months for a different look. Here are FOUR different looks of slipcovers that I made.

Pillows...Front and Back, so I can display them on the sofa either way...two looks in one.

Stool slipcover

Slipcover pillow look #2

The chair was newly reupholstered then I sold it.

Made this slipcover with pieces of leftover fabric.

I made two of these, but then have sold them to my friend. They look great in her space.

Front and back...this is on my sofa currently.

The best part is not that they look good and it feels good to switch pillows out, but they store flat since I use the same pillow inside and just unzipper or unbutton them and switch out the slipcover.

NOTE: You should be able to click on most of the pictures to enlarge to see further details.
These parties I love to link up to or check out my Blog Parties tab
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps On The Porch
Make It For Monday @ Cottage Instincts
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple
Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
Making The World Cuter @ Making The World Cuter
Twice Owned Tuesday @ House Of Grace
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Power Of Paint @ Domestically Speaking
White Wednesday @ Faded Charm
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Piece of Work Wednesday @  Primitive & Proper
Good Life Wednesday @ A Beach Cottage
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
100 Ideas Under $100 @ Beyond The Picket Fence
Show And Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed
Frugal Friday @ Shabby Nest
Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground 
Creative Girls Blog Hop Friday @ The Girl Creative
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Strut Your Stuff @ The Saturday Morning Blog
Sunday Showcase Party @ By Stephanie Lynn
Pillow Challenge @ CSI Project 

Dining Room Tour & Confession

I must start this story with a confession. Back in 2005, Country Decorating Ideas magazine called me and asked to feature my home in their magazine. Well, of course I said yes. I will post on that long process in another blog post, however when my home FINALLY came out in a 2007 issue, my sister called and said bluntly, " Your dining room was sooooo boring! You need color in there!" She has never seen my home since she lives in South Carolina and I am in Illinois. Well, here is the picture of that page from the magazine and you can see what she meant. She was so right!

I had white lace valances on the bay windows. I had a cream colored carpet on the cream colored marble floor. Yes, I had red walls but not much of the room was walls. So, I put her in charge of finding area rugs. My sister surfed the internet and found the perfect rugs for the kitchen and dining room. They matched the theme (roosters) and my wall color perfectly.

I couldn't believe it when they arrived! She is so good! It looked like I had the rugs and matched the wall paint to them instead of the other way around. Unreal!! And look how the rug 'POPS' on the light colored marble floors!

So I went about adding personality to the room...after the photo shoot...too bad. But you get to see the results.  I changed the shades on the light fixtures purely by accident I found the current ones at a garage sale for $1 each. I added the eyelash fringe. The chandelier came out of the formal dining room (it was in the photo shoot). All I did was purchase a $7 plastic ceiling medallion and painted it to look like marble. The magazine had it wrong. They said I paid $52 for the medallion! NOT. And I also covered the chain with a cord sock.

I then made new valances with the same material from the kitchen but in a different style.

We purchased a new dining room table and vintage chairs that are painted black. We wanted the lower backed chairs since we love looking out at the lovely gardens, fountain and bird watching.

Looking around the room now, you can see the bar that is between the kitchen and dining area with the painted bar stools that I did. You can see the blog about them here.

Along with a cute rooster tassel that I made.

Then spinning on around the room opposite the table is a chair that I found for $20 at a garage sale. The only change I made to it was in the corners of the skirting, I added the red check accent fabric and made a coordinating pillow. What a great find at a great price and from a high end furniture store!

I also made the stool using the leftover curtain fabric. Above that is my wine rack. This started because I have another sister in Oklahoma that started a winery and I had some of their wine on it but it is now kept in my additional wine storage above the refrigerator in the kitchen. I found this wine bottle holder on eBay and though it doesn't hold very many bottles, I thought it had great form.

Next to that is an antique Seller's cabinet. A wedding gift from my In-Laws. I painted it black and painted the rooster on the bottom door.

Lastly, spinning around opposite the kitchen is the large doorway into the living room and a back door by the bay windows out to the patio. We have a pillar collection and you will see one of our 7 here.

So here is my promised dining room tour. You can see my kitchen here. Our home was built with a formal dining room that we converted to a study that you can see here. That left the 'breakfast nook area' to use as our only dining room. It is very adequate now that we are empty nesters and when the kids and family do come, there always seems to be plenty of room. Our table will extend for seating of 8 and the bar will hold three that the little kids love to sit at. It is open to the kitchen and has a wonderful bay window viewing the back yard gardens. Remember, you can click on each picture that you would love to see the detail on further. Enjoy Terry


UPDATE: Out went the Seller's cabinet and in went the newly painted antique hutch. So much better and it sure does open up the room. You can read all about the hutch HERE.

And we got new bar stools...

And I made new valances...

I am joining these parties:
Met Monday
Amaze Me Monday
Boring To Better 
Transformation Thursday 
Evolution Party 
Frugal Friday 
Show and Tell Friday
Sunday Showcase party
Before and After Party 
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday