DIY REHAB!! Give a Little Love.....

This is the story of a very OLD media center that was once home to a huge black projection tv...yeah you remember those right?  We bought ours back in 2001 (yes 13 years ago) and bought the entertainment center to go around it...that was the dealio with the hubs. He got the big black box tv and I got the media center to ummmm hide it LOL!  That TV moved to 3 different homes in 13 years and I prayed that one day it would die...yes I really did..shhh don't tell the hubs.  

Mismatched woods, black glass, cats got behind the tv...it was a disaster...ick!

Then 2 years ago that big, ugly tv broke...I got my wish..but wait...it broke the night BEFORE the Summer OLYMPICS OMG!!  You know we are Olympic obsessive right?  So we went to Best Buy to pick out a new tv...it took the hubs 2.5 hours while Alexa and I lounged on the couches...but we got a new SmartTV and I love it.

But I was stuck with that entertainment center that fit the big black box...ummm what to do, what to do.

So we bought a cheap fake wood & glass center table to set the new TV on knowing it would be an interim fix...ahem...a 2 year fix.  Because as much as I wanted a new entertainment center I could not see paying over $10,000 for the one I had drooled over when I knew we would be downsizing in a few years.  So I dreamed of what I could make of the media center that we have. 

Read On.....

I did the whole media center in a day...total hours for the entire project was about 3.5 hours.

Total cost was $180...quite a savings compared to $10,000 for a new media center me thinks.

I still need to get 4 more knobs in the dark bronze so they all match but those are about $6 a piece.

That's $10 for staining pads & a new sanding block, and Ikea piece for $169.  I had the Annie Sloan chalk paint (in Old White) and the dark and clear waxes already.

I cannot even tell you how many times I come in my family room and do a double take LOL.  I absolutely am in love with how it turned out, how it lightened up my family room and how easy it was to transform.  A total win-win!

The insides around the TV are still unfinished...I'm trying to see if I want them painted or leave them unpainted like inside the glass doors.  Not sure yet....

I tried to explain how I did this to my mom and it really is an easy process but it sounds weird when I explain it.  Once you've used the paints and waxes you get a feel for how they work and can be applied.  So my BIGGEST TIP is for you to paint something first with the paint, an old board or a shelf...to really see how it all works.  I had already done candlesticks, a shelf and of course the top of my coffee table so I knew exactly how to do it.

DIRECTIONS:

I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White...I LOVE this paint!

1)  Paint your piece with 2 coats of chalk paint...UNLESS its really dark then I would suggest painting with a primer for one coat.  The primer you can get anywhere and its inexpensive and will make your more expensive chalk paint go on easier without wasting it.

NOTE: You do not have to sand or degloss most furniture to use chalk paint unless you want to or it is really flaking and you need to remove the paint.  Chalk paint will even work on laminated finishes.

2) Sand any smudges, drips, lines out of your paint.  Sand harder in spots you want distressed...that is total personal preference but I always do along the sides and corners, and a few along big expanses of wood.

3) Wipe entire piece down with a tack cloth after sanding.

4)  Use a staining pad (which I love) or a clean cloth and dip into the clear wax and then the dark wax.  Swipe the wax on IN THE DIRECTION OF THE WOOD GRAIN...you don't want crazy lines.

Keep mixing the 2 waxes to achieve the darkness/distress look that you want.  If you don't want to change the color at all then use just the clear wax.

5)  I sand over the dark wax areas a bit to lighten them a bit and give more striations in the paint.  Then wipe again with tack cloth once wax is dried.  If you've gone too dark with the darker wax you can sand it down...its easy to fix.

6) After 24 hours I go over the entire piece with another thin coat of clear wax just to protect the finish.

