Master Bedroom Bed Side Tables

At the top of my "must have" list for the mini master makeover was more folded clothing storage.   The first step was getting a larger dresser which I shared last week.  Next step, bed side tables with storage.

These bed side tables are another great find by my mom.  She is my personal furniture shopper.  :) Thanks, Mom!

Not sure where she got these but they are great.  And weird.  The wood is not super smooth.  It has these strange indentions in it.  They are actually considered small dressers so there is tons of storage space.

Before.

I decided to paint them instead of stain to match the dresser.  Matchy, matchy is not a design tactic I practice.  The room is in need of a little pop of color so I went with a light blue that is in our bedding.   Its a pretty contrast with the navy and white curtains and the newly gray walls.  Also, there were some problems with the wood.  The top pieces of wood were coming unglued so all of that had to be glued, pressed and filled to create a smooth top.  Other than that, the dressers are in good condition.  The original hardware was painted a soft iron to coordinate with the new hardware of the large dresser.

After.

It is nice to have a place to store more of my folded clothes and on Blittle's side, I have our extra bed sheets and pillow cases stowed away.  They turned out really pretty and are the perfect size for us.

The master bedroom mini makeover is almost done.  There is new bedding, bed side tables, dresser, curtains and wall color.  Now I need to get some decor and art on the walls as well as figure out what I want to do with the headboard.  Our current headboard was my first thing to build from scratch.  I built it for our New Orleans home and I do like it.  BUT when we moved to this house the headboard doesn't fit in between the two windows on the wall with the bed.  I built it oversized to compete with the 12-15ft tray ceilings and large wall in our NOLA bedroom.  It just isn't working for me here.  So do I sell the headboard and build or buy something else?  Do I keep it and just deal?  I haven't made up my mind yet.

The entire makeover will be revealed soon!  The bathroom, too!  We are so close to being done.  I can't wait!

Friday Update ~ 09/11/2015

Hi, all!  I hope everyone had a great 4 -day work week!  Here in the Houston/Galveston area it has been raining all week with a cool front on its way.  The weekend is supposed to be dry and gorgeous! Fingers crossed.

MASTER BATHROOM

We made HUGE progress in this room.  I seriously can't believe how it went from looking like a major construction zone Friday morning to feeling like a real bathroom by Monday night.  There was lots of laboring over Labor Day weekend.

Here is what we had Friday.

And this is now.

I haven't had much time to work in there this week but the plan is to get the tile caulked and faucets and sinks installed over the weekend.

FURNITURE

(HUGE SIGH)  I am having some finishing problems with the two navy dressers I have been working on for my mom.  It is extremely frustrating.  This is not my first, second or third project and I am using the same products I usually do so it is annoying when products act weird.  There is a chance it was the heat and/or humidity but that is something I always have to deal with so I really don't think that is it.  Those dressers should have gone home at the beginning of the week and yet, they are still in my shop.  On top of that, I am trying to finish up some client pieces that need to go home early next week.  I am feeling a lot of stress and pressure to get things done quick and my products (and weather) are making it hard.

I know I will get it done.  It just gives me anxiety when I get so close to or go over my completion dates.  I like to stay on schedule.

Earlier this week I shared our master bedroom dresser and was supposed to share our end tables' makeover yesterday.  Well, I didn't.  Things were just too busy (and I was too exhausted) to finish the post.  Sorry.  I hope to get to it this weekend and share first thing next week.

Here are the master bedroom dresser before and after shots.

MISCELANEOUS

We have tons of stuff going on right now.  The bathroom remodel.  Our side yard was tore out earlier this week to prep for our flagstone/pebble patio but it has rained all week (pouring right now...so bad the dogs stepped out to see the crazy wind and rain then turned around to come back in) and we have a muddy mess.  The other business (tell you more about that soon) has had a big week, exciting week but it has taken up a lot of my time.  Furniture projects in the shop.  Things are busy, busy.

SIDE NOTE:  I can't believe it has been 14 years since the tragedy of 9/11.  That day is imprinted in my brain.  I was standing in my College Station apartment getting ready for speech class, watching the Today Show.  Then everything changed.  I skipped school that day.  I couldn't tear myself away from the TV.  By the weekend A&M had organanized all kinds of tributes to be done during the football game.  It still amazes me that in a few short days this was organized.  (I am in the red section).

Please thank your first responders and service men/women.  It is free and easy and it does make a difference in their day.

Have a great weekend!

