Category Archives: Before & After

Nov 22 2011
1 Comment
Before & After, Decorating, DIY, Livingroom, Thrifting, Vintage

Hutch Much? (before & after)

Remember last summer when I posed the question, “Would you paint this?”, referring to my heirloom hutch?

Hutch (before)

 

Well, not one to procrastinate (ha-ha-ha!) I’m here today to show you what I decided to do with it.  I wanted to brighten up the interior, while also maintaining the integrity of the piece since it is a family piece and in good condition.  My solution?

(after)

I found a pale blue roll of wrapping paper at Tuesday Morning’s for $2.99.  I then went about the complicated task of cutting the paper to size and adhering it to the back interior of the hutch with double-sided tape.  I really like the result and it can be removed easily, too, if ever needed!

The blue goes fabulously well with our paint color on the walls.  Seamless, I tell ya!  I filled the hutch with white doo-dads from around the house…it’s really quite lovely.  I just haven’t mastered the art of photographing the details in the light of our livingroom.  (I’m not moving that thing to get some pics…wayyy too heavy, folks).

While we’re looking at the hutch you may notice the painting at the top of it.  I found that at Goodwill a while back for like $1.00.  I just love finding art there.  It makes me happy to no end.  And so there you have it, four months later, an answer for the hutch.

Happy Creating!
Jen

 

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Nov 21 2011
2 Comments
Autumn, Before & After, Decorating, DIY, Home, Paint, Textiles, Thrifting

Simply Autumn Tablescape

Last week when I posted about my autumn yarn wreath and fireplace mantel decor, The Nester shared some great tips for using what you have to create beauty around you this fall as well.  I love her philosophy on decor because it’s so true that you do not have to buy, buy, buy to have a lovely home.  Our home is a testament to that fact.

So, here’s my Simply Autumn Tablescape.  The “table runner” is really a 1/3 of a sheet I bought years ago at Goodwill for $3.99.  The other two pieces to this sheet can be found hanging as curtains in our “cottage.”  I did no hemming (or hawing) to this piece, so I thought the messy, flowy look would work great and hide any raw edges.

For the stylish “stick” centerpiece I just used a large Ball jar, filled it with dried beans that we will never eat and plopped some large sticks from the front yard into it.  Easy!  Then the last piece to this tablescape is the little silver tray.  I filled it with coffee beans we had on hand and three tea lights.  That’s it!

 If you were around here when I painted our dining room table and chairs you may find those shelves on the back wall to be a new addition.  Yep, I found those on the side of the road.  They’re a bit chipped, but I just call that character.  I really like their placement above the buffet, giving it more depth.

How do you like to decorate your dining table for Autumn or Thanksgiving?  I think Edie did a beautiful job at Life in Grace…don’t you?

And just for fun let’s look at a before and after shot of our dining room…

BEFORE

2008

AFTER

2011

Happy Creating!
Jen

Psst!  I shared this simple centerpiece with Centsational Girl.

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Jul 20 2011
3 Comments
Before & After, Crafts, DIY, Green, Livingroom

The Story of a Lamp

This lamp has a story…

It’s story begins with helping meet someone else’s needs. 

You see, I had these two beautiful lamps just sitting in the garage.  There was nothing wrong with them, they simply weren’t my style for our home.  I decided one day that I’d pass them onto a friend who I thought would enjoy them in her home. 

When I took them to her she was so blessed by them and said that she’d been thinking about giving two of her lamps away to a family in her church that had recently lost their home to a fire.  But if she gave them away she’d still be needing some for her own home. 

Problem solved.  And two families had lamps that they needed.


After I gave away my lamps I was thinking that I could really use a lamp in our livingroom’s back corner.  The next day as I was walking our youngest son in his stroller, I found one of these in my neighbor’s trash pile:

Photo NOT taken by me

Just your basic brass floor lamp.  Nothing special about it, but it was perfect for our home.  Except for two things:  the shade and the brass part.

So out came the gloves glossy white spray paint for the brass, and the hotglue gun, coffee filters and vintage crystals for the shade.  After about a half hour of hotglue-ing coffee filters to the shade and then adding the crystals, I had this fun creation:


And the total cost for this project:  nada!!!

