Ottoman from Scratch

So if you guessed from yesterday's post, dear hubby and I built an ottoman this weekend. After purusing them for some time, I just couldn't justify spending $1,500 on an ottoman. Nor would hubby let me... :) So, after seeing this ottoman from Restoration Hardware, I knew what I wanted.

I considered the option of fabric, but after remembering that i have a toddler, two dogs and a husband who gets dirty on a daily basis, this wasn't a very good idea unless I wanted to cringe every time my 2 year old walked over and stuck her sucker on it or decided it was a beautiful pallete to draw with her crayons on. So leather it would be. So, after I found this tutorial from Michelle over at Three Men and a Lady (which I might add is a very talented and sweet lady), I figured "I can do this".  I used the tutorial as a guide for what materials I would need, but we ended up adding more supplies and taking it a little further. I had looked for coffee tables to recover and use, but because we live in such a rural area, I have to drive an hour and a half just to get to the city to pick up thrift or craigslist finds. Everytime I found one, it was gone before I could get there. So I started getting everything I needed, using my 50% off coupon at Joann's saved me huge. I told dear hubby what I wanted it to be and for him to work his magic. He laughed at me when I said "how hard can it be, it's an ottoman." On sunday I was eating my words and praying for cheese fries (more on that another time!) I'll just point out now, this project is in no shape or form an easy one...and I've done a lot of projects, and this one had me almost in tears toward the end. So here's some pics from the project. It helped tremendously that dear hubby used to have a leather shop and built boots and repaired saddles, so his awl and wax thread, along with his imagination came in VERY handy...as with all our projects.

Here is hubby measuring the tufting holes, getting ready to drill.

This is the start of the frame. We did extra supports and brackets in the corners as well, so this thing is STURDY.

Drumroll please...here it is first time in the house.

Here's a closeup of the legs. I wanted a turned leg with brass casters. Beings my love for all things Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn, these babies were the icing on the cake for me.

And here she is...in all her glory!
I wanted to add that my initial plan was to adorn her with nailhead trim on the bottom, but after she was done, I think I like her the way she is, but hubby thinks I should put the nailhead on. What are your thoughts??

Hope you like her as much as I do...I love how she grounds the white in my home.

You can find the full tutorial HERE.

Linking up to these parties:

The DIY Showoff
Somewhat Simple
Shabby Shic Cottage
Crazy Domestic
Shabby Nest
Remodelaholic
Just a Girl
Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Makeover
Fingerprints on the Fridge Feature Yourself Friday
Funky Junk Interiors

The CSI Furniture Makeover Project

Garage Sale Goodness

So this weekend I hit the garage sales and a little flea market that we have in town. This is usually a bust, but this weekend I found some steals! I was most excited about all of the vintage items I found. I scored big bag of antique linens. The lady who sold them to me told me her grandmother that was gustavian had made all of these and they were from her family. I wasn't sure why she was selling them, but with them there I absolutely could not pass them up. She sold me the lot for $10. I was practically running with them to the car so that no on else could steal them. My favorite is the one with the embroidered "g". I love the embroidery...and I love that it has someones story attached to each item. The plates were .25 a piece and I thought would go good with a new dining room project we have underway.

The books were a steal too and I picked up some to use around the house. I'm a sucker for old books. I love books anyway and I'm adding to my collection for our "someday" library we may have.

Then up next...a project...or should I say ONE of the projects we worked on this weekend. Dear hubby almost put me into the ward with all the "ideas" I wanted to do this weekend. I'll share the results soon! If you can guess what we're making here, I'll be uber excited!!

Lets Be Honest

After seeing other blogs with their cute little daughter's in dresses and flowers, looking all clean, prim and proper and just enjoying the day with their watermelon, I come to this conclusion...Where's the dirt? Where's the old cracker stuck to their cheeks? Where is the farmer tan from always being outside? So lets be honest...This is my daughter. Here is her picture from helping daddy last night in the yard and she always insists that she wear her hat. Her mudd boots must be worn at least once on a daily basis. If she doesn't wear them to the daycare, she puts them on when she gets home. So here she is...all in her true self...looking anything but clean and prim and proper...and mommy couldn't be more proud and full of love for this blessing that the Lord has given her!

