Back to stool

I think one of the best things about garage sale furniture is that you can test out DIY projects and if they go wrong, it is not a big deal because you most likely didn't spend a lot of money on it.

A few months back we tested out a DIY project on this stool from a garage sale.

I don't have a before picture but this is basically what it originally looked like. 

Nothing to write home about, right?

The makeover began with painting the base of the stool. 

Then, we covered the top in some batting and then fabric. 

Using a staple gun, we nailed down the fabric to the stool and trimmed off the excess.

Lastly we added "nail-head" trim around the top, which is really just thumbtacks!

Here it is serving as an end table in our living room:

Hope you have a relaxing LDW!
-Caitlin

Artsy fartsy

A few months ago I bought these prints from this Etsy shop:

Mai Autumn

It felt good to support an artist from my home state of NJ and I was happy with the prints when they arrived in the mail however they never quite made it up on the wall. Between moving into our house and the summer starting up, they were tossed aside in a storage closet.

Mai Autumn

That was until my sister called me asking for some help with decorating her new apartment in the city. So I packed up my car with a few extra things that I didn't mind giving her including this tray. When she also mentioned needing something to hang above her new couch, I decided these prints would work.

 And the nicest sister award goes to...Just kidding. :)

As for framing the prints, I had two of these frames that I found at a garage sale last year for about 5 bucks a piece (including the glass and some really ugly prints).

But they were showing some wear and tear.

.If you can see below, this one had a water stain on the fabric.

So I busted out some Annie Sloan chalk paint and painted the frames, even the fabric part 

(see what else I've painted with Annie Sloan here, here, here, and here).

I also distressed them a bit too with sand paper.

Here are the prints hung up in her apartment:

They look great with the furniture and accessories in the room. I don't have a shot of it all together (boo) but I do have this close-up of some of the pillows and (part of) the couch so you can get an idea:

And check out this view she and her boyfriend have from their balcony:

Jealous!

By the way, the same Etsy shop is running a 40% off sale for a limited time in case some of her art speaks to you. 

Here are a few other prints from the shop that I was admiring:

Mai Autumn

Mai Autumn

Mai Autumn

Do you have any favorite Etsy art shops?

- Caitlin

Urge to purge

Those that know me know that I am a little bit of an organization freak.
I don't function well in chaos and mess so every once and a while I toss out the clutter, junk, and excess around me.
Doing so makes me feel so much more better and together.
Here's a short list of how I did it recently:

All of this stuff below was either expired, had stuff growing in it, or was practically empty. We also had about three bottles of ketchup (that I combined) and four opened jars of tomato sauce. So not necessary.

A quick purge of the fridge was very refreshing.
Now there is more room and I can actually see what is in there.

I am a serious clothes purger. I think there are only two articles of clothing that I still own from college (one of which is my college sweatshirt). I just like to get rid of stuff that just sits in my closet and replace it with things that I love.

Here's what I purged this go around:



 I usually bring the clothes to a consignment shop and with the money I make from there, I treat myself to something new and that I'll actually wear!

Digging through a purse can be so annoying!
I try to go through mine every so often and get rid of the receipts, expired coupons, empty gum packets, etc. Having it cleaned out makes me feel much more organized and together.

Here's a screenshot of my e-mail.
 Ahhhh I love having NO messages in my inbox.
Recently I deleted all of my e-mails and put the important ones in folders.
I also took a few minutes to unsubscribe to all of the junk mail.
I don't know why but I find it liberating!

- Caitlin

It's five o'clock somewhere.

In our guest house there is a hidden corner that had a mini fridge.

Had. 

Past tense. 

Chris swiped it and put it in the garage a.k.a. "his space".

 You can bet it isn't filled with waters!

Since it was looking bare, I decided to set it up as a dry bar using things we already had.

These flags might look familiar. I made and used them as decoration for Chris' birthday party.

I picked up this pitcher at a garage sale last weekend and the candle was a gift.

This antler bottle opener is from Anthropologie.

We had this frame hanging in the finished attic of our last place.

It came from a garage sale and the mat was yellow so using a foam roller, I painted it navy blue.

These pictures are from vacation last summer in Martha's Vineyard.

Good times!

Chris found this moose bottle opener on eBay for less than five bucks.

Now I'm in the mood for a cocktail. It's five o'clock somewhere, right?

:)

The first of Friday Fashion Fix

Just as I love a deal when it comes to buying something for the house, the same goes for buying clothes. 

I don't think you need to break the bank in order to make your home and self look good.

Every other Friday I hope to share some clothing steals and deals that I come across like these shorts below:

They can be found here from Forever 21.

I've paired them with this necklace and this jean jacket from J.Crew Factory.

The shorts are super comfy and held up fine in the washing machine.

Just don't put them in the dryer though--they'll definitely shrink.

This one always makes me laugh. So true!

In what stores do you find good deals?

I'd love to hear it!

Have a great weekend!

-Caitlin