{Courtesy of Elle Decor, tipped off by Jen}

Hope your Monday is cheery {and filled with polka dots!},

She breathes new life into second-hand furniture. Check out this amazing table transformation:

AND she’s generous – check out her step-by-step tutorial

Bryn introduced me to Ruche, and my life has never been the same….

Each post provides my inspiration folder with at least one new addition. Here is a sample of my past favorites:

Oh, the bed. (Not to mention the fabulous ottoman!)

And this one

The most perfect sofa I’ve ever seen

Some days I could use this clever mirror substitute…

Make sure you check out her “Space of the Day” series to get an all-you-can-eat, gourmet serving!

Bryn was so inspired by this phenomenal space….

…..that she’s planning to paint her bedroom black. Bold choice, and I can’t wait to see it!

To top it off, she’s living my dream – Bryn recently announced that she is launching a design business from her new home in Charlotte, North Carolina! Stop by her site, say “hello,” and wish her well!

Watch that sugar-rush,

We do and there isn’t. So we will all just have to suffer through.

While J is searching for the perfect nightstand, I am on the hunt for a dresser. NOT just any dresser. It must be one that looks like this:

What is this style called? For some reason I have “Queen Anne” in my head, but I wouldn’t put money on it. So far, Craiglist has failed me. FAILED. As have all the local thrift stores. I still know what you are thinking – Why on earth would she want that? It looks kind of dated and blah…..OMG, K, GET OUT OF MY HEAD!

I know. Creepy, huh?

Well, lovelies, I need this dresser because I am dying to turn it into something like this:

Michelle’s transformation:

Before

After

Nichole’s transformation:

Before

After

Do you see what I mean? Oh, the possibility!

Do you have one of these?!? I will buy it from you. And then G will come and pick it up (somewhere out there he is saying Uh, what?!?! I know, it’s an uncanny ability). Come on, let’s make a deal.

That’s my kind of hunting.

Love,

It is one of the best films ever made, at least according to J, but I had something else in mind for today….another stop on our blog tour!

Today’s feature is one of my new favorite sites – Three Men and a Lady. Written by the lovely Michelle, it has decor inspiration GALORE!

She has the most gorgeous bedroom I have ever seen (grey and yellow IS my current decor obsession). I cannot believe the dramatic transformation!

Before:

After – oh, my heart:

She is a DIY’er after my own heart. Check out this bedside table makeover:

…..this dresser…..

(the Joshua Tree art is a DIY project too!)

AND she turned this gilded gold mess

+ bamboo skewers and spray paint

= this amazing masterpiece (that’s my kind of math!)

The rest of her house is amazing as well:

Check out the instructions for that adorable message board

DIY upholstered headboards

Do yourself a favor and spend some time perusing her archives. But be warned, you will get a sudden urge to revamp your entire house

Thanks for the inspiration, Michelle!

Love,

Oh, do I have some big news for you!!! You may want to sit down (since I know most of you surf the internet standing up…..)

My quest for a fancy mirror is OVER!

That’s right, lovelies. I have found it! Here’s how it went down: On Saturday morning I had the urge to decorate. So I decided to peruse the local second-hand stores to see if I could find something, ANYTHING that I could transform. The first stop was a bust, and I desperately needed caffeine, but I convinced myself to carry on (now I hear Tim Gunn…..) I found her in the “home goods” (I’ll go ahead and use that term loosely) section of Goodwill, buried under a pile of “artwork.” Only the edge was visible, but I had a feeling. Some would call it love at first sight.

Here she is, the current object of my obsession:

What, you don’t swoon over gilded gold? I admit, neither do I, but I had a vision. I knew I could turn this:

and this:

into THIS:

Here she is up close:

You can’t get enough? Neither can I……

The ingredients:

White spray paint

Leftover grey paint we used on the ceiling

Spray laquer

Approximately 3 hours of my Saturday afternoon

The mirror was the most expensive part, at a whopping $10.38. Thanks, Goodwill!

How about you – are you into second-hand shopping? Have any treasures made their way to your home? We know J has been bitten by the Craigslist bug, do you have any transformations to share?

Don’t inhale too many fumes,

and oh, how fun it is! She takes second hand furniture from dated to chic in some of the most dramatic transformations I have ever seen. For example:

Library Hutch

Antique dresser

Cherry dresser

Hutch

She explains her technique in this how-to.

She created super chic Halloween decor using thrift store finds.

Her home renovation is nothing short of inspiring:

Kitchen

Master Bedroom

Living Room

She has a beautiful little girl, Wren Berry….

