The Moon Chairs

Sooo, I don’t go into Goodwill nearly as much as I used to. I was going a couple times as week there for awhile and it contributed way too much to my crapification problem. ;)

Now I am dropping off stuff a lot more than picking up. I probably go in once a month now. And last week I went in and found a couple really fun items.

There were six “moon chairs” for $15 each and I kept walking past them, stalking them. I even tweeted a pic, but I just couldn’t figure out where I could use them in our house.

I walked around some more, stalked them some more, then sat in one.

It spun people. Round and round.

That sealed the deal. I had to have them. I sat in one, spinning around like a five-year-old, trying to think of where I could put a couple funky chairs, and it hit me.

Duh. Basement. Play area.

So I got two:

I had been thinking that maybe, just maybe, they were actual vintage moon chairs…how cool would that be? I was all congratulating myself that I had just found the deal of a lifetime.

Then I turned one over and saw the IKEA tag. ;) I laughed at myself for a good five minutes straight.

They were in decent condition, just some nicks in the metal legs and they needed some cleaning. But I had bigger plans in mind for these, so I started by taking off the bottom and back pads:

It was then that I realized they had zippered covers, so I took them off and threw them in the wash:

I rarely buy anything upholstered second-hand, but I could tell these had been taken care of pretty well.

Then I took the seats off the metal bases using a socket wrench:

Look! A picture of the blogger!!

With a socket wrench!

And sweaty nasty from a workout with no makeup!

And a headband to accentuate the big ears!

:)

Anyway…

After the covers were clean and dry, I put them back on the cushions, then laid them out on the new fabric I found at Joann’s:

I used about a yard for this project and it was perfect.

Some of you might be thinking I made new covers, and you’d be wrong. ;)

I just hot glued the fabric around the back of the cushions:

Oh yes. Hot glue could heal the world.

No one will ever see the backs, except for me. And after some scotch guard, they’ll hold up great. I kept the black covers on so the new fabric would have something to glue to.

I made sure to cut around the holes for the screws:

While I was working on the cushions, the legs were out in the garage drying. They were dull and more of an aluminum finish. I wanted something a little flashier, so I spray primed them and then used some leftover silver spray paint from the dining table centerpiece.

I put everything back together and I couldn’t be happier with how they turned out!:

I was looking for a fun fabric that would work well with these funkalicious chairs. I wanted something kind of mod, but that would hide marks and would hold up.

This upholstery fabric was PERFECT!:

Each chair came in at $35 each when I was done – for the fabric and chairs.

It was a fun, quick project and I can’t wait to see them in the Bub’s play space in the basement! They may just stay up in the living room till the drywall is done cause the colors work pretty perfectly in there. ;)

Did I mention they SPIN??

:)

Don’t you love a great Goodwill makeover?

P.S. Next time I decide to include a picture of myself (six months from now) I’ll wear makeup.

Show Us Your Kitchens!

Hey hey! Well, first, I have to say THANKS for making me feel a little less weird. ;) I loved your comments on my last post. So either I’m not weird or I am and a whole bunch of you are too. ;) Either way we’re golden.

It’s time to show off more of your houses and I’m really excited about this one! This month we’re sharing kitchens at the Show Us Your House party:

If you’ve been around for awhile you’ve seen pics of our kitchen, but here are a few more recent ones and a couple before and afters too!

I’ve made a LOT of changes in here over the past few years. I’ve been trying to add more color and more light to the space:

Before everything was dark and cherry. Cherry (really maple but they look cherry) cabinets, cherry laminate floors, cherry island, black backsplash. It was too much!

The fabric and accessories add the color:

The dog adds some cuteness. ;)

And the beadboard backsplash and spray painted island chairs add some brightness:

The new floors are darker, but make the room feel lighter, in a weird way. The fact that they don’t match the cabinets exactly anymore may be why.

I have a few more changes in mind for our kitchen – some fairly easy (like painting) and some much harder (like moving plumbing).

