If you’ve followed this blog for any amount of time you may have caught on that I love a teepee for a kids’ space.  And if you know me in real life, you may know that I love to build a good tent.  Finally, this Christmas, I decided it was time.  I was gonna’ sew one of these bad boys.  I was pretty much terrified, but took the plunge - and was pleasantly surprised how well it came together!

I used a canvas drop cloth from Lowes and some homespun rusty red gingham I’d had laying around for the contrasting fabric.  I love this tent.

The poles are dowels I cut down to 5’ at Home Depot, with some dowels slipped inside the trim around the back three panels to keep it sturdy.

I took the process slowly and figured out how to attach matching tie-backs with loops for the entrance.

The tops of the poles have holes drilled through them with some thick twine wrapped in and out and around and around to keep them together.

This gift turned out to be pretty popular. 

(P.S. - I’m working on a bit of a tutorial for this.  As I usually do, I poked around a number of tutorials and took a little of this idea, and a little of that, so you can certainly find all the same resources if you look around.  I’ll include links to those in my next post.  But stay tuned for my version…)

I’d been hoping since her birthday to buy Little L a cute little purse.  She previously had walked around with a shopping bag, or her brother’s bucket as a purse draped daintily over her wrist.  But after finding everything was too cheaply made, too ridiculously tacky, or too expensive I decided to make one.  Actually I made two.

The first one I used a large fabric sample I had in my stash and folded it over, sewed the sides and boxed out the bottom by sewing over the corners.  I pretty much free-styled. (Both the pleat on the front, and the bow on the side were happy accidents to cover up mistakes.)

The second purse I kinda’ sorta used this tutorial for inspiration - though I didn’t follow it completely, and obviously made it a more little-girl-size.

I love that cute matryoshka fabric. I think I kind of wish this was my purse. ;)

It was crazy how many of the kids’ gifts I made this year.  That was a lot of factors working together:

me trying to be frugal + they’re at a fun age to make things for (especially L) + I don’t have a lot of home projects to work on right now until we move into our house.

Before Christmas I showed you a bit of progress on Little L’s Christmas present, and I thought I’d show you the finished project!

I had claimed the crib from being thrown out of our church nursery and refreshed it with a coat of warm white paint (actually, the paint leftover from the kids’ nursery back at the condo.  Kind of nice to have a bit of it with us…)

I also sewed a mattress, pillows with cases, and a quilt for the bed.

I loved using every girly, pretty, flowery thread of fabric on this project.  

And it is nice, that at the end of the day L’s babies (that she loves so dearly) are no longer unceremoniously tossed into the toy box, but rather they’re kissed sweetly and tucked into bed.

I had a rocking chair as a little girl, and I loved it.  I used to sit in it and watch lightning storms out of my window, with my feet propped up on the hot water radiator.

And what child doesn’t love cild-sized furniture?  It’s novel and fun and fitting.  So when I found this sweet little rocker at Salvation Army for $7 I had to pick it up.

It is for the most part quite sturdy (just some wood glue needed for one spot) and just needs to be cleaned up.  I’m thinking once I’ve sanded it down I’ll refinish it in a darker stain.  Painting would be easier (and I’ve got some navy blue paint already), but I think the wood would maintain it’s charm better.

It has all this neat old blackened hardware and a cool slatted seat.  I’ve never seen a chair quite like it, and I’m very excited to give it to the kids.  Hopefully it will be loved for many years!

Do you ever feel like you need to and want to do everything?  You wish you had a million hours in your day so you could get to every single thing you can possibly think of, and feel that satisfaction of doing it.  Because there are so many good ideas, and so many fun things, so many things to enjoy.  And yet, for me anyways, I want to do so many things that I sometimes feel crippled by the weight of it all and end up doing not much at all. *sigh*  And then if I do accomplish much and someone asks me “how do you do it all?!” I feel embarrassed and show-offy and guilty because I don’t really do it all.  Because if that thing got done then my house certainly isn’t clean, or my laundry pile is 10 feet tall.  And I feel like I’m reinforcing some evil Pinterest-driven guilt women feel about what they SHOULD be doing and don’t.  And I feel bad, even though what I did is just because sometimes I feel like I have so much creative energy that I just might burst, and I did what it took (stayed up late, let my kids watch too many TV shows, actually got organized enough) to do that thing.  I did it because I like doing stuff, not because I’m trying to be something I’m not (*cough*MarthaStewart*cough*) OR because I think everyone else should be doing that stuff too.  Or on the flip side that someone who DOES feel competitive about that stuff would look at my efforts and be all, “Seriously?  You should see what I can do…” *sigh again.*

So with that being said I’m gonna’ post about decorating kids’ birthday parties this week. Not that I even think for one second that you even have to decorate for a kids party.  I just like it.  So I did it.

