diddle dumpling

Simple Valentine's Day Wreath

2012-02-04T10:03:00.004-07:00

Just a quick post today to share my new Valentine's Day wreath! This was super easy to make and took very few supplies.

I started with a cheap straw wreath that you can find at the craft store (or even thrift stores), and I didn't even bother taking off the plastic. Wrap the wreath in strips of burlap, hot gluing every little while to secure it.

I chose to embellish my wreath with some pretty felt flowers (using this tutorial) and some felt leaves.

Loop a ribbon through the top to hang and it's ready to go!

Granted, it's not all that Valentine-y, but we've been over that before. Hope you'll forgive me.

My daughter's dresser

2012-02-03T11:24:00.007-07:00

This dresser project stemmed from the very same problem as the last one I wrote about- growing children need bigger furniture. My daughter had outgrown the sweet little dresser I'd redone for her a couple of years ago, so while scouring the thrift stores and Craigslist for a replacement, I found this beat up old thing and decided to make it hers.

(It also has a mirror that goes with it but I was too lazy to put it back on for the "before" photos).
I loved the shape, size, details and hardware, but the paint job was AWFUL! Not only was it chipping like crazy and had tacky sprayed-on blue accents, but do you see all those little specks on it? Yeah, that's glitter. Who GLITTERS a piece of furniture??

I started with the top and stripped it down to bare wood. I think this was after two out of four applications of stripper. It took a LOT of work to get all of the paint off. It was almost like it'd been painted with plastic, it was sooo hard!

The drawers were next to be stripped and were much easier to do (thank goodness). The body of the dresser and the mirror got sanded to remove any flaking paint, then were given a couple of coats of lovely grayish blue paint-and-primer.

As happy as I am with how this dresser turned out, it doesn't really "go" with my daughter's other furniture. Everything else in her room is white, which makes the dresser kind of stand out. I'm thinking soon it will be time to upgrade her other furniture as well.

Still, she really needed a bigger dresser and this one fit the bill nicely. While it has fewer drawers, it still has way more space for her clothes than the other one provided. No more stuffing and shoving and/or leaving clothes in laundry baskets because they just don't fit.
(Please excuse the messy shelves. The girl's a pack rat, just like her Mama.)

Before and After: My Son's Dresser (and the story behind it)

2012-01-27T14:08:00.009-07:00

Today we're going to rewind almost THREE YEARS to when this beat up old dresser came to my house. Do any of you remember the post where I said I was working on it and gave you these two teaser photos?

The poor thing was in terrible condition with a horribly scratched and chipped black paint job, and lots of damage to the veneer. For some reason, I got it into my head that instead of painting it, I was going to bring this dresser back to its former wooden glory and dove in by stripping all that paint off.
I ordered a couple of rolls of new mahogany veneer on ebay and set to work removing the veneer and underlayment entirely from the top. After searching the internet and watching some Youtube videos, I then began the tedious job of patching the missing pieces of veneer on one of the sides and the 3 large drawers.

I gave the whole thing some stain and polyurethane, and up to this point, everything had gone fairly well. Then it came time to reapply the veneer to the top. This did NOT go well. It bubbled and warped terribly and looked just awful. I was devastated. I had no idea how I was going to get it off, either.

So it sat, and sat, and sat. Then we moved and it sat some more. I know my husband was exasperated with this almost done dresser hanging out in the garage, but I couldn't just get rid of it after all the work I'd already done on it. However, I still hadn't come up with a solution for the horribly-warped-veneer-on-top problem I faced.

There's a saying about necessity being the mother of invention (or something like that), and that was how this dresser finally got some more attention from me. My kids are growing, you see, which means so are their clothes. My two sons share a room and for quite a while were sharing a dresser. But when their clothes began to overflow the dresser and just stayed in laundry baskets on the floor in their room, I realized I either needed to find them a bigger dresser, or give them each their own.

Knowing I had a perfectly good (if not perfectly beautiful) dresser in the garage made me feel a little guilty about buying something else. I searched online and discovered a method of removing glued-on veneer using a damp towel, a hot iron and a scraper and decided to give that a try. It took some effort, but it actually worked much better than I'd expected and I was able to scrape all of that bubbled veneer off and sand it smooth.

So, after that long-winded saga of a back story, here's how that banged up old dresser looks where it sits today.

The top is rough-looking, but I care a lot less than I thought I would. We reeeeally needed to use it NOW!

The wood on the top drawer is gorgeous, with some sort of tiger-striped wood in the insets and a burled wood medallion in the middle. You can also see in the photo below where I patched the veneer on the corners of the lower drawers. I suppose that unless you're working with veneer that's identical to the original, there will be some noticeable difference between the two. The stain on the new veneer went on darker, and the grain isn't quite as tight as the original stuff. But guess what- I don't mind! It's really not that noticeable in regular indoor light.

And what do you think of the knobs I chose? They're rope! I was so excited to find a bunch of these at Hobby Lobby and I think they're perfect for this dresser while it's in my little boys' room.

So there you have it. It's been 3 years in the making, but I finally have a Before and After for this cool old dresser.
Whether or not I ever get some veneer laid on the top is another story...

A little more Valentine's Day decor

2012-01-25T14:19:00.003-07:00

In my last pillows post, I promised to share one last Valentine's Day-themed pillow cover that I was working on. I actually finished it up last week but just now got around to snapping some photos of it.

Again, I used some dollar store napkins for the cover itself, then sewed up a few red and white polka dot yo yos to adorn the front. (You can tell that's a heart, right?) I didn't even sew them down, just stuck them on there with some good fabric glue. The open side is simply tied shut with a few twill ribbons.

While this design wasn't my original plan, it was much simpler and less complicated than what I'd previously come up with. And when is simpler and less complicated ever a bad thing?

One last little item that I put together one night is this simple wooden "love" sign. When my "North Pole" sign came down it left the space above my vintage window looking bare.

With some scrap wood and paint, I now have a sweet little sign that can fill in that space. I may even leave it there after Valentine's Day!

Before and After: Chevron Desk/Vanity and Vintage High Chair

2012-01-23T08:00:00.001-07:00

What would you call this? A desk or a vanity? I don't know. One day while I was thrifting it caught my eye. However, the price tag turned me off so I walked away without it. I kept thinking about it and because I knew the store regularly puts its furniture on sale (one random day a week), I swung by daily until it was on sale for 40% off- THEN it came home with me! Luckily nobody else grabbed it in the meantime.

The veneer on top had some cracked and bubbling areas, so before I did anything else I cut those sections out with an exacto knife, filled them in with wood filler then sanded it smooth.

It's been kinda cold here lately so I haven't been spray painting but have had to hand paint in my garage. Lucky for me I've stumbled across a lot of good mistints of Behr's Paint-and-Primer In One at Home Depot, which cuts down a lot on the time it takes to hand paint a piece of furniture.

It took THREE COATS to cover this silly desk in white. I had lots of fun painting the drawers with some cool stripes and chevron pattern.

You can see in this photo that I also painted the side panels with stripes.

I roughed up the whole thing a little with some sandpaper and kept the hardware as-is. The insides of the drawers also got a facelift with some pretty contact paper on the bottoms (they were gross). I'm still on the hunt for a cute little chair that I can pair with this, but we'll see if maybe it sells without one first.

I couldn't resist this simple wooden high chair. It reminded me of the one I bought for my son a couple of years ago. It was in pretty good shape, but needed a little love.

One of the mistints I picked up recently was this perfect shade of red. It's not too bright and it's not too dark. I LOVE it.

Now THAT'S a cute high chair! :)

pillows, pillows, pillows

2012-01-18T08:00:00.001-07:00

I don't know about you, but I have a hard time decorating for Valentine's Day. I just don't go in for all the sparkly hearts and pink and fluff. Yes, I'll use red and hearts here and there, but sparingly and in an understated way.

However, in an attempt to make my house somewhat festive for the upcoming holiday (and because I couldn't keep my Christmas pillows around until spring), I decided to sew up some new pillow covers for my couch.

This lumbar pillow cover was made using a red and cream ticking stripe and a piece of drop cloth that I had. I bought the wood buttons on Etsy like 3 years ago or so, but waited to use them for just the right project.

I'm sure you've seen doily pillows popping up everywhere, so how could I resist making my own? I found half a dozen of these nice big doilies at my local thrift store and used dollar store cotton napkins for the cover. These are pretty easy to make. Just dot the back of the doily with some fabric glue to adhere it to the fabric, then once that's dry stitch around the edge and a couple of places in the middle to keep it secure. I think they look kind of romantic in a way.

This afternoon while my littlest one napped I whipped up this last cover from scraps in my stash. Once again the red ticking appears, along with some more taupe napkin fabric.

I really like how this one turned out, and it's definitely got more of a Valentine's Day vibe than the others.

The letters are just appliqued on with a small zig-zag stitch on the top layer and a straight stitch for the bottom layer. That taupe fabric is going to fray some over time, which is what I want.
Although... now that I'm looking at it from a distance, I wish I'd tipped the "o" the other direction. Dangit!

I've got one more chair needing a new pillow cover, which is in the works. But I'm afraid it's going to take a little while to finish. Hopefully before Valentine's Day actually arrives! I'll be sure and share as soon as it's done.

Valentine's Day Button Art

2012-01-17T09:53:00.005-07:00

Do you ever get the urge to just make something, but you're not sure what? That happens to me every once in a while. Sometimes when I'm bored I just want to sit down and make something. Something easy, fast and satisfying. This happened to me the other day and, as luck would have it, I was able to gather up what I needed around my house to make a little Valentine's Day craft.

It took less than an hour and turned out pretty cute, if I do say so. All it took was an old frame (painted and distressed), fabric, hot glue to attach the fabric to the frame's backing, white glue, buttons and brads.
This little button art project was inspired by the monograms on canvas that my kids made for their teachers as Christmas gifts (tutorial found here).

I loved the first one so much that I ended up making another one. This one may go to my space for sale pretty soon.

Have you done any cute and easy Valentine's Day projects lately? I hope to have a few more to share soon!

Before and After: Ladderback Chair and Twin Bed

2012-01-07T16:59:00.007-07:00

Sorry things have been so quiet around here lately. I'm counting down to Delivery Day with baby #4, and these last few weeks seem to be going really slowly. As my belly gets bigger working on furniture becomes more and more difficult, and with the holidays in there I had plenty of other things to keep me busy.

But enough of the excuses. I'm determined to work on furniture for as long as I possibly can, and I've managed to get a couple of little things done lately that I wanted to share with you.

I love a cute ladderback chair, don't you? This one had a rush seat that was in good shape but kind of worn, so I left it alone and just painted the wood.

I primed it, then painted it with a nice flat blue mistint paint that distressed really well.

I think the roughed up paint and the worn woven seat now somehow work together to make this chair pretty sweet.

This vintage twin bed was a total steal at a yard sale this summer. I hated to paint over that pretty birdseye maple, but it wasn't in great shape and I didn't have it in me to refinish it.

Besides, the real eye catcher of this piece is that heavily carved headboard, which paint could only enhance.

All it needed was a fresh coat of ivory paint-and-primer (also a mistint that I picked up) and some brown glaze to bring out the details.

This project was perfect for glazing. Just look at how that carving stands out now!
I just brought both pieces to my space at Unique Boutiques (which admittedly has been looking rather bare since I've slowed my pace) and hope to have another couple of things to bring in this week as well.

If you're local be sure and go check it out! We're at 180 Leveland in Modesto, at the corner of Floyd & McHenry behind the Chase Bank.

Teacher Gifts: Button Monogram on Canvas

2011-12-19T12:03:00.004-07:00

My kids got out of school for winter break on Friday, and sometime on Tuesday I realized that I hadn't come up with anything for their teachers' gifts yet. Pinterest to the rescue!! I knew I wanted something personal, handmade, easy, inexpensive and (preferably) non-edible.

When I came upon this photo, I knew what our project was going to be. I mean, how stinkin' cute is this framed button monogram?

After searching around town for some inexpensive white frames with mats and coming up empty, I opted to go with plain white canvases instead. I picked up a 2-pack at Hobby Lobby for about $6 (but used my 40% off coupon to get them for even cheaper).

I already had a pretty good stash of buttons, but just in case I also bought a couple of packs of assorted colorful buttons at Joann and some colorful brads at Hobby Lobby.

Using simple, thick fonts, I printed my kids' teachers' initials and used the trusty pencil-on-the-back-of-the-paper technique to trace the outline onto each canvas.

From there the kids and I pretty much followed Jen's tutorial for filling in the letters with buttons, brads and snaps, starting with big buttons first and working our way down to the tiny fillers.

I had them use plain old white glue on each button and they stayed on perfectly once they dried. For the brads, I ended up clipping off the prongs on the back with wire cutters and gluing them on because I didn't want to fool with trying to poke them through the canvas.

Didn't they turn out great? This is my 5-year-old's masterpiece (with some help from Mom with the tiny ones).

And here is my 8-year-old's work of art.