Needless to say it’s going to stay like this till after the basement is finished. Maybe long after. ;)

Here’s what the room looked like a couple years ago:

Not bad at all, it was just getting busy and dark for my changing tastes.

Here’s a similar view now:

Just a simple thing like taking that pot rack down made a HUGE difference!

Here’s the kitchen before from a different direction:

I added a round (outdoor!) rug from Pottery Barn under the table, repainted the bay window area, and replaced the pantry door. Among other things. ;)

Oh, and painted the back door. You might remember how that went. Yeahhh:

So! Let’s see yours! I can’t WAIT to see your kitchens – I truly believe they are the heart of the home and can say a lot about their owners. ;)

I will highlight a few of your rooms on an future post – so if you’d like to be included, please do include this button or a link in your blog post:

Here you go! Link it up!

All about…me?

Hello there! I for one am THRILLED the weekend is here. This has been an insane crazy week and I’m looking forward to slowing down a bit.

Today’s post is one I’ll admit isn’t the most comfortable for me. I don’t particularly like talking about myself. My house, yes. Me? No.

But I promised you more of “me” earlier this year. Pictures of the person writing this blog. Action shots if you will. And I’ve failed miserably.

Still, all you get is The Hand:

Anyone want to come take pictures while I do projects? Hmmm? Cause it’s not easy to do by yourself. Hubby never seems to be home at the right time and the kiddo isn’t the greatest at action shots. (Believe me, we’ve tried.)

Anyhoo, I thought I would share some interesting (I know, this is very subjective) facts about myself in an effort to share more about me. This feels weird. Just so you know.

I just know I love finding out more about fellow bloggers and realizing little things in common. It’s nice to know you aren’t alone in this world. ;)

And I’m a little weird, but you probably already knew that. If not, you will now.

Here we go – starting with one I may be alone on…

I find eyebrow waxes to be incredibly relaxing:

(source)

That’s me, all skinny and perfect hair and smiley. In my head. Really, I’m usually half asleep. I LOVE it. Yes, it’s painful, but I have a high pain threshold (fun fact #2), and I find the whole process very soothing and I almost drift off every time. I’m always sad when they’re done.

Weird.

I’m a bit OCD when it comes to my hair styling tools. When I worked full time I would go back and check to make sure the flat iron was off at least five times every morning. Now, I only do it a couple times a morning.

I have been known to turn around in the car and head home to check -- it freaks me out that much. I’m OCD about nothing else, so who knows what the heck that is about.

I can count on both hands the number of times I eat ice cream in a year – I love it but it’s not usually the sweet treat I go for (now, donuts are another story). But I have to avoid Dairy Queen and our local Handel’s on purpose because of the banana split blizzard and spouse like a house:

They are DELISH and I could eat either one every day.

I LOVE that Dairy Queen has mini-blizzards now – it’s the perfect size. The banana split is so fresh and fruity and dreamy. Especially perfect for spring and summer. :) The spouse version at Handel’s is just the opposite – pretzel and chocolate and peanut butter…excuse me while I wipe off the drool.

Why am I talking about this?? Now I’m going to have to have one. Or both.

I am perfectly comfortable going into a room full of people and not knowing a soul. I’m never particularly anxious about it, but it’s not because I’m chatty and make quick friends. It’s just the opposite – I don’t mind being alone and keep to myself.

In fact, people sometimes don’t care for me the first time they meet me. I am not overly sociable and excitable and I tend to put up a wall when I first meet people if I’m not careful. Then they mistake that for rudeness. (Maybe it is rudeness? Huh.) Which in turn kills me because (fun fact #??) I’m very prone to feelings of guilt.

I’m making a conscious effort to change this trait about myself, but it’s hard!

Thing is, once you become my friend, I’m a goofy freakaleak and am fiercely loyal. Most of my closest friends are those I’ve known since junior high, high school and college. So…uhhh, let’s just say a long dang time now.

The fact that I’m not overly sociable is what cost me a spot on this show:

Only the best game show EVER.

