Where to begin....

I bought LOTS of pretty things on my trip to Ikea this past weekend!  Wendy, Kim, Lauren and I drove down did a little girls day trip to Cincinnati, as that is the closest one to us.  We always have a good time when we hang out so this trip was no different!! I went with a list (shocker!) of things that I wanted to purchase look at to see if I liked them.  Once inside, we followed the yellow brick road and went room by room looking at all the really cool things that they have.  Some of the back splashes we stopped to look at in their kitchen setups were REALLY cool and a few of us commented on how we could totally see them in our own homes.  I was definitely not there to look at those though so I knocked on Mr. Will Power’s door and told him to move on.  I am going to replace the counter tops at some point- so there is no reason to get any new back splash until I do that.  

I found the curtains that I was looking at on-line.  Two panels for $19.99- CAN’T BEAT THAT!!  They aren’t the fabric that I originally was looking for though but still....  I had found the exact thing I wanted in World Market but I wasn’t ABOUT to be paying $49.99 per panel on a spare room set of curtains.  So I couldn’t walk away from the $20 pair they had there- especially when they are the exact color I wanted.  I can’t wait to hem them and put them up in the room!!  

I got six 11 1/2 by 15 1/4 silver picture frames that I will make into a wall collage in either my bedroom or the spare room depending on the size of the headboard that I’m making for the spare room.   I have an idea of what I am going to put inside of the frames but until I find exactly what I’m looking for, that’s all I’m going to say about them.  HAHA.

When we made our way into the handle/hardware section- I HAD to stop.  I’ve been looking for new drawer pulls for the dresser/night stands that will go into the spare room as well as for the Bombay chest that will be going in my dining room.  I originally was going to go with glass knobs for all of them just for a pop of glam.  But I wasn’t trying to spend that type on money on glam.  I found two sets that I really liked (and my girls totally agreed with me) for both pieces and dropped those into the cart!  Another thing checked off the list. 

 I’ve been looking at getting a piece of artwork for my stair hallway which goes up to the top of the house.  It’s ridiculously high and when you walk down the stairs it’s just blah and boring.  I’ve already got some black and white photos going down the stairs on one of the walls.  But this wall is much higher and needed a little bit of life added to it.  See below. 

I knew there was one piece there that I already liked from the last trip but wanted to see if I found anything newer since the last time I was there.  To my surprise I found an additional two pieces that I really liked and both would have fit nicely in that space.  I went with the one I had seen displayed in one of the rooms and totally fell in love with it right then and there.    It’s such an awkward space since it’s so tall and most of the artwork seemed to be more wide than tall.  So this one fit perfectly.  Don’t you agree???  Oh ya and your eyes aren't deceiving you.  That's literally about 12 feet up from the stairs.... scary.... I peed myself a little bit on the ladder.  Twice. 

THEN as we were rounding the lighting department I got a little bit of a twinkle in my eye.  I totally knew what I was getting there but first I needed to get some lamps for the nightstands in my bedroom.  I also could easily swap out the living room ones if I found something for that room instead.  There were some really cool glass ones online but they were either clear or tinted either green or pink (neither of which would have gone in either room) so I would have had to go with the clear ones.  Online they were pretty cool looking, but in the store they were just off.  There was something that I just didn’t LOVE about them.  So I grabbed Will again and headed down another aisle.  I’m pretty sure that the first room we walked in when get got there was a chandelier and this mama was going to own it before she left the store!!  I’ve been looking for a chandelier for one of the rooms in my house for a VERY long time.  HD and Lowe’s both have some but they are roughly $99 or more and again, I’m a total cheapo.  If it was going in my dining room, I MIGHT spend that kind of money.  But seeing as though you’ve seen the Mason jar light fixtures that I just did, you know it’s not going to be for that room.  I was so excited to see her hung up with all of the other cool light fixtures and she was so glitzy and glamorous.  I picked that box up and put her in the cart much to my friends delight!  She’s going to be beautiful.  SN- when I got home I was so excited to take her out of the box and totally expected her to be like all of the other lights in the store- one that I would have to spend 5 hours staring at the Swedish directions trying to figure out how to put it together.  And then it would probably be wrong and I’d have to take it all apart and put it back together the correct way.  But much to my surprise- she was already done, the only thing I had to do was take off the protective wrapping on all of the crystals.  I’ll need to shorten the wires so that might take me a little bit of time depending on how it’s made. But here’s what she looks like pre-hung!  It’s she just lovely?  Darling, really. 

I’ve been looking at rugs (remember that post way back when, where I was talking about the dining and living room???) for quite some time.  But I’ve stayed away from purchasing one since it’s going to be a LONG time before I put down the hardwood floor throughout the entire lower level.  So why spend the money if I’m not going to use it for a few years?  Well, I came across a deal that I just couldn’t pass.  I mean, where else am I going to find an 8 X 10 rug in the SAME colors as my entire downstairs for $139?  I mean, really??  So in the cart it went! It can go in either room but will probably end up in the living room when all is said and done. 