I loved that they did most of the work themselves, and they loved having creative control to choose the shapes, sizes and colors of materials that they wanted to use and configuring them how they saw fit.
And I'm pretty sure their teachers loved them, too!

Before and After: Maple Dresser/ Sideboard

2011-12-14T12:10:00.007-07:00

This maple dresser started out pretty plain-jane, but sturdy. It was a steal of a deal from Craigslist but it took a while for it to "tell" me what it wanted to be.

In the end we went with a heavily distressed duck-egg paint job with distressed white hardware. (And please forgive the sloppy Photoshopped background, but I figured that was better than showing you all the crap that was surrounding this thing when I took the picture.)

I just love how the top turned out after I sanded it.

Wouldn't this look so cute in a nursery as a changing table?

Seriously, I do love these kinds of dressers. I've lost track of how many have come in and out of my garage now, but this surely won't be the last one!

A Recycled Wood Sign and More Christmas!

2011-12-09T23:35:00.007-07:00

Like a lot of you out there, I'm still working on getting my home decked out for Christmas. It's not a one-day event for me, but this year it's been happening slowly over the past couple of weeks. I think I'm just about there, now. All that's really left is the clean-up. (Boo.)

While I was in my hall-decking mood yesterday I leaned an old window up behind my computer monitor and, while I really liked how it looked, the wall above it looked kind of bare. It needed something. Something I didn't have already, so what else was I going to do but make that something?

I poked around in my garage and on the side of my house and discovered these old boards that were once the top of this old writing desk that I turned into my kitchen island.

They were perfectly weathered and beaten up, so I didn't do anything to them except sand the grossness off the backs.

I had these little dealies laying around from another project (I'm not even sure what they're called or what they're really for) and used 3 of them to attach 2 of the boards together in the back.

Then using 2 screws and some heavy wire I made a hanger. Betcha can't guess what I made...

Okay, so maybe it wasn't real hard to guess (especially if you paid any attention to the title of this post). This sign required zero painting- just my trusty old print 'n rub technique that I've used over and over again.

Now that gap between the leaning window and the ceiling doesn't look quite so vacant.

Just for fun, I'll give you a spin around our front room to show you some of the other Christmasy things I've got going on in there.

Happy hall-decking to you all!

Christmas crafting

2011-11-28T08:00:00.001-07:00

I recently went on a Christmas crafting frenzy so I could stock my space at the shop with some cheerful goodies for those early-bird holiday shoppers. I gave you a sneak peak of some of them in this photo a couple of posts ago.

And today I'm going to give you a closer look.

I've said it before and I'll say it again- I am not terribly original but I can copy just about anything. Most of these projects were inspired by others, so I'll be sharing the links to them so you can try these projects yourself if you want.

These mason jar snow globes are an Anthropologie knock-off.

I made some more this afternoon and considered doing a full tutorial, but they're just so easy it seemed silly. So if you want to make some, here's a mini-tutorial.

You'll need:
mason jar (mine are from Hobby Lobby)
mini fake trees (got mine at Dollar Tree in a 2-pack with one big and one small)
any other little items you want inside, like mini pine cones
fake snow (any craft store)
glitter
hot glue gun and sticks
ribbon or rope to decorate

Hot glue your trees and other knick-knacks to the inside of the lid. While that dries put a little fake snow and some glitter inside the jar. Place some hot glue along the very inside edge of the top of the lid (where the top of the jar will touch once it's screwed on). DON'T put the glue on the threads of the lid. Carefully screw the lid on tight. Tie on some ribbon to decorate it a little further, shake and enjoy!

Moving on...

I really love old sheet music and have collected quite a few vintage hymnals. I found one recently that had the edges of the pages dyed red, which was perfect for these Christmas crafts. I used it to make some ornaments (inspired by Miss Mustard Seed).

And a couple of nice big wreaths.

These book page trees on timber bases look pretty cute clustered together. (Inspiration found here.) Instead of folding every page like the linked tutorial says, I just cute through the pages with an Exacto knife from the top inside corner to the bottom outside corner (or an inch or so in from the corner for a skinnier tree). Each tree also has a skewer glued inside the binding, which fits into a hole that I drilled into the base. That way the trees can be more secure on their bases for display but can come apart for storing.

Here's a closer look at the candles like in the photo above. The possibilities for these are endless! (Tutorial found here.)

Remember my thrifty finds from this post? Here's what I did with them.

These silver pieces were pretty cute as-is, but they got a little polish before going into my space at the store.

Did you know that plain old white toothpaste is a pretty good silver polish? That's what I've used on the last few pieces of really tarnished silver that I've cleaned up and it works great! Just smear it on, let it sit then, wipe it off with a clean, dry cloth.

This artichoke finial just needed a little spruce.

So I painted the base of it a creamy white, glazed and distressed it and then used some Antique Gold Rub 'n Buff on the center designs.

I forgot to take an "after" photo of the gold candlestick in the photo below, but it also got painted creamy white, then glazed and distressed. For now I'm keeping the silver photo holder.

The wooden box got some new rope handles and some lovely French typography on the side. (Oh, and there's that newly polished bud vase next to it!)

The typography was an image from The Graphics Fairy (of course) and I used my tutorial to transfer the image onto the wood.

I have to admit, even after all that Christmas crafting, I'm not really in the Christmas mood yet. It's after Thanksgiving and I have no desire to pull out my Christmas decorations. I hit a thrift store today and found a few boxes of vintage ornaments that prompted the cashier to ask me if I was setting up my tree this weekend. I felt kind of silly when I said no.

Still, I listened to Christmas music on my Pandora station while making snow globes. Hopefully the mood strikes soon! Are you in full-blown Christmas mode yet?

Tutorial: DIY Vintage Sock Stretchers (Christmas decor!)

2011-11-24T13:08:00.011-07:00

I was browsing through my "inspiration" photo folder the other day and came across an image that I'd forgotten about.

Aren't those vintage sock stretchers a-freakin-DORABLE?! Then I recently came across this photo of a child sized pair and decided I just had to try and make some of my own.

I've written up a little tutorial in case you'd like to try this project yourself.

DIY Vintage Sock Stretchers

Supplies:
paper
pencil
scissors
sheet of 1/2" thick MDF or wood
2 C clamps (optional)
jig saw
electric drill
hole saw attachment (1" for child size stretchers, 1.5" for adult size)
electric sander and/or sand paper
paint
sponge brush
ribbon or twine

First, draw your stretcher shapes onto paper to make templates and cut them out. I used my inspiration photos to mimic the shapes I wanted to cut.

If you have clamps, secure your sheet of MDF (what I used) or wood to a tabletop or saw horses to stabilize it while you cut. Let enough of the sheet hang over the edge of the table so you can cut out your shapes without cutting into the table.

Trace your sock shapes onto the wood, fitting them as close together as possible, then cut out with your jig saw.

Mark on your paper templates where you want your large holes to be, then poke small holes in the centers with your pencil and transfer these small marks onto each piece.

Here's a picture of the kind of hole cutting attachment you'll want to buy for your drill. You can buy them in individual sizes, or as sets. I bought a set of 4 from Home Depot for about $13. Just make sure the kind you buy is meant to be used on wood.

Using your small pencil marks as your guide, cut out each hole.

I found that if I cut about halfway through on one side, then flipped the piece over and came through from the other side, I got much neater results. The drill bit that's part of the mandrel will poke through the other side before the hole cutter does, so when you flip the piece over you can just place the drill bit right into that hole so you're cutting in the right place. (Hope that made sense.)

Next, smooth out the edges and the insides of the holes using a hand sander and/or sand paper. I used an electric sander for the outside edges then just folded a piece of sandpaper and curled it up to fit inside the holes and did that part by hand.

Now you're ready to paint!

I just used regular acrylic craft paint and a sponge brush, but you could also use spray paint if you wanted.

I did a pretty messy job, but I knew I'd be distressing them quite a bit later so I didn't care.

Once your paint is dry you can distress the sock stretchers as much or as little as you want. You could also use a little stain or glaze to antique them even further.

I also wiped mine with a little bit of polyurethane, but this isn't absolutely necessary.

When you're done, thread some ribbon or twine through the top hole (or drill a smaller hole closer to the top if necessary) to use for hanging. Here are a few of my finished ones.

This one is hung with a strip of cotton fabric that I tore off then frayed the edges.
They're not genuine vintage sock stretchers, but can you really tell the difference? Let me know if you give this project a try- I'd love to see the results!

Wouldn't these be cute as everyday decor? I really want to make a few wood ones and leave them natural. Or how about using those itty bitty ones in a nursery? *gasp! So sweet. But I really love the idea of using them as Christmas decorations.

Now if only I had a fireplace to hang some of these from...

Before and After: Dresser/Sideboard

2011-11-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Are you getting tired of these long, low dresser projects of mine? I hope not, because they're just going to keep coming! I really had some fun with this one.

I found this poor, pathetic dresser sitting outside a thrift store with a price tag on it that might as well have said, "FREE". The back legs of this guy had somehow been so damaged that they were a good inch shorter than the front ones, which caused the whole thing to slope backwards terribly. But I knew I could rescue it, so home it came.

While my parents were in town for a visit I enlisted my Dad's help and had him cut off all 4 of the legs, leaving me with a nice even base.

Next I got on eBay and found a set of replacement legs in the right height and shape (and price range) and waited semi-patiently for them to arrive.

I'd been doing a project for a friend using Annie Sloan chalk paint in Old White and decided to give it a go on this dresser, too. But knowing how plain and simple the style of the dresser was, I knew it needed something more than just a paint job. The Graphics Fairy provided me with a simple damask design, which I traced onto some of the drawers with my projector.

Next I used some antique gold Rub 'n Buff to fill in the damask. This was kind of tedious because Rub 'n Buff is rather thick and is kind of difficult to work with using a brush, but in the end I was glad I used it. I wasn't going for perfection, afterall, and it provided me with a nice metallic luster, which I was going for.

The smaller drawers kept their original hardware (remember the long ones I used on the last long dresser makeover?), but were given a thin layer of the same Rub 'n Buff to match the damask.

And here it is all done and set up in my space.

I added some clear glass knobs to the center drawers (from Hobby Lobby) for a little extra sparkle and distressed the whole thing to shabby it up a bit.

Did you notice some of my Christmas crafts on the top? I'll be giving you a closer look at those soon.
Thanks for visiting!

Before and After: Two-tone End Table and Some Thrifty Finds

2011-11-14T16:41:00.005-07:00

A few weekends ago I ventured out to the high school that's just a few blocks away to see what I could find at the rummage sale they were having. Turns out the marching band had been invited to Washington D.C. to participate in an exhibition there and were raising money so they could go. I was in marching band for a couple of years my freshman and sophomore years, so it felt good to help out an organization that I have so many fond memories of being a part of myself.

Anyway, one of the things I came home with was this cute little end table.

Actually, it wasn't so cute and not all that little either, but I liked the unusual shape and it was nice and solid.

I gave this table a two-toned paint treatment with some dove gray on the body and pure white on the top and drawers.

The hardware got painted white as well and the whole thing was then distressed real good. I like how the white primer shows through the gray, plus little peeks of wood here and there. Now I can say that this is a cute table!

This morning the littlest and I hit a couple of thrift stores but only had any luck at one. But what luck I had! Check it out.

I don't really know what to call this thing, but I thought it looked cool. The aged gold artichoke on top is perfect, but I've already painted the base ivory and plan to glaze it in brown to bring out the details. I may even use a little bit of gold Rub 'n Buff to add some interest to that relief design.

I love finding old sterling items. That bud vase is just so pretty, and the cup that I thought was just a cup at first is in fact...

... a 34 year-old tennis trophy!

I also snagged a worn-looking wooden box, a silver photo holder (great for holding Christmas cards or for displaying favorite ornaments) and a chunky gold candlestick that has already been painted ivory.

I picked this terrarium up a few weeks ago on a yard saleing expedition. I just LOVE it! I haven't cleaned it up yet, but I kind of like how weathered it looks from being outside. This thing is H-E-A-V-Y. The lady who sold it to me said she used it as a planter in her backyard, but I could also see it housing lots of candles in various heights and hung from a tree.
I'll be back with another dresser Before and After later this week, so come back soon!

Before and After: Another long dresser

2011-10-28T14:28:00.004-06:00

I love these long, low dressers. They can be so versatile, whether they're used for their traditional purpose to store clothing in a bedroom or somewhere else in the house like in a dining room as a buffet, in a nursery as a changing table or in a living room as a sideboard.

This french beauty was a great deal that I found on Craigslist.

The drawers are pretty and curvy, but the hardware it came with was a little too ornate and one of the handles was broken.

I loved that the top wasn't painted, though it was in pretty rough shape.

I had recently been looking back over my blog and came across this post about the dresser I was so excited to paint with my custom robin's egg blue and decided I'd do a similar treatment to this one.

I started by stripping the old finish off the top (always a very satisfying, if messy, job) and sanding off some of the imperfections. Then the body and drawers got painted with that lovely blue (with no primer this time).

I chose to leave the top unstained and just sealed it with wipe-on poly so that the natural wood color would show and the remaining imperfections could still be visible (though the wood isn't quite so yellow in person). I was going for a very rustic look here.

The body and drawers got a heavy distressing, then glazed brown.

These long handles came off of another dresser that's waiting to be worked on. I thought they were in the perfect state of weathered wear to go on this particular piece.

The row of center drawers got some smoked glass knobs from (our BRAND NEW!) Hobby Lobby.

I love how the original paint color shows through on this piece, but that the new blue is really the star now. It's currently in the shop, so if you're close by go have a look!

Before and After: Dresser and Side Table

2011-10-14T13:14:00.007-06:00

I found this vintage waterfall style dresser on Craigslist over the weekend and bought it for dirt cheap. The owners had tried really hard to restore the wood veneer, but then put it in their humid pool house where it proceeded to peel up again.

I was going to try to reattach it but soon realized I just wasn't up for a job that time consuming at the moment.

It also had this awful water spot right on top.

Using a damp towel, a hot iron and a putty knife I was able to get all of the veneer off the drawers in about 40 minutes.

This dresser was the perfect candidate for a treatment I've been wanting to do for a while. First I cut out some numbers using a roll of contact paper that I usually use to line drawers...

... and rubbed them on real good.

Then I used a gray glaze on the drawers and when I peeled the contact paper off it left the wood numbers behind. I was so happy with how clean and crisp the lines were. No seepage or leaking at all! The drawers also got a little antiquing with some stain.

The original hardware wasn't too bad, so I buffed each pull with fine steel wool and later primed and painted them with oil rubbed bronze spray paint.

Here it is all done. In the end I glazed the top as well to hide that water spot. I re-stained the top, sides and spaces between the drawers, but the spot was still really noticeable. I would have liked to leave the top wood, but it had to be done.

I think I started sanding the top of this table before I remembered to take a photo, but to begin with it was in pretty rough shape.

Because of some water damage that swelled the wood, I had to sand down past the wood veneer and into the pressboard underneath in a couple of places. A little wood putty to smooth it out helped a lot.

It got painted a pretty blue (surprise, surprise right?) then distressed and antiqued with brown glaze.

This is one HEAVY table. I just love those legs!

And just for fun, here's one more little bit of Halloween decor that I did the other day. I FINALLY switched out my framed scrapbook paper with the spooky prints I found at The Graphics Fairy last year, and put up a flock of black cardstock bats.

I think I need a few more bats. You can never have too many bats around, right? :)

A little more Fall decor

2011-10-08T17:15:00.007-06:00

Lately I've been Fall-ifying and spook-ifying my house a little bit. Many of the decorations that I came up with last year are making an appearance, indoors and out, along with a couple of new ones.

Recently I came across this darling leaf-covered initial project from The Thrifty Abode and decided to make one for myself. Little did I know how difficult finding a large paper mache H would be...

So I made my own using this tutorial from Me Like Stuff. I just used some cereal and cracker boxes because I had them on hand and they're the perfect stiffness for this kind of thing. I sprayed the whole letter with white primer when it was dry so the newsprint wouldn't show, but looking back it would've been smarter to paint it yellow or orange because later I had to go in and paint the little white spots that peeked through my leaves. The leaves were something I'd picked up a few years ago at Michael's but for the life of me can't find natural leaves anywhere now.

It hangs by some ribbon inside an empty yard sale frame next to my front door and I kind of love it.
This next project is another knock-off, though I didn't have a tutorial to follow so I just winged it. My friend has this adorable wooden cat silhouette standing on her sideboard and I wanted to try making one of my own. All I had was a piece of thin MDF, so I found an image of a spooky cat online and drew it onto my board.

It was pretty tricky with all the little ins and outs, but my jigsaw and I finally got it cut, then I used a box cutter for the eyes. Sandpaper smoothed out the edges, and some primer and flat black spray paint finished it off. I cut a slit in a piece of wood so the feet just slide in and my kitty can stand up.

My friend's is way cooler, but I'm happy with how mine turned out. Wouldn't he look cute standing in a window?

Finally, I've at last replaced my blue spring/summer pillows with some more fallish ones in the living room. This color scheme from design seeds was my inspiration this year.

The long green one in the middle was a Home Goods purchase, then I bought some linen from fabric.com and sewed up some simple envelope-style covers for a couple of feather inserts that I'd gotten at a thrift store.

The orange is pretty bright, but I don't mind. It adds a punch to those other muted colors. Still got some more decorating to do, but things are coming along. Have you gotten your Halloween and fall decor out yet?

Stacked Skulls Candle Sticks

2011-10-01T13:45:00.001-06:00

I gave you a little teaser in my last post about a new Halloween decoration I've been working on, and I'm so excited to be able to share the finished product with you! (If you don't care to see step-by-step how I made these, go ahead and scroll to the bottom. Don't worry- it won't hurt my feelings.)

There's a dollar store here in Modesto called Dollar City, and while browsing there the other day I came across these stacked skulls made of some sort of ceramic.

I thought they were cool, but walked out without buying them. But by the time I'd reached my car I had an idea so I went back inside and bought a few.

Wouldn't these make awesome candlesticks? Right there in the store I started hatching my plan of action. When I got home I got to work. Each one had a fairly flat bottom with a small hole in it.

First I (carefully) enlarged the hole...

... so that the rounded head of another skull would fit nicely inside it. Yep- I'm stackin' the stacks!!

Gorilla Glue is a favorite of mine, so I gave the edge of the hole a nice slathering...

... and fitted my stacks together the way I wanted. Painter's tape kept them in place while the glue dried.

The skulls themselves were pretty stable, but seeing as how they'd eventually be holding tall candles (and fire!!) I wanted to be sure they wouldn't easily tip over.

I had a scrap of plywood on hand which I traced some circles onto...

... then cut them out as best I could with my trusty, cheapy jigsaw.

They were pretty rough, but nothing a good sanding wouldn't take care of.

And here are my nice, smooth, finished bases. Granted, I could've gone to the craft store and bought some perfectly round wooden discs that would've worked just as well, but I wasn't in the mood to drive to the other side of town for that. Plus- these were free!

More Gorilla Glue to the base of each stack and on they go to dry.

It took a lot of brainstorming to figure out how I was going to keep the candles in the top of the skull, but finally found that the cap of a craft paint bottle was just about the right size. Again, it was something I had on hand and was FREE.

I bored a hole through the top (this was painstaking and tedious and I had to fix a couple of them when I wasn't careful enough), then inserted the paint cap and applied a LOT of hot glue to keep it in place. A little paint to camouflage the cap and I'm ready to put in my candle!

Now, without further (boring) ado, here's the finished product. I LOVE them!!

As per my husband's suggestion I left some of the skulls the way they were painted already. Then I added some hot glue drips to the top and painted them and the base to match, then dripped a bunch of wax on the top to make it look nice and old and used.

I couldn't resist going black on a couple of them, too. Black is so very Halloween, afterall.

Some gray paint dry-brushed onto the black really brought out the details. I went a little crazy with the drippy wax, but I think it looks cool.
I'm making a couple of single-stack candlesticks as well, just for fun. The tricky part now is going to be deciding which color I'm going to keep and which ones will go to Unique Boutiques for sale!

Now, I realize none of you are going to run out to your local dollar store to find some ceramic skulls to turn into candlesticks, but I'm hoping that this post will get you thinking about fun and unique things you can make using inexpensive items that you might come across while you're out and about.

Go ahead- scan that aisle that you never even glance at. You never know what might inspire you!

I'm sharing this project at Skip to My Lou!

Before and After: Dresser (and a Halloween craft sneak peak)

2011-09-30T08:00:00.002-06:00

Several weeks ago I got an early start hitting some yard sales and happened upon a couple who were just putting things out into the driveway. Not wanting to be a rude "early bird" I asked if they were ready for shoppers yet and they said sure. I spotted this big beauty right away.

Can you believe they only wanted $10 for it?? This sucker is SOLID maple and heavier than you would believe. One of the handles was missing, but I didn't care. Last week I finally settled on what I wanted to do with this piece and got to work.

I found a set of similar handles in my stash that (miraculously) fit the existing holes, but the finish was kinda ugly. They got primed and sprayed with an oil-rubbed bronze paint to update them. (Sorry, forgot to take an 'after' photo of that part.)

The body of the dresser was painted in the same duck-egg blue as this dresser and the top got refinished with some antique walnut polystain.

I know not everyone is a fan of the heavily distressed look, but sometimes I think it adds character to an otherwise plain piece like this one. I was so tempted to swap this dresser out for the one in my daughter's room because it's way bigger, but decided I probably ought to just sell it like I'd originally planned. *sigh

And finally, I was in a dollar store yesterday and spotted some cool Halloween decorations that were screaming to be turned into something even cooler. Here's a peak at what I'm doing with those.
Any guesses what they'll end up being?? (No telling Lisa- you already know! :) Can't wait to show you!!

Baby Shower Gifts: Embellished Onesies

2011-09-29T08:00:00.001-06:00

I love baby showers. I really do. Especially the kind where you just kind of hang out and chit chat and swap pregnancy/birth/motherhood stories and eat yummy food and ooh and aah over the decorations and cute presents and favors. Those are my favorite. Tonight I got to attend one such shower and had a fabulous time. Two gals were being honored tonight, one who's due with her 3rd boy in about a week and another who's expecting her 3rd girl towards the end of November. Cool, huh?

Of course making baby stuff is a real treat for me, so I thoroughly enjoyed spending this afternoon creating some one-of-a-kind onesies to gift to my fellow expectant mommys. I did something similar a while back for another friend's shower and had such a good time with it then that I thought I'd try it again. ( I have to say, Pinterest came in real handy when I was looking for ideas. Do you Pinterest yet?)

As usual I started with a couple packs of white onesies, but this time I bought those kimono-style tees as well because they're just so stinking cute. Here's the boy batch which includes...

... an appliqued elephant...

... a gray linen whale with tiny button eye...

... a creeping button caterpillar...

... and a dapper polka dotted bow tie.

The girl batch included...

... a strip of lace with some mother-of-pearl buttons down the center...

... a floral birdy...

... white eyelet ruffle trim...

... and a pink knit ruffle.

And just for a little humor, each one got one of these as well. (In case you can't tell, these are appliqued to the backside.)

I wish I'd had time to take a picture of them packaged, but I was in a little bit of a rush. All I did was roll up each onesie and tie it with some twine. I had some little tin buckets and filled them with the onesies, then attached a tag to the handle with a pink or blue ribbon.

I had so much fun making these- hope my friends like them, too!

Before and After: Chair and Dresser/ Sideboard

2011-09-08T09:44:00.007-06:00

That's right- yet another thrift store chair make over! Not much wrong with this chair except that it was pretty dirty and had some good sized chunks gouged out of the back. Cute shape, though, so I had to try and make it cute all over.

After repairing the gouges I primed and painted the whole thing bright white, then got to work making a cushion for the seat.

This cushion is attempt #2. The first one was similar but I'd used bright and colorful fabrics for the hexagons. I loved how it looked, but when I sewed it into a cover I wasn't very careful and it didn't turn out looking very nice.

I left it alone for a few days and finally decided that I wasn't happy with it at all and needed to start over. There was no saving it, so I just cut it apart and framed the hexagons in an embroidery hoop. (I'll show you that later.)

For cushion #2 I used these pretty pink and coral hexagons because I'd already made them, and glued and sewed them to some linen that I found in the remnants bin at Joann.

I already had some foam which I cut to size then wrapped in batting. The cover is an envelope-style so it can be taken off and washed. Finally, to keep the cushion from sliding around on the chair, I added cotton twill tape ribbons at all 4 corners and made them extra long so I could tie them around the legs ballet shoe-style.

Making hexagons is so relaxing. Definitely going to be doing more with them in the future!

I have to say, it took me a while to decided whether or not to buy this dresser. It was sitting in a thrift store and looked really nice, but I just didn't know what I'd do with it. It doesn't have much detail to it (the drawers are all flat, not even any hardware) and I was just drawing a blank with what I could do to transform it.

In the end, though, I decided it was just too good to pass up. It was in great shape, but unfortunately when we were loading it into my car the latch that keeps my hatch back closed gouged the snot out of the top when we slid it in upside down. :(

I sanded the gouge out then got to work priming and painting, and painting, and painting... until finally I'd turned it into this.

I added some simple white Hobby Lobby knobs to the middle drawers to give it a little more character, but I love the look of the tone-on-tone stripes on this simple, clean-lined dresser. I opted not to distress it, which meant that I got to UBER STRESS about scratching the paint while it was being transported across town to the shop and into my space. I lost track of how many layers of polyurethane I put on it, but that didn't ease my mind much.
Needless to say it was a huge relief to get it into the space unscathed. However, looking back I probably would've rather done a treatment like this instead.

The natural wood drawers were so pretty, but I didn't think about this until it was too late. It would've been cute with the outside painted maybe a distressed blueish green and the drawers left natural maple, no numbers or hardware or anything. Ah well. There will be other dressers- you can believe that!

