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Thursday, November 8, 2012

New Place setup

Hi y'all!

It has been forever since I last posted. Life has been sort of crazy around these parts. We packed up the old homestead and moved 6 miles down the road. I am now 5 miles from work and JR is 13 miles. This means 2 things.
1. my commute is nothing. I could run it if I wanted, I just would never want to do but I'm just saying I could. Oh, who am I kidding...I don't run but there is nothing I like better than I leisurely walk. So I drive the surface streets.
2. JR gets to drive the new car. Our big 3/4 ton truck is not really Houston freeway friendly.

The packing wasn't so bad but the unpacking is just taking forever! It didn't help that less than a week after the movers dropped everything off I had a business trip to Denver planned. So those things that JR didn't feel comfortable putting away (which is most everything) sat until I got back. So every morning before work and every evening after he and I are settling in. Shall I show you what we've been up to?

This new place has two bedrooms instead of three, necessitating that I share my studio space. Not an ideal solution but doable. We put the guest bed in front of these two cheap Big Lots bookshelves to make a headboard. Pretty sweet use of space, huh?


 About a hundred years ago I refinished this old tabletop. JR's daddy had taken his parent's farm kitchen table, cut it down to coffee table height than painted it avocado green. It was...squirmy feeling. When I scraped off all the paint I found this gorgeous table. Unfortunately, the base self-destructed at the same time. We have been carting around the top for at least 15 years. Crazy, right? But, I just love it and it is about the only thing that we have from JR's granddaddy's farm.

Now, this new place has this huge (for us) living room. We needed to take up some space visually. We thought turning the tabletop into a coffee table again would be a fine idea. The only trouble was where and how to construct a base? I went to Home Depot for a recon mission and brought home what I thought would work. I had to rethink that idea. The legs I bought were just too spindly. Then I was walking through Target and found the base to an end table on clearance. Score!


 

 After a few wood screws and a snip or two with the jigsaw we have a coffee table. JR is happy with the way it looks and it is growing on me but I'm still thinking that when I return the spindly legs I'll look at some bead board. Give it a little country feeling.

Next up was the beverage station. We had an old microwave cart that has been serving this purpose for a long time. So long that one of the wheels fell off. I had a couple of choices. Take all the wheels off or prop it up until I could fix the broken wheel. I went with the second option for now though now I'm rethinking that option.

I had a leftover piece of counter top from another project that I slapped on top of the wine cooler until I could do a little thinking about a more permanent solution. Toss up a shelf with some wine glass holder and there you have it...a beverage center!

I still have a couple of things to do here. The more I'm looking at it the more I'm thinking to take off the wheels and buy another piece of counter top from Ikea to go across the whole works. What do you think?

Well gang, that's what I've been up to. What have you been doing lately?

Love,
M

9 comments:

  1. Looking good! I am loving the headboard idea,, might have to steal that. I'm glad you're settling in. The "bar"--that's what it's called ;)--looks inviting.

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    1. The only sad thing about the "bar" is that it is the only thing that is completely done.

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  2. Love the bookcase dual identity as a headboard idea! And I like your microwave cart turned into beverage center - I think your idea of popping the rest of the wheels off then getting a counter top piece to go over the whole top including your wine cooler makes good sense - especially since it looks like taking the rest of the wheels off will make it the same or close to the same height as the wine cooler. And I would have lugged that table top around for 15 years too considering it's history. Not quite sold on the current 'legs' status...but it certainly works in a pinch! I'll be curious what you come up with for that. :)

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  3. Looks like you're settling in. I like the coffee table idea, but yeah, a base more in keeping with the look of the top would be better.

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  4. Your new place looks lovely. What's the light like, good I hope.

    My local German discount store had a sale, up to 80% off. I bought loads. Sometimes I feel a complete cheapskate but then I rethink things. Why the holy would you buy stuff that doesn't need to be costly. There are things like W&N finity paint that actually matter, not the support for the TV.

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    1. The lights pretty good in the studio/guest bedroom. Especially in the afternoons.

      Agreed on the paint. I buy expensive paint and cheap furniture. You can always fust with cheap furniture but cheap paint can no be fixed.

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  5. I think you've pulled the place together in a good way! Love how you came up with creative ways to do everything!

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  6. It looks good! You are pulling it all together. How does Nessa and your cat like it?

    Linda
    http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com

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  7. Please come decorate my house!! :-)

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