Oval Ottoman Makeover

So...a week or two ago, 

I was out there in Short Pump Land

and while trying to take a short cut...

I got completely lost.

(This is embarrassing because, 

well, I live in Richmond.)
I was lost but what I found was the

"For The Love of Jesus Thrift Store."

Ten minutes later,
I'm still lost but with a big ole ottoman in the car:

It was a great size, 

a great shape and in great shape, 

just, well, ugly and brown. 

With a bunch of tufts that were 

just BEGGING for crumps. Yuk..

And this past week, I was in Greenwood 

while my mom was recovering from surgery, 

I did my own recovering...yuk yuk...

 ...in this lovely ikat fabric....

 and these oversized pewter nailheads... 

both of which I picked up from my favorite fabric store,

Ufab...

 And I painted and distressed the legs, too.

Out with the brown.  

In with the aqua and white.

 (Is it just me, or does this look sort of like

a giant Easter Egg?)

Tufts, be gone!

It's for sale in my Greenwood booth for $249.

Looks pretty cool sitting by my recent makeover, 

the frenchy bench!

Making over the Makeover!

Sometimes I end up redoing a piece.. 

several times...

I just can't help myself..

For instance, 

take this little wooden country bench.

I'm not a big fan of these simulated country pieces with the heart cutouts...

So for the first makeover,

I used a wooden fish trivet to "camouflage" the heart cutout.

Then I painted the bench in a combo of blues and greens 

and dulled down the finish to give it some age.

On the back, I stencilled "No Fishing"

It's been in my antique booth for a couple of months.

Now with autumn approaching, 

I pulled it this weekend..

..along with this cool old scrolly wood piece

that wasn't selling either.

And then, there on my mom's carport, 

I got an idea.

Let's turn this baby into something fun and frenchy!!!!!!!!

Yeah!

I had to jigsaw the ends of the decorative piece a bit, 

and then I glued/nailed it to the top of the bench.

Next, I painted everything that will be exposed 

in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White.

I distress sanded and waxed and buffed the wood.

I cut out and stapled thin foam to the back and seat.

Then I covered the foam 

with this beautiful aqua scroll printed fabric 

I purchased recently from Williams and Sherrill.

 I stapled the fabric along the edges.

To finish, 

I glued gimp to all the stapled edges.

A couple of pewter nailheads on the edges, 

and here it is in my booth at Greenwood Antiques and Uniques,

 for sale at $225.

If it doesn't sell this time, 

I'll be happy to bring it home!

Another Porch Makeover: Daisey's Side Porch

Okay, I did this makeover a few months ago, 

but never got around to posting.

So, since I just did a porch makeover yesterday, 

I figured I'd stay on a roll!

This makeover is a great example of how 

decluttering and organizing can change your life!!!!!!!

Daisey has this fabulous enclosed side porch....

but over the winter months,

 it's become a catch-all for clutter.

 BEFORE:

You enter the side porch from a door in the living room.

As you walk out, 

there is a sofa almost obstructing your walkway.

 As you turn left, you can see how long and narrow this room is.

It has amazing archways which Daisey had enclosed years ago.

 This could be SUCH a great space, 

but right now, 

there is no real dedicated function....

I'm going to fix that.

 Here's the same orientation, 

but looking at the inside wall...

Clutter continues along both walls.

 This is at the far end of the porch looking towards the front.

Time for the transformation:

 AFTER:  

Now, as you enter the porch, 

your walkway is open.

I positioned this narrow console table where the sofa was.
It's set with a cloth, whimsical lamp,
and collection of candles.

An old radio cabinet is nestled in the exterior wall corner 

to hold Daisey's radio and CD player.

Underneath the console, 

I placed Daisey's antique carts.
Remember to group similar items!

To the right of the console, in the inside corner,
I added this little table.

Daisey has so many fun things,
and now you can see them!

 Moving along, 

here's a nice little sitting area with a nautical rope chair, 

table, 

and a grouping of house plants that adds greenery.

 This is the same sofa

but with a white slipcover change, and new pillows.

The sofa is now positioned against the inside wall, 

and faces out to the yard.

(Plus it's directly under the fan for great nap breezes.)

Here's the reverse orientation.

Now, we're back facing the far end.. 

See how functions are now defined?

The sofa/sitting area, and in the back,

a little pub set for outside dining.

I pulled this lattice screen in from another room in the house.

Then I added a table and lamp beside the sofa.

The screen not only hides clutter

 but helps separate the areas. It makes the

 "living room"area feel more cozy.

Behind the pub set, 

I placed a glass covered cabinet for storage

and topped it with a metal shelf.

To hide clutter,

I simply pasted vintage wallpaper on top of the glass doors.

On the top open shelves, 

I placed all the "good stuff": 

colorful dishware, 

glass globes....

all of Daisey's little treasures!

The eating area is positioned
just inside the back door, convenient to the grill.
This pub set is special to Daisey:

Joe P's family gave it to her when he passed away..

(Note the little pink flamingo hanging in the window?)

And I made this little sign to hang:
Welcome to the Pink Flamingo Lounge....North!

...in memory of Joe P!

Sharon's Beachified Front Porch!

The end of summer.

School's in.

The last hurrah.

But I'm still helping folks with their outside spaces,
so it's not over yet!!! 

After all, this IS the south!

Take a look at the makeover
I just completed on Sharon's front porch...

Here's what it looked like at first consultation.

The house is painted in a midtone grey.

Front door is burgundy.

Two Adirondack chairs on this side...

And a slatted bench on this one.

Sharon recently had the porch screened in, 

and she's planning to paint all the trim white.

She wants me to help her turn this space into a little oasis!

Like the front porch of an enchanted beach cottage!

Right here in Northside Richmond!

I love a challenge!

The ceiling begs for a makeover too!

Sharon replaced the tiny light fixture with a ceiling fan.

Next, I painted the wonderful beadboard ceiling in a pale blue,

Sherwin Williams Bathe Blue.

Sharon selected this great teal for the front door.

I love how this is looking!

 Shall we move to the furniture?

 I brought one of the chairs home so I could experiment, 

and here's what I came up with.

Instead of painting in one color, I decided to use a variety
of beachy colors: tan/white/pale blue.

Here's a close up of the distressing/dry brushing and staining
I did to age the finish.

Here it is "in situ." 

See how it already brightens the space?

And pops off the floor?

For the second chair, I used the same paint colors, 

but alternated the placement.

You know....just to mix it up a bit.

I painted the bench in the same blue as the ceiling.

I thought more than one color here

would be too busy with all the narrow slats..

Now comes the fun part:

"Building the room"!

On three sides of the porch, 

I hung hardware/rods and these beautiful white sheers.

The grommets allow Sharon to open and close the panels with ease.

Next, a seagrass rug!

It instantly grounds the space and adds

incredible texture.

Pillows cozy up the space.

When Sharon wants more privacy, presto!

She pulls the sheers and it immediately softens everything!

Feedsack pillows...my fav...

A fun little lantern..

Just placing mason jars on the ledge...

...adds beautiful translucent color.

Be still my heart!

Sharon came up with this idea which I thought was pretty clever:

She added this fish netting to her khaki ottoman.

Oh yes, I'd say this space is just about perfect!

Thank you, Sharon.

And welcome to the beach!