Mama-Made Monday - The victim.

I finished this project on Monday but didn't have time to post until today... So, it counts as Mama-Made Monday in my head... Ah well!

Have I told you about the Home War going on in my life? It was like one day I woke up and told my home, "I hate you!"  All teenage girl-like, "you're the worst house ever!! Why don't you have granite counter tops and built-ins? Why are you so annoying? AND DUST! Why do you have dust? I hate you... I hate cleaning you. I hate walking into you. I hate you. I hate you. I. hate. you!!!!!" 

I crossed my arms, rolled my eyes, stomped my feet and fussed at Hubs about it.  I realized, after I took my multi-month long HATE moment, that this is MY home.  I have the control to make it what I want. So, I went online and found inspiration... I tried to figure out what I LIKED about my inspiration and I realized what was really bothering me (yes, the granite thing is like an on-going issue but BEYOND that) - my color choices 4 years ago no longer suit my style.

I used to equate warm with fire.  The colors of the fire: reds, oranges, yellows meant warm to me.  I wanted my home to feel "warm" so I added red pillows, red rugs, red walls, red... red, red, red!  I've come to realize warmth is in the smells of my home, the sounds of giggles and the memories we make...

I don't need RED!!!

You mean my home is already warm?! With this epiphany in my back pocket, I started to slowly transition from the reds to the cools...

I want my home to have classic, traditional comfort with a modern twist.  From now on, I will purchase things I love and things my family will love for years to come.So, I've been on the hunt for something to organize my family room life. We have a nice wood/glass combo sofa table and I really like it but we treat it like a bookcase by stacking family games, magazines and just STUFF on it.  PLUS, it's smooshed behind a sofa against a wall so we can only get to the 1 side that's exposed.  I'd like "exposed" surfaces to be clean... Cool colors mean relaxing and light and airy and... clutter is NONE of the above.

I've been on the hunt for something functional with a decent surface to store stuff. In my transition, I'm moving away from little pieces of furniture that feed my cluttery decoratin' needs and toward the larger pieces that make a statement and store lots of stuff out of the way! Enter $15 Craigslist victim:

Here's how the transformation went:

1.  Spend your Friday evening loading your car with Munch and Puppy, to go get your victim. Why is Hubby on travel right now? UGH. Ah well, the decorating show MUST go on!

2.  Solicit the help from a stranger to load the car... After you kick your child out, move the Puppy to the front seat and tell Munch she will get back in AFTER we figure out how to fit her and the victim... (Secretly text your mom to come get your kid off the side of the road IF this doesn't work).

3.  Thank God for being in the mix because you got your dog, your kid and your victim in the car... Have a happy dance moment. Now, re-focus and grin all the way home with your prized victim... When you get home, unload your kid, your puppy and your dinner-to-go.  Then realize that you now must carry your solid wood victim from your car, up your stairs and into your home by yourself. It only took me 10 minutes and I felt like Incredible Hulk... Until I heard the high school sweethearts hanging out a few cars over giggling at my Mission Impossible moment. It was truly amazing and I hope they You tubed it... I looked like a body builder and I'm proud of it.  Needless to say, I let my body and my victim rest for the night.  We needed it.

Next Stop? Sherwin Williams. I told the clerk what I was painting and he made a recommendation... Some fancy wood paint... If you're looking for a substitute, Behr makes a great stick-to-anything paint to avoid sanding but I do love my Sherwin Williams too:

Halcyon Green is a robin's egg blue... The perfect addition to my family room...  Now, back to the step-by-steps:

4.  Remove the drawers.

5. Take your handy sanding sponge-thing and give the top a good scrubbing.  It removes any light scratches and allows the paint to stick.

6.  Wipe the victim down.  I used a few damp paper towels to wipe the dust off. This step is critical for a clean coat

7.  Paint. Let it dry.  Paint again.  Fall in love. Paint a third time.  Let it dry. Fall in love.  Let it dry:

I let it dry over night then I moved it into position and guess what? I actually considered removing my mom tree from the front room... You'll just have to wait until I have the Christmas home tour to SEE what I decide. 

I got the white drawer pulls from Hobby Lobby marked $2.99/each and, while I THOUGHT to myself the knobs would cost more than the victim, I got 50% off making an $18 expense only $9! WOOT!  Isn't the victim lovely?



I should've closed the drawers... Oops, I was EXCITED!

Honestly, I don't need any pat on the back... I'm happy with it and that's all that matters.  Second lesson about this whole re-defining my home style?  My style is mine.  I don't need to live up to anyone else... Of course, in this early stage of things, hubby doesn't get it and that's fine. I almost prefer it that way. I know when it's all said and done, it will be fab!

So, I have victory in the battle of the "victim" dresser.  O and I was victorious in the battle of the pillows! I changed my sofa pillows to the new color palette months ago and guests were asking, "did you get a new sofa?"  NOPE.  Just brightening it up around here... Embracing the natural light... Taking queues from Mama Nature and, I have to be honest, I'm loving it. 

Speaking of loving little pretty things, doesn't my dresser compliment my sparkly wreath so well?

Just a sneak Christmas decor peak... More to come!

Are you inspired by the season?