Category: Repurpose

Look Who’s Making Changes Now

Spare time is a hot commodity around our house lately. Busy is good, but it makes finding the time to concentrate on and complete in house projects difficult.  Our dining room redo project came to an abrupt halt when the first and second paint sample choices on the wall fell short of decorative expectation. It’s taken a while to bring this dining room redo to fruition, but look who’s making changes now.  Two gallons of Valspar Creme Fraiche and decorative determination lead the charge to change.

Valspar-creme-fraiche

Lantern love has made its way from outdoor fixture to dining room focal point. To glass pane, or not to glass pane, that is the question bugging the &#$! out of me.

lantern

I’m going to bring you all into the loop, answering the question of why I work around the dark (very dark) dining room furniture.  For those of you who do not know, my parents live with me and Dave the Builder. The dining room furniture belongs to my parents, and under the circumstances surrounding the reason why they live with us in the first place, Dave and I have made many concessions regarding furniture.  One of my recent Facebook posts includes the Franklin D. Roosevelt quote, “Peace, like charity, begins at home.”  I can attest to the truth in that statement!

lantern-fixture1That’s Better!

Coming back around to topic- the combination of the dark wall color, the absence of natural light, and the dark Mahogany dining furniture brought me to my this has got to go moment.  As much as I hate to do it, an impending breakup with an old favorite, Sherwin-Williams Fired Brick, is a must.

captains-chair

Going with a different fixture and repainting the space in a lighter shade of gorgeous did wonders to light the way to change.  Now we are getting somewhere.  Repurposing and editing from within gave me the idea to replace the Chippendale captain’s chairs with a matching set of upholstered arm chairs. The look is looking like it will strike the right amount of both visual and style mix balance.

dining-room-redo

As it is with interior design and interior decorating projects, accents and accessories often must be introduced in stages as the install advances. Trial, error, patience and two coats go with the territory.  Stay tuned.

Love your style!

 

18 Easy & Elegant DIY Chandelier Ideas

I received the nicest email late last week. They’re the best kind, don’t you think?  My bird feeder chandelier project recently posted on Hometalk opened the door to me being asked if I would like to curate a  DIY Chandelier Ideas clipboard on Hometalk’s Facebook page.  Being a person who loves any opportunity to show, tell, and talk all things house that make a home, I could not hit the send button fast enough to the gracious folks at Hometalk with my answer- a  huge home talking yes!  Hometalk is a community for those who love to create, share, and help with everything home and garden. Ideas and inspiration abound within this wonderful community!

DIY chandelier ideas

DIY talent runs deep throughout the blogosphere. I am constantly amazed and impressed by DIY projects born out of ideas, eyedeas, and the spark of inspiration that fuels the desire to create and replicate.

Dixie Delights via DIY Chandelier Ideas Board on Hometalk

From repurposed beauties to reinterpreted garden genius, these and countless other inspiring  DIY Chandelier Ideas are hanging around Hometalk for your viewing pleasure.

Anythingology via  DIY Chandelier Ideas Board on Hometalk

These are just a select few of the range of tastes, styles, and examples of DIY chandelier ideas to inspire. Want to see more? Click on any image in this post to view my entire Hometalk DIY Chandelier Ideas clipboard. It’s full of good ideas, great looks, step-by-step DIY how-to tutorials, and talent galore!  Inspiration awaits.

Deja Vue Designs via  DIY Chandelier Ideas Board on Hometalk

Bargains,Thrifting Finds And Imperfections

A good bargain, the perfect find, and a successful Goodwill run is the lagniappe of my day, and I like lagniappe.

Thrifting, flea market, or auction finds aren’t usually free, but if the find is really good or exactly what you’ve been looking for it’s both a gift and a bonus! When we walked into Goodwill I didn’t know I was looking for a triple switch plate cover, but evidently I was. A bargain archaeologist I am not. I do not like to dig through, over, or under anything looking for something- that’s Dave the Builder’s role.

The switch plate cover was sitting between two other items- a decorative box and some item I can’t recall. The first item Dave picked up was the box. He opened it up and loudly proclaimed, “there’s a hundred dollar bill in here!”  Now I’ve known this man and his brand of humor for 35 years however, the two gentlemen standing next to us have not. Bless their hearts, they almost broke their necks looking to see if in fact a Ben Franklin was up for grabs. By the way, Dave’s comedy routine at our local Goodwill got a huge laugh.

Back to the switch plate. I consulted with Dave to get his mechanical and electrical opinion. With a thumbs up things started to get interesting. I noticed a piece of the bottom banner was chipped off.  I reasoned if I could not live with it I would simply chip off the intact piece on the other side. The persuasive pot was sweetened when I realized  the store was having a special sticker something or other additional 40% off sale bringing the total price to $2.17.  Ring- it- up, baby!

The breakfast area toggle light switch situation was updated to the new and so very improved rocker style.

I darkened the plate with a thin coat of Americana acrylic paint in raw umber. What areas a foam brush can’t get to and the initial coat won’t cover a Q-tip dipped in paint will.

The color deepens the details and camouflages the imperfection. I’m debating leaving the switch plate in its present form. Would performing decorative surgery by removing the detail on the left side in order to smooth out the imperfect edges make such a huge difference to the finished look, or would it not move the needle enough to matter?

As odd as it sounds, the story is found in the imperfection. That’s the wonderful thing about certain items and objects we use in our decor. The story, the memories, and the tales of the hunt that go along with the bargains, thrifting finds and imperfections is often what is so appealing.

Love your style!