Nightstand Makeover- Done!

I finally found the time this weekend to finish up (well, almost anyway!) the makeover of the nightstands in the guest room.  

Once upon a time, they looked like this:

Eek! I know. And what a terrible picture...

I decided they would look a lot better in a lighter color, so we sanded them down and chose a super-pale spring green paint. We got new hardware from Lowes, and they're looking so much better now!

The only snag in the plan was the back of the nightstands. Since they were cheapo Ikea ones, the back was a particle board that I'm sure wouldn't take well to being painted. So instead, I decided to find a fabric to cover them in before I nail them back on. I think it would create some great visual interest and make them truly unique. However, I'm having some problems finding the fabric that apparently only exists in my head. Not a big deal though, they work without it for now, and it gives me time to find exactly what I want.

Here they are in the room now- much better picture! And they give it a great feel- more the French country I was going for, and less American country.

Peach Cobbler

I hope everyone had a good weekend!

Ours was relaxing, but went by too fast (as always). We enjoyed a quiet night in on Friday. On Saturday, we had a family reunion on H's mom's side of the family, which was great fun. The food was absolutely delicious, and it was really good to see a lot of family we haven't seen since our wedding (almost a year ago- when did that happen??). And then we enjoyed a nice (albeit crazy hot and humid) night out on the boardwalk with some of H's cousins. Sunday was more relaxing, but with a trip to the farmer's market for some Jersey fresh tomatoes (and peaches) and the beginning of my next project.

This is one of the two matching nightstands we currently have in the guest room. They're from IKEA and we got them when we first moved into our first apartment. They have since been banished to the guest room, and I didn't feel the oak finish was working in there. I decided they would look a whole lot better all pretty-ed up in a really pale spring green.

So here are the two drawers in their new color. I'm super excited about it, I'm positive they'll look great when they're all done. I also got some new hardware for them at Lowe's, that looks just like those super cute and fancy ones from Anthropologie. Score!

But unfortunately, that's all I can show you for now... because that's all I've done so far (I know, I'm easily distracted)! Those peaches we picked up at the farmers market were calling my name, begging me to turn them into this:

Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups sugar, divided
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup milk
• 4 cups fresh peach slices
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon 
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg 

Preparation

Melt butter in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
Combine flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt; add milk, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter over butter (do not stir).
Bring remaining 1 cup sugar, peach slices, and lemon juice to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly; pour over batter (do not stir). Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Bake at 375° for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve cobbler warm or cool.

from Southern Living, on myrecipes.com. Original recipe here.

It was super-easy, and absolutely delicious. I halved the recipe, because somehow I knew we'd probably devour the whole thing in one sitting. I also used skim milk, which didn't affect it at all. All in all, a wonderful way to use up fresh peaches!

Our Guestroom is Ready...

For its first guests, that is! We have two friends from college coming over for dinner and a movie night Saturday, and they are staying over. Whoo! We are having cider cheese fondue, Shepard's pie and biscuits, and apple pie for dessert, in case you were wondering...

That was a kick in the pants to get this room up to snuff though! The only thing we had left to make it acceptable to have people stay over was to get some curtains/blinds. We chose a lacy valance with scalloped edges and a scrolly antiqued brass curtain rod from Bed Bath and Beyond, and the plastic faux-wood blinds from Target. I like them SO much better than the vinyl ones, we have them in our bedroom and I love them.

The only thing that is bothering me about them is that they are a slightly more ivory-white than the curtains. I want to spray-paint them a bright white to match, but H thinks I'm crazy. At any rate, it's not going to happen by Saturday, so they'll just have to deal with it :P


Pictures of the room from the entrance, a closeup of the lovely throw pillows I got for the bed, and a closeup of the curtain rod, lace valance, and offending blinds.

All in all, it's looking good. I jst can't wait to refinish the dresser in there, and get some more decorative items.

A Little Bit of Shopping

After all my hard working organizing the garage room, I thought I'd treat myself to a bit of a shopping spree for the guest room.

I got these two frames at Target. As much as I hate the phrase, they have an awesome line of "shabby chic" things that work great in there. The top one is actually a frame and a separate easel stand. I think I might paint the frame part a light seafoam green, it's just a little too much white how it is now.



I got these accent pillows at Target as well, they're from three different lines and look great together.


I got two of these mirrors at Bed Bath and Beyond. Perfectly ornate and distressed.


And I went to Lowe's to get new hardware for the dresser we're refinishing. These are part bronze and part black, perfect! And a lot less money than the ones I was drooling over at Anthropologie. You can see the old handles below too. Big difference!

A French Intervention

My guestroom is in need of an intervention. I'm afraid it's starting to look more country than French. It's definitely making progress, but it's not coming together as nicely as I envisioned it yet. I think it's time to look for a bit more inspiration. But first, let's step back in time...

Before we started:



It was used as a little girl's room by the previous owners and for us it was a catch-all for wedding crap and miscellaneous junk. The walls were a pale pink, and just had those pull-down vinyl window shades. It's kinda small, so it's hard to get a decent picture of the whole thing.

Here is what it looks like now:


Obviously not the best picture... The walls are a light lavender, the comforter is a crisp white, with a great pattern on it. I think the end tables are what is adding to the "country" vibe, so I might paint them a very pale seafoam green. I'm also thinking of moving those lamps to the living room, and getting some lighter, more ornate ones. Well, maybe just some new shades for now, since the wrought iron styled base DOES go with the bed.

So now for some more inspiration. The room needs to be lighter- that's for sure.



image sources: housetohome.co.uk, bestbedroomdesign.com, frenchbedroomcompany.co.uk, designheaven.wordpress.com, roomenvy.files.wordpress.com, newhouseofart.com, yappingcatstudio.typepad.com, homedesigninterior.com