the Decorating Chica

When I saw this table at Pottery Barn, I fell in. love. Quick photo taken with my phone that was hidden under my shirt!! Well I certainly wasn't expecting to ever have my own Pottery Barn table like this, way out of my budget for sure. But, little did I know that one day...m y hubby would come home with a BIG surprise. He found a cool old desk on the curb as he was dropping our kids off. The funniest part? He drove all the way home to describe it to me and ask if I wanted it. Really? Was that even necessary? Bless his heart, he drove back to get it and it was still there, looking a bit worse for the wear but oh, the character! Look at this beauty! It actually sat in the middle of my kitchen for a couple of weeks and I was seriously tempted to keep it there. Never thought I really had room for a kitchen island but loved the extra counter space. But, it was a bit too short. So, I looked at it, and thought, looked at it, and thought and decided it would make a great cof...

Several years ago I found this sweet, unique cupboard for $25. What a steal! Could not believe it. I asked the owners exactly what it was and they said it was a "knock down wardrobe." What is that I asked? A Knock Down Wardrobe is:  "Knocks down into 8 piece for transport and getting up narrow stairwells in the old days when they lacked closet space. Easy assembly, locks into a sturdy sound large wardrobe armoire when assembled." This is taken from a website that shows how these cupboards break down for easy transport. Pretty sweet I thought but what was I going to do with it? I decided to take it to my friend's husband a.k.a. "The Furniture Fixer." Yup, this is his business name. It had a broken drawer and another fix that was needed plus I asked him to build more shelves on the inside other than the one at the top. I wanted to use it as a china/linen cupboard in my dining room. The original cupboard before painting and  against a brig...

I don't know about you but I usually process changes over in my head LONG before they ever come to fruition. This project roamed around in my head for a year or so before actually starting it but..It was time. Yup, long overdue in fact. Many would not agree but really to keep your rooms fresh, they need to undergo a facelift from time to time. My dining room was calling out to me. Oh, but really I was just intending to add a Board and Batten treatment to the walls to cover the unsightly texture and the smooth skimcoat the some idiot thoughtful person added to house a wallpaper border. (Oh, I soo wish I had pictures from the beginning. Well I do somewhere but not sure where.) Here is a snapshot of what it looked like. Check behind the stencilled border, you'll see the smooth skimcoat. Didn't leave me much options but to put up a border, stencil, etc. Yes, my pictures are crooked! Well, we did it! We took the plunge and dove into another home improvement project....