PreLoved to ReLoved!

We found this adorable log table set at a Garage Sale a few weeks ago. Actually, I spotted one of the little benches first and loved it!My 1st thought was that it looked like a Hobbit's bench to me...When I asked the price, the lady said it belonged to a whole set, as she pointed towards a round table and the other 3 benches with a sticker price of a whopping $30...SOLD!

Now normally I love to haggle but sometimes even I know a darned good deal with I see it! We were lucky because the lady was willing to keep the set until Monday as we were 3 hrs from home. It was our weekend away in Quebec City..and having to cart that set in our vehicle over the weekend would have been cumbersome to say the least!..

I was hoping to find a project that would allow me to use some of the left over paint we had from painting our Deck last Spring. This was just Perfect for that!! I Sanded the tops with a power sander...Nothing fancy as this set will remain outdoors..

And so it begins....Dark Grey for the legs...

Now, I realize this may look weird...just bare with me...I have a plan......and btw, the shutters are for another project to come lol...

This is isn't the panel I used for this project....the ones I did use still had wet paint on them...Basically, it's the same as this one,with different shapes...I used them as a stencil...To make it look kind of like there was a Lace tablecloth on the table ...I painted the edges and parts of the pieces with left over black paint....

So with the panels/stencils in place on the table, on the areas I painted the lighter grey...I then used a can of Black Spray paint to spray over all...and thought the benches would look cute with some random lace on them also...I plan to take a sanding block to the edges here and there to distress it a bit tomorrow...I just couldn't wait until then to post some photos of this set....I have a little parasol I can stick in there for some shade also! What do u think of my quaint Hobbit Set? 

Garden Shed Garnished by Garage Sale Finds!

I started this project last yr. I had a bland boring blank slate of a shed starting at me from the deck view......

                                                                      BEFORE...


I just LOVE garage Sales! Unfortunately for me our area does not allow garage sales during the summer monthS! I know! Stupid right? There's gotta be a good reason, but I just haven't found it yet. So spring and fall , usually the long weekends...is the time for Power Saling!...It's also time to think out of the box every once in a while...If u remember one of my recent finds...of an electric chandelier...we removed all the wiring & electrical elements, glued some shot glasses to it, plopped candles in it to hang outside...Total cost with glasses & candles $17...

This week I gathered a bunch of different things I intended to use as planters...

Everything here, except the Bird Bath...(a clearance Avon item ) and the Milk jugs I've had for close to 20yrs...(the white one I painted and stenciled 15 yrs ago....The large Cornucopia, I found in Quebec City for $3, the Cast Iron pot with lid was $2, the little white pot is actually a glass lamp shade I turned upside down..got the 2 of them for $3..

Vase was $3 and there's the other glass Lampshade turned upside down..(I cut a piece of  planting fabric (geo textile) & Styrofoam to put in the bottom to keep from losing the dirt ) It's sitting on an old Ashtray that makes the a perfect pedestal ...$1...

 The old chair was free and the large terracotta bowl on it was $2 ....

Put all together, my garden/pool shed looks more like a quaint little place and makes for a nice view from our deck...I started last yr with a blank slate..Painted the door and edging.., added $2 scarfs as curtains, repainted my old dollar store frogs, the metal sun and above door swirls were things I had for yrs...

Once the flowers fill out much more, things will look even better!! 

What do u think of my quaint little cottage? 

Evolution of our Bedroom -Updated ( I know, sounds Kinky right! )

When we first bought this house we loved that our room was a whole story away from everything else. It's the former attic converted to a bedroom with small en suite  Having said that, it's also a room with no windows, lot's of angles and only 2 sky lights. Hence we can't see outside, unless it's up towards the sky. However, it's a good sized room with potential. But like most, the bedroom, especially for the grown ups,  usually falls last on the priority list. So for the 1st yr, this is our simple bedroom....

We had no real bed, only mattress and box...all miss matched odds and ends here and there along with the dog bed u see to the left lol...If there was one thing I hated seeing it was that eye sore of an AC mural unit on the wall. As much as I loved the luxury of an AC in the attic of a bedroom...I hated seeing it there ! A germ of an idea started to stir but it wouldn't be a reality for yrs to come lol...