Master Bedroom Dresser Reveal

Wow.  What a weekend.  We made tons of progress in the bathroom.  It is starting to look like a bathroom again and less like a construction zone!  I'll have pictures and info about the bathroom on Friday or you can go to Facebook and Instagram to see some progress pics.  Today, I am going to show you our new dresser.

When we started the master bath renovation I decided to give our master bedroom a mini makeover.  The decor and color were never right for me.  Everything I used we previously owned or was handed down when we moved.  It was a weird mix of stuff that didn't work in the space or for us.  I painted the bedroom Pale Smoke by Benjamin Moore which coordinated well with our bedding.  I hated it.  From the first day it was on the wall, I didn't love it.  Unfortunately, there was no time to repaint the room then.  We were in the middle of unpacking, painting other rooms, and doing the kitchen renovation.  The master would have to wait.  See the first Master Bedroom Revel here.

So over the past few years I have been thinking about bedding color, furniture style and other decor details for the room.  I had an idea for furniture but I try not to get my mind set on something specific because it is not always in budget or available.  Mostly I needed pieces that had tons of storage.  A dresser that is at least 70 inches long that can hold much more than our current dresser.

Current Dresser.

My mom found this large dresser at a garage sale.

Does it look familiar?  It should.  It is the exact same dresser that my grandparent's had and I now use as a coffee bar!

Same company.  Same material.  Same dresser.  For this makeover I wanted a natural driftwood finish.  Something similar to these tables I did for my sister-in-law.  Pine can be hard to work with sometimes.  It wants to be really dark or really light so I knew a natural driftwood look might be challenging.  And it was.  So much so, that it didn't happen.  The driftwood stain didn't even change the color.  Not going to lie, I was disappointed but not shocked by this.

Plan B was the weathered wood look.  I tend to like driftwood better because I am drawn to the brown tones.  A weathered wood finish had me nervous because of all the gray tones and I wasn't sure I liked it at first.  Now the walls have their new color, we have new bedding and curtains, as well as new end tables.  It is all coming together and I love it.

Here are a few more before shots.

For this finished I used Rust-Oleum Weathered Gray stain for the first coat.  I let it dry over night then I distressed the wood.  I used 220 grit to lightly sand, focusing on the edges.  The last color coat was a white glaze (a glazing medium + antique white latex paint).  Finally, the clear coats.

The coffee bar has the original hardware but I wanted to do new for this makeover.  Something much more updated and sleek.  Hole size was a problem (as always) so I went with these soft iron colored handles.  It required drilling all new holes but they cover up the old ones.   :)

It has been great having such a large dresser.  The storage space is amazing and I finally have a home for my folded clothes.  Obviously I still need to add some decor on this wall (notice the new paint color) and a few things on top of the dresser but all of that will be shown in the room reveal.

Check back tomorrow to see our end tables!




Monday - Inspire Me Monday (Sand & Sisal,  My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Domestically Speaking, Sweet C’s Designs)  Made by you Monday (Skip To My Lou)

Tuesday -  Show and Share (Coastal Charm), From Dream to Reality (The DIY Dreamer), Show and Tell (Sugar Bee Crafts)

Wednesday:Wow Us Wednesday (Savvy Southern Style),  Be You tiful (Art is Beauty)  Wednesday Before and After (The Dedicated House) Work It Wednesday (The Blissful Bee, The Turquoise Home,  The Happy Housie, A Place of My Taste) 

Thursday: What To Do Weekends (Crafts ala Mode ),  The Best DIY Party at the Handmade Hangout (A Glimpse Inside, Christina’s Adventures, From Gardners to Bergers, Redoux Interiors, Too Much Time on My Hands), Creativity Unleashed (Practically Functional, Shaken Together, One Project Closer, The Bold Abode, and The DIY Village)

Friday:  The Party Bunch (The Idea Room, 30 Handmade Days, Whipperberry, The 36th Avenue),  Creativity Unleashed (Practically Functional, Shaken Together, One Project Closer, The Bold Abode)  Fabulously Creative Friday (Jennifer Rizzo Blog), Friday Furniture Fix (Thirty Eighth Street, Patina Paradise, 58 Water Street, Anastasia Vintage, Slightly Coastal)

Friday Update ~ 09/04/2015

Somehow I have let two weeks go by with no updates or posts.  Things have busy and as you know, the blog is put on the back burner when work and life gets crazy.  I promise I am here, I am just working hard.  Instagram has become my favorite social media since it is quick and easy.  Be sure to follow me to get all the behind the scenes updates.

MASTER BATHROOM

The bathroom is prepped and ready for the new countertop to be installed today!  I am so excited.  The backsplash, sink and faucets should be done in the next week or two.  Also, remember that the second sink was on the right?  Here is a pic.

