From Rags to Riches

Remember this post from August 5?  Well, we did not exactly get that pallet table finished within the week.  We didn't even get it finished within the month, but have no fear...it is finished now!

Brandon did a very thorough job in disassembling and reassembling the pallets to make sure the best boards ended up on top and that each board, corner, and crevice go primed and painted.  I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out!

I mentioned in my previous post that we were going to put our own twist on the project and that twist was the color.  We did not think that the wood would take stain very well, so we knew we were going to have to paint the table, but what we didn't know was what color.  I toyed around with a bright color like purple or green or something fun, but after I realized how much effort it would take to repaint it once I got tired of the bright color, I figured I better choose something neutral.  I knew I didn't really want black, so I decided to match the slats in the chairs which are a dark charcoal/taupe color.  And I LOVE the outcome!

This pot is too big for the table, but I wanted to show the scale and show it from a different angle.  I plan to find a fun pot to put a fun fall plant in of I have some cute lanterns in the storage room that I could pull out.  We'll just have to see what I come up with!

And have I mentioned my favorite feature?  The casters!  I can roll this baby all around the patio and it rolls with ease.

Who would have thought two rugged old pallets could become such an awesome (and useful) table!

Weekend Wrap-Up

We had a pretty low key weekend, which was just fine with us because once September comes, our weekends become pretty busy with trips to Manhattan for football games.  So, this weekend was kind of our last "free weekend" for quite some time and we took advantage of the down time.

On Friday night, we redeemed a gift card to a local brewery for dinner.  We laughed because we went directly there after work since we were already downtown and we ended up eating with the "blue haired crowd" as we like to call it.  However, I did have an excellent drink called Hard Strawberry Lemonade.  Basically, it was lemonade with some kind of berry flavored vodka and fresh strawberries.  It was delicious!  I also had yummy macaroni and cheese for dinner but I'm still trying to pretend that never happened.  After dinner, we headed back home to clean house.  Yep, you read that right.  We spent our Friday night cleaning house.  We are a wild couple, I tell ya!  I chose to do this on Friday because Brandon was golfing all day on Saturday and I wanted to use that time to work on a couple of projects around the house.  After we finished cleaning, we crashed on the couch to catch up on our DVR.  And this guy had such a rough day, he thought he needed some peace and quiet as well...

Saturday morning we got up and headed to the Farmer's Market before Brandon's tee time, but we were extremely disappointed with the selection and there was only one stand that was selling tomatoes.  ONE STAND!  Needless to say, we left empty handed.  Shortly after we got home, Brandon was off to the golf course and I got ready for the day.  As I sat down to make my list of errands, I caught The Pioneer Woman's new show on Food Network, so my errands were delayed for 30 minutes.  Can I just say, I love The Pioneer Woman.  She is so great and so is her show!  I also made sure to set the DVR to record her show since we won't be home at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday mornings very much this fall. 

After I got my fill of PW, I headed out to run errands and to pick up a few things for a project I had planned.  I hit up Target, Michaels, Pier 1 and Hobby Lobby and by the time I got home, I had all I needed to create these lovely pieces for our mantle.

I already had the painting, which my sister and I painted over a year ago, and I originally had some purple vases on the mantle, but it seemed so "hard" so I thought I should create something to soften that area a little bit.  After perusing Pinterest, I found some inspiration for these vases.  I already had the green leafy twigs, so I had to purchase the curly willow, the vases and the rocks.  Thankfully, I found the vases 50% off at Hobby Lobby, so the project didn't cost all that much.  While I still need some candles and other accessories on the mantle, I think this was a great addition and a good start to making that area look better.

I spent the rest of the afternoon just lounging around waiting for Brandon to come home.  We had intended to go test drive a car, but found out that particular car sold the day before so we had to scrap those plans.  Luckily, my parents were in town running errands so we met them for dinner instead.  After we filled our tummies, Brandon and I came home and watched "Something Borrowed" on OnDemand.  It was a good movie, but anything with John Krasinski and Kate Hudson should be good, right?! 

Sunday, we got up for church, had lunch with some friends and then spent the rest of the day at our friends' parents house, which sits on a lake.  We had a great time relaxing in the water and just taking it easy.  I even got a little bit of sun, which was nice!  We came home, showered, and scrounged around for dinner.  Then, I decided to do some baking (I know...Weight Watchers played no part in my weekend).  Of course, the recipe came from Pinterest and while the cookies were good, they weren't to-die-for.  I couldn't get them baked properly - if I baked them according to the alotted time, they were still too gooey, but if I baked them longer they got too brown.  I brought them in to work today so I'll see what my co-workers have to say. 

After the cookie baking expedition, I started to get the Sunday night blues as I realized the weekend was coming to an end and I would have to start the work week again.  However, I have an extra long weekend coming up, so at least I have that to look forward to :)

Pinnable Me Friday - DIY

This week's edition of Pinnable Me Friday features some of my favorite DIY ideas.  I'm really hoping to execute a few of these ideas soon, so stay tuned for the reveals!

I saw this and thought it would make for a great Christmas centerpiece or a neat way to burn citronella candles on the patio.  All you have to do is wrap twine around the outside of an old pickle/salsa/jelly jar, then spray paint the jar with the color of your choice, and remove the twine.  So easy!

Source: markmontano.typepad.com via Tessa on Pinterest

I found this idea before I got the new patio chairs (with the thought in mind that someday I might own those chairs..yippee!) and I can't wait to put my own twist on it.  I have already given Brandon the task of finding the pallets and I hear he may have found a few already so this project may get completed soon, as in the next week. 

Source: joyeverafter.com via Tessa on Pinterest

We also have the chairs that are shown with the table.  We got them on the clearance at Target for $12 a piece.  See, I really am becoming a bargain hunter!

A while back when I was in my hometown, my mom and I visited the local flower shop and the florist had a display that used twigs sprouting up out of a really neat rectangular vase and it was set up in front of a mirror.  I really liked the idea, but have had a hard time finding the perfect container to recreate the same look.  But, when I saw this idea, I thought it would be easier to assemble and create a much more dramatic look.  I think this would be a fun textural piece to place above our mantle.

Source: 4.bp.blogspot.com via Tessa on Pinterest

I know it is a little early to be thinking about making Christmas decorations, but with the 100+ degree weather that is keeping me inside I'm beginning to run out of things to do. I love the look and feel of the cute feather trees that are sold in most retail stores, but they are a little expensive and a little trendy.  I think this is a fun (and cheap) DIY copycat that shouldn't take too much time to create and I won't feel guilty if I decide not to use them year after year.

Source: spunkyjunky.blogspot.com via Tessa on Pinterest

And last but not least.  I think I've mentioned before how I like to find new uses for old things.  Well, would you believe the art below was made out of toilet paper rolls??? 

Source: moderndaymoms.com via Tessa on Pinterest

I think a larger scale piece like this would look great above our bed or in our basement behind our pub table. 

So, what DIY ideas do you have going on in your home?