Meanwhile, no windows made for other ideas. One day at a garage sale I saw a french door and for $15 it was mine. I figured it could make a cool headboard of sorts, while pretending to be a window all at once!! So I painted it black, then painted black branches on the glass to mimic the shadow of a tree at night. It also dressed up most of the wall for interest....

I purchased a new bed kit with curtains and although we still had the same furnishings, it was a really nice change for next to no money! 

We had an eye on a nice bedroom set for a good cpl yrs.The ransom being asked for it was more then we could fork out. We often visited "our" set at the store that was holding it captive to reaffirm that it was the set we hoped to eventually buy. Then came the importunity to finally buy it!. It was a 1st for both Chris and I . A real bedroom ensemble Wow!! Many people don't like matchy matchy but when you have Never had matchy matchy in your life, you tend to like the idea for a change LOL! 

So now we had new bedroom furniture with a real headboard and everything! So the window/door above our bed had to go. There was no room for it. So it's been relocated downstairs. 

But I still had that AC eye sore...and I was having visions about new colour....Uh oh.....But again, other things had to be done, so we put a hold on any ideas ...for a time. 

As time went by I came up with an idea for that AC wall..it was bare and ugly and I had a germ of an idea brewing. Around this time we also got a free tv. We'd never put one in our bedroom before...but since we had it we decided to try. It's not something we view there often but it's nice to have when we do. 

I wanted to make this room into more then just a bedroom...WhY? u may ask...Well, being a foster family, we share our home with mentally and physically handicapped adult clients. They live with us full time, all the time. So our whole home is shared with exception to our own room. It's the one space in the whole house that is just for us. Ours alone. So I wanted it to be somewhere we could hang out , decompress and just enjoy if we chose. 

So this march....finally we started with paint...and I have to admit, I was taking a risk with my choices....Grey and Black...yes I said black...in a room with no windows lol!! I was nervous but still couldn't wait.....

We "vacationed" in our guest room downstairs for over a week, while we painted everything in both the room and the little en suite...

Notice the eyesore on the far wall....Do I ever have plans for that thing!!!...
...........................DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!.................CLICK PHOTOS TO MAKE LARGER..........................

Small note; The large photo frame on the back wall has nothing in it yet LOL..I am waiting for the print I wanted in it to be developed! 

Now here is a closer look at the book cases...Do u see the AC unit?? Noooo you don't!! 

For at least half the yr we can hide it from view!! Here's how.......

We made a removable panel....Chris cut out the back and part of the top off the book case in order to push the book case close to the wall surrounding the AC unit...

For the hot months, we just remove that fake back we made to hide it...the air will circulate just fine ! But from fall to spring we can just put it back in place and unless u knew or got really close, you wouldn't even know!!

 Close up , now u can tell that the back is more towards the front then the other shelves...We added wall paper to the back of the book shelves for visual appeal and just make them a notch nicer then plain Ikea book cases. I also think it makes them look more *bedroom-ish* ...I glued the wall paper to the removable piece that hides the AC, But other pieces are just tacked down, for easy removal if I ever feel like changing it...So there you have it!....Our rooms Evolution over the 3.5 yrs we have been here..I think it will stay this way for a good while! lol  I have one more area waiting for a chair that will have a little table and lamp...As soon as my chair is here, I will add a cpl photos.......So as promised...Here is my new chair area..

I loved this funky chair! Ordered it from BeyondtheWrack ...Took a bit longer then expected. We found the table and pedestal at a clearance place in Montreal for next to nothing...

 We may purchase another chair just like it next time we see it for sale ...

I made one of these accents using paint chips of the colours we used in our room...

Last but not least, we painted out little en-suit off the room...We added some new hardwear and some glass shelving and a plant....

Again, u will see the sky light, oddly positioned but it's a good source of light none the less....I have to say that I'm more then thrilled to be DONE! After this big project with all the angles and cutting, anything thing else will be a piece of cake !! What do u think? Comments are welcome!