Mahogany "Sweetie"

So finally my first big project completed!!!  I'm so excited with the way it turned out that Joseph and I were trying to figure out where in our house we could keep it :)  But since there is no room for it, we will be selling "Sweetie" (the name we gave her) as soon as possible.

BEFORE

AFTER

Whatchya think?

 I love the bottom shelf!

Nursery in Progress

here are a few updated pictures of Inslee's nursery. There are still a few little things Id like to do here and there but it has definitely come a long way!

here is Ins's flower mobile that I made to go over her changing table. Id like to get a mirror to put on the wall behind it, but im afraid to get one too heavy just in case it falls on her :/

I found this bookend for $1 at Goodwill and painted it a funky teal. Its in little "pops" throughout the room.

 I got this awesome antique birdcage at a little store in downtown Moncks Corner. And of course we had to have a little friend on top!

Oh how I love burlap! I had this white contemporary lamp that I was bound and determined to make work in the room so I got a $4 roll of burlap and used it on so many things and had a ton left over!

 I wanted to display her footprints so I decided to paint this old frame and add a little yellow rose that Nanny brought to the hospital when Inslee was born.

We needed some kind of artwork on a wall so I (hesitantly), cut out some of my favorite pictures from my "Dick and Jane" books and painted these frames to look playful!

The great thing about all of the updates is that I probably spent about $20 (if that) on all of the supplies and new touches (including all of the silk flowers for the mobile and little vase that I got on sale for $1 a piece at a designer decorating store). I prayed over each purchase before I ventured out to the stores, and I believe that God provided all of these wonderful things for us :)

~more to come~



Daily Expressions

So here it is, another diy project that I was able to work on this week! I got this awesome frame that was painted a really gaudy gold from a local antique shop a couple of weeks ago. It soon became a distressed red to match the accents in our kitchen and became a chalkboard to serve as a message board by our dining table. Right now I am using it to write something that God has revealed to me that day either by His Word or just through my daily walk with Him. Whatchya think?

a little addition

I decided to add the same wallpaper on the drawers of our tv stand

In the Meantime

While I am trying to make time to get over to a safe area to paint my Mahogany end table, I decided to take on a variety of home projects. The first one consisted of my two living room bookshelves. I saw some great pieces that had wallpaper backing on them and it really added a great "oomph" to the room! I decided to take my two black bookcases from Walmart and look for some great wallpaper. 

Joseph and I went into Butchies by Design, a great interior decorating store in Goose Creek and realized it was a treasure of a store! We had settled on getting a roll of wallpaper that was going to cost us about $40. I really prayed about spending that much money on a project that I had never done before and wasn't sure was going to turn out. I would hate to waste $40 on a lesson learned (the hard way!). As we walked in to get the wallpaper that we decided on, Joseph started looking at the value wallpaper on sale. I already looked through the pile on a previous day and had no luck. Joseph picked up this beautiful roll of damask that was kind of bluish and gold. The lady helped us measure it out and it was just enough to cover both of our shelves! And the best part about it... it was only $2. That's right, $2.

So with MUCH help from Joseph (I never had layed wallpaper before), our bookshelves are done! More pics to come but here is a before and after shot.

Before

After

More to come!

"Mahogany" abandoned

First project

       Before

I bought this 100% Mahogany end table that has the original manufacture tag from 1948 in Chicago, Illinois. It has rollers that can be added on to the bottom and is in great condition. The paint is chipped on some areas and it was FILTHY! I gave it a great scrub and and sanded that baby down and it is ready to be painted! I can NOT WAIT to paint it this weekend. My goal is to have it completely painted, with new hardware, and with new lining within the drawer by Monday morning. I am so excited!  Update picture to come!

All of this inspiration!

So lately I have to admit I have filled Inslee's nap times with blog surfing. I had no idea of this alternate universe exlpoding with blogs of furniture refurbishing and interior design. Almost every day I see a cute new idea that I would love to recreate for my own home or simply just recreate (hopefully to sell!). I have been praying over this very time consuming area of my life and pray that the Lord blesses my ventures in refinishing some value pieces that I have acquired over these past two weeks! 

Worthy Inspiration

Every day I try to read the corresponding chapter of Proverbs with the current day's date. On March 31st I began to close my Bible when it was time for the daily Proverbs reading. "Ive read this one a million times. I'm in a hurry, there are things I want to get done. RIGHT NOW!" I thought. And then a sudden kick from the Holy Spirit convicted me of my pride and arrogance and urged me to read on about the Proverbs 31 virtuous woman (which i was failing miserably at in that moment!). "She considers a field and buys it," "she works with her hands, full of delight." The list of verses that struck me in a new way went on and on. I was encouraged to be productive and thrifty and here comes a scary one for me... entrepeneurial. "Deciding to try something new could mean failure!" I thought. What a scaredy pants I can be! So instead of allowing Satan the satisfaction of paralyzing my desires and God's calling on my life as I try to be virtuous, I decided to try and ask God to help define areas of my life with the sweet verses of Proverbs 31. So here I go on this journey of refinishing and redecorating... all for His glory and through His power.