"God...is Love in it's purest form"...(from the "Last Song", Nicolas Sparks)

(The patio and fire pit is what dear hubby is working on...it's getting there!)

Berries and Blessings

With the 4th coming up, I've been full of ideas for a bbq at our house since our back yard is just getting completed by the dear hubby. He managed to build a stone waterfall set atop a stone patio with a fire pit. I don't know how he comes up with these ideas, but dear hubby I am forever grateful to you for saving us so much money by doing it ourselves ("ahem", ok mainly you). This in return lets me and our dear daughter buy more shoes ;)  I also wanted to extend some blog love to all you new followers and your comments have been so sweet and supportive. You can come on over to my bbq anytime!

Images via Paula Deen

Over to the Better After

Hi All! I'm over at Better After today for our kitchen remodel so stop by and say hi!

Hang it Up

When we were back visiting my inlaws a few months ago, I got to rummage through their barn and after finding this piece, they all looked at me like "what on earth are you going to do with that piece of wood?" (But I'm pretty sure my mother in law was doing the happy dance inside her head as I was cleaning out things they no longer wanted :) But I knew what I was going to do with it. I'm a sucker for chippy paint and mixing old with the new. So, after screwing on some new hooks from Lowe's, this baby is now our new coat rack off the patio doors. And this was my subtle hint, not said aloud but saying it through my stardown to the hubby after it was put up: "Dear Hubby, please notice the hooks that you can now use to hang your jackets (aka the dirty work clothes) and not put them on the back of the dining room chairs or the bar stools. Love, your gracious and understanding wife".

Linking up to: Just A Girl, The CSI Project The Shabby Chic Cottage

I'll be over at..The DIY Show Off

I'm featured over at The DIY Showoff today...so stop by and say hi! Thanks, Roeshel for featuring our kitchen remodel!!

Riding into the Sunset

I have to admit I'm jealous...very jealous of my folks for moving down to South Padre Island. I've always wanted to live on the coast, but my dear hubby has different ideas of living. I'll give you a hint...they involve a very large metal shop to tinker in :)...Even though they may not stay there year round, I really do miss them. I know Teagan misses her Grandma and Granpa, too, but also understanding that the cold winters of here get to everyone pretty quickly. So with that thought in mind, I think T and I may be down this summer for a little visit...who can resist that sun over the water?

Family Room Design Board

I'm getting ready for my finals, and the final is to design a living room. Only a living room...but I'm in luck...this is a room that needs to be updated. So, with a little research and some talking with dear hubby (ok, really him just rolling his eyes at me and telling me to do what I want), I finally made a first draft of a mood board for our living room. I may still change some things, but right now its getting me rolling in the right direction and some purchases have already been made. Drumroll please...

I'll keep you posted on the progress!!

Into the Blue

When I first started with our kitchen remodel, my husband asked me what color I was going to put with the white. "Blue", I said. Of course as he rolled his eyes, but I could see the approval. No matter how much I try to veer away from it, blue always comes back into my life. I'm beginning to realize that I surround myself with the colors that I love, grey or greige and blues. They remind me of the sky, which is georgous where I live in the Rocky Mountains, so clear and bright; the water, which is one of my true loves, and that is a constant peace for me. White is also a true love for me, it is pure, wholesome, divine and you can literally run in any direction with it. So I'm running with it...and taking some blue with me, too.

This scale I picked up last month while antiquing with my mother in law, I love the old chippy paint of the blue scale and its natural patina was so beautiful to me. It set me back $6...and the man in the store, he gave me a card with a "hug" on it to pass on to others, that was a good day.  Right now its holding my napkins in my kitchen.

