Desk Project...coming along...

Hello everyone! The desk I posted about yesterday is coming along beautifully! Here are some pics... and some other things I did along the way...

I had to choose paint and ended up going with the Valspar (my favorite spray paint from Lowes) tan paint.

Next, Evan already being a boy- enjoying being outside.

This is the mirror above the desk that has been needing a coat of paint for quite a while...

I covered the most of the mirror with some paper and then used a white primer and then a satin white spray paint in this. 

I measured 6" between lines and then taped the lines off with some sealing masking tape.

 Spray away...

Took off the tape...

There was a little overspray that you can sort of see here, but since the lines were straight I decided to leave it bc it actually looks like I meant it to be that way...:) I also added new hardware.

  

Tried a clock but didn't like that...

Yes, I know, too much on the left hand side floor and we've got to do something with all those wires! Now onto covering the ottoman...I love this black and white but am leaning towards the next fabric I have here...

I am loving the blue in this Waverly Lattice Lapis but I think it will be too busy... I am planning to paint a stripe of the print below down the wall so... (sorry about the play yard and other things in the background- I am in a hurry-Evan is sleeping:)

This is the pattern I am getting to put on the wall...

 That being said, I think I might go with this coral fabric so there are not too many busy prints...

...or this one....

Which fabric should I use? Have a great weekend stay tuned for the next phase (covering the ottoman) of this project. Hopefully, I'll have time to include a tutorial for covering the ottoman. :)

A new desk...Ongoing Project.

Happy Thursday everyone. I did a quote on a beautiful condo this morning and the lady living there was so sweet. On my way home, I stopped by a yard sale and found this cute desk and decided to bring it home and fix my distressed office space.

Here is my laptop etc. now...scary right?

 

New desk... 

First coat of paint ...

  

Evan, patiently waiting while Mommy paints :)

2nd Coat of paint...

 Now deciding what else to do...cover the drawers with fabric, or paint some thick stripes on the desk.  What do you think? I would love some suggestions. I really like these that I found...

I think this one is my favorite...

Stay tuned for the end result of my desk overhaul. Have a great day!

Bedroom Help!

Ok...so my bedroom needs some serious help..as in....I'm not even putting up a pic until I get it looking better and have before and after pics. Anyway, I did pick up these two very cute tables at a yard sale Sat. to use as tables on either side of the bed.

I am thinking about putting a large piece of tile on the tops of these just for something different. I found a few cute ideas online although I think I will probably stick to a more neutral colored tile but I still like these. 

Any other suggestions on my great tables?

Spray Paint Wonders

I am a spray paint junkie and believe it can be used on just about anything! Like the father in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" who thinks Windex is the solver of all the world's problems. :) I have used it on furniture, my AC vents, metal, wood etc. etc. etc. I even spray painted my scary looking refrigerator! :)  You can get appliance spray paint and then sand your frig front and believe me, it will look amazing! I am not quite done with my frig. since I started it while I was pregnant and realized about halfway through that the fumes could not be good for the baby since I couldn't open all the windows in the house because it was 3 degrees outside...so I left the house while it aired out...I'm too impatient to get things done. :) Anyway, a while back Emily at Emily A. Clark posted a couple of blogs that had great spray painting advice so I thought I would share them too since I learned so much from them.

The first is Bryn from Bryn Alexandra ( don't you just love that name? :))

You have got to go to her blog and see what this desk looked like before she painted it. She also gives detailed instructions on exactly how she got this piece to look this way. 

Secondly, over at Censational Girl, Kate gives great FAQ's about spray painting.

 Have a great day and go spray paint something! It does wonders for a room!

Second Life Shopping...

This morning I went out with my 3 month old son Evan (we don't get out much at this age :)) to wash my car, go to the post office and Dunkin Donuts- had to have my fix of iced coffee for the day. :) While we were out I just HAD to stop by one of my favorite second hand shops called "Second Life". It was started for the sole purpose of supporting a Christian school in our area, so I feel good about buying things there knowing my money is going towards a good cause. Anyway, I found the cutest mirrors and I'm not sure where they are going just yet, but they are perfect. They were marked down because they were missing some of their "gems" but I can easily replace these or change the color of them all.
I need some ideas for what to do with them. I'm hoping to move soon, so maybe they could go on my new fireplace mantel or on a entryway table.

What can I say...it always pays to make a quick stop at the second hand store...:)

Handprinted Fabric

I was looking today for ideas on designing my own fabric and came across a post at Design Sponge that gives a tutorial by Yellow Owl Workshop on how to hand stamp your own fabric. Has anyone tried this? Please tell me how it turned out for you. It is so cool and doesn't look too complicated, although DIY videos always seem to look so easy until you start doing it yourself, :) but I am going to try it! I will  post my new fabric when it's done- that is if it looks good enough...ha!

Giveaway!

I have a giveaway going on at two different blogs! Increase your chances of winning....go to http://diana212m.blogspot.com/2011/06/monday-giveaway.html  and http://www.igoyougoblog.com/  to win this cover...

Good Luck!! :)

Fabric Resources

I often have people ask me where I get most of my fabric...the answer is...everywhere! I have spent countless hours browsing the web in search of new fabrics that I like. Here are a few of my favorites...

         

 These are outdoor fabrics from www.tonicliving.com - a site based in Canada. If you live in the U.S., the shipping can get expensive, but they have great choices!

Next is www.fabric.com - I buy most of my fabric from here because they have by far the best prices and shipping is FREE when your order is over $35. Here is the infamous and beautimous :) Robert Allen Dwell Studio they carry.

Lastly but definitely not least is www.premierprintfabric.com

 

There are many others, these are just a few of my favorites.

A bench- at the foot of the bed...

I've been wanting for a long time to put a bench at the foot of my bed. I haven't actively looked for one, but I had a great idea today of using the behind the couch table in my living room and adding a cushion to the top of it. My bed is quite high off the ground so I think it would be perfect. Here are some that I really like...

 I am in love with this next one!

These next two are actually mud room benches, but with a small space, I like to use every decorative thing as an organizational tool.

It's been a While...

Wow! What a hectic two months! I now have a 2 month old adorable baby boy Evan Michael! He is wonderful! In the mean time I have started a new website www.elisabethmichael.com and am loving being at home full time. Back to bargain finding now that it's getting warmer. I recently found the cutest lamps ever that I incorporated into my bedroom. I'll post pics later when I have some time...who can find time with a 2 month old! ha! :)

Nesting Instinct

So, I am now 38 weeks pregnant and they say you have this nesting instinct right before you go into labor, but I've been in the nesting instinct for the past month! My whole house could not be more organized nor have I ever been this content to just stay at home. Anyways, I thought I would share my nursery pics.

Emily A. Clark posted a great lesson on her blog quite a while back about painting stripes in her foyer so I tried it and it turned out great! My husband hates to paint, but he did a wonderful job....

 I was trying my best to save money with all this, and I found this beautiful crib on craigslist for $80 with mattress.

I made the crib bumper, drapes, diaper stacker and lamp shade and  got the cute decals from an adorable etsy shop- www.elephannie.etsy.com who did a custom listing for me and was great to work with!

The paper lanterns I picked up at Pier One and used White ribbon and a push pin to put them in the ceiling. I love these!

I also added some matching fabric to the inside of these fabric bins I got at Target just to help pull it all together.

Got this rug at TJ Maxx quite a while back already knowing the colors I wanted for this room.

And last but not least, "Me" at 7 months before I got "fat". Of course this is baby fat, but I will be on serious workout program after this baby! lol