Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Sewing Room Makeover!

When we moved into our house a little over two years ago, I spent all my efforts decorating every room.  I didn't rest until everything was put in order, walls were painted, pictures hung, and every pillow properly fluffed.  I stood back and sighed with contentment at the finished product.  Then five minutes after the I finished the kids used the pillows and blankets for a fort and I was back in reality.  Ha.  The craft room however, was a room that I never did anything to.  It was functional, it was mine, and it was BORING.  Here I am in a room that I am supposed to be creative in, and I had white walls, no decorations, (other than two displaced paintings that the boys did and no longer matched the new house and a purple sharpie scribble that Mistress thoughtfully added one day when I left a marker at kid level) and was generally a catch all for everything that needed to get out of the way when company was on it's way.  It needed help, and since I had an entire week where all the kids were in summer camp, (you might think I planed it that way) I decided to use the time to make over my creative space!

Here's the before.  Stuff everywhere, half finished projects, white walls, and no personality.
 I started with paint.  I decided on "Mystic Sea" by Valspar, which was a sea blue color.  It was exactly what I was looking for!  Also, DH got me a gallon of the two in one primer and paint which promised a one coat coverage.  For the most part, their claims held true!  I did have to go back and touch up a bit, but all in all I did one coat!
 And here's the after!  For starters, I cleaned.  Ha.  I also took the opportunity to go through everything and purge my stashes, after cleaning out some of the old stamping supplies I actually made about half of what I spent on the makeover.  I didn't get rid of anything crazy either, just some brads and decorative add ons that I never liked, and a few other miscellaneous things that didn't get used all that often.  (If ever!)  If there's one thing I've learned, it's that if you haven't used it in 2-3 years, you probably won't!
 Some of the details:  I framed a couple of bag fronts from fabric stores that I have visited, and I have a couple of extra frames for future places!
 Thread racks are a necessity in a sewing room, but I thought that framing them with some open frames would add a sweet decorative touch.  I love the way that it turned out!

 My amazing awesome wonderful fabulous neighbor moved a couple of months ago and asked me if I wanted these for storage.  Um, yes please!  I added a few extra fabric bins from Target and all of my stuff is now organized within an inch of it's life, plus I have a ton of extra space for future growth!
 There's another storage cube from the above mentioned neighbor, I use it for all my paper crafting supplies.  The storage above the cutting board is used for all the rotary cutters and scissors.  Not only are they right in reach for me, they are OUT of the reach of a certain little scissor addicted terror.
I traded in my plastic garbage can for this wicker hamper I found on clearance at Lowe's.  Much more stylish than the white plastic garbage can for storing rolls of fabric!
 And while this is not something that I made over, this is one of the best parts of my sewing room, the view into our backyard!  It's beautiful all year long, but we are close to the best time of the year when all the leaves change to vibrant colors. 
 

So there you have it!  One week, about $100, and I have a sewing room that I can really enjoy.  I can feel the creative juices flowing already, just not sure I'm ready to make a mess in there yet!

Friday, July 6, 2012

Another Refinishing Project!

I have decided that in addition to being frugal, I am also a glutton for punishment.  How else could you possibly describe someone who decides to refinish a dresser in the garage, in the middle of summer in South Carolina?  Anyway, I found this dresser on a local classifieds page for $30 and couldn't NOT get it for our guest room.  While it was definitely an older piece in need of some TLC, it was also solid wood, a good size, and had ample storage for our guest room.  And did I mention that it was $30?  Plus it was right up the street.  Bonus!

Here it is, in all it's pre-refinish glory.  Ugly old knobs, water marks on the top, and just kind of sad looking.  (Go ahead, be impressed that I remembered a 'before' photo.)
 Here I am mid-project.  It was at this point I was cursing the whole process and wondering why I didn't just go to Ikea...
 And then, after a coat of primer, two coats of paint, fresh stain on the top, and some new knobs, I was thrilled with the outcome.  I'm loving the way it turned out, and I finished in time for some of our besties to come for a visit!  In total, besides the $30 for the dresser itself, I spent $25 on new knobs and about $20 on paint, stain, and polyurethane for a grand total of $75.  Not bad for a brand new dresser!
And now you see why I've been MIA for a while.
Well, that and I was at the beach.  ;)