Proper Hunt: June 2011

chairs - Friday, June 24, 2011

Big Weekend Plans

I'm off to spend time with family this weekend and I couldn't be more excited. Since we were unable to celebrate Father's Day la...

As promised, here are some 'before' shots of the chair and table that I found at my Goodwill. Even though both items needed a good amount of work, the fact that I only spent a total of $19 for both made it all worth it. They just needed to be cleaned and primed so that they could get new coats of paint. And while the chair needed to be reupholstered, it was really, really easy to do. It took me no time at all and it was kind of fun using the staple gun.

The thought of removing all of the existing staples seemed daunting at first, but once you got the hang of it, they was really easy to remove.

The foam seemed to have a lot of life left in it so I didn't replace it. Good thing too, it kept our costs down. Not that foam would've been that expensive, but it's just good not to spend more money than you have too.

I knew that I wanted to have something colorful and fun since this was going to be the chair that the student(s) that my mom tutors would be using. I got this fun print at my Joann Fabrics and since I had a 50% coupon, it only cost me $5!

It really doesn't look like much at all, does it? But it was the right shape that I was looking for in a printer table. Plus, the legs added that bit of charm that I was hoping to find. It would've looked great painted in a glossy black, but since we already had 2 large pieces of black furniture, I thought it would balance the room better by making it white instead.

The pink Stockholm boxes from The Container Store look fabulous on the shelves, don't you think? I also wanted to make sure that I got a printer table with shelves since it would need to house the modem as well.

I used Zinsser B-I-N Shellac Base Primer Sealer to prime both pieces. I specifically chose this since it requires no sanding and since both pieces are not real wood.

Martha Stewart is seriously my go-to for paint colors. Her prices and choices are unbeatable. I used Martha Stewart Pure White in a high gloss finish for both pieces. I chose a high gloss finish since I wanted an all-in-one process for giving both pieces that glossy look, and I definitely think that it worked.

My next project is trying to reupholster this French Bergere chair that I've had sitting in my garage for over a year now. I have Jenny at Little Green Notebook to thank since she just posted a tutorial on how to reupholster a chair. So now I really have no excuse but to get it done asap.

chairs - Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Before & After: Chair and Printer Table

As promised, here are some 'before' shots of the chair and table that I found at my Goodwill. Even though both items needed a good...

This past Saturday was the final 'install' day at my mom's home office (like that I used terminology from Million Dollar Decorators?) and I am so happy that it is finally finished. I started this project about a month ago and because of my schedule, I haven't been able to work on it until this past weekend. But I can happily say that it is done and looks even better than I had expected. Plus, I'm pretty sure my mom loves it just as much as I do.

For this re-decorating project, we kept a lot of the existing pieces (desk, filing cabinet, bookcase) since they were still in good condition. Plus, we didn't want to have to spend unnecessarily. And to keep costs even lower, I did a few refinishing jobs as well as create a french board. Check out the process below and let me know how I did!

'Before'

Somehow there were two desks (yes, two!) in this room. I don't know how my mom worked in here but that was the first item of business when we started this re-do. Get rid of the clunky, metal desk!

Just looking at that bookcase freaks me out - it's so messy!

'Work-in-Progress'

I was originally going to choose a bolder color, but during the brainstorming process, my mom tells me that they're planning on selling the house soon so that I should choose a more neutral color. After testing 3 different colors, I chose Slipstream by Martha Stewart.

Thanks to my brothers, Tim & Mike, we were able to get this room painted in no time.

And...

'After'

The white printer table was a $12 find at Goodwill. All I had to do to make it presentable was to give it a few coats of primer and then paint it in a white high gloss paint. I chose Martha Stewart's Pure White in high gloss. It took several coats but the table looks nothing like what I paid $12 for. There will be a separate post for the printer table and chair so stay tuned!

Because it went so well with the wall color and provided a little reading nook, the orange wing chair from the family room just had to be moved to the office.

This was a $7 chair from Goodwill and all it needed was a fresh coat of paint and new fabric for the seat. I decided that this would replace the green Windsor chair since we still needed an extra chair for the student(s) that my mom tutors.

I created a french board to go behind the desk chair since we needed something on that big wall. Wall art would've been fine, but this way my mom can put family photos up or cards she gets.

Did you know that Blake Lively had to test out 14 different shades of brown for her hair in the Green Lantern? That's what I'm reading about right here.

Just so you get the full effect of the dramatic transformation:

Resources:
Black mirror, HomeGoods; Globe, HomeGoods; Retro White Swivel Chair, Craigslist; Pink Storage Boxes, The Container Store; Silver Floor Lamp, Target; Yellow Magazine Basket, Joann Fabrics; Chinoiserie White Upholstered Chair, Goodwill; White Printer Table, Goodwill.

Resources we re-used:
White tall bookshelf, Black Desk, Vertical Black File Cabinet, Orange Wing Chair, and Yellow Throw pillow.

{Photo Credit: Stephen & Christina Johnston}

before and after - Monday, June 20, 2011

Before & After: Mom's Home Office

This past Saturday was the final 'install' day at my mom's home office (like that I used terminology from Million Dollar Decor...

One Kings Lane - Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Oh One Kings Lane, You Tempt Me Much

One Kings Lane Just got my daily reminder email from One Kings Lane and saw this promotional ad for Saturday's Tastemaker sale. I am...

cabin - Monday, June 13, 2011

Our Stay in Hot Springs, VA

Winding Ridge - apt name since the roads are pretty windy. A few years back, we started a new family tradition with Mr. Joe (Steve's d...

Gotta get it dry-cleaned but once I do, it'll be the first pillow on my Etsy shop.
I promised you all an update about what I've been working on so here is the full scoop. I'll be hosting another trunk show next month and I have been working around the clock to get as many amazing finds as possible to showcase. Meaning, I've been scouring thrift stores, flea markets, antique shops, and craigslist to get as many goodies as I can. It's been exhausting but honestly I can't complain. Shopping is what I do best (I think?) so I always have fun when I'm in my buyer mode.

Then to add more to the mix, I've recently learned how to make envelope closure pillows (so easy!), so I've been getting a little crazy by buying a ton of fabric (no joke). And recently I've been specifically buying vintage Vera Neumann scarves to turn into pillows. I really like the colors and patterns of the scarves, and thought how unique would that be to have a vintage silk scarf pillow?

And I realized that I never showed you the Lucketts Market finds that I decided to keep for myself. I tried really hard not to keep everything, but these were just too perfect for our house not to keep them. Well, technically, one of them I specifically bought for our house since we've been in need of one (a full-length mirror). And the 2 framed prints just went so well with the mirror in our dining room that I couldn't NOT keep them. But don't worry, there's still a bunch of other items that I will be selling at the trunk show and on my Etsy store, so you'll definitely have a chance to score something fabulous.