Leather and Linen - A Mid Century Chair Makeover

I almost forgot to do a post on one of my favorite things in Ever's soon-to-be-revealed-bedroom!

Here's the story...

A looooooooooooooong time ago I picked up this little chair at a yard sale...

FOR FREE!!

People are funny about furniture. If it looks gross they won't buy it. Well, this chair looked gross. It had grimy fabric in a not so attractive green color- it was a horrible textured fabric...like sandpaper and was probably original to the chair. The wood was also disaster with all the finish worn off, but it had things going for it...

great lines..

plus it was sturdy...

and did I mention FREE.

..for the life of me I can't find before pictures...

Bad blogger...I know...

I knew I could give it new life and then it sat in our garage for oh, 6 months...

We finally tore it apart and I started the re-upholstery (I found a linen look fabric for $1 a yard at big box store) while my husband refinished the legs using vinegar stain and wax.

We were just about to finish it, but then we moved and it was still in pieces and it got packed along with everything else.

So that brings us to my recent "lets finish everything we started RIGHT NOW before the baby comes" phase...

I cut strips of leather (which I dyed- more on that to come) to fit on the back and seat and then used upholstery nails to hold them in place.

I used the same nails to put the back fabric panel on.
They are gorgeous vintage blued nails that I found on Etsy.

Finally the chair was back together!

(do you spy an arrow sign? They are now available in my Etsy Store!)

It fits perfectly in Ever's newly redecorated bedroom.

This is probably one of my most favorite things I own and my first complete (and successful) upholstery project!

What do you think!!?

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Playhouse Makeover Reveal!

Its time! I can finally show off the playhouse makeover! If you remember this is what it looked like before...Playhouse Makeover BEFORE. Super cute on the outside, but just plain messy and cluttered on the inside! 

Yard Sale Tales

Yard Sale season! How I love you!! Even if I do hit up EVERY sale in town and only come away with a couple items, I still have so much fun! Here's what I found over the weekend!

I scored this awesome vintage set of melamine or melmac dishes for only $4! Butter dish and all! My sister has my great-grandma's set of pink ones and I have had my eye out for a set of my own. Right now they have found a home in the dining room, but eventually I think they will be the jumping off point for our travel trailer decor...that is when/ if I ever find a vintage travel trailer to restore....

I also grabbed this frame for 50 cents...it will get a coat of paint and then be used in my cousins wedding! Fun fun!

Office Chair Makeover {before & after}

As you know we have been working on our office...and it is SOOO close to being done. Since I know the suspense has to be killing you, I thought I would share a sneak peek at one of the projects I did for the room. 
Since my taste is a little on the expensive side, but my budget is clearly not I had to again get creative with an office chair solution. Luckily I scored some new{old} dining chairs over the summer so I could retire my old ones. Originally I tried selling the set on our local yard sale Facebook page, but then the more I looked at them I realized I was missing an opportunity to use them in the office!

Here's the before-

Blah...

Yard Sale Tales {week 11}

 Happy October 1st everyone!! Its finally feeling like fall here in N. Idaho and I love it! It means we are getting closer to the arrival of our little guy ... under two months to go! Sadly it also means a wrap up of yard sale season. Which is probably a good thing around here{we have PLENTY of projects to keep us going all winter!}. That said, we did manage at least one last haul!

I really wasn't looking for anything in particular, but we came across some good stuff. The biggest find were the shutters, we picked up 4 pairs and a single for $22! I normally don't see shutters and usually if I do they are a little pricier. These are going to get makeovers and be part of my first craft show! I have several ideas for the shutters and can't wait to show what I do! We also picked up a box of wall sconce lights for $5- there were two different sets, three of one style and two of another. I am crossing my fingers that at least two work in Ellery's room, because the last ones I bought sure didn't. I like these ones way way way better anyway and I can sell the ones we don't use and make my money back on them.

I also snagged this ugly gold frame for free! It too will be getting made over for the craft show!

