Coffee Table...Check!

I'm back, and happy to share my newest love with you guys! While checking Facebook today, I noticed my local Habitat For Humanity ReStore posted their weekly specials photo album. Praise sweet baby Jesus! While I was browsing through the pics, I noticed a cute little retro table that I just knew I had to have. Isn't she lovelyyyy!?

It's small, unique, and fits right in with my mid-century modern decor in our formal living/dining room. And guess what??? This bad boy was only $25. Yep, just $25. I drove out to the store in the horrible rainy weather just to snatch her up. I think I might paint her white or aqua in the future...stay tuned! Now...we need to get a rug, and paint the tables in the room. Oh, and the side tables in the pics are not the ones we are going to use. We bought some other ones that need to be painted, so these are just place holders until I can get to our actual tables. I'll leave you with more pics of my new find!

The back

Does Poopourri REALLY work???

A few weeks ago I bought some Poopourri after reading tons of reviews online and watching them on Youtube. I knew it was worth giving it a try, so I took the plunge and purchased some on QVC.com. I must say...I love it! It will forever have a special place in our bathrooms! Check out the video below for my complete review.

Two-Toned Coffee Table Tutorial

A few months ago, the hubby and I stumbled across this wooden country chic/farmhouse style coffee table at our local Habitat for the Humanity ReStore! I knew it would be perfect for our den because we have a farmhouse meets beach cottage thing going on in there. And it was exactly the style that I had in mind, and cost us somewhere around $50! Score! So here's a quick look at the before and after!

And of course...more afters!

And here's HOW I achieved this look...

 I covered the top of the table with paper to protect it from the paint.

 I then removed the drawers from the table, and set them aside. I also removed the knobs too! I didn't want to paint them because I thought the wood knobs would look fabulous on the aqua drawer fronts.

 I then wiped down the drawer fronts and the table with a liquid sander/deglosser.

Once that dried, I lightly sanded the table and drawers with a fine grit sand paper (around 120 to 220).

 After lightly sanding, I wiped off all dust with a damp cloth and let the surface dry...

 I then moved on to the prime time lol! I primed the surface with Killz Spray paint primer (two coats).

Once the 2nd coat of primer was dry...I lightly sanded the table and drawers again, and then wiped off the dust with wet rag.

 Once everything was all dry...I moved on to painting! I used two layers of Krylon's  Blue Ocean Breeze in a gloss finish. I lightly sanded with a fine grit sand paper (around 120 to 220) and removed dust from everything before applying the 2nd coat of paint.

 I then distressed the edges and etc. by gently sanding with a 60 grit piece of sandpaper.

 I then wiped off all of the dust, and began the glazing process.  For my mixture I used Behr Premium Plus Style Faux Glaze from Home Depot. It is translucent, so you have to add the paint of your choice in order for the glaze to have a color.

I bought some Behr Premium Plus paint samples in flat sheen to add to my glaze. I wanted my glaze to be brown, with a touch of black, so I used Behr's Espresso Beans and added in a tiny bit of Behr's pure black paint too. I did this because I have another aqua table in the room, and it has a black glaze on it. I wanted the two tables to be able to blend. My glaze mixture ratio was about 1 part paint and 3 parts glaze.  I would advise working with small (table spoon size) portions if you aren't doing a huge project.

 After glazing the table, I let it dry and put it back together. I must say...she looks amazing!

Oh, and here's the cute little side table that I also found at the ReStore a few months ago. I painted this beauty a while ago, but did not post a tutorial. It was under $50 as well...

What to do with the wedding dress after the wedding

We spend months(sometimes years) planning for our big day, and then BOOM it's over in what feels like five minutes. After the big day has come and gone you might find yourself pondering over what to do with your wedding dress.We tied the knot back in 2009, and at the time "trash the dress" photo sessions were all the rage.

