Living Room Updates

 I hope everyone had a very happy Easter. It started out rainy but then turned into a beautiful day to celebrate and worship our Lord who has Risen!

Recently I asked for a pair of wingback chairs that my parents were not using- they hauled them down to NC here for me! (Thanks Mom and Dad!)  I'm a big fan of wingback chairs- mostly because I feel that they are so comfy and cozier than other types of seating. I also think they are classic-looking.

These hand-me-downs, although in great condition, needed to be re-covered for a fresh look that would fit in with the rest of our furnishings. The mauve and green plaid was not working for me.



Oh, what a hard decision this turned out to be. I thought about it for months and frankly put off doing it. Did I want to keep them neutral like the sofa, or go with a bold print? I looked at florals, checks, and pretty damasks, and in the end, I decided to go with a neutral. Boring, I know- but my thought is that I can dress it up with colorful pillows and then I won't get tired of it and want to recover again in five years. The fabric I am leaning towards is the Trillby Basketweave fabric by the yard from Ballard Designs in Natural.



I also decided to strip the stain off the feet of the wingback chairs down to their natural wood color. Luckily the hubby helped, and we used steel wool and a stripping agent, with the porch door open to ventilate the area. A good sanding down gives the wood a smooth, natural looking aged patina.

Here it is before stripping:

Here it is with stripping in progress: 

We aren't quite there yet but are getting pretty close to a more natural tone. We used a "Zip Strip" gel with steel wool to strip the stain, and then the legs will require heavy sanding. 

I think these chairs will be incredible versatile. If not used in the living room, they can always go in a bedroom, or even be used as the two end chairs at a dining table. I hoping to add extra updates to the living room with throw pillows, new curtains, and maybe even a new rug.

Stay tuned for the big reveal!

DIY Wood Pallet Potting Bench

Did you know you can make an adorable, functional potting bench from leftover (and usually free) wood pallets? Yes, you can!



My husband found this idea and ran with it-- his work has several leftover and free wood pallets each week, so he grabbed about 3-4 and brought them home. The only portions he had to purchase new were a couple of wood 2 x 4's, which we aged with a solution of vinegar, steel wool, and coffee grounds to match the rest of the wood.

The potting bench in progress:

The finished potting bench:

We will use this piece for much more than potting and caring for plants and seedlings. Since its home is on our screened-in-porch, it will be used to store coolers on the bottom shelf, act as a bar/buffet for parties and gatherings, and  will be a great place to attempt messy projects that we'd rather not try indoors. Most of all, it will be a great one-stop center for all of my gardening and planting gear that I don't want to keep in the shed!



If you are handy with a saw and building stuff like my hubby, click here for some instructions.

Sharing with: 

Common Ground Vintage Inspiration Friday

Miss Mustard Seed FFF

The Homestead Barn Hop

Savvy Southern Style

Guest Room Sneak Peek

I have been working on the guest room now for quite some time and today I thought I'd show you a little peek:

I hope to share the details with you very soon!  Additionally, I am excited to be featured today at Eclectically Vintage. Please visit Kelly's blog and check it out!

As always, I really enjoy getting to meet and know my followers- your comments always brighten my day.  Thank you so much for reading and for your friendships!

The Guest Room

I'm excited to show you our guest room today. It has been a challenge to decorate this room. We've been in this house for over  three years now and I'm just now getting this room put together.

Before it was a hodgepodge of stuff, with no color palette or feel defining the room. This room to me is difficult due to the projection in the middle of one wall where a fireplace used to be, and a recess along that same wall. It's one lonely window also makes it odd in my mind. One of the first changes that I made was to paint the room from a pastel yellow to more of a neutral cream color. In hindsight I wish now I had painted it stark white for a crisper look.

Next I decided I wanted to spray paint our white iron bed red for a bold look against the white bedding. I draped my husband BJ's great-grandmother's quilt overtop. The room morphed into sort of a farmhouse-y look.

I seem to act very impulsively when it comes to decorating.....does anyone else have this problem?

Over time this room seemed to morph into the "chicken" room. I had chicken paintings, prints, signs, and other memorabilia, chicken figurines......oh dear. This was NOT the look I was going for to give guests a relaxing, inviting room in which to stay. I decided I needed to get rid of our large, solid wood drafting table (a nice piece, but not functional for us anymore) and most of the chicken clutter. I moved a bookshelf with all of my antique books into this room instead.

