Rast Hack Nightstands

     So...I quickly began to dislike the nightstands that I refinished for my bedroom last year.  I scanned Pinterest for ideas, trolled Craigslist for nightstands with potential, and checked around at local Salvation Army and Goodwill stores but nothing really stood out.  What I wanted was amazingly wonderful mid-century modern nightstands in mint condition for almost no money.  That didn't happen.  However, when I was looking around for inspiration, I stumbled across this picture and I knew what I wanted to do!

Miles Redd

   Do you see the amazing chest in the back corner of that fabulous room?  When I saw that chest I knew that a Rast hack was in my future.  Ikea makes a plain 3-drawer chest that has been hacked by so many people because its clean lines, unfinished surface and low price make it an easy choice for DIYers.  Memphis has no Ikea but, thankfully, the Rast is one of the pieces of furniture that Ikea ships.  Yaaaayyyyy!!!  So...


This plus a little elbow grease turns into...

 I am soooo very sorry for the poor picture quality but who has time to take a professional looking picture these days?  Oh that's right-everyone but me!  I actually do have the time, but not the patience!  I haven't put any little trinklets (that's for you, Kathryn) on these nightstands because Ransom routinely takes anything that is on the top of these tables and randomly disperses the items in the drawers.  I have found those books in the bottom drawer so many times now that I just decided to let them be!  At a later date I may or may not try to remember to post a tutorial on how I did these.  The only thing I would do differently if I had to replicate these would be to put a protective top coat over the immitation gold leaf.  The top drawers are definitely starting to look a bit rough these days!  I thought I would like the natural patina of everyday wear and tear, but nobody likes the trashy look!  When you look at this picture try not to be blinded by the pattern and color overload of my bedspread used in combination with the carpet.  I was going to go with solid white linens but I ended up liking all of the colors together for some strange reason.  I'm sure I will change my mind again soon!

 





Update (Over a year past due)

Hello there my bloggy friends.  Um...I haven't posted anything here in forever because I have a tendency to get waaaay too caught up in waaaay too many things!  When I post something it takes me FOREVER to get things even moderately respectable looking and I would rather just be doing something fun and creative rather than writing about it or stressing about my picture-taking ability.

I have been working on so many different projects lately!  I have been completely redecorating my parents' house, sewing, working on art projects for my mom, raising kids, running a household (poorly)....the list goes on and on!  I wish that I did not have so many interests and the overwhelming desire to do everything perfectly.  I don't think that I have ever done anything perfectly in my life, so why waste time trying to fix that one little imperfection on the bottom side of the table that nobody is really going to pay attention to in the long run?  I can say those things and they make sense but actually acting on what I say seems impossible sometimes!  OK! Enough words.  I am just going to post a couple of random pictures of my kids and some projects that I have worked on in the past year.  All very random I assure you!

1. silver leafed table for Jessica
2. my diy jewelry storage station
3. Oliver + S shorts that I sewed for Ransom
4. Ransom in his Oliver + S outfit that I made all by myself!!!
5. Three pictures of the cutest kiddos ever
6. Ruffled skirt for Isabelle from tutorial at danamadeit
7. Dress for Isabelle from Oliver + S
8. Shirt using same pattern as above
9. My sweet Isabelle

 

Hello there friends! Although I have not posted anything in a while I can assure you that I have not just been sitting around my house eating chocolates and drinking champagne. It is purely coincidence that I did have a glass of wine this evening and I am munching on chocolate chips while I write this post. I am actually glad that I just told y'all that because it made me get my rumpus off the couch to put up the chocolate chips. Anyway...where was I? Back to me not being a lazy slob.
I have actually been into refinishing furniture for the past couple of months. After refinishing my nightstands (nightstands I want to replace, by the way) I persuaded the lovely Jessica Ann to let me redo her room. She has very kindly given me free reign in her bedroom. So far I have painted her room, refinished her furniture, and purchased some great finds on Craigslist, Ebay, and Amazon. It's been so much fun! I can officially say that I have design fever! I'm going to stop talking now and show you tricks some pictures of some of my finds and some of Jessica's furniture that she already had.

1. The chair was one of three that I rescued from the garbage ($0)

2. Jessica's hand-me-down bookcase ($0)

3. Full size bed from Craigslist ($30)

4. Desk from a junk sale in a random warehouse in a sketchy part of Memphis($10)

5. and lastly, Jessica's hand-me-down nightstand ($0).

I will post some "during" pictures later this week. Bet y'all can't wait to see what I've done with
this jizunk (I mean hand-me-downs if you're reading this Jessica Ann!).

