Master Bedroom Makeover - Beds Have Finally Arrived

Although I started the master bedroom makeover a few months ago, it's taken me awhile to decide what I wanted to do for our headboards and bed-frames   At first I thought I might make upholstered headboards, but decided against it when I came across these upholstered beauties.  They are upholstered in a rich Chocolate linen like textured fabric... and have nailhead trim around the headboards.  

These are made by Ashley Furniture and they retail for $599 a piece.  I was able to get them for a steal at only $300 a piece.  So basically I got two for the price of one (so happy).   I love them and I love it even more since I got a great bargain on them!!!

Wondering why we have two queen beds in our master bedroom???  Well, my husband tends to twitch a bit when he sleeps and I am a very light sleeper.  Having two beds, we can choose to share, or each have our own.  It keeps me from having to kick him out of the bedroom at night :)  Plus mine is a little softer and his is a bit firmer.  That's the way we each like our bed.  This way we both always get a good night sleep!

Having such a large bedroom allowed me to go for a boutique chic hotel vibe.  I still want to get hotel style comforters and duvet covers and add a few more accents to the room.  Also I'm thinking of making some pendant chandeliers to hang over the outer end tables.  But for now, I'm quite happy with the way things are coming along.

Until next time,
Happy decorating!

Diana

Thrift Store Find Turned One of a Kind Design

I am currently posting from my cell phone because I am having computer issues...  I wanted to share this beauty I just finished with you.  I found a retro/ghetto (lol) mid century modern piece at a thrift store for $25 and knew I could flip it into something fab... This chevron cutie is what I came up with.  I'm sorry I don't have better pictures. But I will post some as soon as I get my computer issue solved!

The before and after pictures are pretty dramatic on this piece.  The little three drawer before picture is seriously so ugly!!!  It looks like it came from the Brady Bunch house ;).  It is not a style that I would normally choose and I really don't like at all.  However, I knew I could somehow make something cute out of it.  Also, it was a sturdy well built piece that looked nearly new inside, so I thought I'd give it a shot.   My husband started sanding the top when I realized that I didn't have a before shot of this chest of drawers... So this is the first picture I remembered to take.

Notice the bevelled edge around the front and the ugly curve on the drawers and then those funky pull handles.  I knew I had to camouflage the front somehow because I really didn't like it!  

I am more than happy with the finished results...  What do you think?

Did You Know That it is National Painting Week?

Yesterday started the mark of National Painting Week 2013.  This year it runs from April 15th through April 21st.  That still leaves plenty of time to get those spring painting projects started and into high gear!

For information on National Painting Week and for color inspiration and ideas you can visit  www.nationalpaintingweek.com

I myself am painting a furniture project right now.  It is a thrift store find that is a mid century modern piece... and I am giving it a chic makeover with a chevron pattern on the front...  Here is a bit of a sneak peek -  (note: the blue stuff is just tape)

The big reveal is coming soon...  I will show you exactly what I did and how I did it to this piece.  And also show you the ugly before and amazing after pictures :)
 
I hope your feel inspired to get a jump start on some fun painting projects around your home.

Many blessings,
and Happy decorating!

Diana

My Favorite Must Have Kitchen Appliance

I used to drink orange juice from cartons.  Well, not directly from the carton :)  What I mean is I would buy mass produced commercially processed orange juice.  Even when they called their juice "pure squeezed" it was nothing like a glass of truly fresh squeezed orange juice.  

My absolute favorite must have kitchen appliance is my KitchenAid Stand Up Mixer.  I use it almost every day.  My husband bought me the Citrus Juicer Attachment a little over a year ago and now I am totally addicted to fresh squeezed orange juice!  I love to drink a glass of it each morning with my breakfast.

It only takes about five minutes from start to finish to have enough juice for a full glass and have the juicer cleaned, and it is so worth every minute!!!

The juicer attachment was less than $25.  I love that I don't have to have a separate appliance, instead it just attaches to my mixer and is so easy to use and easy to clean.

This time of year in California we have amazing tree ripened oranges.  I can get an entire bag for only $2 and they make the best OJ.

Depending on the size of the oranges it takes either 3 or 4 oranges to get a glass of juice.  I first wash the oranges and then cut them in half.  Turn the mixer motor on low, which turns the juicer.. and then just push the orange half onto the front.  The juice drips down through a separator that catches seeds and large pulp and then drips the juice into the glass or container.  The separator is removable for easy emptying.  When you do large batches of juice you do need to empty it on occasion.

All this juice from just three oranges... and it's so yummy!

After the juice is made, I immediately remove the juicer attachment and rinse it thoroughly with warm water so it is ready to use for next time.  Note: If you let it sit and don't rinse it right away, it would be harder to clean.  So basically, clean up is super simple as long as you do it right away!

After it's rinsed I just set it on a paper towel to dry.  

Now I get to drink my amazing OJ.  Yum!

Furniture Stripping Made Easy - Citristrip

I remember when I used to strip furniture with strong chemical strippers that made it hard to breath.  This week I tried Citri-Strip (a biodegradable earth friendly product that smells like oranges and is safe for indoor use.  I was completely shocked at how well it worked!!!

I put a blob of the stripper in the middle of the table and spread an even layer over the entire top of the table.

After I had completely covered the top of the table, I let it sit for an hour and then returned.

After letting Citri-Strip sit for one hour, this is what I found (picture below).  The paint and other finishes underneath were all bubbled up.  It looked ready to strip so I gave it a go.

Using a flat scraper, the paint and under layers of varnish and stain came up like butter.  It didn't even feel like work.  It took just a few minutes to get all of the paint off the top of the table.

I was surprised to find fancy inlaid wood details on the table top.  I guess you never know whats underneath until you look!

I only have a flat scraper so I've stripped the tops of both of the tables.  I've ordered a Multi-Purpose Scraper Tool so I can easily get the paint out of all of the details in the legs.  The tool should make it easy to strip the rest of the paint off of these beauties.

I'm not exactly sure how I will be finishing these end tables yet.  I picked them up at my local flea market awhile back for only $20 for the pair.  The paint job on them had drips everywhere and a nasty shiny clear coat over the paint.  I had to strip them and give them a fresh start.  After I'm done stripping them I will decide what to do with them next.  I will share them as they progress :)

Until next time,
Happy decorating!