Decorating/DIY Archives - Page 229 of 269

You may remember this jewel that entered my house about a month ago via the free section of CraigsList.

In fact, I’m positive that if you saw my post back then and my letter to the table’s original “creator”, then you most definitely remember it. How would it be possible to forget such a wonderful collaboration between Britney Spears and Kid Rock? It’s probably seared into your brain, and for that I am sorry.

But…did you ever think it could be reborn as this?

“Wait, what? That’s the same table?” you are asking yourself. Why yes, yes it is.

After stripping, sanding, rebuilding, priming, painting, distressing and sealing, my free Britney Spears coffee table as turned into one of my favorite pieces in my home.

I added new legs and used them to make the table a little taller. I added new dividers, covered them with wainscoting, and edged them with trim. I painted the table with paint left over from the playroom armoire redo. The whole project probably cost me about $40.

I distressed it with a hammer and some sort of nail-type thing I found in the garage.

When adding accessories to my coffee table, I tried to remember the tablescape discussion we had last week. I think I was able to pull off the books-natural element-bowl/plate/tray trifecta pretty well.

I cut some branches off of one of the bushes in our front yard, added them to a glass vase that had come with a floral bouquet years ago, and tied a scrap of burlap around the vase. The books are some of my favorites: a thrift store poetry book and a Texas gardening book on the top and a stack of Pottery Barn decorating books in one of the bottom sections. A little urn filled with acorns sits on top of the Pottery Barn books and a white tray filled with to-be-read magazines sits on the other side. I bought a basket from Target to put in the middle section to collect the random stuff that finds it’s way to the living room. I added a sweet Tiger Stripe pumpkin and a few candles to complete the look.

There’s plenty of space left for feet, board games, computers, dirty socks, school work, and all the other things you guys mentioned that are on top of your coffee tables. Believe it or not, but my child/dogs/husband have not touched ANYTHING on this table once in the past week. NOT ONCE. Go me!

(Please ignore the whole clock/DVR/DVD player situation going on over there. I have big plans for that area, but I have to find the exact right piece to make it work…so I’m waiting.)

What do you think? I LOVE it, and I feel like I have righted a wrong in this world.

I feel like I have earned about a million karma points with this transformation.

I promised that I’d show you some of my Fall decorating when it started feeling more Fall-like around here. Well, that day has finally come! It’s raining (and raining and raining) and quite chilly. I’m wearing fleece pants and a long sleeved t-shirt and loving every minute of snuggling with my son under a down blanket.

Okay, so it’s 57 degrees, but that’s COLD for us!

I don’t go overboard with seasonal decorating since we don’t exactly have four seasons in Central Texas, but I do add some simple touches here and there. The centerpiece on my dining room table is usually the first place I start.

I try to decorate for Fall and Halloween all in one big pumpkin fest. By keeping my seasonal items more neutral in color instead of bright oranges and red, I think I’ve been able to achieve the right balance. We don’t exactly get the bright fall colors in my neck of the woods, so those types of decorations in my home never seem very realistic to me.

Plus, with neutral decor I won’t have to change anything on November 1st, except to take down the light-up ghosts Zack wanted to put in our front yard. I can be kind of lazy, so that totally works for me.

My sweet son brought back the pine cones and sticks for me from his trip to the lake house in Minnesota. While he was there, I completely transformed his room. A mural for some pine cones. An even trade, don’t you think? Sadly enough, I totally thought so.

I picked up the acorns at a rest stop in Alabama when I was visiting my parents earlier this year. Don’t judge me, okay? Our acorns around here are tiny compared to these! And they say everything is bigger in Texas…

I always have white candles on the silver pillar holders we received as a wedding gift. I tied some jute twine around the candles to dress them up a bit. I’m one of those people who only likes white candles, so that’s all you’ll find in my house. Isn’t that weird? White candles only?

The pumpkins and other assorted goodies sit on top of a burlap table runner I threw together one day. I’m going to teach you how to make both the sew and no-sew versions next week. It’s seriously easy, works with most decor, and can be used year around. Oh, and it only cost me about $7.

Do you take a neutral approach to decorating for the Autumn season or do you mix it up with Halloween-themed AND Fall decorations?

The Once ‘Toxic’ Coffee Table

Falling for Neutrals