Last year as I globbed not-quite-red-enough icing onto my {second} attempt at a tractor cake for my son’s second birthday party I muttered through gritted teeth: “I am only buying DQ ice cream cakes from now on.”

Well, in a couple years I may do that.  But this was my daughter’s first birthday party and I still wanted something special.  I just didn’t want to kill myself over creating some crazy fancy cake that I think mom’s are supposed to make.  And I didn’t want to work with cake moulds or icing again.  *shudder* 

So I made cupcakes (from a mix) and tinted store bought icing.  But for the tops I had an idea… I’d take Starburst candies and make them into little candy roses to decorate the cupcakes.

It was super hot and humid on the evenings I made these so I was able to shape them by just pressing on them with my fingers.  However, if your candies are a bit harder, or your house is cooler, you may want to pop them in the microwave (only a few at a time) for 5-10 seconds to soften them up.  After you do that, you can unwrap them.

And squish them flat

so that they’re thin and delicate, but not too flimsy.

Then tear off a little piece.

And roll it with your fingers

Until you get a neat little spiral.  This is the centre for your rose.

Then tear off more little pieces. You may want to smooth the ripped edges a bit.  The pieces should be sort of oval-shaped.  But if they’re irregular they actually look best, and more like rose petals.

Then wrap the petals, one by one, around the spiral centre.  Squish the bottom of each petal to the base of the flower.

Make sure there is some separation between the petals - I like to flare the tops of each petal out a bit.

And just keep adding petals, overlapping them slightly, all around the flower until you’ve used up the whole Starburst piece.

And there you go!

I laid them out on wax paper keeping them from touching,  They can be a bit sticky when you’re working with them, and when they’re warm they can be a bit melty.  But after you let them sit for a minute they harden up and are smooth.  I stored mine in the freezer until I was ready to put them on the cupcakes.

(The top cupcake in the picture below was made from three Starburst candies.)

Cute, eh?  It’s pretty easy once you have the hang of it.  You could do this with help from a  couple friends, or do what I did: sit down and watch a good show in the evening and work on them.

Just remember to factor in some extras, because you might happen to eat a few in the process.

Thought I’d show you our bathroom today, since I took all the pictures for listing the condo.  The bathroom actually went through two makeovers, I guess.  But first… here’s the original:

Yeeeugh.  Don’t worry.  That pink vinyl baseboard was in the bathroom too.

And that stone-look laminate counter top and mirror/lightbox unit?  They just don’t make ‘em like that anymore.

Originally I tried a nautical scheme for the bathroom - bright white with a dark navy blue stripe around the room.  I looked everywhere for a shower curtain with broad navy and white stripes, but none was found.  And the room has no natural light, so instead of looking crisp and fresh, the ultra white looked stark and blah.  So a few months back I changed things up, inspired by this picture from Martha Stewart Weddings:

I already had drapes (from my old office seen here and here) that were an aqua coloured paisley, and I had wanted to try Behr’s Fresh Day paint colour for some time.  Here’s how it looks!  (I tried my best to get true colours in the photographs, but in a windowless room, that’s always a challenge.  I think you get the idea, though.)

We replaced the vanity with an Ikea cabinet/sink combo and used the matching storage tower and medicine cabinet as well. (I can’t remember what it was called, but they discontinued it the summer we bought it.  Probably Klemtorpensopji.  Or something like that.)  I really love the wide sink, and the edge is wide enough to keep the basics that we need.  It was really the most affordable option at the time.  With the wide sink there’s no need to also buy a countertop, and the doors have grooves cut out for pulls, so there was no need to buy hardware.

