my first knock off wood project

This week I tried my hand at furniture making. This cute little step ladder style table was for my dear friend's birthday. It's a knock off of one sold at Pottery Barn Kids. It would make a great bathroom accessory, holding bathtub goodies, or a great back porch side table.

The plans for this ladder table can be had for free at Ana's fabulous Knock Off Wood blog. Man that woman is a major player in DIY world!

She was nice enough to choose my little table to feature on her site. You should check her stuff out. It's one of my favourite places to keep up on.

Chair makeover

My hubby's grandfather gave us this chair eons ago. I once found a slipcover at a thrift store that fit this thing like a glove. I loved it so, but it was well loved when I got it and eventually fell apart. I can't find it now and could slap myself at the thought that I may have thrown it out! I could have used it as a template for a new one. Perhaps it'll turn up some day.

This chair had been sitting unused in the basement, so it was time to give it a makeover.


My sister put me onto Tonic Living, a store in Toronto that sells fabric online. I ordered a sample of this "retro-geometric must have" and was very happy with it.


I'm not over-the-moon about the final look. To me it says "masculine", and is a little formal looking. Maybe me and black just don't get along. Still, I can't deny that the chair has improved 100% even if I'm not head over heels for it.

My Front Entry & 1970's Record Album Cabinet Makeover

This piece belonged to my husband's parents, and although I've always liked it, I wanted it to really make a statement in my front entry. It's a record album holder from (I assume) the 60's or early 70's. I wanted to do something fun and little daring, at least for me. I chose the paint colour first, and then got the notion to do something different for the sliding doors. Over at Tonic Living I poured over all of the fabrics and found a Sandi Henderson design that looked like it just might be the ticket. I ordered a sample and it matched perfectly! The paint colour by the way, is Behr's "Bronze Green 350D-6".






I used spray adhesive to attach the fabric to the doors. This way if I ever grow tired of it, I can peel it off. I put new stainless steel knobs ordered from Lee Valley. They also turned out to be perfect replacements for the hum drum ones it originally had.


that thing on the wall is the original door chime cover, but i like it!
The painting that hangs over it is by a Montreal artist, painted in 1970. My adorable owl was a find at Winners/Homesense.

Needless to say, this area in my house is a tribute to the 70's. :)


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