DIY changing table

One of the first projects I knew I wanted to tackle when we found out we were having a baby was a changing table. I've always adored a good DIY repaint project. 

It took a lot of trolling on Dallas and Houston Craigslists, but one afternoon this little gem popped up. I loved that it had curved drawers, the wheels on the legs spoke to me, and the top looked big enough to hold a changing pad for the babe.

We drove up to Denton one morning and picked it up to bring home. The owner had 3 babes of her own and she used it in her youngest daughter's nursery, too. I thought that was super sweet.

We sanded, and got to painting. We chose Kendall Charcoal by Benjamin Moore.

The outside got a couple of coats of the Kendall Charcoal, while the inside of the drawers got blue and white stripes. Pretty precious if you ask me :)

The drawer pulls are from Lowes, nothing too special. I liked that they looked a little more updated. They came in chrome, but I've been really into the gold/brass trend, so I had too. I spray painted them with Rust-Oleum's metallic gold, and LOVE how they turned out.

I love bringing new pieces into our home. I just get so excited every time I pass by. I'll be even more excited when I can put it to use, if I EVER go into labor :)

new old lamps

Here's a simple lamp switch and some day-dreaming about the future state of our bedroom.

I'm on this slow and steady process of a project that I've imposed upon myself. Project Eliminate Color.

This is where we're at on your typical day. 

The wall color kills me, but alas, unchangeable per landlord.

Mint colored lamps. I loved them the day we brought them home, and I love them to this day, just not in here anymore.

  Blake's mom gave me these new lamps a while back and they've been hiding out in the attic until now. They were brass at first, but with a little spray-paint lovin' they have a new life. A colorless life. 

 Also - someone found their white balance button on Photoshop - woo hoo! So, please excuse some of these photos, I was messing around with all the different ways to balance! I'm probably a little too exited about this. 

 So I didn't know about the old lamp shades on the new bases, but I think they need to be smaller, and whiter?  hah.
Still debating.

Also - naked duvet insert! Shield your eyes!

 I'm trying to see what it would look like with just a simple white duvet cover. 

 The shape is kinda pretty, right? A little romantic even?

 These little babies are growing a muck in our back yard. One point for free flowers!

 Here we are at the end. How about a before and after of my quick weekend project?

Here's the day-dreaming part. Squint, can you see it? White duvet, new lumbar pillow in THIS fabric, an Ikea throw at the end (I have my eye on two potential candidates) and I think we're getting somewhere! Next, maybe color eliminate that ledge.

computers in quarantine, and a mirror face-lift

Some Friday afternoons your work computer comes down with a life threatening virus and you have to shut it down immediately and place it in quarantine. Some Friday afternoons your amazing boss tells you to just go home, because the world stops spinning when there's no computer at work. Some Friday afternoons you come home to a house where you recently got rid of cable, which leads me to.. some afternoons you just blog.

We have a floor length mirror in our master room that I've been dying to paint practically since we got it. We needed a large mirror, and when we found one for a great price, we just bought it disregarding the color, because I knew a little spray paint could fix anything.

I'm trying to transition the master to a more natural space. Whites, creams, wood-tones and black accents. Also... deep green.  I wanted a matte, dark finish, and I really just couldn't ignore the can of chalkboard paint already in our garage. Free money baby! So I went for it.

brassy huh?

I totally used Blake's old Aggie calendar to shield the mirror from the spray paint. I still don't know if he noticed. 

He will now - eek! 

See the right side? I originally tried to paint it with leftover sample paint and a brush, but the mirror would not grip the paint - and, I'm lazy and didn't want to figure it out - so enter spray paint.

I applied two thin coats and let it dry in between.  

 Now, I'm not totally in love with the chalkboard paint craze, though it seems to be taking over my house, a vase there, a frame here... I do, though, love that it's black, and matte. Love it a lot.  

 We're also trying out a spot for the mirror. I've wanted it here for a while now. It fits perfectly in between the entry door and the closet door. 

 It reflects the light from all our windows just beautifully.

 I couldn't resist.

I'm about to go wipe it off as soon as Blake gets home and sees it. 

I always hear Blake say 'I love you' this way... in those exact words... with the most assuring tone possible, and I like that. 

the gallery wall

I am a sucker for a gallery wall. All of the things you love get to be so beautifully displayed on the wall. It's art in itself I think. I knew when we first moved in that I wanted to keep all of my frames and things together in one place. Just one spot where there are no rules, and anything goes. Our hallway is sort of like it's own little room, so it seemed perfect. 

Here it is at move in.

I found an inspiration photo from none other than Pinterest.

I was drawn to how unexpected the color photos felt. By expected I guess I mean a wall of perfectly placed white Ikea Ribba frames filled with black and white photographs (which I still find classic and undeniably pretty, for the record).
Without further delay, our gallery wall...

The left side. 

An engagement photo, wedding photo, and photo strips. 

I totally borrowed this idea from YHL. Hopefully I can fill it up with more keys from each place we live. So far, just one from our first apartment together as marrieds. :)

My favorite thing in the entire wall is this. I found it while going through a box of things from our wedding. It's just a sheet of paper with the lyrics to "how He loves" (the song I got to walk down the aisle to) with the chords marked above. 

And, here is the right side. 

"The Johnson's" sign was a wedding gift. I know probably everyone got one of these as a wedding gift, but I love ours. The geese and the beach scene are reprinted paintings done by my great aunt Louise.
Let's wrap it up....
Before

After

and, that would be our hallway.

before and after.

While my parents were helping my brother move the other weekend, I received a call, wondering if I'd be interested in this:

 It's a side table, and, it's really hard for me to pass up such offers. So, I brought it home. The top was pretty beat up, but the wood was nice and I liked the challenge of it. 

It started with some sanding:

and a new layer of stain:

it was beginning to come to life. 

oh you just wait...

 that's a sheet of 3 inch foam. So, I didn't have a need for another side table, so I decided to get wild and try and turn it into a bench of sorts. 

 Here's a sneak peak of the fabric - kind of tribal (?) kind of ikat (?) eh?

I was at hobby lobby for some more DIY jewelry supplies and it caught my eye.

I folded up and with a staple gun secured the bottom and top first.  

Then pulled the sides together and treated the corners like you would when wrapping a present. 

 Easily removable if you wanted to use it as a side table again, or easily replaceable if you get tired of your fabric choice. 

 After the stain dried, I brought that baby back inside, flipped it upside down and screwed the frame and legs back in. 

 It's ok, right? 

 It's growing on me. I feel like I'm becoming more comfortable with having things around the house that have a story - not just pretty matchy things. 

 It's a little big - which made it difficult to find a place for it in our tiny little home, but it'll be used a "here, have a seat and put on your socks and shoes" bench. Also, a "hold our throw pillows while we sleep in the bed" bench too. 

 and there you have it. Next, I either want to de-rust and repaint our "bar cart" that sits on our porch, or make my own version of a tapestry. Now, I just need another lazy weekend.