The mirror is from Lowes.  We previously put up a square mirror, but everything looked too boxy with the square-ish vanity and sink.  I like the beaded detail.

The soap dish is a little milk glass dish I found at a thrift store.

I like having the woven baskets in there for some texture.

The shower curtains, as I mentioned, were once drapes in my office.  I hemmed them and hung plastic liners behind each one.  I love the look of two curtains - treating the shower like a window.  It’s really pretty, and luxurious feeling.  And symmetrical, which I’m a big fan of.

The pussy willows are courtesy of a sweet friend, Karri.

I added some punches of green (which is a little more emerald looking in real life.) with the green glass bottle, spray painting a bamboo tray and some cheap hooks, and with the gemstone art I’ve talked about here and here.

The flooring was a vinyl tile we bought for a good price - the thing with our place is we didn’t want to invest too much money, or we wouldn’t get a decent return when we sold.  It’s durable, easy to clean, and I like the look.

I like taking all of those bathroom necessities and placing them in jars or baskets.  They look pretty when grouped that way, and it’s nice that anyone can find them.

So there you go!  It’s nothing too crazy amazing, but it’s pretty and I like it!

One of the things we’ve needed since forever is some art to hang above our bed.  But that’s a tricky spot to choose art for, I think.  It’s your bedroom.  It’s awfully personal.  The subject matter has to fit the space.  And the size of the art needs to be fairly substantial.  (My general rule is that art should fill at least 2/3 of the width of whatever it hangs above - so in this case, our headboard.)  But usually, bigger the art = bigger the cost.  

The thing is, I can paint.  I just almost never do - it takes space, time, creative energy, and focus, which seems hard to come by in these baby years.  Furthermore, living with my own art can sometimes be tough (I’m my own toughest critic).  

But for the sake of getting this place “finished” to sell, it was time to finally get something hung there.

I decided, since it was for my personal use, and I didn’t have a photograph I wanted to paint, I’d copy a painting from an art book I have.  I liked this painting by James Whistler - it had all the cool colours I’d want in our bedroom.  And the image of the calm water, the sun setting, and (what I thought was) ships returning home, it seemed like a great image to see at the end of the day.  (Further research showed, however, that these are probably war ships that Whistler saw down in Chile, shortly before Spain began bombing them.  Hah.  I’ll choose to ignore that part…)

We managed to get the kids to bed early and I got straight to work.  It was lovely to paint again - it’s been forever.

And here’s the finished product:  

I still have bunch more stuff to finish in our bedroom - that throw pillow and that portrait on the side wall are place holders from other spots in the house.  And we have to install closet doors (there were none when we bought the place).  

And I have to do something with those lampshades - they’re especially ugly when the light is on.  I’m thinking I’ll spray them a matte gold or bronze, and then depending on how they look after that I may add linen to the outside.

And I’ll probably check HomeSense or Zellers for an affordable white coverlet or something to change up our bedding… but if none is found for the right price I think we’re OK for now.  In a perfect world I’d install a great light fixture, layered low just above the painting - but that won’t happen before we leave this place.

For now I’m just glad to get some art up!

Well, only a week after professing my love for love seats I found one to call my own.  Say hello to my little friend:

She’s a beaut, eh?  Curvy, petite, with a deep comfy seat, and in impeccable condition. We also have no room for her, nor do we need her, and I fell in love with the idea of putting this settee in Baby L’s room when she’s bigger.  In a hypothetical home that we do not have.  Hm… Not exactly fitting logical, practical criteria for buying new furniture.  But it’s Mother’s Day, so I got the go-ahead.  Ha ha!  Timing is everything, right?

I have a feeling she’ll be a long-term project (like the wingback) to be worked on at “upholstery club” (My friend Lindsey and I and occasional friends who join us in her basement).  I’m currently finishing the matching partner for my Louis chair I showed you, but I’ll be done that soon and be ready for something new.  

So now begins the mission to find the perfect fabric for this lovely love seat.

