House Project #2

Project # 2 has taken me the longest to finish. I just kept running out of time, but I finally made myself sit down and knock it out! 

Because our new kitchen is so tiny and lacking in cabinet/counter space I decided to make a rolling island. This way we can add more space for storage and prep with out taking up our limited wall space.

First things first. I raided my parents barn. I knew I needed a super cheap piece of furniture I wasn't sure if it was gonna be a file cabinet, bookshelf, or end table but I knew I needed something that I could add a countertop and wheels too. Luckily when my parents and I went poking around in the barn we found this guy. 

Its pretty rough had so much dust, spiderwebs, mold and peeling paint that Reed immediately told me it wasn't worth my time. But, I knew that with a little sanding and fresh paint I could repurpose this little dude! 

On one of our many trips to Lowes (its becoming my home a way from home. Seriously, they told me I should just work there) Reed showed me some countertop that got water damage a few weeks ago when one of the over head sprinklers went off. The countertop was getting  some major mark downs so Reed and I picked out one and got a 4ft piece (that had practically no damage) for $30!! 

 

On another trip to Lowes, we never manage to remember everything we need at one time so we usually make about 2 trips a day, We picked up some casters to attach to the bottom of the book case so it can be moved around the kitchen and tucked in a corner when not used. However, the bookcase was old enough that we had to add blocks to attach the casters to on the bottom. 

Reed is always prepared with 2 drills, no one should have to deal with changing drill bits. 

 After lots  of sanding and even more drilling, screwing and nailing the bookcase is sturdy enough to have the countertop put in place and ready for the awesome paint!!

As I'm sure you have already guessed the paint is also a deal given to us by the Lowes gods. 

Have you ever checked out the clearance section in the paint department? If not you should. They always have mistints which are usually beautifully unique colors that are priced as low as .75 cents! We got this gorgeous gallon of blue latex paint for $5!! 

I was extremely excited and can't wait to find something else to paint with this amazing color! 

Now that the bookshelf is completed and adding space to our cramped kitchen I am beginning to feel like this may actually be our home not just Reeds. 

I can't wait until August 4th, I'm ready to be married and play house in this quirky little place!!

Linked up to the DIY Fall Challenge

House Project #1

Once the house was officially flea free Reed and I started really moving in. 

I have been looking forward to decorating our house for ever and I finally get to start it! 

First let me tell you about this sofa! Reed and I found it on Craigslist for $100!

Its a two year old micro fiber queen pull out sofa. 

We needed something that was small but not too small. Our living room is only 12x16 which means we don't have very much room at all. We love having people over so we needed a sofa that would provide enough seating with out taking up the entire room. Because we are both poor college students we couldn't just go shopping for new furniture so we had to really dig deep and search hard. I was fully prepared to end up with a well used "retro" sofa that desperately needed a slip cover. But! Again, God has blessed us with another amazing deal! Finding this super nice sofa that acts as seating annnnnd can help when family comes to visit as far as sleeping arrangements was a HUGE blessing. I mean really, I think $100 bucks is a steal. We also have a love seat and chair in Columbia, hopefully the next time I get home I can bring those back! 

So with only having a TV stand, sofa bed, and a few kitchen chairs the only real decorating I could do is hang stuff. 

I set out everything on the floor so that I could rearrange it as much as I want with out putting holes in the wall. These are all things that Reed and I had around the house. 

-The Deer was Reeds first ever buck from Edgefield when he was 13. 

- The "washed by the water" painting was one I did the other night just for fun. I'm thinking about doing a few more and selling them on here. What do you think?

- The dog drawing next to it is one that was Reeds parents, they gave us two beautiful pieces that we now have in our living room. 

-The long painting between the deer and the dogs was done by The Chicken Man in Columbia. His paintings are so quirky and fun, they are pretty popular around the Midlands. He is a interesting character. He paints on scrap wood and has his "roaming studio" in random places around Columbia. JB (my brother) found him one day and bought a few different pieces for a great deal and was generous enough to give me 2! This one and then a Clemson one that I think is gonna go up in the kitchen!!

- The round butterfly plates were given to Reed after his Nanna passed this past August. Reed has always been a big bug collector and has a beautiful collection of butterflies from numerous different places. These just have a little more sentimental value to them so we decided to hang these instead of his personal catches.
-And finally the beetle, butterfly, and snake paintings are all gifts I gave to Reed back in 2009. They are watercolor and color pencil drawings of his favorite things. I can't name them for you anymore but I do know that he has the beetle and butterfly in his bug collection and  the snake was a pet that he had for a long time, sadly she is no longer with us. She didn't make it through the cold winter of 2011. 

Reed is always such a generous helper. 

I called him in from the yard to get him to help me hang the Deer because I didn't want to risk messing it up and he told me to step back and direct him so that I cold get it just right on the first try. 

He really is so great, I love that he is willing to help decorate around the house even if I get picky with how close the dogs are to the chicken. 

Looking around the living room today I realized that we are going to have a pretty good amount of animals in it. I'll have to share more when I get pictures of the other projects in the room. But just beware, if you ever visit our house you will be greeted with a deer, raccoon, bass, and possibly a duck all as soon as you walk in the front door :)