My family and I want to thank all our service men and women for their sacrifice they make for us.  Our deepest sympathy goes out to the families that have lost someone in the military service.

"Check" it out!

I love handpainted furniture, especially when they have painted details on them.  I like to use furniture as my canvas,  it can give interest to may be not such an interesting piece or revamp it to look totally different.  I purchased this cabinet at a yard sale a few weeks ago and it is well made but a bit boring.  So I figured I will start with painting it my favorite color turquoise, I never really know what it is going to look like til the end.  Here it is, I am quite happy with the new look it got!

First, I sanded the top of the cabinet so I can stain it and sanded the rest to just take off the shine so the paint can adhere to it.  Then stained the top a red mahogany.

I primed and painted it turquoise.  After I added tinted glaze to give it an aged distressed effect.

Then the fun begins with painting decorative details on it!

I love the way it turned out!  This piece is ready to go into my Etsy shop, sheerserendipity.etsy.com.

I've linked this post to:  theshabbychiccottage.net

                                      findingfabulousblog.com

                                      myrepurposedlife.net

                                      mysimplehomelife.com
                                      remodelaholic.com
                                     addicted2decorating.com
                                      linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com
                                      myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com
                                      primitiveandproper.blogspot.com
                                    homemakeronadime.com
                                    Creating a house of grace

How to make a simple but custom ottoman

I finally got everything together to post my DIY ottoman project the other day and to my surprise the blogger was unavailable!  I am pretty new to blogging and I was so disappointed to see this, I can imagine how disappointed some the veteran bloggers were.  Well, thank goodness blogger is back!

Last week I was working on a tufted ottoman for my livingroom.  I needed a huge ottoman, 4ft. X 4ft. to be exact to cover the space I have.  I also wanted it tufted with burlap fabric.   All the ottomans of that size I saw in the stores were over $2,000, a little bit over my budget ($0 budget)!  During my daily surf on blogland, I came across a post on a tufted headboard by Kristi from addicted2decorating.com.  She is amazingly talented and has great diy projects for inspirations.  She has a step by step tutorial on a tufted headboard which I used for the ottoman, it is basically the same concept.

Here is the finish ottoman

Here is how I did it!

 I gathered all the material:

                                                - Plywood cut to desired size of the ottoman

                                                - Wooden legs I purchased at Home Depot

                                                -  3" foam cut to size of the plywood

                                                - Half ball cover buttons, I used 23

                                                - Nylon cord

                                                - Upholstery needle, I used 6" needle

                                                - Thick batting

                                                - Yard stick

                                                - Black sharpie marker

                                                - Measuring tape

                                                - Staple gun and staples

                                                - Spray adhesive

                                                - Fabric of your choice, I picked designer
                                                  burlap (it seemed less coarse)
                                                - Nail heads

First, I painted the wooden legs espresso bean color and then dry brushed them black, showing a little bit of brown undertone.  Then I wrapped all the buttons with the burlap material according to the instructions on the packaging, which is a little difficult because of its thickness.  You really need to use some muscles for that part.

 I then sprayed adhesive on the plywood and laid the foam on top.

 Mark where you want the buttons to go.

 Cover the foam with batting and staple.

I used gizzillian staples! Then I notched out inch and a half holes in the batting and foam for where the buttons will go through.

Make a triple knot on one end of the nylon cord and put it through the button and then put the needle through the other end.

Then thread the button through the material, foam and the plywood. 

Pull the cord tightly and staple it on the plywood.

 Then staple the material onto the plywood and add the brackets to the corners.

I then screwed on the legs.

I added nail heads staight across bottom edge.  Excuse the dog bone under table, my puppy leaves his toys all over the house, worse than my kids!

But, I didn't like the way it looked, it seemed to get lost.  So I staggered them and I liked it this way much better.

Here it is!  I am really happy the way it turned out!

I've linked this post to: 

funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com
addicted2decorating.com
missmustardseed.blogspot.com
   linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Kristin's home

Here are the rest of the pictures of Kristin's beautiful home by the ocean. There is nothing like the calming sounds of ocean or the breeze that take your breath away sitting on the porch over looking an ocean.  In Kristin's home you instantly feel relaxed.

These are the views off front and rear porches, breathtaking!

Dining room and livingroom

Collections of blue and white ginger jars are displayed througout.

Pops of color adds such interest to a space!

Beautiful vignettes.

Gorgeous display of hand carved wooden birds she perched on a ghostwood branch.

Sea glass found while walking along the shores.

I love the way Kristin designed and decorated her home, I would like to know what you think!  Please leave a comment.

I've linked this post to:

addicts-not-so-anonymous-link-party.png

Tour of Kristin's house

I want to thank my friend Kristin and her husband for letting me take pictures of every nook and cranny in her beautiful house to post on my blog.  They recently built a gorgeous hampton style home just steps away from the ocean and did this with mostly "green" materials.  I am in love with her decorating style, which is a perfect mix of beachy elegance and British colonial.  There is a mix of very high end furniture, antiques and some garage sale finds that have been transformed into one of a kind pieces.  Lets start with the outside of the house, she still has a few final touches to do like the landscaping and other odds and ends.  But the house looks fabulous from the outside with its circular windows, balconies and stone wall.

We sat on her porch sipping wine and chatting while basking in the sun.
This coffee table she found at a garage sale this morning, I can't wait to see what she is going to do with it!

 I love this beautiful teak bench with the blue and white pillows.

 The ponytail plants adds nice warmth to the porch.

Let's go inside!

As you enter, cluster of ginger jars, seashells and sea grass are displayed on a beautiful round table.

Also in the foyer is cabinet displaying her coral collection.

This is her daughter's bedroom, what a lucky little girl! This is an antique headboard that Kristin painted white and slightly distressed.  Great job!

Their master bedroom is so serene, yet it has doses of bold rich color on the rugs, zebra print bench which grounds the room.  While soothing colors on the wall and white curtains brings the calming feeling to this bedroom.  Wonderful balance of color!

 This is her spectacular kitchen she designed that is a perfect combination of classic and modern.  Kristin chose an ever classic white subway tiles for the backsplash so that her high end cabinetry takes center stage.  Not to mention the enormous nine foot island with its gorgeous statuary marble counter.

Collections of blue and white accessories are displayed thoroughout the house.

Well, these are all the photos I can show for today, I have to start on my ottoman project.  But, I will be posting more of Kristin's home tomorrow. I hope you come back and see her beautiful diningroom and livingroom photos, they are something see!