• Lifestyle Lineups

    Gray Entryway Bench

    May 24, 2020 /

    I have been on the prowl for a gray entryway bench for some time now. The frugal Fran in me was determined to do this as a DIY and on a budget. So seeing how we are spending so much time at home I figured this was the perfect time to do it.

    What a Deal!

    With that frugal mindset, I have been pursuing Facebook Marketplace and Nextdoor looking for an entryway bench. And as much as I want to take credit for finding this entryway bench, I did not find it. My husband did! A lady less than a mile from my house was selling the bench for $20. That’s it. Just $20, including the baskets which I later sold on Facebook Marketplace for $10. My out of pocket total for the bench was $10! Holy heckenbob what a deal.

    Here she is. You can see this bench was well loved by the prior owner.

    As seen above, this piece was originally white but thanks to my last DIY project (take a peek here) I already had the perfect color in mind – Urban Bronze by Sherwin Williams. A neutral gray that pulls cool and warm depending on what you pair it with.

    Let the Work Begin

    Now that I have picked the color it was time to prep this piece. I started by wiping it off really well with some antibacterial dish soap and warm water. Next, I needed to level off some of the damaged areas using some spackle. Lastly, once the spackle dried up I went in for a light sanding with 180 grit sand paper. Nothing extraordinary, just trying to give some texture for the paint to grip to.

    Here she is after 2 coats of Urban Bronze

    Ultimately, this piece ended up needing 3 coats of paint. I had to buy more and only used about 1/3 of the half gallon which was about $10 worth. Once the paint was all done I added some felt pads on the bottom and began my search for decor, the best part if you ask me 🙂

    The End Result

    The final product! My perfect gray entryway bench. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.

    Ta-da!! It’s perfect for this area and provides a nice welcoming space to our guests. Some benches I was looking at online were retailing for $150-$200. My total for this unit including all the decor was less than that. The bench it self ended up costing around $25 (the net cost of the bench was $10, the paint was $10 and miscellaneous supplies were $5). Here is a list of all the other things I purchased for this area:

    Close up of the color and style
    My pride and joy! My DIY gray entryway bench

    Overall, this piece ended up exactly how I wanted it to. The next time you think you need to spend a ton of money to get a trendy piece of furniture, look to your neighbors to see what they are parting with.

    I hope you all find this inspiring and helpful! If you choose to recreate make sure to tag me on Instagram @LaurenLetter.

    -Lauren

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  • Fashion Finds

    Wannabe Wednesday

    May 9, 2020 /

    When a fellow fashion blogger posted about “Wannabe Wednesday”, where she recreates other bloggers looks, it was like finding a long lost sister! I have spent most of my adult life recreating outfits so naturally I needed to participate. Here are a few of my most recent “recreations”, enjoy!

    • Shirt // Great deal from Amazon!
    • Jeans // Super comfy from Target.
    • Earrings // Can’t find the exact ones but I linked a similar pair.
    • Watch Band // A white Apple Watch band is a summer must.
    • Self Tanner // This brand NEVER lets me down, a staple for me.
    • Pink Baseball Hat // Love this so much more than I expected to
    • Jean Jacket // A wardrobe staple for just about every season
    • White Tee // You can never have too many
    • Leggings // Again, you can never have too many 😉
    • Sneaks // Like walking on a cloud (size down half a size)

    These are so fun to create, I love the challenge of “shopping my closet” to find the right items. I am absolutely going to keep doing these, and may even have my own version coming up very soon. Stay tuned…

    As always, if you recreate these PLEASE tag me, I would love to see it!

    -Lauren

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