More Fall Decor Projects

2011-08-29T08:00:00.000-06:00

I've got another installment of "Sarah's Fanatical Fall Craft Frenzy" here for you today! (Okay, that was corny, but I just can't help it.)

Here's another hand painted banner that was super quick and easy to make.

For a little more charm I added some tassles of ribbon, yarn, lace and string to each side of the word.

For this wreath I followed a tutorial given by Emily at Jones Design Company. Her ruffles seem fuller than mine, though. Hm. I may have to give this one another try.

Then came the fun part- embellishing! I looked through my stash of scraps and do-dads to see what I could find and had a really good time putting together 3 little rosettes using different materials.

Here's a closer look at each one. This one is made from cotton crochet trim purchased at Joann, a cotton yo-yo, a mother of pearl button and some burlap string.

Next we have a burlap base with some scrap lace and a wool felt center.

This one has a base cut from a felted wool sweater, some lace trim and a cashmere rose and burlap string in the middle.

Maybe it's not very fall-ish, but it looks kind of romantic and I like all the natural colors and textures on it.

Finally, this was an idea I'd seen on Betz White's blog a while back and finally got around to making a couple.

The doily and spider (2 pack) came from the Dollar Tree and the hoop is something I always seem to have around. I just need to pick up some black ribbon for hanging.
Cute and creepy!

Tutorial: Book Page Fall Leaf Garland

2011-08-27T08:00:00.002-06:00

This project is so simple, I almost feel silly making a tutorial for it. But I was describing it to a friend over the phone and she seemed interested in making one of her own. Maybe some of you might be interested, too, so here ya go!

Supplies:
old book
scissors
pencil
hole punch (1/8" is best)
twine, string or yarn
tape

Start by carefully tearing out 3 or 4 pages from your book at a time.

Fold them in half lengthwise, all stacked together.

Trace or draw half a leaf shape onto the folded paper, with the center of the leaf on the fold. Depending on the size of your pages, you can probably fit at least 2 leaf shapes to each stack of pages. (You can skip this step if you want to just free-hand cut your leaves.)

Cut out the leaves.

Keep the leaves folded and punch a hole close to the "stem" end of the leaves.

Wrap some tape around one end of your twine or yarn to keep it from unravelling and to help it go through the holes easier.

Feed the twine through the holes at the tops of your leaves. If you're using various shapes of leaves, alternate them or string them on randomly for a more organic look. You can also alternate having the folds facing up or down if you want.
Thread enough of the leaves onto the twine (spaced evenly) until your garland is the length that you want it to be.

Hang and admire!

Before and After: Ladder-back Chair + Fall Decor

2011-08-25T20:42:00.008-06:00

I feel like kind of a slacker lately. I haven't been feeling very well for a couple of months and it's taken its toll on my furniture refinishing motivation. Truth is, I haven't really felt like doing much of anything for what feels like an eternity, so I have to force myself to get things done a little at a time.

So, I only have one "before and after" for you today, but I'll also share a couple of the fall decor projects I've been working on.

This chair came from a thrift store and was in great shape, just looking kind of sad and well, ugly. I knew right away what I was going to do with it. (I love when that happens!)

It was begging to be black.

I'd had this idea for a seat cushion for a few weeks and this was the perfect chair for it. I bought some old doilies at a thrift store and first glued them to my taupe linen fabric.

After the glue dried I used matching thread to stitch each one securely to the fabric so they won't come off.

A few embroidered leaves add just a little more detail and finishes it off sweetly.

Makes me wish I had some black furniture in my house...

My space at the shop is going to be sporting some new fall and Halloween decor soon, and the crafting bug has bitten me hard. The past couple of days have found me parked in front of the TV watching "Monk" on Netflix while I craft and craft and craft. So far I've made 3 wreaths, 2 hand painted banners, 2 garlands, and 2 little Halloween projects. It's been so much fun! Anyway, I won't inundate you with all of them at once, so here's a look at one of the wreaths and banners.

This wreath is built on one of those flat wire forms that you'd find in the floral section. I think they're for making memorial wreaths. The one I used is about 18" wide, so it's a pretty big one.

I cut my burlap strips nice and wide, probably about 6" or so and gathered them into ruffles. I hot-glued each one end to end onto the wreath form until the whole thing was covered.

Next I added a narrower strip of ruffled wool felt and embellished it with some other little found fabrics and fall-ish objects.

It still needed a little something, so I made a tiny "welcome" banner that I strung across the middle.

Looks pretty fall-ish to me- don't you agree?

Okay, so this next project can't exactly be categorized as "fall decor", but I'm pleased with how it turned out so I'm going to share it anyway.

This is one of the hand painted banners I made using Miss Mustard Seed's tutorial found on HGTV.com.

I love the one she has hanging in her space (seen here), so I tried making one of my own.

This is a tutorial you really ought to try. It doesn't require any special equipment or talent, just tracing, filling in and gluing. Seriously- suuuuuper easy.

There's plenty more fall and Halloween projects coming- I promise!

Before and After: Nighstand, Dresser and (another) Chair

2011-08-03T16:29:00.006-06:00

This little nightstand was listed for sale on Craigslist along with the dresser that I'll show you next. They're not a pair, but I decided to paint them similarly so they could go together.

They were both sort of a dirty white color, and both weathered in an ugly way, but they each had nice lines and cute hardware which made them seem worth revamping.

The top of the nightstand was some kind of pressboard, covered in that shiny plastic laminate that you see on lots of this kind of furniture. I sanded the laminate really well and proceeded to prime and paint the whole thing Heirloom White.

The little cubby got a coat of pretty blue and then I glazed everything to bring out the details.

As much as I love a good chippy piece of furniture, this little chest of drawers just didn't have the look I want when it comes to a natural distressed finish. The paint was chippy alright, but for some reason it looked less charming and more neglected and sad. This is what it looked like after I'd already started to sand it.

That paint just kept wanting to come off, so it took a while before I finally got it ready to paint. It too got primed and painted Heirloom White, then glazed with dark brown to finish it off.
I forgot to take a picture of it, but I also lined the drawers of each one with a cute polkadot contact paper that I found at Target. Good little trick to cover up stained or ugly insides of drawers.

You know me and chairs. There's bound to be a chair hanging around waiting to be redone.

This one got primed then painted with a pretty slate blue spray paint, then distressed quite a bit.

I used the same technique for a hand painted bird detail that I used on this chair a while back. SUPER easy.
I was hoping to have another "before and after" to include in this post but it turns out that I forgot to take the "after" photos before it sold. I hate when I do that! Guess I'd better get going on some more stuff, then, huh?

Before and After: 9-Drawer Dresser and Chair

2011-07-18T16:45:00.008-06:00

It's been brought to my attention that I may not have ever mentioned what or where the store actually is where I sell my furniture and decor items (HUGE oversight on my part!), so for any locals who may read my little blog, here ya go:

Unique Boutiques
180 Leveland #1a
Modesto, CA
209-606-3748
Open M-Sa 10-6

This weekend the store put on a sidewalk sale, which I decided to participate in. Once a month we have a store wide 20% off sale. This month we decided to bring even more items and set them up under tents outside. Over the past couple of weeks I've been working like mad to get some items ready to bring, specifically some big things that I really wanted out of my garage!

This first project was one that I picked up a while ago at a local thrift store for a terrific price and miraculously fit it into my little Mazda. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of it before I took out the drawers and started to sand the top.

It was in pretty good shape, just kind of dated and blah.

I got some custom paint mixed in my favorite blue/gray, but this time I had them mix it with the paint and primer combo so I could skip the primer step. It costs more, but I thought it might be worth trying. I have to admit that I was skeptical, but after the first coat of paint had dried I scraped my fingernail over it and it didn't budge. A second light coat over that made it even more durable. The whole thing got glazed and then wiped down with polyurethane to finish it off.

Another thrift store find, this chair was just a few bucks and in much need of some work. But I loved the legs and the shape of the back and could see that it would soon be really cute.

That chair pad was just gross.

This chair didn't "speak to me" very quickly, but once it did I got really excited about how to make it pretty. I started with the seat cover, choosing a base fabric of a taupe linen and then I pulled a pile of pink, coral and white floral fabrics from my stash.
I cut small squares from each fabric then ironed some Wonder Under to the back side of each one. Then I free-handed flower and leaf shapes onto the paper side of the Wonder Under and cut them out. After arranging them how I wanted on the background fabric, I peeled off the paper backing and ironed them into place.

Once they were ironed down I stitched around the edges, some with a straight stitch, others a zig-zag, and just had fun sort of drawing on the flowers with my sewing machine.

The chair got painted bright white (with no primer this time) and heavily distressed and wiped down with polyurethane to keep the paint from coming off further. Just a tip- if you know you're going to distress something well, don't bother priming. But if you don't want to distress or want more control of how much paint comes off, be sure you prime first.
I really love how this chair turned out.
The seat looks exactly like I'd hoped it would! It was probably the first thing of mine inside that sold on Saturday.
Here's a little peek at what my tent looked like at the start of the sale. That corner cabinet ended up back inside after it nearly blew over and broke my little blue stool.
I was torn about parting with my antique sofa, but on a yard saleing excursion last weekend I came upon the very Ikea sleeper sofa that I'd been wanting, priced at only $25! I felt like such a thief that I paid an extra $20 and brought it happily home. A few days later I bought a new white slipcover for it, but I couldn't bring it inside until the other one was gone. This sale was the perfect opportunity for me to try and find the antique a new home, and lucky for me, just as she was packing up to leave, one of the other vendors decided to buy it!
I'm at peace with letting go of my pretty couch. My "new" one is way more functional, way more kid friendly, and the money I made on the sale of the other one certainly helped ease the pain of parting. ;)

Before and After: Entry Table and Corner Cabinet

2011-06-30T22:50:00.006-06:00

I guess technically you can't call this first one a real "before and after" since I couldn't scrounge up an actual "before" photo, but it should be pretty easy to imagine. This little corner cabinet lived in my daughter's room until we moved to California, at which point there just weren't any corners for it to go in. I had painted it white and it looked lovely with her other white furniture, but after seeing it sit in the garage for a few months I decided it was time to find it a new home. But first it needed a little... something.

I pulled out a can of pretty blue and painted the back panels and insides of the doors.

Now it's a little more interesting, don't you think?

We hadn't used the doors while it was in my daughter's room and at some point along the way the hinges and knobs were lost. Easy- just buy new hinges and re-hang the doors, right? WRONG! What a BEAR those doors turned out to be! Luckily my in-laws paid us an unexpected but perfectly timed visit last week so my father-in-law spent a couple of hours helping me get those blasted doors back on. We even had to trim them down with a saw to get them to work! In the end, though, they yielded and with their cute ceramic knobs they are back where they belong.

This next project was one that took quite a lot of work but I think was worth it in the end. I spotted this table on Craigslist and pounced on it right away. Turns out it was being sold by the very same fella who sold me the antique writing desk that I used to make my island!
This poor table had the worst paint job, complete with sloppy sprayed-on gold accents. But if there's one thing I'm good at, it's seeing potential.

The base got painted creamy white then glazed with brown, and the top was stripped, sanded and stained walnut.

Just look at those legs...

I would have loved to keep this beauty, but there's just so much furniture my house will hold.

Finally, here's one more little project- another bench!

This time I painted it bright green and distressed it plenty.
So, do you have big plans for the long holiday weekend? We've been invited to a pool party with my sister-in-law's family, and since the weather is supposed to climb back up into the hundreds over the next few days, I think that would be the perfect way to celebrate our country's independence!

Happy Independence Day!

More Stools and a Before and After

2011-06-22T09:59:00.006-06:00

Is it as hot where you are as it is here? We've been breaking 100 degrees regularly for the past couple of weeks. Bleh. I don't handle heat very well. And guess what else? Our A/C isn't working. It's making me one grouchy mama these days. It's also made it more difficult for me to get any projects done because I don't want to be outside in this face-melting weather! Still, I've accomplished a couple of things lately.

I couldn't resist trying again to make some stools, but this time I went a lot smaller.

I found a can of this pretty blue Oops paint at a local hardware store and love it already.

Something a little patriotic seemed appropriate for the other one.

These stools turned out basically how I'd planned, though I definitely learned a few lessons in the process so the next ones will be even better!

Just a little more patriotism to share with some wooden flag plaques.

I made 3 of these and took them all to the shop yesterday. Why didn't I think to keep one for me??

Finally, here's one last project that I finished up last week. The rocker on the left started off fine, just a little plain and worn.

Now it's sporting a new coat of red paint and a fun flowery seat cushion.

I think my favorite part is the aqua ribbons that tie the cushion to the chair.

Looks right at home on my front porch, huh? Well, it only stayed there long enough to take these photos. It's now at the shop too!

I've got a few more projects in various stages of completion that I'll be sharing soon. Check back soon! Now I'm off to go hunt down a kiddie pool!

