style – Suburban Fervor

I Love Lamp: The Saga Continues

Posted on April 22, 2013April 22, 2013 by Katie

Nothing makes a home sadder than not having enough windows or light. My house is quite sad. Very few windows make for a very distraught Katie. When we moved in, there was no shortage of brassy and oddly shaped lamps. We took full advantage by adding new lampshades and light bulbs and making due. Then I found this monstrosity. Where can I find a blissfully out of touch mom stuck in 1992 to take this off my hands?

Then a light went on in my head (pun intended). I should just pull a YHL and paint this mutha. First, I had to scrub the dust, grime and nicotine off and….it wasn’t much improved.

Then I wrapped the metal bits and cord in plastic and painter’s tape. Target bag, so fancy!

Then began the gloriously cathartic spray painting in the garage. There is something so refreshing about making something your own. Confession: I propped the lamp up off the floor with stale marshmallows. It was the best thing I could think of at the time.

After a few coats, you can still see the raised lines from the pink glaze.

A few more coats of navy and a few of super gloss and I was beginning to think I hadn’t gone insane. Then, one miraculous browsing trip to Target, I found this navy ikat lampshade and I nabbed it for a staggering $8. Boom. You can still see the raised stripes from the pink glaze, but thankfully the hearts are MIA for life. I like the texture the stripes add more than I thought I would.

Thus ends the story of how I took a lamp from Full House and made into something that I actually love.

Have you done any projects with a “make do with what you have” attitude lately?

Our House Has a Habit

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Katie

Ok, maybe two habits. One is buying glorious furniture from Goodwill. Seriously, I feel like something is better if someone owned it before me. I feel like they have been searching for me and now we are soulmates. I snagged this cabinet from goodwill for $10! It’s now laundry room storage.

Let’s not forget my Lamp for $25!

And our newest addition, the Bar. It is actually a sewing table and the top flips out to reveal a lower area where a sewing machine would sit. We have some exciting plans for the bar possibly including 2 new paint colors, storage, refrigeration/ice, and pizzazz. The kicker? We nabbed him for the low low price of $7! That’s a pretty sweet deal.

Stay tuned for his makeover. Let’s not talk about that fact we felt the need for a bar.

Have you customized/repurposed any of your furniture at home?

Busy Bee

Posted on January 3, 2013January 3, 2013 by Katie

I wasn’t doing a ton of posting over Christmas and New Years but that doesn’t mean I was lounging around eating cookies and letting my house turn into a disaster. Ok well it was a disaster, but I still accomplished something. I got my sew on. I haven’t done any real sewing for about 4 years to I was a little rusty but as soon as I saw this sweet fabric on Etsy from SewFreshFabrics, I knew I had to do something with it.

I made these little throw pillow covers for the living room because I was starting to get the feeling that our house was losing it’s fun factor. Solution: I made these to punch things up without blowing my budget.

Cost Breakdown:

Fabric – $10 + shipping
Stuffing – Free. One has another throw pillow inside and one is a pillow that we weren’t using in my room cut to size.
Piping – $14 after a 40% off coupon at Joann’s (from their Android app).

Total: About $25

For two fresh, custom throw pillows, that’s not too shabby. I wish my craftsmanship was a little better, but overall I’m happy with the result. We needed an update!