Extreme Makeover - Bovine Edition

I thought I'd share some of the finished aspects of our house before I start focusing in on the works in progress. I am kicking myself for not getting "before" pictures of this chair, but I want you to picture the typical light blue chair with little goldish color shell like things all over it. Oh and worn out threadbare arms. OK, have a mental image now?

Here it is after Jason got done with it. That's real genuine cow hide there, ladies and gentlemen.

We had fun at the leather store picking out the hide, do you realize how many color options are available in cow hides? We decided on this white and brownish/blackish one. The kids loved to play on it on the floor, we had to pry it out of their hands to make this chair. Jason can recover car interior which has been very usefully applied to our home as well. We lovingly refer to this chair as "the cow chair".

Other things to notice in this picture are the window treatments, which are actually a sheer denim printed fabric. Don't ask me how I ever found it, but as soon as I did, I knew it was the fabric for me! Jason welded the window treatment holder thingys out of real pony horseshoes.

The end table we've had since we got married 11 years ago. The base is is metal made to look like leather with buckles. Somehow the glass top has survived this many years, though the protective layer of dust and usual smattering of magazines and clutter has probably protected it well.

I love the metal cow skull, much nicer than the real thing, which seems omnipresent in western decorated houses. The lamp is a barrel racer.

Finally the floor. It is 7 inch wide low grade hickory, so it has lots of knots and character to it.

I think that's about it. See the hideous looking, sagging, barely working blinds in the window? They are on my list for replacing. I'd love to make a roman shade type shade out of old burlap feed sacks. But that is still in the dreaming stage.

Many thanks to Jason, he is my idea execution man. I get an idea and he figures out how to get it done and he has good ideas too.