My attempt at building a bench

2011-06-07T10:01:00.006-06:00

Right along side my chair obsession is an affinity for benches and stools. (They're like chairs, right?) I often see simple, kind of primitive benches like these used as functional decor, which I love.

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I've had this photo from Miss Mustard Seed's blog in my Inspiration folder for a while.
I liked the rounded edges of these benches, which I think makes them a little more sophisticated than the blocky, square ones (which I also like).

This weekend, out of sheer boredom, I decided to try and build my very own bench with some wood scraps that I had in the garage.

It's far from perfect, but it's sturdy and functional and basically turned out how I wanted it to. And while I really wanted to be able to add the little side apron pieces like the bench above, I didn't want to have to go out and buy anything to make this, so it didn't get any.

(You can't see it in any of the photos, but there's also a 1x2 under that little shelf that runs perpendicular to it which adds some more stability.)

I sunk all my screws and hid them with wooden buttons so it'd look a little less home made.

The seat and legs were made from imperfect boards that I got out of the cull bin at Home Depot a while back. The shelf, support board and buttons were leftovers from other projects.

Since red was all I had on hand, red it became.

It now serves as a little table/foot rest in front of my porch sofa.

The sprinklers got it this morning, but I have a feeling it will hold up pretty well outside.
I can't wait to make more stools and benches in different shapes, sizes and styles. Now I just have to figure out how to convince my husband to buy me a new jig saw, and maybe a chop saw...

Before and After: Two Chairs and a Mirror

2011-05-26T12:48:00.007-06:00

It's no secret that I'm a chair girl. I really, really like chairs. So if you're sick of seeing chair makeovers, this post might not be very entertaining for you. But personally, I can't get enough of ugly duckling chairs and transforming them into swans.

This first one was a thrift store find and was in really sad condition. But it was sturdy and only cost a couple of bucks, so it was a perfect candidate for a re-do.

I wanted to pair this chair with a desk that's in my space at the shop, so it got sprayed with some Heirloom White and the seat was given new batting and a pretty, neutral fabric.

A little distressing brings out the little details on the legs and back.

This looks like a swan now, doesn't it?

I was so excited to find this chair because I knew instantly what I was going to do to it.

Turquoise paint + brown glaze + most awesome floral fabric = Very cool new chair!!

Those legs make me drool.

It's been a while, but I once showed you an image of this fabric in a post about another nasty chair that I had hoped to transform the way I did this chair. I stumbled upon a yard of this lovely print at my local Joann when we moved to California and I've been waiting for just the right chair to come along to use it on.

This was definitely the perfect chair.

Finally, I found this ~~gawdy~~ ornate mirror at Goodwill in all its golden glory. It was in perfect condition, though, so all it needed was a little paint and glaze.

I used the same turquoise paint as I did on the chair...

...and the same brown glaze to tone down the blue and bring out the detail.

Way better, right?
Tomorrow we're off to spend the long weekend with my parents and siblings in Southern Utah. We really need a break so I'm truly looking forward to our trip. Enjoy your holiday weekend! I'll be back with some more transformations soon!

Before and After: Wicker Loveseat + More Stenciled Projects

2011-05-21T11:58:00.012-06:00

Last weekend my husband and sons went on an overnight campout, which left my daughter and I some time together- just me and her. It was lovely. We had a "camp-in" on the living room floor and in the morning we bounded off to treasure hunt at yard sales.

We didn't have tons of luck at the sales, but we did have a really good time. My big score for the day was this wicker loveseat that I spotted two blocks away.

I was sure that it would either be overpriced or already sold (this seems to be my luck lately), so when I discovered that it hadn't been spoken for and was very reasonably priced I snatched it. The couple who sold it to me even offered to deliver it to my house! How sweet is that??

Upon close inspection this cute little loveseat was definitely showing some wear.

The wicker was still in pretty good shape, though, and the piece itself was very sturdy. After a little pondering I decided that I didn't want to paint it but would rather keep it natural. I grabbed my can of Minwax Polyshades that I used on my sofa re-do and got to work painting it on.

Here's an in progress shot. You can see in the left half of the photo the portion that's been stained and the right half that has not.

The stain didn't completely conceal the weathering that the seat had, but I didn't mind. I just wanted to darken the whole thing and make it a little more uniform.

After staining I had to get to work making a cushion. I priced them online and decided that I could make my own for way cheaper than buying a new one. I measured the seat and used a piece of paper to trace the curve at the back.
The tricky part was the foam. Have you ever had to buy foam? It is EXPENSIVE. Even with a 40% off coupon, I would've ended up paying over $30 at Joann for the amount that I needed for this project. Instead I searched for a used crib mattress at second hand stores and on Craigslist. It took about a week, but I ended up finding one for $15. Since it had springs inside I swapped it with the one my son has been using (which didn't have springs) and used that one for my cushion. Here it is stripped of the plastic cover.

Next I measured and marked the cushion with Sharpie and traced the curves using my paper template.

Cutting this stuff turned out to be tougher than I expected. I always use my electric carving knife when I cut foam, and on your regular spongy foam it works like a dream. But this mattress wasn't made of regular spongy foam, but was more like a really dense, thick batting. Eventually I got through it, though I almost burned out the motor in my knife in the process.
I'm afraid I didn't take any photos of the next few steps, but after cutting the cushion I deconstructed the plastic cover and re-made it to fit the new shape. Knowing this would live outside made me really want to do what I could to protect it from getting wet and gross.

What I'd planned to do was purchase some inexpensive fabric from Fabric.com. This is the one I really wanted.

But by the time I was ready I realized that I didn't have any money to spare. So I thought and thought and finally decided to just make my own fabric.

There was still quite a bit of drop cloth left over from my sofa project, so I traced the shape of the cushion onto that with a washable pen. Then I made a stencil of the chevron pattern I wanted to use and mixed some acrylic paint with textile medium, very much like I did with my rug project.

I stenciled away, then cut out the pieces and sewed them together to make my cushion slipcover.

Really long upholstery zippers can be pricey, and I didn't have any Velcro so I used a row of buttons along the back as the closure.

That done, I got to work on some pillow covers. Using the same drop cloth fabric, I cut out a long rectangle that could wrap around the pillow I'd be using, leaving seam allowances on either side. Instead of stenciling I decided to try creating stripes using painter's tape on the first pillow cover.
I didn't try to get full coverage but kind of wanted a worn, washed look to the stripes. For the next pillow I printed off a number 5 on paper and cut it out to make a stencil. I don't know why I chose the number 5. I think I just like how it looks. :) Putting our house number on the pillow would also have been cute.

The pillow covers are a simple envelope style with no zippers or closures and came together really quickly.

Here it is all put together.

I'm so very happy to have a place to sit and relax on our porch now. There may be another pillow added soon, but for now it's cozy and cute enough for me.
I think my favorite part of this project was challenging myself to keep everything low-budget. Just for fun, here's the cost break-down of the whole thing:

loveseat: $35
cushion: $15
stain: on hand
fabric: on hand
paint: on hand
textile medium: on hand
cording: $2.40 (10 yd package purchased w/ 40% off coupon)
buttons: on hand
pillows: on hand

I still intend to waterproof everything with that spray stuff you can use on tents, but I haven't figured out where it is in the garage yet. Until then I'll just pray for sunny days and lots of opportunities to enjoy my new loveseat!

Before and After: Tall Dresser and Side Table

2011-05-13T13:49:00.010-06:00

I'm not sure what's going on with Blogger lately, but a few days ago I wrote up this post and now suddenly it's gone. So let's try this again...

This dresser was saved from the curb (along with a few other items) a couple of weeks ago when my neighbors moved out. It had some scribbling, a random wooden heart at the bottom and no knobs, but it was solid wood and the drawers worked fine.

I had several ideas for how to transform this plain-Jane dresser, so it took me a while to decide on which one to try. In the end, though, I decided to do something a little out of the ordinary for me.
After rolling on a good primer, the dresser got a coat of a custom mixed grey paint.

The numbers were an image I found online, then used this easy pencil transfer technique to trace them onto the drawer fronts. I filled in the pencil lines with a few coats of black craft paint.

The dresser got distressed, then I used some walnut wood stain to antique it.

The whole thing got a coat of wipe-on poly for protection and some simple and rustic rope pulls to finish it off. Like I said, not my typical style, but I really like how this dresser turned out and seriously considered keeping it for my boys. Sadly, I can't keep 'em all.

This little table was a thrift store find and was a pretty good deal.

The top was in terrible shape with deep scratches, water damage and drips of wax all over it.

Paint to the rescue! With sanding, priming, painting and distressing this table now has some character.

Add to that a little hand painted detail using the same transfer technique that I used on the dresser and now it's even a little bit special.

I traced on this scrolly flourish then filled it in with one of my favorite shades of blue. Some came off with the distressing, but that's what I wanted.

A coat of polyurethane to protect the top and the table is now ready for its second life!
So, do you have an idea for a project that could use a little hand painted detail?

I'm linking up with Miss Mustard Seed this week!

More punches of color

2011-05-09T14:48:00.007-06:00

For once, I'm making good on a promise. I've actually come up with a few more ways to strengthen the aqua and red color scheme I've got happening in our kitchen and TV room.

Some Moms got together over the weekend for some crafting and fun, so one night I went and used the time to make myself a sign. I used the method I've mentioned MANY times before, found here. I've never done the text layering-thing before, but I think it turned out pretty well.

The words come from a song that we learn at church as children, but this one particular line has been playing in my head quite a bit recently.

In case you're curious, here are the lyrics to the first verse:

I am a child of God,
and He has sent me here.
Has given me an earthly home,
with parents kind and dear.
Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
help me find the way.
Teach me all that I must do,
to live with Him someday.

I've shown you these shutters that I picked up at a thrift store, and they became the source for my next project.

One of the skinny ones got cut in half, then I added a fence picket to the top to make a shelf. Some paint and distressing, and now it hangs in our family room surrounded by the artwork of my husband's brother.

The shelf needs a few more items, but for now it's fine.

This is a super easy project. If you can use a circular saw or jig saw and a drill, you can make this. I'm considering adding something else to this shutter-shelf, but we'll see. I'll be sure and let you know if I do.

This rug was found at my local Big Lots for about $15. Every time I'm in Big Lots I am impressed with what they carry, and how inexpensive it is. I seriously think they don't get nearly enough recognition. Anyway, the rug is much bigger than your normal kitchen rug (to give you an idea, those are 12" tiles), plus it's only been there a few days and I've already had to flip it over because it shows dirt so easily. So we'll see how long it stays there. But I couldn't resist the colors and that fun, bold stripe!

Do you have a moose head in your house? I do! I found this guy at my beloved Bargain Center ages ago but never got around to spiffing him up- until now.

He got a shiny coat of red paint and now resides above the TV in our family room. I have to say, my husband had a long moment of hesitation when I asked whether he'd mind if I hung this in our house. Luckily he's game for a bit of whimsy now and then.

And for the sake of keeping things real, here's a wide shot of where our TV and toys live.

Oy. I can't believe I just showed you that...

Before and After: Bedside Tables and a School Desk

2011-05-06T08:00:00.001-06:00

My friend, Amy, is working on transforming a side table by painting it a beautiful aqua blue. I LOVE the way it looks already, but I know she's not done with it. It will get some distressing and maybe even some glaze, which will just send it over the top. Seeing her table project reminded me that I have a couple of blue tables of my own to share with you.

I picked up this pare of dated bedside tables at a yard sale a few weeks ago and knew instantly that they wanted to be blue. They spoke to me, you know.

They were tired of being dirty and white with cruddy gold trim. They wanted to stand out and be beautiful again.

Even the insides of the drawers wanted some attention.

With the help of my favorite Robin's Egg blue paint, brown glaze and some adhesive contact paper from Target, those nightstands got what they asked for.

I reused the original hardware because it was pretty and already had that authentic distressed look.

Unfortunately I didn't get any better shots than this because I was literally packing them into my car to take them to the store when I realized I hadn't taken any "after" pictures. I sure hope somebody likes them as much as I do.

Here's another quick little project I did one afternoon. This old wooden desk once sat in a local school and was found at another yard sale the same weekend I picked up the nightstands.

Much as I love warm, worn wood, this desk really needed a whole new look. It begged for it, even.

It wanted to be red. Doesn't it just looks so much more cheerful now?

Thrifty is good, but free is better!

2011-04-27T14:04:00.013-06:00

It's really no secret that I am a bargain hunter, through and through. A pretty good one, even, if I do say so. What's fun is trying to spot the "good stuff" amongst all the junk, whether it's on the shelf at a thrift store, sitting on someone's lawn at a yard sale, or just waiting to be spotted on Craigslist. Generally, when I'm on the hunt I can find something.

Recently, though, I'd been having kind of a dry spell at the thrift stores and while yard saleing. It was a bummer for sure. It's not that I expect to come home with my car PACKED with stuff each time I head out, but visiting 5 thrift stores and coming home with one book for my kids is kind of ridiculous. And don't even get me started on the waste of gas a trip like that is!

