Wood Planked Farm Table, and Spring at the Shop!

Happy Spring my friends!  I am so excited that it has finally arrived!  Our trees have been blossoming for a couple weeks now, and it just puts me in the best mood.  New life, a new season, bring it on!

So today I'm sharing a table that didn't start off terrible, but needed some new life itself. ;)  I bought this table mostly for the legs.. I love the fluted turned posts and saw all the potential it had to offer.  The table top was not real wood, so when I first bought it, I had planned to paint the entire thing and do a shabby chic type look.  But you know me and my wood stained tops!  I just couldn't do it.  So I turned it over onto it's top and unscrewed the skirt and legs from it.  I had to hit the skirt a few times with my hammer to break the seal of the glue.  Next I took my already cut to size pine wood planks and laid them out on the floor.  I placed my legs and skirt evenly on top of the planks, and screwed it all down to the new top.  A couple 2x4's were added for additional support.  Next step was to do the usual finishing process.  I LOVE how this table turned out.  If I had a larger dining room, I would keep it for myself!  But I don't, so someone else will have the chance to become the lucky owner ;) 

I glazed the base of the table to give it that rich antiqued look.  Made a huge difference in the overall look of the table.

My shop has needed a boost of life for a few months now, so I had a blast adding the fresh spring florals to my vignettes. 

I am so in love with these two french chairs I redid.  So versatile and could go anywhere really.

I also brought this cute little French side table to the shop.

I have lot's of plans to add more character to my shop, including redoing the floors both inside the trailer and also in the barn room.  I think that will make a huge difference in the overall appearance of the space.  I hope you are enjoying some extra hours of sunshine each day and hopefully warmer temperatures as well!  Thank you as always for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, 

xo Jen
 Linking up at:
Coastal Charm: Show and Share 

A Custom Bookshelf Makeover

Today I'm sharing my latest makeover!  I've had this bookcase in my garage for over a year now, and finally decided it was time for her overhaul! 

It's not like it started out that bad, but I saw a lot more potential.  Plus any excuse to make sometime more my own always sounds good to me.  So this piece was custom built out of alder wood.  It has some lovey moldings to start with, and also features adjustable shelves.

I didn't get a picture of the shelves, but they were just your standard 3/4" thick shelves.  I personally love a more beefed up look ;)  So I ran the shelves through my table saw and then pin nailed an 1 1/2" self edge to the fronts.  So now the shelves look double the size and this was honestly so simple to do.  I must admit, this was my first time using the table saw, all by myself, with no one around... I felt like such a big girl! haha.  I just get nervous using that tool.  Probably because everyone that has one has told me not to cut my fingers off.  Way to freak me out people!

After my shelves were complete, I decided I wanted an applique on here somewhere, so I simply just cut a 1x4 piece of pine to size, and pocket holed it into the top and sides.  I applied wood glue as well for extra strength.  Next I simply glued my applique on, and used my micro nail gun to secure it.  Walla!  Now we're talkin!

I gave the whole thing a few coats of a gorgeous creamy white paint, did some distressing and sealed her up!

Have you done some fun makeovers recently?  I love making new creations out of boring things!  Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

xo Jen

Our Thanksgiving Table & a Piece of My Heart

I set the table the night before Thanksgiving, trying to get a head start on everything.  Hosting three years in a row now, I try to simplify each year.  However, I never can seem to do that.  Do any of you have this problem?  

I struggle with perfectionism, and hosting Holiday events is when I really see my issue exposed.  I want everything to be perfect, everyone to have the BEST time, and take an amazing experience with them as they leave my home.  

Funny thing is.. nothing ever goes as expected. {according to my expectations} I made some cute little "I'm Thankful For" sheets that everyone was supposed to fill out.. I had intended to read some scripture as well, all relating to Gratitude and Thankfulness.  But we read no scripture, and nothing was filled out.  Did this wreck the evening?  Was Thanksgiving a total bomb?  Haha, no, it was not!  It just didn't go according to plan.  I do think it would have been lovely to go around the table and express what we were thankful for.  But we all had a great Thanksgiving, and everyone got along great.

Do any of you who blog struggle with wanting everything, all the time, to be gorgeous and pin-worthy picture perfect?  Well, I do.  And sometimes I feel like it robs the moment.  Not that there is anything wrong with being creative and loving to see and share beautiful things.  It's all about perspective for me.  It's something I'm working on within myself.  