 I painted the yard-sale dresser from its crusty (not pretty) white to a color with more pop. This subtle gray-blue worked well and is not unlike the color on the wooden filing cabinet used on the far side of the bed. I topped the dresser this with an antique ammunition box that has a wonderful patina; a vintage sewing kit completes the trio.

The next new piece introduced to the room was my cherry side table detailed in this post. It makes a wonderful bedside table and gives some rich color against the light walls. It may not stay in this room, but for now it works. I placed a jug for water and a glass on a tray along with some fresh lavender sprigs for guests staying the night.

This is the guest room shortly after we moved in:

Here is the room now:

A bamboo roman shade dresses up the lone window a bit. Then it was time to embellish the walls: an antique tobacco basket defines the bed, along with some prints, a breadboard made from an old bourbon barrel, and a mirror.

We also have a luggage rack tucked away for when guests come that we can pull out for their use. I like this one with its metal frame and thick burlap panels (a recent Christmas gift).

Now for the part of the room that doesn't quite fit and for me is too cluttered. I didn't want to show you this part, but that wouldn't really be fair now, would it?

Add caption

Currently this room has to do double-duty and also function as a space for BJ's music-related items including his keyboard, guitars, music books, and other items. I wish it could function as solely a room for guests and their relaxation, but that is just not possible at this time. So, one wall and cubby is devoted to musical pursuits. BJ has been patiently waiting for his "man room" all to himself......maybe someday soon, honey :) 

Add caption

The cool thing is that he was able to easily build shelving in this nook to accommodate his books, musical supplies, art, and other random items that were taking up precious closet space elsewhere. It may not match the rest of the room, but at least the space is being used. This shelving cost us about $12 to build, having the paint and tools on hand already. I hope to post a tutorial soon on building this shelving--as it was so easy to do!

Add caption

So there you are! Our guest room.

Linking to:

Savvy Southern Style Wow Us Wednesdays

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (around the Roost)

Can you believe we have less than a month until Christmas???

the kitchen table looking into the den/family room

I don't know about you, but I still have quite a bit to do to prepare- it always seems to sneak up on me and before I know it we are traveling home for the Holidays. We pulled boxes of our Christmas decorations out from the attic the Monday after Thanksgiving. This past week I have been decorating the house with our collection of Christmas decor as well as fresh greenery and pine cones found outside. Decorating always gets me really into the "Christmas Spirit." I love to decorate with Christmas music playing in the background, a good cup of hot cocoa to sip on while working, and a warm fire going.

my giant pine cones from the Sandhills region of NC longleaf pines

I like to keep it pretty simple and use lots of fresh greenery, and therefore it's no surprise when last year I went with a "Plain and Simple" theme using mostly natural materials. To see last year's Christmas decor, click here. This year I am using some of the same decorations from our collection, but in different ways, and of course fresh greenery, as shown in last year's post on exterior Christmas decor.  My husband and I also decided to get rid of (or keep in the attic) some of our older decorations we used when first married that we either just don't use or don't want to fuss with getting them out. It makes it so much easier without all the knickknacks, nutcrackers and such.

Here are some little bits of Christmas around the Roost so far:

my dining room table is ready for the Holidays

Usually these vintage glass bottles sit in my bathroom window sill, but I brought them out with the julep cups to hold fresh greenery and pine cones. I like the simple look of it.

I like the calming colors of white, silver, green and brown for Holiday decorating

My kitchen table got dressed up with this vintage poinsettia tablecloth (I have a matching apron too!) and I filled our bread bowl with pine cones and a hand-blown glass ornament my husband made

Santa mugs on my jadeite cake stand on our open shelving in the kitchen

Little gingerbread men peek out the kitchen windows

This is my tin angle collection made from traditional tinsmiths at Old Salem.
They are holding Moravian Christmas candles. If you have not ever been to visit Old Salem at
Christmastime, it is a wonderful experience and one of my favorite destinations during the Holidays.

I try to remember that above all else this season, this is a time for celebrating the birth of Christ and the life that he gives us. Reflection upon this great gift is key and I have to remember to focus upon Him through all the shopping, stress, and entertaining. Last year I made a simple advent wreath with candles and greenery, and this year I had every intention of making a full Advent calendar, but just have not quite had the time to tackle that project. Maybe next year!

How has your "tree trimming" and Christmas decorating gone this year? I do wish it would snow.....it would make everything inside and out that much more beautiful!

With Peace and Joy,

Linking to:

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground