Wooden Folding Chair Makeover

My obsession with home decor/design and DIY blogs began about a year ago.  My husband was looking for something on the internet one night and ran across Mandi's blog. Her story, her projects and her house are AMAZING!!  I love her style and creativity.  And so began my love affair with blogs.  The more I read about furniture makeovers and DIY projects, the more my creative juices begin to flow.  I began to think "I can do this!" 

Remember when your mother taught you never to judge a book by it's cover?  Well the same goes for furniture.  You can't just look at furniture and see it for what it is, you have to see it for what it can be.  Does it have good lines or dovetail joints?  Can it be painted or reupholstered?  Girls, paint is like a tan, it makes everything look better.

So, when I spotted this wooden folding chair at a yard sale for $5, I thought it would be perfect for fulfilling my husband's request for a chair by the back door.  He couldn't see it.

After two coats of Valspar's Satin Everglade Glen and two coats of Valspar's Satin Clear Sealer it was starting to look at little better.

Then I decided to add an upholstered seat cushion to brighten it up.  I measured the seat and had Lowe's cut the wood to size. Then added 2" foam and a layer of batting from Hancock Fabrics. (It is kind of like your other favorite craft stores in that if an item you are looking for is not on sale this week, it will be next week.  Never buy if it is not on sale!)  Last, but not least, a layer of fabric.

I kind of wish I had gone with 1" foam, but I used the leftovers I had on hand from another project.  Live and learn.


This little number now sits next to the back door.

Please ignore the trim (it's on my to-do list) and the quality of the photos (iPhone).

It's nothing special and it's not perfect, but it is one of my first DIY projects and proof to myself that I could do it.  You've gotta start somewhere right?

Lisa

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In a Mood

I have been painting all weekend and it's really got me in a mood!  I hope your first weekend of the New Year was awesome because mine went something like this:

Trip to the paint store.

Eat.

Prime and let dry.

Watch football. 
 

(By the way, Johhny Football is AMAZING!!  It is the first time I have really gotten to see him play and now I understand why he won the Heisman.  My husband told me not to fall in love because if he had played football he would have won the Heisman too.  I told him not to worry, Johnny Football still has acne.)

 

Eat.

First coat and let dry.

Watch football.
 

(By the way again, tough loss for the Bengals.  It has been hard to watch my Cincinnati teams come so far this year only to have it end too soon.  Oh well, baseball starts again in 84 days and I have a basketball team to root for.)
 

Eat.

Second coat and let dry.

Watch football.

Paint fingernails.
(Essie's Don't Sweater It for those who care.)
 

Now do you see why I am in a mood?  Don't worry though, it's not a bad mood.  Remember the other day when I told you about wanting to (start and) finish my office and create myself a woMan Cave?  If not, you can read about it here.  Well, that is what I have been working on this weekend.  So, I thought I would put together a couple of mood boards to give you a sneak peak.
 

These are just my initial ideas.  I know as I get deeper into each room some things may change.  Leave me a comment and let me know what you think. I hope it makes you want to come back for more. In the meantime, follow me on Pinterest or subscribe to On Manor Drive to receive all of my latest posts by email.
 

Lisa

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New Year. New Blog.

Happy New Year!!

It seems to be blog tradition to begin the New Year with a recap of last year's posts. It is a time to reflect on a job well done or total failure and then start fresh with new goals/resolutions. You can’t go back and look at any posts, but take my word for it when I say I failed miserably. You see, I am the absolute worst with New Year’s resolutions. Some years I haven’t even bothered making any because I know they won’t last through January. So, I only made two small resolutions last year: 1. Keep my fingernails painted. 2. Send cards. Well, let’s just say that I didn't make the grade and will be repeating (20)12th grade!

Since I can’t even make the grade in the simplest of subjects, I figured this year I will either go BIG or go home. New Year. New Blog. New Goals/Resolutions. Of course 1 and 2 remain at the top of the list, but I’m adding 13 home projects to the list for 2013.

3. Paint the staircase. It is the same color as the day we bought the house. I can’t even describe it, but probably the original from 1955.

4. Redo the master bedroom. We painted and got new bedding 4 years ago when we moved in, but now I hate it. I cannot even begin to tell you how much bedding I have bought over the years only to loathe it later.

5. (Start and ) Finish my office. Need I say more?

6. Window treatments for the guest bedroom. MIA for 4 years.

7. Window treatments for the kitchen. MIA for 4 years.

8. Cut off all the blinds. I’ve always been too scared to try it for fear of ruining the blinds! YouTube here I come.

9. New color scheme and couch for the living room. I want to lighten it up a little and add more color. Is that contradictory?

10. Create a space for me. My husband has a man cave. I want a WOman cave.

11. Clean out the closets. They accumulate SO MUCH STUFF!

12. Touch up the trim. Some normal wear, some new trim and some probably never even got painted in the first place.

13. Install the rest of the kitchen hardware. While the cabinet doors seem to have all of their parts, the drawers never got theirs. Worst cabinet installers ever! Cheaper is not always better.

14. Heating/air upgrade for the upstairs. To make it just right like baby bear.

15. Permanently fix the outside pots and topiaries. I am tired of “fixing” them only to have them blow over with the next wind gust. Plus, I look like the neighborhood misfit.

Whew! That looks like a long list, but some projects are small and simple. I’ve recently found myself with a little more time on my hands. That means more time for these small and simple projects that I have been putting off (only for the last 4 years since we moved in our house!! Don’t judge!) I am going to use this blog to keep you update along the way, but to also help keep me accountable. I’ll let you be the judge at the end of the year. Don’t worry, this won’t all be about house projects but also about fashion, food, books, and everything else that happens On Manor Drive…..where life and love meet.

Lisa

P.S. I am no photographer.  Maybe that can be my extra credit project?

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