Bar Stools

I bought these fantastically lovely stools from a sweet young mom from church who has amazing taste.  She had already upholstered them in this great fabric and all I had to do was make them fit at our counter.  This could have been a problem, considering the excessive height of our previous stools had prompted my search for new furnishings.  Happily, when I mused over this minor dilemma, I thought of my new miter saw, and the ease with which it could hack off those ends.

After removing the metal brace support from the legs, I made a straight cut on all the legs with the help of my lovely assistant, Luana.  A trip to Big Lots brought a great accidental find that completed this simple make-over perfectly; hammer-on floor skids.  Magnifique!

Designer Toddler Beds

My girls are about to have the loveliest toddler beds...

EVER!

  

Thanks to Ana White, my love of wood and pretty furniture is moving to a new level:
the level where I can have it and not just dream about it!

I basically made up my own design, but followed the general concept of the Toddler Farmhouse bed and the Lydia bed.

 Cut wood and assemble the beds to fit a toddler sized mattress (thank you, Kreg Jig).

Stand back and admire the lovely craftery.  Sand and prime in preparation for the paint and poly.

I debated upon upholstering the headboard, but realized that with toddlers and various messes that come with the age, a decorative finish would be best.  After priming the bed, I took a piece of embossed wallpaper leftover from a previous project, positioned and cut it for the space.

My little helper assisted in soaking the paper to apply on the headboard front
(we followed the manufacturers directions for wallpaper application)

Smoothed down the edges and wiped off excess glue.

Caulked around the perimeter and smoothed it with my finger.  This step would not have been necessary if I had decided to wallpaper the headboard prior to installing the decorative trim, but the caulk gave it a finished look and will protect it from the invasive fingering of curious toddlers.

I thought the beds might look great with a distressed look, so I got to work sanding the edges and adding some stain to make the distressed portions stand out.  When my hubs came out and asked what happened to them, I decided to keep it simple and stay a nice crisp white.

Finale:

I spent about $30 on each bed, not including the tools, screws, sandpaper, etc. that was required.  I also used wallpaper I had leftover from a previous project.  An awesome deal considering the similar Tate Toddler Bed by Restoration Hardware runs nearly $400.

The project took me about two weeks working during my limited nap-time breaks and after the girl's bedtime.  For someone with a bigger chunk of time available and knowledge of necessary tools, this is easily a day project plus the time required for paint to dry.

Daddy

My girls cannot fathom the immense blessing of God bestowed upon them in their Daddy.  He is their biggest fan, greatest encourager, dreamer of their future and diligent provider.  As they grow, they will seek affirmation in his eyes and encouragement in his smile.  This is already becoming increasingly evident.

I am most proud to be this sweet man's wife and am delighted and encouraged by his intense love for this little brood of girls who cling to his arm and whisper sweet "I love you"'s to his face.  Some day he may give these sweet ones away in marriage, and I have no doubt in my mind that they will choose a mate well as they have the best example on this earth as a daily reminder of what a husband and father should look like.  We are a most blessed family, and I praise God for the daddy he has made my beloved Byron.

I love you, Sweetheart!

Design Dilemma

Curious.

Could this:

Become this:

 

I am at a loss how to make this happen.  My attempt to lighten the room thus far has resulted in blah and ick.  I am recovering the gorgeous chair, the antique style chest is now a subdued blue toybox, the mirror above the fireplace is white (previously goldish brown), and the couches are a gradated off-white.  Obvious fixes are the chairs need slipcovers, the walls need paint (pale blue/gray?), the house needs a cleaning, carpet needs a wash, and I need to figure out what to do with furniture placement.  Dilemma.  This room has been rearranged and reworked countless times.  To merely say "a dozen" would be a huge understatement as in the last several days I have attempted reworking the room's flow about 5 times.  Obviously, this girl needs some help.

Would a daybed work in here if I nixed a couch or two?

The List of To-Do's

I have quite a to-do list before Baby Girl 3 makes her grand arrival. Pretty much all of my projects are somehow baby related, but I hope can serve multiple purposes.

1) Build playhouse (just needs steps, window boxes, finish trim)

2) Build Toddler Beds (finished sanding today, now the paint!)

3) Finish almond branch/sky paintings

4) Build corner medicine cabinet (no progress yet)
5) Reupholster chair (Seat cushion cover and sides remaining)

6) Refinish wood bench for entryway or ?

7) Refinish Toy Chest (DONE)

(See Painting photo)

8) Build Stool for girls bathroom (DONE)

 9) Strip Quilt for Friend's Baby Ailish

Hopefully I will get to these step by steps soon!