Via photo205blog.com

Via BlissBride.net

Via Julie Hunter Photography

I on the other hand planned to lose weight and then do a sort of bridal shoot a year or so after the wedding. Nothing dirty enough to ruin my dress...but something kind of edgy. Well...that never happened. So now I am looking into other ways to put my wedding dresses to good use. And yes..I actually had two full blown wedding gowns. I'm a Libra...what more can I say?

Putting it all on display

Before becoming a homeowner, I had no experience with the art of thrift shopping. And while I'm no master...I would say I'm getting close to getting my thrifting black belt. One of my favorite places to shop is the local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. I've found all of our great vintage/retro tables and our dresser there. Most of our items were purchased for around $15 to $50 too!

Since I'm a fan of their Facebook page, I wait for them to release their weekly photo album with the newest items in stock. And this week I noticed a sexy little mid-century modern display shelf for only $50! I knew I had to have it for our formal living/dining room. So we headed on down to our favorite spot in town(aka...the ReStore) and paid for the shelf. Hubby and I both have cars that are too small to fit it...so he borrowed a truck from someone and went back for it this morning. It has been in our home for just an hour or so, and I love it! Initially, I thought abut maybe painting it white. But now that it is here in the space I actually prefer it as is. I love the way the chocolate bounces off our navy walls!

Behold...our newest baby in all of her mid-century modern glory!

Now....we just need to figure out what to put above it. I'm thinking maybe a photo wall like this....

via http://lepapierstudio.com

Thinking Pink...and Retro Kitchens

As you guys know, we've been in our (very first) house for several months now, and the kitchen has yet to be completed. It's so funny how these things take wayyyyy longer than you initially expect lol. Ah, new home owner delusions...lol. At any rate, I've been  looking at other kitchens online for inspiration, and had to share my love for all things retro. Our kitchen design is retro farmhouse/cottage. As of right now we have minty green walls and small pops of yellow (wall clock, and homemade drapes) throughout the galley style room.

 However, I've been toying with the idea of painting our kitchen door. I initially thought yellow would be the way to go if we choose to paint the door a fun color. But these days I am toying with the idea of going pastel pink! Yep, PINK. It's kind of ironic because I think the door was likely pink back when the house was built. We've discovered old pink paint underneath the once off-white(we have since painted them crisp white) trim and doors in the living room - even the window was once painted pink. I think adding pops of pink and other pastels would look amazing with our crisp white cabinets and future subway tile. The pink door would really pop with the mint green walls behind. I think a yellow door would look nice too. But I worry that having a yellow door with green walls would remind me of mellow yellow or Sprite all day. That's not the look I am going for. Take a look at our kitchen below and let me know what you think! Should we go pink...or go yellow? 

Here's our kitchen(in progress):

Our "dusty white" kitchen door in need of paint

Kitchen while adding beadboard and trim to cover soffit

Kitchen before adding beadboard and trim to cover soffit

I mentioned having a pink door to hubby, and he was not too keen on the idea. He would prefer yellow -  if we must paint it anything other than white. However, he didn't say there was no way he would allow the pink door...so there might be some wiggle room there, ha! I happen to believe the kitchen is sort of my area. I do most of the cleaning, and would love doing so in a happy bright/colorful environment. Hubby and I both cook, and I don't want to scare him away from the kitchen lol. Decisions....decisions! Off to get back to work on my kitchen. Oh, and be sure to take a look at some of my favorite retro kitchens below - enjoy!

Fabulous retro kitchens that inspire me:

Our LONG to-do list :)

So...here's a look at our massive to-do list. I haven't even added anything for the back of the house yet. Right now, we are focusing on getting the front of the house ready before moving on to the back. We will update this list as things get scratched off. Stay tuned!


Den:

1. Paint family room
2. New TV stand
3. Paint trim 
4. paint laundry doors
5. painted patio doors
6. Paint outside of office door
7. Buy Furniture
8. Paint accent Table
9. Get bamboo blinds
10. Get white curtains
11. Get accent pillows
12. Buy rug
13. nick nacks for walls
14. Paint coffee table