WW: Repurposed {Linky}

I've had the idea to turn a trunk we have into an ottoman, for quite some time.

I have nothing against CHEEZ-IT GROOVES, but just didn't know that I wanted a trunk that said that in our living room forever. I really liked the red, and the storage space. We needed an ottoman, so why not repurpose ?

My husband cut a board bigger than the trunk top:

He used stuffing from a loveseat we took apart, and lots of pulling, and staples:

I got the idea to cover buttons from my Grandma, who gave me a tin of buttons. The fabric was too thick, so we went with a scrap of red we had from something else. 

The fabric was left over from a chair he designed. 

He put screws up through the bottom of the lid, and into the wood he cut. Poof we had an ottoman! I wish I had one more. 

I didn't help as much as I thought I would, but the idea was mine. 

WW: Room {Linky}

I've been fairly busy.

Our old loveseat that we had, for cough 17 or so years was ready to retire. We heard a snap, when one of us sat on it. It had stains that I washed out many, many times. The velcro was coming off, so the cushion wouldn't stay put. We gutted it! Nothing in our house is every easy. Most people would just throw it on the side of some dumpster, somewhere. Travis wanted the pieces. I only cared to get the furniture tacks.

Good-bye Loveseat:

Sure enough it was a piece of wood that snapped.

Pay attention to the green shelves. I repainted them!

Hello Chairs:

I really wanted another loveseat. We are a family that loves shows and movies. Laying down is well...awesome! 

BUT we had a horrible time finding what we wanted. Travis wanted to be able to sit in whatever we bought. I'd find things online, but he couldn't sit in them. I finally saw our seats at The World Market. It was the Bohemian Style I was looking for, we both liked them, and they were 50% off. The sucky thing, they weren't a loveseat. I'm going to have to find a way of making poufs or footstools. We're already missing laying down. 

We were going to place the chairs next to each other, but changed our minds. Here's the chair Travis designed, next to one of the other chairs. I repainted the green shelves. 

I found a pillow that has sections just like Travis' chair.

Here's a better look at the shelves I painted:

Lots of stripes like the chairs have. Last coat of varnish! 

Travis put in the loveseats's furniture tacks. It sounds easier than it was. That wood was hard! He had to pre drill holes, to get them in. 

Then his sculpture went on top.

Here's the other side of the living room. 

The leather couch has furniture tacks too! We got an off white pillow that has the same pattern as the red one. The other bohemian case is new too. 

See the Cheez-It trunk in the back? I got that filled with products to review a long time ago. It's such a cool trunk. I love Cheez-Its, but I'm thinking about repurposing that. I want to have a board cut bigger than the trunk, add the red fabric from Travis' chair (he had extra), stuff it with batting from the loveseat, and screw the board on up through the bottom of the top. I'd have to add sliders, or wheels on the bottom. 

Sunny approves! The kids prefer to lay on the couch. 

Do you like ottoman's, or poufs better? 

If you're like me, and have no idea what a pouf is, here they are:

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Poufs look cozier, but some ottomans can store things. Whatever I end up with I'll probably make it. Poufs and ottomans are just as much as the chairs! The Cheez-It trunk gets repurposed, for Travis' chair.

Help Me Deicide...

We have a microfiber love seat. We've had it for years. It's really showing it's wear. I've scrubbed, washed, and now when I clean you can see scrub spots it's that filthy. I really need a maid service. sigh! Travis sits on one side. He's typically dirty from working outside, and on sculpture. Isaak sits on the other side. He's a messy boy.

I want a new loveseat.

Looking at prices, it's in someways cheaper to buy a couch with a loveseat, than just a loveseat on it's own. I like our dark brown leather couch.

NFM also known as Nebraska Furniture Mart has a lot to offer. It's good for the area because it's locally owned. BUT it's bad for the area because it's so big that nothing else moves in, and survives.

Most of their stuff is neutral. I enjoy sitting down to see if I like the fit of a loveseat, but online I'm seeing way move I like than NFM has to offer.

We have faux painted walls: Yellow, then glazes of red, the glazes of brown. I really don't want to repaint them. I love our walls!

I could go with a neural colored loveseat, and cover it with something colorful. In that case, I might as well keep what I have, and cover it.

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Go the opposite of red-orange (wall color), and go with a blue-green loveseat. Our couch is dark brown leather, so anything will go with it.

