DIY Campaign Dresser

When I started planning my woMan Cave and creating my mood board I knew I wanted it to include a campaign dresser.  I had seen a lot of painted campaign dressers online (just google it) and thought it would be a great addition to my space.  Not only would it serve as storage for my clothes (and free up the dresser in our bedroom for my husband's clothes), but it would also serve as a media stand for my TV.

 

I searched high and low (yard sales, Craigslist, etc.) for a campaign dresser. Several of the bloggers I follow find these great pieces of furniture (at great prices) all the time. So, I thought I would just be able to have my pick. Wrong! In all of my weeks of searching, I only found one piece of campaign style furniture.  My husband and I even went to look at it, but I thought it was too short to put my TV on and a little pricey.  Had it been cheaper I might have been able to overlook its short stature.

 

Anyways, I continued searching until I ran across this tutorial online for a DIY version and decided to make my own. 

 



 

I started with 2 Rast Chests from Ikea and turned this......

 

into this.....





 

A little primer, Urban Bronze paint by Sherwin Williams (like my handrail), brass corners, and some campaign hardware (similar here) later I had this......

 



 

I lined the drawers with fabric from Hobby Lobby for a little something extra :)

 

 

It looks great in my woMan Cave and is serving its dual purpose quite well!



 

The moral of this story is that if you can't find the right piece or the right price then just do-it-yourself!

 

Lisa

Don't miss out! Enter your email address to subscribe:

Painted Stairs and Handrail

Some of you might think I have already forgotten all about those goals and resolutions I made at the beginning of the year because I haven't really told you about any progress I have made.  Well, things really are getting done around here and I have a small reveal for you today to prove it.

The stairs have gotten a facelift.  Here is what they looked like before......

And after several coats of paint, this is what they look like now.......

Walls: Coqui by Devine (color matched by Sherwin-Williams)
Handrail: Urban Bronze by Sherwin-Williams
Risers: Greenbelt by Sherwin-Williams

It seems to be much more common for people to paint the treads of their stairs instead of the risers.  In fact, most of the pictures I found on the internet were of black painted treads.  I decided to leave our treads the original wood finish because it matches the hardwood floors throughout the rest of our house.  Plus, if I ever get tired of the bold color in the future it will be much easier just to repaint the risers than the treads.

I hadn't really even thought about painting the handrail until after I finished the stairs, but I am so glad I did.  I think it adds a great element of contrast to the whole area.

What do you think?  It is definitely an improvement!  Have you ever painted your stairs?

Lisa

Don't miss out! Enter your email address to subscribe:

Death by Paint: Emerald is Pantone's Color of the Year

It's okay, don't worry.  I am alive and well, but my spirit has suffered death by paint this week.  Seriously, I have been on the verge of tears and even had to call in reinforcements.  Grab a stiff drink and cozy up while I start from the beginning.

For those of you who know me well, you know that I have a hard time making decisions.  Most of the time I cannot even decide what I want for dinner.  I tend to hem and haw around for entirely too long and even when I do finally decide I have a hard time pulling the trigger.  For example, I have wanted an iPad and a certain new pair of shoes forever.  I don't know why I don't just go buy them, but I don't.  Thankfully my husband bought me an iPad for Christmas and I love it.  Why did I wait so long?  I am STILL waiting on those shoes.

Needless to say, I think that is why it has taken so long to start this office makeover.  Initially, I just didn't know what I wanted to do and then I found a chair I really liked. I literally stalked this chair in the store for probably two years.  So long that when I finally decided to pull the trigger it had been discontinued.  I was so disappointed and back to square one on my office.  This actually happens to me a lot.  I finally make a decision when it is too late.  You would think I would learn, but I'm hard headed.

So when I saw the fabric Jennifer chose for her dining room chairs, I knew it was time to start over.  This time I only pondered for a few weeks, but the fabric was already sold out online.  Luckily Hobby Lobby still had it in-stock and I snatched some up before it was too late.  In the meantime, Pantone announced Emerald as the 2013 Color of the Year.  I loved it!  It was different and bold and pulled out the green in the fabric.  It felt like the stars were aligning and I was on a roll!!

Source

I don't know of anywhere around here that carries the Pantone brand so I hit up my local Sherwin Williams.  I don't know why I didn't have them color match the Emerald.  I honestly never even thought about it until now.  Instead I just chose a color I liked: Greenbelt.  It is a bold color, which really just means pain in the butt.  I have learned that bold colors, like greens and reds, require a primer and lots of coats.  Remember last week when I was in a mood?  It was because of that green.  I painted one coat of primer and three coats of green.  One more coat probably wouldn't have hurt, but I was over it and ready to move onto another color.  Little did I know that it was about to do me in.

I knew what I wanted: a light, neutral color to brighten up the rest of the room.  I chose a color called Blonde that SW recommended as a corresponding color to Greenbelt.  Seemed easy enough, until I got it home.  As soon as I opened the can I knew it was wrong.  A little test swatch onto the wall and I had aptly renamed it "Baby's Room Yellow".  It was terrible.  I found out later it has gold undertones, not brown.  It really has been all downhill since then.  I have been in that store no less than five times this week.  Those guys are tired of seeing me and I, quite frankly, am embarrassed to keep going back in to tell them "it's too yellow, it's too light".  I went to another paint store yesterday (where I was a little less known) and picked up two more samples.  I haven't even tested them out yet because I'm not feeling very optimistic.  It has about brought me to tears.  I even called in two more sets of eyes for their opinions and let's just say that I am now exploring other options.  I'll let you know when, or even if, I ever decide.

Nevertheless, I do have some good news to report.  I have officially marked my first home project for 2013 off the list.  I cut off the blinds!!  WHY have I waited 4 years to do that?  I used a tutorial from Levolor and it was simple.  It only took me about two hours (plus or minus a cookie break) to do the whole house.  How are your New Year's resolutions going?  Have you marked anything off of your list yet?

Lisa

Don't miss out! Enter your email address to subscribe:

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

Don't miss out! Enter your email address to subscribe:

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?

Linking up to:

Don't miss out! Enter your email address to subscribe: