A Booth & a Dresser

Hey there everyone! It has been too long. Between working full time & the day to day stresses of life, I started neglecting my blog. Shame on me!

Things have been exciting around here recently. Hubby & I became vendors at De'France Antiques and Collectibles in Fort Walton Beach! I have been over the moon. Its so exciting to be able to follow my dreams & passions.

Current Booth

Original Booth

That being said, we've had A LOT of extra DIYing going on to keep up with the demands of the booth. I'm pretty sure our neighbors think we are nuts with all of the loads of furniture coming in & out of the house.

Here is my most recent furniture makeover. This dresser was actually a gift from Micah. I loved the wood tone, & it was in very good shape, but I had to give it a little more oomph!

For this beauty, I took out the drawers & used a white spray primer to coat the body so I wouldn't have to do any sanding. Then, I simply painted 3 coats of flat white latex paint over the whole thing. Once that was dry, I used 100 grit sand paper to lightly distress the edges & raised areas. After wiping it down to remove any dust, I applied two layers of clear furniture wax {buffing in between}. I'm still planning on adding a little extra something to the recessed areas on top two drawers, but its lovely as is.

It now has found its perfect spot in our master. I am itching to get my hands on our other dresser, but its going to have to wait a bit.

So what do y'all think of my newest furniture addition?! 

Also, hubby & I would L-O-V-E it if you would go "like" our new Facebook page for our booth. Its called Southern Vintage, & I promise y'all with love it!

Shabby to Chic

Have you ever had something in your house that you didn't just love, but it was free & useful, so you kept it? Even though it was U-G-L-Y {"You ain't got no alibi!"}? That was the predicament that I was in with these practical baskets under our coffee table. The one on the left is a very nice rattan one from my dorm room days that currently houses our growing board game collection. The little beauty on the right {ugh} is something that ended up in my apartment after my grandmother's open heart surgery a couple of years ago. It served its purpose as a snack basket for my family at the hospital then wound up with me. Its a great basket, don't get me wrong & perfect for DVD storage, just not the prettiest. And I was not loving the way it looked when paired with the other. So what is a DIYing girl to do? Spray paint it of course!!

I perused the very limited spray paint aisle at Walmart & decided on Krylon's Global Blue in a glossy finish. {Disclaimer: While I love the way it turned out, I don't love the color with the rest of my living room. I'm planning on repainting it in a red, I just haven't found the time yet!}

I made sure to wipe the basket down with a damp cloth to remove dust & pet hair {thanks Zinga}. Then I took it outside, laid down some newspaper, & went to town. I used the entire can just to make sure that I had good coverage. I sprayed the inside of the basket, as well. I let it dry a full day, since the humidity down here in Florida is worse than Hades. 

To make it coordinate better with the other rattan basket, I added burlap to the handles. I doubled up a piece & cut it down to size. Using my hot glue gun I kept burning the you-know-what out of my fingers carefully wrapped & glued the burlap. To help keep it attached {because it was kind of refusing to lay down in some areas} I tied thin strips on each edge. 

At first, I liked the bows.  

Then, decided to cut off the tails to make it a little more streamlined & not so "country-ish". 

And there ya go! A totally new looking basket for only $3!! Plus it brings a pop of color to the space. As soon as I find the time {& the rain lays off down here} I'm going to repaint it to match my vision a little better. And, of course, I'll post an update!!

Sunday Social: Week 9

I know I've been kinda MIA here lately, & I've really been slacking on my Sunday Social linkups with Ashley & Neely…. because I'm a working woman now!! So, I've been trying to figure out how to balance everything with my new work schedule. But, when I saw that this week's linkup was about all things FALL, I knew I had to make time!! This is something that me & Micah have actually been talking about lately. The heat down here in Florida is wearing on us, & we are so ready for cooler, crisper weather! 

{What is your favorite fall activity?}

Bonfires! There's nothing better than sitting around a fire, making s'mores, breaking out the guitars, & having a good time. The first night me & Micah had our first date we were at a bonfire! That's also how we spent the night before our rehearsal dinner. :)

{Do you follow a football team? If so, which one and why?}

I don't necessarily follow any football teams, but my husband & pretty much every other member of my family follow the Tennessee Vols & the Tennessee Titans, so I kinda follow them, too. Hubs is a UT alumni. Enough said. 