The belt is for me... it is made out of layers of a shell like material...almost like scales...and is stretchy, which is a bonus!!  I am pretty sure it is vintage...or at least the dry cleaners tag on it is!

Sometimes I find things that totally crack me up...in this case it was this creepy baby! Haha! Its actually a poseable store display mannequin. I found it for $5, which I didn't know was a screaming good deal until I looked up what they cost new( $50 and up!). The creepy baby will actually go live with my sister- she makes the cutest dresses, but only has a little boy to act as her model..which you can imagine doesn't work very well!  

I also found a car seat cover for $1! Nice find considering we will be having a baby in the middle of winter!

I also found some beautiful vintage pillowcases/sheet sets, some vintage ribbon and a whole bag of clothes pins for $4 total! I am racking my brain on how to use the ribbon...I'm thinking it might work to embellish Ellery's curtains...  if I have enough. I also can't wait to see what my sister can do with the pillowcases! I will be doing a post soon featuring her beautiful pillowcase dresses!

Yard Sale Tales {week 8}

My oh, my! This post is over a week past due...I don't think I got the car totally unloaded until Friday! Hows that for being worn out by two long drives to Western Washington in two weeks! Add in the heat and pregnancy fatigue..and you guessed it, I was one worn out mama! But no worries! I you will be caught up by the end of the week, BEFORE our next yard sale outing! Promise!

We got a good amount of stuff...and its not all of it! I think we still have a couple chairs at my moms house that didn't fit! Oops...for the future only buy what fits in the car!!

As you can see we got a varied mix of stuff. We were yard-saling in Kalama and Longview, Wa...I love when we can hit up a new area. Seems that the pickings are always more fun.

 I love the old chair...it was one of three that I got for $1 EACH!  The piano bench I got for $2- its going to be Ellery's desk in the new office. It needs a new top and a paint job, but is the perfect size!

I'm starting to collect things for the babies room...these frames will fit nicely...I love the finish on them, but don't know if it will work with the color scheme I'm considering, but for a couple dollars I can afford to paint them if I choose. We also found these cute suede riding boots for Miss Elle! Can't wait for fall weather for her to wear them!! Eek! Adorable!!

This little grouping is mostly my husbands fault! He found all these turquoise items for a $1 each! We actually don't really own anything in this color, we mostly have yellow and green kitchen tools..even so, these are a nice bright addition to the kitchen. Plus since he loves the color, we'll make it work! He also found the beer mugs..FOR FREE! He really wanted some frosty mugs for beer. I have been saying no ( because the idea gives me goose bumps!), but you can't argue free...shoot!

I also found this belt buckle for a couple bucks...now I just need a belt and a waistline!

We picked up several fun hardback books and a vintage copy of Better Homes New Cook Book- this one happens to be just like my moms! The Little Fellow is super cute and super horrible all at the same time...one of the characters is a black stable boy named Whitey...yea... he doesn't exactly use 'proper' English if you know what I mean? Definitely a little piece of history from the 40's. The Elsie Dinsmore was a pretty popular book series in the early 1900's. This one was given to the recipient on Christmas day 1914...how neat is that!

Lastly I picked up this sign...you might guess my plan for it by now? Yup, planning on sanding it down and painting it to match my house!

Not pictured are several dining chairs, some brackets for closet shelves and a super nice REI Child Carrier Back Pack that we scored for $35! It is brand new! Probably will test it out this week when the hubby takes us up to scout for elk!

Thats it for today!

Thank You {before & after}

Most often when we make the trip to Western Washington its because Justin has to work. I usually  get to see my sisters and parents, but we rarely get to see anyone else. This last weekend was an exception to that norm...we drove to our hometown of Enumclaw to stay with friends and have our family pictures taken!

We spent the weekend just hanging out, hitting up the local yard sales { more on that to come!} and eating with our friends! It was so relaxing!