I tried out in college and wasn’t peppy enough. They had us act like we were on the show, and I said “b” instead of screaming out “B!!!!!!!!!!”

That will cost you a spot – just so you know. Pep is your friend when it comes to the Wheel people.

But did you know you have to pay your whole way out to Cali to even be on the show? (At least back then.) I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t make it cause I couldn’t have done it anyway.

Pregnancy was the best thing that’s ever happened to my body. I only gained 20 pounds total when pregnant, even though I was on bed rest for the last few weeks cause the boy would NOT STOP TRYING TO ESCAPE.

This was me at 33 weeks, right before I went into labor for the first time:

FOUR in-labor trips to the hospital and four weeks later, we finally let this little burrito out:

But of course that last time I was induced (three weeks early!) because of high blood pressure and he took his sweet time…OMG. It took a couple days all together. After all those times in labor, the last time he hung in there and wasn’t leaving.

But after I had him, a freakish thing happened with my metabolism – I lost weight SO fast, I’ve never experienced it before or since. I lost the 20 I gained, and then another 23, within nine months of having him:

Excuse hubby’s goofy Hawaiian shirt (he’s gonna kill me) – we were there for a band trip and he had to wear it. That was when the Bub was less than a year old and I still don’t know how in the world I lost all that weight. I didn’t even work out – maybe a little bit, but not much. I was almost back to what I was in high school.

Pregnancy kick started my metabolism and it went CRAZY. Makes me want another baby. ;)

Ummm, by the way, the awesome metabolism is all gone now. I’m working on it, but I gained ALL of that extra weight (23 pounds!) I lost back.

Which brings me popcorn. I love popcorn. Obsessed.

I blame my sis – she came to live with us years ago and would make microwave popcorn all. the. time.

Then a few years ago I learned that buttery microwave popcorn has potential harmful health issues (yes, beyond just the butter is not good for you part), so we gave up the juice (microwave popcorn), and went to the Whirly Pop instead:

I would make it every night if I could. Seriously. Salivating. Now I’m highly confused because I don’t know if I want popcorn or ice cream.

I also love movie popcorn, even though I know it’s quite possibly the worst thing you can eat. I will eat half the carton before the movie even starts.

I have a problem and it’s name is Buttered Popcorn.

I believe music sounds best turned up REALLY loud, in the car, preferably with the windows down. Don’t worry, I freak out at intersections and when I stop and turn it down. This is mostly due to the fact that I’m afraid you can get a ticket for playing your radio too loud.

I doubt this is true but better safe than sorry. ;)

I don’t wear heels, hardly ever. I’m already 5’9” so they just accentuate the feeling that I tower over people. I do tower over people with heels – even in short ones I’m just about six feet.

I don’t know what got into me, but I bought two pairs of heels this week – one was a three inch pump and one was a FOUR inch wedge. They both looked all fun and sassy in the store, but at home I feel like gargantuan woman. They’re going back. ;)

I never, ever, ever use the term LOL when writing:

Ever. I don’t why. I think I’m trying to buck the LOL system. What??? I don’t know. Told you I’m weird. I just don’t say it. I’m a journalism girl and I guess it always went against my grain.

Now, Squeezies, cauuuute and LURVE…those are fine. And lots of smiling faces and exclamation points. !!

I am both an only child and an oldest child. The first ten years of my life were as an only. Then Stink Eye was born and it was all over.

I KID!!

I talk about her a lot cause she’s my one full sister, but I actually have a HUGE family! I have one full sis, two half sis’s, one half brother, a stepsister and stepbrother.

Yep. Oldest of seven. :)

Here are all the lovely ladies in my family:

My sis’s, my stepmom and my niece. :) I love them all dearly and love that I’ve had both – time with my parents alone and then a big honkin’ family.

And I have the personality characteristics of both an only child and the oldest – a dangerous combo. ;) (And my stepdaughter has experienced the same, although she had waaaay more years to herself!)