Now that’s a good story, right? 

Have you found anything in your neighborhood on trash day recently?  Ever thought of using coffee filters on a shade?  They filter the light very well!  (I couldn’t help myself, sorry…)

Happy Creating!
Jen

Pssst! I’m sharing this FREE diy lamp re-do with Simple Home Life…Tatertots & Jello…Funky Junk Interiors…Southern Hospitality.

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Jul 19 2011
5 Comments
Before & After, Furniture, Home, Livingroom

Name Five Things

Okay, let’s play a game:  Can you name five things that are different and five things that are the same in these two photos?  The winner gets the pure satisfaction in knowing that she is awesome.  Very awesome.

So, let’s get started!

Photo 1

Photo 2


Did you find your five things?  If you’re still working on it, I totally understand because there are so, so many changes to our livingroom that it would be hard to name them all.  But the big main deal is that we got NEW FURNITURE!!! 

Yup, after 8 years of marriage we took the plunge and bought furniture.  But we did it a super smart way:  on craigslist. 

You see, we like to pay cash for our purchases and forking over $1000+ on a couch and chairs just isn’t something we were wanting to do.  I guess that’s why it also took us EIGHT YEARS to buy any new pieces.  (However, our new-to-us furniture is only 2 years old & cost just about $300…woo-hoo!)

And I it could also do something with the fact that I’m really frugal and if it (kind of) works then I’ll use it.  The sweet leather couch was given to us from a couple at our church for our first apartment.  Before that I just had that gold vintage bench (which I still love by the way!).

Old Couch

New Couch


Now, there’s still work to be done with the bench turned coffee table.  Like, my hubby wants me to recover it.  And I’d like to find a large tray to add to the top of it for our drinks and whatnot.  But we love, love, love the clean lines and awesome fabric on our couch and our two chairs.

Old Chairs

New Chairs

I loved those vintage green chairs, but unfortunately I did not love sitting in them.  Once you sat down there was no getting up (and that’s not because they were oh-so-cozy!).  The springs and inner-workings of the chairs were just falling apart.  They needed to be completely gutted and reconstructed and everything.  Poor things!

Our new chairs, however, are big and soft and you can actually sit in them without feeling like you’re going to drop through the bottom.  They are a-mazing!

There are more changes to share with you, but for now I’ll leave you with these happy shots…




Have you found your five things by now?  If not you will be able to by the end of this week!

Happy Creating!
Jen

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Feb 09 2011
3 Comments
Before & After, Paint, Restyling, Upcycled Life

FREEstyle: From Blah to Hoorah…A Dresser/Buffet Makeover

Freestyle – the art of creating something new in your home with items you already own.  I don’t usually post the cost for room updates on this blog because to be quite honest the things I do typically cost $0.00.  And this dresser/buffet restyle is no different. 
This dresser turned buffet was a hand-me-down, solid wood piece.  It was originally a blonde wood, but a couple of years ago I spray painted it black.  You can take a peak at it in the picture from Summer 2010:

BEFORE: Black Dresser/Buffet

 I apologize for not taking a better before photo…when the creative rush hits I’ve just got to “go with it” sometimes, you know?  I wanted a fun piece, so I used a beautiful vintage-inspired turquoise paint sample, which I already had on hand, and simply brushed on the paint, then took an old rag and wiped away the paint.  This technique gave it a unique, weathered look.

After I painted the dresser my creative-frenzy continued and I updated these three plastic planters as well.  I found them on clearance at H.E.B. (a Texas grocery store) after Christmas for just 50 cents each!

BEFORE: Planters

Like I said before, I had these on hand, so I still consider this a “freecycle.”  To give these pots a fresh look I first spray painted them a glossy white, then I played around with some bright green acrylic paint, and then topped them off with white acrylic paint to emphasize the design detail.  They look very spring-like and fresh to me.  A welcome change from this winter gloom we’ve been having.

AFTER: planters

I knew that the Texas Winter Storm II was going to hit the next day, so I snipped some fresh rosemary from the garden and topped off the planters with some Spanish moss to complete the look.

 

Don’t you just love a fresh look for ZERO dollars?  It’s my favorite thing to do…create something simple and beautiful out of the ordinary.

