Each designer had a 10 X 10 space to decorate using only restore items and we each had a different type of room. Gretchen Earnshaw designed an outdoor space and won the “Judges Award”. Here she is pictured with the four judges for the event.

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I loved the coastal cottage feel of her room and the nautical colors she chose.

Gretchen free-handed that extra large lobster painting over the bench (made from a bed). I think it really gave the room it’s WOW factor!

My other favorite item in Gretchen’s room was this kitchen table she cut down to coffee table height. She also cut a hole in the middle and set a galvanized drink bucket for icing and serving beverages. I love the nautical rope detail around the bucket which is actually a curtain tie-back she found at the Restore.

And those cute yarn wrapped pears are actually light bulbs!

This adorable wreath was made of book pages and a burlap bow.

Comfy seating, carpet tiles, and a cute chalkboard made out of drawer make this room even more inviting.

To make use of the mystery item, a plastic outlet cover, that we each had to creatively incorporate into our rooms, Gretchen made a cute beer pong game. The outlet covers create labels for points scored.

I’m hoping Gretchen starts her own site soon so that I can follow all her crafty projects.

Come back next week when I’ll be sharing Kerrie’s man cave and Anna’s nursery.

Each designer had a 10 X 10 space to decorate using only restore items and we each had a different type of room. Karen Adams designed an office space and won, by unanimous decision, for “Best Use of The Mystery Item”.

I’m sharing some images of her room but please like Karen’s Savvy Creations on Facebook to see all of her amazing before and after’s and to ask questions about how the items were made.

Karen’s room had an eclectic mix of repurposed items and reminded me of a professor’s office you might find at Hogwarts (from the Harry Potter series).

This bench was made from two chairs facing each other and joined by a single seat.

I like how she turned this end table on it’s side and attached a clock face to make this interesting storage piece.

I’ve seen books as shelves but I like this use of old drawers as shelves even better.

A side table painted and turned upside down made for a cute and regal pet bed.

Karen used an old bathroom cabinet and door to make a drop down wall desk.

I’ll give you twenty guesses what this ottoman is made of……………

…sliding dishwasher shelves that she stacked and covered with fabric. Who ‘da thunk?

My daughter’s personal favorite was this sign created from an old shutter with fantasy places such as Hogwarts, Emerald City, Narnia, etc.

As I’ve mentioned before, part of the competition included incorporating the mystery item, this plastic switch plate cover, in a creative way. Karen incorporated several into a painting by painstakingly printing, fitting and covering the outlet covers to blend in with the painting, giving it a relief effect.

To really appreciate Karen’s work like Karen’s Savvy Creations on Facebook.

Come back later this week when I’ll be sharing the other rooms.

Each designer had a 10 X 10 space to decorate using only restore items and we each had a different type of room. Andrea Hartley was my design room neighbor and created this amazing wedding reception room. I don’t know how she did it but she managed to see potential in things I would have totally overlooked.

I’m sharing some images of her room but please like Ezermester’s on Facebook to see all of her amazing before and after’s and to ask questions about how the items were made.

The image below is looking towards the right side of the room. Notice the wood buffet made from a bed canopy, cabinet doors and granite tiles (all of which were found at the Restore).

This is a view of the left side. I loved the paint on her picnic table you can see in the left foreground. She painted it with spray paint, then sprinkled fine glitter and then added a sealer.

One of my favorite pieces in Andrea’s room was this beautiful mason jar chandelier. Pictures don’t do it justice as it was pretty spectacular in person. I think it sold pretty quickly.

My other favorite items was this bar made from an old tool bench. Wouldn’t that make a great outdoor serving station? Now I’m on the lookout for an old tool bench.

Andrea created this pretty planter from an old tool box.

Speaking of creativity – this wine glass holder is an old lawn mower thatcher. I didn’t even know what a lawn mower thatcher was and certainly wouldn’t have imagined it as a wine glass holder.

She hung this old garden gate over the buffet and added shelves and outdoor string lights for a pretty and festive effect.

She painted these cute signs on old cabinet doors…

…and made this table from a picture frame. The flower was made from card board that she cut out and painted and then covered with Modge Podge.

The table legs were made from stair balusters painted a pretty bronze color.

This image was taken on the day we were setting up. She found that beautiful chandelier at the Restore and made some slight modifications to bring it up to date. I love how the light bounced off all the mirrors.

Every wedding reception needs something to throw at the bride and groom, in this case, oats. Andrea made these cones from book pages.

Here’s another view of the left side of the room where you can see the pallet boards she used to decorate the wall, along with old wedding photos she found at the Restore.

Part of the competition included incorporating the mystery item, this plastic switch plate cover, in a creative way.

Andrea painted hers copper and added them as decorative end caps on her table.

