Total Score & A MUST Read!!!

Hello, hello!

I have two things I would like to share with you today.  First up, would you like to see what made a grown woman squeal yesterday??

 This beauty!!

I walked into GW for a quick looksy and there it was sitting front & center when you walked in.  I could NOT believe it!  There were a couple of men sitting on it and I asked them how it felt.  It got the thumbs up.  They helped me test it for sturdiness (they were good sports) by wiggling around on it to see if it was wobbly or anything. Nothing...completely solid.  It must have been under plastic or something b/c there are no funny smells and the cushions are like new..nice & firm. 

 I have been shopping around for a sofa for our den and LOVED these...

I love the legs on the second one and the curve in the arms on the first one but the $3500 & up price tags were definitely a bummer.

I know buying a used sofa is a bold move but I couldn't pass this up.On top of it being over 8' long, it was only $48.49!  Can you believe that? I'm going to recover it..I don't know how or with what fabric yet.  I don't want to cover up the beautiful shape, so this will be a challenge for me, as I have no idea how to do this but I'm up for it!

AND

It passed the crap-out test!

The second thing I wanted to share with you is a book called  

"Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine & a Miracle"

It is one of the sweetest stories I've ever read! 

"Nubs, an Iraqi dog of war, never had a home or a person of his own. He was the leader of a pack of wild dogs living off the land and barely surviving.  But Nubs's life changed when he met Marine Major Brian Dennis.."

It was given to me as a birthday present from my brother and I just love it. He was named Nubs because his ears had been cut off..how pitiful! But I promise this is a wonderful story and a great lesson for the kids about determination & friendship in humans & animals.

With that, I'm going to run now...take care,

Dining Room & A Feature!

I want to thank Maryann from Domestically Speaking for spotlighting the mirror I painted last week at her Power of Paint Party -THANK YOU!!!  I've followed her blog for a while now and love her philosophy towards life & decorating!  I love link parties - the creativity shown by everyone is truly inspiring and I appreciate all of the gracious ladies who host them!

Ok, now let me ask you this...how confused does your husband stay?  I keep mine pretty confused and guessing when it comes to my musical furniture shenanigans..here's the latest.

I bought this Ethan Allen dining set a couple of years ago from a consignment store. It's a well made maple set and it was a steal. I knew it was going to need some work but rarely do I buy anything that isn't a project. 

The first thing I did was paint the chairs black.  Let me just say that painting these chairs was a royal pain! There are so many details about them with the spindles, curves..gotta get every angle covered..it took me about a week to get them finished working around my job, weather & the fam.

It looked better but I still had some work to do. 

(This looks so yucky to me now..but it was a start)

 Next the table top....

  I sanded the tabletop down to reveal GORGEOUS wood and sealed it with tung oil. 

Then I pulled some things out of the room, so it wouldn't feel so busy and Brian hung the chandelier. But it just didn't look right to me (this is where the husband confusion comes in because when I told him the chairs just didn't look right, I got a resounding "WHAT!?!" back). Well, you gotta do what ya gotta do, so I 'sat on it' for a while and waited...patience grasshopper..THENNN

I found THESE at Goodwill:

Nice details & very simple.

I love this mid-century look - clean lines & just a smidge wide..perfect!  So while I loved the shape, I did not love the fabric and they needed a paint touch-up.

Presto-Change-O

(I think I have a crush on this fabric...)

I recovered them in a woven houndstooth and added a fresh coat of paint. (like my chair model?)

Here's the dining room now:

I'm super happy with the change!
These white chairs & the chairs that I slipcovered a while back are just the look I was after.

The only thing left in the dining room is to restore our mahogany buffet...and then I'll be ready to repaint the whole room, I'm sure.  And just in case all the husbands haven't figured it out yet, we'll never be finished!

I'm linking to SNS @ Funky Junk & Under The Table and Dreaming.


I'm going junking now - have a good Saturday!

Pretty Mirror Finished

Do you ever have a blogging day when you don't really know what to talk about before you show a project you've finished?  Well, that's where I am today. I worked all week and I have 3 fun projects sitting in my living room that I'm going to get on today, 2 cute boys in the house ready to go see a movie and plans to help my mom finish a slipcover she's making for her sofa later on tonight.  So cut to the chase..here's a mirror with a makeover!

Before:

After:

I used Martha Stewart's Sharkey gray paint. It is a perfect oyster color without the pinkish tint. Then dry brushed it with Ivory Palace from Behr, distressed it & finished up with a light glazing.

I just love the details on mirrors like this. Sooooo pretty!

Little ribbon of flowers along the bottom.

I'm giving this to my sister for her birthday, since she reads my blog it won't be a surprise but we all must take a hit for the bloggery!!

I made a deal with my husband and son, I go see Tron with them and they have to go to Goodwill with me afterwards & not complain! We'll see if that's possible.

I'm linking to parties at SNS at Funky Junk & Making the World Cuter Monday, Strut Your Stuff at Saturday Mornings & POPP at Domestically Speaking . 

Thanks for coming by and have a good weekend!

Where I go to Party!

In an effort to be more organized, I am putting all of my linky parties in one place that I can link back to.  These are wonderful blogs that give you a chance to show what you've been up to & become inspired by others.  A big, fat THANK YOU to all the wonderful ladies that host these parties!

Monday 

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Weekly/Monthly

Dish Cabinet & Latest Finds

Since my week has looked like this

 

 And while 

was

I finished this...

Before:

..

I found this cabinet at Salvation Army a few years ago for next to nothing..maybe $10.  I painted & glazed it when I brought it home. It was great storage for blankets and my son used it as a fort & hiding spot but it was time for a change.  I rearranged furniture after packing away Christmas and this look didn't work in the new location.

After:

I love this cabinet EVEN more with the fresh look.

 

I added legs that I picked up at Home Depot.

 

It's pretty heavy with solid construction.

Brian cut a shelf from MDF that I covered in book pages.  I love the extra storage for dishes and it is so organized & neat...stuff like this makes me feel like I have it together on days when I am feeling not so Raven!

 One more thing, I found this lamp & mirror at ReStore last week.   Everything is 50% off most of the time, so it's easy to feel double tingly when you end up paying less than $20 for cool stuff like this. 

I'm linking to White Wednesday at Faded Charm,

 & Hookin' Up with House of Hepworths & FFF with Miss Mustard Seed & Make It For Monday at Cottage Instincts and Making The World Cuter all here.

I truly appreciate everyone who stops by.
Take care -