The Upside of Sheltering at Home

One of the upsides of this whole sheltering at home time has allowed me to catch up on many projects that were weighing upon my mind, but I had no time to tackle. In times of turmoil, great stress, or adversity, I have always found keeping busy doing things that allow my mind to get some rest from all the noise is key. For me, one of those things is getting immersed in some kind of creative and transformative activity, like DIYs. And I’m never short on having a list of these projects. This first one is what got my momentum going. 

These Lampshades

Instead of purchasing these vintage style lampshades, I was eyeing for our master bedroom’s makeover, I decided to keep things budget-friendly by opting to give our old lampshades a fresh coat of paint. I simply applied a coat of thick black chalk acrylic paint with small foam brushes I already had on hand over those tired silk shades and, added some gold braid trim around the top and bottom. I just love how stunning the rich black color paint finished with the touch of gold made them. They add the perfect timeless elegance to the room soon to be revealed. 

Once I get immersed in the process, it generates a level of focus where I slip into this mental quietness that slowly allows me to put everything else aside and just be in the moment. 

New White Vanity Desk Turned Vintage 

A vanity table addition was something I really wanted to incorporate in the master bedroom. Number one, sitting at a vanity to get ready is way more comfortable than standing on my painful joints in front of the sink on our hard bathroom floor. Besides, what lady who wouldn’t want to feel like an Old Hollywood movie star? However, since the vanity desks I fell in love with were way too exorbitant to buy and I don’t have the movie star budget, I went with a much reasonably priced option that had some of the elegant details that could be transformed into a special piece. I couldn’t think of a more glamorous touch than gold leafing – another one of those supplies I have an abundance of from previous projects. I chose to apply the gold leaf in small pieces since I wanted the crackle kind of effect where the white of the desk peeks through. To get that antique vintage look I was after, I lightly went over the gold with brown glaze paint (my own mixture but can be bought already made), while immediately wiping any excess with a dry cloth and letting it dry in between coats. Once my first coat dried, I then went over parts of the vanity I wanted to be a bit darker with more of my brown glaze for added depth and allowed the piece to completely dry, then I finished it with a couple of coats of satin lacker wood finish polyurethane spray. 

My favorite added touch to this new white vanity desk turned vintage diy makeover, is the romantic toile detail I applied inside the drawers that makes me the happiest. It’s such a simple touch, yet it adds that extra level of vintage charm to this piece that is right up my alley! Seeing these intricate fairytale scenes every time I open the drawers makes my heart smile every time. Another project that costs me next to nothing to get done in less than two full days. It’s the perfect glamorous spot to get ready now. The full reveal is coming soon.

Master Bedroom Side Chair Table Update

It took a while before we could find the perfect small side table to put next to our chair in our master bedroom. When this one arrived, it needed a little bit of an update to bring it to life. I reached into my paint cabinet and grabbed an antique gold spray paint I had on hand and sprayed the leg of the table in a matter of seconds. Yet again, another easy and quick budget-friendly update makeover. 

Updating the leg with the gold really brought this little table to life and breaks up all the brown in this corner of the room. Paint sure heals all decorating ails!

Old Books Makeover

Even old tired and useless books get a makeover around here. I’m a shameless book hoarder, especially when I get to rescue them from books’ landfill and resuscitate them to serve a useful purpose in decor layering to pull a room together. For instance, these guys!! A lady had them in a box on their way to the sidewalk for garbage day. I grabbed the box while knowing I was only going to keep the hardcover books and donate the softcover ones to my local thrift store. And now, look how spiffy these guys are looking after a good clean up and a few fresh coats of satin white spray paint. One even got gilded in gold leaf, too! How snazzy!

Do you have a favorite? Please let me know in the comments below.

*You can see more of my DIYs here.