Still, I persevere. That's the thing about thrifting- you have to do it often. After one particularly disappointing weekend scouring yard sales, one evening I noticed that the neighbors across the street were moving out, and they'd begun to pile some stuff on the curb by their house. In that pile was a wooden book case, so I sauntered over, decided it was usable (though filthy) and hauled it home.

Over the next few days the pile continued to form, and being directly across the street and having no shame whatsoever when it comes to free furniture, I managed to nab some pretty good stuff! Check it out.

Here's that bookcase, now holding my little boys' stuff quite nicely. I didn't paint it (though I really wanted to), just gave it a good scrubbing and stuck it in their closet with some Ikea buckets that I've had forever.

This is a solid pine dresser that just needs a paint job and some knobs. Oh, and that little wooden heart at the bottom has to GO. But otherwise there's nothing at all the matter with it.

I'm hoping to do something really cool with this headboard. Sorry you can't see all of it.

This must be for a baby doll, and right now it's pretty yucky. It looks like it was left outside for a long time. But I think with some white spray paint and a pretty new ribbon it will be very cute again. I may even have to add a little handmade quilt, too.

This one actually made me squeal and run outside with wet hair to grab it before someone else did.
See, we needed a piano bench, and those are kind of hard to come by without a piano accompanying it. This dining bench, however, will do just as well once I'm able to make it match our piano a little better.

I also had some pretty good luck at a couple of thrift stores this morning. Here's a closer look at the items sitting on my soon-to-be piano bench.

This pretty jar would be fun to fill with brightly colored candy or sea glass or spools of thread or shells or pretty soap or bath salts...

Everyone needs a little white butter tub, right?

I'm loving these three ceramic canisters. Their glaze has that cool crackled look, and I've just never seen anything like these before. They may have to live at my house for a while.

I also managed to find a really BIG lidded jar, a silver pitcher and a glass cloche with a wooden base that will no doubt get painted a pretty blue color in the very near future. Aaaand... I think I might have to keep that pitcher.

Just for fun, here are some more thrifty finds that I've picked up recently that will or already have made it to my space at the store.

I bought two of the wider shutters on the left, and two sets of the skinny shutters on the right (they're hinged together), for a total of 6 really long shutters for just a few bucks. It felt like stealing, I tell you. Fun stuff planned for these as well.

I bought this coffee/tea service at a yard sale and it was black with tarnish. Last night I spent some time using "the good enough" silver polishing method found here and Recipe #2 here. This took some time and elbow grease, but in the end the service got back some of its shine. It's not perfect, but I like it that way.

These 3 hand embroidered and appliqued place mats were in such good condition! They're almost too pretty to use.

This little lidded crock caught my eye because of its unusual color. It's less orange in person and more of a vibrant coral or salmon color and super cute.

And how adorable are these sweet scalloped candle holders? Again, I had to force myself to take them to my space at the shop.

My feelings will not be hurt if this kettle doesn't sell. I'm already kind of regretting taking it in, it's just so stinkin' pretty.

And this little guy- well, we all know that I just can't get enough of birds.

My thrifty urge has been satisfied, especially with all that free stuff from the neighbors. Now I know that bellyaching about rotten luck at yard sales isn't productive, but watching the curbs around my neighborhood definitely is!

Tutorial: Hand Painted Rug

2011-04-22T20:57:00.026-06:00

Ever since we moved into our current house, I've wanted a new rug for the front room. The one we have is nice and I still like it very much, but with its dark background color and the dark wood floors, it just seems to get lost. It also feels a little too traditional and fussy in there. You can see a peek of it in the photos below.

I did a lot of research online trying to find just the right rug. Of course I found several that I loved, but none that were within my price range. It was then that I started to consider making my own rug. No, I didn't intend to make the rug itself, but I thought that if I could start with an inexpensive, plain rug, maybe I could add the design I wanted myself.

Ikea came through for me on my hunt for a big, plain, inexpensive rug. On my last trip there I bought two of their ERSLEV rugs, which measure about 6'x8', are 100% cotton (washable!), and only cost $40.

I knew from the get-go that I wanted a sort of quatrefoil pattern on my rug, which seems to be a very popular design element right now. I even have a pillow and an oven mitt with similar patterns on them!

This is a photo of some fabric that I found online and used Photoshop to turn it into the design for my stencil.

Here's the finished pattern with the little gaps to serve as "connectors" for when I cut out my stencil. (Be sure you measure your rug's actual width and length to determine the best size for your stencil design.)

Michaels carries plastic stencil sheets and stencil brushes in different sizes. Print out your design, then tape your printed design underneath the stencil plastic. Cut out the image using a very sharp exacto knife, being sure to keep those "connectors" in tact. I traced the outline of my design with a fine Sharpie to be sure I stayed on the edges.

I also found that Michaels had the Fabric Medium that I needed to turn my regular acrylic paint into fabric paint.

To be honest, I used mostly latex paint and a little acrylic to concoct the color I wanted, but hopefully that doesn't matter. I'm not super worried about it since my rug won't be going through the washing machine. I just wanted my paint to be soft and pliable and not stiff and cracked when it dries.

First I practiced my technique on a scrap of fabric, which turned out pretty nice.

I measured my rug and determined where the center was and made my first quatrefoil. Since my rug had a lot more texture to it than the practice fabric, it took more effort to get the paint into all the crevices, but it still worked really well.

You stencil on fabric just like you do on anything else. Pour a little paint onto the lid of your paint container, dip in your brush to saturate (but not soak) the bristles and tap off any excess onto the lid. Pounce the brush straight up and down onto the fabric until it's filled in well. This will make sure the paint stays within your stencil and doesn't creep underneath it. Remember- pounce, don't brush! Keep the stencil in place with a couple of pieces of painter's tape on the sides, and hold the stencil flat to the fabric with your fingertips where you're working.

Be careful if you're doing an all-over design to make sure your rows stay straight. Make guide marks with a water soluble pen if you need to. My rug has an obvious horizontal weave that was easy to follow, so I used that to guide my rows.

I made one row along the horizontal center and another down the vertical center of my rug and worked outwards from there.

This much stenciling took me a couple of hours on my first day. I won't tell you that this is a quick afternoon project, but I'm convinced that the outcome is worth the time and effort.

Away you go. Stencil, and stencil, and stencil...

...and stencil some more...

...until you've covered your whole rug. Then go back with a detail brush and fill in all those connector gaps.

The bottle of fabric medium says to heat set the paint with an iron for 30 seconds, but I chose to skip that step. Honestly, I felt like I'd poured quite enough time into this rug by then, thankyouverymuch.

All-in-all, I'm happy with it. It brightens the room and is a better size than my other rug.
In hindsight:
I wish I'd been braver and used a pretty blue color instead of my muddy gray paint. (But let's not rehash my obsession with neutrals and my risk issues.)

I should have thinned out my paint more with the fabric medium because it still ended up being a little stiff when it dried, but no biggie.

Oh, and if you do mix your own color, mix A LOT. I ran out of paint with about a handful of gaps still left to fill in and had to guess when I mixed the color again. Of course batch 2 wasn't identical to batch 1, but it was close enough.

Finally, don't bother with perfection. It won't be perfect and expecting it to be will just make you nuts. So if you take on this project, embrace it's imperfections, enjoy the process, and pat yourself on the back for making something custom on the cheap!

Adding a punch of color

2011-04-18T18:21:00.009-06:00

Sometimes- okay, MOST of the time- when I'm decorating a room, I go with what's safe. I choose the neutral over the bold, the simple over the fun, the standard over the risky. These choices make my decor flexible (or at least that's what I tell myself), because I like to change things up so often. A robin's egg blue couch or some bold, graphic curtains would be really fun and would make quite a statement, but what happens when I get tired of it and want something different? Then what? My thrifty-minded self just can't justify making bold choices now that may cause expensive consequences later.

However, lately I feel the need for some bolder color in my life. I've started in my kitchen with the introduction of this little step stool that I picked up at the store where I sell my furniture. I couldn't resist the chippy paint and its functionality. And while red doesn't appear ANYWHERE in my house, I still had to have it. It wasn't until I saw it next to the aqua color that I chose for my island that I realized--these two colors actually look good together. Who knew?! So I set out on a quest to inject more of that cheerful red into the room with a few more little accessories. I had this big bulletin board above my craft desk at our old house, but since moving here it hadn't yet found a home. I also ran into trouble finding a good spot to post my calendar since our new refrigerator isn't magnetic on the front (??!!?) and that's where it's always lived before.

Luckily, Emily at Jones Design Company came to the rescue with the perfect tutorial for how to transform my sad, shabby bulletin board. First, it got some white primer and a coat or two of Rustoleum's "Colonial Red". I didn't have a good 'before' photo, but trust me when I say that this was a major improvement! I followed Emily's instructions and covered the tattered cork with woven strips of burlap, then covered my staples by gluing some thick jute rope around the edges. It's the perfect spot to hang my calendar... ...and to tuck other pretty little things that I might find. And soon it will be full of precious artwork, like this one. Another little project I decided to try was to make our last initial out of a fence picket that I had in the garage. I cut it down, sanded it really well, then glued and nailed the pieces together to form an "H". Then it too got primed and painted with "Colonial Red" and heavily distressed.

Looks right at home above my kitchen cabinets, doesn't it?

By the way, how is it that I never showed you my island with the stools and support leg that I added? I've yet to put handles on the middle drawers or even put anything in the baskets underneath, but even so this thing gets used a TON. I never realized what a work horse it would end up being!

There are sure to be more projects coming up that will strengthen the red and aqua theme I've got going in my kitchen, and I'll be sure to share as they get finished.

Before and After: A desk and a buncha chairs

2011-04-03T19:09:00.016-06:00

In an effort not to jinx myself, I haven't shared with you yet that I've found a space to sell my furniture here in California! I didn't want to say anything until it was a sure thing, but the rent's been paid, some pieces are in place and I've even sold a couple of things! What an exciting feeling this is, knowing that I can do what I love and have a place for it all to go!

I thought I'd share with you a few of the pieces that have gone over to the shop recently. This first chair spent quite a while in my living room because I really loved its shape and the maple wood tone that it had. Then I found a pair of matching armchairs and I decided this one could go to somebody else. But first I wanted to give it a new look. It got a coat of white primer, then sprayed in Rustoleum's "Lagoon" and then sanded to heck. This chair was also plain ol' maple and was given the same treatment but in "Meadow Green". Spring makes me want to break out the COLOR! Can you tell? I'll be honest- these aren't my favorite makeovers ever, but hopefully somebody will appreciate their colorfulity and distressedness! (Yes, I make up words.)

Next up is a desk that we were using but have recently replaced, so I finally decided to do something fun with it. It used to look like this. Kind of tired, kind of boring, but since it was stuck in a closet I didn't really care. With a little "Heirloom White" it was suddenly kind of charming. Here it is in my space at the shop, just waiting for someone to take it home. The top of the desk received some dictionary pages decoupaged to it, though I'm afraid I didn't take a good photo of the whole top. I used some pages with words on them like "letter", "study", and "word" and kind of highlighted them with red pen before sealing them. Next to the desk you'll notice a chair that's also been painted. It looks really blue in these photos, but it's actually wearing that quandary color I asked you about. Here's the actual color and in person it really is pretty. I'm glad I decided to test it out on another chair before trying it on my own pair. After seeing it on a piece of furniture I realized that I love the color, but that I'm not that brave yet. So I'll pull it in with accessories but probably won't paint my chairs with it.

And thank you all for your advice about my chairs. I'm still undecided about them but your feedback definitely got me thinking about other possibilities. I guess I still need to do some more mulling.

Here's one last chair to show you. Sorry there's no "before" on this one, but again, just picture a plain old maple chair with a worn rattan seat. This was a sample of gray paint that I had mixed up and I really like it, though I can't remember the name now. Oh, and the pillow isn't mine. It's the work of another vendor, but doesn't it look right at home on my little chair?

Well, that's it for now. It will probably be a little while before I have anything new to share. This week I'll be getting ready for a solo weekend visit back to Idaho, but once I'm home again I plan on diving head first into my paints and sandpaper (figuratively speaking, of course)!

Have a great week!

Quandary

2011-03-29T20:03:00.011-06:00

In my last post I showed you a few photos of our living room, including this one of a pair of wooden chairs that sit across from my new sofa. They were looking pretty shabby when I purchased them so I had every intention of painting them. But after scrubbing them real good and plopping them down, I actually like the look of the plain wood. Then again, almost every piece of furniture in the room is dark wood. The sofa, desk and chair, piano, shelves, top of coffee table, buffet, dining table and chairs- even the laminate floors are dark! So the way they are now, they're just lost among all that dark wood. So as much as I like the wood look of these chairs, I'm still leaning towards painting them. In fact, tonight I went to Home Depot and had some paint mixed up. It's called Moonlit Pool by Behr and I think it would look fabulous on those babies. Something of a risk, I know, but that's what I want. This room needs some color! I think they'd also look stunning in a dove or charcoal gray, Heirloom White (like the base of my coffee table, as per Lora's suggestion), or even black (though I don't have a stitch of black furniture in my whole house). I would bring this color in elsewhere, too, like in sofa pillows and artwork, so the chairs wouldn't be the only dark teal items in the room. And what about that side table?? I somehow managed to overlook the fact that the chairs sit right next to another painted piece of furniture- one that is already a shade of blue that might not get along real well with this new Moonlit Pool character. So I need some help. What should I do about those chairs?