My ears stick out. Big time. Always have. They are the one and only physical trait our son got from me. Good thing cause he looks just like his Daddy. :) Bad thing cause he’s a boy and doesn’t have the girl hair to cover them.

I tend to ignore trends at all costs. I don’t go with the group and sometimes fight it tooth and nail.

This is why it took me years to create a Facebook account, why I’ve still never read Twilight:

And why you haven’t seen chevron of any kind in our house. ;)

Not saying I don’t like it – I do, very much. But I’m the type who will wait till it’s out of style and then do it. Rebel you could say. So, at this rate, you’ll probably see it around here somewhere in about ten years.

Whew! OK, that’s it. Some weird, some normal (right??) fun facts about little old me. That wasn’t so bad, kind of cathartic. For me anyway. Probably not for you.

Are you still awake?

*Crickets.*

So, am I alone in the eyebrow waxing? Are you an oldest and an only? Have you read Twilight and am I crazy for fighting it? (Hey, I succumbed to Hunger Games!)

 

P.S. Don’t forget about the next Show Us Your House party, coming up next week! I’ll have the post up Sunday evening.

Have a GREAT weekend!

I love you honey (oak)

This post isn’t about my Honey, although I love him bunches too…even more than my honey oak. And that’s saying a LOT.

A few years ago I would have turned up my nose at any piece of furniture with “oak” as the finish. I’ve always been a cherry kind of girl. But over time my tastes are definitely changing.

But I’m a honey oak lady now and I’ll sing it from the rooftops! Or this blog. Whatever.

It all started with Craigslist. I’ve shown you a few of my finds over the years, but a friend recently told me about the alerts you can set up using the Craigslist app. So I set up a few alerts and I’m warning you now…don’t do it.

Curses you brilliant Craigslist people! Shakes fists to the sky!!

It’s dangerous.

I found another beauty the other day and practically sprinted to their house to get it, I loved it so.

But first, let’s recap some of my honey purchases over the past couple of years, shall we? It all started with a Drexel dresser I found – first it went in the family room, but then I realized it would be the perfect finishing touch to the Bub’ room:

It’s a perfect addition – the warm honey tones work great with the dark walls and the white wainscoting.

Then the Henredon joined our lives:

I’m pretty much obsessed with using dressers as TV stands now. It’s perfect. I put all the electronics below the dresser, and the toys that the Bub keeps in the family room are (mostly) hidden away in the drawers:

We also keep our DVD case in one of the drawers as well. Out of sight! Wahoo!

Again…I LOVE the color of the wood. I just think it’s warm and lovely and smushy and I don’t think I could ever ever paint this beauty.

Well due to the blasted awesome Craigslist app and it’s horrible wonderful alerts, a new honey came home to live with us:

He’s going in the hub’s office in the basement and I’m IN LOVE. I love it’s slightly 60’s vibe. Kinda Mad Men-ish. I don’t watch Mad Men but I’m feeling it in this piece.

It has storage galore:

I love it’s old hinges too – I’ve never seen anything like them on a dresser.

The two drawers on the sides have plenty of space too:

Painting this one would be a beast with those doors, so it’s a good thing I’m leaving it as is. ;) I still need to clean it up and then give it some love with this stuff:

A reader told me about this product about a year ago and I LOVE it – I use it every six months or so (the oak version) on my dressers. It makes the little scratches and nicks go away and gives it back it’s warm finish.

The label on the inside the dresser is Morganton, which I had never heard of. It turns out it operated under Drexel as well – is it sad that the nicest pieces of furniture we own are all from Craigslist? These are super high quality (and expensive!) furniture brands that I’m sure will last as long as we do.

Just so you know, I am not paid to talk about Craigslist or the app – I just love em. Usually this is where I say Craigslist has no idea who I am – but Craig himself came by TDC to say hello once, so HOLLAAAA Craig! What. is. up?

Do you find treasures on Craigslist? Have you discovered the app? Have you had to delete all your alerts like me because you are obsessed and think you need every single item? Do you love honey oak as well? Or are you a darker girl? Or no finish at all – only color?

