furniture DIY | Red on the Right

I had a great lesson Sunday, which I am hoping to post about when I get video from a friend, but until then, I have been running around ~~like a chicken with its head cut off~~ trying to get ready for the ~~invasion~~ guests that will be arriving tomorrow.

These guys, plus 1 more human, plus 1 dog

Don’t get me wrong, I love my family. But no one who has ever met my family would say they were boring. I suppose no one thinks their family actually is boring, but sometimes I feel that the individuals that make up my closest relatives have rather a knack for the unusual. Driving London taxis, hiking the Appalachian Trail, and randomly acquiring new species of animals as pets are just three of the most recent activities I can attribute to them.

My sister used to breed hedgehogs. No joke- this was her ‘stud’ hog

In any case, I am doing my best to prepare the house for the inevitable chaos that is to ensue once our house gains 8 more inhabitants. Luckily this means that I have extra incentive to finish the guest rooms, which look like this to date:

The State Room

The Carolina Room

The Carolina room is lacking a mattress (coming soon) and the State room is lacking paint (what oh what do I paint it??). Our study will also be acting as a guest room, since where else can you put 7 people (and a dog).

Study AKA Man Cave AKA Temporary Guest Room

Otherwise, the turkey is ready in the fridge and soon enough the people will be here. Expect a few days away from the computer while we stuff ourselves silly with Thanksgiving goodness. Until then, have a happy Thanksgiving! and God bless!

I love painting. It’s the easiest way to make a big impact on anything: a wall, a piece of furniture, a house…

As I might have mentioned in a previous post, I have been working on refinishing a piece for the Carolina Room. The dresser was part of a set that also included 2 side tables, a massive credenza, and one of the ugliest headboards I have seen. All but the latter now reside in our master bedroom, having been refinished before the move. They were quite obviously several decades old and needless to say, needed some help. All that was left is the dresser, as the others are now painted grey and sanded in a shabby-chic type fashion.

So without further ado, here is the dresser before and after:

OK, so the feet aren’t done, but will be soon! Just need to drag in some protective plastic

Behind the dresser you can also see the color I am thinking of painting the walls. It just so happens to be practically identical (as in when you squint you can’t tell a difference) to the color I put in the guest bath. I guess I just love that color! (And sorry honey, that doesn’t make me a Carolina fan!)

The other slightly bigger project that has been going on for the past week has been the house. While also not quite done (a few touch-ups needed here and there), it’s also far enough along that I think I can share it with you.

Drumroll please….

Front of the house in the strong morning light

The back of the house. The light is playing a few tricks with the color, it’s even in person!

Another view of the house closer up

Granted, it’s hard to really get the color right with my iPhone’s camera, not to mention different times of day, but…No more sad grey house! Gone are the horrid blue shutters! Hooray!

A couple small things are still to be done as well, such as spray painting the light fixture by the door and getting a new kickplate. We also received a *lovely* horse head door knocker as a house warming gift that is going up soon!

Next up is the master bath, which has tile going in as we speak. Lots of changes around here!

So, what do you think? Post your thoughts below 🙂