Here are my criteria:

• I love that this settee has no tufting, because I want to go bold and fun and whimsical with the fabric.  Something large scale, colourful, and bold.  Especially since it will likely end up in a child’s room.
• While I’m leaning towards a floral or paisley, I don’t want the fabric to look too old fashioned - like the fabric grandma would have upholstered in originally; something a bit more contemporary to juxtapose with its antique shape. 
• I think I want the pattern to be somewhat feminine and curvy - after all. this is a curvy little piece of furniture.
• I do not want anything symmetrical/geometric etc. that will need to be exactly straight or centred.  I’m terrible at making things straight, and my upholstery skills are just not there yet.
• I want the fabric to have a range of colours.  That way I can pick from a variety of colours in the fabric to create a scheme around in the future.  (Alternatively I could do a neutral fabric… but only if that neutral is still fun and pretty!)
• And I want the fabric design to have staying power.  No trendy patterns.  No juvenile themes.  I want to like it in 5 years, and for my daughter to be able to grow up with it.

So.  Tall order.  Here are a few of the fabrics I have my eye on:

This fabric is one I’ve loved for a long time and thought I might use on a headboard a couple years from now for Baby L, if the fabric is still around.  But it fits the criteria for my settee - curvy, whimsical (I love the crazy birds), varied colour palette, and not too baby-girl.  Plus I love the name. ;)

Lucy Eden by Richloom, from Fabric.com

The next two are also high contenders because I love the colour palettes - so many gorgeous colours to work with.  But they could read a bit too granny if the scale of the print is too small.  I’ll have to see a swatch.

Darjeeling Bachette through Designer Fabrics Online

This next one is a great contemporary floral - but the grey and yellow scheme might be too limiting…

Dahlia Dove by Thomas Paul for Duralee through Fabric.com

I adore this next one, and it comes in double width, and it’s quite reasonably priced.  But it’s a limited colour scheme.  And what do you think, is ikat “trendy”?  Will it look totally dated in a few years?  I’m just not sure I can commit.  But boy, is it lovely.

Bari 22-A through Designer Fabrics Online

Also breaking some rules (it’s a stripe which needs to be lined up perfectly) is this fun colourful fabric.  Wouldn’t it look cool on an upholstered piece?  But perhaps the colour scheme is a touch juvenile.

Freedom through Designer Fabrics Online

This one’s not a floral, and it’s not colourful, but it’s still fun!  I appreciate that it’s reminiscent of the legendary Les Touches fabric from Brunschwig and Fils.  And Baby L is in love with puppies right now, so I’m sure she would appreciate its dalmation-like style! 

Togo in White/Black by Premier Prints from Tonic Living

And I’ve loved this branchy fabric from Dwell for a long time.  In fact I have it on the bench cushion in my entry (in the grey colourway).  Totally whimsical.  Colour scheme is limited, but I think I could add accent colours in pretty easily with pillows… the blue’s almost a neutral (or I could use the grey…)

Vintage Blossom in Jade by Dwell Studio through Tonic Living

And how awesome is this next fabric?!  I’m a huge fan.  I’m just not sure this is the project for it.  (Maybe a headboard in a boys’ room, or an ottoman in a play room…)  But it’s tempting.

World through Designer Fabrics Online

If this one were cheaper I’d be seriously tempted to use it.  It’s the epitome of whimsical.  It’s like Narnia on fabric.  Perfect for a story time settee.  *sigh*

Forest in Red Pepper by Thomas Paul for Duralee through Fabric.com

These are a few more considerations: this one, this one, and this one.  I’ll have to order some swatches! What do you think?  What would you pick?

Last fall I wrote about my steal of a sofa I scored on UsedRegina.  It was vintage, electric blue velvet with an orangey wood frame. 

Seller’s photo on UsedRegina

But I envisioned it with a creamy white frame, a linen-y fabric, and modernized with one long seat cushion and no tufting.

I ended up working on it in my parent’s basement during the fall (space + free babysitting!)  It was a doozy.  It took time, sweat, and frustration.  And it’s done(ish).