DO tell!

P.S. See all that brilliant light in the basement? Yeah, it rocks. I’ll tell you more about that soon. The basement finishing is moving right along!

P.P.S. I’m so excited you’re all so excited about the dining room transformation! I picked up the butcher block counter yesterday and the cuts were perfect – can’t wait to get it all installed!

**I think these are oak. That’s what I’ve been told. I have no idea. I just like them and the oak Resor-a-finish works perfectly on them. :)

Dining room transformation, step one!

Hey hey! How was your weekend? I spent half of Sunday finishing up the first Hunger Games book – whoa, SO good. I’m avoiding the second one until I get a few good nights of sleep under my belt – I go to bed wayyy to late when I’m into a book. ;)

Anyhoo, I did get a little something done this weekend. Or I should say started. Or I should say my Dad and brother got it started. ;)

Remember when I told you about my idea to transform our (never used) dining room into a library-type space? Well, you all loved the idea too, and since then I’ve been planning it out in my head.

The plan called for a wall of floor to ceiling bookcases, and I knew I wanted to make them like we did in the Bub’s room:

We started out with kitchen cabinets and built up from there.

So I went looking for the cabs again, and I found the same exact ones at Lowe’s, Home Depot and Menards – and wasn’t crazy about the quality of any of them. I think they were the same ones we used in the kiddo’s room, but they just felt cheaper now – the middle panel on the doors was SUPER thin and rattled around on some of them.

Then I went to a cabinet store, and found out they could get my nicer cabs unfinished, but they would be about $210 each. I was hoping to keep this WHOLE project under just the cost for those cabs, so in the end I went back to the less expensive version. They were cheapest at Menards -- $85 each:

The plan is to get them into place, and at least primed and then decide if I want to rebuild the doors. I want to wait till most of it is pulled together to decide, because as my Dad said, I’m pretty sure I’m going to like them just fine when all is said and done.

They sat lined up for a while, and then Dad and bro came over this weekend to help get things rolling. While I was out picking up supplies, they pulled up the baseboards:

You can see there how the hardwoods were installed right up against them. :)

I picked up a few 1 by 4’s and we cut them to size to go under each cabinet – we made a rectangle and then one across the middle to brace it:

These create toe kicks that you find on regular cabinet. We just used the nail gun to secure them around the bottom.

We put them back into place for now, and they are ready for the next step(s)…lots of them:

The toe kicks will be finished off with baseboard to match the rest of the room.

But we can’t install those until we install the cabinets and we can’t install the cabinets until we have the lights hooked up. Got it? ;)

I want lights at the top of each bookcase that will shine down, but from the front, so it lights up each section. (Instead of a puck light installed up above that lights up the top shelf.)

I was determined to find something in a store (didn’t want to order online) and I found these at Lowe’s for $12 each:

The plan is to (maybe) spray paint them (they don’t get hot) and hardwire them to a switch. I’m debating between these and another light, but those are about $12 more each, so these may be the ones. :)

My plan all along has been to put butcher block down over the base cabinets, and then build the bookshelves above. I was standing in the room telling my Dad how I needed to take a trip to IKEA this week to get it, and realized my friend Beckie was there as we spoke.

I texted her and she picked up one for me – WHOO! She rocks my socks off. She saved me a four hour (round) trip – it worked out perfectly! The counter is being cut down today and I pick it up tomorrow – it will go on top of the bases:

I think I’ll sand them down and stain them a dark color – maybe even the same as the floor? (Jacobean.)

I took down the molding that has been on the walls for about seven years, and let this be a reminder to only use glue to install molding when you are absolutely positive it will never go anywhere. Ever:

Because of that, we will most likely line the wall with large pieces of mdf or something – the edges will be hidden behind the bookcases. That will be way easier than filling and patching all the drywall.

I found lovely (Martha Stewart) hardware at Home Depot:

Love! They’re nice and heavy and I love the design.

