The Housework Isn't Getting Done: September 2016

Friday, September 30, 2016

Fall Decorating

Having a new house has made decorating for the seasons much more fun! I don't like to fill the house up -- I'm very much anti-clutter, but I've added a few subtle touches to our house for fall.

Burlap wreaths are all the rage right now, but let me tell you, I did not find this very easy to make. It took a lot of time (and a lot of ribbon - 50 feet!) And my fingers were sore by the time I was finished. But I'm happy with the way it turned out. I plan to replace the bow for Christmas and maybe the rest of the holidays too!

I also added a few things to the mantle and hearth. Silk leaves and a few mini clothespins is all it took.

#millsnewhouse Fall mantle, Fall decorating

My sister made this centerpiece and it looks great on my dining room table (built by http://smithbuild.weebly.com). The wreath is made from a dropcloth!

#millsnewhouse fall decorating, drop cloth wreath, fall centerpiece

Thanks for stopping by. I'd love to see your fall decorating ideas in the comments!

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Indoor/Outdoor Table

I wanted to put our indoor table and chairs out on our new deck. The table is fine -- metal and stone. The chairs needed an update...

I chose a sun-proof water resistant fabric, and once again, got out the staple gun.

Here it is on the deck. Sorry about the dirty deck. I need to get a hose out there sometime. The table and chairs is under the roof extension, so it is protected from most of the elements. (But that's why the deck is so dusty.) It is against our stone fireplace, which I'm in love with! More about that stone in a later post...

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Two for the Master Bedroom

I should have posted this one first, because it was my first chalk paint experience. This one I sealed with wax, not polyacrylic like the others.

In the New House

I also wanted a soft bench for the end of my bed, so I decided to embellish an old cedar chest I had. I used a piece of an old memory foam mattress topper I had and some navy blue and white fabric. Get out the staple gun, and that's all there is to it!

Before and After

I finished the underside edge and covered the staples by gluing on ribbon.

I ended up not putting it at the end of the bed -- made the room look too heavy on that side. So it's against the wall, next to the armoire. A nice place to sit to put on your socks...

#millsnewhouse Cedar Chest bench and chalk painted armoire

And that empty wall above it? It's driving me crazy, but I haven't been inspired yet. More to come...

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Rocking Chair Re-Do

Here's a look at my "new" rocking chair...

#millsnewhouse Rocking Chair Transformed

Before

After

I used chalk paint again. This time I played with the original chair a bit first, though. I stained the corners and edges with a gray stain, so after it was painted and I sanded it to distress, you could see some darker (and older looking) wood.

In the New House

For the seat, instead of making a cushion, I folded up an old quilt (actually a small wall hanging) that was not a favorite of mine, but it works great folded up on the rocking chair.

Monday, September 26, 2016

Dresser to Nightstand

My father-in-law contributed this little dresser which I repainted to become my nightstand. The white is chalk paint. The top and handles are metallic spray paint.

Friday, September 23, 2016

A More Creative Transformation - Chair Redo

We had this old chair in our basement for years. It's actually pretty sturdy. I liked the natural aging and didn't want to cover it up. So I got out the paints and started doodling...

Before

I'm pretty pleased with the results and it looks cheerful sitting out on the sun porch.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Another Chalk Paint Transformation

This is the before and after of what is going to be my coffee bar in the new house. Removing the door, replacing a couple of the drawers with baskets, and updating the hardware really spiffed it up!

The top of this piece isn't even wood. It's some kind of laminated surface. The chalk paint shows the brush strokes, but I like it that way! It just adds to the look.

I'm not going to show you what this looks like in the new house yet, because I'm not quite finished staging it. That will be for a future post....

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Repurposing Project

I tried to use as much "old" furniture in the new house as I could. Some of it needed some updating. The first project I tackled was my antique oak dining room table. This belonged to my grandparents and so has a lot of sentimental value. I hope they would approve of the new look!

The Table Before

I have two different types of chairs (the one on the right is NOT antique.) I chose several bright colors and white for the table. I used chalk paint and sealed with polyacrylic. I thought this would look great in my new sunroom. Below is the table in our new home.

What do you think?

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

The Custom Wine Rack

We love wine. I saw something similar to this on Pinterest, and asked if I could please have one! I'm so happy with how it turned out!

Don't forget to follow my custom woodworker at http://smithbuild.weebly.com, @smithbuilding on Instagram, and SmithBuildingWoodworks on Facebook.

Monday, September 19, 2016

New House - A Special Feature

One important thing on our wish list for the new house was a huge garage to store our 5th wheel camper in. Previously it had been in our driveway. It froze in the winter. We had to cover it, but the winds whipped the cover to shreds in about two years. Now I have easy access for packing and unpacking (and borrowing things for the house when I need something!)

The 3-car garage makes the house look really big. But it's worth it. I can't wait to go camping. Because of this project, we haven't been camping all summer!

Follow my son at http://smithbuild.weebly.com to see all of his beautiful creations and many more pictures of the house.

Some shots of the day we pulled her in!

Sunday, September 18, 2016

New House! New Posts!

It's been several years since I've posted to this blog, but I've decided to use it to share our year-long new house adventure! We are now moved in and very comfortable, but still many decorating projects to complete! To start out, I'm just going to post a few pictures of the whole project. My son is my contractor, which made this all the more special. It was very much a "hands on" project for me, so we are all proud of our accomplishments.

My son, the contractor, makes beautiful things! You can see many of creations at http://smithbuild.weebly.com. Follow him to see the beautiful furniture and other pieces he creates.

Cleared

Basement

Framed

Almost Finished! Taken July 1, 2016

We began clearing the land in early September, 2015. Follow me, and I'll share our journey with you!