Hello Again! A Fall Table Setting

(the give-away is closed as of 10-17-16)

Wow, hello!  I've been on somewhat of a hiatus and it is so good to be back!  I have mostly been enjoying family time and working on a few projects these past few months - can you believe it is already October!?!  Cray-cray!

Speaking of projects, the one place in my house that I like to change up with the seasons is my dining room table, and I usually do change it about 4 - 5 times a year.  It's the first room guests see when they walk through the front door so it is always fun to dress it up.  :)

Here is how it looked last Christmas - I have a small artificial tree that I bought at Walmart for $10. Our big tree is in the family room you can't see it from the street, so this little tree in the dining room in the front of the house looks so cute!  I use vintage ornaments, mostly found at the Country Living Fair, to give it an old-fashion look. It makes a great centerpiece!

Then I switched it up after the first of the year and made it look it little more spring-like.  We also bought the faux cowhide rug that absolutely completes the room~~ :)

Toward the end of summer I felt like I had to "quiet" the room.  I just needed to put the plates and chargers, glasses and silverware away and simplify the table for a bit.  So I opted for a simple centerpiece of tray/plant/driftwood/metal bust. Perfect.

But now it's fall and to feel all warm and cozy I wanted to take it up a notch! The only things I bought were the little pumpkins - everything else were things I already had on hand..

You can find little pumpkins at the grocery store; the goblets were thrift store finds.  My husband found the copper vessel sticking out of a pile of rubbish at a house he was renovating - score!

These adorable little fox salt & pepper shakers were a gift from a friend who "just couldn't resist them!"  Thanks, Micheal! 

I used the large platter that I found at the Country Living Fair last year to hold everything for the centerpiece. The small fox plates are from Walmart last year; the napkins are at least 25 years old (!); the white dinner plates are from Target.

I really love doing this - and even though I live with a bunch of guys, the gesture doesn't go unnoticed..  they actually said "hey, that looks nice!"

I hope you enjoyed my table-through-the-seasons!  Now, would you like two free passes to the Country Living Fair?  Thanks to Stella Show Management, the company that manages the event, I have two Early Bird tickets to give away!  Here are more details on the Fair:

COUNTRY LIVING FAIR RETURNS TO ATLANTA, GA OCTOBER 21-23

Tickets:

• One day admission is $13 in advance and $16 at the door; three-day weekend passes are available for $15 in advance and $20 at the door;
• An Early Bird three-day weekend pass is available for $40 and grants early admission at 8:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday;
• Free admission for children ages 16 and under.

Hours: Friday, Saturday & Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; gates open for Early Bird ticket holders at 8:30 a.m. Friday & Saturday.

Location: Held rain or shine outdoors, the Fair takes place in the Event Meadow on the grounds of Stone Mountain Park, a scenic recreation area 16 miles east of downtown Atlanta [Exit 8 off of U.S. Highway 78]. Regular parking fees apply daily.

To enter just leave a comment here or email me at ktfox425@gmail.com and let me know one fun thing you do in the fall.  I will announce the winner on Monday, October, 17, 2016.  I hope you can make it - I'm going to be there and I'm going to "shop til I drop!"

**Give-away is closed and the winner has been emailed**

Linking up with Thrifty Decor Chic!

Love,

Spring Table!

Ahhh spring is in the air!  We have had several days of perfect weather and it has lifted everyone's spirits!  Today we are back to overcast and rainy, but we need the rain for things to grow, right?

I love setting the table in the dining room and pretending I'm having some girlfriends over for a wonderful, lazy-day brunch.  I usually get the urge a few times a year - (summer, fall, winter, spring..maybe??)  It's fun to pull out some dishes and we don't use everyday and make the table look special.  So here's my take on a spring table setting~~

These little bird salt & pepper shakers came with my hubby when I married him.. isn't that sweet?  He actually picked these up somewhere (probably a yard sale) and decided to bring them home one day - love it!

Fresh berries in little sundae cups to start.. then you'll have to imagine the rest of the food ;)  (And, can you see the very cool bronze bust right there on the buffet?  Scored that at Atlanta ReStore! I love it!)