I got a bunch of other little things but I think the biggest news of this weekend is that I FINISHED the dining chairs!!! Can I get a WOOT WOOT???  Yes. I know.  I’m the bomb.  Like seriously.  Aside from the massive amount of spray paint dust that is covering EVERYTHING in my garage, the project was pretty simple.  I began painting them outside last weekend when we were having some really nice weather.  Unfortunately, it was a WEE BIT too windy for spray paint, so I had to bring them inside because I was determined to get them at least primed.   So for 3 days I wore a sexy mask you know, the one all those Chinese wear in the airports?  so that I didn’t inhale all of those lovely fumes and kill more brain cells than I already have.  I went through a LOT more paint than I thought that I would.  But I wanted them to be perfect.  I finally had done enough coats by the end of Friday that I was able to do the clear protective coat on Saturday and let them dry until I brought them into the house on Sunday morning.  So in case you don’t remember, this is the before:

Ugh.  Ew.  Gross.  Yucky.  And now look at what they look like NOW!!!!

Wait-where’s the table you ask????  Oh- that puppy is lying on the garage floor ready for the next warm day for me to bring him outside to sand him down and start staining him a yummy espresso brown color.  Cross your fingers that I don’t ruin it.  But even if I do, the entire set was only $80 so I can’t complain too much about it.  Plus if I do ruin it, then I can make the table that I originally wanted in there.  Yes, I did say “make” HAAHAHHA.  I don’t think this one fits the space appropriately.  I wanted a more square one…. Who knows I might just ruin on purpose!! Bwahhh hahaha.  But I’m keeping the legs if I do because they match the chair legs.  And when I looked online for turned table legs, those really pretty ornate ones that I just LOVE are about $80-$150 a piece, depending on how gorgeous you want to go.  So I’ll be making sure nothing happens to these little guys!

My other major purchase/project from Saturday was a total splurge but they are the one thing left in the house that makes me cringe every time I look at them.  LITERALLY.  CRINGE.  All of the doors in the house (all 16 of them- yes I’ve counted over and over) have brass door knobs.  Which means that they have brass hinges.  Which also means they have brass latches.  UGH. UGH. And MORE UGH.  I already got rid of all of the brass light fixtures.  But I dare you to go on-line and look at door handle prices.  They aren’t cheap people.  Like- most are roughly $20 each.  EACH!  So 16 times $20….. for all you geniuses out there… is $320.  Which might not seem too bad to all of you.  BUT- 16 doors times 3 hinges each door times $2.72 each hinge is another $130.  So $450 plus the amount of time it takes to take all of them off and put the new ones on…… I have a headache just thinking about it.  Well, while I “happened” to be at Menards, they just “happened” to be having a door handle sale.  What are the ODDS!!!  So those handles  that I would’ve had to pay $20 for, were on sale for either $9.99 or $10.99 depending on the type.  So…. Of course I had to get them right then and there!!  The lock ones were all gone so I had to place a special order but I still got them for the $10.99 price which is AWESOME but they did have the non-lock ones in stock.  So the minute I got home, what do you think I got down to doing???  Well, it would have been a simple 40-50 minute project if all door knobs (and their attachments) were standard.  But of course nothing can be that simple for me.  The hole on the part of the door where the latch comes out and goes into the wall was just a teeny tiny bit too small.  So I had to get out the sandpaper and make the hole a bit bigger to fit the new door parts.  I felt like I was violating my doors when I was doing this.  They will probably never be touched like this again.  Thank god.  Plus they TORE UP my fingers between the sand paper and the rough edges inside of the door.  My hands look like I was attacked by a vicious cat with claws.  So pretty I tell you.  The things I have to go through for this house of mine.  I swear.  So I got the 6 door knobs on that I was able to purchase and they look AWESOME!!!!  Aren’t they sexy?  You know you want some.  Dontcha? Work it.  Work it. 

Unfortunately, the doors will be two-toned for a while.  The special order handles aren’t coming in until 4/17 and I have yet to get the hinges.  So…… they are going to have a little bit of an identity crisis for some time.   The good news is that the doors open in, and the hinges on most of them are inside of the room.  So when the door is closed, all you can see is the handle.  SWEET!!!  

So that’s it for me for today.  I’ve got to start getting that gorgeous chandelier up and putting the rug down and hemming and hanging some curtains annnnnnnddd……….  I love that I knock one thing of my project list and add on 6 more in a 2 hour span.  I’m ridiculous.  I know.

PS My apologize to my dear friends Kim and Lauren for all of the stuff that I bought.  I wasn't thinking when I had 4 girls crammed into a small SUV with an 8 X 10 rug, a 5 X 3 piece of artwork and all of the other little things we all bought.  my bad.  I hope your necks aren't too sore from the 2 hour drive back home pinned up against the door.  Sorry.