Red Painted (and Stained) Dresser Redo

This cute red painted dresser wasn't always so pretty. In fact, she was really scary when we picked her up (for only $15 through craigslist.) You can read about that thrifty day here.  I will spare you the gory details today but think lots of cob webs and a bad odor.

Right away I knew her home was going to be in my living room, underneath my TV :)

At first, there was some flack about whether or not this was going to be the best choice of color for the space.  Butttt....it looks really nice and I'm glad I kept with my vision for the piece!

How did I do this transformation? Keep reading to find out!!!

I had a small pot of red paint I wanted to use but I knew it wouldn't be quite enough.  So I mixed a tad of white paint with it.  Of course what we have here is a pink dresser.  Now THAT would have been a bad choice for my living room :)

But once she was dry, I took a rag and some wood stain and got down to business turning that pink into a deep rustic look.  This part is pretty fun and not as near as hard as distressing with sandpaper.  Can you tell the difference after the stain? 

Here is what I used.

Just a bunch of old paint and stain I had laying around.  I'm pretty happy this stuff is getting used up.  I think I've been storing it for two years! 

The Mr worked his carpentry magic and made some shelves for the two drawers I was taking out.  This stuff is pretty cheap at your local Menards or Home Depot.

He also drilled out the holes for my new hardware. Without this guy I would get nowhere with my furniture projects...no joke!

And....here is my new TV stand.  I absolutely love this thing. There is a ton of space to store DVDs, remotes, and other electronic accessories.  

The hardware was purchased at Hobby Lobby -- and the most expensive part of this project.  Totally worth it though.

Stay tuned for a future post on what I did with the two drawers I removed :) 

Linking to these parties....
Funky Junk Interiors
It's Overflowing
Savvy Southern Style
The Crafty Blog Stalker
Live Laugh Rowe

The Shabby Creek Cottage

Miss Mustard Seed

French Country Cottage

Nifty Thrifty Things

Three Mango Seeds

Half Done Projects...

Half done projects are all over my house.  And lately, it has become harder and harder to get to any of them.  I have so much stuff to blog about and sell....once I COMPLETE some projects.  It has been frustrating!  And I realized that about 75% of my problem is organization.  Not that I can't keep myself organized but when you so much you want to do and so much you NEED to do....sometimes things like cleaning and organization take a back-burner.  

So I set out and made myself a weekly cleaning schedule. It has been working wonderfully!  I keep it on my Google Drive so I can look at it wherever I'm at.  And while I've been cleaning...I've noticed that keeping everything organized is pretty important to keeping stress levels down at home.  And having clean work-spaces totally makes using them more inviting.  I actually WANT to get some crafting down with my clean and organized spaces!

But anyhow....back to half done projects.  I wanted to share with you my two work spaces...and what they look like now that I started organizing them....

Here is my craft room.  Obviously this space is not finished and yes it's messy. But you should have seen the BEFORE picture.  I couldn't' even get in there.  This is major progress and I am so excited it's starting to come along. 

And I am in-love with my new shelves!! They just went up this morning!!  The color was a bit random (ASCP) and I only did one light coat of paint on them.  But I love them.  The little table is my latest find.  I can't decide if I want to paint it white or black.  What do you think?? 

Then there is my outside work-space......

This one was about as bad as the craft room.  Only there were much larger items scattered all over the place.  There was no organization here either.  But the Mr whipped out his tool-belt and turned our old closet doors into work benches for me.  How sweet was that??? Of course everything is going to be painted...but now that the weather is cooler that might have to wait till next year.  

I can't wait to get these spaces finished so I can show you the befores and afters.

Linking To These Parties...
The Shabby Creek Cottage

DIY Fall Pumpkin Roundup

It has been hard not to notice all of the DIY pumpkins out there while looking for fall decorating ideas on Pinterest.  Pumpkins are not just for Halloween...they are the perfect fall decorating piece! And they don't have to be real pumpkins.  DIY pumpkins can be cheap and easy to make.  Plus, when you make them, they last for years to come. 

If you are thinking about trying your hand at DIY pumpkins this fall, keep reading!

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TGIF Link Party #14 - I'm CO-HOSTING!

