DIY Covered Bench.

My friend Nicole donated her old piano bench to The Painted Pear (thank you!).

I was really excited about it because, this bench in particular, presented so many possibilities.....

Would it become a bench in our brand-new reading nook? An end table? A seat at the end of our bed? In our walk-in closet?
I couldn't make up my mind.....Couldn't pick a paint color.

I had Jamie cut a new base for the cushion and fix up the bench joints so it was nice and solid.
And I still couldn't make up my mind.....

Later that week, we were grocery shopping and I found a $5 white jersey knit, super soft t-shirt with a tiny chocolate brown stripe, and I loved it! So cozy and warm, it was begging to become a cushion.

I sprayed the bench a glossy chocolate brown and, with the help of my mother, covered the cushion with the tee.
It's not perfect. Jersey knit is actually a bit too stretchy for upholstering. I think, at some point, it will need to be covered again with a more structured fabric.

But for now, it has somehow become our coffee table, with lots of room underneath for books, magazines and remote controls (oh, and toys! Of course!) and the soft cushy top is being loved up by the little ones.

What could be better than a *bed* right in front of your favorite movie?

Nothing.

Have a Great Week!

Purple is For Boys Too.....

Our entire bedroom has been designed around THESE curtains.



Naturally, when I needed a nice dark color for Jamie's dresser, I chose purple. Not the greens or the orange, no! I picked the purple.

I'm really pleased with how masculine and rich the purple is.....I think it's a perfect compliment to the beer books and iron and leather that usually fall upon it's surface........thankfully, Jamie likes it too.

{No before pics this week. Boo! Jamie forgot to take them. Don't worry, I gave him a piece of my mind.}

Next week, DIY Mercury Glass Lamps!

The Make-Up Table.

From "forgotten in neighbour's garage" to Fabulous!

Before.

Half-way.

Wah-la!

We really love the color of this piece but I can't quite figure out if I love the color of it in our space......Which means it may get painted again.

Which, Jamie says, is breaking his heart.

But hey! Sometimes, when you take chances, mistakes happen. And then those mistakes need to be fixed.......by Jamie.

Hope your week is a colorful one!

Holidays.....

The Painted Pear is, technically, on holiday. We're taking a few weeks away from life and the computer (for the most part) and projects.....unless you count the odd snowman as a project, in which case, we are working away!

So we're on holiday, yes, but we're at my parents new home on PEI.
And it's beautiful.
And we're so excited.
And we just couldn't resist one little post.

My parents began building this house in the summer. For anyone who has ever built a home, you know that the laundry list of decisions can be overwhelming, to say the least.

While I was home for visit in August, my sister and I decided we would try to take the pressure off my mum and help her make as many decisions as possible. We stayed up late and made a HUGE shopping list. Room by room. Item by Item.

And then we shopped. 'Til we dropped.
We spent the entire following day going from store to store.

We chose every light fixture, tile, paint color, cupboard and vanity.
It was insane.

The one thing that proved the biggest challenge was bathroom vanities. We couldn't find what we wanted.

We looked and looked (as much as you can look in one day) and then we gave up on finding the unique pieces we were envisioning.....and we decided to make them instead.

We found this cupboard on sale at Wicker Emporium.



We picked out the most beautiful sea blue.
And then turned the vanity (cream originally) into this:







My favorite piece in the house.

That's it! There are so many beautiful things in this house but holiday starts NOW!
See you in 2012!

Merry Christmas,
Jamie and Jill

Student Trash Made Good.

This baby was ready for the dump. Found at the side of the road, this was 100% a student special.

The legs were sawed off, probably to help it fit through a door.
There were water stains and and broken drawers.
Terrible finish.

But, it had great shape. It was the perfect size. And it was free.
Jamie threw it in the back of the truck and brought it home.

6 new stainless steel legs, some TLC from James, and a coat of paint later......not too bad.









*Note....the legs are adjustable! The desk regularly sits at proper desk height but we lowered it nearly to the ground for the kids at our cookie decorating party last weekend. Check it out here.