The two drawers under that sink were dummy drawers.  Just drawers fronts attached to the front of the vanity.  I took those drawer fronts and built an actual drawer for them.  I stole drawer guides from the guest bath to use with the new drawers.  

The goal was try to finish by September but obviously that didn't happen so new goal is finish by November.

FURNITURE

Furniture has been out of control!  It is such a blessing to have consistent work.  In August, I refinished the Ebony & Brass buffet and its matching china cabinet, painted the White & Brass dresser, painted two dressers navy, AND refinished a large dresser plus painted two end tables for my master bedroom.  Oh.  And I painted my bedroom a new color (remember it is getting a mini makeover).  Right now I am working on a large desk, sofa table and bed for a client and with all the rain this week I am behind schedule.  EEK!  Looks like I will be working this labor day weekend.

Ebony & Brass Buffet.  Be sure to check out all the before and afters.

White & Brass

China Cabinet progress photos.  The reveal will be next week.

The dresser I refinished for our bedroom.  Reveal will be next week.

End tables I painted for our bedroom.  Their reveal will be soon.

Navy dresser progress.

MISCELLANEOUS

The month is another busy one. Blittle's parents will possibly visit next week, the few last weekends of the month plus first weekend of October are booked with parties and weddings (all out of town), and there is a good chance I will be headed to Round Top the last week of September.  Plus, I still need to do a few things for my sailing class so I can enroll for the next round (hopefully take in October) and they have to be done on a Saturday.  

We are starting a new home project next week.  A while back I mentioned that we wanted to change our side yard to a rock patio area.  The equipment is getting delivered today and the guy will do the dig out work on Monday. I am a little nervous about this one.  Right now there is no real plan, budget or timeline (mostly because right now we don't much free time).  It should be cheap and easy but things don't always go as planned.  

The grass has never grown well in the area and it is a bit of wasted space.  We want to do a pebble/flagstone patio area with a large fire pit, more outdoor seating, and a dining area.  The grill will be moved over to this space as well as a smoker we want to build.  Most of those things will happen over time but the goal now is to get the patio area and fire pit done in time for oyster season.  Roasted and chargrilled oysters are on the menu for fall!

I hope everyone has a great holiday!  We will be laboring on this labor day weekend.  :)  

Next week I will posting some items available to purchase.  Mostly furniture and a few home decor items.  I have been purging through some things and now that most of our rooms are set up and decorated I need to get rid of the left overs.  Be sure to check my Facebook page and here to see what is for sale.

Friday Update ~ 08/14/2015

Do y'all ever have weeks when you just can't get in the grove and be productive?  I had two of those in a row.  Yuck.  Then all of a sudden this week, I was on.  I mean, really on.  Things got done this week and it felt good.  I had help though....my mom worked with me two days this week.  Having two set of hands working really makes a difference.  :)

FURNITURE

Many of you know that my parents have been living in Germany the past year.  Now that they are back in the States, my mom is trying to get some projects done.  She has been using a mix of furniture for years and now she is wanting refinish or paint the pieces she likes, and replace the pieces she doesn't love.  I mentioned I had a dining set in my storage unit and things snowballed from there. This week the buffet was stripped, sanded, prepped for new stain, stained, and clear coated!  It is drying today so tomorrow I'll put the pulls and doors back on.  Here is a sneak peek:

Our Waterfront Cottage ~ 2 Years Later

What a crazy adventure the past two years have been!  On June 24, 2013 we closed on our 1980s waterfront cottage and on June 27th we rented a jack hammer to start work.  It has been non stop projects ever since.  Our house has transformed into a beautiful home and I can't wait to get it finished!


To read a detailed list of what we did the first year in the house read my post from last year.  Here are a few before and after pictures.

DIY Kitchen Makeover

Photo Credit: After picture taken my Ever & Anon

A Year Later....

Today marks one year in our waterfront cottage.  June 27, 2013 was the first night we spent in the house and the next day we rented a jack hammer and started the updates.  It has been 12 months of work.  A LOT OF WORK.

Blittle and I were sitting on the dock the other evening baffled by how we did so much in a year.  No wonder I am so tired!  Once I am done with the dock furniture, we are taking a break from DIY for a while.  People have repeatedly said, it doesn't have to all get done right now.  I know this. But I want it done right now.  When I am home there are constant reminders of what needs to be done and I have a hard time ignoring them.  I get anxious.  If I am not crossing things off the to do list, I feel like I am wasting time.  The past month has shown me it is time for a break.  My body is tired, exhausted, drained, done...I can't really find a word to describe the level of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion that I am on.  It is time to rest and slow down a little.

