Upcycling: Bedroom Furniture

When Justin and I first got married, we used a bedroom set we inherited from my family. It was in decent shape, but the bed frame was for a full-size mattress, so we wanted to upgrade to a bigger bed. We bought a bedroom set at Value City Furniture because it was affordable (it came with a bed frame with four built-in drawers, two large nightstands, and a large dresser with a mirror), but we were never in love with the dark-colored wood. Since I forgot to take "before" photos of the furniture, I found some photos that I took of our room when we first moved to Ohio about four years ago:

You can see how dark the furniture was. (It's not a terrible color, Justin and I just prefer lighter, brighter colors). It made the room seem smaller, and we always talked about re-finishing all of the bedroom furniture, but we knew how big of an undertaking it would be, so we kept putting it off.

We have been in an upcycling mood this summer (so far, we've painted a bathroom shelf, a table, a large media cabinet - you can see a post on that here, and a record cabinet), so we just decided to tackle this project and re-do our entire bedroom set. We like to do things on a budget, and purchasing new furniture just seemed pointless since the furniture we have is in great condition, we just didn't like the color. So, we made a trip to the store to pick out paint and get some supplies.

We decided to do the nightstands and the bed frame in a grey color called "online" and the dresser in an orange-ish color called "armagnac." Both of these colors were from Sherwin-Williams' Urban Outlook collection at Lowe's.

This project was definitely a big undertaking as each piece had to be taken apart (the drawers, the back, etc.), taken outside, sanded down using several different grit sandpapers, dusted and wiped down with microfiber cloths, and then taken back inside for painting. I had several drop cloths laid out in my office area where I would take the sanded furniture and paint it. Since this was such a big project, we did it in three phases - first the nightstands, then the bed frame, then the dresser.

One of the nightstands, ready to be sanded.

As you can see, our bed frame is not your average bed frame. It has a huge headboard and side pieces that hold four built-in drawers. We bought this particular set because of the extra storage under the bed.

Justin outside sanding the bed frame. We live on the top floor of a duplex, and our front porch served as the perfect place to do all of the sanding.

Getting ready to sand the dresser. Look at all the sawdust on the floor!

We underestimated how many drawers we had! While painting, we could hardly walk through the office to the bathroom/bedroom area because there were so many drawers on the floor.

Justin did all of the sanding, I dusted/cleaned all of the items before we brought them back inside, I painted everything, and then Justin and I added a layer of clear coat (we used Miniwax brand water based Polycrylic protective finish) to everything to protect it from scratches and scrapes. We decided we didn't like the basic silver knobs that were originally on the drawers, so we did some research and found some black, vintage-looking knobs from Hobby Lobby on a 50% off sale. We have so many drawers/drawer pulls that we had to buy 32 knobs to replace the old ones!

So, without further ado, here is our freshly upcycled bedroom furniture. It was SO much work (the whole project took about three weeks), but we love how it came out. Our bedroom feels so much bigger and fresher now, and the new color is definitely a better fit for our style.

These knobs are so much cuter than the original, generic knobs!

I used this old burlap coffee sack to put the TV on.

I love the color of the dresser next to my vintage yellow chair (which I found at a thrift shop in Michigan for $15 about five years ago).

This upcycling project probably cost us around $100 for all of the paint, supplies, and knobs (and it definitely took lots of time and effort), but it was a fun project for Justin and I to do together and it certainly cost way less than purchasing a new bedroom set with a vintage feel. I can't imagine how much it would have cost us to purchase a hand-painted bedroom set like this from a shop, or how much someone would have charged to do the sanding and painting for us. We love getting creative and bringing new life to used items, and we love our "new" bedroom furniture!

Next on the list this summer: finding parts for some antiques we have to get them in working condition. Stay tuned for updates!

Upcycling: 60s Style Media Cabinet & Desktop

Justin and I love thrift-shopping, and we typically always try to find things second-hand before buying new. Within the past couple years, we upcycled a dining room table and chairs (the table was found at Goodwill and the chairs were left by a previous tenant in our garage) and a TV cabinet (an old piece of furniture we found at Goodwill and turned into a media cabinet). You can find the post about upcycling the dining set here and the post about the TV stand here. 

Over Easter weekend this year, Justin and I were at a Salvation Army and found a gorgeous 60s style media cabinet for $10!!! Someone had purchased it a couple weeks prior, but never came to pick it up, so the store gave it to us for 50% off. We managed to (barely) fit it in our car, brought it home, and stored it in the basement until the weather got a little nicer and we could take it outside to sand it. While it was a beautiful cabinet, the exterior was faded and scratched, so we decided to sand it down and repaint it to match a record cabinet I purchased at an antique store a couple years ago. 

This is my record cabinet. I bought it already painted this color, but I thought it would be fun to match the new cabinet with this one since they are so similar in style. 

This is the $10 thrifted cabinet! It has sliding doors (with finger pulls) that go on the front, but we took them off to sand. 