{What is something fun about fall in your area?}

Well, right now we are in Florida, & apparently Fall doesn't really happen down here… sadly. But at home {around the Nashville area}, there's always high school football games, pumpkin patches, & hay rides. 

{What are your favorite fall outfit staples?}

My Fall clothing staples are very simple. Boyfriend cardigans, scarves, & boots. Pair those 3 with skinny jeans, leggings, or dresses & the options are limitless. 

{What things are you looking forward to most about this coming fall season?}

Some sort of break from this Florida heat!! I'm really going to miss Fall in Tennessee, but we are going to make the best of it down here. Hopefully, we will be able to catch some football games. And if we are really lucky, it will get chilly enough for a bonfire! Also, Halloween. I love dressing up & carving pumpkins!

{What is your favorite fall holiday? Traditions?}

I love Halloween, like I said, but my favorite Fall holiday has to be Thanksgiving. The food, the family. I love it all. My favorite tradition that goes with it is my family's cutthroat game of Uno!

You're the Only Ten I See

Hello y'all & happy Friday! I've been slowly working on a collage wall for our living room {which is why I still haven't posted about it yet}. Its still a work in progress, but I'm very pleased with how its coming along!

There are tons & tons of fabulous free printables available online, & I finally decided to take advantage of them. Hubby & I both are from Tennessee & have lots of state pride, so what better way to honor that than some state art for said collage wall?! 

I downloaded this free state printable from Q.A. Design, which also offers every other state as well as many countries. 

Now, I love me some Rocky Top Orange, just not so much in my living room, so I used Picnik to tweak the colors a bit to match with our decor better. 

I printed my final image at Walgreens as a 5x7, which cost me under $2. The frame is from Walmart, costing under $2 as well, & the mat I already had. 

Which brings this lovely little project to a grand total of a whopping $4!!

"Are you from Tennessee? 'Cause you're the only ten I see!"

Coffee Table Overhaul

Today, I thought I'd give y'all a little sneak peak at our living room via the coffee table that I painted for it! 

Micah ended up being able to move out of barracks while he was at Fort Bragg last year, so when I went for a visit during my summer break, I helped him get some furniture. Knowing that anything he bought had the potential to end up in our 1st place together, I wasn't going to let him buy just anything! I found a matching coffee & end table {& a couch} listed on Craigslist all for $100. What a steal, huh?! We have since then gifted the couch away, but the tables made the trip to Florida. They originally caught my eye because of the shape & style. I wanted something with a slatted top & a bit decorative on the legs that would lend itself to shabby chic style. The oak color wasn't ideal, but I knew that was an easy fix. 

Once we got all of our stuff down here & the house set up, this was my first project to tackle. This pieces are both very solid. We aren't entirely sure what they are made of, though. The top had a thick layer of some sort of laminate on it, but it looks like real wood underneath. It's a mystery. 

My plan at 1st was to use Micah's palm sander to take off the top layer of whatever & then stain it with a satin Walnut stain/poly I purchased at Wal Mart. To say that didn't work would be a huge understatement. It took me 45 minutes to get one little board sanded. My plan changed quickly. I went back to Wally World & got some dark brown paint in a satin finish {just the cheapest interior kind they had}. 

I dragged the heavy beasts outside on top of an old sheet & gave them both a light hand sanding. I flipped them over on their tops & 1st painted the bases with Krylon Cream spray paint in a satin finish. It took 3-4 cans to get both evenly coated. After I was satisfied with the legs, I turned them right side up. Using a wide sponge brush, I painted the tops with my brown paint. 3 coats was perfect. I probably could have gotten away with 2 because the paint covered really well, but I wanted to be safe. Once that was dry, Micah & I used the stain that I had bought for the tables over the paint to deepen the color a bit & to provide a bit of protection for the paint since it had poly in it as well.

As a centerpiece, I've displayed our wedding photo book {which I made on Shutterfly}, 'K' coasters from Bed Bath & Beyond {which were a wedding gift}, & a Bean Pod candle {They are soy candles & clean burning! This was also a gift. Plus they smell ah-mazing!}. I've been looking for a tray as well, but haven't been able to find the perfect one yet. 

We use the baskets underneath the coffee table as storage for our board games {Scrabble is our FAVE.} & for movies & Micah's Xbox games. I've been toying with the idea of painting them since they don't match at all. What do y'all think about that?