Even though it was probably a total waste of time, because I’ll have to move them out again, I had to see how the serving ware fit into the four cabinets:

Everything, including the dishes that were sitting out on the table, fit in two cabinets – with room to spare. I have PLENTY of room for other seasonal dishes that are now in the basement. WHOO!

Storage makes me deliriously happy.

I chose these cabinets (12 inch wall cabinets) instead of regular base cabs (24 inches deep) because I wanted them to be thin so there’s still plenty of room in the space. I also wanted just the basic doors at the bottom instead of the doors and drawers that regular bases have. And they were lots cheaper. :)

They also worked out perfectly for the butcher block – I was able to get one piece and make it work…hopefully. We’ll see when I pick it up tomorrow. :)

So, the next steps are to get the electrical figured out, and then it should go pretty fast! Install the cabs to the wall and each other, baseboards, butcher block, then start building shelves. They don’t look like much now, I know.

But if they turn out like my vision, they will someday:

I’m super psyched about all the priming and painting. Really. So stoked. Hold me back.

(I think the sprayer is in my future.)

So there’s the start to transforming our rarely, (try not even once a year) dining room into a room we KNOW we will enjoy.

Are you with me?? ;)

Giveaway Weekend!

Hello there! Well it’s the weekend and it’s beautiful out and I’m feeling like maybe we may avoid any more snow till next winter…maybe.

And that is reason to celebrate…with some free stuff!

I’m back with a great giveaway from one of my dear friends and she’s no stranger to TDC. Cause I love her and her message and her products. She makes me happy, just like spring. :)

It’s been amazing to see how The Rusted Chain has grown over the years – Beki is fantastic and her handstamped jewelry is pretty awesome as well.

I want to share a few of my recent faves and then we’ll get to the good stuff for a couple of you. ;)

I love this one so very much:

Love the message, the tiny pearl, the little bird, all of it. :)

I know it’s not football season right now, but here in Indy all we’ve been doing is thinking about it this past week:

Oh my goodness, we are SO sad to see Peyton go. He is a class act and a Hoosier, through and through. Boo.

OK, back to the necklace… ;) You can get one with any team and colors – and I bet you could even do your kid’s sports team and colors if you ask and say pretty please. ;)

My son is used to having a camera snapping all the time – half the time at him, half the time around the house. ;) He doesn’t even question when Momma “needs to clean up and take some pictures” of random stuff:

How cute is that?

You can also create your own one of a kind necklace – with the design, word(s) and stone that you want:

You could get your hubby’s name, your kids or an inspirational word that means something to you.

The Rusted Chain is known for their handstamped pieces, but I really love this glittery necklace as well!:

Isn’t that fun? I love the moonstone and the dainty silver chain too.

They also sell earrings and bracelets – this one is my favorite:

I have freakishly big hands or something, so I like that it’s open so you can just slip it on your wrist. :)

Beki writes over at her lovely blog, The Rusted Chain, so you can check her out there too. (And if you follow her on Facebook you won’t be sorry. She makes me laugh out loud daily. Numerous times.)

TWO of you lucky ladies (or husband’s if you are so inclined to enter for the woman in your life) will win $50 each to Beki’s shop. And $50 will go far – her prices are very reasonable for such unique and custom pieces!

And if you see something you love, use the code “TDC15” for a 15 percent discount! WHOO!

Here’s how to enter to win $50 over at The Rusted Chain:

1. Leave a comment here. What are your weekend plans? We aren’t doing ANYTHING (as far as I know) and it’s bliss.

2. Visit The Rusted Chain here. Check out the jewelry and come back to let us know which one you love!

3. Visit their Facebook page and “like” it here. Come back and let us know you did in another comment.

* You can enter one, two or three times – it’s up to you! All three options are not mandatory to win.

* Remember if you comment anonymously or you have a private blog, please include your email address in each entry, and spell it out with “at” and “dot” to avoid any spammy emails coming your way.

This giveaway is open to EVERYONE, anywhere! (Yay!) It will be open till this Monday, March 12 at noon EST.