My ReDo with Purpose - Completed!

I have finally completed my bedroom "redo with purpose"!!!!  I am sooo excited to share this with all of you.

I was going to terrify you with before pics but they has disappeared off my computer.  :(  I do not know what it is with me and before pics.  At least I blogged about the dark cave that was my bedroom, here's the link if you really want to see it.  http://craftingoccurs.blogspot.com/2011/03/slackerville.html   Yess it is dark, and messy and unorganized and lacking all flare.

This is a new section, I figured out how to post before pics.  Thank God and technology for the snipping tool.

So this is my bed (hangs head in shame) it is not fabulous,it is not tidy, it is not picture worthy.  Actually this is as neat as it got most days.  It is made out of a core door, mattress foam and fabric.  I loved it once,....years ago, in a far, far place.

This below is the clutter corner to beat clutter corners.  I even removed some clutter just so it wouldn't look as bad as it really is.  Everything in my room was brown!!  I tried to break it up with a patch of blue on the chair but that was a fail.  Brown walls, brown rug, brown dressers, brown chair, beige trim.  I was living inside a Hershey bar without the benefits of chocolate! 

Brown dresser I found at a thrift store for 40 bucks.  Nice and old but veneer going south. 

Yes, that is a bamboo stick being held up by duct tape and staples.  Don't you love my window treatments?

The other window is just fabric and staples. 

Yeah, that was my room, and it was even darker before I changed the light out with this ceiling fan.  It had only one light bulb.  Oh, and behind the curtain there are sagging mini blinds.  Just the cherry on the top.  Now you can truly appreciate what was done.  Now back to the previous blog.

So I was inspired by this picture of things I can never afford.

Isn't it pretty?  I was even going to get a stuffed dog just to complete the room.  Then I became obsessed over the chair.  I came back to reality and let it go.

So without further ado.

Complete TAAAAAA-DAAAAAAA!!!!!!!! 

New bedding and reupholstered the headboard.

Painted everything white! 

my side 

his side

preeeeetttyyyyyyy

I have also come to love my chair even more than the one I was obsessed about. 

cool huh? 

back to the wall.  Yes I still have the other window, but that has to be replaced and then I want to make a shutter and paint it the color of the walls.

Yep, I like it.  It feels like a real bedroom.

Chair Before and After or how I faked re-upholstery

I was on quest for the perfect chair.  I found one, at Pier One but it was 200 dollars more than I had.  I went in a desperate search for something similar but it only got more expensive.  So I gave up and started searching for fabric.  After weeks of surfing the web I finally found "the" fabric.  I was sooo happy until I looked further and saw it was only one way to buy it.  As a bundle of 16yds for 80dollars.  Getting cheaper but not cheap enough.  So I continued to search for fabric, mean while a friend of a friend got a message to me they were going to burn this chair.  They had entertained thoughts of bringing it to glory but that's as far as it got.  They were now ready to let it go or burn it.  I have often thought of burning a lot of my stuff and fully understood what she was going through.  I rescued the chair.

Poor chair, it was once stylish, kinda.

So now I had even more of passion filled upholstery search to find awesome fabric.  Not just meh, but the kind that will make people go , wow!!.

I began by ripping off the old pleather and removing thousands of nailheads.  My hands were red for days!! 

Then another few weeks went by and I gave up my search for amazing and focused on affordable.  Upholstery fabric is not cheap, people.  So then I had this genius idea (I live near Seattle) coffee bags!!

So I troddled down to the nearest coffee roaster and grabbed a few bags (buck a piece) and made sure they had cool writing or graphics.  Then I went to JoAnnes with my trusty half off coupon.  After a few days of toil and sweat and sore hands. 

TAAAAAAAADAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! 

It doesn't just sit there it screams "LOOK AT ME!"

So I do. 

I reused some of the nailheads and I also duck taped the legs.  Too afraid to make a commitment to paint.

I do confess it is not fully finished.  I haven't put on the arm fronts thingies.  I just put duck tape on it to see if I like red.  Still thinking about it.

So that is my faking it re-upholstery.

This chair cost maybe a total of 20 dollars to redo.  So much better than the 200.

One last look?  OK.... 

Redo with purpose

So the walls are a beautiful "spring is here green" and the window treatments are white, light and airy.  Sigh it's just sooooo pretty yet not too feminine.  I wouldn't do that to my husband, I like him being a man.

So this is my duck tape cover mirror and a vase from another room.  I also re-used an old suit case and small thingy (not sure what it is, bought it for a dollar 8 years ago)

This is closer (zoom in here) 

Next up is my side of the bed, with the fabulous rug I got from CSN.  The mirror was 3 dollars from thrift store, repainted and also owl repainted and pussy willows from yard. 

Another close-up 

Looks almost professional, if you squint and have a glass of wine. 

The next wall is on my husband's side and it was a little more pricier.  Although I did find the fabric at an outlet for 9 dollars a yard and the frames at Wal-Mart for 3 a piece.  Oh the other objects da' art, thrift store find painted white.  Did I tell you I am sick of painting things white? 

I only have two more things to accomplish, the bed and headboard and a chair.  I also have delusions of hanging a full wall of shelves around the bed.  In my head it seems easy but I think I've deceived myself in that area.

Next time I will have the chair and hopefully the bed and the whole enchilada all done up.

It will be complete!!

Coming around the horn

Sorry, I haven't been posting.  I've been working on my bedroom redo with purpose and it takes extra time when you are doing it yourself and you're not able to just buy what you want.  I love looking at people's blogs but have come to a conclusion, they have more disposable cash than I do.  There's just no way I can keep up and I will no longer try.  Sorry :( but really I'm not.  The truth is sooooo freeing!!   Ok, so I will show you what I have been up to.