The piece of pottery that hold our wedding book was also a wedding gift from my dad's cousin & was made by her daughter, Lee. Not only is is exceptionally beautiful, you can use it like a casserole dish as well! How awesome is that?! All of her pieces are handmade. Check out her Facebook page for more pictures of her work!

This was just the facelift these tables needed! I'm all about two tone furniture & contemporary shabby chic right now. The end table looks just like this, as well, but I didn't want to give too much of my big living room reveal away! The best part is this project cost under $30 & only took a few hours! Can't beat that. 

Sunday Social: Week 6

I can't believe that I almost forgot to put up this week's Sunday Social post! Shame on me. 

Its been a busy, yet very fun day. We decided to take advantage of today's gorgeous weather & adventured out on Micah's Harley. We ended up in Pensacola which is a little over an hour from us. The adventure really kicked in when we realized that we both were sunburnt (I can't believe we didn't think about sunscreen!!!!), then we got caught in an afternoon storm while trying to get home. Did you know that riding through rain on a motorcycle is actually very painful?! The adventure culminated with our 2 mile exploration of a small park/wildlife refuge here in Niceville & lots of blisters for me. Busy day, huh? But it was beautiful. 

Now onto the linkup!!

1. What is the best trip you've ever been on?I'd have to say that it was our honeymoon to Charleston, SC. We stayed in a historic Bed & Breakfast right in the middle of the historic downtown district. It was AMAZING. I'm a huge history buff, plus the architecture it gorgeous as well. It was very romantic & relaxing. 

2. What is your best idea for a girls weekend trip?Maybe a weekend at the beach? That's definitely how I would've previously answered, but now that I live 15 minutes from the beach its changed that a smidge! 
3. What is your best idea for a couples trip?Somewhere secluded. Micah loves the mountains, so I think a cabin in the mountains in the Fall would be pretty ideal for us. {Especially since we are living so close to the beach right now.} Plus, the first trip we ever took together was to a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia with some friends. 

4. What is the best vacation on the cheap?I think that really depends on where you live… For us, the cheapest is driving 20 minutes to Fort Walton Beach to stay at Micah's family's condo when its not rented out!
5. What is the place you most want to visit?ITALY. Specifically, Florence. The Renaissance is my favorite era for art history, & I'd love to visit there.

 Also, pretty much all of Europe. Other than Italy, Ireland & Scotland at the others at the top of my list. Both Micah & myself have Irish/Scottish heritage {my maiden name is Ferguson}, so we'd love to see where our families came from. 

6. What are your vacation necessities?Regardless of where I'm going, a book or my Kindle is on the list. The others need to be broken down by type of vacation. Beach: a big floppy hat, SPF 50 {that's where that Scottish heritage bites me in the behind},  a comfy beach chair, & lots of floaty dressesCabin: anything & everything flannel, leggings, & boots
As always, I look forward to next week's linkup!!

After: Our Foyer

Hey y'all! I feel like its been too long since I've posted another installment of the "after" of our little place. I know my parents are dying to see more! So, I thought I'd post a few pictures of our small entryway. It might be tiny, but I think it gives a great 1st impression & also works double duty as a bit of storage. 

There was a very slight alcove right by the stairs, & it was just asking for something to be put there! I was keeping my eye out for something on Craigslist. One night, I came home & there was a solid wood {albeit, slightly dirty} bookcase there! Turns out, Micah scouted it on the side of the road, just like he did with the nightstand for our guest room. Another "dumpster chic" piece. And totally FREE!! After a good cloroxing & wipe down with some Pledge, it was good to go. 

Most of the decor items are things that were previously in my college apartment. The exceptions are the 'Good Friends, Good Times' sign & the decorative plate. Both were wedding gifts & came from a boutique called Half Moon Bay in my hometown. 

This candelabra is super special to me. We used this & other similar candelabras as centerpieces for our wedding reception.

This area also functions as storage for Ella & Zinga's toys {in the cream basket}, our shoes, rain jackets, Micah's very worn Atlanta Braves hat, keys, wallets, my purse {that's from TJ Maxx, if anyone was wondering}, & my 'Indiana Jones satchel' {as Micah calls it} for when we ride his Harley. You can also see a glimpse of our 'Harry Potter door'. Yes, that is right. We actually have a cupboard under our stairs. Although, no, we do not have a wizard nephew that we stash there. 

So there is it! I'm really pleased with the arrangement. The wood finish works great right now, but I'm itching to paint it eventually. We will see how that turns out. What do y'all think?!