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I'd really like an accent loveseat. All I can find online are accent chairs, or accent couches. Most are not sold in the US, or are $1000s of dollars. So many people are saying, "Just make your own." I may like art, but I don't trust myself with a sewing machine. 

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I like this, but who wants a loveseat with no arms? That's not a cuddle friendly loveseat. 

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So do I just keep looking? Cover the loveseat I already have - repurpose it? Buy something plain, and cover it? 

Look up "bohemian" and "patchwork" couch, or chair, and I typically like most of it. 

Disclaimer: This post may include link(s) where I have gotten paid for.

We Need a Bigger Couch

This weekend we took in our nephews: Evan (age 12), Elijah (age 9) and Edison (age 3). 

It's great that 2 of my nephews are only a few months apart from my boys. We used to watch them a few days a week when they were itty bitty. They are certainly not strangers to the Apel house.

Their brother Emerson (6) is still in the hospital battling seizures. They keep trying different meds, which have all kinds of side effects. Emerson has been sleepy, but can't sleep. The boy needed O2. He can't go to the bathroom, so they put in a catheter. His skin and lips are dry. Then just tested his thyroid, and it's on the underactive side. My sister keeps wanting to know the meds they put him on, and why. They look at her with a blank stare. She has her masters in nursing education. She keeps that under wraps just in case they expect her to do everything for Emerson. A few doctors are talking about sending him to an Epilepsy Center, which the closest one my sister would send him to is in Cleveland, Ohio. YIKES!

With all that stress we tried to be upbeat with Emerson's brothers. 

I forgot how much a 3 year old loves to help! He gathered produce from our garden with Travis. He helped me make a cake for Cake Walk at Isaak's school, and he helped me make Lego Gummies. Edison was much more excited about chores than my boys. Ha!

It's good Edison had fun. I can't imagine the stress in his little life with his mom and brother always at the hospital for a week. It doesn't look like they are coming home anytime soon.

Edison loves Isaak! I asked Edison, "Where's Isaak?" He responded with, "You mean my buddy?" I said, "Ya him." He went to get Isaak for me.

These boys seem to all get a long very well. 

It looks like we could use a longer couch! I'd love to go shopping for a Living Room Furniture Set! I'd love to get a 5 Piece Sectional Living Room Set! Then the boys could spread out a bit.

If I had a sectional, I'd have plenty of room to put the boys in blankets, and toss them up onto the couch. Isaak still thinks he's small enough for a blanket toss. Trust me he's getting heavy. My nephew Edison is the perfect age for that though! It is pretty fun!

What piece of furniture would you like to replace? 

Isaak's New Bed

Aunt Angela was selling cousin Ethan's bedroom furniture. I jumped at the offer! I could never buy what I bought from her in the store right now! Aunt Angela is much cheaper! She took off $100 for Isaak's old dresser that we didn't even buy. She even knew we didn't buy it.

Isaak's room does look tiny. He has a tiny room! We got things to work.

Here he is in his new captains bed:

He looks tiny in that big bed! They grow fast! He'll fill it up in no time.

Night Training: The boy is getting much better about staying dry at night! YAY! I've been putting on underwear and then a dipper over them. Daddy's idea. Sounds weird I know. I'm hardly what anyone would call, "Normal." Training pants just leaked out the sides too much. I wanted him to feel the wetness though. It's all about layers. I had wet pad, fitted sheet, wet pad, fitted sheet, wet pad, fitted sheet. If he peed, I didn't need to wash and change his sheets in the middle of the night. I could just strip the layers. The bedding being in layers was Aunt Terra's idea! It helps that we get him up right before we go to bed around 11 pm to pee. He goes 95% of the time!

I was so excited to dig out the Dr. Seuss bedding I got a few years ago on clearance at Pottery Barn! The Dr. Seuss sheets were a hit with Isaak. The decorative pillow has the cat's face on it. The comforter should last for a long time.

Boys! I think Isaak was asked to stop holding Mica soon after I took this photo. He was strangling him!

  New Bed + Boys = A lot of Excitement!

Isaak's so stinking cute!

We've been busy this week! Going through toys, rearranging furniture and crates. Daddy spent one night painting the house some more. That's a project!

Funny: Mica calls going through toys, "Research!" It's our "research" project!

Sucky: The Good Will doesn't take toys anymore! After all the lead scares they simply throw your donations out in front of you. I'm going to call a mission to come and take them. I'll wait until after Mica's birthday party to call them. Right now my laundry area has lots of toys in it.