I am going into week 8 of maternity leave. I work for a large company with an unbelievable benefit package. I actually get 16 weeks! I had a list of goals to accomplish while I'm out. One of these was to start a blog. Well half way through and I haven't made a very large dent in my list. Been a little distracted... It's finally time to get down to business. Create blog... check. Help decorate my sisters first apartment... Uncheck.
My youngest sister recently graduated from college, got a job, and moved into her first solo apartment. We are working with a teachers salary, so we are trying to save on everything we can. I'm giving my self about $200 to furnish her entire apartment. Did I mention she only has a couch, bed, and dresser? We've got a long way to go.
Project 1: Headboard
Jessica mentioned that she really wanted an old door as a headboard. I was worried this would come off a little too country, but I told her I'd keep my eyes peeled. No joke 3 days later on my walk with Hudson I found a gate on the side of the road.
Before: After:The size was right and much more substantial than a door. To keep the gate from looking too country, I decided on a modern color palette: turquoise and brown (her bedspread) with orange accents. For some reason I thought a sample size of paint was enough to paint the entire gate, but I was wrong. To keep from making a trip back to Lowes I watered the paint down as I applied it. I ended up only using half of the can for the entire gate. After painting the whole thing, I added depth by dry brushing a little white and black in a few places. The whole project took about 2 hours on a Sunday, and the eight year old neighbor next door even lended a hand (you can't mess up when painting with colored water). Total Cost $3.88 for the paint.
I like it horizontal instead of vertical. It takes a little of the "this is a gate" aspect away.
Project 2: Lamps (orange accents)
I purchased 2 tacky brass lamps at a yard sale a few weeks ago. I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do with them, but at $2 a pop I figured I could find something eventually.
I thought about spraying them white and putting them in my master. But since I already have lamps and my sister is in need, I realized these would be really neat in a bright color that would look good with turquoise and brown. Why not a bright orange? My sister was a bit skeptical, but I convinced her that if she hated the color she could re-spray them for less than $5. In order to spray paint brass you need to scuff it up a bit with steel wool, then use a paint designed for metal. I put painters tape on the cord and that's about it. This took less than an hour. The only real cost for this project was finding the right shades. After contemplating making our own, I convinced my sister to buy 2 from homegoods at $15 each. So total cost for both lamps was $37.00. We could have gone cheaper, but I don't really want her place to look too homemade.