At first I was going to build a center piece (hahaha) but the more I thought about it, I decided to try to find something that was fairly cheap and already built that I could paint.  I looked in the Habitat ReStore for something but nothing was the right length, width or depth. So one night I was searching on Ikea's website and found this media piece called "Hemnes" and got it in white for $169.  The hubs put it together one night for me and I painted it the next day.  Perfect fit...and I mean the TV fits amazingly in the space..no extra room. And we got some more storage with those drawers...BONUS!

I restyled the top for a new, cleaner look because not only was the top of it super dusty (ugh) but it had gotten cluttered with too many pieces.  So I redid all the shelves behind the glass as well and the top of the center to my liking.  My treasured signed Redskin football by all the players is now protected behind glass along with our Nationals signed gear :)

Above the TV I have 3 framed botanicals that I will be hanging...I need to paint the frames to match the media center because I want them to kind of fade in while filling the space.

I had workmen here the day I was doing all of this and they were laughing because I was UP the ladder and DOWN the ladder like 30 times trying out combinations for a new vignette.  Good leg workout I say ;)  Those 3 lanterns are from Decor Steals and I adore them.  The rest are pieces I've had for years and some are antiques.

Yes, that is "Fixer Upper" on HGTV on my tv...I'm obsessed..its my fave show. Love JoJo & Chip!

The slipcover on the chair in the corner is from SureFit...the chair had seen its last days upholstery wise but I am not in the market for a new chair. I love the slipcover...its washable twill and worked well.

I lightened up all my dark couches with new pillows that bring in the terracotta from the walls and accents. The pillows are from Target's Threshold Line along with the throw.

And just a fun note:  I did this project while working on 100 projects preparing for Alexa's graduation party AND redoing the basement bedroom from drywall to carpet to furniture building for Riley. All in the same week...so why do I tell you this...well one because I'm a total nutjob for taking it on that week. BUT also to show you how easy it was to do and get done...if I can do it...you can do it :)

And because we all love a good BEFORE and AFTER:

BEFORE HIDEOUSNESS

AFTER = FABULOUSNESS!!

TOTAL COST - $180
Have you rehabbed or redone any furniture lately?
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Entering into these Linky Parties:

Domestic Superhero
Practically Functional
AKA Design - Weekend Re-Treat
The Dedicated House - Before & Afters
Hit Me With Your Best Shot/ Just A Girl
The DIY Dreamer
The DIY Party
Amaze Me Monday

Crazy Woman!

Crazy Woman and the Hot Mess!

This is not pretty friends...take a deep breath and walk with me...

These are the stairs to our finished basement...the first half of them.

Lovely yes?

Here is the landing and the rest of the stairs leading down to the basement foyer.

More lovely yes?

Here is the basement foyer and my one cat Snowbell...she looks about as

thrilled as I am currently with the state of things.

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That's what I call a hot mess folks...state of un-doneness...in limbo...in between project mess!

I have been wanting to rid this area of cream berber carpet for YEARS...cream carpet with teens and 8 animals...NUTSY I tell ya!  It was always dirty looking even 10 mins after steam cleaning it ugh!

We didn't choose it, it was already in when we bought the house half finished.  But there has always been something else to put $$ towards or do elsewhere you know.  One of THOSE kinda things!

Until Suzanne got fed up one day after cleaning it and a cat promptly went down and PUKED, yeah 8 animals ain't pretty folks I tell ya!  Some days I yell and scream WHYYYYY and then I see their cute faces and remember. BUT for a moment I want to chase them all out of the house immediately or put them in a bubble so they can't touch anything!

One pile of old carpet and pad...I'm sure trash guys weren't thrilled with me today!

 

So I started ripping carpet like a woman gone mad! I'm pretty sure I was muttering and cussing while doing this as NONE of the animals were around...and they are nosy lil' butts...but they were SCARED..I had crazy woman face on and they KNOW to stay far, far away ;)

Then the hubster came home and the look on his face...well it was just priceless.

He says "sooooo did you get in a fight with the stairs and carpet or what?" ahahaha...I said "oh yeah and I FINALLY won".  I think I won...will let you know when I'm all done!