This year, I am thankful.  I'm thankful for a family who shows me unconditional love and patience.  A family who brings me laughter and joy.  I'm thankful that I'm learning about myself and though change can be hard and takes a lot of work, it's worth it.  

I truly hope you all had a lovely time celebrating Thanksgiving with your families and friends.  We are all blessed.

"give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

xo Jen

ORC ~ My One Room Challenge!!

Hello everyone!  

Today marks the first week of the One Room Challenge Link Party!  I am so excited to jump in and be a part of it!  I have been wanting to change every a few rooms in my house, and just don't carve out the time.  So a six week challenge is exactly what I need!  One Room Challenge was started by Linda of Calling it Home, and I am so grateful that she thought of this!  Thank you Linda!  To follow along with tons of others, visit her blog!

So the way this whole thing works, is every week I will post an update of the progress I have made on my room!  And the final reveal will be in five short weeks!  Make sure to check back each week to see what I have done!

My One Room Challenge 

I chose my living room.  The living room is the first thing you see when you walk in the door, and I just really want it to reflect my style and taste.  It's not a bad room to start with, just not something I'm crazy about.

So here's the deal.. My husband loves this brick, but I'm not diggin it.  I never have.  I feel like everything I put on top of my mantle just competes with the brick.  I find it very busy.  I like a little more simple, lot's of creams and whites.. more details, but not busy.

Here are a few more before pictures of the room.  I also included my entry, which basically feels like it's part of the living room.  I'm going to include that in my challenge!  I hope I'm not setting myself up to fail! haha I think I can do this though!

Needed:

Woodwork surround on the fireplace

Custom Built Bookshelves to each side

Accessories

New wall paint

Fireplace stove repainted

New pillows

Something to be done with the ottoman

New clock idea

By the way, that wood square on the wall.. that's an unfinished project. ;)  I have a lot of those around my house.

This picture below.. it's not bad, but not great.  I feel like something more needs to be done with this space.  My ceiling is at it's peak on this wall, and leaves it feeling kind of bare.  If you have any ideas on how to make this a better focal point, but not too busy, please feel free to share!  I will definitely be doing something different with the pillows.  

 

Needed:

Different Pillows

Accessories

Something more to the wall space?

Picture below, I want to do something with a little more pop, and maybe some balance?  I'm also going to build two matching end tables to go on each side of this couch.  Add a new lamp, and accessories.. 

See that concrete foundation just above the carpet?  Well, that has been driving me crazy for years now!  It used to have carpet on it, but when we replace all our carpet, I said, nope.  I don't want carpet going up my wall! haha.  So I will be trimming that out to match the rest of the wood work, a creamy white paint of course. 

  Needed:

Two new custom built side tables

New Lamp

Accessories

Something more uniform on each side of the curtains

Here is my entry.  Not bad right?  But not what I want.  I have had this more contemporary console table for about eight years now.  Ready for a change.  I am going to build a new console table for this spot.  Something that more reflects my style.  I also would love to change this mirror up a bit.  I have a few ideas, but something to make it larger and give it more detail.  I hope it turns out like I'm seeing it in my head!!

 Needed:

New custom built entry table

Mirror built up for a larger look

Accessories

Maybe some woodwork on this wall? Not sure yet...

So now onto the plan!!  I have mentioned several times, "not my taste/style".  So what is my style?  Well, If I could have my perfect home, it would be a French Farmhouse with a Coastal Cottage flair!  Might sound like a lot of different looks, but it seems to work for me. :)

Here are a few inspiration pictures to give you an idea of where we are headed.  This part gets me really excited!!

I will be adding horizontal planking above the fireplace.  It's very cottage-farmhouse, and I'm in love with it!  I will also be building bookshelves to frame in the fireplace, so the backs will be planked as well.

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Above, I love the blue and white grain sack striping.  This pulls in a little bit of everything for me.  Farmhouse, old French grain sacks, and the blue and white are a coastal combination.  I may include this look using pillows, but not totally sure yet!

I love the look of old and new white pitchers.  So I will include some of these in my accessories.. I have a few already, though nothing like this collection below!

 

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I love this look below for my new entry table.  Something lighter, more rustic, and more shelf space.

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I could post inspiration pictures all day long, but I think this gives you an idea of where we're headed.  I look forward to starting this next week and sharing the progress with you all!  Any tips or ideas are welcome!  Thank you for stopping by! 

xo Jen

Linking up at:

Calling it Home: One Room Challenge