So, obviously, Sew Cute Tuesday did not happen this week. The long holiday weekend threw me off and I realized at noon today that it was, in fact, Tuesday! I will resume our previously scheduled linky party next week.
How was everyone’s Memorial Day? If you aren’t in the U.S., how was your weekend? I think it was just Spring Bank Holiday in England and Victoria Day last week in Canada.
The past couple days, for me, has been all about getting household projects crossed off my list. My husband is home and searching for work, so I’m trying to use the time to get it all done!
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My first project was painting the front door. I purchased the paint and primer last October and finally had free time and a nice day to leave the door open. It took a LOT longer than I thought and I ended up having to do 3 coats of primer and 8 coats of paint. Red paint is more like a translucent glaze and it would have been nice if the salesperson at the hardware store had directed me to purchase gray primer, instead of white (take note, if you decide you need a red door!).
The results were totally worth it, though, and I smile every time I pull up the driveway. The lion head door knocker was a wedding gift and my painting project gave my husband the incentive to hang it up. He also replaced the hardware on the door, because the old hardware was never installed properly by the previous owners.
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My next project was repairing and recovering this bench. My husband and I were on an HGTV home makeover show back in 2009 and they turned our ugly back room into a beautiful office/guest room. That is a murphy bed inside that big wardrobe. The bench was homemade and it had cracked and the fabric had gotten dirty and stained (it was dupioni silk, so not very resilient to toddlers and cats). I screwed metal braces into the base and then I recovered the pad with an orphan curtain I already owned. I would have liked to have used a fabric with a plaid or stripe, but hey, this was free!
Before & After
Finally, I finished the new duvet cover and pillow shams for my bed. I bought pretty Pottery Barn bedding when we first moved in in 2008, but it was shredding (thanks cats). I never liked how blue/grey the room was, so I decided to go with yellow this time and add some cheer. I bought fabric from Fabric Depot for much less than buying a new bedding set.
I was going to use an old white sheet for the back of the duvet, but then I found my old white duvet cover, so I just sewed the new fabric onto that. So quick! The striped pillows are just one strip of fabric folded and sewn into an envelope.
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Next up, I’ll get those party photos posted!
Looks great!! Love that red door, too. I don’t know why they don’t advise ppl to use a primer that would make the paint job quicker/easier!! There have been many sad stories of many coats of paint needed when much less would have done the job if the primer hadn’t been white!!! The yellow in the bedroom really gives the room freshness and spark. Looks great! Hugs, Doreen
Really nice improvements to your home. Thanks for sharing. Love the pillows. Red door is great, too. It really “pops”.
Oh I LOVE your new red door (sorry it took so many coats of paint!). And your room makeover! Very timely for me – I am gearing up to do some similar things at my house!!
Your photos are just lovely! And, I like all the changes you have made. Your home is your treasure, and hope you will enjoy it as time goes on. I also like your duvet makeover. Nicely done.
Love the new doona set – the yellow is so bright and cheery!
Looks great. I love red doors. And it is interesting to hear that you were on a home makeover show.
So many great projects! Thanks for sharing your productive weekend!
Love the projects getting checked off. The red door is STUNNING. Here is a tip for the next painting project. When you buy primer and paint, have the primer TINTED with a shade just a bit lighter than your final paint color. This will help with coverage. Also, if it is a shade lighter, when you put the paint on, you know you are getting good coverage!
LOVE the red door!!!
I love what you have done. It must be great being able to cross all those ‘to-do’s’ off the list.
All your projects turned out great! How was it being on a makeover show? I watch those all the time and often wonder if the owners are as pleased with the results as they’d like to be…