Another Project!

We have plenty of furniture projects in the works as we speak.  We are *this* close to having our dining room table finished (I will share pictures as soon as we are done) when my mom sent me this picture.....

Ballard Designs

I have a curio cabinet in our basement that Ryan got me MANY years ago.  It is a very light wood color and just not my decorating style these days!  So, when mom sent me this, I quickly added another project to our furniture to-do list.  Man oh man I might need to buy some stock in Benjamin Moore paint along with Rustoleum ;)
Next up on the list is Emma's desk, then time to dig my curio cabinet out of the basement!

DIY: Dining Room Buffet Makeover!

I shared a few pictures a while back but wanted to give you the details on how I made over our old bedroom dresser!  The dresser actually used to be my grandma and grandpa's buffet.  However, when we added on to our old house, my dad re-finished the buffet, put on new handles and voila we had a new dresser.

We got new bedroom furniture for the house and I thought using our old dresser for its original purpose was the way to go!  Sooooo I headed for the interweb to find out how to re-finish furniture.  That was when I found what is now my FAVORITE blog.  Chris over at JustAGirl had some great advice and that was where I got all the information I needed (seriously though she is a genius, you have to check everything out....and she is a fellow Michigander)! 

I didn't get any before pictures but I am beyond thrilled with my AFTER pictures.....   

 I had to get another view so you could see my awesome light fixture from Joss and Main!

These handles used to be gold and obviously didn't match all of my silver accessories in the dining room.  My plan was to just buy new handles until I found this magical can.....

Seriously I freaking looovvveeee this stuff!!!!  Not only have I spray painted the handles on the buffet but I have painted the base of the table in our breakfast nook and TONS of odds and ends that I will share in another post.  I could totally be their spokesperson....did I mention I love this paint?

A little sneak peak!!

I have lots to update you on....that is the understatement of the century.  Anywho, let's get down to business.  We got our certificate of occupancy on FRIDAY (December) THE 13TH!!!!  That had to be the luckiest Friday the 13th that I have ever had.  However, Saturday the 14th looked like this....

Not sure if you can really tell but it was snowing like a mother trucker that day, and we didn't even care.  Yep, part of the exterior isn't done yet.  We can't close on our loan until the outside is done so I am getting a wee bit stressed out as interest rates are NOT moving in a direction that I like.  We will remain in the construction loan phase until the exterior is done as well.  

Now here are a few shots of the inside.  I still have sooooooo much decorating to do but things are getting done slowly but surely.  More on that after I share some pictures!

Here is the breakfast nook and a little mistletoe :-)

This is the great room and the 12 ft tree that almost killed me!!

The dining room and the dresser that I refinished into our buffet!!

Another shot showing the light I got from Joss and Main!!  Loves it!!!

Annnnddddd the glorious fireplace that our plumber, HVAC guy, friend wood worker and Ryan made!!

There is a little tiny sneak peak at what we've had going on.  Like I said, I have TONS of decorating to do yet.  But I am taking it week by week.  There are so many things that I want to do but it will come with time.
I've not gotten into a lot of the details along the way because, well, we've just been so busy!  We have taken some big hits along the way.   I guess that is why most people say they'd never do it again.   We had a local builder rough in the house and he gets his material from a local lumber company.  Now hold onto your shorts, but they were 30% over the bid (that we had received 8 months earlier) for materials.  That was also the largest budget line in our budget.  That my friends was a hard pill to swallow!!  A very bitter pill, but "it is what it is" (this is one phrase that I am REALLY tired of people saying to us).  Sooooo we have had to pay everything out of pocket for the last 12 weeks in order to finish this project.  Needless to say it was a little stressful sliding into Christmas this way.  However I am glad to be done bleeding money and ready to get back to some normalcy.   Between that huge overage and the need for a sh*t ton of dirt I am sooooooooooo happy to be done.  Do you know how painful it is to pay for DIRT???  Yeah, you'd be surprised :-)
Ok, ok enough of the harsh reality of it all!!!!  I have to say that I wake up every morning and look out our bedroom window into the woods and smile.  It was one helluva a ride but sooooooo worth it in the end.  The kids love it just as much as we do.  Now that I have a little more free time I will really keep ya'll in the loop on the fun stuff that's happenin'......like decorating!!!