Lampshade Lovin'

I adore the lampshades at Anthropologie, but no way am I paying over $100 for a shade. I did however leave the store with a fabulous pillow on clearance for $29 that became my inspiration for a custom lampshade in the living room. When I found this light blue lamp on clearance at TJ Maxx for $21, I knew it was perfect for the mini-makeover. Lampshade started as a very common white. I purchased a quarter of a yard (yes, just a quarter) of fabric from Joann's for a mere $3 as well as fabric iron-on adhesive. Add a few rhinestone buttons and some decorative fringe for the base of the shade and I was on my way to my anthropologie inspired lampshade party.

This is the reinvented shade, with the inspiration pillow below. It's a nice touch of sun to an otherwise very wintery living room scape.

To Paint or Simply Restore?

My latest find last week was worth the 1 hour drive in the pouring, freezing rain on a Sunday afternoon. Found for a mere $60 for the entire set, the dining room table and chairs was well loved and kept in the same family for three generations, but has more recently found itself in a musty basement of an old house for quite some time.

As soon as I saw the chairs on Craigslist, I was in love. They are sturdy, but need A LOT of work. There is about 1 inch or dirt built up from decades of neglect. My research on the table/chairs finds that the set is a Hoosier table/chair dating back to 1931. It sold for about $38 back then, which was pretty pricey in the middle of the Depression. I am trying to decide what I should do with the set. I was originally all about painting it, but it may be worth a lot of money, so perhaps I should just restore it to its original condition? One antique store owner said it could be worth anything from a few hundred dollars to $1,000. Nice return on investment if I do say so myself! If you have an opinion, please let me know~

OCT: Obsessive Compulsive Turquoise

This little cutie I found in a fleatique for a mere $20. Some white paint on the legs made it pop. Slipper chairs are already adorable, but when you add turquoise to the mix, you have sold me! If you don't know, I have a small obsession with turquoise. How could you not? It's the happiest color I know, and a house full of it is a happy house indeed.

Master Bedroom Furniture: So this was actually the furniture set I had growing up as a kid, so there was a little bit of sentiment in keeping it. With it's new color vibe and hardware, I think I'll hang on to it for another few years. This is the finished product, plus the matching armoire.

Step One: I'm finally starting this thing.

So I have been thinking about starting a blog for awhile now. ME. The old school, doesn't-want-an i-phone, could care less about technology me. But I guess this excitement over furniture has sparked all kinds of new interests, so let's hope it's a good thing. Over the last year or so, I've been going crazy over finding old things and renewing them with a new coat of paint or a new look. Is it possible to fall a little bit in love with furniture? That sounds really materialistic, but for the bargains I find, I think it's quite okay that my heart goes pitter-patter. Here are some of my finds as of late. Perhaps I'll post older projects later, when I have some more time. Guest bedroom dresser: The dresser above was in GREAT shape. It was Matt's dresser growing up, so a very easy update. The hardware I ordered for it is another story. I'm still waiting on the full set. The final pic to follow.

The next piece had a much harder life, and required some significant TLC. I believe it may be a blanket closet, but I plan to use it as an entry way greeter or a dry sink for the dining room: I mixed in some metallic powder to the paint, to create a creamy pearl color with a subtle hint of vintage pink. I then dry brushed grey over top, before glossing it over with semi-gloss poly. Some mercury glass knobs needed to accessorize and it's dining room worthy.  Until our next house, it will stay in the living room as a catch all when walking in the front door.