Trash to Treasure - Living Room Ottoman

When we moved and gained more space I knew right off the bat that I wanted a round ottoman for our living room to use in place a traditional coffee table. We shopped around at a few home décor/furniture stores such as Arhaus, Ethan Allen, etc. but I refused to spend $1,000 on a coffee table that wasn’t e.x.a.c.t.l.y what I wanted. So I started watching trusty old Craigslist and after a couple weeks I found this eyesore.

Although the fabric was hideous, it had great bones and was from a smoke-free environment and was in excellent condition, structurally. It was listed for $60 but I low balled the seller since they were moving {and I assumed eager to get rid of things} and snagged it for $40. I knew there was endless potential to reupholster.

I started searching for a fabric and scoured the interwebs for local upholstery shops, reading reviews and getting estimates. I stumbled upon a super nice, older man with a little shop that offered free pick-up and delivery AND was a third of the price as the other two estimates I received. Even better, the few reviews I was able to find online claimed he did great work and the clients were thrilled with the outcome.

I decided to take a chance. Mr. Upholstery Man picked up the ottoman and two weeks later delivered what looked like a brand spanking new ottoman.

I am more than thrilled with the quality of work and the way it turned out overall. So pleased, in fact, that I’m considering buying two used accent chairs and having them reupholstered instead of buying brand new in order to achieve exactly what I want. I’ve been giddy like a kid on Christmas morning every time I walk into our living room and see it. It is by far my favorite piece in our house.

If you live in the DC Metro area and are looking for a great upholstery shop please email me and I’ll be more than happy to share the info with you. 

In the end we ended up saving about $600 and ended up with a custom piece.

Total Cost: $450

Breakdown:

Ottoman $40

Reupholster $290

Robert Allen Fabric (5 yards) $120

I'm thinking a cute tray is the perfect finishing touch.

source

Come and knock on our door

This has got to be one of the THE most random blog posts ever.  My husband is constantly amazed at how random I can be.  And because I amaze him so much he often makes me 'retrace' my thoughts to explain to him how on earth I ended up on said topic.  And what on earth made me think of Three's Company?!Anyways. 

Being a 'condo' owner versus a 'home' owner severly limits home decor, landscape opportunities, etc.  We can't deck the halls w. holiday lights or those tacky plastic moving reindeer unless of course we trimmed the hallway, something I'm sure my neighbors wouldn't appreciate it.  One way that I can express myself or our home is through wreaths.  Good old wreaths. 

And since I'm kinda a scrooge when it comes to fall I thought maybe if I found a pretty, fun fall wreath it might make me welcome fall a bit more instead of shooing it away. 

I know the humidity is not enjoyable, but I really love the heat and sun beating down.  What can I say, I'm a summer girl.

This last one is by far my favorite.  How fun for a house full of kids or a teacher?  Someday...have I mentioned my hubby wants 6?  Yes, 6.  That will not be happening!

I still haven't found the one yet.  I'm hoping I can find one wreath that can span the entire fall season.  All of these creations can be found on Etsy.  I didn't add the links but I did add them to my Etsy favorites so if you're dying to know where to buy, email me.

In other news, 3 days before we left for Greece our washer broke.  And it was going to cost $500 to repair.  Not worth it.  So we used our neighbor's washer to get us through and finally had time to price and shop for a new one.  A new washer & dryer turned into replacing all of our appliances.  We were planning to replace all but not this soon and not after a month of travel.  But it was too good of a steal to pass up.

Yay for a fifth burner on the stove to cook giant pots of soups, chili and stew!  We're one step closer to getting our place ready to sell in the spring.  All that's left are hardwoods.

Greece was absolutely, hands-down amazing. I need to get my pics in order and then do a recap, or 20.  The food was slap your mama good.  I ate enough olives and greek salads to last a lifetime. The views and sunsets were out of this world.  We are so blessed to experience it and will definintely be going back.

Stay tuned for a mega blog sale later in the week!  Including Citizen for Humanity jeans, Coach, Lilly, Banana, shoes (NIB), etc.

cBv