Did I mention I love our backyard? It's given us space for lots of fun projects. 

After it was sanded, we brought it inside to paint.

We took the back and doors off to paint, then added a layer of clear coat before reassembling everything.

Lowe's sells those cool vintage finger pulls (that I painted black). Who would have thought? This is the finished product!

I love how it turned out! We currently have a built-in cabinet in our house where we keep movies and games, but this will serve as a storage space for those items when we move. (Which will hopefully be soon - I'm on the job market this year!)

The other project we took on this week was painting a tabletop for my desk. The legs and tabletop are from IKEA (and they are purchased separately). I previously purchased the white Linnmon tabletop, but it felt cheap and was already chipping paint within the first few months of having it on my art desk. Justin and I went back to IKEA last weekend and looked at other tabletops, and I loved the wood one shown below (called the Gerton tabletop). Unfortunately, it didn't match the other woods in the room where my desk is, so Justin suggested doing a vintage, old-barn-wood-style paint job on the wood tabletop. We looked into getting chalk paint, but it was so expensive, so I tried to create the effect myself with some basic white paint. See the finished product below!

I love the way this desk came together! I work here a lot, so I like how durable the new tabletop looks and feels. (This also has a clear coat on it for protection). Our next project is sanding and repainting our bedroom furniture!

Why Do I Have So Many Typewriters?

It's been awhile since I've posted on my blog (it's actually been since mid-January - yikes). Being a full-time PhD student, working several jobs, and spending time with my family usually leaves little time for anything else, but since the final semester of my third-year of my doctoral program is wrapping up this week, I thought I'd write a post about something I get asked frequently: Why do I have so many typewriters? And that's usually followed up with: How much did it cost you to get all of these typewriters?

I love collecting antiques, and I have many cherished pieces in my home that I've collected from various places, but my typewriter collection is very special to me since I'm a writer, as well. At this point in time, I own eight typewriters, but for the purposes of this post, I'm going to focus on the seven manual typewriters I have at home. (I have one electric Smith & Corona I picked up at Goodwill and it's in my office at work). Of the seven manual typewriters I have, I've only paid for one of them and the rest were given to me. Interesting, right? I've discovered that not everyone is as fond of these giant metal typing devices as I am, and people have given me typewriters that they've found or accumulated when they find out I collect them.

Here are my manual typewriters and a bit of the story behind how I came to be in possession of each of them:

This is the first typewriter I ever got, and it's a Royal. Justin knew I had been wanting one, so he picked this one up for me at an antique shop in downtown Mishawaka about five years ago. I think he paid around $50 for it, and this is the only typewriter in my collection that we paid for. This one is special to me because it's the first one I got, and my husband gave it to me as a gift. 

These two typewriters were given to me by my friends, Tim and Bobbie, about three years ago. Tim was helping his mother clean her basement and she didn't want them anymore, so he surprised me with them. Both are Royals, and Tim also gave me a typewriter stand, which is what the top typewriter is sitting on. 

Doug, someone I knew from my previous church, told me he found this L.C. Smith typewriter in his attic and asked if I wanted it. I've had to get creative with where to put all of the typewriters in my house, and this one is under the typewriter stand that one of the Royals sits on. 

My friend Shelly was at an estate sale and told me this Antares Parva typewriter (I did some research - it's an Italian brand) was for sale for $5.00. She picked it up for me and I love this particular typewriter because of its unique color and the fact that it nestles in the cover/carrying case that goes over the top of it. (I did give Shelly $5.00 for this one, so I guess I technically did pay for it, but I paid WAY less than what it's worth). 

Bruce, another friend from our old church, gave me this gorgeous compact Corona typewriter as a gift. This one is so unique and folds down to fit in the carrying case it sits in. It's in great condition and sits on top of my antique White sewing machine.

This is my latest gifted typewriter, and it's an Underwood that was given to me by my childhood best friend's mother, Cindy. It was her husband's grandmother's typewriter (if I'm remembering correctly), and I feel very privileged that they entrusted me with this. My dad helped me clean this one up, and after some research, we *think* it may be the oldest one I have. From what we can tell, it's from the 1920s and was the most common Underwood model. Like I said, I'm running out of space for the typewriters, so this typewriter is on a shelf under my art desk. Even though my collection is growing, I could never turn one of these typewriters away. I love each and every one of them!

I hope you enjoyed taking a look at my collection, and thank you to everyone who has given me one of these beautiful antiques. If you know about antiques and have more information about any of these brands/models, I would love to hear from you - leave a comment below! 

One Year

On this day a year ago, I woke up around 6:30 a.m. to the sound of my phone ringing. It was my best friend's stepfather, and he was calling to tell me that Cohen had passed away around 3:00 that morning. I remember my husband sitting up in bed, listening to the phone call, and hugging me afterward without saying a word. I called my parents and my friend Elisabeth. I contemplating skipping school, but knew I needed to go in and try to distract myself from the gut-wrenching pain I was feeling everywhere in my body. I prayed nobody at school would ask me what was wrong, because I knew I could only hold it together if I didn't have to talk about it. 

