Desk Make-Over

Dan got a job (YAY!!), a job that will require him to work out of our apartment.  I also work from home sometimes and our small corner desk doesn't have room for two.  Craigslist saved the day - once again - when we found a cute little desk perfect for our living room corner.  There is always the option of buying a cheap desk from Walmart or Target, but what fun is that.  It'd cost about $100 for a cheap desk made of particle board and we got this solid wood desk and chair for only $40.  In addition to the cost factor, the desk also gave me the opportunity to try my hand at another project and we all know I love projects!

Here is the desk, in all its scratched up and looking rough glory:

After some sanding, black paint and new knobs - here is the desk now. 

And a close up of the knobs - purchased for "free" from Target - Thanks to my weekly gift cards from work! The only handles were pretty outdated looking.  I like the fresh modern look these new knobs give. 

And one more close-up of the inside of the drawers.  A splash of color!  And check out of the fun chair.  I debated painting the chair black as well, but we already have a lot of black furniture the way it is.  So I left it wood tone - which also ties in well to the other wood tones we have in the living room.  The original chair seat was black leather, but I wanted to add a punch of fun to this desk so I covered the seat in zebra print.  I love me some zebra print! :)

And, in case you want to know all the thoughts that went through my head in deciding how to make over this desk, I'll tell you now.  As I said earlier, we have a lot of black in our living room so I initially wanted to keep the desk in wood tones.  I also thought it would be cool to do the desk two tones, leaving the top wood and the base black.  But after bringing it home and looking it over more, I realized that it was going to take a LOT of sanding to get the desk down to the bare wood.  I dont have a round belt sander, nor do I know anyone close by that has one - so I had to scratch those ideas.  I guess all black it is!  The plus to all black is that I had all the supplies from the ottoman project, so the only costs for this desk were the desk itself and the $5 for the fabric (remember, the knobs were "free")!

Graduation Announcements

I have a good good friend making her way in to the photography business - and she just so happens to have a little sister graduating from high school this year.  She asked me to create a graduation announcement using her beautiful senior pictures.  This task proved to be incredibly easy because I had wonderful photos to work with, that inspired me instantly.  Check out the final product!  And, while you're at it - check out Brittany's work, too. 

Coffee Table turns Ottoman

I got the DIY urge again!  For days on end, I looked at Craigslist hunting for that perfect coffee table - it had to have simple clean lines for legs, be made of real wood, measure in at 16 inches or shorter and be cheap!  It only took four days to find one that met my criteria, and to make it even better the seller lived just a hop skip and a jump away from my work!  I brought the table home on Tuesday and it was just a matter of days before it had a whole new look.  Here's how I did it:

Step 1: Take a before picture

Step 2: Sand, prime and paint the table legs - I painted them black to match our living room decor.

Step 3: Measure out where the buttons will be when tufting the ottoman and drill holes.  (Sorry no picture of this step)

Step 4: Using spray adhesive, adhere foam to the table top and sides

Step 5: Have your buddy test out your materials just to make sure they are comfortable

Step 6: Cover the entire tabletop in quilt batting. Use a staple gun to staple the batting on the inside/bottom of the table top

Step 7: Cover the table in the material, I used a tan vinyl.  To give the corners by the legs a finished look, I used a braided rope attached with upholstering tacks. 

Step 8: Attach the buttons (I used a DIY button making kit so the buttons matched the ottoman) using an upholstering needle and thread to give the ottoman a tufted look. In order for the buttons to stay tight, I used buttons on the under side of the table to hold the thread.

And here is the finished product:

 

This was certainly a learning experience.  The corners proved to be quite the challenge, but Dan assured me that they look good :)  If I ever tackle a project like this again I'd like to come up with a better solution for the corners.  Until then, I'll be proud of this finished product!

Splash of color

Spring is here - the sunshine outside tells me so! (though who am I kidding, its MN, it'll be snowing again next week I'm sure)  Along with spring comes the bright colors of flowers and sunshine and easter eggs.  I've been on the hunt for a table runner for years now.  The problem is I am picky and cheap - two things that make it nearly impossible to find a table runner that I actually like!  While at Joann Fabrics tonight looking for materials for a different DIY project, I decided I'd add my splash of spring color to my dinning room table with a homemade runner.  It took me nearly 45 minutes to decide on what material I wanted to use.  First I was going to go with the polka dots - turns out there wasn't enough fabric left on the bolt, then I was going to go with a modern funky pattern - but that material was awfully pricey, so I finally decided on some simple stripes.  Turns out the stripes were a smart idea!  I was planning on sewing the runner by hand and the stripes made it REALLY easy to sew a straight line!  I jazzed the runner up a bit with some beading on each end, which is my favorite part.  Pair the runner with some sunshiny tulips and my table is set for Spring!

Running Goal

I have made a goal for myself, a running goal.  And I'm typing it, so it's out there to be seen by whoever actually reads our blog (Hi Mom! ;) )

My goal is to run 275 miles before 2011.  That is a little over 6.75 miles a week.  To some that seems like nothing, but to me its a realistic goal as I'm not a runner at all! 

So if you're reading this, hold me accountable, ask me how many miles I've run every now and then. 

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! <3

Instead of going out to dinner tonight, to celebrate Valentine's Day and battle the masses of other people out celebrating as well, we stayed in and had a homemade dinner.  I've been wanting to try this recipe for quite some time now, but in my attempts to cook on the healthier side, I've been avoiding it.  But rumor has it that everything is calorie free on Valentine's Day, so we indulged in some creamy chicken lasagna.  Dan and I both gave it two thumbs up! 

I sent Dan to the grocery store to gather a few ingredients that I was missing for the recipe and he returned with a couple chocolate covered strawberries.  So we topped off our great meal with the perfect amount of sweetness, mm mm goooood!

DIYing with what I had

I had the urge to do some more little projects.  On Sunday afternoon, I started digging through dresser drawers and instantly Dan knew what I was up to and said "what project are you going to start now?"

First, I had a couple candles packed away in a box...nothing special, just the typical pillar candle - but they matched our new room, so I decided to spruce them up a bit!  I had about 10 inches of beading left over from the lamp shade make-over, so I used that on the white candle. I simply painted the ribbon gray and pinned it around the candle - easy peasy!  My other candle got some ribbon and a flower.  2 boring candles turned glam in 10 minutes!

Next on the list is a painting.  I've had a canvas stacked in the back of the closet for well over 2 years now.  I started a painting long ago, didn't like the direction it was going and tucked it away until I was more inspired.  Yesterday, I suddenly had the urge to paint - so I dug out the half painted canvas and started painting. I didn't have anything particular in mind, except for that it needed to go above the bed in our room.  Here's the finished product.

Please excuse the unmade bed - I never claimed to be the best housekeeper there is :)