Not Your Mother's Dining Chair

I have been scouring the DFW area for old, wooden office chairs to use in my dining room to add an unexpected twist to your typical dining space.

I have collected 3 of the 4 I need, and they are all very different from each other.
 The first one I found cost me $10 at an estate sale. It was very worn and dry and looked like this on the day I bought it:

I removed the casters and sanded it lightly. Then I liberally brushed on a reddish stain and wiped off the excess after a few minutes.


This is what the chair looked like after its beauty treatment. It still has its casters off in this picture, but new all metal ones have been added to it now.

I also purchased an ugly faux-leather and tweed-covered one that I knew had potential because of its good bones. I forgot to take a before picture before I started breaking it down, but here it is in the process:

It had plastic strips on its legs that I removed and bought wooden plugs for. (They sell them at Home Depot.) Since it had nice casters already, I just left them on.

Then I slathered on the stain, rubbed it down with a rag, and it looks beautiful already!

Here is a sneak peak at what I am doing to the padded seat and back...love grain sacks!!! Once the stain dries for 24 hrs, I will re-screw then seat and back onto the frame again and it will be ready to shine!

WHEN I find the screws!! They are hiding in the garage somewhere... sheesh....

Getting Organized, Old School-Style

 If you are a follower on my Facebook page, you have probably seen these pictures:

I stumbled upon a ridiculous amount of vintage wire gym/locker baskets this week, and I am obsessed with finding ways to use them now! I am only keeping 6 of them and selling the remaining 61!!

Here are some great organizing ideas I have seen using old gym baskets...


I like the look here of incorporating a few onto a bookcase:

This one is basically bringing your childhood locker room--all of it--into your space:

This is a handy way to keep fruits/vegetables within reach:

Yes, please! I love this idea! Bringing plants and locker basket goodness together. It's like combining chocolate and peanut butter. Who can resist?

A stacked tower of suitcases, crates, and locker baskets:

Adding one in a nursery for diapers, etc is a sweet nod to days of old... It looks great with the old license plates, too...

So, if you are big fan vintage locker baskets, stock up on some and put your creativity to good use!

Screen Stars

I have a great neighbor who gave me a couple of old screen doors that she had in her garage. After two months of walking around them in MY garage, I decided to check out good ole Pinterest and get some ideas for using them in our house.

I love this one that has been embroidered with a friendly greeting for guests at the front door:

Building a cabinet that works around an old screen door is  a sweet way to create some extra storage space: (I also dig the teal bead board!)

The owner of this house used burlap and chicken wire on their screen door and replaced their existing hollow core laundry room door: 

Remade into a garden trellis: (GREAT idea)

This is my favorite idea! Perfect for an antique booth!! Yep, I think this is the one!

Inspiration Thursday

I have been looking at a lot of pet-related projects this week. I think it's because I've been trying to pay more attention to our pack. Poor babies: they get ignored a lot because we have so many things going on. (Don't worry. I have my chihuahua on my lap right now, getting loved on!)

 Let me share with you!

via Design Sponge

(Click on the link for her tutorial.)

via

via

I am definitely going to try the crate feeding station and the suitcase bed. I have enough of those two items to outfit the SPCA!

A La Carte

Last year, my husband Aaron and I bought an antique radio cabinet. With great details like carved trim, brass pulls, and the serial plate inside the pull-down door, we knew it would be the perfect, funky bar cart.

The pull-down door works perfectly as a pour station. All of our liquor fits inside the bottom, and our  martini glasses fit in the top portion. There is even a small ledge high along the inner walls that hold our shot glasses.

Why keep your party supplies in the kitchen where they take up valuable cabinet space? Most people only need a small space to store all of their adult beverages and mixers and glasses. So find something unique to showcase those items!

I looked for a while for a large steamer like this one to turn into a bar cart. It was my original inspiration.

Even a computer armoir can be transformed into a wet bar.

A simple cart gets jazzed up, too, when it's holding glasses and bottles.

And this last one is just pure eye candy!

Cheers!

Save the Date!

I have been packing boxes already, making price tags, making a list of supplies, and looking at the cost of renting a small moving truck for the day!!

Daydreams

I bought the old sled (above) yesterday at an estate sale. It was a steal that I could not pass up! I was dreaming of all the possibilities it held....

Like this:

And this:

And even this:

But one of my Facebook followers wants it. I hope she does something amazing with it. I will just keep looking for another one--it's the hunt that is so fun anyway, right?!