Settee project

This wonderful sturdy settee was my husband's before we got married. The fabric on it has been bugging me for 3 years and I finally got around to recovering it.

Usually this would have been a quick and easy job but the screws that hold the cushion on have odd square inserts and it took me about an hour to find a drill bit that would fit and remove them. It was only 4 screws but what a job! (Obviously this is an old piece of furniture as I haven't seen screw heads like that in forever!) Anyway...I finally got it taken apart only to find two layers of fabric were on it and about a million lots of staples.

Yuck!!!

I found a fabulous fabric that coordinates well with our comfy chocolate brown leather couch and yellow/cream wing chairs. 

Now look how beautiful the settee looks! Yay! 

Glad to have this project D-O-N-E!

"Drab to Fab"

We've been looking for quite some time now for a small piece of furniture that will fit under the overhang of our kitchen countertop. You know the place where most people would put a few barstools for extra seating? Well, in our kitchen the brilliant insane designer decided that area would be right in the walkway through the kitchen to the garage and sunroom so barstools are out of the question. That area is already way too cramped with it being the main thoroughfare through the kitchen. So...that brings me back to the piece of furniture we wanted. The counter overhang is only about 13 inches deep so trying to find a cabinet or bookshelf that narrow is kinda tricky.

I found some great pieces at local stores that were about 15 inches deep but obviously they wouldn't work. Then, I found the perfectly sized piece at another local place. It was really perfect and made with reclaimed wood, which made it even more perfect. Then...I looked at the price tag...$449.00! Are you kidding me???

So, the search continued... 

We stopped in a new place that claimed to sell overstock and damaged items from major retailers. They had mostly clothes and small appliances and boxed items and only a couple of pieces of furniture in there But our perfect piece was right against the wall. Jackpot!

Here it is in our driveway after we brought it home. It is a cheap piece with imitation "inlay-look" that apparently was a Costco reject. It had some damage (chips, cracks, gouges...nothing we couldn't live with though) And those horrid knobs! Those were the first thing to go.

Very 1970's style...

First I sanded the entire piece with an electric sander, then cleaned it with TSP (trisodium phosphate). Next, my kind husband painted it with his handy paint sprayer because he didn't want me to mess it up wanted to help me. Here he is in action:

After the paint dried, I hand sanded the corners and edges to give it a distressed look. Then the pretty new knobs went on. I am really happy with the way it turned out. I'll post a photo of it in its new home under the counter once we get it inside and put all our cookbooks in it.

Here it is in our kitchen in its new home. 

with cookbooks and storage

Someday we will get organized...

I ran across some really good information today about organizing. I know...I'm definitely not an organizer - I'm a magnificent stacker- but never an organizer. Anyone who knows me, knows my bad habit of getting really excited about a project or idea and only doing it halfway, or for just a short time. ADD as an adult I guess... Anyway, here is a cool link:

Clothes Purging: How to

I went into my closet to pick out my clothes to wear today and got rid of 7 shirts immediately. Into the donate bag they went. I know it's only 7 shirts, but they're 7 of the ones I swore 2 years ago I would wear again. Oh well.

The laundry monster is constantly rearing its ugly head at our house. Sometimes I swear there must be 10 people living in the house with me (or else the neighbors dropped off their dirty laundry at our house). Where does it all come from? You'd think each of us wore 3 outfits daily! Here is something that I already do that is really helpful. I've never claimed to be good at laundry, in fact, I'm really horrible at it, but I was pleasantly surprised to see an organizer suggest the same tip that I've been doing for years.

The Laundry System

I'm headed out to the washer and dryer right now...in a minute...I promise.