A Tent Fit for a Reader

We have been invited to a lot of birthday parties lately, and I have tried to be creative with gift giving so that the birthday boy/girl do not get duplicates.There are not a whole lot of places to shop where we live. And to be honest, I haven't been very impressed with the quality of italian toys. So, most people shop at the NEX or order things online.
I loved making forts as a child. And I have to say, I made a few epic ones with my sisters and my BFF growing up, LeeAnne. I saw this tent on pinterest and immediately fell in love.  I have been wanting to do this project for a couple of years now, and this birthday party was the perfect excuse. I followed this tutorial. And made a little matching pillow to go along with it from extra fabric.
If you decide to make this as well, make sure your twin size sheet is not XL, or you will be doing some extra sewing and measuring.
I ventured out in town again with the hubs to get all the pieces for the tent. The wooden dowels are a million feet long so I had to cut it down, and, of course, cut it a little too short, but I think it turned out pretty cute regardless. Perfect for a cute little reading nook. The best part about it is that it folds flat.
I will be making another one for Elle for Christmas out of a vintage sheet that I have been saving for the perfect craft. I would say this fits the bill!

Learning Process

Every time I refinish a piece, I learn something new. I could not find ivory spray paint at the NEX Depot (the "hardware" store on base that carries american products) So I took a chance and bought some italian spray paint out in town. This may not seem like a big deal, but italian paint is much different than american paint. Let me tell you, it takes waaaaay more cans to finish a project with italian spray paint. For this project alone, I used 5 cans of paint.

I received these great chairs for free from a friend that was moving. Her family had used them outside on her porch, so they were a little beat up and she was going to throw them away. I immediately fell in love with their structure and just knew I could use them for something. Jake's parents recently gave us their old, solid oak table (future blog post on that when I get around to it). It's a 12 seater and they only had 6 chairs, so I thought these would be perfect for the ends of the table.

Okay. I won't keep you waiting any longer.
Before:
















And after:

I put plastic over the seats so my children would not destroy them. And don't look too closely. I'm still getting use to the paint here, so the finish isn't the best. Looking into getting an air compressor so i can use a paint sprayer.

Also, sorry for the bad pictures. Our nice camera just broke (8 months after we bought it. urgh) and we are hoping to get it fixed asap. 

Thanks for reading!

Welcome

Being married to someone in the military means you are not always able to shop at your favorite stores. Currently, my family and I are living in Catania, Italy on Naval Air Station Sigonella, so coming by furniture and other decor that fits with my style (Potterybarn meets shabby chic) is not easy. I was also raised by a mom who had fabulous taste, but limited funds. She taught me how to have a beautiful home on a limited budget. This has turned into a escape...ummm...hobby of mine that I love to share with others.
My sweet friend, Spring Dyer, helped me set up this blog a few years ago to post some of my projects. Submarines...I mean, stuff happened that kept me busy for the last couple of years. But I have finally found my motivation to do some projects and keep a blog.
So welcome! I hope you enjoy my creative outlet :)

Vintage Kitchen

Loved seeing "Painted Peacock's" vintage kitchen in a photo shoot for Lulu's Market by Spring Dyer Photography!