Retro Dresser Redo {a sneak peek}

This week I’ve been working on my first client project. I’m really excited! The client is my mother and the piece is an old dresser she’s had for longer then me :)

She wanted it Mint Green and antiqued.

I made the paint color myself. Turns out I had some teal left over from my TV Stand project and I just bought a gallon of mistinted Vintage White paint at Wal-Mart for $3.88. I love how my homemade chalk paint worked on my dresser redo so I decided to use my Plaster of Paris in the mix too.

I don’t think the Mint Green could’ve gotten much better. It’s perfect :)

I almost didn’t want to distress it for fear I would ruin the perfect color. lol. I spent awhile deciding if I was going to use a sander, my wood stain, or both for the distressing. I opted for sanding.

Then came the decision regarding the knobs. I got the impression that my mom wanted to stay with the original knobs. I personally would’ve went with something white or clear. This is what I came up with…

Distressed to match the rest of the dresser.

You’ll have to wait until this weekend to get the full scope…

Oh…and another one of my victims of the mint green…

I’ve been wanting to paint this ladder and it was sitting right there…it’s really cute now and will be a plant stand soon enough :)

Happy Thursday!

Entry Stand Gets Makeover

Last night I swear I got super busy with the paint! Anything in the way got a coat of it. Ever have one of those days? My opinion is that when I take the time to get my paint and supplies out…I might as well go all out :) Here’s just one of my victims…

The before picture is not the greatest – sorry! At least I have one…I should be proud of that…

I just splashed paint all over {pretty randomly} and called it a day :) It took me all of 5 minutes I think. I’m still deciding if I like it. Maybe not…but the little stand didn’t cost me anything so not a biggy.

The paint color is what I am using on another (large furniture) project I will be revealing soon. It’s my own take on mint green chalk paint. Love the way it applies. If you want to know how I make my chalk paint, you can read about that here.

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Picture Frame Makeover

Last night I finally tackled the frame I’ve been intending to makeover. It’s just a frame…didn’t take that long…and you would think I would’ve gotten to it a lot sooner. 

I picked this up at the Salvation Army for $1.49. I’m not sure why they price all of their stuff that way. Maybe $1.50 seemed to high? lol.

It was black. I tried to spray paint it at one point and it did NOT apply well. But after some Mod Podge and a few dictionary pages….

…it was well on it’s way to being my favorite piece of the week :) I had actually intended to keep the picture out and just hang the frame, but the picture won.

Now that was a cheap and easy makeover.

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Dear Santa…

I was thinking it might be a good idea to write Santa a Christmas list this year. Just in case he was wondering about all the cool things I reeeeally need want ;) Do any of you have a Christmas list?

{Source: Make Her Up}

haha…no that’s not my list. But I thought it was pretty cute. I’ve gone through the list in my head a few times…and all the stuff I reeeeally want is reeeeally expensive {for my budget anyhow}. Maybe that’s why the stuff is on the list…?? hmm…

I think everyone in our home would benefit from my having a sewing machine. No more holes in pants, no more pants that are six inches longer then everyone. We’d all be much comfier due to the large quantity of throw pillows lying around – not to mention blankets, scarves, and maybe even a slipcover for that ugly chair in the living room. Just saying :)

Oh yes…she is the one :) Have you ever seen such beauty? With a camera like this, all of my blogger friends would have such prettier pictures to look at when they read my blog. Isn’t that reason enough?

I’d like one of these car chargers for my phone that also plays music. I am sooo sick of constantly making CD’s and then trying to figure out what is what in my disk changer in the car. This would make my life waaay easier :)

I do need a glue gun. Serious. Mine has died and I have about six thousand projects in mind that require this one tool. I guess you get what you pay for right? At $6 and lasting what…3 years…I guess I got my moneys worth.    

What are some things you have on your list this year?

My Favorite Christmas Ideas {and Christmas Tree Reveal}

I wish I had the time to create all the wonderful Christmas ornaments and other decor I am seeing all over the blogosphere. Some of the ideas I’m seeing are amazing. While I was blog stalking the other day I thought I would gather up some of my favs and share them with all of you :) How lucky are you right?! Keep in mind that my main focus is DYI on the CHEAP. It doesn’t get any better than that right?

First up. I just HAD to show you these cute window hanging ornaments Connie @ Salvage Savvy whipped up.

Check it out here. Too cute and the cost is almost non existent if you already have the ornaments and ribbon.

I almost didn’t know what to do with myself when I came across Aimee’s knockoff Anthro Snow Globes.

One word….WOW. These really give me that warm Christmas feeling :) Now all I need is a nice hot cup of hot coco and A Christmas Story :)

And while Easter is out, that doesn’t mean we can’t use the eggs for Christmas. What a cute little idea Heather at DYI Kinda Girl. I LOVE anything made with book pages.

We can’t forget the wreath. And yes…a book page wreath melts my heart but this…holy smokes is it adorable!

Thanks to Kristen at My Covered Bridge for sharing her lovely wreath with us :)

Now when I first saw these little lolly ornies…I was confused because I didn’t think it was very Christmassy. Boy was I wrong. I would love to cover my entire Christmas tree with them! And thanks to Evie at Brown Paper Packages, I can do so if I please!

Last but not least…we can not forget the tree skirt –DYI style. I’ve seen a few different flavors 

but this one was eye pleasing to me.

 

Go ahead on over and check it out at Simply Chick Treasures for the full scoop. What do you think? Cute huh?

So I didn’t exactly decorate this year with plans on revealing to the world. But it wouldn’t be right not to! Here’s the tree…

It’s real :) And it smells good :) We had plans this year to trek out into the wilderness to find this tree. But the only day we cut out for getting it had nothing but rain in the forecast. It was not a nice day. We still wanted a real tree but didn’t want to be out in the rain cutting one. So we went to the local mall and picked this one that had already been cut.

