Channeling Charlie Brown

I finished my dresser today. I was having a hard time deciding between the Swedish inspired dresser or the chevron stripe dresser, but the chevron stripe won out.

Rather than paint the stripes on horizontally, I opted to paint them on vertically just to be a little different.

I think the old gal turned out all right.

She was pleasantly purple before.

But here she is now...channeling Charlie Brown. {I know it's asking a lot, but try to ignore the uber distracting pink walls with random branches. I swear I will paint them...hopefully very soon.

Bold white lines just didn't seem to fit her style, so I distressed them a little with a sanding block.

Just the right blend of vintage and modern. I think she'll be happy in her new home. I have a few things left to do in the room...painting, as you already noticed and changing out the light. But I am hoping to be ready for a full reveal pretty soon. So, stay tuned.

Dresser Dilemma

I mentioned that we've been shuffling children and furniture around for the past few weeks and I'm really motivated to get all of the kiddies rooms finished...preferably before they move away to college.

The next project I have on the list, aside from painting the walls, is to repaint this cute little gal.


I actually still love the purple, but it doesn't match the color scheme in the room anymore.

So, I spent a little time over the weekend collecting some ideas/inspiration as to what I wanted to do. I am amazed at how creative some people are. Take a look at some of the fabulous dresser's I found.

Chevron Stripe

{source: themagicbrushinc.blogspot.com}

Swedish Inspired

{source: tatteredtiques.typepad.com}

diagonal stripes

{source: mash-upchic.blogspot.com}

vertical stripes

{source: prettycleverdecor.com}

Hmm, now to decide on which one I like best.

"Dresser Up"

We've been playing a little game called "musical rooms" at our house. We recently acquired some dowstairs space {Studly's sis had been staying there and recently moved out} and decided now was as good a time as any to move a few of the litter down there. Carter, {the teenage boy wonder}, and Avery, {the nine year old, going on nineteen year old diva} decided they would make the move.

So, for the passed few weeks we have been shuffling furniture from upstairs to downstairs and vice versa. Since the girls would no longer be sharing a bedroom, that meant I would have to find a new dresser for Avery's new space in the basement. I didn't really want to spend much on a dresser. Really, I didn't want to spend anything on a new dresser, so I decided to give an existing dresser a sophisticated new face lift.

I came across this lovely when I first started my blog.

Naturally, I coated her in the brightest color of spray paint I could find.

She wasn't hideous, but I don't think she was the best version of herself.

Then I came across a picture in Elle Decor of a two toned mid century modern dresser and I knew I had to try it out.

Here's how she looks now.

When I stripped the green paint off of the drawers I was in love. How could I have covered up that lucious wood with paint? I must have been insane. I think she's kinda gorgeous...in a retro, 50's-60's kinda way. If I had to name her it would be...Audrey {as in Hepburn} or perhaps Jackie O. Anyway, I'm a little bummed she has to reside in the basement {"nobody puts baby in the basement"}, but that's where she is needed, so that's where she will stay.

The best part of this revamp, it was only $20 {$14 on paint and $6 on After Wash}...which makes me love "my baby" even more.

I will do a full reveal of the bedroom eventually, but I would like to do some kind of treatment {molding of some sort perhaps} to the walls and then paint them first. I am totally open to suggestions if anybody has some.

Cowhide Rug Tutorial

In case you never caught my cowhide rug tutorial over at lovestitched, here it is now for your viewing pleasure.

Lately, I've totally been crushing on cowhide rugs. For those of you who aren't quite sold on the whole animal hide rug notion, just get over it already and accept the fact that they are totally the bomb. These lovelies can add interest and sophistication to any room, not to mention, make you the talk of book club for days, weeks, months even...probably. If you don't believe me take a look at these inspiration pics:

You feeling me now? Totally the bomb, right?

The only thing wrong with these rugs is their hefty price tag. Real cowhide rugs can run a couple hundred dollars...at least. Someday I will own a real life cowhide rug, but unless I win the lottery or unearth a buried treasure within the next couple of days, that dream will have to wait. So, I did the next best thing, I came up with a cheap and easy way to get the look without the pricetag.

Don't worry, no heifers were harmed in the process.

