One of my favorite nooks in our new home is the window seat that looks out our bay window. As soon as I saw it I knew it would be a perfect spot to take a nap or read a good book. I imagine our kitten hanging out on the seat on a sunny day. Okay...we don’t have a cat. But I have made it known that getting a kitten would enhance my quality of life. If think the deal is that once the living room is painted we can talk about it. But I don’t know if my husband actually agreed to this deal.

 

To create a Comfy Bay Window Seat I suggest:

-one bench seat cushion (to take up the majority of the seat)

Score a deal by shopping towards the end of summer when outdoor furniture goes on sale.

-two big square pillows (pictured here are 24 inches)

I use them for my head and feet if I want to curl up and take a little nap.

-two small square pillows (pictured here are 16 inches)

These are great for holding a book or a snack while you lounge.

-one lumbar pillow

Make sure you support your neck!

-one comfy blanket

For rainy days!

 

 

 

 

Our first housewarming gift was this cute pillow. Check back for updates on the adventures of our new home including our upcoming housewarming party!

Coat Rack and Organization Center

 

Before

 

Grimey and Gross described this coat rack. After I cleaned it up and painted it using my new favorite paint, chalk paint, I would call it Gorgeous!

           

 

After

            

 

 

 

What I love about this coat rack is that it sits up against the wall and it also serves as an organizational center. The shelf and compartment are useful for holding your keys, mail, dog leashes, or whatever suits your needs. One thing my husband and I struggle with is getting everything we need together when getting out of the house. Have you seen my keys? Where are my headphones? Did I leave my badge for work in the laundry room? This coat rack is perfect for holding jackets for all seasons and becoming the organizational center of your home.

 

Status: For Sale $80

Kitchen Table Makeover

When we moved to CT our apartment was sparse in furniture. A generous friend gave us a kitchen table to use. If you’ve ever lived in a small apartment you know that the table you have is your eating area, studying area, computer table, crafting table, gift wrapping table, and everything else in between. Now that we have moved I wanted to give our table a makeover. Light wood is not my thing so I tried out a grey/white chalk paint combo.
 

 

I don’t have any before pictures but I do have a close up of the original wood color.

I will debut my new kitchen table when our dining room receives a makeover. Check back for updates!

Brass Chandelier Update Using Chalk Paint

One of the things I wanted to keep in our new home was this chandelier. But the brass needed an update.

 

 

I used three coats of chalk paint, one coat of clear wax, and inserted new lightbulbs.

We’re using LED lights in out light fixtures since they will last longer.

Keep these tips in mind if you plan to try this update in your home.

1.       Figure out what type of look you’re going for.

With one coat of paint the chandelier looked antique. You can even sand down the details to let the original finish peak through. Even after a second coat the chandelier looked worn. I chose three coats because I wanted the chandelier to look new and match my freshly painted dining table (check in next week for that beauty!).

 

Two coats of paint

 

2.       Keep track of your crystals.

Take multiple pictures from various angles. Consider labeling a Ziploc bag with the types of crystals that are in there and where they belong. My chandelier had four different types of crystals which I didn’t realize until after I hung them back up (in the wrong places).

 

 

 

 

3.       A little bit of wax goes a long way.

Towards the end, my back was aching and I just wanted to complete my project. I globbed on a lot of wax hoping to spread it quickly. The next morning I found some spots of wax that dried together and left a yellow residue. It took a little elbow grease to get into all of the nooks of the chandelier and get rid of the yellow.

 

 

 

4 Neutral Living Room Paint Colors

 

We are finally done taking down wallpaper in the living room. Next step is to choose a wall color. The four samples we came to (Benjamin Moore brand) are Edgecomb Gray, Manchester Tan, Thunder, and Revere Pewter.

 

We are trying to complement Gentleman’s Gray since we fell in love with it for our door color. I love our front door, just not a fan of the light wood.

My thoughts:

 

The Edgecomb Gray is the lightest and brightest of the bunch. Manchester Tan is traditional, a lot of the houses in our neighborhood have a similar color on the exterior.

 

 

Thunder is a darker gray that makes the room feel richer. Revere Pewter is a perfect mixture of greige.

Which did we pick? Check back in with us soon!

Can we just take a moment of silence for what this wall used to look like? Progress people!