A Lovely Pair

These are a pair but I realized that 1.) I forgot to take before pictures, and 2.) I only took pictures of one at a time so, as far as you know, I only refinished one nightstand. I assure you that I really did refinish two nightstands that were once ugly dark brown, fake wood tables with hideous brass knobs. I just wasn't sure what to do with these tables so I let them sit next to my bed for months in their terrible overly-glossy state. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I decided on white and blue to go with my gold/yellow bedroom. I think these turned out pretty well considering they only cost $11 for the pair! I guess that doesn't include the cost of the paint (Lowes gift card) or the knobs (Anthropologie gift card) or my time, but we won't mention any of those!

I can't really get these pictures posted the way that I want but I'm just gonna let it go. I HATE it when I can't figure out how to do something the way that I want it to be done! Oh well, you get the point. I was simply trying to show that I painted the inside of the little cubby hole a light blue that I mixed myself using two colors that I got at Lowes. I was also trying to show off these cute little Anthropologie ceramic knobs. They are so cute! The pictures don't do them justice.

Now for the next project! I have this dresser that I got at the Les Passes Stock Exchange last year and I couldn't help but paint it. I liked the color. I liked the slight distressed look that I had going. I did NOT like the fact that the paint just scraped off whith little or no effort. I read on a blog that you didn't really have to sand a piece of furniture before you paint it---you just have to prime it. Not so! In my case, at least, the paint just wouldn't stick. Soooo, I stripped the dresser down to his bare bones and now I don't know what to do with him. He is a him because he is tall and the matching piece is a girl because she is shorter and she comes with a lovely curvy mirror. One is a chest of drawers and the other is a dresser but I can never remember which is which. Anyway...I don't know whether to stain him or paint him. Did I mention that there is a her too?

I can't tell you how long it just took me to post these last two pictures.

Just a Little Something

I keep meaning to take pictures of some of my newest projects but that is impossible due to the lack of room on my memory card. I am just too lazy to go and get one...or too busy...or I keep forgetting. Maybe it's all of the above. Anyway...I am busy refinishing a dresser, a chest of drawers and two nightstands. I am also repurposing/building a vanity for my bedroom using an antique sewing table and a headboard. I really need to take a picture of the vanity project while it is still under construction so everyone can see how very awesome I am to even try to do something like this with 1) no tools, 2) no real woodworking capabilities, 3) two children, and 4) about 500 other projects floating around in my head or sitting around in my house. I think I may just be really, really stupid. I just can't help it though. Did I also mention that I am finishing up a knitted hood, and that I am in the process of knitting my first sweater? Oh yeah, I am also technically in the middle of decoupaging a serving tray. I have way too many things going on! Hoods are cool no matter what you're thinking right now. You just wait until you see a picture of me in it. Or a picture of Isabelle in it if it looks stupid on me. Since I don't have pictures of any of the above mentioned projects to post I will post a picture or two of my memory card hogs!

Just Call Us the Incredibles

This is my son Clark Kent. He is an unassuming baby dork by day and Super Ransom by night.

Super Momma

Ummm...what more can I say! I was supposed to be cleaning but instead I let "the beautiful madam" dress me up as a super hero. Ransom, otherwise known today as the Valentine elf, was asleep in his beautiful bower while we were up to our hijinx.

My Latest Projects

Well hello there friends. Or should I say friend? Or maybe I am just writing this for myself. Oh well! Here is a picture of one of my latest projects.

Ransom Levi, here playing the part of King Richard, may be the sweetest boy ever. Now I have the best two babycakes a girl could ask for. Speaking of my babycakes, Isabelle is getting so big. I can't believe I have a 4 year old now!

I Forgot Everything!

I don't remember if there is an easier way to move my text and pictures around, so y'all will just have to overlook my last post. I know it looks horrible but I don't care!

Isabelle Cupcakes

This is the first thing that I have baked in forever and I didn't bake them by myself. Isabelle and I made these this morning together and we had such a great time! I literally just dumped stuff from my pantry and fridge into a bowl because I didn't have anything that the reciped called for. Isabelle didn't know this though! We decorated them with marshmallow fluff (didn't have the ingredients for icing) and leftover colored sugars and star sprinkles. I think that she probably had one of the best days of her life! The cupcakes taste kind of like slightly flavored, bitter, sickly sweet bricks.

I'm Baaack!

My computer is back from the PC Doctor (who I highly recommend, by the way) and I am feeling a bit better. My head doesn't really hurt right now, my back is okay, my neck is okay, and my arm is okay. What more can I ask for? I'll tell you what I am asking for...I want to cook for about two weeks straight! I literally have not made ANYTHING since I made toffee fingers for one of Isabelle's teachers at Harwood. I have not done anything in the kitchen-besides make iced coffee for my headache-in a month. No cookies, no bread, no dinners, nothing. I don't think that I have really even looked at my computer for about a month. The point is...I'm back, I think. I plan to make something tomorrow. I don't know what it will be, but it will be something that I have made! I am going to try to post at least one picture tonight! Oh no! I have NO pictures to post of anything! What a boring blog this has become! I really like blogs with more pictures than words, and I have become the very thing I hate! Well, I don't really hate it but you I think you get the point.