I could try to give you the tutorial run-down and how-to… but honestly I was a little in over my head, so I forgot to take a lot of pictures of the process.  And how many of you are actually crazy enough to DIY a sofa?  (But in case you are, hopefully you can learn a bit from this post.)  Instead, I’m going to offer you a somewhat random assortment of reflections and tips from the process, and show you plenty of pretty pictures of the finished piece, OK? :)

So, in no particular order, here’s what I did/learned with some pictures interspersed:

DIY REUPHOLSTERY:

• Basically with every upholstery project I’ve learned: you take it apart and pay close attention to how they put it together.  Then you try to put it together in the same way.  And when you can’t, you improvise, experiment, google tutorials online etc. and take a break when you’re ready to toss the whole thing in a dumpster.
• One of the reasons I felt I could try and upholster this piece was because I understood how to do it - with the exposed frame I could staple the fabric to the frame then sew double welt cord to glue over it.  It’s a method I’m comfortable with (similar to my Louis chair and my barrel-back chairs).

CUSHIONS AND FOAM

• I originally planned on buying a new cushion for the seat (since I wanted one long cushion instead of three separate ones), however when I went to the only store (that I know of) in the city that sells upholstery foam they informed me that they didn’t have foam long enough (I needed 7 feet, they had 6), so they’d have to glue together two pieces.  Hm.  For that much money I’ll glue my own cushions together, thanks.  I briefly considered having two cushions (which is also a really popular look right now) but that crack in the middle just creates awkward seating situations, and I figured this would just end up being one huge love seat that only seats two people.  So I used the existing cushions and glued them together with spray adhesive myself.  Then I found a small (and cheap) duvet on clearance at Walmart and wrapped it around the cushions before upholstering them into the seat.  The result?  I have mixed feelings.  It works.  But you can still see the indents between cushions a bit.  However, the original foam is also super amazing and nice to lay on.  And this was way cheaper.  So… take that for what it’s worth.
• I actually originally tried to sew a cushion cover for all three cushions wrapped in the duvet.  It was… bad.  It was all saggy and wrinkly and looked like a futon from some guy’s college apartment.  So I ended up scrapping that and upholstering the seat into the couch (secured with staples).  It means now I can’t take it off an wash it.  (However, though I could throw the old one in the wash, it’s indoor-outdoor fabric that’s not meant to be thrown in the washing machine anyways, so it didn’t hold up well.)  So no more jam fingers near this couch.  I just have to stay on top of spot cleaning a bit more.  And most days I throw a quilt over the seat while the kids and I are playing in the living room which catches the mess, can be thrown in the wash, and makes for easy snuggling or tent-building. :)  One piece of advice I’ve heard is to upholster the piece yourself, but take the seat cushion(s) to a professional.  That’s something I’m definitely going to consider (and save my pennies for) on future projects.

In the new year I reviewed my 30 before 30 list and axed a few goals off the list since I just didn’t think they were really important to me anymore. So, in the back of my mind I’ve been mulling what my replacement goals may be. Well… here’s one: goal #6 - Become proficient with power tools.

To be honest I get a little scared around power tools. It’s like they all have an invisible label on them that says “Justine, don’t touch this.” But, in fact, they do not have that label. Part of it is that I’m not familiar with them (so, fear of the unknown) and the other part is that I have a sort of “full steam ahead” attitude with projects that can sometimes result in less-than-careful actions and less-than-perfect results - not an attitude you want when you’re wielding something that could amputate a finger. But alas, it’s time to put that fear aside (cautiously).

By “proficient with power tools” I don’t mean I will become a female Norm Abrams (Yeeugh… that would not be pretty), I just mean I won’t have to wait on Sean to do a job for me - I can up and do it myownself.

One project I tackled the other day (don’t laugh at me, Oh Professional Tool People) was installing hooks in our bathroom. I’d asked Sean to do this, but it’s tax season, so time to do stuff like this isn’t readily available, (and I don’t blame him for wanting to spend his small amount of time at home with me and our children). So the other day I thought, “I’m gonna try this. I think I know how.”

Rewind to how I got my pretty hooks: I bought the cheapest brass hooks I could find at the hardware store:

And spray painted them in the accent colour for the bathroom:

Tip: when spray painting hooks, screw them into some hard ground or a piece of foam so that you can spray all around them (including the tops of the screws)

But that part was not new to me. I’m quite spray-paint-proficient. THEN it was time to bust out the plugs, screws, and power drill. (EEP!)

I began by putting a line of painters tape on the wall and using my cute level to make sure it was straight.

Then I measured out where to put the hooks so that they were equidistant.