….who sleeps in the most amazing nursery I have ever seen!

Of course she re-vamped the changing table herself.

Holly is clearly (ha!) a fan of white, and here is her take on loving white decor AND loving a family that includes pets and a baby. Her home is proof that amazing style does not require dramatic wall colors.

I seriously spent hours this weekend reading her archives and am ready to paint our entire house luscious shades of white! G returned from his weekend trip and vetoed that idea (we have already painted every room at least once)….but you better believe I filled my inspiration folder with ideas to implement in our yet-to-be-completed attic. Stop by her site and say hello!

Happy Monday!

P.S. Do you have any items you have transformed? Submit your photos and an explanation of how you accomplished such a feat to

homagegirls (at) homageblog (dot) com

We would love to feature your project on our DIY page! Make sure you check the page often, we are adding to it regularly.

A few years ago, after I had finally escaped the horrors of dorm living, I moved into an apartment with one of my older sisters. She is kind, funny, and generous, and she is also extremely pragmatic and organized. While I am not an unclean person, I have my own version of “organized” that might not adhere to strict definition. (My sister, on the other hand, used to color-coordinate her neatly penned notes for pharmacy school and mount them on appropriately colored construction paper.)

After moving in together, we made a list of the things we would need to decorate and round out furnishings. We wanted end tables for our living room. For my bedroom, all I needed was a calendar to hang on my wall. That was it. My sister wanted accessories for her bathroom.

After many trips to Target, Wal-Mart, and a furniture consignment store, Amy walked away with matching rugs, hand towels, and a coordinating sparkly purple shower curtain. I ended up with this:

… and then I scratched my head and wondered why it wasn’t a calendar.

But, really, I was in love. I had yet to meet A., so my heart was more or less fulfilled by this sweet slip of oak and lacquer, this elegant writing desk for a wanna-be writer. It may have elicited an eye-roll from a certain pragmatic sibling, but it had called my name and whispered passionately, “Darling, I’m only $30 dollars!”

Somehow, we stuffed it into my sister’s car and managed to get it safely into my bedroom, where I probably petted it for a while.

Over the next few years, I diligently pounded out hundreds of pages of papers, screenplays, and articles at the desk. It traveled to two new rooms with me and always fit right in.

And then, slowly, as some lovers do, we grew apart.

As in, A. and I wedded, bought a house, and shoved it into “the office” as our sole piece of office-y furniture. And then we started hanging out only in the downstairs living room with our computers on our laps like typing zombies. Okay, I type, and A. plays video games. (Like a zombie.)

Anyway, this is getting long we recently acquired a larger desk from some friends that fills up the office bedroom. And so, with a warm wave of nostalgia, I moved my estranged writing desk into our bedroom. It felt so right. But…it looks so wrong. Or does it work? I can’t tell. Clearly, I’m partial.

Please, tell me your thoughts. Is it weird to have a desk facing you as soon as you walk into the bedroom? Are you put off by the lack of chair? Me too. Should I paint it? (Maybe that would be wrong…I’m so confused!) Should I move it elsewhere in the house?

I do love the dainty details, and the long skinny legs. Maybe I’m projecting other desires….hmm….

All I know is that I still have feelings for this desk. We’re just on a break.

Looking for some direction (and probably a chair),

How many times can I say “DIY” in this paragraph? Do I feel an Homage drinking game coming on…….? Using Diet Coke, of course

The first project on the agenda is one of my favorites – a DIY upholstered headboard. This project was inspired by desperation: I prefer an eclectic look and I have decor-commitment issues, so an expensive headboard (much less a full bedroom set) is out of the question. My first attempt at upholstering a headboard was for my college apartment. My father purchased a piece of plywood the size of my queen size bed and my mother crafted a fitted slipcover. It looked like so:

I loved it, and I loved that we made it together, but that was…..let’s just say a few years ago……and I was ready for a change. So, in a matter of one afternoon, I turned it into this:

Ingredients (this is MY kind of recipe!):

1. Plywood that is cut to fit the size of your bed. Mine sits directly on the floor and the bed frame screws into it. I did not put anything between the board and the floor (ahem….our bed doesn’t move TOO much…), but if you are concerned you could hot-glue felt to the bottom.
2. Batting. I found some at the fabric store that comes on a roll and is sold by the yard. I made sure it covered the part of the board from the bed frame to the top, with enough to wrap over the edges. I think it was approximately 4 inches thick.
3. Fabric. Make sure the piece you are using is large enough to cover the front and wrap over the three sides (edges and top) comfortably (six inches should be enough). I used velvet with some stretch to it, and it worked like a dream. If you are using a print, make sure you want to deal with keeping it straight. I am not that motivated.
4. Buttons (if you are going for the tufted look).
5. A very long needle (if you are using buttons).
6. Thick thread (again, for the buttons).
7. Upholstery nails.
8. A staple gun.
9. A drill.

