End Table Re-Do

So a few months ago I snagged this little end table at a thrift store for $5. 

The two square patches were covered with old, icky leather that was all cracked up.  Greer helped me rip it off (it was tough!).  Then it was next step- stripping (the table)!

It's my first attempt at actually stripping down a peice of furniture.  I was too frustrated to remember to take any process pictures.  I used a wood stripping agent (I'll find the name and post it) borrowed from Dad.  If you plan to strip wood, I suggest wearing rubber gloves.  I was warned that if you get it on skin it "burns like hell."  Follow directions and do it outside.  Look for future posts about stripping wood as I learn the process.

After I got it all stripped down (which took a few times) and sanded, I primed it using Bulls Eye White Primer.

This is where I am in the process right now.  I'm toying with paint colors and decorative paper modge podged on.  I'm thinking navy blue for the body and some sort of yellow or design with yellow for the squares.  Or maybe chalkboard paint. What do you think?

I'm participating in:

La Cocina: Las Detalles

La Cocina = The Kitchen
Las Detalles = The Details

I thought I'd share some kitchen details in our house at the moment.  I was playing with my camera, trying to see if I could capture close ups.  Want to see?

We aren't fans of keeping things in the commercial containers.  We both love mason jars (what is it about them?).  Greer is really good about knowing what to store in them and pretty much does it as soon as we buy a refill.  I can't name everything in them from this picture, but I know there is sugar, popcorn kernels and coffee.  As of today we have added a jar of southern grits straight from South Carolina! Wooo

To the left of the sink are some other fun things.  The bowl is hand-made and was a wedding gift.  There is a sun on the inside bottom.  We like to keep it filled with fruit so we grab the healthier snacks in front of our faces.  This was also storing some seeds until those were planted.



My Other Mother suggested the white lights on top of the cabinets and I love it.  I turn them on as soon as the light starts fading.  The bicycles are left over from our wedding.  There is another handmade bowl wedding gift, honey pot (our wedding theme was Sweet Honey Love), and a silver tea set wedding gift.

This is my childhood table given to us by my parents.  My dad made this table out of some wood and an old Singer sewing machine.  When we moved into the Burrow, we only had the ice cream shoppe 2-seater table.  That now lives on the porch and we inherited this beauty!

Last, everyone's favorite picture it seems.  It's next to the door and whenever someone (like my mom) leaves, they say "I love these pictures!"  The frame was an engagement gift from Greer's parents and the photos are a few of our engagement photos by Alisandra Photography.

Those are just a few kitchen details to keep you reading until I can post more about projects!

Studio + Guest Room: A Few New Detalles (Details)

In my previous post about the Studio + Guest Room's sleeper sofa, I mentioned the need to get creative and cheap to bring my mood board to life in this room.  I've started to take baby steps in that direction.

"Baby steps...baby steps to the door...baby steps down the stairs.." -What About Bob anyone?

Here are just a few of the detalles nuevos (new details).

You may have seen the aged wooden trunk in the mood board and possibly remember how I planned to relocate one of Greer's suitcase end tables.  It's hard to see in this picture (I'll post a new one another time), but I did just that.

I'm gonna just stop for a second and list a few reasons why I love a suitcase side table:

1. Greer makes them = it's DIY and I don't have to spend hundreds on the same thing at Anthropologie

2. Unique look = I think they're especially fun in a guest room for the metaphor

3. Storage = it's still a suitcase!  I store those things that we don't need to access often but don't want to get rid of (like electronics guides, extra cords, etc)

4. Table space = there's a lot more table area to a suitcase than your average end table.  This is great for guests.  Plenty of room for a lamp and decorative item or two, while leaving space for guests to add their necessary bedside items.

I'm sure I could come up with more reasons, but I'll leave that to you.

You can also spot in the above photo, one of the Pier 1 red flower dishes I got from my co-worker's yard sale.  Cheap decor- $6!

My last new additions are wall art.  I have a tough time decorating walls.  I'm trying to plan this out carefully and think about where I will want things to go.  So far all I've had to buy are the frames.

Home From Vacation

I only have time for a quick post because our anniversary dinner is waiting.  That's right- our 1 year marriage anniversary is today!!  6.5.10 - I married my best friend and have been living a fairytale with him.  I am still so in love with my Greer.  You can check out our DIY wedding details in previous posts like this one.  More under the "wedding" tag.

Today we returned from our honeymoonish vacation/1 year celebration.  We attended a friend's wedding in North Carolina, visited Savannah, Georgia, then spent a week with Greer's brother and sister-in-law and our neice in Florida.  Awesome week.  We followed it up by driving to Charleston, South Carolina and then finally returned home today.  What a wonderful week we've had!! Sunburn and all. 

This week- back to building and projects.  Updates soon :)

Lolly