Monday, February 28, 2011

Reupholstered wing chairs

WOW WOW WOW is all I can say to this project I decided to take on. The other day I did a post showing my outdated wing chairs that I was going to reupholster. You can read about that HERE. I had said that reupholstering is not my forte, but I was going to take the project on anyway to save money. Here is the before of one of the very outdated plaid chairs.


I purchased 3 6x9 drop cloths for a total of $30. This was one heck of a project that I probably won't be repeating in the near future. I honestly don't even know if I could give a tutorial on what I did, because I just went with the flow. I used Randy's nail gun, but if you don't have one, you can just use a staple gun. I literally just cut pieces out like a puzzle and went section by section. When I was done, I used my glue gun to put trim over all the nail heads in the fabric....Here are the finished products:




I added the PILLOWS I posted about the other day.

I am hoping to have the reveal of the entire room by the end of the week....



I am linking to THESE parties.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

My "Anthropologie" pillows

Like most everyone who has a decorating blog, I LOVE Anthropologie. Since I can't afford most of their stuff, I try to mimic what I can.

I am in the process of re-doing my living room. My new couches are supposed to come tomorrow and I am wrapping up lose ends before I show the reveal. I posted the other day about the wing chairs I am reupholstering. You can read about that HERE. For these chairs, I need a couple of new throw pillows. I had a couple of old ones laying around. One had a broken zipper on the slip cover and the other has a paint stain on it. I purchased a yard of fabric that I felt had a very "Anthroplogie" vibe.


I used about half the fabric for two pillows. I can't wait to put them on my "new" chairs.



In order to save the remaining fabric for additional pillows, I covered the backside with leftover drop cloth fabric. It saves on the cost and also gives a unique look in addition.


No promises, but I really hope to reveal the reupholstered chairs tomorrow night....

Last night to enter my GIVEAWAY from Ooh La la Company....


Saturday, February 26, 2011

Trash to treasure light fixture

Randy is doing a bathroom renovation for one of his customers. They were having Randy throw away their old light fixture. Thankfully it made it into my hands before it went to the dump.

Although it was dirty and had paint all over it, I knew I could fix it up and change the look....





I lightly sanded the raised paint of the lamp base. I used an SOS pad to get the paint off the glass shade. A little white spray paint and some distressing resulted in this:





It's hanging in my newly painted BATHROOM.

One day left to enter my Ooh La la Company GIVEAWAY.




Friday, February 25, 2011

The reason I paint

.....is because I hate to sew or upholster!!! I wish I had the talent of some women I know. My talent with fabric goes as far as upholstering a simple seat or sewing a hemline. I'm sure that if I took the time I could catch on, but in the meantime I just don't have the patience.

Back in December I started to re-do my living around some new couches that we purchased. Yes, they were supposed to be here 2 months ago and still have yet to arrive. I won't even get into the drama of this....Anyway, in the meantime, I have been working on small projects. I have two wing chairs someone gave to me about 6 years ago. They have great bones, but the print is drastically outdated for me. They are plaid and I am so out of this phase. I can't afford new chairs so I was going to get slipcovers for them. The least expensive ones I found were from JC Penny's for $80 each. The problem is, they look like slipcovers! I hate the tucking and un-tucking that occurs with slipcovers.

So that is where my HATE relationship comes in with reupholstry. I have decided to spend $20 on two dropcloths from Home Depot and I am going to tackle this project. I have already started and am stressing already. See, I've even sidetracked here to my blog. If it were a painting project I'd be done already....

I expect it will take me a few days to finish these two chairs because the attention span will not be there, but here is my beginning....




Hopefully I'll be sharing the finished products soon. The one thing I have going for me is that I hate leaving things half done....

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Inexpensive easy gift idea

One of my favorite wooden items to purchase are wooden serving spoons. I usually find them for $1-$2 a pair. This particular pair I got for $1.


Once painted you can use them as a decorative item or seal them well with a clear sealant and use in your salad, pastas, etc.



Perfect birthday, mother's day, Christmas, or grab bag gift. They look great tied to the top of a box with brown paper and an eclectic chic bow.



3 more days to enter my GIVEAWAY from Ooh La la Company




Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Before and after....a little off topic

I know most of you stop by here for DIY and before and after furniture and home decor projects. I'm going to veer a little off topic today because my kids always say, "can I be on your blog"? Since it isn't really the theme here I usually tell them no unless of course they are in a picture carrying a piece of furniture or have a paint brush in their hands.....LOL! But this one time my daughter Samantha wanted to "shine" and show her before and after hair.

She is 11 years old and has never had a "proper" haircut, unless of course you count me doing it with the craft scissors from the junk drawer. She has GORGEOUS natural curly hair....She is on and off as to whether she likes it depending on the day.....



For her birthday we got her a gift certificate to the hair salon for a haircut, manicure, and pedicure. Although I love her curly hair, she opted to have the hairdresser blow dry her hair straight for a day of enjoyment. The second she hops in the shower, those curly ringlets will be bouncing right back....So here she is for her day of fame....





Be sure to enter my GIVEAWAY from Ali at the Ooh La la Company...


Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Ooh La la Company~6th Etsy seller giveaway

Ooh La la Company charm necklace Etsy seller giveaway.....

Welcome to Serendipity Chic Design's 6th weekly Etsy seller giveaway.

Being an Etsy seller myself, I know the hard work, dedication, and love that goes into handmade items. Therefore I would like to promote my fellow Etsy sellers through weekly giveaways. It will give them the opportunity to show off their hard work, and you the opportunity to win or purchase a unique one of a kind item for your home, garden,or personally for yourself to wear.

I am so pleased to introduce you to an Etsy seller who not only has gorgeous stuff and a creative blog, but she has also become a great friend. I met Ali through her blog, MY THIRD TRUE LOVE. She is a wife and mother who loves to craft. Which brings us to her Etsy shop, Ooh La la Company. Her featured items are the cutest charm necklaces. They are perfect for yourself or even as a gift.

The giveaway is for one charm necklace which will arrive gift wrapped to you or sent to the lucky recipient of your choice.

Each necklace will arrive on a card with the title of the charm. The detail is exquisite.









And of course, as I mentioned above, it will arrive gift wrapped....


The rules for the giveaway are short and sweet. You have 3 opportunities to win!
1. Become a follower or subscriber of Serendipity Chic Design (If you already are, just let me know)
2.Visit Ooh La la Company and let me know what your favorite charm necklace is.
3. Become a follower of Ali's blog MY THIRD TRUE LOVE and let me know. If you already are a follower, just let me know that.

As simple as that....Choose one of the options above, or all three. The more you do, the more chances you have to win. Please leave a separate comment for each opportunity.

The giveaway is open to US residents only. It will run from Tuesday February 22nd until Sunday February 27th closing at midnight.

Click HERE to find out more about being an Etsy giveaway host at Serendipity Chic Design

Good luck to everyone!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Another unique wall art idea

Although I love Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, etc.....I don't like my home to look like a magazine page. In addition, I am not fond of their prices. I like a piece here and there from "a store", but otherwise I like one of a kind furniture and art throughout.

Years ago my father gave me a very large antique iron ladle. I had it hanging on my kitchen wall.



Even though it was already unique I had to do what I do best and add some paint to it. I know it is rare for me to use white, but I figured it would go with whatever decor I choose once we renovate our kitchen.






So think outside the box when decorating the walls in your home. They don't always have to be covered with the typical picture or mirror. Have fun and be different!