And I almost forgot…Andrea is so creative, not only did she craft and build her entire room, she made the dress she wore the night of the event from a curtain she found at the Restore!!!

To really appreciate Andrea’s work like Ezermester’s on Facebook.

Come back later this week when I’ll be sharing the other rooms.

Each designer had a 10 X 10 space to decorate using only restore items and we each had a different type of room. The talented couple below are Kerri and Trevor Morrical of Morr Creations and they designed a family playroom for the event.

I’m sharing some images of the finished room but please like Morr Creations LLC on Facebook to see all of their amazing before and afters and to ask questions about how the items were made.

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Below is a picture of their awesome room.

One of my favorite pieces was this airplane made out of a ceiling fan and dryer ducts, among other everyday items.

Another of my favorites was this American flag made from trim pieces and craft store stars.  They made the two benches from a twin bed headboard and footboard.

Crafted from an old entertainment center, Kerri and Trevor said this was one of their most intricate pieces.

Can you tell what this teepee is made from? Skis and tablecloths! And the bow is made from PVC pipe that was heated in order to bend. Kerri made the tom tom drums from baskets, tin can lids, and fabric scraps.

This roulette wheel is actually an old bicycle tire…

…and this kids chair is a pullout keyboard and mouse tray.

They made this puppet theatre and playhouse from an entertainment center. The pullout doors were formerly for CD/DVD storage.

Part of the competition included incorporating the mystery item, this plastic switch plate cover, in a creative way.

Trevor and Kerri created this fairy house by using the mystery item, along with other electrical outlet covers in various sizes.

To really appreciate their work,  you really need to see the before images of each item. Like them on Facebook at Morr Creations, LLC to see all of their before and after images.

Come back later this week when I’ll be sharing the other 5 rooms.

Friday evening I participated in the Habitat for Humanity Restore Restyle Event. You can read more about the event and the rules here, here and here. The event drew over 200 attendees, raised over $6,000 for Habitat for Humanity and showcased how, with a little creativity and effort, you can transform something old into something new.

Each designer had a 10 X 10 space to decorate using only restore items and we each had a different type of room. We had everything from a playroom, a man cave, an outdoor room, an office, a wedding reception room, a nursery, and my room, which was a little girls room. We had two weeks to shop and an extra week to paint, restyle or repurpose.

Here’s an image of the space after I finished painting and before I set the room up.

And here it is after I moved in.

BEFORE AND AFTER

To get a good idea of how far these pieces came, Here’s a look at the before and after of each item.

The original headboard had to wonky wooden legs that didn’t make much sense. I remove the legs and cut them to size to create an art holder (with clothespins) and a little clothes rack (using closet door knobs). A little plum spray paint gave them a whole new look. I added D-ring hooks to the back of the headboard so that it could be hung on the wall instead of propped up on wobbly legs.

If you are in the market for an upholstered headboard, I would highly recommend shopping the restore as I came across quite a few. I’ve made my own headboard before but buying and recovering one from the Restore is a much easier and cheaper option.

The Restore was charging $25 for this headboard. I used a $5 piece of lavender burlap fabric and some leftover nailhead strips that I had from my other headboard project to give it a new look.

The dresser had beautiful detail and hardware. A little paint made it look fresh and modern.

Builder grade chandeliers are a dime a dozen at the Restore. I just added some wired beads I found on the wedding aisle at Michael’s to sweeten it up for a little girl’s room.

This lamp had a stained shade. I recovered the shade and painted the base to give it a fresh, modern look.

Is it just me or does it seem like everything in the Restore is brown? Try looking beyond the brown, dated wood and add a glossy coat of paint in a fun color to take something from drab to fab.

With this mirror and the nightstand below, I wanted to show how you could do two different things with the same item. I used one mirror as a message center and simply spray painted the other in a glossy plum finish.

With two identical nightstands I painted one and added fun knobs. The other I transformed into a cute little kitchenette. The burners are old CD’s.

I used an upper cabinet you might find in a laundry room to create a bookcase and recovered these tired pillows in fun fabric.

This angel wall art was made with a drawer front, metal brackets and a wooden plaque. The country bears were replaced with plastic animals and spray painted to match the mirror.

I replaced the fabric on this tired valance and made a little flag border made from fabric swatches.

Lastly, each designer had to incorporate the mystery item, this plastic outlet cover, into their room.

I used mine as a temperature gauge on my kitchenette.

I’ll be sharing the other amazing rooms and their designers all week.

Be sure to take a look at the other designer’s rooms: Kerri & Trevor’s Family Playroom; Andrea’s Wedding Reception Room; Karen’s Office; Kerrie’s Man Cave; Anna’s Nursery; and Gretchen’s Outdoor Room

Linked to: Between Naps on the Porch, Making the world cuter, Home Stories A to Z, Not Just A Housewife, Serenity Now

Friday night was the main event and it couldn’t have been more fun. Close to 200 people attended the event and collectively the event raised over $6,000 for Habitat for Humanity. Amy Williamson, Marketing Specialist for the Our Towns Habitat Restores, did an amazing job coordinating the whole event.