I have so much fun setting a table - finding different pieces to go together, like the ceramic rooster and the small rooster & chicken plates.  The plates were a gift on Christmas from my bestie :)  I found Mr. Rooster at a thrift store (surprise, surprise).

I really enjoy this room, too - in case you hadn't noticed...

Here's the place setting - it's made up of stuff from all over -

The gold flatware just came back into my life after a long time away.  I'm holding onto it for my daughter.  A search of the interwebs came up with nothing similar.  Gold flatware is out there - just none with this shape/pattern
Corn husk place-mat - Wal-Mart - $3 each!
Black & white charger was also a gift from my bestie a few years back - she found them at Hobby Lobby
White dinner plate - Threshold at Target - $5
Red rooster plate - found in Blueridge, GA
Tiny bowl - Pier One has them all day long - $1.50 - I used them in my fall table setting

You know, I really should just call the friends and ACTUALLY have them over, right?  I mean, the table is set.. all I really to do is make a yummy breakfast casserole to go with the fresh fruit, make mimosas, and we are set! 

Hope your first weekend of spring is a good one!  I'll be back soon with more updates on the kitchen renovation :)

Love,

Linking up with My Passion For Decor

 
Sharing and linking up to That DIY Showoff Party!

Fall Table Setting

I hope you're not tired of seeing my dining room!  Today I wanted to share my fall table setting with you~~  almost everything on the table is something I already had in my house.  I usually don't take the time to do a pretty table setting, so this makes me happy :) 

I just found the little birds and the feathers last weekend up in Braselton, GA, while thrift store shopping with my bestie.  The little birds have a burlap texture and are so adorable.

Just A Little Fiddle {Leaf Fig}

A few months ago I jumped on the fiddle leaf fig train and bought a small one for $10 over at Home Depot.  I have kept it in the dining room right in front of the window.  I was concerned about killing it (because basically i kill most plants) so I reached out and asked my Instagram peeps if they had any tips.

Brandi at Don't Disturb This Grove linked me up to a picture of her fiddle that she had shared on her Instagram - don't over water!  Look for the signs! She said "For my fiddle-leaf fig friends: See the droopy leaf on the left, that's when I know it's time for water. I wait for that signal and it's worked for me so far!" See her fiddle below - see the bent leaf on the left? 

The Dining Room Table Update :: It's Done!

I talked about the beginning of this make-over on the blog here.. and now for the rest of the story...

As I lamented to a friend over a Facebook pic of my dining room table that it had taken almost 2 months to get this thing done, he sweetly reminded me that "oh, you know, you did have that foot surgery thing going on..but no biggie!"

And he was right.  I DID have some surgery on my foot which kept me off my feet for three weeks.  Nothing scary or anything, but I could not walk on my foot for three. whole. weeks.  I used a knee roller, or they also call it a scooter.  It's not real conducive to painting or any type of household DIY.  I was basically shut down.

Painting the Old Dining Room Table

Hello all!  I am excited to show you my latest project! When we blended households back in the summer of 2009 I threw a table cloth over this cheap table in the dining room and called it day.

I figured I would buy a new one in a few months and until then this guy was fine with the table cloth on it.  Well, you know the best laid plans...

We kept on using the ugly table....  But actually, it works really well!  It has two big leaves so it stretches to hold up to 12 people (albeit tightly) and it's sturdy.  Here it is last Thanksgiving all stretched out and gussied up!

I realized I probably couldn't replace it cheaply.  Too bad this one was just so ugly.  I mean, it's pressed board with some kind of plastic finish (??) and the edge is rubbery.. bleck!

I decided to go ahead and paint it.  I figured if it turned out awful then I was no worse off. I could still throw the table cloth over it, right?  And then save my pennies and buy a better one down the road.

My hubby took it apart and carried it to the garage. I started by just sanding the heck out of the top with my new Ryobi sander (he had to buy me one because his was at a job site.. oh well!) and that was pretty fun.  I used the sander the best I could on the base - it was a little bit tricky because of the tube-like design. The only real wood on this table is the very bottom of the base!