The real reason for the trip was for a family photo session. Last fall, when we were practically living at the hospital with our daughter Averie, we were nominated and won a family portrait session with Cari Berry Photography.( Check out her website to see all her beautiful photos!!) At the time I was in the mind frame that when Averie got better we would have our photos done. Just a few weeks later Averie passed away. It was heartbreaking to know I would never have professional photos of all my kids together- already not a possibility since Lane passed away six years before Ellery was born. I decided that we still needed to have the photos taken despite how hard it would be not having Averie with us. The photographer, Cari, made the whole process so easy! She suggested finding a way to incorporate my son and daughter into some of the pictures and she also understood how important it was to embrace what our family looks like now. I don't think I can truly write anything that captures the gratitude I have for what Cari did for us on Saturday. I feel incredibly blessed to have met her! I cannot WAIT to see the results of our session in a few weeks!

As a little thank-you for all she did- although I doubt it truly is going to be enough- I painted up a little sign for her.

Do you remember this sign from last weekends post, Yard Sale Tales {week 6}??? It was perfect makeover material!

After sanding it down I painted it with a distressed finish and hand painted on the {thank you}.

 I wasn't able to get any after pics before leaving for the weekend, but thankfully Cari posted some on her facebook!

I think it turned out adorable!

Yard Sale Tales {week 6}

I must say...this post was a bit of a doozy for me! So much stuff that I can't fit it all in one post!

We took our yard sale adventures to the BIG City of Spokane on Saturday. Let me tell you it was well worth the drive!

Do you notice something about this picture....the total for this whole lot is $3...yea, you read that right. $3!!!!

Two of the three dollars was spent on this little grouping. We hit a yard sale that was having 75% off the sticker prices - that's where we found the vintage green muffin tin and the books for $1. My favorite find is the copy of Forever Amber , I already own a copy, but I can't help buying these when I find them. My great grandpa use to call me Forever Amber as a nickname when I was very little. Kinda funny considering the character in the book pretty much sleeps her way to the top of 17th century society! Never less, the book has a special place in my heart :) 

Justin snagged the little wooden cheese box at a 'drive by' sale, the lady had it in a Lot for $5, he offered her a $1 and home it came with us! Totally cute, and another testament that you never know what you'll find at even the saddest looking yard sales!

The only other thing we bought were these pie plates. I LOVE the graphics on the Cheese Cake plate, but for 50 cents a pie plate, we didn't pass up the pumpkin one either. This is probably a good thing since I don't have any pie plates....hows that possible? I didn't know that either until I went to bake a pie last week and couldn't find one!

The rest of this was FREE!

The little pair of white shelves, the girls flower coat rack and the ugly hamper{which I plan to makeover} were all tossed in for free when we bought a huge freezer for $50. Total score!

The other shelves were picked up at a friends of Justin's. We were there to pick up an playground airplane{I'll explain in another post} and her mom asked if I wanted some shelves. Never one to pass up great shelving I said sure. No cost is even better!

The last thing I snagged over the weekend was the little wooden Sweet Dreams sign. I actually found it at the local transfer station-or dump- as I call it. There is a little area called Dufort Mall where people put things that aren't really trash, but they don't use anymore, like this little sign. Although cute as-is, its got a pretty bad paint job on it, so it will be getting a makeover soon!

Not pictured in this post- the GINORMOUS freezer{$50}, the GINORMOUS airplane{free} and a Remington Print{$10} that I totally forgot about. All will be in upcoming posts!



Yard Sale Tales {week 5}

So you guessed it, the first weekend home with my hubby after 3 weeks without him, we fit in some yard saling! It happened to be a pretty crudy Saturday, so there weren't that many sales to hit. I spotted this sewing pattern for just 25 cents...its not old or anything, but I am super excited to learn how to make a circle skirt for the next Lost In The 50's weekend! I'm sure Elle will thank me when she is old enough to understand!

Several of the sales were what I call "drive bys"...pretty much a sale where I am not willing to unload the baby to go look. Mostly these are sales containing baby stuff and clothing. Not on the top of my list of wants. Usually Justin will hop out and do a quick looky lou and report back anything interesting. This time at one of the drive bys he came back with 4 Corelle Salad plates..for FREEEE! Can't beat that! This matches our ever growing collection and reminds me of my grandmas when ever we use them.

