$10 Thrifted Lamp Makeover with Chalk Paint!

Thrift Store Lamp Makeover

Easy Weekend Brass Thrift Store Lamp Makeover!

I have been on a roll lately. Just knocking projects out left and right! And it feels so good to mark projects off the never-ending, hundred mile long to do list. Not to mention getting to see a little extra garage space which makes Jeremy happy. I always wonder (after completing a project) why I waited so long to do it.

You may remember me talking about our 10 year wedding anniversary where we spent a weekend antique and thrift store shopping. (If not, you can read about all about it here.) This pair of brass lamps was literally something I found in the last row at the last store we went to. Like, we had to take the shades off to get them to fit in our car. I almost didn’t buy them for that reason.

But, I’m so happy we made them fit!

Here’s what they looked like before in all their brass glory:

Thrift Store Lamp Makeover- Before

Ok, so they aren’t an exact pair. But the shape and size of them are very similar. Once they’re painted the same color you won’t even notice the differences.

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How I Painted My Front Door Urbane Bronze- While Still on It’s Hinges!

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Shut the front door!! Why did it take me so long to paint our front doors? Why didn’t I do this sooner? I mean, just look at the before and after!

How to Paint Front Door Urbane Bronze While Still on Hinges

Our front doors were in dire need of a refresh. It’s hard to see just how bad they were in the pictures, but the paint was wearing off in spots. They looked dirty and grungy. They just looked plain tired.

Not to mention that our home is a raised ranch. Raised ranches are notorious for their lack of curb appeal and strangely laid out interiors. (That was one of the reasons I neglected to look at this house when it first came up for sale. However, once we saw the backyard and toured the inside of the house… we fell in love. You can read more about that here.)

So you put some outdated, dingy front doors on a raised ranch…. let’s just say the outside ain’t so pretty.

I managed to find a few hours one day (kid-free, I might add!) and decided to go for it. Your front doors are literally one of the first impressions people get of your home. And I know the first impression of my home was probably not good. While I’d love to completely replace these front doors one day with something with a little more character, just sprucing them up with paint did wonders!

We were worried how painting the doors would look with the gold inlay in the glass and I’m happy to say I think the paint actually downplays the gold. We are kind of stuck with the color scheme of our home (for now anyway). Our brick is an orangish brown, our roof burgundy, and our trim white. Not a whole lotta options for a door color in that scheme.

If we had a neutral roof color there would be a lot more options. In fact, trying to decide on a door color is what took me so long to do this. With a double front door, doing something bright and bold is hard to do. Double front doors create even more of a wow factor, if you will. I had played around with a coral color (which Jeremy quickly shot down), tried to find a shade of gray that worked, and even considered a gel stain.

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Hobby Lobby Fall Decor 2019- All under $30!

(This post contains affiliate links. That means if you were to make a purchase after clicking one of these links, I may make a small commission at no additional cost to you.)

Hobby Lobby Fall Decor 2019- A Mood Board of My Favorites! Plus all under $30!

So, a few weeks ago I shared some of my favorites from Kirkland’s fall collection. I thought this week I’d switch it up and share all of the some of the stuff I’m loving from Hobby Lobby!

This store is so overwhelming to me. I cannot be alone in this. I have all these ideas for what I’m looking for and so I load up in the car and drive to Hobby Lobby. I park the car, walk through those two sets of doors, grab my little blue cart, and completely lose all rational thought.

Maybe it’s the overwhelm of so many beautiful things that causes my mind to start going in a million directions? Most likely. It’s probably a lot like the saying “a kid in a toy store”, except there are no more brick and mortar toy stores. And so kids don’t know what that feels like anymore. I guess we’ll have to change the saying to “a kid in the toy section at Target.” Or maybe that saying was “a kid in a candy store”?

Anyhoo, I digress. Back to the matter at hand. Focus, Lauren.

The moral of this story is, I can’t just walk into Hobby Lobby without a game plan. I have to have a strict list in my mind of what I need in my house at the time and what I need to purchase to accomplish it. No veering off course or getting distracted.

And that’s also why I love these mood boards. I get to “browse the aisles” in the comfort of my own home and put them together to see if I like the way they look. And instead of coming home with things that didn’t work and then subsequently have to be returned, I can just find something else to replace it with from my couch.

Then, I can actually go to the store knowing exactly what I want or need which simplifies things so much. Or, I can just order online. Either way it makes life easier.

Hobby Lobby Fall 2019 Wish List

Here’s what spoke to me the most. It all looks cozy, comfy, farmhouse-y. It embodies what I love most about fall. Wanting to snuggle up by the fire and read a book. The smell of a pumpkin scented candle. A pot of chili simmering on the stove.

And, just the time of year where we all slow down a little. Think about all the blessings in our lives that we are so truly thankful for.

Hobby Lobby fall
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DIY Chair Makeover- Easy Step by Step Tutorial!

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A Step By Step Tutorial on How To Copy this $7 DIY Chair Makeover!

I’ve been a bit M.I.A. for the last week or so. A new school year has started for my husband and daughter so we’ve spent the last two weeks taking it easy before the mad rush started.

So, that means I have tons of projects I need to share! My DIY desk chair was actually a project I did back in July but I realized I never shared anything about it.

I snagged this old wooden chair at a yard sale for $7. And I’m quite proud of myself for the fact that this chair did not sit in our garage for a year or two before I finally decided to refinish it. Thank you very much, Jeremy!

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Kirkland’s Fall Decor 2019 + a Free Fall Printable!

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Kirkland's 2019 Fall Decor + Free Fall Printable!

My Picks of Kirkland’s 2019 Fall Decor Collection PLUS download my FREE Fall is in the Air Printable!

Disclaimer: This post is for all you Type A people out there!

I firmly stand by summer and will enjoy every single last drop wearing my tank top and flip flops while the smell of the grill fills the air and my beach towels dry in the breeze.

I live for summer. Love it. It just goes by way too quickly.

Don’t get me wrong. I love fall as much as the next person, but only when it’s actually fall!!!! To me, fall is really just the beginning of winter and who wants to rush that! Not this girl.

Come September, I promise I will dutifully join the masses and set out my own pumpkin scented candle from Bath and Body Works as I unpack the fall totes.

But, still, I understand some people like the change. They’re chomping at the bit to hang their fall wreaths and line their porches with bright orange pumpkins and assorted colors of mums.

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