Mirror Mirror on the Wall (Finally!!!)

Ok - so I can do the happy dance today! For months now (literally), I have been asking my husband to hang a mirror I have owned for about a year now in the family room. In the past three months, there alway seemed to be a reason why the mirror couldn't be hung:

1. A leaking pipe upstairs that leaked down the very wall I wanted the mirror on, which required the ceiling being torn out... Ok, so that was a bit out of our control.
2. Family issues - Also out of our control
3. I had a baby on August 19, 2011
4. Recovery time
5. My fear of mirrors

Honestly the list could go on and on if I let it but the truth of the matter is, it takes very little time to hang a mirror. So one simple four letter word is really keeping things from being done around here - LAZY!

I honestly believe every home should have a vertical hanging mirror to help give character to a space, but also help us see areas we are in question about before we head out the door! Since my space is small, I had to be creative about almost everything in the family room (which is still under construction) because it is narrow. However, its starting to feel more like home with a few simple items.

Here is the space before the mirror:

Not very impressive... I know!

So I want to make this room fun and feel lived in, yet my style and reflect the transition I feel this room lends to the house. I began to look for inspiration for the overall room, as it needs to be functional (sofa sleeper) and comfortably accomodate the household members on a daily basis, and the occasional house guests during entertaining. All things considered, I realized the best place for the mirror was above the sofa - its an open space, its a perfect location for any of us who want to check out our appearance, and it may actually help the room look larger (a major bonus) and less rectangular shaped.

Here is the same space with the mirror on the wall...

A major improvement if I do say so myself...

Adding a little Umph!

In late July, I purchased a sofa sleeper from Jennifer Convertibles. It was very important to me that I get a sofa sleeper for the family room. I bought a sofa that met two specific requirements, it needed to be a neutral tone and fit along a specific side of the wall in the family room because the space is narrow. This full size sofa sleeper was just perfect, decent price and color... only one problem, those pillows... yuck!

Here the sofa is on the showroom floor - I had plans to work on a nice complimenting fabric for those drab, so not-me, pillows. I decided to check out a few options from fabric.com, just to get the ball rolling. I found three fabrics that actually made me happy about the re-do...


I liked this pattern, I could invision the pillows in this..


Kaleidoscope Stripe Links Taupe



I really liked the simplicity of this one...


For Your Home Chippendale Taupe



I also decided on the sizes of the accent pillows, the four that came with the sofa were 22", which would require 3 yards of fabric. I made my final selection and ordered from fabric.com, my total purchase was 38.00 which wasn't bad considering the outcome I knew I would have once I had new covers on those pillows. I took a trip over to my local upholstery fabric store and found a complementing fabric for a great price, I had no idea just how much of a bargain I had found.


I selected this Waverly Pattern:

Waverly Sun N Shade Outdoor Fabric-Whim Mist Fabric

+

The reason I mentioned this fabric being such a bargain, I paid 5.00 a yard for this fabric, it is being sold for 19.99 online right now. I picked up two 18" pillows for 4.99 each, two 12" pillows for 2.99 each and my Waverly steal and a solid taupe fabric, I grabbed two yards of each. I felt like a kid in a candy store.


Total purchase: 76.73
fabric.com purchase 38.00
local fabric store 31.96
Zippers 6.77


Finished product:

A Side Table Remake

I purchased this table for 12.50 at my local Goodwill one afternoon. I had plans to paint the table, it is in great condition and made me think of bedroom furniture I had as a child.I decided after some debating, to go with the Polished Pearl paint by Behr I had also used for the dining room table and chairs. I love the color and it was free!

Here is a picture of the table before sanding. I suggest wiping down your furniture with soap and water before you begin sanding.

Luckily for me, the table didnt need a ton of sanding!

I removed the pulls from the drawer and sanded it down also.

I then wiped down the drawer and table and allowed the pieces to rest for 8 hours before applying a coat of primer.

Now it's time for priming. I decided to paint the side table in my family room, since I am working late on projects and have a 5 week old son, working in the backyard isn't an option right now. Notice the parchment paper on the tile to prevent any messes.

I used a simple thin brush to apply my primer, this was to ensure all areas of the table, including those creased areas had been primed.

Here is the table after 1 coat, which I allowed to rest for 12 hours, I used a simple paint roller to evenly apply the paint to all areas of the table and legs. What I couldnt do with the roller, I used a 57 cents sponge brush on. I love those sponge brushes, I use them often.

I applied the second coat and then let the table rest for 24 hours.

Here is the finished product!

Happy Birthday "Nannie" ~ Gone but never forgotten

Today is a bittersweet day, it is what would have been my grandmother Etta F. Barr's 77th birthday. I was raised by my grandmother, she was my biggest fan, my closest friend, we spent almost every friday together until her passing. She was a special person, she loved people and she did everything she could for myself and my children. She was waiting on my son, her first great-grandson to be born in August of this year.  Sadly, my "Nannie" passed away on July 5th of this year. I miss her dearly; I cannot sum up her impact on my life in a few short words, honestly, there aren't enough- I will simply say, "Thank you" and I am trying my best to make you proud.

My wedding day, November 7, 2009 - I was given away by my grandmother, a very special moment.