Before & After: Modern Grey Dining Set

While I may only be dabbling in my furniture painting lately, my hubby seems to have fully jumped onboard. He recently completed this gorgeous dining set, restored from a nasty garage sale find. I'm bummed I didn't take any before photos - he started the project on the sly - but rest assured they were an ugly honey wood frame with stained mustard velvet seats. Ew! 

After some elbow grease, lots of sanding, priming, painting, finishing and re-uphostering - ta da....a fresh and chic dining set that would go with many different decor schemes.

The frames are painted a soft dove grey and the seats are covered in a creamy neutral fabric with a touch of whimsy - polka dots! Here are some pics and if you live in Winnipeg and are interested in purchasing them, they're listed for sale on Kijiji here!

Hope you're all having an amazing week!

Before & After: Rustic Live Love Side Tables

Hi everyone! Long time no blog...I'm enjoying the slow start to 2013, with lots of lazy nights at home, refreshing yoga classes and cooking comfort food to fight off the frigid winter we've been having. How about you?

So I'm very exciting to share a furniture makeover with you - my first one since around wedding time over a year ago! This was a great project to dive back into because it's for someone super special. My amazing friend L is getting married and I knew I wanted to donate furniture for her wedding social. Well, tomorrow is the big day of the social and here's what I did!

I had a set of two simple side tables in storage for a very long time and they were perfect for this project. I gave them a good sanding, primed them and painted them in an allover pale white/grey. Then I trimmed off a border and added a pop of colour with a vibrant turquoise. But it need a little something extra...so I added a little messaging to really make them unique and mirror the new start with L & I's upcoming marriage. A bit of distressing for that rustic look plus a few coats of finish and...voila! I introduce to you the Rustic Live Love Side Tables. I hope they find a fabulous new home tomorrow!

 

Have a fabulous week everyone!

Cobalt layers, yoga challenges and fear

What a month! Just when you think things are going to slow down...well, let's be honest - they really never do right? Not if you want to make time for all the things you love on top of all the things you HAVE to do? 

I'm doing the 30-day Detox Yoga Challenge at my studio and with frigid -30 temperatures, bundling up after dinner to head out into the cold has not been the easiest. But I feel a heck of a lot better because of it. Let me clarify - I'm not doing all 30 days - my goal is 3 days a week for the month. But I've been surpassing that because it makes me feel so good. I go to bed dead tired but feeling good about the small things I'm accomplishing to feel healthy. I've already planned to drop down to a twice a week pass post January and keep it going. 

I haven't been taking many outfit photos lately..but one thing that's been on my mind is furniture. For those of you who have followed me for a while, you know that once upon a time I painted vintage furniture. Well it's fallen aside lately and I recently offered to do a piece for a friend's wedding social draw not only as a gift to her (because she's lovely and deserves it) but because I wanted to motivate myself to get creative. So I've been wandering through my furniture archive in the basement trying to get inspired by a piece, a colour, a finish, a design....fear is holding me back from getting started. But I will push through the fear...(like I did with hot yoga :) and I will push myself just a little further in this life. Something I can look back on with pride.  

So I want to ask you friends...what do you do to push yourself? How do you make sure you don't just 'sit still' in life?

cobalt dress - ASOS Curve (on sale here)

grey cardigan - Gap (buy here)

scarf - gift from my mom from Italy

necklace - local boutique

tights - HUE (from The Bay)

booties - Steve Madden via The Shoe Warehouse (old)

I'd love to hear your thoughts on getting motivated....

Have a lovely week and thanks for being here!