Clifford Makeover

When Dave & I first bought Clifford (our big red couch) my plan was to switch out the pillows every season.  The pillows that we picked out for Clifford are cute and all - polka dot multi colored thangs:



Ok so it's hard to see them here, they looked sorta striped.  But they are dots, in a row, all different colors.  Anyways, I'm sick of them.  Too matchy matchy.  Clifford needed a face lift!  Originally I was going to make covers for these, I wanted to add hints of yellow & green in here, I'm dying to layer some color in.  Since our (to be) Tuscan kitchen is yellows and hints of reds and green, and our NYC dining room is red and black with hints of yellow and green, I wanted to continue the color scheme through our London family room. 

But...my friend Katie & I were in IKEA and I saw these pretty white-ish pillow cases, all for under $10.  I found the embroidered one and though, "man, that is really English looking!  and so cute!"  Katie agreed.  So we started pulling different white-ish pillow cases until I found a system I loved!!  It looks so cute on Clifford, really brightens him and the room up:

 I love how the whole attitude of the room has changed now!  I love how it is DIFFERENT and still flows with the rest of the house, but it has it's own personality now.  I talk about the design likes it's living or something...lol.  Anyways, its so fun!  I also love mixing the patterns and textures.  It's a nice layer effect.  Here is a wider shot:

See how it opens and lightens up our room?  Love it!  Please excuse our lack of curtains here, I have to figure out how to work curtains on these windows - it'll be tricky getting the curtain rods up on this ones??  Here is another shot:



I like them way better then the polka dot ones, they were TOO, now that I am seeing a lighter option!  Maybe the darker ones can be our "winter" pillows?  So the three square pillows are our original pillows with covers on them.  The rectangle embroider pillow is new all around, the case was $10 and the pillow was $3.  The 3 square covers where $6 each for the two blue dots and $7 for the solid, textured white.  So $32 altogether for this couch makeover!  Not to shabby:)  I love Ikea!

Reading Challenge update:  still on Uglies!  I have a list of books to read that is grown a mile a minute!  I can't keep up!!!  I also was to break down and read HP SOOOO bad!  Maybe not all of it, maybe just book 7 - it's too hard to stay away;)



Good Will Hunting

I think I've said already that my mom and I have been going to Good Will a lot.  I've been finding all sorts of goodies that I can re purpose (like spray paint or decoupage, etc).  I love doing this - it's a new hobby!!  What is better then finding something SUPER cheap - O and making it pretty again!

Case & point, I bought these 5 ugly brass candle sticks...

 ....and using these simple tools (rustoleum hammered paint, a wire wool sander thing-a-ma-bob ((that's it's official name of course)) and a damp rag) I can create something beautiful!!  I scrubbed the brass candle sticks down with the thing-a-ma-bob to get all the rough stuff off and to help the paint stick.  Then I wiped them down with the rag to get all the extra stuff off.

 Then I spray painted them 2-3 times on this side, then I turned them over after letting them dry to the touch (about hour just to be sure, the can says you can touch it after 15 mins) and sprayed them again, making sure I got the tops and the bottoms so all the brass yuckiness is completely covered.  I hate brass, did I say that already?  So gross...

 Here is my finished product!  Aren't they so cute?

They look like new!  I love how they look up on my shelf in our dining room.  I actually like them without any candles in them, all different heights!  I may put sticks in them eventually.

Love it!  I get all giddy when I re purpose things.  Its fun!

I also bought this old mirror.  I didn't take any pre pics (sorry!) I was so into my spray painting!  I just took it out there while I was waiting for the candle sticks to dry.  It was white with weird windmills and flowers painting all over it.  I sanded this and wiped it down, and then sprayed it the same color...

It now lives in our master bath on this weird shelf thing we have behind our bathtub.  I wanted to get a mirror to keep our candles on.  Makes it a little...romantic with all the light reflecting in the mirror.  Our "city" theme in here is the Mediterranean, although we haven't done a lot with it yet.  Hence the pretty blue vases, also Good Will finds!

See how nice the mirror looks?!  The last time we went to the Good Will was a glass themed trip.  It seemed like my mom and I bought lots of glass!  I bought this cool apothecary jar and two little tea light candle holders that I have stacked together here for some interesting height.  They live on "the shelf" for now...

 

FYI my camera sucks.  I just got it in November, but it sucks.  I want a really nice one next, with all the lens and all that!  Maybe when I start my new job!

Anyways, that's all for now.  I've got other Good Will things to work on, and will be sharing them this week!  Have you done anything like this before? 

I have started reading Uglies but Scott Westerfield.  Should be finished in a day or two, review to come! 

Night!

Oh Rustoleum, how I have found you!

....just wanted you to know that I bought "hammered" nickel colored Rustoleum spray paint today to "re purpose" some Good Will findings!

My mom and I have this new tradition of going to Good Will on Wednesdays because it's Senior day and unfortunately but fortunately, she qualifies for.  So we spend an hour looking around for stuff we really do NOT need, but it's fun anyways.  You know what they say, trash....treasure...all that.  I love seeing the potential in things:)  I've spent (well, actually...mom buys the stuff and adds it as part of my payment for helping her this summer) around $20 on some really cute stuff!  All to be revealed in good time...

Anyways, I have been spray painting away and I shall share these things with you tomorrow, since it's 10:31 pm EST and taking pictures with my stinky camera wouldn't do the newly painted guests any justice!

I used to think spray painting was dumb and such a no-no...but apparently there is this whole new wave of spray painting goodness going on in the decor world, and I am glad to be a part of it!!  Woo hoo!!!  Where do I sign in?

Anyone else spray painting things?

Under construction

Please excuse the messy blog as I try to update the look.  I need a degree in graphic design, this stuff is hard!!!

;)

Holy Herbs!

All of a sudden, our garden exploded!!  Our Hydrangea is like....WHOA!  Our front garden is like hey, WHOA!  Our herbs are like....um WHOA!

So, I had to do some population control.  Now our house has some pretty decor....

see?

All lined up in a row.

Now book reviews today.  I haven't even started a new book yet - but I will tonight.  I'm starting the Uglies (from the Ugly/Pretty/Special) series.  Sounds pretty interesting - its young adult lit which, you may know already, is one of my faves!

Hows everyone summer going?  Anyone reading anything good???