Did you know: In 1992, the first Habitat ReStore opened in the U.S. in Austin, Texas. Shortly after that location opened, Our Towns Habitat opened our ReStore in Cornelius, making us one of the first ReStores to open worldwide. Today there are more than 600 ReStores.

Our amazing sponsors included Porter Paints, A Tasteful Solutions Catering & Events, Dressler’s restaurant, BBQ Junkee, 131 Main Restaurant, Smooth Reflections Med Spa, MaidUSmile, Old Mecklenburg Brewery, and Mutual Distributing Company. Plus, we had entertainment provided by Mobile Professional DJ & Lighting Services. It was a party people!

Here are a few pictures from the nights festivities. Pardon the blurry iPhone pics.

This plastic electrical cover was the mystery item for the event. Each of the 7 designers had to creatively incorporate it in our rooms, with an award going to the designer with the most creative use. Guests enjoyed searching for the mystery item in each room.

This was Pam. She works for at the Cornelius Habitat for Humanity Restore and was in charge of accepting donations and logging sales for my room. Thanks, Pam!

The DJ had prime location, center of the Restore.

People filing in earlier in the evening as the doors opened.

Everyone had an opportunity to look at the rooms, vote for their favorite and purchase any items from any of the rooms.

I met Cheryl Luckett from Dwell by Cheryl and guest blogger for Metrolina Habitat for Humanity Restore, among other talented and creative people.

The designers lined up for introductions.

Amy Williamson, Our Towns Habitat for Humanity Restores marketing specialist, welcoming guest and introducing the designers.

My son, giving mom support during the introductions.

Friends and supporters, Lisa and Carolyn, checking out my before and after photos.

Congrats to the following winners, Gretchen Earnshaw, Judges Choice; Karen Adams, Most Creative Use of the Mystery Item; Kerrie Boys, People’s Choice for raising the most money!

I’ll be sharing pictures all week of each amazing room!

Click here to purchase your tickets for tonight’s ReStore ReStyle Design Challenge loacted at the Habitat for Humanity Restore in Mooresville, NC. For more information visit the website.

Don’t forget, you can still vote for your favorite designer online or this evening at the event. Votes are $1 and all All proceeds benefit Our Towns Habitat for Humanity.

My favorite outdoor spaces have plush seating, a place to kick your feet up, ambient lighting and NO Mosquitoes. 

I'm working on the plush seating. In the meantime, TIKI Brand sent me their TIKI Brand Glowing Torch to try out, plus a bottle of Off! Bitefighter Torch Fuel. 

I love it's brilliant blue color that happens to match two of my planters. Best of all, it includes an LED light feature that turns on at the base. With the touch of a button you can choose either glowing blue or purple lighting and skip the open flame if you happen to have curious kids or pets around. 

The Off! Bitefighter Torch Fuel is a bonus around here. We're just starting to see mosquitoes which only get worse the warmer the weather gets. I'm hoping the torch fuel keeps them away while we sit on our deck to enjoy many outdoor dinners this Spring and Summer. 

Do yourself a favor and grab one of these handy litte spouts to help pour the fuel into the canister. 

Just snap it on the fuel container and funnel into the canister to save yourself from smelling like lighter fluid. 

I am really impressed with how high and long the flame burns and how beautiful the LED light feature is. You can get a feel for it from this video.

You can buy the TIKI Brand Flame & Solar Torch or TIKI Brand Glowing Table Torch at Walmart or Target or log onto Tikibrand.com. And don't forget the Off! BiteFighter Torch Fuel to keep away mosquitoes. 

What do you love about Tiki Brand Products. Let us know at TIKI Brand on Facebook. 

Tickets are still on sale and can be purchased online for $15 or for $20 at the door. Admission price includes heavy hors d’ouevres and 2 drink tickets.

The ReStore ReStyle Design Challenge is an annual fundraiser held at the Mooresville ReStore whose purpose is to highlight the ReStores and their impact on the community through creative repurposing. Local designers are challenged to decorate 10’x10’ rooms utilizing only donated product available from the Mooresville & Cornelius ReStores. Each room will demonstrate how items found in the ReStores can be “ReStyled.”

I am so excited to be participating in this event for such a great cause and to have met such amazing and talented people.

I spent Sunday (Mother’s Day) and Monday painting and setting up my room for the event. Here’s a sneak peek of my painted room (Glistening Gray, lightened 25% by Porter Paints).

I won’t be sharing any more glimpses of the room this week – don’t want to spoil the surprise. If you’re in the area, I can’t think of a better way to spend your Friday night. Come out and see us!