It's the Most Wonderful Time, of the Year!

Yes, Halloween is my favorite holiday, and yes, Fall is my favorite season! I just can't get enough of it. I was blog-stalking once again and found some really cute projects. There is no explanation needed for either of them... They were simple and really fun to do.

This next one was super simple. I found some old lumber at Home Depot that was only $0.51! However there is another side to this story. The guy who cut the wood for me warned me that this wood had been "treated" -- No clue what that meant. So I asked him to clarify and he said if I get a sliver from the wood get it out immediately or DIE! Okay he didn't actually pull out the death card, but he did say that wherever there was a sliver an infection would occur if not taken out! Great! Nonetheless I was extremely careful doing this project because unlike some I actually do enjoy living.

Dinner Time

In need of a kitchen table, I just couldn't find one that I loved enough to "makeover." I went shopping around and finally found one at Walmart along with a matching bench that I really liked. I envisioned 4 chairs to complete the set, all black with matching material, yet different styles to give the whole thing character. I was lucky enough to find 3 great chairs at Goodwill, and I repainted the one chair I already had planned for the set. Now instead of just liking the whole set I absolutely LOVE it!

Here were the chairs I found at Gooodwill. The one on the left ended up breaking in a weird place, and so I was forced to find another. Luckily it only took me two 50% off Saturdays to do so. I was unfortunate that the new chair I found had a defective cushion, and so I was forced to take the cushion from the broken one -- a process that in all took me over and hour... A very, very long and frustration hour!

I used a paint that was suggested from another blog... Benjamin Moore! I was told that it required no prep work; just clean the wood and paint! LIED TO!!! However the prep work wasn't horrible, and I think the whole set turned out great!

Tray Table

I found the ugliest Asian looking tray table at Goodwill a few weeks back, and since it wasn't 50% off Saturday I decided to splurge a bit and pay the full price of $2.99 for it. Once again I forgot to take a before picture. Just image a shiny, black tray with awful gold paint spritzes covering the entire surface in a psychedelic pattern that would make the average human experience a grand mal seizure! Sick!

As you can see in this picture the color looked great, except for the little boo-boo in the top corner. I have no clue what happened, I am thinking maybe the heat, but I was able to fix it up well enough to be satisfied with the final result.

Safari Ride

I initially found this chair at Goodwill and bought it to go with the kitchen table set I am working on. After comparing it to the height of the table, I realized that unless you were 9 feet tall your chin would be resting on the table itself. Okay so I may be exaggerating a little, but it is a shorter chair, so I decided to turn it into something that would work in the living room.



I found the cutest material at Home Fabrics and fell in love instantly. I figure the black paint will allow me to change the fabric whenever I want a new look.

Books, Books, and More Books

First things first... I need to get better at taking pictures of my projects BEFORE and DURING the process. Here is the end result of some books I recovered. I found them at a garage sale for $0.05 a piece. It took me a while to decide to cover them because I loved the original, authentic look. In the end I realized they just didn't match the style of the room, and so I decided to solve the problem with what else but Mod Podge. I found the cutest paper at JoAnn's that I also used to make some coasters.

Here is the inside of one of the books. I just love all the little details.

Craiglist Find of the Century

I needed a new coffee table and end tables since my apartment contract was ending and every last bit of furniture in the apartment was my roommates. I bought a coffee table on craigslist and to say the least; it is now my workbench. I found this coffee table and 2 matching end tables 2 days later for ONLY $25! I couldn't believe my eyes. They were in fabulous condition and the only change I wanted to make was to stain them darker.

This was my first go-a-round at staining and even though it was a pain in the rear the end project turned out B-E-A-Utiful!

I adore how this turned out, especially that the underlying design still shows through. I slaved away at this for over 40 hours which made the end project even more rewarding. The coffee table and 2 end tables look great in the new house.

Dresser Messer

This was in fact ONE BIG MESS! I bought this dresser off of craigslist for $40. Thought I was getting a steal-of-a-deal! But after bringing it home I realized I had been worked. None of the drawers had runners, the front of the drawers were plastic that was coming off, and the wood was vernier (my worst nightmare). So the original plan I had brainstormed in my head was not even possible anymore, and tears were shed to say the least. However, considering how horrible this dresser was to begin with the final project turned out okay. Well, I suppose you'll be the judge of that!

Primed! It pretty much looks like the same dresser WITHOUT the drawers.

The previous owner had very TACKY shelf paper in the drawers; you know... 80's style. So of course I had to rip it out and add my own touch. I found the cutest wrapping paper at JoAnn's crafts and did my favorite thing... MOD PODGE! The drawers turned out darling and gave the dresser a bit of a modern feel.

Wallah!!! It doesn't look like much of a change, which it wasn't, since my attempt at making it look antique-ish failed. But the color does look a lot better (the pic doesn't do it justice). I also tried looking for some new handles but in the end the originals painted black is what looked best.

The First Go-around

Since moving to Arizona I have become an addict of 50% off Goodwill Saturdays. I started my DIY adventures with this chair I bought for only $6. The picture doesn't do the ugliness of it justice, but the paint job was bright orange and the fabric was dirty, dingy, and worn.

I removed the padding and primed the chair with Krylon spray paint primer. Definitely the way to go; so simple and easy. Mind you I was doing all of this in over 90 degree weather -- or should I say the beginning of an Arizona summer. I must really love this if I subject myself to that kind of torture!

This is the finished product! I bought enough material to cover 3 more chairs and a bench to complete a dining room set (those projects soon to be finished).