The Search Begins.

Although we have lived in our new/old, old/new house since September, we still have a ton of work to do. We are both students, and soon we will be a two-graduate-student household, so we plan to use our summer off (woo-hoo!) to get some things checked off the old To-Do list. This may seem rather insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but right now, we are focused on bar stools. We have a larger-than-life kitchen island complete with a bar, but we have no seating for said bar. If we were in the market for your average little stool without a back to it, I think this would've been accomplished quite some time ago. However, since we are always concerned with comfort and safety, we are on the hunt for something more like these:

The above bar stools are all from Target (you will quickly learn that this is one of my favorite places on Earth). They are traditional and modern all at once- a perfect blend of Sterner Style!

These are from Pottery Barn:

The ones from Target look almost identical to the stools from Pottery Barn, and they are, of course, much cheaper. Looking for the right stools is not going to keep us up at night, but choosing the right ones is important enough where we will hold out for the perfect blend of comfort and style. Stay tuned...

Bringin' Sexy Back {To The Table}...

Okay, so unless you're like me and are über obsessed with chic-ifying your existing furniture using some paint and new hardware, you probably wouldn't use the word "sexy" to describe your newly painted dresser, nightstand or dining room table. But, in my case, sexy is exactly the word that comes to mind when I think of my newly made-over end table. It went from drab to fab in less than a week (I had to squeeze in sanding, priming and three coats of paint between final exams and homework, otherwise it would have just been a few days). Having gone from a sad, washed out shade of walnut brown to a modern, sophisticated and lively shade of chartreuse, the table is now ready for its big reveal.

Feast your eyes on the transformation:

Isn't she a beaut? She makes my heart go pitter-patter every time I look at her. I don't know why I'm referring to the table as "she", but that's irrelevant. See what a little elbow grease and some paint can do for your dated furniture? Who says you can't be thrifty, "green", and stylish at the same time? Seriously, who says? I'll track 'em down and whip out these before- and- after shots of my cheap DIY makeover. How cheap? I'm so glad you asked! Here's a little budget breakdown (all items, sans table, were purchased at Lowe's unless otherwise specified):

• 100 grit sandpaper - $3.97
• Valspar Ultra-Premium interior latex paint, semi-gloss (1 qt.)- $13.00
• Bulk pack of paint brushes- $4.00
• Kilz interior oil-based primer (1 qt.), white pigmented- $7.98
• Table-FREE (already owned)    

Grand Total= $28.95!

The Beginning of the End?

It's finally happened. We have officially cracked under the pressure of home ownership. We are nuts, loony, loopy, bonkers and ______ (insert another word for "crazy" here). Maybe I should back up a bit. 


Shortly after we moved into our (first) house, we discovered that along with inheriting three bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths and a fenced-in yard, we were also the proud new owners of a leaky dishwasher. However, this old, shy dishwasher decided to fully introduce itself only after we signed on the dotted line. Oh, and did I mention that we have hardwood floors in the kitchen? Yes, home ownership is a real paininthebutt  joy. Seriously. It is. 


So, with the water damage graciously bestowed upon us (courtesy of our dishwasher), we came to the conclusion that we need to refinish the hardwood flooring in our kitchen/living room/dining area. The damage is actually fairly minor, and we really hate the idea of ripping up an entire wood floor that is in pretty good shape. So, refinishing it is! 

But why are we bonkers/crazy/totally insane? So glad you asked! Actually, my husband is the crazy one - I'm just along for the ride. I joke, I joke. Anyway, we are "nuts" because we are considering refinishing the flooring ourselves. Yes, sanding, staining, polyurethaning...the whole enchilada! The main reason, of course, comes down to dollars and sense. Although our home owner's insurance covered the damage and gave us the funds to refinish the floors professionally, we are suckers for saving money where we can. Obviously, to the point of insanity. And in case you are wondering, no- we are not in the construction business. We have never done anything like this before, and we have no clue what we are getting ourselves into. Awesome!


But in the spirit of the DIY craze that has hit our nation, we are totally on board for learning this whole home-renovation thing as we go along. We're up for the challenge! Sure, we might lose a few limbs along the way or discover that my husband is not, in fact, "the master of  the circular saw". But, we're in this together... severed limbs and all.