A) Take a risk, give the room a punch of color and paint them in that lovely shade of teal, and replace the side table (not a bad thing- you know how much I love changing out furniture).

B) Take less of a risk and paint them gray so that they're not quite so bold but still painted; keep or replace the side table.

C)Paint them a safe, subdued, neutral color (like ivory) that will allow them to completely blend in with the room (and possibly the background...); keep the side table.

D) Don't paint them at all and embrace their warm, dark-woodedness; keep the side table.

E) Some other brilliant idea that one of you comes up with!

Help me, please! Leave your vote in the comments, I'm begging you!

Before and After: Antique Sofa

2011-03-26T14:31:00.010-06:00

When we were preparing to move from Idaho to California we sold some of our furniture. One of the things we got rid of was a sofa that we had upstairs in our bonus room because we weren't sure if we'd even need it in our next house. Turns out we did, so I started looking around. I really wanted a sofa bed, like this one from Ikea, because we don't have a proper guest room here.

I searched several local stores but couldn't find anything even close. And eventually I got over the whole sofa bed idea and just started looking for a regular sofa like the one above and still came up empty. Then I got over the whole "spend a bunch of money on a brand spankin' new sofa" idea and finally remembered seeing a cool old couch at the Salvation Army.
At the time it was priced at $100, then 2 weeks later when I was on my sofa hunt I went back and it was still there and had been marked down to $49. I texted my husband a photo and told him I could re-cover, it so we picked it up and brought it home.

The velvet was horribly faded, and the wood needed some touching up, but I loved the details like the scrolled arms and the clawed feet.

This shows just how faded the fabric on the back of the couch had gotten. The blue at the bottom of the photo is the wrong side of the fabric and the dingy cream color is the right side. It was pretty once, but not anymore.

I ripped the velvet off and got ready to work on the wood. This is a product I've never used before but have been wanting to try.
The Antique Walnut shade seemed pretty close to the current wood color, so on it went and it worked WONDERS. Seriously, if you have a wooden piece that needs a facelift, use this. You don't need to strip off the old finish or anything. Just brush this on like paint, let it dry 6 hours, rub the surface with very fine steel wool, brush on another coat and that's it!

Here's the fruits of my week's worth of labor.

Hardware store drop cloth was my fabric of choice because it's durable, inexpensive, imperfect and casual so it brings down the "fussiness" of the couch.

This was a pretty big project, but after redoing my brother's couch last summer I knew I could handle it. It would have been infinitely faster and easier if I had a good staple gun, but don't get me started on that. I hate my staple gun with all my heart right now, and I'll just leave it at that.
I'm really happy with our new couch, and it seems like a good fit for our front room. Here's a little tour. This is the view from our front door into the living/dining room.

We have our computer in there, too, so it also serves as an office.

We recently acquired this piano from a friend and I'm really excited to find a bench for it and get it cleaned up for playing.

This is the view from behind the sofa. Should I paint that pair of armchairs? I can't decide.

So there you go. I love when I get to do big, dramatic projects, but I think that will probably be it for a while. There will definitely be more furniture refinishing going on, but probably no more sofas for a while!

Miss Mustard Seed feature

2011-03-24T23:19:00.006-06:00

I'm so freakin' excited, I'm practically giddy! Minutes ago I plopped down in front of my computer, exhausted but pleased with myself for finishing another HUGE furniture project that has taken me all week. Seriously, I've been working my hiney off and I had just put the finishing touches on it.

I opened up my Google Reader to scope out the blogs that I follow and my number one favoritest blogger, Miss Mustard Seed, had posted her Furniture Feature Friday party.
At the beginning of each party she features a couple of projects that people had linked at the previous week's party that had caught her eye. Well, I'm usually just an admirer and don't often join the party, but last week I did link up with my desk-turned-island project because, I'll be honest, I was totally stoked with how it had come together and was super proud of it.

Long story, short ending-- she featured my island!!! I squealed and clapped and ran to show my husband who indulged my silly excitement with a hug and a chuckle. He just doesn't get it. He doesn't know who Miss Mustard Seed is, but I sure do and I was tickled to death to see my project on her blog.

Okay, enough gushing. Moving on- my island stools arrived this morning! Thanks everyone for your sweet comments about my island project, by the way. I appreciated each and every single one. I wanted to give Abby an extra thank you for her comment. She gave me a link to a set of stools on Overstock.com that she thought I might like, which I purchased immediately.

They were exactly what I wanted and a really good price. Only bummer is I think they're even cheaper now than when I bought them last week. :/ But I LOVE them and am super glad that we can now eat at the new island. Still mulling over the drawer handle dilemma, but I'm in no hurry.

Earlier I alluded to my latest project, and I can hardly wait to show it to you. I gave you a sneak peek with this mysterious photo.
Any guesses? Could it be a chair? You know I have a thing for chairs. A sofa? Maybe a bench or chaise? Or maybe it's something you'd never EVER guess and I'm just trying to throw you off track. Just wait a little longer and I'll show ya. The weather doesn't look like it's going to cooperate any time soon for me to get some good photos, but we'll see what I can come up with. See ya soon!

Antique Writing Desk Transformation: The Reveal!

2011-03-16T14:29:00.011-06:00

I've talked up this project quite a bit in my last few posts, but I hope that you'll agree when I say that this "before and after" is a pretty cool one. This old writing desk cost me $15 and was pretty neat as it was. Just look at that beat up plank top!

But I had a vision for this piece, and over the past couple of weeks I've worked hard to make that vision a reality. Ready to see?

Here's that old desk now. No longer a desk, but a kitchen island!

The color isn't exactly what I was going for, but after 3 coats of 3 different paint colors I decided it was time to just settle. The heavy distressing and brown glaze help tone down the paint color and bring out the piece's character.

I found this heavy appliance handle at the local Habitat for Humanity Restore. It was tricky getting it on there, having to drill from the inside of the desk then cutting down the screws to be the exact right length... but it worked out in the end.

I added a piece of plywood underneath for some more storage. The baskets came from Michael's during their 50% off all baskets sale a few weeks ago. I think I might need to pick up another one.

Not much going on in back, but I'm still thinking of what I could add to make it more functional somehow. Hooks? Another towel rod? Chalkboard paint and little buckets of chalk?

Love that distressed look
Another little addition to the desk/island were these casters. It once had wheels so the metal inserts were already in the bottom of each leg. These helped me to add some height and also make it easy to reposition. The cups underneath keep it in place when I want it stationary.

Okay, here's where I have to come clean. My new island isn't completely finished yet. For instance, these two skinny drawers drive me nuts. They're so hard to pull out with no handles, so I'm considering doing something...

...like this! What do you think? Maybe a fork on one and a spoon on the other?

I just hate to cover up those cool key holes. I'll have to think about it some more.
This overhang also needs a support underneath so we can use it for eating at.
I'm on the hunt for a couple of stools. Here are some that I adore:

Probably not going to luck out and find anything like the stools above at a thrift store or Craigslist, but a girl can dream. Instead I'll probably try and build a couple of simple wooden ones like this (only taller):

So that's it! Writing desk turned kitchen island. I have to say, I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out. I wasn't entirely sure I was going to be able to pull it off, but I think it's a keeper.

I'm linking this project to Miss Mustard Seed's party this week!

Upcoming reveals

2011-03-15T15:05:00.002-06:00

Remember that crazy old writing desk I bought on Craigslist last month?

I am soooo close to being finished with its transformation and I just can't WAIT to show you the result. Here's a little sneaky peek...

Hope I didn't give too much away. I've put a lot of hard work into that thing and it's coming together exactly like I'd hoped. Seriously, this has been one of my MOST EXCITING projects for a long time!

I have yet another exciting project waiting in the wings that I'm itching to tear into...

... and a few more pieces that are in progress that I'll be able to reveal soon.
Are you excited? Are you pumped? Are you just about dying from anticipation?!!

No? That's okay. But I do hope you're curious enough to come back and see the official "before and afters" that I'll be posting soon!

More thrifty goodness

2011-03-03T13:47:00.007-07:00

Now that we've moved into a house I spend most of my time moving and unloading boxes, pushing around mountains of mess and TRYING to find a place for everything. Moving into a house significantly smaller than the one you left behind causes some anxiety when you go to put things away, lemme tell ya.

Anyway, I've made a little progress on that desk I showed you last time, but there's still quite a bit to do before it's ready for its big reveal. Meanwhile, I scored some fun stuff at the thrift stores today so I'm doing another little show-and-tell.

I've been collecting pretty botanical prints so that one day I can hang them as a group. The frame of this one is shot, but that's okay.

It's the print that I love.

Funny story about this flag- last time I was at the thrift store I spotted this stained old flag in the same spot as the bag of children's books I ended up buying. The flag was stapled to a pole which was broken and it had no price tag. Hoping to get it for a good deal I asked the cashier about it and she said it would have to go back to be re-priced and would be available for sale the next day. :( I passed because I knew I wouldn't be back for a while. So here I am a few weeks later and here's that same flag, removed from its broken pole, in exactly the same spot. The price was probably higher than it should've been, but I liked it enough to buy it anyway. It has a sort of tea-stained look to it that I really like. Oh, and the big bolt of string is just cute.

In the bin with the flag were bags of embroidered goodies. I picked one that ended up containing a handkerchief (I collect old hankies), a round doily-type thing, and a couple of dresser scarves. The shoes are spankin' new American Eagle brand from the Goodwill for $5. (Have I told you already that Goodwill stores get Target's clearance cast-offs? I have? Okay, just checking.)

I just love embroidery.

It makes me happy.

This quilt top had been marked down so I snatched it up. Cute, right? It's in pretty good shape but not perfect, but I think it'll make a nice picnic blanket once it's finished.

The fabrics are vintage and just too stinkin' cute.

This one's my favorite. Birds!

And last but not least is this crewel embroidered pillow. LOVE!

Perfect for my rocker, or pretty much anywhere in my house.

Not bad for a morning of thrifting!

Still here!

2011-02-22T09:47:00.010-07:00

I've been missing this little blog of mine, and it's no wonder. I've been away for two whole months! The truth is I haven't had much to share lately, what with our big move and not having a work space while we've been in this tiny apartment. So while I haven't been doing much crafting or sewing or refinishing, I have been able to do some thrifting. Wanna see?

Did you know that Target gives their unsold clearance items to Goodwill? I'm always looking for brand new Target stuff when I go there, and last time I found this lovely silver lamp. Still needs a shade, though.

This scale is cool, but it looks too new. I'm looking forward to giving it some kind of treatment to make it look more aged and used. It was only $1 at the Salvation Army store. The old wooden shoe form was found at my new favorite place to browse. There's a store downtown that's stuffed to the roof with antiques and vintage items, but unfortunately the prices there aren't what I'd consider fantastic, so I picked out this one little thing that I really loved, and just enjoyed looking at everything else.

The chippy yellow paint and the warm, worn wood is what makes me really love it.

Isn't that little hole punch adorable? The mug is from Anthropologie but only cost me 99¢ at the thrift store. And you know I have a thing for birds, so this tiny gray handblown glass one just had to come home with me.

At the checkout of one of the thrift stores here I noticed bags of random stuff on a rack behind me. I spotted one that was full of vintage children's books and grabbed it. I was thrilled with the selection when I got home and inspected them.

I have two other vintage Pooh books, so this was a real treat to find in there. I just had to rip off the old plastic library dust jacket.

This one is a translation of a Grimm brothers folk tale. It definitely has their signature "darkness" to the story, but the illustrations are all lovely.

I also scored this wool blanket for a few bucks. It had a tattered satin binding around the edges so I just tore that off.

My daughter thought it was pretty cool that it was made in Australia.

The fiber is really soft and warm, but it does have these two quarter-sized holes in it. But I have a fun idea for repairing them and adding some fun details to the blanket at the same time. I just have to wait until my craft stuff is out of storage!

This chair was the first thing I bought when we got here. The dining set in our apartment only has 4 chairs, and being a family of 5 it was a fun and practical purchase.

Cute, right? Just not the seat. But again, since all my stuff is in storage, I looked for a temporary solution.

This skirted seat cushion was about $10 at Ikea and was just the thing to hide that ugly torn fabric.

But here's the project I'm most excited about working on. I bought this cool old writing desk off Craigslist for $15 and I still feel like a thief.

See that "AC" on the side in that top photo? It's burned into the wood. I wonder what it means? The top is my favorite part, but unfortunately it's warped so it has to go.
It has 4 drawers with keyholes and has such an interesting shape. It used to be covered in veneer, but now there are only a few patches that are left. Just wait 'til you see what I do to it. I have BIG plans! Hopefully I'll be back soon to show you the transformation.