The next few months are for working on client furniture and saving money.  There are some HUGE projects on the list for 2015!

Master Bedroom Reveal

Hi all!  As promised, I am showing you our master bedroom today!

For the most part, our master is made up of items we already had.  I have only purchased a few new items for the room which I love because reusing is saving!  Here is what it looked like when we purchased the home.

Styling a bookcase

Happy Monday!  I am not sure how it is Monday already!  The past week has been so busy and just flew by without me realizing it.

Today I am going to update you on my bookcase.

Does anyone else have a bookcase with no books?  Sounds silly but I know I am not the only one.  I love to read but I have had a Kindle for 5 years now so "real" books do not happen at our house.  We have our wedding album and a few other photo albums from trips but that is it for anything in book form.  So when I found my really cool bookcase I knew it would not be displaying books.  I wanted it to display things that are special to us and represents our lifestyle.

There are tons of tutorials and tips on how to style a bookcase.  These suggestions apply for displaying books and non books.  Here are my favorites:

3 Month Anniversary

It's been 3 months already!  3 months ago we were spending our first night in the house.  Time flies when you are working yourself to death.  :)

The house has gone through so many changes and is finally starting to feel like our home.  Overall things have gone smoothly (I know things could have been a lot worse) and there have been only a few bumps in the road so far.  Having said that, I am exhausted.  Everyday I wake up and see what needs to be done.  Living through an update is hard on the mind.  It is a constant to do list reminder.  When the kitchen is finished I will be taking on client work again and will be taking a break from the house.  There is a 12 month to do list but nothing urgent needs to be done.


Here is a list and a look back on what's happened over the past 3 months.  I plan on writing posts about each room when they are finished but for now here is a quick review.

Our Home - The Master Bedroom

Today's post is short and sweet.  It is a quick tour of our master bedroom. 

When planning for our room,  it was important that I didn't put too much in the room.  I didn't want it to become cluttered or high maintenance.  I wanted something calm and relaxing but still a little romantic. It was important to me that Brian was happy with the room too. I am not very girly but it is easy to go there in a bedroom if you are not careful. I fell in love with this bedding from Bed, Bath, and Beyond the moment I saw it. I knew I had to have it and I am so happy with it. Thank goodness for all those 20% off coupons! 

The headboard I built from scratch. I am very proud of this project because I built the headboard (designed the shape, cut the wood, nail and glued the frame together, installed foam and batting), sewed and put on the cover, and installed the nail head trim all by myself.  This was a big project and there were several moments where I thought I had lost my mind by taking this on by myself but it was well worth it.  I am very pleased with the end product and now we have this great one of a kind piece in our home.

Headboard

I also refinished the trunk at the end of our bed several years ago.

Door End Tables

I didn't want the traditional end tables. Of course I saw something similar on Pinterest (addicting isn't it?) and once I saw the idea, I couldn't get it out of my head. Traditional end tables would never do now. So this is what I came up with. I added a small shelf and braces so it would stand up on its own. The lanterns were not exactly what I had in mind but when I saw them on the clearance shelf I knew they were the perfect match. Each lantern has a timer candle in them which creates this soft light in our room during the evening.

Curtains

We have a set of french doors with a transom in our bedroom that leads to the back porch. The doors have blinds built in but the transom does not. At night when we have the back porch light on, it comes through the transom and fills our room with light. Finding super tall curtains to coordinate with our bedding that didn't cost a fortune and me actually like them was seeming impossible so I got impatient with shopping and decided to sew some. I used a ivory denim because its cheap and is heaving enough to block light and heat/cold. These curtains are about 10 ft tall, times 2 of them so we are talking about 7 yds of fabric.  This project could have easily cost a lot more money because lets be honest...there is some amazing fabric out there...but you have to pay an amazingly crazy price for it.   I also decided to stick go with the ivory denim because I didn't want to use something that would overwhelm the room.  I used material left over from the headboard to create a stripe border at the bottom. After sewing the white curtain with the stripe border at the bottom, I felt it was too plain for me so I got brave and used a stencil and fabric paint to create a design border at the top and bottom. I am really happy with the result and it keeps the light out at night.

Tomorrow I am planning on showing the finished guest room.  We have two spare rooms which one is already set up as a guest room and the other is constantly in limbo.  Sometimes its super clean and set up with our workout stuff and Brian's fly tying station and other times it is a storage locker.  I am hoping to have it turned into the Fisherman's Wife Furniture Office over the next few weeks. :)