Just four days before, I had been at Cohen's mother and stepfather's house celebrating her 28th birthday with our families and friends. 

The phone call about Cohen's passing was not a surprise. I knew her time was limited. When we all gathered to celebrate Cohen's 28th birthday, she had already slipped into a coma several months before. Cohen's mother planned the birthday celebration, and while it was extremely difficult to celebrate the life of someone who was about to leave this world, I'm so glad we did. Cohen was an amazing person and she meant the world to me. Her life was worth celebrating, even in those final moments.

For those of you who don't know, Cohen (who's real name is Deanne - I mentioned her interesting nickname in the eulogy I wrote for her funeral that my husband read in my place) and I grew up together. We met in seventh grade, and while we weren't instant friends, we were destined to become the best of friends. In high school, we were inseparable. We became part of each other's families, and I was honored to be there the day Cohen's youngest brother was born. We went to the same university after high school graduation and, despite our families encouraging us not to, we lived together in an on-campus house and then a dorm for all four years of college. Even after college, we got our first apartment together. Cohen was my maid of honor on my wedding day. Right before Justin and I got married, Cohen moved from South Bend to Fort Wayne to live with her mother. She became ill and, after several months of being misdiagnosed, a neurosurgeon told us the worst news we could have imagined - Cohen had a terminal brain tumor.

Cohen fought hard for four years despite a poor prognosis. She had several surgeries and went through chemo and radiation and numerous procedures and hospital stays. There were very few strides in the right direction; even though Cohen underwent the treatments her medical team suggested, she still continued to get worse. It was awful watching the most vibrant, wonderful person I knew have her life slowly taken away by a brain tumor. It was such a slow process. Cohen suffered for four years, but never stopped fighting and never gave up hope. Her faith held strong until the day she passed. There's nothing that inspires me more in this life than her; if she could live her life to the fullest in the midst of a devastating and terminal illness, then why can't I? It's a privilege to grow older and experience all this world has to offer. I won't take it for granted. I can't take it for granted.

I can't believe that it's been a year since Cohen has existed in this world. I can't believe I've made it through a year without her. We were each other's family. We were sisters, and the bond I had with her is one that I know I will never have again, and that makes me sad, but it also makes me so happy that I got to experience a closeness with another human being that not everyone has the opportunity to experience. She was my person, and I so look forward to seeing her again someday.

Cohen would have turned 29 on January 16th. As I near my own 29th birthday, I'm reminded of how lucky I am to be healthy, to be working toward my dreams and goals, and to be surrounded by my loving and supportive friends and family. Life will never be the same without Cohen in it, but if this past year has taught me anything, it's that my life is so much better because she was a part of it. Sometimes I think back on the pain of watching her endure four years of a terrible illness, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I would never trade being there for her, visiting her in the hospital, taking her for outings even when she couldn't walk or see anymore, holding her hand in those final days of her life - her friendship meant everything to me, and it still does. Cohen was so so special, and I will cherish our friendship forever. 

After Cohen's funeral service last February, we all went to a park near the church and released blue and yellow balloons (she loved Batman). I fought back tears as I watched the balloons drift further and further away and I realized I would never stop missing her. Even a year later, I'm still just trying to take it one day at a time.

Recent Photography Projects

Hi all! It's been awhile since I've updated my blog, but so much has happened in the past few months! This summer was fantastic; I took and passed my preliminary exams for my doctoral program (and I just started my third year). The first baby was welcomed into my family on August 1st with the birth of my beautiful niece, Madilynn. There was lots of time spent with friends and family and, of course, time spent doing the things I love - writing, creating art, and taking photos.

I've had quite a few photo projects lately, the most recent being the opportunity to take headshots and group pictures for a local theater company, Act 2 Productions. (They are doing their first show this weekend - Seussical Jr.! My husband is the tech guy and I've been volunteering when I can; the show is great! Visit their website for tickets). In addition to the headshots and the shoots I will share below, I also had the opportunity to shoot all of the photos for the new graduate teaching assistants at Bowling Green State University and did updated photos for full-time faculty members in General Studies Writing and English. Keep an eye on the website - I'm sure you'll see a photo I've taken.

So, I figured I would share some of the photo projects I've done recently. The first is an engagement shoot I did for my cousin Danielle and her fiancé Cory. (Funny story - as I was about to do their photos on July 31st, my mom called to tell me my niece was going to be born, so I left right after the shoot to travel from Ohio to Indiana to make it in time for Madi's arrival). The second shoot is a wedding that I did for my dear, dear friends Dylan and Ally on August 26th. (You might remember that I did their engagement photos back in February - see those here). My husband Justin was a great second-shooter for me at their wedding. We make a great team!

Here are some of my favorites from those shoots. Enjoy!

Danielle + Cory - Engagement Session

Dylan + Ally - Wedding

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! To see more of my gallery or to talk with me about a shoot, visit my photography website.