Easy Cashmere Hat and Mittens (A tutorial of sorts.)

2010-12-22T11:20:00.009-07:00

During the gift-making frenzy of Christmas 2008, I tried really hard to come up with handmade gifts for my siblings and children. A few of those gifts were hats and mittens made from thrift store sweaters using a couple of tutorials that I tweaked.

Tonight I got the urge to do this again, but this time for me! My husband and I are going on an awesome date tonight and I am sooo excited! It will consist of a horse-drawn sleigh ride to a cabin in the woods, then a steak and prawn dinner, hot cocoa, live music and story-telling, then another cuddling-under-a-blanket sleigh ride back to our car. Our wonderful friends have offered to watch the kids for us so we can have this one last experience as a couple before we move away from the area.

Anyway, back to the project. I decided I wanted a cute hat and glove set to wear this evening so I dug through my pile of wool and cashmere thrift store sweaters until I found a lovely, soft, oatmeal-colored cashmere one that would be perfect.

(Unfortunately because I took these photos at night under my desk lamp, the lighting is HORRIBLE, but hopefully you'll at least get the idea of what I was doing.)

Here's the sweater. Nothing really wrong with it other than it was too small for me to wear as-is.

After deciding that I wanted 5 sections to my hat, I measured my head and tried to figure out how to translate it into a pattern, then cut out a paper template.

Once you've got your pattern piece, using a washable ink pen, trace the 5 pieces along the hem of the sweater...

...and cut them out.

Pin two sections together, right sides facing and pin.

Starting at the hem, stitch the sections together stopping before you get to the very edge. My sections had a 1/2" seam allowance, so I stopped my stitching 1/2" before the edge.

Once you've stitched your sections together, start topstitching over the seam allowances so they lay flat.

When you've stitched all of your sections to one another, sew the final two pieces together you'll have a hat! Stitch those last two seam allowances down and you're done. You may have a tiny hole at the top where all the points of each section come together. If so just handstitch it closed.

Here's where you can have fun and embellish it with embroidery, a brooch, applique, buttons- whatever you can think of!

Okay, now this is the easiest way to make mittens that I can think of.

Take the sleeve of your sweater and lay your hand on it so that the hem of the sleeve comes to where you'd want the wrist of your mitten to be (i.e. right at your wrist, all the way to your elbow, or somewhere in between). Keep your fingers together and thumb extended a bit, leaving at least 1/8" of fabric between the outside of your fingers and the edge of the sleeve.

Using disappearing or water soluble ink, trace your hand. Don't trace right up next to your hand, but leave some space so that the mitten will be comfortable. This line will be your stitching line.

DO NOT CUT ALONG THIS LINE. Don't even cut CLOSE to this line. Place some pins along the line to keep both layers together then roughly cut the drawn mitten off of the rest of the sleeve.

Sew along the line you drew, backstitching at both sides of the wrist and in the notch of the thumb for reinforcement.

Now you can trim away the excess fabric about an 1/8" away from your stitching.

Repeat with the other sleeve. Turn them right side out and embellish as you'd like.

I have a ton of this acrylic punch embroidery yarn so I used a skein of ivory to do a little X detail along the hems of the mittens and on the hat.

I have a confession: My hat ended up being pretty snug and about an inch too short (guess I didn't do something right with my measurements), so I cut off what was left of the hem on the sweater and added it to the hem of my hat using a zig-zag stitch. The X detail is to sort of cover up my goof. :)
Can't wait to wear them on my date!

Christmas crafts and decorations

2010-12-19T17:20:00.009-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we had two parties at church. I was in charge of the centerpieces for the parties and since our budget was pretty tight for both, I had to find inexpensive ways to make the tables pretty. Along with the help of several other ladies who provided centerpieces, we were able to make the round plastic folding tables in the church gym look more festive.

Here are some of the centerpieces I came up with.

Do you know how awesome dollar stores can be? I love our local Dollar Tree. They have these tall glass hurricanes which were easy to dress up. For the middle hurricane I punched a snowflake pattern in some red card stock with my Japanese hole punch.

Since music was a big part of the program for both parties, I used sheet music for several of the centerpieces. This one was the easiest.

Joann had their Christmas ribbon 60% off recently, so I picked up a few rolls of this lovely music print wired ribbon for less than $2 each.

I made a sleeve out of the ribbon for this hurricane.

Each one got a flameless LED candle (also found at The Dollar Tree) for a little ambiance, since real flames aren't allowed in the church building.

This little sleigh was a clearance purchase at a craft store a few years ago, so I added a few "presents".
I wrapped some blocks in craft paper and tied them with ribbon or string.

The Bargain Center always produces interesting finds, including this wreath on a wooden stand. I wove some ribbon through the front and back and along the outside.
The glittery reindeer ornament came in a set of 2 from The Dollar Tree.

I found this rusty pitcher at a local thrift store and just filled it with some silk poinsettias that I already had and attached jingle bells (also from The Dollar Tree) for some extra detail.

This weather-worn lantern came from the Bargain Center as well. It had apparently been used outside, but all I had to do was clean it up, scrape the wax out and add a little LED tealight inside. I love how rusty and battered it looks

Target had these mini trees in their Dollar Spot so I picked up 3 and just had fun decorating them. This one got some mini bulbs (also from Target's Dollar Spot), a pom-pom garland from The Dollar Tree and a little banner that I made.

The white tree is my favorite. The mini star came from Michael's...

...and I made a banner for this one, too. (It says "rejoice", in case you can't tell.)

I made the garland from string and faux pearl beads, ornaments from thread and mother-of-pearl buttons, and tiny curly-cues from strips of sheet music.

Finally, another pom-pom garland...

... some button ornaments and a "peace" banner with a button star on top.

I got kind of carried away with trees while I was working on these projects.

The mercury glass tree on the left was a Bargain Center find, and the one on the right was an old book that I cut the cover off of, trimmed down with my Exacto knife, curled it into a cone and secured it with a paperclip. The wire star is my lame attempt to make something from only what I had on hand.

Another tree! This white ruffly one is just a Styrofoam cone covered in folded coffee filters.

Okay, I guess that's all of the centerpieces I took pictures of. Now I can show you a little of the Christmas decorations I've put out lately. I've tried to keep it minimal since we're gearing up for a move at the end of the month. But there are a few pretty things here and there.

I came across this beautiful vintage sled at the consignment store when I was dropping some things off.

Isn't it cool?!

There's no telling how old it actually is, but I love how weathered it is and the fact that the decals are still visible.

Meet Rudy. He's our helper elf that Santa sent to keep an eye on our kids. He decided to hang out on the sled the day I took these photos. Isn't he cute?
This "rejoice" banner is similar to the "boo" banner I made for Halloween.

How cute is this little wooden family of deer? Also a Bargain Center find!

My mirror got swagged with some faux greenery and these pretty bulbs that I found at a thrift store the other day.

My apothecary jars are filled with mini pinecones and tiny gold bulbs.

This is as much of a nativity set as I have- just the wise men and Mary with Baby Jesus...

... but at least I have the most important One.
Merry Christmas!

Christmas Tree 2010

2010-12-09T14:44:00.010-07:00

Once again, I've been gone too long. Things around here have only gotten crazier since I last posted, so I've been forced to neglect this little blog of mine. But don't think I haven't been crafting! Ohhhh, have I been CRAFTING. One of these days (if the sun ever comes out again) I'll take some photos of what I've been doing. LOTS of Christmas stuff has been springing from my desk. For right now, though, I'd like to share our Christmas tree with you.

First, let's have a look at last year's woodland-themed tree.

This year's tree is quite different.

Silver and white is big right now, so I thought I'd jump on the trend. I also added touches of gold to warm it up a bit.

I bought a few new things, like the sparkly branches, the ribbon and these glittery birds.

Joann has a lot of their floral items at 50-60% off, so I got a few of these feather and tiny bell picks for $1 each.

These clear plastic ball ornaments were from Michael's (also 50% off) and the glittery snowflakes came from Joann for around a quarter apiece.

I can't find a box with a lot of my ornaments in it, which includes my sentimental ones. So the tree this year is missing some of its usual nostalgia. But I did manage to find a few ornaments that make me smile, including this one painted by my husband for our very first Christmas together ten years ago.

And of course there are the photo ornaments that I adore.

Remember this one?

At first it looks like our tree has no star, but it's nestled up there among the highest branches.

I didn't have a tree skirt to go with my color scheme, so I had to come up with something easy and cheap to cover up this monstrosity.

This tree turned out to be REALLY heavy and while we were trying to stand it up it fell over (before decorating, thank goodness) and bent one of the screws in the base. Long story short, we got the base on as straight and tight as we could, then I chopped up a chair to raise it (last year we used my wreath box) so there'd be room for the presents, and then used some cardboard to tilt the whole thing so it'd stand up straight.

Anyway, back to the skirt. Here's what I came up with.

I bought a couple packages of this cotton craft batting at Joann (40% off with a coupon) and after doing some measuring I started cutting out my scalloped pieces.

I just butted the edges of each piece against one another then zig-zagged them together.

I zig-zagged along the top for added stability then attached ribbon to either end to tie it onto the tree base. EASY.

While I do miss my childhood ornaments and the other sentimental ones that are usually present each year, I really like how the tree turned out. It's sparkly.

Halloween this year

2010-11-09T20:02:00.010-07:00

My goodness, I've been gone for a while! I took a break from furniture and decor for a few weeks and spent my time working on Halloween costumes and other projects. Then last week my husband and I took a trip to Hawaii for some much needed R & R. I should have posted these before we left, but we left the morning after we celebrated Halloween so there just wasn't a whole heckuva lot of time, ya know?

Anyway, just thought I'd share my family's Halloween costumes for this year.

My seven-year-old decided months ago that she wanted to be Michael Jackson for Halloween.
Here's our inspiration photo:

Not bad, huh? The shoes, jacket and pants were thrift store finds, with the jacket and pants getting some alterations. The hat and wig were store-bought (also with some alterations) and the glittery glove, arm band and socks were hand made.

The 4-year-old took longer to decide on his costume, but eventually we coaxed him into being a Jedi by purchasing a brand new light-up light saber. Apparently there's no such thing as a child-sized Jedi costume pattern, or even anything similar, so I just winged it using this photo as a reference.

I have to say, I'm pretty proud of this one. I had no patterns, just a measuring tape and pins to figure out how to make it all work. I wish you could see the tunic and sash better. They were made from an old sheet and the "boots" were made out of some left over leather I had from my shoe-making days. The leather belt was a Bargain Center find and the hood took a yard or so of flannel.

This sweet ewok hasn't gotten to wear a new costume yet, but how can I not reuse the ones that I've worked so hard on in the past?

This was just a bear costume made from a pattern, then the hood got made up using a photo like this one in hopes that it'd end up being recognizable.

Just for fun, here's the 4-year-old wearing it for the first time at 18 months, about the same age his baby brother is now.

I decided at the last minute to dress up after I saw this photo in Martha Stewart Magazine's Halloween edition.

Then I found this make-up idea online and just put the two together.

Afterwards I felt a little bad that I looked so creepy. The really little kids didn't want to come very close, even if I did have candy!
Maybe next year I should be Mary Poppins or something like that instead.

Hope you all had a fantastic Halloween!

Kitchen items for my hallway

2010-10-14T12:39:00.007-06:00

Recently I decided to change up my front entry just a little. The best "before" photo I could find was this one.

The entry is very small, so we used a tall, narrow cabinet with lots of drawers and two doors to hold things like change, gum, keys, tissues, etc.- things you'd want to grab as you're heading out the door.

Above that is a big mirror, and on the floor beside the cabinet was a nice big lidded basket where we keep our gloves and hats. The kids would plop their backpacks down on top of the basket (which was fine) but they had a hard time getting jackets down from the hangers inside the coat closet, and you can forget about ever getting them hung up again.

I recently acquired a little cupboard from my friend that I wanted to use instead of the multi-drawer cabinet. The new cupboard couldn't go underneath the mirror, so when I made that switch it left me with a big empty space on that wall. It didn't take me long to decide what to put there.

I visited my local Restore and picked up a nice wooden kitchen cabinet door for $5.

I also still had lots of silver utensils left from the stash that I scored at a thrift store a while ago. Do you see where this is headed?

The door got painted Heirloom White and really distressed, then I used my clamp to help me bend the handles of 5 spoons.

I played around with how I wanted to arrange the spoons on the door...

... and once I decided I put a dab of Gorilla Glue behind each one then screwed them in place.

On each side of the board I drilled a hole then used a spade bit to drill about 1/4" deep.

Some anchors, screws and wooden buttons got the whole thing mounted below the mirror firmly.

Coats, backpacks, hoodies- they all have a place now that's within easy reach of my little ones.

Here's my entryway. I love my new little coat hooks! The cupboard got a face lift with some sanding and a whitewash, and for now it's just got some loops of frayed fabric for pulls until I can find the right knobs for it. But I'm in no hurry.

I'm linking up to Wendy's party at The Shabby Nest!