I tried this project twice using different materials: once using canvas {dropcloth} and the second time using some weird vinyl leather/pleathery stuff I picked up at Joanne Fabrics. You can refer to my pictures to decide which version you like better.

To make the canvas version, you will need the following:

• 
  
  gesso canvas primer{available at most craft/art supply stores}


• 
  
  a roller or paint brush


• 
  
  canvas{large enought for the size of rug you want}


• 
  
  paint{I used a combo of light and dark brown}

To make the vinyl version, all you will need is:

• 
  
  vinyl{large enough for the size of rug you want}


• 
  
  paint{again a combo of light and dark brown}

The first step for both versions is to trace/freehand a pattern somewhat resembling a cow hide onto your material of choice{I traced it onto the backside of the vinyl}.

Next, cut out your hide.

Step three is to prep the canvas for the paint, by applying a generous layer of gesso. For my 4 foot by 4 foot rug, I used almost an entire 16 ounce container. Obviously, for a bigger rug you would need to plan on using more. {Note, there is no prepping necessary for the vinyl version, so you would skip this step and move on to step four.} Allow the canvas to dry. Here's what my canvas looked like after I prepped it. It turns the canvas from a natural off-white, to a true white and it makes it stiff.

Step four is to paint on the spots. I referred to a photo of a cowhide I liked online and followed the pattern as closely as I could. I figured if I copied the real deal it might look more authentic. I learned that you could get a more realistic, "hair" affect by painting on the spots with one brush, and then gently feather the edges with another, stiff bristled brush.

Once the paint is dry, it's ready to go.

This is the canvas version. If I may be honest, I like the way this one turned out a little better than the vinyl version. I just think it looks a little more realistic. But, the vinyl version is a much quicker and simpler process because there is no prepping involved. My only complaint about this rug is that I didn't make it big enough. I made mine 4ft x 4ft. If you're gonna take the time to make one, I would recommend you make one at least 6x6. Just sayin'.

{this room is currently "under construction" so just judge my mismatched mess}

The vinyl version turned out great too, but I am concerned about how well it will hold up. So far, it seems to be holding up okay. But I guess only time will tell.

Here's how it all breaks down:
gesso...$10

canvas drop cloth...$10

vinyl...free{leftover from a prior project}

your boost in popularity because you are so flippin' awesome...priceless

Help!

I hesitate to show how lacking I am in the techi world, but sometimes one just has to suck it up and ask for help...even if it makes me look like a big loser.

I know there are a bazillion people out there more adept than I at this "blog managing" stuff, so I address my question to you. How on earth do I set up my blog to send me email notifications when a comment is made on one of my posts?

It's kinda bad for business when it takes me a year to respond to someone's question, so any advice/suggestion/direction regarding this matter would be very much appreciated. Thank you, thank you all knowing, tech savvy guru...whoever you end up being. Just wanted to say... I <3 u {that's about as techi as I get}.

Guest post

Howdy lovely peeps!

I just wanted to make you all aware that my first guest post is up over at lovestitched. It's a great, little tutorial on how to make your own cowhide rug.

So, if you want to be the talk of the neighborhood (in a good way) you should probably head on over to lovestitched and learn how to make one of these lovelies.

Fabulous Find

I set out yesterday on a mission...to find a couple of fun, earthy/organic knick knacks for the massive bookshelves I have flanking my fireplace. I knew exactly what I was looking for. Something along the lines of:

(photo courtesy: etsy.com/shop/blackeyedsusan)

(photo courtesy: google images)


(photo courtesy: west elm.com)

Instead, I came home with these.

These stools were definately not in the plans, and were a little more expensive than what I had set aside, but sometimes things just have a way of finding you instead of the other way around, I guess.

I loved the "uniquness" of these little guys the second I saw them.

How cute would they be as little side tables coupled together.

But I fancy using them as bar stools instead.

{I love the adjustable seat detail...perfect for children of varying ages and heights}

{and who can overlook the metal bases...very vintagey.}


I'd been thinking about replacing my old, traditional bar stools with something a little more interesting and one-of-a-kind for awhile. I just didn't know what I wanted. I think these cute little things are exactly what I was looking for...even though I didn't know it til I saw them.