Dropcloth project

I got it done! Remember the dropcloth teaser I posted. Well here is the full project. This is the chaise lounge that fits wonderfully in my sunroom. Unfortunately, one certain German Shepherd/Rottweiler puppy named Max thought it was a great chew toy. We came home one day and Max had dragged it across the living room in our previous house. He was still a lap size puppy at the time.

After reading about the wonderful things one could do with Home Depot drop cloths, I decided it was time to tackle the slip cover I had been thinking about. Here is Max checking things out mid fitting. This is still his favorite peice of furniture. But now he naps on it rather than chews on it. Thank goodness!! I am afraid he could do a bit more damage now that he weighs about 100 pounds more than when he originally claimed the chaise.




We are a very pet friendly home. Max isn't the only one to share this napping spot with me. Baby had to check things out also.



I think she agrees! This project was a success! I love that it turned out just the way I imagined. And slipcovers are as easy as they make it look on HGTV shows. I still have to finish the pillow cover, but couldn't wait to post.





Here is another close up of the pleats. What do you think? Can I consider this a success?

Check out all the other great projects you will find at The Shabby Chic Cottage for Transformation Thursday.

And don't miss the projects at The DIY Show Off. 

Last, but not least, check out The Shabby Nest for even more great projects.

Season change

“Kindness is like snow - it beautifies everything it covers”
-unknown-

Love those Home Depot Dropcloths

  I am loving the way this project is turning out.  Don't you just love it when you can make what you imagine into reality.  But you will have to wait for the finished project...

Orange isn't just for Halloween

Remember to heck out The Shabby Chic Cottage.

October means gray rainy days with the threat of rain turning into snow. Somehow it always seems like the temperature dropped 30 degrees overnight. And I think it actually did this year!!



October means pulling out sweaters, tights, jackets and gloves. It means cozying up the house in preparation for winter.



One of the ways to warm up and cozy spaces is with color. Warm color. Sunshiney (I am sure that is in the dictionary...) colors. And one particular basement bathroom really needed to be warmed up.



Pick an unusual warm color. Get creative and mix that warm color with a home made touch of romance. Old sheet music and old sheet scraps transformed.



oohhh, I like that. Later I will show you the rest of the room. I am sure showers in this bathroom will feel warmer and more enjoyable even when it is dark, and cold, and snowy outside...

Hmm, wallpaper border or tile....

I am linking to A Soft Place to Land for Do It Yourself Day and Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday.




  






I found time this weekend to make some changes to my bathroom. There was another wallpaper border in the bathroom that needed to be gone. (The kitchen border disappeared first.) I can appreciate Victorian whimsical when it is in someone else's house, but not mine!  I found some travertine tiles that matched the tub surround and tackled the job of tiling a border. This led to repainting the bottom half of the wall when the placement marks for the wallpaper boarder wouldn't wash off.

Ahh, the stone tiles look better don't they? Much more spa like! And all the better to appreciate the bubbling tub I inherited. It has lots of tiny holes all around rather than large jets. Feels wonderful. I don't know what it is officially called.



Here are some of my decorative touches. I hung these white shelfs which give me some great space for combining decorating and storage. I love bottles. Here are some old ones and some I decorated. I need to do some more finessing here. I will add some decorative touches to the candle on top to go with the red accents.





And this is one of the details that I see others do and really like. Rather than looking at the commercial label on the soft soap, I glued on some burlap and ribbons. Ta daa!




I really do have the world's best husband. Sorry all, he's mine!! I came home from riding tonight and stepped into the bathroom and found that my stone birds ($2.00/ea at Gordman's--score) were having this conversation. That made me smile!

And if you made it this far, I have something to pass on. Cindy at Cottage Insticts is doing a give away of the home made soaps she sells. I LOVE home made soaps!  Don't they just look yummy!?

Dropcloth, chairs, and lamp

It was a dark and rainy night.  And I was tired of looking at Max's handiwork.  (Hint for future dog owners.  Big puppies chew up furniture instead of shoes.)  But doesn't he look like he is sorry now that he is all grown up?!

After reading about the wonderfulness of Home Depot's dropcloths, I had my husband buy several so I could make a slipcover for a chaise lounge. Unfortunately he bought several different sizes and they were different fabrics. But I knew I would still use them. So tonight I grabbed my kitchen chairs and the cat bench pillow. Lots of staples later, the chairs look much better and Max no longer has to feel guilty.

A place in the country or a country home?

I grew up on a farm.  I have so many good memories of hours spent outside both playing and working.  Those hours included sheep, pigs, cows, cats, dogs, chickens, and a horse.  Having animals around the farmyard made outside feel alive.  My husband grew up in a city.  He has no experience of farm life.  Yards means something much different to him.  I think he envisions a city home without the neighbors.  I envision something that hints at a farm.  I warned him we are now on a slippery slope...  He agreed to getting a couple of cats for his shop.  They will help keep mice and critters away.  They will make outside more inviting to me.  Meet my latest home improvement projects:

Notice the "shabby chic" space they are inhabiting.

I am thinking baby chicks next spring.  That will grow up to be laying hens.  Then...