I placed vintage glass coasters (my great-grandmothers, in fact!) underneath the green apples to prevent them from rolling off each time we open the drawers.

That vintage mirror was my great-grandmother’s as well.  It’s wonderful having pieces of her life in our home. 

And finally, here’s the complete look with our dining table.  I kept the centerpiece simple since there’s so much going on with the dresser. 

Are there any hand-me-downs around your house that could use a bit of creativity to make it your own? 

Happy Creating!
Jen

I’m linking this to Thrifty Decor Chick’s Before & After Party.

Jan 21 2011
5 Comments
Before & After, Cleaning, Paint, Upcycled Life

GLITTER Done??? (Two for the Price of One)

When I first read on Funky Junk Interiors that Songbird was going to be hosting “Gitter Done” this year I thought it said, “Glitter Done” party, which sounds super fun, since I was guessing glitter would be involved and all.  But when I gave it a second look it was actually “Gitter Done,” meaning we’d be getting done all of the things we’ve been putting off while reading about other people’s stuff on their blogs.  Hmm…no glitter was involved but I was thinking that this kind of party might be more beneficial for me anyway.  Well, glitter may be involved in the future, like when I complete my cottage turned studio, but for now it’s just me showcasing stuff that needed to get done.  And this week you get two for the price of one.  You read that right TWO for the price of ONE!!!  And if you actually paid me something to write this blog it might be a deal. 

We’ll start with the boring, yet essential-for-life “Gitter Done” project this week.  Laundry.  Yay (no sarcasm here, whatsover)!

Mount de Poppy aka Our Laundry

Y’all Mount de Poppy was scary.  I think my repulsion to laundry began when I got married and the clothes seemed to double (imagine that!).  Then we added a kid.  More laundry (who knew???).  And another kid (oh my!).  It didn’t help that for a few months our dryer just was not heating well and it took forever, literally FOREVER, to dry the clothes.  This meant one load = one day.  Yuck!  We thought we were going to have to buy a new dryer (yuck, again) but after researching some online I found out that we maybe just needed to clean the vents and various dryer part-thingies, technical, I know.  So my hubby cleaned the vents and thingies and it worked like brand new.  Apparently “cleaning your dryer regularly” means doing it more often than once every eight years. 

No More Laundry - Miracles Do Still Happen!

So how did I get the motivation to get the laundry done and keep it done? 

I set the goal to not get on the computer at all if there was a load of laundry needing to be dealt with, i.e. if there was a load in the washer, it had to be moved to the dryer; if there was a load in the dryer, it had to be folded and put up in the dressers or closets; if there was a load large enough to wash; the process started over.  I had not spent much time on the computer, but in my free moments I was choosing that instead of laundry.  I also hold off on any decorating projects, crafts, etc. if there’s laundry to be done.  This new system has helped me to maintain our empty laundry baskets each day.  And now I feel I’m on my way to truly getting a handle on Mount de Poppy, one of my goals for 2011, which has now been reduced to this:

One Sock

Yay!!!  Now onto this week’s Gitter Done project #2 – adding a mood of love to our master bedroom, in light of Valentine’s Day, and well, in light of romance in general.

Fall 2008 - Cluttered, Dark, Ick

When we first moved into our home in 2008 this was it’s state:  cluttered, dark, ick.  That clutter was from home projects, moving boxes, etc.  Unfortunately, this past Christmas our room was cluttered again by gifts, wrapping supplies, art projects, etc. since I did not have my craft/office studio set up yet.  It’s amazing how one thing in your home can affect another thing.  So before I began any touch ups on our bedroom I had to remove the Christmas  clutter from our room, as well as some laundry (hahaha!).  Anyway, here’s a look at our bedroom after painting it a pale gray, “Filtered Shade” by Valspar.

Before: Spring 2010 (blah)

 We loved the lighter wall color and new wood laminate floors, but the headboard wasn’t working “as is,” so I painted it & added some wooden flower details to it this past summer.  Then it looked like this:

Summer 2010 - nice, but missing a touch of romance

One of my goals for this year is to create a more cozy, romantic mood to our bedroom. 

After: Ready for Romance...just add some flowers :)

I need to add a few more pieces of art to our walls, but I’m happy with the change I made above our bed by hanging the coffee filter wreath above it. 

