a little paint.

before

after

After a little paint, I have a new look to the built-in shelves in my apartment.  Those shelves have been driving me crazy for quite some time.  I feel much better about them with the new color.  Although, I still have a ways to go on "decorating" the shelves.  Creating a pretty bookshelf is not easy!  I like them much better already though. 

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!  Happy Tuesday!

on my day off...

I recovered this stool (a family hand me down that I love) with some leftover fabric I had from my barrel chair project and....

 I bought this cute tote from Target on clearance for $14 bucks!  And...

I hung out with this guy while relaxing on the couch most of the day! 

cabinet.

Remember this post?  Well, my friend Caroline finished her cabinet!  Here are the results:

BEFORE

AFTER

So pretty!  Love the end result!  Thanks for sharing your project Caroline :)

barrel chair revamp.

 About four months ago, I came across this pair of hideous cane back barrel chairs at a Habitat Home store.  I saw some major potential and snatched them up!  I FINALLY finished this project and here are the results!!!

         

I am so pleased with the end result.  I love them.  Yes, there are two chairs.  I just didn't get a shot of both of them together because they are living in separate rooms (one lives in my bedroom and the other in the living room). 

The project was really very simple.  I just primed and painted the chairs with spray paint, bought 2 yards of fabric, and had a local upholsterer fix up the seats!  I think they turned out great...if I do say so myself :)

Happy Thursday!

a craigslist find.

 My friend, Caroline, found this lovely cabinet on Craigslist and asked me to help give some ideas on how to make it over!  I think this piece has a lot of potential!!  Caroline already had a lot of great ideas:  paint it black or grey, paint the backdrop, or put a cute wallpaper on the backdrop.  I think these are all wonderful options.  So, here are a couple inspiration photos. 

First up is the simple stuff.  Paint it a solid black or grey...

Or you could paint it a solid color and paint the backdrop a contrasting color...

  

Or you could get a little more exciting and put a graphic print on the backdrop...

Or if you're feeling really adventurous paint it a bold color AND use a bold pattern on the backdrop...

 images 1/2/3/4/5

 Lots of options for this lovely piece!  I think you can't go wrong with any of them.  I think I would personally paint the piece a nice neutral gray and do a fun wallpaper on the backdrop.  Like this...

source

Or even this...

source

Shannon at pink wallpaper also did a blog post on a similar project earlier this week!  Check out her ideas here.

Hope these ideas help Caroline!!!  Happy Thursday :)

weekend project.

 before

 after

 louie loves posing for project pictures!

Much more soothing!  So, this weekend I finally got around to painting the accent wall in my apartment.  The red wall worked perfectly for my landlords but it didn't really match my taste.  Lucky for me, my landlords were okay with me painting it when I asked.  Off to Lowe's I went this weekend and picked out "adolescent" grey from Olympic paints.  It is a little more blue than I wanted (I think because of the buttery off-white color of the other walls) but I like it. 

Things are finally coming along in my little apartment.  I also made some updates in my bedroom...I'll have to post some pictures later this week.  I feel like I have made some strides in decorating my place but I still have so much more to do.  Like buy dining room chairs.  And hang pictures.  And buy a TV console.  And get curtains.  I could go on and on.  One thing at a time I guess....

while scouring craigslist...

 I didn't find anything I was looking for (dining room chairs and a TV console).  BOO.  But I did come across some pretty cool things I thought I would share...

 $50 chest of drawers- JI

 

$45 Barrel Office Chairs- S'ville

$150 antique dresser- Charleston

 $35 headboard+frame- S'ville (a STEAL!)

 $75 Large craft table- S'ville

 $175 Set of 4 West Elm Chairs- WA

$40 wood coffee table- JI (needs a coat of paint but could be cute!)

Pretty good finds huh?  If only I needed this stuff!  Charleston's craigslist isn't as great as some other areas though.  People think their stuff is worth WAY too much money.  Criagslist is a glorified yardsale...people need to adjust their pricing accordingly!  I tried to stick to the more affordable options :)

Sidenote:  there is quite an abundance of hideous puffy microfiber couches for sale here in Charleston.  You know the ones I'm talking about.   Yea...UGLY. 

Hope everyone had a great Superbowl Sunday!