Winning Streak

This week has been really good to me. The Husband surprised me with this, my friend confirmed she’s moving back to town and I won the Young House Love giveaway! We also finally got around to hanging our mirror in the dining room and the man cave was cleared out for an upcoming project. It may or may not involve chalkboard paint and used new furniture. I think the animals are going to have to  pick up some paintbrushes and make themselves more useful this time around. The Husband’s patience with my painting projects is wearing thin.

Hang Mirror, Buy More Stuff: Check and Check

Last night we hung the mirror in the dining room. “We” meaning our neighbor’s son who we call on to do the stuff we can’t bear doing ourselves. That mirror is heavy and it needed to be earthquake-proofed. Sorry Husband, but I don’t trust you to earthquake-proof anything over 35 lbs. The space is coming together…slowly, but remember what it looked like before. I’m cringing.

Also, if you didn’t already know, I’m a hunter gatherer of  bar cart accessories. Remember when I fell in lust with this tortoise shell ice bucket and these blue tumblers? I found cheap alternatives with the same effect. Next on the list, a brass ice bucket.

(Pier One blue and tortoise tumblers)

(Yes, I like to stare at Brad Pitt’s aging face whilst eating)

Dining Room: Before & After

The dining room isn’t finished yet, but it has come a long way since redoing our floors a few months ago. The new rug I ordered was delivered yesterday and it’s so much less depressing than the red one (see below). The big pieces are in place, but there’s a lot of styling left to do. As promised, here are a couple premature before and after photos.

(Before)

(After)

I switched out our old Ikea chairs with the lucite ones to make the room look bigger, painted the mirror, brought in a bar cart I found on Craigslist and replaced the rug. It’s almost pretty enough to start eating in.

Nostalgia

My vanity mirror was tucked to the brim with photos when I was in high school. Those were the days before digital cameras when we actually had to develop photos to see them.

(Image via Country Living)

Under 18 Not Allowed

It’s always a nice boost to your self esteem when your husband has to buy the spray paint because you don’t have the identification to prove you’re over 18. Home Depot really takes the war on drugs and graffiti seriously. After three trips, we were finally able to complete the mirror project.

Here’s a shot of the mirror pre-paint job. Extremely ominous right?

The first order of business was taping the mirror so I wouldn’t have to scrape any paint off later. Unlike my usually hasty self, I took my time and made sure every centimeter was covered.

And then onto the sanding. The lovely Husband decided it was in his best interest to stop watching and start helping at this point.

Three coats and 24 hours later, the final product. I can finally breathe easy.

There’s still much left to do in the dining room like hang the mirror and get a new rug, but I’m another step closer so I’m happy. And this particular project only cost about $15 dollars so the Husband is happy too.

Lady of the House

Between consuming copious amounts of alcohol and eating “American” this Labor Day weekend, I failed to complete my mirror project. But I did buy the spray paint so I guess that’s a good start no?

I also picked up a few decorative items while the Husband was home studying on Monday. My favorite find…this ram head from Z Gallerie on sale for $18! I call him Lady Antebellum. I couldn’t be more proud of a sale item than if I’d birthed him from my own womb. 

(Photo: Z Gallerie)