This bowl I scored at a garage sale a few weeks ago. It too has the same patina and chippy paint. This set me back $1. I'm a bargain nut, so this was right up my alley. I had no idea what I would do with it once I got it home, but I had a pretty good idea. For now its resting nicely on top of my fridge holding my linen tablecloths.

I'm linking up today with Somewhat Simple, so stop on by!

Images: Ralph Lauren, My Picture (Scale), My Picture (Bowl)

Kitchen Remodel Reveal

So I've promised pictures of our kitchen remodel and was finally able to get some pics...lets look at the before shall we? Don't be scared...we seen the potential...well, i think :)

Remember the marble tile we scored at a garage sale for $250? Thanks to my boss who owned a masonry company, he helped us cut and lay the tile...which I am forever grateful to. This was no small project since the dimensions of the countertop were all differnent and then at the end, leave it to me to decide to cut them all into subway tiles for the backsplash...oh yes, I did...and sometimes I'm still surprised my husband is still married to me after that one. So...a basic breakdown: We took the upper dividing cabinets out and took down the small wall to open up the space. Primed and painted the cabinets a soft white, the tile is an unmilled grey marble so its veining and pattern is all different, I love it, painted the hinges, changed out the hardware, changed out the top molding to a 4" crown thanks to my dad, Mr. Marvelous for that one, replaced the glass front cabinets above the stove, new faucets and added chandeliers that I'm so excited to tell you about, they were from a restored building out of Idaho Springs from the early 1900's and they were FREE...yes nada, zip did I pay for them. To sum it up...we did this remodel for about $700...yes you read right...$700... because we did so much sweat work into it and salvaged what we could. We're not planning on staying in this house for too many years, so this was great for now. You can view the cost breakdown HERE. Hope you like it!

Linking up to: Shabby Chic Cottage 

Crazy Domestic 

Remodelaholic 

Just a Girl 

I'm hooking up with the CSI Project

Fingerprints on the Fridge Reature Yourself Friday

Room Remix Paint Party

The Lettered Cottage

Thrifty Decor Chick

Happy Friday

I'm linked up today to the The Shabby Nest and Somewhat Simple! Have a great Weekend!!

Tea, Tulips and Bridal Showers

The table centerpieces...tulips and lemons, all cradled in a clear paint can. My first inspiration for the whole thing was a lemon.

I apologize for the shortage of posts lately, but I have been so busy planning a bridal shower for a great friend of mine, actuall I'm the maid of honor, so the pressure was on! When I started, I decided to go with a modern tea theme, with the colors of white, grey and yellow. My friend is very modern, so no pink and no "fru fru" as she put it could I use. After, a woman that is an interior designer asked me if she could recommend me to the church to help with their future wedding planning and set-up. I was honored, that someone would find something from little ol' me that amazing and told me that I have a "flair" with things...who would of thought! I was just happy that my friend loved it so much, because after all, it was her special day.

The table settings for the tables...
They included candles for the guests to take home with greenery wrapped in the napkins. The cards and coordinating pencils at the top of each setting were for one of the games.

I made the hearts on the tea bags from a heart paper punch and scrapbooking papers.

Me (on the left) and the bride to be.

The menu included angel food cake, strawberries, a homemade marshmellow and cream cheese topping for them. Egg salad and cucumber sandwiches, chocolate covered strawberries of bride and grooms (thank you, Rhonda), a cookie bar, hot tea and lemonade. I had some suzanni type fabric at home with greys, white and yellow...so I used that as runners on the tables. I needed more plate stands, so I made some with some .50 cent glass candlesticks from the thrift store and used clear glass plates in varying sizes on top purchased for $1.00 from the grocery store. Couldn't have done it without my friend Gorilla Glue! All the other plates, pitchers or items that I had lying around my house.

The drink table included condiments for the tea, and yes, even the cups had ribbon borders. A last minute detail that turned out beautifully.

The gift table...

She was having fun with the tissue poms I made.

Thank you, my dear friend, for allowing me to give you something special, that was so much fun for me to do and hope it was all you had dreamed of for your shower...

Linked up to: Crazy Domestic