It was a mess bringing into the house…all wet and a little muddy from the back of the truck. We had to get it set up and then let it sit for a couple hours to dry. I’m not going to lie, it smelled like really bad pee when it was wet. I was a little nervous it was going to continue to smell so bad. But once it dried it was all good.

We had a huge issue with our star. It was too heavy for this tree and kept falling over. So I made this tree topper using book pages. Cute and free :)

It fits perfect and sort of polishes the book page look off a bit more (read about the book page ornaments here.)

So there are my Christmas favs and my tree. I can’t wait until all the presents are under it :)

DIY Chalk Painted Dresser

Last weekend I refinished a dresser in chalk paint -- DIY Chalk Paint. The entire experience was actually pretty laid back….and I am excited to do my next dresser using this same DIY Chalk Paint!

I had never actually used real chalk paint but I heard it’s amazing. Only problem is that you can’t buy it just any old place and there isn’t a dealer close to me. Not to mention the stuff doesn’t exactly fit into my thrifty budget. So I sought out the next best thing.

Making my own.

I used the recipe Sharon used over at Elizabeth and Co. 

What you’ll need is:

- Plaster of Paris (found at Home Depot: $7 for 3lb).

- Paint of your choice (I used Martha Stewart: $10).

- A bucket of some sort to mix them (I used an old gallon ice cream bucket: $0).

- A paint stick for mixing (get at Home Depot while you are getting the plaster and paint: $0).

 The recipe calls for one part Plaster of Paris to two parts paint. I actually just eyeballed the measurements…like I do when I make pancakes :)  The paint becomes thicker and gritty. Perfecto!

Then we have the dresser…I picked it up over the summer and paid a whopping $15.

No kidding.

I love dressers like these. They look really nice painted.

It’s actually in pretty good condition other then the dust graffiti all over the top.

I simply took the drawers out, took the hardware off, wiped all the surfaces down with a damp cloth and then got to painting. There was no sanding or priming involved.

That’s the beauty of chalk paint. Love it.

I applied two coats of paint. It went on really smooth. The drying time is considerably less then with regular paint so I was able to do the second coat right after I finished the first coat. Then I let it sit overnight.

The next morning I got my sandpaper out and started in on distressing. If you don’t want to ruin your hands or if you don't have an electric sander, you could use a damp cloth and wipe your way to a distressed look.

Once the distressing was finished I applied a coat of poly. I just did one coat and let that dry the rest of the day.

Doesn't the hardware look great? It's just two coats of brushed bronze spray paint. And it looks amazing.

I’m really liking in love with the finished product! It doesn’t even look like the same dresser.

What a huge difference some paint and a weekend can make….

What do you think? I have to say that I will be using more homemade chalk paint in some upcoming projects. I absolutely love this stuff!

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I Heart Nap Time 
CRAFT

Craigslist Tip {and the lamp purchase}

I recently had my first Craigslist oopsie {if that’s what you want to call it}. I like to stalk Craigslist daily. I do so just in case I find the perfect…something for super cheap. Generally furniture. A couple of weeks ago I found a decent set of lamps for $15. I figured…for that price I couldn’t lose. I’ve been wanting some lamps to go with my living room redo {check that original post out here.} I actually ended up getting the pair for $10!! Can you believe it?? Have you looked at lamp prices lately??? For $10 if they don’t work out…not a huge deal.

Now just because I stalk Craigslist daily doesn’t mean I know what the heck I am doing when it comes to making a transaction.

I’ll show you what the picture looked like in the listing…

Not too bad huh? Nothing out of the ordinary…just old.

The wooden base was what sold me. I can do a lot with that…AND they would be perfect for my TV stand…on each side of my TV.

When I went to pick them up, the lady got out of her SUV carrying something that was half the size of her. After a second glance I realized it wasn’t her child it was the lamp…only one might I add. My first words were, “wow those are really big”. But I decided to continue with the transaction because I could still use them…AND they were only $10.

I had to put one in my trunk and the other in my back seat. Both would not fit in either spot together.  I laughed the whole way home at the thought of what D would say when I walked in the door with them. They will for sure NOT be going on the TV stand as they will not fit together. 

Plan B is in order.

So….note to self {and any Craigslist beginners} for future Craigslist purchases. ASK for dimensions!!! Let that be a lesson to me…

Now to find the perfect fabric for the lamp shade and the right paint for the base. I’m sort of leaning towards this look….

Kimba at A Soft Place To Land did a great job with this lamp! You can read all about that here. I love it.

I also love this lamp by Anthropologie…

In general, it looks like I’m drawn to white and brown :) This will be my first lamp redo so wish me luck :) And if any of you seasoned crafters have any tips…please share!

Pre-Christmas Tree Reveal {with book page ornaments}

I just can’t wait to do a complete reveal of my tree. Unfortunately my house has been a disaster and not quite picture ready. So this pre-reveal will have to do :)

My theme this year is the more vintage book page look. I didn’t go ALL out on the vintage part…but I was really busy last weekend making these cute ornaments….

Once I finished the first one…I was addicted. They look so professional {and vintage}. Not to mention they are super easy to do. I used pages from a small paperback dictionary I was forced had to buy the first year of college. I've been thinking about tossing it but I’m soooo glad I didn't!

I’m thinking about giving them as gifts {that’s how much I adore them!!}…I just need to figure out a {handmade} way of wrapping them to match their awesomeness :)

What do you think about them on the tree??

 

Love.Love.Love!!! OH…and here’s a sneak peak of the “others” I made…

I also ended up having to make my own tree topper. Our star we bought last year was a wee bit to heavy for this years tree. BUT the one I made looks better AND matches my book page ornaments! Can’t wait to show you :)

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