Make do with whatcha got...

...or at least try to. If you're anything like me, the time will come when you're tired of all of your furniture and ready for some brand spankin' new stuff. That time has officially arrived for me. I'm 7 years in and ready for a change. But all new furniture is expensive and I have 3 little ones out to destroy all things new (not to mention a little one on the way from the Democratic Republic of the Congo). I did consider saving up for new stuff, which is usually my method, but that just seems unattainable. It would take forever for me to stash enough moolah with all of the other things that we are saving for right now (adoption, Long Outreach Ideas, etc.). So today I decided to take what I have and do my best to make it look like what I want. We had day 2 of our yard sale today (which ended fabulously...$500!!), so since I was stuck out on the driveway anyways, I decided to do a little makeover. I have this side table in my living room that was this cheapo looking blonde wood finish that I've been hating for quite a while now and have often tried to sneak into yard sales only to hear Jono say, "If we get rid of that what are we gonna use?". Uh, exactly! Then we would be forced to purchase the awesome white one I want from Target! Anyway, so I had my dear hubby haul it out to the garage, I Googled some tutorials about painting furniture, then I started my project. An electric sander, some primer, a few coats of white paint, and some polyurethane later, I have a pretty amazing looking side table! To use some "interior design lingo", it really did have some great, clean lines. It was just that yucky wood color that had me grumbling. But no longer. Jono and I both love it and it only cost me the $17 can of Minwax that I sent him to the store to buy. I already had everything else. It looks so good that there were a few yard sale customers trying to talk me out of it, but I told them that unless they were willing to pay me the same amount as the new one that I would have to purchase, no deal.
I'm so glad I did it this way instead of springing for something new. 1) It is totally wipeable and waterproof so no need to stress about kids spilling or forgetting coasters. 2) When the kids ding it from throwing random toys while dancing, I won't be freaking out saying "Do you know how much that cost?!". 3) I am super duper proud of it and will probably blurt out to everyone who enters my living room, "I painted that!".
So if you ever find yourself grumbling about how much your blue sofas disgust you -Yep. They're blue...but only underneath the nice khaki slipcovers I got from Target. $100 in slipcovers is waaaaay better than a couple thou in new seats- take a deep breath, refrain from nagging your poor hubby, and think, "How can I take what God has already given me, be thankful for it, and reinvent it to make it last a little longer?". There is seriously very little that a can of paint can't do.
And it's almost as good as a visit to the spa when you get to say, "Hey, babe, keep an eye on the kids. I gotta go out to the garage alone with my Pandora radio playing and apply another coat to the table that I'm painting to save us from having to spend your hard earned money on a brand new one. Ok?" Ahh. Pure bliss.