Steps:

1. Decide on your tufting “pattern” and drill holes where you want the buttons to go. Measure and mark them first, trust me. I started with very small holes and had to go back and make them bigger. In this case, bigger is better
2. Cover the board with batting. Staple in the middle of the top, the middleof the bottom, the middle of the right side, and the middle of the left side. Continue that pattern, working your way evenly to the corners. Do the corners last and staple the batting such that it lays flat.
3. Cover the board with the fabric, using the same pattern as previously described. Make sure it is straight (especially if it has a pattern) and is stretched tight but not TOO tight. You don’t want it drooping, but if you are going to tuft it there needs to be a little give. This is where stretchy fabric is a plus.
4. To create tufts: pound an upholstery nail into the back of the headboard approximately 1 inch below each of the holes that you drilled. Thread the needle and push it through the holes from the backside to the front. Slide the button on and push the needle back through. Pull the button tight against the headboard and tie the thread around the nail. I created this method by trial and error. There are probably many better ways, but it worked for me.
5. Sit back and admire your creation.

My headboard makeover was inspired by the one featured on {freckles chick}. Make sure you check out her how-to post for some better tips

I found these on Three Men and a Lady along with a great explanation.

Also make sure you check out Decorpad for a ton of inspirational photos.

Here are some of my favorites:

Make sure you check out the DIY tab for our first submission – Jamie’s husband made an entire bed AND upholstered it. What a guy!

Sweet dreams!

Instead, you will be treated to some titillating photos of our bedrooms   This is what you see when you enter mine (K):

Here is the view to your left. I purchased the chest at a secondhand store. It used to be a toy chest, but I painted it black and modge-podged scrapbook paper over the line of teddy bears carved into the side. (It felt wrong to cover them up….I pictured a grandfather lovingly carving them years ago….but teddy bears don’t really go with the rest of the decor….)

And then you look to your right. Our bedroom used to be two rooms, but at some point a former owner knocked down the wall. It’ s a good thing they did – our queen sized bed takes up the ENTIRE right half! Mom, if you’re reading this, no I don’t iron our sheets.

I love elaborate throw pillows, much to G’s chagrin.

And I HAD TO HAVE these new lamps from Target. I may or may not have driven to multiple stores to purchase them in time for this photo shoot….

I love all of the quirky details in our old house. For instance, this built in…..

….and our crown molding. My coworker suggested we paint our ceiling a darker shade of grey than our walls, and I’m glad he did. The walls and ceiling were khaki-colored before, so we would have had to paint the ceiling anyway (don’t feel too bad for G).

And there you have it, my bedroom in all of its glory. You should feel privileged – the tour doesn’t stop here very often as it is usually a MESS. I won’t even tell you how long it took me to clean it for these photos. Remember this?

*****

Now I’m going to show you our master bedroom, but try not to compare it to the beautiful pictures of K’s luxurious pad. We have officially been in our home a little over a year now, and I am still suffeirng from severe lack-of-furniture-and-excess-of-blank-wall syndrome in here.

With no headboard, I hung a couple of my paintings above the bed to balance the height of the wall and vaulted ceiling.

I’m feeling sort of confessional today, so would you like to see the rest of the room? Go ahead and judge me, it’s okay.

This is A’s nightstand (our only nightstand) and the pile of junk and wires that sits next to it. High style.

This is what we look at when we lie in bed:

This is the too-tiny mirror that faces you when you walk in the door:

And this is the too-tiny cage that Murray outgrew. We now pile unmatched socks on it:

That’s the hard, frumpy truth about our master bedroom, folks. Now….help me? Please?

Instead of the tiny mirror, I want this guy:

Pretty, isnt’ it? I think it would do quite nicely. And I think that angle would do good things for my self-esteem. Now…if only it cost less. A lot less. A lot lot less.

And, I would love something like this, maybe for the little nook on my side of the bed by the dresser, or in the corner next to my imaginary standing wall mirror:

What else do you think I could do with this room? I’m open for suggestions! Unfortunately, until my proverbial ship comes in, I might have to just get by with piles of books/socks on cages, but I would love to hear your ideas on how to spend my imaginary money! Hopefully, piece by piece, we can finish this room. It’s an Homage work-in-progress, for sure.

Happy Fantasizing,

and