Fleur de Lis Transformation

I picked this gold metal fleur de lis up at ross for only $8.  I loved that it was a fleur de lis, but I was not loving the color. 

 This is my new favorite color spray paint.  Its called ivory bisque and it's by Rust-oleum.  It's just the right shade of white for me.  Not too bright, but not too ivory either.

 I'm also LOVING the Painter's Touch Ultra Cover spray paint because it REALLY does cover well and is worth the little extra money because you'll have to buy more of the other stuff to even come close to it's quality.  I used to think that it didn't matter what kind of spray paint it was.  I ended up having to use tons of cans to get good coverage, when I could have used 1 or 2 with this great product! I've learned my lesson.

 First, I painted the whole thing really well.

 I wanted to try a technique I imagined in my head...with a paper towel, I lightly wiped off some of the spray paint while it was still wet to reveal the darker color underneath for a distressed look.

 I liked it, but wanted more.

So I grabbed my little Stampin' Spot in Chocolate Chip and rubbed it over the high parts.

 I rubbed over it with my finger to smudge it and blend it a little.

 Here it is all done with the ink.

 I even went back over it some more to smudge so the ink wouldn't contrast too much. 

And here it is all done on my wall in the guest room.

What are your thoughts on distressing?  What are some techniques you've tried?

Lots o' love,

Megan

Slipcovered Ikea Futon

This is the nasty original slipcover for our Ikea futon.  The kids have gotten to it too many times.

 Not even Oxyclean could save it...

 So off to Home Fabrics to find a solution to my problem.

 Do you love the fabric I got?  5 yards for $20...THANK YOU!!! And oh, so purdy!

It's a heavy duty fabric that will stand up to abuse and will hide messy fingerprints well.

 I laid the fabric over the back and down the backside, and trimmed with fabric to spare. Then laid it out over the seat and down the front.  I pinned the two pieces together using the original cover and followed the seam as a guide.  

 Pinch together...

 ...and pin in the crease.

 Once pinned, I trimmed the front near the floor.

 I started falling in love with it right about at this point...already so much better than before!

 Now for the sides.  

I held up the fabric and pinned it to the side to hold it in place as I pinned around the sides.

 Once the side was all pinned, I took out the holder pins and trimmed a good seam allowance.

 I sewed it all together, hemmed it, and TA-DA!!! My new favorite piece of furniture.  I love it so much!  Doesn't it look SO much better than before! Now that's my kind of makeover!

I can't wait for the office/guest room to be finished so I can put it back in there.

What kind of fabric projects are you working on?

Home Office/Guest Room Progress Pics

Here is the nasty dry rot and floor damage.

 We cut more drywall away and removed the hardwood and subfloor.

Thanks honey!  You're the BEST!!!

Home Office/Guest Room part 2

Be careful what you wish for!

My husband had the day off on Friday the 21st so he thought it was the perfect time to replace the closet door with the 30" one.  When he removed the door and widened the frame, he noticed dry rot!  SO...we pulled up the carpet to see how much damage there actually was. The sub floor was crumbling away and so were the bottom sections of the 2x4 framing.  We had to remove the original hardwood flooring from the closet and about 2 feet from the closet into the room to get all the dry rot taken care of.  We replaced the sub-floor and while it was out, were able to re-wire the closet so it could support all our computer needs...we're putting all the desk stuff in the closet.

Our really good friend does hardwood floors for a living, and does an amazing job, so we had him come over and assess the situation.  He convinced us to do the office, the hall, and front room/dining room too!  What a project this is turning out to be!  All we wanted was to widen the door by 6 inches... YIKES!!! 

When I can figure out how to get pictures onto my husbands laptop I'll post them.  Crazy stuff.

OH, AND BE CAREFUL OF THESE 3 LITTLE WORDS...MIGHT AS WELL.  They are dangerous words.  I wanted to put the office in the closet, so MIGHT AS WELL widen the door.  The floor didn't seem right so MIGHT AS WELL rip out the carpet.  The hardwood floor had to be fixed so MIGHT AS WELL refinish the floor in the office but if you're going to do that then MIGHT AS WELL do the whole stinking house!

BEWARE OF "MIGHT AS WELL"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And the door is still not installed!  Slow and steady wins the race? ;o)

Home Office/Guest Room Makeover

 Here are the disgusting BEFORE pictures.  It's not exactly a true 'before' because I already started tearing through papers and pulling things out to declutter, but you get the idea.  It's a very non-functional room.   But boy I have big plans!

 All the office supplies are in this tall cupboard opposite the desk.

 The closet door is currently 24" so it's getting widened to 30".  My husband surprised me last night by bringing home a pre-hung 30" door from The Home Depot!!! Ahh, true love!

Stay tuned for the progress and after pics.