(I just mentally gave myself 10 points for using the word “equidistant” in a sentence.)

I held each hook up and marked with a pencil where the screw holes were.

(And I gained another 10 points because this was extremely hard to do and take a picture of at the same time.)

So each spot looked like this:

Then I chose the appropriate size of drill bit and drilled a hole on each pencil mark:

And hammered a small plastic plug into each hole:

After I’d drilled six holes with six plugs, I stood back for a moment and freaked out. “This better work, or this will be quite the mess to fix!” And then I proceeded to drill each hook into the wall, putting the screws into the plugs.

And I did it! I had a little celebration dance as I had not completely screwed it up (ha. Pun INTENDED.), aaand my daughter kept napping the whole time. Yesss… 10 victory points.

And now we could all enjoy the luxury of having our towels on hooks right beside the shower!

Up next, a similar project… that curtain rod in our bedroom! Onward, Fearless Power Tool Wielder!!

Yesterday I wrote about the plan I had to give a makeover to an old 80’s coffee table (that I bought for $30 on UsedRegina) into a beautiful contemporary one - something like this one from Restoration Hardware:

(Brickmaker’s Table from Restoration Hardware) 

RH boasts of the romantic, historical background of its “reclaimed wood” furniture.  And of the bajillions of reclaimed/barn-board/upcycled wood projects out there on the internet these days, I felt this one should serve as a bit of a reality check.  So, no big makeover reveal today - it’s coming.  First, let me tell you the story behind my coffee table’s reclaimed wood…

Coffee Table Copycat - Episode 1:

Sourcing Reclaimed Wood

It sounds so lovely, doesn’t it? “Reclaimed wood”.  Ah… just picture yourself reclaiming some wood with me, please:

You walk through slender waving grass in a buttercup-dotted pasture behind a stately old red barn.  And there you find it - a stack of strong, beautiful old boards that tell stories of decades gone by.  As you pick one up and run your fingers over its wavy grain you see a bird land on a fence post nearby.  The bird smiles at you, as if to say, “Hey.  Thanks for caring about the environment.” You feel good about your choice, and you smile confidently at the trees growing overhead, knowing they get to live because you’re going to reuse.  You carefully load up your bundle of character-laden, beautiful wood and set off to create.  And the sun shines.

Yeah, so it’s not really like that.

To be honest - when I planned my coffee table I didn’t think much about where or how I would get the rustic wooden top.  I live in the prairies - there are weathered old boards all over the place.  I figured my husband could go out the farm and throw a few nice old boards in the back of the Jeep and we’d be peachy.

Ahem.

Until he told me they didn’t have anything.  So I asked my dad for ideas (he is equal parts thrifty/creative/borderline hoarder) and he suggested getting old floorboards from the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.  Good call, Dad!  But when he went looking they said they don’t carry them anymore because they’re structurally unsound and some had lead paint on them.  Party poopers.  I asked my dad if he could keep an eye out for some old shipping pallets.  This is when Sean realized I had not really communicated what I wanted.  ”Oh, like old ugly pallets are OK?” he asked.  

“Yes!”  

“Oh, we’ve got a bunch of those.”

I knew it.

So we drive out behind the barn, past the grain bins to find a great pile of pallets - silvery grey and weathered.  And they’re lined with a gorgeous array of hoar frost gleaming in the bright January sun.  Perfect.  

My husband pulls out the hammer and the crow bar.  Hmm.  Oh yeah.  I guess we can’t just pile the crates in the back of the Jeep, we’ll have to take the boards apart.  He starts reefing on the boards, and the cranky wrenching sound of old nails being torn from old boards fills the air.  The cattle begin to stare at us.  

As he tries to pull them off, the old weakened boards crackle, split, and splinter.  It is not going well.  And yes, it’s sunny, but jeepers is it cold!  My husband starts to grimace.  I realize very quickly that this experience would have been exponentially more terrible in our first year of marriage:

I would have been an erratic sobbing mess, spewing between “You don’t understand/care/support my creative endeavours!” and guiltily apologizing non-stop for what a terrible task this is.  Meanwhile he would become a silent, but fuming, mess of aggravation/confusion/mystification (at my spectacle) and that male-only emotion called “this girl is crying.  Why is she crying.  I have no idea what to do right now.”