I also put white sheets on the bed, flipped the comforter to the polka-dotted side, and folded it half-way down the bed so you can see the damask print as well.  I think the hot pink satin pillows add that touch of Valentine’s Day that I was hoping to add. 

1950s Doily-inspired Afghan Throw

Finally, I moved a bench in front of the bed for an extra touch of coziness.  My husband’s aunt made this afghan throw for me last year.  She created the pattern from a 1950s doily pattern, simply beautiful!  Next week I’ll share with you how I created this bench…because it’s not a real bench.

Let’s look at the before, before, before picture & the after picture, shall we?

Fall 2008 - Cluttered, Dark, Ick

After: Light, Decluttered & Ready for Romance!

 

Thank you for checking out my gitter done projects this week…what projects are you currently working on or hoping to do in the coming week?

Happy Creating!
Jen

For more houses with real pictures check out Decor Chick’s Blog Party.

Jan 14 2011
9 Comments
Before & After, Cottage Studio

Tour a Messy Cottage

I don’t know how many folks will want to read this blog with a title like “Tour a Messy Cottage,” but if that didn’t scare you off then these photos just might:

This building is located in our backyard & I call it the cottage.  But over the last year it’s been more fitting to call it the office that vomited on itself.

Oh yeah, and last summer a flood may or may not have caused water to come in through the closet, hence the dusty looking floor.

It’s a great place to read a Bible or ten…

This photo is blurry or maybe that’s you just getting dizzy from all of the stuff everywhere.  I know it does that to me, too.  But thanks to the “Gitter Done” challenge over at Songbird I had some extra motivation to get started on transforming this “cottage” into an office/craft Studio.

I only spent about half a day working in the cottage and managed to purge a ton of things and then moved out the “keep” stuff to the garage temporarily.  And this is the time where I give a big shout out to my husband for helping move boxes and stuff.  Thank you, honey!

I had planned on spending the entire week turning this place into my dream studio, but it was super cold here in Texas and being trapped in a small-ish room with a tiny heater and a paint roller didn’t sound too appealing.  So, I gave myself a break and decided that I needed more planning time, anyway, to prepare for the transformation properly.

I’ll probably move the bench to underneath the windows & the table near where the bench is currently located.  I haven’t decided if the desk is staying or not.  (The computer stuff ontop of the desk is going, however).


Not too shabby for half a day’s work, huh?  What project are you stalling on?  Could you break it up into parts so that you can accomplish it a bit at a time like I’m doing here?

If you’re curious as to my plans for the Studio here are a few inspiration photos…I’m still mulling it over, though.  Any thoughts???

Jan 05 2011
7 Comments
Before & After, Paint, Restyling, Upcycled Life

Drama in the Kitchen

I don’t know about you but we have a small kitchen.  I mean it’s what we call here in Texas a “one-butt kitchen,” even if you don’t use the word “butt.”  It is what it is.  See…here’s the main part of the floor just so you know how truly small our kitchen is (small, but still loved).

I never thought I’d paint anything in our kitchen black EVER because of its petite-ness.  But after having plain-vanilla colors in the kitchen for a few years I needed to add some drama.  It connects nicely with our diningroom, too.

View from diningroom

The paint color is Valspar’s “Cottage Black.”

It’s actually just from a sample paint that I tried on our front door – yay, no extra cost for the project!

Full View

I just painted around the window, the window ledge, or whatever it’s called, and the bit of area jutting out under all the upper cabinets, so it could flow nicely.

Side View

This idea to paint black around the window just came into my head one day because I really love windows and wanted ours to “pop.”

Of course when my 6 year old overhead me telling my husband that I wanted to make the window pop he had another image in his head.  He asked me the next day if I was going to blow up the window.  Hehehe!

And while we’re in the kitchen I thought I’d show you what I did with our run-of-the-mill flourescent lighting…I added cage sides to it.  I just found them in our backyard & put them up there.  I think I may have some weird thing for cages considering I made this and this as well.

What about you?  Have you ever used black in an unexpected place?  Happy Creating!

BEFORE

AFTER

Linking up with TDC’s Before & After Party…and Tatertot & Jello’s Weekend Wrap-Up.

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