Wired, Painted, Purchased and Updated

This weekend there was crafting and more crafting! There was thrifting and antiquing and there was…well room primping?

First of all, this Himmeli wreath tutorial from Mandi at Vintage Revivals got things started. Saturday crafternoon with the ladies (Adam did not participate) was relaxing and this was the result:

It’s certainly not perfect and could use another coat of gold spray paint but for a $2.79 pack of cocktail straws and a $2.19 spool of wire – it’s not so bad. Adam suggested using paper straws next go around…maybe some metal tubing. There are all kinds of possibilities with this tutorial and Mandi made it very easy to understand.

Next up? The boring shades on the dining room chandelier. The dull tan shades got a shot of gold spray paint:

Then masked:

photo 4

Then whitewashed:

The reveal:

The finished product:

Again – not perfect but a fun, clean, free update.

Next up – the purchases from the weekend. Boise houses another treasure chest for just about any antique taste, Antique World. This is where the party at. The only thing we came away with this time was the blue glass bud vase below. Why just the vase? Because the selection at Antique World is so vast that sometimes – you just have to walk away. The vintage, greek key tea cups I found at St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Store off of Broadway. The grand total for all three items? $12.00.

Last, but not least – here’s where the living room is at after this weekend. The Green Machine is in place and looks beautiful in his (it’s a boy!) new home.

The throw pillows are handmade. The rug was $27.99 at Ross. It’s not a permanent solution but will serve a purpose for the time being.

Lastly – there was a quote from this BEAUTIFUL house tour on Apartment Therapy that spoke to the impatience we feel when it comes to putting our stamp on our home:

“Take a lot of time to let your space develop. Be patient. Our house changes all the time. I am constantly storing art and textiles and rotating other pieces in. Also, be okay with things not being perfect or just as your want them – your home should evolve as you do.”

Let’s evolve together, little home.

Living Room Update

Here in Boise, we’re lucky to have a little treasure chest called Boise Vintage. We’ve scored multiple items from them in the past. My favorite thrifting story of all time involved the coffee table pictured below:

The story? Alright. I (Layne) headed out on a thrifting mission one Saturday morning. I stopped in at the Salvation Army off State Street and immediately located a really cool, mid-century, Lane coffee table. It was huge (7 foot long) but it was cool. The price tag? $20. I snapped it up in a hurry. I went on with my other errands and paid a visit to Boise Vintage. I had my newly acquired coffee table in the back of our truck and the owner of the store noticed it right away. He offered to take it off my hands in trade for something else in his store. I liked my new coffee table but I wasn’t in love with it simply because it was a little too long for our living room set up. I was in love, however, with the coffee table in picture up north. So! My $20 investment yielded this (much cooler) $150 coffee table and some vintage pottery that was priced at $35. Talk about a rush. Whoa. I’ve never been the same since…

…it was a pretty big deal.

Anyway, when it came time to replace this sofa that was just too big for the space (and not really the style we were going for ((however, it was a freebie from the best neighbor ever and you don’t pass that up)):

…we checked in with the owners at B.V. to see what they had for sale; they did not disappoint. We sold our sofa on Craig’s List and we’re picking up this beauty tonight:

The light shining from the window above the sofa isn’t really sunlight – it’s the Heavens parting and Jesus smiling down on this – the sofa that was made for us. We’re pretty excited.

The sofa from my idea board  was a bit more neutral in color. This sofa is a pretty saturated olive green color (the photo washes it out a bit). But the lines! They couldn’t be more perfect and are exactly what I had in mind! And at $180 (compared to the $2,199 sofa I spotted here), the decision to bring this home was an easy one.

So with the sofa acquired, here’s what is left to find:

  •  Two chairs with good bones.
  •  An area rug with a strong pattern.
  •  Two metal end tables.
  •  Two lamps.
  • Variety of throw pillows.

The aforementioned coffee table will stay – we think it will work well with the Green Machine (the sexy nickname for our new sofa).

Thanks to your friend and mine, Martin Luther King Jr., we’ve got a long weekend coming up so there’s a chance that we’ll get to do some more treasure hunting and cross some things off the list.

Have a terrific (long) weekend! If you’re a  Boise resident – go check out Boise Vintage on Broadway!

Idea Boards

Two rooms in our home are in desperate need of some inspiration; the living room and our master bedroom; the very first room you walk into and our…love nest?

At any rate, here are the rough draft mood boards for our neglected rooms.

First – the living room:

Living Room

 

The emerald green pops would look rich against the dark wood china cabinet. A petite sofa will fit nicely in our petite living room. The poppy accents and the aqua blue are just self-indulgent. We like the mixture of the metal/glass end tables with the olive wood coffee table. This is just a first pass but it has potential.


Next up – the master bedroom: 

Master Bedroom

 

The muted slate blue wall color is going to happen regardless of whatever else changes. A white duvet mixed with white linens keep things light in our basement hideaway. A patterned coverlet would add some interest to the white linens (as well as some protection from dirty dog paws). Plenty of patterned throw pillows would help to spice things up. A DIY upholstered headboard is in order. We currently own two waterfall dressers that add a lot of warmth and would look great up against the new wall color. We’ve got a couple of corners that would accommodate a comfortable arm chair – white to continue to lighten up the dark walls.

Here’s to inspiration and finding some excellent deals on all of the items included in these mood boards as they are all way (way) outside of our price range.