So he took it upon himself to finish the nasty job for me yesterday morning...love him!

Saved me my pain in my back that's for sure.

Sooooo do I have a plan...puh-leeze...of course I do (cue hubby's scared face).

It involves a sander and some other fun supplies...so you have to wait to see what I'm doing.

Hope to have it complete in 2 weeks...that is my goal anywho.  And that includes repainting the hallways in a shade just a hair lighter, repainting trim and caulking and hanging new photos along with the stair fix...lots to do...sighhhhh..but I know I will love it when its done yes????

Until then we live with the hot mess ;)

Ever get sooooo fed up with something you just charge and start ripping or reorganizing right that moment??  I've had many of those moments lately!

Room Makeovers!

First Floor Overhaul

After 7 years in this house I'm feeling the need for some change.  I've been so busy the past few years with my work and travel and just life in general that I got lackadaisical with what I did when we first moved in.  But now I'm ready for CHANGE (cue hubby groaning lol)!

First rooms to be hit are the Dining Room and Laundry Room!

Then next are the Study and Powder Room and maybe Living Room.

DINING ROOM

Red is my favorite color and I've almost always had a red dining room, it appeals to me and its elegant.  But now I feel at this phase of my life I need to lighten things up a bit, I already got rid of the dark rug in this room.  This is one of the first rooms you see when you come in my house and it gets great light so it was ok to be darker but now I need even more light.  My table and buffet were an anniversary present from Ethan Allen over 14 years ago from my hubby and its in great shape as we seriously don't eat in this room much.  Its a shame I know but it at least needs to be a pretty room.

Coastal elegance and lighter neutrals are appealing to me right now.

So I'm thinking about this kind of look for my dining room:

So I've already picked the paint color from Benjamin Moore and bought a few new accessories and will be hitting up Habitat Restore for some shutters that I want to add to the room.  A longer buffet may be coming in that is a painted piece and current buffet will be getting some shelves over it and moved to the shorter wall.  Lots of ideas slowly coming together.  Can't wait to share the final view with you all soon!

 scored from Kirklands for $20 each

Pottery Barn Jug

Lamp from Stein Mart for $20 along with some Annie Sloan chalk paint

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LAUNDRY MUD ROOM

ACK!!! RIGHT? Please don't judge me by this mess heehee it is NOT representative of most rooms in my house.  This room has never really been "done" like the other rooms.  Its totally utilitarian and not pretty in the least and its a dumping ground for EVERYTHING.  It sits directly behind my kitchen and in front of garage entrance.  I spend a lot of time in here and I'm SICK OF IT LOL!  Time for it to be pretty now :)

Step 1 was to clear it out and clean it up and organize it!

I have a ton of cabinets in here that weren't being used to the best of their ability so I focused on that first.  Then a good scrub down was in order so that it now looks like this:

That long wall on the left will be getting a batten-board treatment and hooks about 3/4s of the way up.  I have bought all the boards and my nail gun so as soon as I paint the upper halves of the wall and the other walls I can get that started.  I have no issue handling tools much to hubby's chagrin and I'm a total DIY girl, I like getting my hands dirty :) 

 Behind the sink the walls will be getting a fun treatment as well

and hubby is installing a deeper sink for me...I groom the doggies in this sink

and its just not deep enough for baths right now.  I'm also getting a new faucet with a higher bend and spray nozzle.  Those lower cabinets are getting painted with Annie Sloan chalk paint as well to lighten it up more.

I can't really have a countertop on top of my washer/dryers but I have 

bought a few cute baskets that will be used.

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Inspiration Pics:

My batten board will resemble this...3/4s of the way up with a slim ledge and hooks

Similar color on the walls...I wanted the color of a pale sky.

Completely pretty & organized.

So that's what I will be working on over the next couple of weeks!  Still searching for a few things and trying not to rush it...I want to enjoy the process and find the perfect accessories that agree with the image in my head :)  

So stay tuned!