When two become one...

As many of you have experienced, and as many of you can imagine, getting married means more than committing to one person for the rest of your life--it also means committing to your significant others' stuff.

My husband (Levi) and I moved in together and I quickly learned that my style wasn't best suited for a man. I also learned that he had his own style and that I would need to tread very lightly to ensure that both of our design styles 'meshed' in our new house. 

One of the first projects I did to marry our styles was to refurbish some night stands.

Here are the Night Stands today!

Levi brought a relatively nice looking, classic IKEA night table into the marriage. The problem was there was only one. So began my hunt for another night stand.

To no surprise I found the perfect piece at Goodwill for only $14.00! It was a two drawer filing cabinet from the 70's or 80's with a curved front.

My next challenge was figuring out how to make both of these, very different night tables work in the same space. I chose to paint each night table the same color--and if you read my last blog post about the desk, you won't be too surprised to know that I painted them a nice earthy shade of blue.

I was happy with how they turned out but still wanted to add a bit of personality. I dragged my husband out to one of my favorite shops for the home (Anthropologie) and began hunting for new knobs! I figured that having Levi choose his own knobs for his own night table, would be a good way to make him feel included in this whole refurbishing process. (I bet this is a good strategy for kids too!;)

The Goodwill Find

The classic IKEA

The best thing about these nightstands is that they can be painted again to match any décor. What ever I decide to do, their story as a married couple is turning a new leaf...I wonder what's in store for them in the new house???

-Jill

A little help from Jillian Harris...

I need to start this DIY post with my original inspiration. A designer friend of mine is also part of the DIY movement and has taken her career to the next level. Her blog is full of inspiration and she is pretty neat too ;)

Below is a picture from her website, of a reclaimed desk she did. This desk (including the staging around it) is so adorable. As if you wouldn't want to grab your cup of coffee, turn on your stylish Mac computer (it's on my wish list)  and blog away!

The image of this desk was in the back of my mind and I was dying to recreate something similar. The DIY gods must have heard me because check out what my husband and I stumbled upon in the back alley one sunny afternoon...

The first thing I had to do was fix that dang hole (thanks to it's previous life as a sewing table--I think). Thankfully my husband was in the midst of carpentry school and eager to help out! He fashioned a lovely top to cover the hole for me!

I then  faced the task of choosing a color. Now, girly, single Jill would have chosen to paint it a shade of white (I LOVE white). But, knowing that this desk was going in a high traffic area of our home, and knowing that my husband was getting tired of all of the white 'stuff', I knew I had to go in a different direction! (enter inspirational rug)

A few lovely, world travelling family members gifted us this rug for our wedding--I believe it's from Turkey. I wanted to give it some justice in our home and so it became the inspiration for our desk. With the help of my sister (the paint expert) I chose a blue color to match the desk. I took it a bit further and chose to paint the wall behind the desk the terracotta -ish color that you see in the rug.

 

My apologies for not being able to see the color of the desk--I obviously need some photog skills. I have to admit, I was pretty happy with the end result. Mostly because I forced myself out of my comfort zone and tried something new with color. My husband appreciated it as well.

That being said, another desk has come into my ownership and I have 'girly' plans for it in our new home. Stay tuned!

--Jill

One woman's trash...

...is another woman's treasure. I have a DIY frame hanging on my wall that has travelled with me to 4 homes since I originally rescued it from a driveway in my university town. 

I always keep my eyes open for the perfect DIY 'find' but I certainly didn't expect to find this treasure. It had a ripped canvas (thanks to a teenage boy I was told), and was painted colors that would never work in my home--I'm actually surprised it even caught my attention--the red, black and gold frame was far from my personal idea of style. I knew I had to have it.

After a quick discussion with its owner, and an awkward walk home, I had a new project on my hands.

The DIY transformation began- and let me tell you, this was just the beginning.
(As it goes I've got no pictures of the beloved frame from it's early days--if you can imagine an ornate French country frame on the wall with nothing in it...you've got it!) -- And that's how it stayed for years, starting many conversations like, "what are you going to put in it?" and,  "it's kind of creepy,

Then I got engaged. And of course, planning a DIY wedding was right up my alley! I decided to include the frame in our wedding design. With the help of burlap and chicken wire, the frame quickly morphed into our seating board.

The frame as it hangs today...

 

Check out the burlap and chicken wire detail! Love this idea!

 

Then I had a baby. And of course, having a baby means taking pictures. What better canvas for displaying a collection of baby pictures than my burlap and chicken wire frame!

The Birthday Frame

The frame has now been packed and is ready for the Green House. I have NO idea where I am going to put the frame once we move--I'm sure I will figure something out. Any suggestions you have would be appreciated! (I'm open to changing it's function too by the way!)

Stay tuned to find out the next chapter of this DIY treasure :)

--Jill

P.S. A new frame was added to my collection a few weeks back-it's story in our home has just begun-- possibilities are endless!

Let the DIY story begin...

After much time spent pondering how to start a DIY blog, and much time spent deciding whether or not it was something I actually wanted to do, my excitement and passion for DIY 'stuff' got the best of me. I'm diving into the world of blogging!

I have a fairly long commute into work and have a lot of time to think about what DIY projects I can do, how I will share them and what I will get out of it-- Conveniently, my husband and I recently purchased a 100 year old home and will be working on making it a "home of our own". This--for obvious reasons-- lends itself nicely to a budding DIY blogger!

As mentioned in my first "Welcome" post (apologies for not being a good host and refraining to post for 4 months), my mom and I both have incredible passion for bringing used objects into a home and giving them a new 'story'--thus we have created Second Story Furnishings (more on that later).

Little does my husband, daughter or new house (appropriately named The Green House) know, I will be documenting our journey via this blog--reporting on the latest and greatest DIY projects in and around our home. As you can imagine, the house has over 100 years of story to tell--I can't wait to add a few more chapters ;)

The Green House...

Thanks to Speechie Evie and Kanelstrand Simple Living for providing some great tips on how to get started!