First Bench

I needed a bench for our entry and didn't have a lot of money to spend. The ones I found on etsy, craigslist, or antique shops were $80-100.00. So one day I decided I'd just make my own bench. I went to Home Depot, bought the supplies, and had this primitive, but functional bench a couple days later, for a fraction of the price. Not bad!

I purchased a 2x4 and had HD cut 5 boards at 16 1/2" a piece for the legs. Then I had them cut the 2x12 down to 5 ft. for the bench. I paid $10 (and some cents) for the wood.


When I got home I sanded all the wood with fine-grade sandpaper (220) then applied pre-stain wood conditioner to the bench. (Wood conditioner was about $3.00 and I didn't even use enough to make the level go down). After it dried I lightly applied one coat of Minwax stain in English Chestnut to the bench top. (Stain was $7.00 and I still have a full can left for more projects!) I only applied one coat because I didn't want it to be too dark. Also, I found that using a paper towel, instead of a brush, helped the stain go on smoother.


The bench top was obviously the natural wood color (like the legs here) but I forgot to take a pic before I stained it.


Bench legs before the paint. I painted them Muslin by Behr using our leftover exterior paint from our house.


Bench top stained.


Bench mostly finished. (I'm going to put a 1x4 across the back three legs for extra support). Chris drilled the holes for me. Love him!!

Custom Home

Kitchen before we moved in. I LOVE my brick backsplash! Other favs are the antique pendants, the large island, and dark/light contrasts.

$5.00 Chair Makeover

This $5.00 chair I bought from Craigslist was one of the most economical purchases ever. It was also one of the most dramatic makeovers I've ever done.

After cleaning it, I primed the chair with Valspar tintable white interior latex primer.
While it was drying, I recovered the chair seat with fabric from Craft Warehouse. (It was about 3.00 for the fabric and I didn't even use half of it).
Then I painted the chair with Sherwin Williams Muslin exterior paint. I just used the left over paint from our house that was being constructed at the time. I've never used exterior paint on indoor furniture but this turned out great!
Then I put the seat back on and was VERY pleased with the finished product. Total cost was about $8.00.

Coyote Run Home

This was our first house! We lived there for 5 years; it's fun to look back. I should have posted this sooner. I'm having a hard time remembering all the paint colors!

Family Room


Girls Room

Kitchen

Living Room
Walls are Gaucho by ColorPlace
It took FOREVER to get the right color!