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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The Happy Graduate!

Here's our 2014 Graduate....Alexa...she's pretty happy!

She graduated with top honors and we are so proud of all her accomplishments!!

Graduation was at 10 am on Monday...outside..in the 97 degrees plus humidity.
Let's just say we all were a bit sunburned, wilted and heat exhausted afterwards.
But it was a nice ceremony and Alexa is now a college freshmen...oy vey.
She will be at the University of South Carolina in August studying Marine Biology.

Alexa & James

Her dress is from Nordstroms here in ivory (I got it in the black lol)....those are my shoes she borrowed ;)

James, Alexa and me!
Dress is from Loft here (its navy) paired with hot pink Kate Spade bow belt
and Michael Kors heels.  I LOVE this dress and the way it fits!

Alexa with both her grandmas before the ceremony...my mom is on left and James' mom is on right.

We took these in the morning before we left for the 10 am ceremony and thank goodness we did because we had all wilted in the 97 deg heat afterwards LOL!

Alexa's A capella chorus sang a few times during the graduation ceremony.  I didn't start crying till the end when they sang the moving Alma Mater song for their school...then James and I UGLY cried!

Alexa accepting her diploma....there were 400+ kids in her graduating class.

The happy graduate!

Riley & Alexa after the ceremony!

Alexa and her 2 BFFs (Grace & Sophia)...it was so hot that Grace had already shedded her robe LOL!

Alexa and all her friends goofing off at the photobooth at their all-night-grad party LOL!
Gotta love these kids :)

In case you wanna see teens have some good, clean, goofy fun....I encourage you to watch this video of their All Night Grad Party LMBO!  Alexa and her 2 BFFs singing "Dancing Queen" by Abba....I'm still chuckling!

Graduation Party-time!!!

CLASS OF 2014

One of Alexa's Senior Photos

There is a reflection because I could NOT get the darn picture out of the frame today...either I was weak from exhaustion or the frame was having fun with me...grrrrrr!

I know, I know....its been over a week since I've posted...I apologize.

We have had a whirlwind of activities around our house gearing up for graduation and the

graduation party for Alexa that happened this weekend!

PHEW.......

It's all over with...it was an emotional roller coaster, physically exhausting but lots of memories were made and a good time had by all.  Today I'm sharing pics of our Graduation Party that we had on Saturday.  Then this week I will share graduation photos....and project pics for other things I've been working on!

So lots of pictures in this post....but enjoy!!

This was a table I set up in our foyer for the party.  A few pics of Alexa, a place to put gifts/cards, balloons and flowers for the graduation girl.  Also my "KEYS TO SUCCESS".....

I had ordered bulk bags of silver skeleton keys on Amazon and cut tags for them on my Silhouette Cameo.  I used black cardstock because I wanted it to have a chalkboard feel and I had white-gel pens for people to use to write with.  She won't get the jar of keys and tags until we drop her off at college...I wanted her to have something long after the party ended to reminisce on and laugh/cry at.  Some of the tags are silly I'm sure, some are great pieces of advice and some are some tips she may need at some point.  The large jar I got on Amazon too...I liked the lid and size.

I had a lot of food for this party...and I was stressed I wouldn't have enough for the 65+ people.  But I always have too much food....we donated all the leftovers from catering to the local homeless shelter because I didn't want it going to waste.  I had Red Hot & Blue cater pulled pork, baked beans and potato salad....sandwiches from Which Wich...party platters and cake from Wegmans. I made lemonade, fruit salad and desserts.  My mom made 2 platters of Texas Brownies...mmm yum!

This was the beverage station I set up....I made homemade strawberry lemonade and wrapped water bottles with custom wrappers I made.  We had wine and beer and sodas in coolers outside.

I had bought 50 blue mason jars and striped straws for the lemonade...blue was one of the theme colors since Alexa's school colors are blue, white and black.

I had a white cake made by Wegmans and inside was stuffed with fresh strawberries and cream....it was really, really good.  I decorated it myself...hahahaha...the black icing kinda melted a bit but I used a Gamecock decal and some footballs from the Party Store along with sprinkles...it worked.

I didn't get the best pictures of this because I was rushed for time....but I had bulk-ordered small white take-out boxes and made stickers for the front of each.  Then used striped tissue paper to line them and fill half with Kettle Corn and half with Cheddar Popcorn. Then everyone could grab a box and chow down.  Those are my mom's Texas Brownies to the right...mmmm ;)

I had bouquets of white roses and daisies around the house including that lovely centerpiece I had my dad make me.  I keep fresh flowers in it every week.

This is our backyard patio and cabana all decked out for the party.  The coolers were a necessity to hold all the drinks we needed iced down :)  I love my patio because of all the different seating areas and places to be depending on the weather and activity.

My hubs and son helping get ready!  That's my mom's dog Snickers surveying the scene in most pictures LOL (no I didn't get a new dog)!

This is one of my fave little sitting areas as it sits behind the main seating area/fireplace...the butterfly bush and grasses are at edge of patio so there are always hummingbirds and butterflies flitting around. Its kind of hidden and a great place to read and get away.

Alexa with a group of her friends.  The bar to the left is one of two bars..I love the round bar addition because its another great place for seating or food buffet.

My niece, my mom and my sister-in-law.

Alexa and her friends using the photo booth props I ordered and some I had made.

Alexa's BFF Mya came up from Georgia for the party and to see her friends graduate. She grew up with them all but moved at the end of her junior year...was nice she could see everyone!

Alexa opening some of her graduation gifts...the girl made out well...thank you to everyone that sent or gave a gift, we are so happy you were able to come and join us to celebrate her successes and future!

Annnnnddddd...this is what happens at the end of a great day when you are slap-happy and tired!

Alexa and the hubs show their goofy sides ;)
James kept asking Alexa all day if she wanted to "take a selfie" hahahaha and singing "It's the Final Countdown" song to her.  So they had to take a selfie together hahaha!

I will be back on Thursday with Grad Pictures to share......


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