Have Bed Will Travel

A few weeks ago I picked up an old suitcase at an estate sale. I had big plans for this baby. This is what she looked like before.

I will not pretend that this idea was of my own invention. This past summer I saw this somewhere (Pintrest? Etsy? A blog?). I have searching for suitcases ever since. Here is the after:

The inside is in immaculate condition, but the pocket doesn't lay very nice when the lid is up. I actually glued it up a bit after I took this picture. These pockets and once on the sides would be great storage for leashes, balls, bones and more when you take your dog on a trip.  Here is what it looks like closed.

A closer look at the feet. I picked these up at a thrift store this summer and sprayed them with my current favorite Stainless Steel. They are easy to unscrew. In fact, you could take them off and throw them in the suitcase for a traveling dog bed.

Delia and I tried to get the dogs to pose, but my dog babies aren't fans of any bed but mine. While I designed it as a dog bed it could be used as a foot stool, a little table or simple storage. I LOVE it and wish I could keep it, but alas I think it is something I will be selling soon.

It Wasn't Broken When I Bought It

I was redoing the entry way and needed a credenza type table. You know how when you are looking for something you can never find what you need? Well, it was late Saturday night and I started perusing Craigslist and up this puppy came:

Now, the best part was it was located close (as in three miles away) and they were excellent at communicating. I swung by, check it out and even kicked the legs to make sure they were sturdy. I paid what they were asking (I generally pay the "this is all I have game") and started to load it into the old Volvo. As my son and I were pushing it in I broke a leg (table leg).
I had to come home and bust out the Guerrilla Glue. This made me mad because it was going to postpone my plans. Oh, well.
Here is the lady with primer...

 All finished...

Semi gussied up. Does anyone have an idea for a lampshade? I am in need of one.

 The color on the table is Watery. I was going to do some distressing, but figure it will happen in due time. There is some debate as to if this will be a permanent home for the table. My husband feels it doesn't allow people enough room to get in the door. I said we can poll guests to see what they think. If they agree I will sell it. This is a win-win situation.

Grand Entrance

The very first room I painted upon moving into our home was the entry way. I don't remember what color the walls were (most likely a cream), but I wanted to make a statement when people walked in. I painted it a dark cinnamon rust and loved it. Six years later I still loved it, but wanted to lighten things up. I find my color palette has changed recently to lights. I don't dig those bright colors that seem to be popping up all over, give me a muted grey any day. Anyway, this weekend (before I came down with a cold) I tackled the entry way.
Before...

A few things to note. My entry way was SIX doors. To the left of the front door is the coat closet, to the right is a door leading into our kitchen (If you walk around the corner there is a huge opening so this makes no sense. It is on my big to do list to remove  the entire corner, but I have some work to do before this happens). Further down on the left hand wall is another door that leads to bedrooms (it is nice to be able to shut it off) and directly in front of the door is the door leading to the basement and another closet. Whew. Talk about a lot of cutting in! I realized as I painted, the first time I did it had a six month old. Let's just say my last job  was SLOPPY.
I started on Friday night when the boys were out at the Blazer game. I had a little help from my friend...

Here is the after...

The wall color is Martha Stewart Copen Blue. Now I am usually a Sherwin Williams addict, but they were closed and I needed my fix. Martha had an almost perfect match to what I had chosen. This is the "Jew Pew" (In all due respect people). I placed two vintage ticking pillows on it. I am looking for a better basket to go underneath the bench (This is our lost and found and our friends and family look here often. By the way anyone missing a camcorder? It has been here for three years). The picture is one of my favorites. I purchased at our local high school's student art auction. My daughter recently gave it a tattoo on the arm. Argh.

The table I found off of Craigslist undecorated. The verdict is still out as to whether or not it will remain here. My husband says it is beginning to look like Hoarders around here. The color on this is Sherwin Williams Watery.

Here it is decorated. I am on the search for the perfect lampshade. I will also be taking down the light switch cover and replacing it with a painted one so it will blend in better. I wish I could lower the mirror, but alas someone decided to put the switch here. Looking at this picture it really bugs me.

Closer look at the pew. This is one of my most favorite things.

The numbers on the pew. I can't bring myself to do anything but keep it polished.

I added the wainscoting and hung a chair railing. I am really proud to say I overcame my fear of the big saw and did all the work myself. I love the way it turned out and can't wait to add some finishing touches as they speak to me. I had every intention of adding some shelves in coat closet, but after purging it I realized it works fine and there is no need for shelves so I left it alone. Sometimes I like to make my husband happy.

Cost-

Paint-$36 (a lot for me, but it was primer and paint and I only needed one coat even with the dark color to cover)

Wainscoting-$22

Chair rail-$14

Adhesive-$2

New to me table- $20

Total for the makeover-$94

I still need to find a rug and a lampshade, but after that I believe she is done. Oh wait about that other closet...

And the Winner Is...

The winner of the LOVE banner is Lori Morrison. I tried to figure out how to contact you, but had no luck sooooo this means you need to send me an email with your address and I will get it out as soon as I can. My email is leahaltig@yahoo.com.
I have been busy enjoying my kids this weekend and in between outings have began the entryway remodel. I am hoping to get it mostly finished tomorrow so I can reveal it soon.

There are those ugly walls again. After five and a half years of having our kitchen this color my husband told me he hates the color. This basically gives me permission to get painting.