Cool huh?  I've painted the walls and a few accents.

Not only did I paint the walls with this green but I made the color up.  It's a combination of two paint chips.

The before of this lovely owl is in my previous post.

I am also coming around the corner of finally finishing this room.  I can't wait I'm so excited.

I really scared myself when painting the room, it was so different and there was just no going back.  I look at it now and it just makes me smile.  My husband even likes it.

So until next time, do what you can and enjoy it.

If I do it again is it still random??

I am just gathering away and when I'm not I'm still doing random things.  Like this thing.  It's a beanie with pompoms so you can pretend to be a Panda Bear.  The cat is not pretending, by his expression, I would say it  is the look of planning someone's demise.  The humiliation he has to endure to be fed.

I also realize you can not see black pompom ears with a dark background. 

Did that help any?  NO?  Well shootarooni!!

Uhhmmmm imagine a white hat with black pompom ears.  I have also realized making pompoms is an lost art.  I will have to show you some time.  Not today but someday...

So I'm still getting ready for the big change, no not that one, well maybe but I am talking about my room going from brown to green.  I have this large gold leafed mirror that needed something.  I didn't want to paint it because it's gold leafed sooooo....I rubbed a couple of brain cells together and this is what I came up with. 

Taaa-funkadelic-DAAAAAAAA!!! 

Isn't that awesome?!?!

It took me all of 2 minutes to do and cost me nothing.  How do you ask?  By what magical power have I accomplished this?  I will tell you my secret....com' ere...sshhh don't tell anyone.......it's duck tape. 

Are you blown away?  I am :)

Oh was at a thrift store with a friend last week and found this. 

Need I say more?

Random projects and ideas that may never happen

I have finished stage one in my on purpose designed bedroom.  This piece is finally painted and put back together.  Wow! white takes along time to accomplish. After primer and 3+ coats of gloss white here it is.  Just a little tada

This is the next one (I forgot to take a before pic again), remembered after I painted the top drawers.

(yeah, those are my boots..... and these boots are made for kickin')

Ok, so last weekend my family got the flu and I got nothing accomplished but stumbling upon an impromptu garage sale, I found this for 3 dollars.  I couldn't resist!!  How could you not want a giant smiling frog? 

Then I got sick, while everyone went back to work and school.  I finally made it back to the living room after days of confinement to bathroom and bedroom.  Yeah, so not fun.  Sitting there looking at my forgotten friend who I was going to give to my great niece.  When my son walked in and said "hey, that looks like Frogbone".  "Who's Frogbone?" I asked thinking it was some new band.  "You know the frog you drew" he replied and I still just stared at him in my fog of oblivion. Then it finally dawned on me "OH, the cartoon band that Kiki is in"  Waaaaaaay back in my posts, I posted the story of our cat Kiki and the children's book I wrote (still not published) based loosely on him.  Well the book wasn't enough for the muse he is.  I also created a band called "The Woodland Tree-O" and his alternative personality Fat Cat.  Frog Bone is his sax-man and Chip Punk his ax-man.   This is a live action shot.

Then the promo pics of the band.

Frog Bone who has his roots firmly planted in jazz....groooovy, grooovaay.

Chip Punk is actually mellow while off stage but knows how to shred when the lights come on.

Fat Cat will always be ready for a jam day or night, stage or tree.

So, that is why I bought the frog.  It was subliminal, I am meant to do a room with them as the theme.

I even found material 5yd bolt for a dollar.   I've got yellow, orange, and pink.  This could be so awesome, now I have to find someone who would let me.

Gathering for the Plan with a little help from Blogland

Have you ever woken up, turned on your laptop and had your day made?

That was me, Friday morning as I was sipping on my coffee with a long day ahead of me. I will try to be brief but will probably fail.  As I have been working with this plan of mine to knowingly redecorate with purpose.  I have repeatedly ran into the great big wall of " lack of fiances".  I was blessed beyond belief with a comforter (read previous post).  I still have a few things on my list of finds.  Fabric to cover my chair and a really cool rug to pop.  I see it in my head, mod, large flowers, bright colors, and when I see something close I cringe at the price tag.  I check Overstock, Home Decorators, random rug places online.   I mean hours of looking at rugs that don't fit, get excited about rugs until I see the price, and other random ways of suffering emotional whiplash.  Ok I tell you the drama so you can see the  blessing.

Alright, cue lights and hallelujah music http://junkinjunky.blogspot.com/ picked me!!!

  Yes, little ole me as there winner of a CSN gift certificate!!!!!  (add bells and whistles here)

I have heard of CSN through out blogland but have never been.  Here is the link in case you have never been http://www.csnstores.com/.

So I of  course went to the rugs and found this rug originally 50 dollars marked down to 28.  I applied my 25 certificate and only paid 3.99 for it.  Free shipping and even a free rug pad to go underneath.  I was squealing with delight much to the disgusted looks of our family cat.

Thank you soooooooo much wonderful, generous, sweet woman @ Junkin Junky!!!

ps, I love your blog <3

Isn't is pretty? <3 sigh <3

I was so inspired to do more.  So I dug out this ceiling fan I have had for over 3 years.  I was going to put it in my daughter's room but then she decided she didn't want it.  I bought it at Lowe's for like 7 dollars!!!

I figured it was white and better than my existing crappy light.  So with the help of my son.

TAAAA_DAAAAA!!!! 

The fan works too.  It's so nice to be able to teach the youth today a little electrical ability. 

I love it when a plan comes together.