I totally took these pictures over the weekend and then completely spaced out posting them! I hadn't been yard saling in three weekends...it was SO HARD to be motivated to go without my besty and partner in crime- my hubby! We totally feed off of each others opinions, and not having him there to question what I am thinking just doesn't work for me. Plus...watching a one year old 24/7 with only a few grandma days here and there wore this mama out!

Porch Swing {before & after}

So Justin and I rewarded ourselves with a trip to Dub's in Sandpoint last night (the best burgers in town!)...why do you ask? We actually completed a house project! Shocking!! It was only several weeks in the making...and he was gone for almost a month... so in all reality the time we actually spent working on it was maybe a weekend. Ha ha...but hey, its DONE!!

Do you remember this bench from Yard Sale Tales {week 3}?

That's right, the one we picked up for $4!!!!
I thought I would show you its transformation!

Yellow Chair {before & after}

{before}

You may remember this chair from my post Yard Sale Tales{week 2}.

 It was in pretty sad shape..rusty, bent and very unloved.

 {after}

It didn't take much to spiff this little chair up. I scraped off the loose paint and took some sandpaper to it to even out any rough spots. Then it was simply a matter of picking a color. I decided this sunny yellow would be perfect! This chair will be able to move in or out of the house as needed. It took one can of semi-gloss spray paint...although it really needed two if I were concerned with painting the underside of the seat...which I might...someday. I am pretty sure this chair had a cushion at some point, I might attempt to recreate one eventually, but haven't been inspired yet.

I love how this chair looks against the house and flowers...and wait till you see it next to the new porch swing! So fun!

As you can see it might come in handy as a photo prop too!

Total project cost:

$1 chair

$4 for spray paint

I had sanpaper so no cost to me there!

Yard Sale Tales {week 4}

Another great day of yard sales all around town. I think sometimes that we have our little dates going to yard sales so that we can avoid all the projects that need done at home. Lol..oh, well! I love the time with my husband and little E, getting to explore and having lunch before we call it a day. This last Saturday we were hitting up yard sales on our way north to Bonners Ferry. Our real mission was to pick up pig feed, but who can resist all those signs!

As you can see we didn't have a huge haul, but we got some adorable things! The old printers tray  was a steal at $5! The lady selling them had over thirty of these because her dad once owned a printing shop. She was so nice and even took me inside to see all the metal printer letters( not yet for sale...sad face...!) These trays can sell anywhere from $20- $75 dollars in a antique shop, so I would say we did really good. After we paid for the tray she told us to grab any book "for the baby"...I sifted through the random books and as I did I came across this adorable little reader, French Reader for Beginners. Its from the 1920's and is just absolutely the sweetest little book. My favorite thing about it are the little notes written by the owner of the book. It is a little piece of history and who knows, maybe I'll attempt to teach E some french! Oh la la!

I have to apologize for the last items...the cute white mirrors weren't so white when I bought them. In fact they were a very gaudy gold. I got them home and slapped a coat of paint on them without even getting a before shot! Sorry that you can't see how ugly they were! I saw their potential and loved that they were only $1 for the three! Nice! They don't look half bad now do they!

That's all for this week!

Oh wait! I have this cute little outtake of Miss E "helping" me set this photo shoot.

You may notice the tiny rocks that she added to the printer tray...and she kept rearranging the mirrors.

How anything gets done...I have no idea!

Yard Sale Tales {week 3}

This last weekend was Lost In The 50's here in Sandpoint...basically tons of classic cars and girls in poodle skirts. It also meant that lots of locals had YARD SALES! My husband and I made a date of it by dropping the little one off with grandma and spending the entire rest of the day driving from sale to sale! The best part was we hardly spent anything!