I wiped it off real well then started priming with Kilz.  I sprayed, let it dry for over an hour, then lightly sanded with a block sander.  Then I applied a second coat and repeated the drying/sanding.  I did this over one weekend.

The next weekend my hubby started painting with Rustoleum Heirloom White - the same color we used on the dining room chairs.  Well, some parts came out great, but others came out not so great.  I'm not sure if it was too hot or dry outside, but the top is very splotchy and uneven, and also very bumpy/grainy feeling.  We ran out of time and energy that weekend, then went to the lake with the whole entire family the next weekend.. and we haven't gone back to work on it.

We need to sand and put on a second coat.  He's thinking about getting a can of the Heirloom White and rolling the top?  Or maybe spraying it with his big sprayer like he did the dining room buffet.  Either way, it won't be getting done this weekend either... I'm having some dumb surgery on my left foot and won't be allowed to walk on it for three weeks. yay. -_-

So, here it sits.  Dining room's a mess.  Who knows... maybe I can just get him to finish it while I call out orders from the couch!  I can dream can't I??  hehe  Do you ever start a project and then just can't seem to finish it?  Do you walk by it every day and it drives you crazy?  **Heavy sighhhh**

UPDATE:  See the finished table here!

Sharing at That DIY Party - always a bunch of cool projects!

Love,
Kelli

From Boring to Swanky! :: Dining Room Chairs Update

It's feast or famine around here folks.. I think you probably are used to it though, right?  I have so many things I want to write about, tell about, shout about! But the reality is that my life gets in the way sometimes.. ANYway.. I have good stuff to share!

I bought these chairs from the company where I work - they did a big re-decorating thing a couple of years ago and they sold them to me for $5 each.  (You really never know where you'll find your next bargain!) They have been living in my pink dining room..

They reminded me of my red dining room chairs so I thought they would be great companions!  I shared on Instagram about finally starting to work on these dining room chairs back here... then, in late March we painted them. Of course I had to take them apart in the yard... with my Shaw Carpets tool swag from HAVEN Conference!

I roughed them up a bit with some steel wool pads, wiped them down real good, then Hubby primed them with Kilz, then painted them with Rustoleum's Heirloom White.

I went back and forth about painting them a bright white or a more creamy white.. in the end I went with the slightly creamer version of the Heirloom White because it matched the fabric to a T.
 

 Primed

Primed on the left, painted on the right

In the picture above the creamy white looks a little yellow-y, but it doesn't read that way in the house.

The fabric is Premier Prints Towers Onyx Natural from Online Fabric Store.  Last year I attended the HAVEN Conference for DIY Bloggers and Online Fabrics Store was a sponsor.  They gifted a yard of fabric and a yard of burlap to EACH attendee!  So generous!  And I'm finally using my gift on my chair seats :)  I just covered right over the old fabric using my hand-held staple gun.

 Old original fabric

When you're covering right over old fabric it is really the easiest thing - the hard part is getting the corners tight.  A friend taught me how to get a nice tight corner.  When you are stapling along the straight edges, staple right up to the corner on either side... (ugh, man hands!!)

Then, gather all of your fabric (and I leave a lot of fabric because you can always cut the excess off later) that is in between those last two staples on either side and pull it tight...

Then I put in three or four (or more if needed) staples over the folds in the material...

When you're finished the corners should be smooth with very little wrinkles.  I didn't like the way one of them looked, so I pulled the staples out and did it again!

I had plenty of fabric and I am seriously in LOVE with how they turned out!  Along with the chairs being finished, I also added a $10 faux sheep skin rug to my piano bench.  I love the warmth it adds to the room, along with that little touch of glamor. 

I am so happy that i finally got these guys finished!  I am looking for some cute red pillows for them, but not having luck finding exactly what I want.  I'm probably going to do some fabric shopping over at Online Fabric Store and just make them myself - that's always more fun anyway :)

One last before and after ~~~

I'm totally in love!  From boring to swanky! Have you ever painted chairs before? Or recovered chair seats?  Do you have special techniques that are tried and true?  Do tell!

Linking up with Thrifty Decor Chic! You have got to check out the great before & afters! And also over at All Things Heart & Home's Twirl & Take a Bow - :)

Love,
Kelli