Very happy!

Vanity

Wanted a vanity and unexpectedly inherited one.  This came from the farmhouse where my mother grew up.  Was stained a really dark color and was generally filthy.  Repainted using Southern Honey "Chawk" Paint in Stanley (a light gray, as you can see.)  Can't wait to get it in my room!

I Love Lamp

Tweak: decided to decoupage the nightstand.

Another Update: Beekeeper's Quilt and a bed that doesn't require a springboard.

The Beekeeper's Quilt is slooooowly coming along.  Planning on doing the headboard cover thing with it at this point.

My bed minus the box spring.  I can actually sit on it now!  It's the little things.

Hooray for Decoupage!

Jewelry Box Makeover

I've been meaning to start this for a while but I knew it would be a pain in the ass. Hoping the painting will be done tonight, decoupage in the morning and seal tomorrow afternoon. We'll see...

Side note: what a hassle to find good paper for the decoupage! Ended up buying origami paper rather than what was in the scrapbooking department. Much cuter and I hope to God just as functional. Fingers crossed!

Anyway, here's my progress so far...

The Current State of Things

The painting on the wall was done by my grandmother in the 1950's.

Chair Slip Cover

My mother (who is a great seamstress) made a slip cover for my chair. I didn't get around to taking a before photo but here is the scoop:

This thing was cream colored with a giant coffee-like brown stain down the front. The chair was 5$ at a garage sale but was so ridiculously comfy (down stuffed) I couldn't say no. We found this green tweed fabric in her stash and the rest is history. The shawl was a knitting project I finished recently.

Chipping away

Just now got around to lining the bedside table drawers. Tedious but so worth it!

On a side note, it is surprisingly hard to find liner paper these days. Had to resort to ordering from amazon after searching at Home Depot and Target.

The Beekeeper's Quilt

Aaaaand I just realized I never did post any photos showing the current state of my bedroom.  Will have to rectify that soon.

So, I started a knitting project called "The Beekeeper's Quilt."  Basically I use up all the little scraps of sock yarn I have laying around and make little hexagon's that are stuffed.  Eventually, (when you have made 384 of these little puffy delights), you attach them at the corners and it makes a self-lined blanket like a honeycomb.  I am currently about halfway done with the project but am reaching a point where, if I want to do the full 384 I will have to buy more yarn.  I don't want to invest money in this.  I want to use up what I wasn't utilizing anyway.  It was kind of the point-- and to have a fun lap blanket.  Since I'm coming to this crossroad, I am considering an alternative use for these.  I'm thinking of making a headboard pad thingy for my bed.  I would finish the project sooner, could avoid additional cost and I think it would be quite pretty.  I could attach them as intended but make additional ties to hang it from the bars of my wrought-iron bed.  Hmmm...

New Rug

Found a rug last night at World Market (you can see it here) for $17.  Really pretty.  It's made from reclaimed velvet curtains with a sari binder at the ends.  It will most likely go beside my bed and hopefully in the future I can get another one for the foot of my bed. 

 

 

Letting Go

This past weekend I began the process of tackling my closet.  I will be the first to admit, I have a long road ahead of me dealing with this.  I decided to clear out some of my clothes I don't wear any more and to deal with the cardboard box of hair stuff.  Keep in mind, there are still three giant Tupperware containers of stuff, four smaller containers, shoes, purses, unused bedding & extra blankets, and God knows what else still lurking in there.

Why is it so hard to get rid of stuff you don't use?  I started going through my hanging clothes and had a terrible time making myself remove things.  Why am I emotionally attached to the impractical stuff?    It was quite unproductive until I did it backwards:  I removed ALL of my clothes and added back the things I knew I still used.  There are a handful of things I still hung onto and I need to go back and get them out of there but I couldn't bring myself to do it at the time.  I didn't realize it would be that way.  Anyway, I removed probably 1/3 to 1/2 of what I had and intend to put it in the next garage sale. 

Next:  The cardboard box. 

This stupid box had some interesting stuff.  I kept my hairdryer and diffuser, products I don't use that I was given as gratis through my work, the mannequin I used when I took my cosmetology licensing exam (I have this becaaause....), my facial moisturizer I use nightly and other random assorted grooming-based stuff.  Soooo random indeed.  I threw away a lot including the creepy mannequin head.  I got rid of the actual box and reorganized the Tupperware so that an old basket I have could hold the stuff I kept.  I know, I know.  Not much.  It is nice however to not be greeted by an old cardboard box every time I need to dry my hair or put lotion on my face.

My next goal:  A place to sit.  SERIOUSLY.  How lame that I had a place for a mannequin head but not for my butt?  I will either have to lower my bed or move the old chair in without recovering it first.  I would just like to be able to put my shoes on without hopping around on one foot.