Computer still broken!

The old computer is in the shop. Actually, it isn't old but it is in the shop! I should be getting it back soon. Right now I'm using my mom's computer!

It's me

Hey there Saunders clan and anyone else who reads this blog! I am feeling better today than I have in a long while, but my computer is still not fixed. I am going to take it today to get a little tune-up, if you know what I mean. I haven't cooked ANYTHING in such a long time. I don't even know if I'll remember how to cook. The first thing I make might have to be from the Martha Stewart cupcake cookbook that my sister, Memory, got for me for my birthday. It is the cutest cookbook I have seen in a while. I will take and post pictures of my creations for all of my loyal blog readers! I hope to actually post some pictures soon.

Nothing much

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. I've had a serious migraine for just about longer than I can remember now. I promise I will make up for lost time when I feel a bit better. My computer is also sick. I am using it in safe mode right now. I haven't cooked anything for a while either. I can't wait 'til things get back to normal!

Mama's Day Out earrings

I just finished these earrings this morning. I have to say that I am quite proud of them. I have also finally gotten better at taking pictures. I now have 2 tripods, one big one and one little flexible one, thank you very much. The little flexible one is pretty cool for close-ups except that the weight of the camera seems to make it slump a little. Oh well...what can I expect for $3.50 from ebay? My expectations for everything are always sky-high and unrealistic. Then, when I get what I want, reality kicks back in and I realize "hey, this miniature tripod isn't going to make me a professional photographer. I wonder what will...Maybe a new lense for my PHD (push here dummy) camera will do the trick." That's what always happens--unrealistic expectations. Sorry for my ramblings. I guess that's what pretty much a solid month of migraines will do to a body.

Isabelle Bracelet

More Jewelry, Please!

I think that I finally figured out the whole picture thing. It has taken a lot of work, but I am happy that I can actually take pictures of my jewelry and food without it looking like a dark, blurry blog of nothingness. I am inviting ya'll to come check out my Etsy shop. Well, I am actually kind of begging you...Take a look and tell me what you think. I welcome any suggestions! Let me know which pieces you like and which ones you don't. And no comments from you, Katherine, you leopard-print-platform-shoe-wearing, shovel-carrying speech therapist. Of course you can leave any comments you want. After all, I think that you are pretty much the only one who follows my blog!

I also have to post pictures of the fresh whole-wheat pitas that I made the other night. When those were done I made chicken shawarma with them. It was sooo good. They are easy to make-easier than making bread, even. I plan to make these often.

Freshly-made earrings

This is seriously the only thing I've made, cooking or otherwise, in about a week. No, I take that back...I did make pudding shooters for girl's night at Adrienne's on Tuesday but that hardly counts. Stirring together pudding mix, milk, and alcohol does not count as making something in my book. Unless you count making a mess as creating something. I am pretty good at that! Anyway, I decided to put some stuff on Etsy.com to see if it would sell or if it would just continue to sit in my craft bag. Little did I know that it would take like 100 hours of me randomly snapping horrible pictures to get one OK shot of these earrings. I finally had to call in an expert (Beth) to help me out. Turns out I have to wait for a sunny day so I can take pictures in natural light. I am such a dummy. I thought that I would go ahead and post the only decent picture that came out of that whole 10 hours of wasted time, part of which was spent taking pictures and opening the same web page, literally, 20 times due to blood sugar in the 20's. I have to find a better way to spend my time!

Recipe of the week

After consulting an expert in stuff foraging (Mitch), I have come to the conclusion that my herbs were not stolen. Apparently, when you put stuff on the sidewalk it is officially up for grabs. I thought that was the case and told the guy who does my yard (my husband, Ray) that it probably wasn't a good idea to put them there, but he assured me that they would be safe. All I can say is that my new herbs are now safe in the back yard! Anyway...I thought that I would share a new recipe with y'all. I have wanted to make my own liqueur for a while now. I don't know why I have this obsession because neither Ray nor I drink very often. But just in case we decide to I have made 2 bottles of coffee liqueur. Ray doesn't even like coffee-flavored stuff!

Coffee Liqueur
4 cups water
2 1/4 cups sugar
3 tbsp instant coffee
2 1/2 cups vodka
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Combine water, sugar and coffee in a large pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a low simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for about 2 hours or until reduced to a maple syrup consistency. Let cool completely. Stir in vodka and vanilla a pour into a large bottle. It is ready to serve and enjoy!

Who would steal herbs?

Can y'all believe that someone would actually steal 4 pots of herbs? I potted several different types of herbs about 6 weeks ago and they were coming along beautifully. I went out in my front yard yesterday and realized that all 4 pots were gone. I am so bummed. I just about had enough basil to make my own pesto, but now I have to start all over again. Well, there's my rant. I have been into making jewelry the past couple of days. I just need to take some pictures so I can post them. I haven't taken any pictures this week for headache-related reasons. I hate headaches!