Can't always find what you're looking for...so just make it

Originally, I needed a coffee table, and I couldn't find one that I liked, so I got a hair-brained idea to just make one. I got Home Depot to cut the MDF board to the right size because 1. I don't have a table saw and 2. the damn board wouldn't have fit into my car.

Materials:
- (1) 4x8 sheet of 3/4" MDF board, wood glue, wood screws
- (30) pieces of furring strips at 0.89 each and 3 tubes of liquid nails adhesive
- (1) can of fast-drying polyurethane and 3 foam brushes
- (1) bottle of acrylic black paint

I built the base using the wood screws and the MDF board, then covered the entire box with the furring strips. Then I put a coat of polyurethane over the wood, so it wouldn't soak up all of the paint.  Then I mixed 1 part black acrylic paint with 2 parts water and wiped the whole thing down.  It was still pretty black, so then I used steel wool to take off some of the paint and smooth it down.

After all of that, I think I'm going to use this as a bench at the end of our bed, rather than a coffee table.  This thing is HUGE- about 5ft. long x 18" wide and 18" tall- did I mention heavy- I can't move it by myself- oh well, you live and you learn, right?

What have you done with your life lately?

OK, so here's the deal, we had a baby on January 18.   You are not suppose to spray paint, or use any of the other crazy chemicals that I use when your pregnant- so that's the reason for the hiatus.  Have no fear, though- I HAVE BEEN WORKING! 

We have recently sold our house, and are moving to somewhat of a "fixer upper"- which is my dream come true!  I have been busy working on packing up our house, and finishing up projects before we move.  I'll be posting my projects shortly.

Before & After Baby Room

Baby Bed: Craigslist $15

Dresser: Craigslist FREE

Window Panels: FREE from a Friend

Paint: $20

The $2.99 Chair

Just when you thought the $5 chair was the least expensive chair you could find- ha!  I picked up these three from the Goodwill outlet store in Berry Hill.  $2.99 per chair + .99 for spray paint, and you've got yourself a pretty cute breakfast area.

The $5 Chair

Remember high school chemistry class, the wooden swivel stools.  There must have been millions of them, because everyone knows what I'm talking about.  The real question is after seemingly hundreds of years of use (we probably used the same chairs our grandparents used).  Anyway, I found these fab finds on craigslist the other day for a mere $5- what a freaking steal.  Anything that has held up for that long, has got to be sturdy..not to mention a good story. 

Here are my little beauties, I wish I could have bought all 50 of them- oh well.

Oh Bookcase, Where Art Thou

I have been on the prowl for a new bookcase for our office for a while, and I have come up with nothing. Nothing that has the "feel" that I want or the size. Now, I know that this blog is suppose to be about buying things on the cheap, but I did want to point out one thing. It is important to mix in different pieces to your home decor, and by this I mean things that are new. If you continue to add flea market and thrift store furnishings, guess what, your home is going to start looking like a thrift store. Mix it up a bit, add new modern items (think a lamp, picture frame, etc.) with your thrift store decor, and they'll compliment each other.

So today, on my lunch break I'm trekking to Merridian Furniture in Nashville to peek at their bookcases. I LOVE their furniture, and their prices are reasonable, too.

BIG Wall, Tiny Budget

My sister recently moved into a new loft, and while the space is great, there is one huge wall that needed to be dealt with, and of course it needed to be done so on a budget. What's a girl to do...

I suggested that she hang records that run the whole length of the wall to draw your eye to the window at the end of the wall. We bought 50 records from the Goodwill Outlet store, and Velcro to hang them. The result was dramatic, and who doesn't love drama.
50 used Records- $10
1 roll of Velcro- $3