But fast forward.  We are wiley veterans with nearly seven years of marriage under our belts.  And we know better.  I stand back, quiet.  I observe my husband and try to pick up on cues.  Should I hold that board?  Should I get out of the way?  I hold my tongue.  Meanwhile he does not let frustration get the better of him by mercilessly beating the snot out of a pile of wood with a crowbar.  He persists.  And he tries different approaches, all the while knowing that though he doesn’t understand why this is important to me, it is important, so he will do his best.  

Sensing he needs some space, or perhaps a new approach, I take a little walk.  I find a pile of boards mostly buried in several feet of crusty old snow.  I try a few boards to see if they’ll come loose from the frozen, tangled mass.  They do.  And they’re lovely.  Thick, weathered, with tons of character.  Some are rough sawn, others have gorgeous woodgrain patterns, and all have the patina of age.  But most importantly, they require no crowbar.  I call Sean over, and after convincing him that these boards will work (and are in fact better) he tosses the hammer and crowbar and gladly helps me gather a few boards of similar thickness, and appropriate length.

The romance of “reclaimed wood” was further dispelled as we waded through the piles of old barn boards:  

“Hmm, do you think this is lead paint on this one?”  

“Do you think this pattern is from years of pigeon crap?”  

“Hmm… do termites die when it’s this cold or do you think they’re sleeping inside this board?”

“Can you get the crowbar and chip the frozen cow poop off of this one?”

But soon we had what we thought were enough boards jammed in the trunk of the Jeep, and we were done.

So now as you peruse Pinterest BEWARE!  All of those cute “look what I did with an old shipping pallet” projects are not necessarily easy.  And the stories of 100-year-old barn wood, or antique factory floorboards - they sound nice.  You just probably don’t want to be the one chipping off frozen cow poop, or scrubbing off lead paint.

Here are a couple tips for you, if you’re still planning on using old wood for a project:

-Look boards over carefully for signs of bugs, mold, old paint (may be toxic lead paint), or rotting.  

-Make sure you try to find boards that are fairly straight, and of a similar thickness.

-Bring a measuring tape to make sure you find the right length of boards

-Take a few more boards than you think you need so that you have some options when you get around to laying them out.

-Do not attempt to “reclaim” any barn boards in the first year (or two) of marriage.

Now, tomorrow, I’ll show you what I did with these hard-earned beauties…

(All photos by me.)

**UPDATE: See how I constructed the table here, and see the finished table here!**

Hello, my name is Justine, and I have an addiction to used furniture.  I’ve lamented before how hard it is for me when I find something aMAZing for sale, and have to pass it over because we don’t need it, or it wouldn’t work in our space (exhibit a: this chesterfield).

 So when I saw this brass and glass coffee table on UsedRegina, AND saw its huge potential (stay with me here, peeps), but also knew that it would be THE worst coffee table for my family (small condo with two kids under 2 years) I was a bit dismayed once again.  Until I went on Facebook and asked if anyone wanted me to provide them with a free coffee table.  Lucky for me a great friend was more than happy to trust me that I could transform this 80’s relic.

You see, this table looks like it should be sitting atop pink cut pile carpet, beside a teal and burgundy floral couch with a stale bowl of potpourri, right?  But to me, I saw that it could become something a little more like this:

Design by Darryl Carter

It’s a style of coffee table I’ve seen everywhere in design magazines.  And it’s in tons of great (higher end) furniture stores:

(1-Jayson Home $1595, 2-Joss & Main (sale ended), 3-Lucca & Co. $19,800, 4-Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams $996, 5-West Elm $365)

(Restoration Hardware, $1015)

Not the least of which, is Restoration Hardware (a store I find equally lovely and bizarre.  Seriously, go read the write up for this coffee table.  More on that tomorrow…)

And it’s no wonder it’s so popular - it has a modern shape, with rustic materials and could go with almost any style of living room.

There are a variety of looks, but the recipe is essentially the same:

A square metallic frame with rustic-looking wood on top.  (The higher end stores seem to be selling wood that’s reclaimed/antique/sourced from the forests of Narnia.)

I could do that!  

Done!  Easy peasy, right?  Well, I’ll show you more tomorrow…