The best deal of the day: vintage porch swing for $4!! I think I just fulfilled one of my biggest dreams! I have always wanted a porch swing like this! Its a little worn, but sturdy. My husband and I both really liked the color too. It has been painted at least two time, first red and then turquoise blue. We decided to stop by Home Depot to see if we could have a can of paint matched to the turquoise and while there we spotted a gallon of exterior oops paint for just $7. It wasn't the same blue, but it was pretty and I couldn't beat the price. I had decided to give up the hunt for the turquoise match, but then the paint lady decided she could try to get close to our sample color by adding a little green to the blue paint. And guess what! It worked! It was almost a dead match for the original paint! I am so excited!! We have already started the refinishing process so stay tuned!!!

Next up was this cute little vintage mirror and a copy of Huckleberry Finn that we got together for $2.50. The table top mirror is missing one little leg and the original stand, but I plan on hanging it anyways. Its very heavy and possibly silver plated...I will have to have my mom look at this one for me to figure it out. The book will join many others that are waiting for some book shelves.

I was eyeballing these crates at one of the sales and the lady told me just to take them home....for FREE! They are potato crates and I will probably use them for just that in the pantry. I also thought I could use them outside for my herb garden...we will see!

These weren't all the purchases this weekend...we also picked up a couple sprinklers, a seed spreader and a lawn mower all for about $25.

Can't beat that!

I hope you enjoyed this weeks installment!

Yard Sale Tales {week 2}

I only hit up ONE yard sale this weekend! I know...I'm a little shocked too! Guess its cause I was just having too much fun seeing my sisters and mom! I scored a couple unique items and decided to combine them with a couple things from a yard sale a couple weeks prior. I think it made a nice little grouping!

I love all the mustard yellow that I have gotten lately! The Coca-Cola box is way cool and matches my kitchen...plus its a box <3 LOVE!

The metal chair is a little sad...the seats paint is flaking off and the metal has rusted, but I just love the filigree cut outs on the back. With a price of $1 I couldn't believe someone else hadn't snagged it already! I haven't decided where  it will go yet...maybe repainted for somewhere in the house OR I might hit it with some sealant to prevent further rusting and use it in my garden somehow. I ended up getting the chair and this kitchen organizer together for just $10!!

Isn't it cool!! I had never seen one before...each section holds, aluminum foil, waxed paper and paper towels! It can be hung on the wall too! ( after picking this up, the very next yard sale had another one...lol)

One find not pictured ( because I was using it ) is a tripod for my camera!! It was a total bargain at just $10!

Yard Sale Tales {week 1}

So excited for what I hope becomes a weekly installment! I thought I would do a weekly wrap up of our yard sale adventures and finds. Now that the summer weather is here, I will be be venturing out to see what treasures I can find. I do have a list {in my head} of things I'm looking for, but in general I try to go out with an open mind!

This weekends haul was unusually large, but with so many adorable things at pretty amazing prices it was hard to pass up!

Do you love as much as I do!!! The two arm chairs are my favorite find! I know, I know...they are pretty rough right now, but they have a strong frame and classic lines! I haven't decided what I'm going to do to them yet, but I'll be sure to keep you posted!

The black wood box is so cool! It will be perfect in my office to organize things!

The little brown shelf will get a coat of paint to match a white one I found last week...both will be cute book ledges in Ellery's room!

These two wall sconces will get a makeover, but should find a home in Miss Ellery's room- if I can get them rewired! I will probably loose the white milk glass globes and update the feeling a bit, but tons of potential!

The little bottle will be a perfect addition to my milk glass collection! {I have never paid more than a couple bucks for any of it!}

This quirky mail organizer is prime make over material too- I'm thinking painted white and distressed a bit? Hopefully the eagle comes off so I can preserve its vintage patina.

This beautiful vintage bunt pan is going to be fun to use! Its nice and heavy and has a cool design!

Now here was something I couldn't resist for my Ohio born hubby! The leather bankers envelope is from The Ohio State Life Insurance Company for only $1!

The little box is hand made- inside is the original gift givers note! I don't know how to judge age on this one, but I am a box addict so it will easily find a place somewhere and will eventually store SOMETHING!

I think this weekend was a huge GINORMOUS success!