Hey everyone, today I'm co-hosting the TGIF Link Party with some cool ladies from Living Better Together & I Want Crazy!  :))

Be sure to stop over to their blogs and give them some love! 

Party starts at 8PM EST so be sure to link up then!!

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Welcome to the TGIF Link Party at 
Living Better Together and I Want Crazy!

This week we're hosting a giveaway to win SIGNED copies of the first two books in the Open Window Series by up and coming author Courtney Harvey!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Meet Your Hosts!


Rebecca from Living Better Together

(Facebook/Pinterest/Google+/Twitter/Bloglovin'/Instagram)

This week on Living Better Together:

A Family Buffet

Fall Reading List & Giveaway

Kat from I Want Crazy 

(Facebook/Google+/Pinterest/Twitter/Bloglovin')

This week on I Want Crazy:

Homemade Cajun Spice Rub

The Best Buffalo Chicken Dip

We're also excited to introduce our fabulous co-hosts for this week:


Cathy from A Peek Into My Paradise

(Facebook/Pinterest/Twitter/Google+/Bloglovin')

Jessica from The Junk Nest

(Facebook/Pinterest/Instagram/Google+/Bloglovin')

If you are interested in co-hosting, email Rebecca at fickrj5@gmail.com. Share this party with your friends, and don't forget to make some new ones while you're here! We all love making new friends, don't we?

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Features:

Fall Recipe Roundup: 

We had so many amazing fall recipes linked up last week that we've decided to round them up and feature them all! It's too hard to choose when you tempt us like that, fall flavors are the best!

1. Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes by We Do Fun Here

2. Mini Apple Turnovers by Shop Girl

3. Classic Apple Strudel by Shop Girl

4. Coconut Almond Cream Cake by Blahnik baker

5. Caramel Apple Peanut Butter Paradise by Jazzy Gourmet

6. Mocha Whoopie Pies by Tastes of Lizzy T

7. Caramel Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bars by Tastes of Lizzy T

8. Pumpkin Crumble Cake by Living Better Together

9. Starbucks Pumpkin Pound Cake by The First Year Blog

10. Vegan Oatmeal Apple Muffins by Delectably Domestic

11. Healthy Pumpkin Muffins by The Random Crafter

12. Pumpkin Cream Pies by Gal on a Mission

13. Apple Dumplings by Budget Girl

14. Caramel Pear Cobbler Bars by Kleinworth & Co.

15. Caramel Pear Turnovers by Kleinworth & Co. 

16. Best Pumpkin Bread Ever by She Turned Her Dreams into Plans

17. Fresh Apple Dump Cake by My Biscuits are Burning

18. Apple Pumpkin Muffins by Joyful Healthy Eats

19. Sweet Potato Whoopie Pies by Baking a Moment

20. Apple Pie Spice Mix by Gal on a Mission

Most Viewed:

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins by The First Year Blog. Man, these muffins are packed with flavor! They look so chewy and delicious, no wonder they we're the most viewed link last week!

Rebecca's Favorites:

The Easiest Pretzel Bites by I Want Crazy. Oh my goodness, soft bites coated in butter and salt, I'm in love! These look so good and I am definitely going to have to make them soon!

How to Design Custom Business Cards by Essentially Eclectic. This post makes me so excited to get working on my own cards for the blog! Photoshop is definitely on my Christmas List for this year! Gabby's cards came out awesome don't you think?

Kat's Favorites!

No Bake PB & Banana Oat Energy Bars by The Best Blog Recipes. I love anything no bake and on top of that they are super healthy. Even though these are healthy, they still look like they'd be so filling and sweet. These can be so versatile too, you can do coconut, nuts, or even chocolate chips.

Fall Fabric Wreath by This Silly Girl's Life. This wreath looks amazing! I love the pattern of the fabric and the fall theme. I am not much of a DIYer but this looks so good that I'm going to have to give it a try. 

Grab a feature button!

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Link up your recipes, projects, tips and tricks, etc. Each week we'll be featuring some great posts from the previous week, so be sure to check back to see if you were featured and to link up again! 
The party will run from 8:00 pm EST on Thursdays until 8:00 pm EST on Sunday.
Rules:

1. Please follow your hosts and co-hosts in some way! Let us know you did and we'll follow back!

2. If you'd like, grab the party button and tell your friends!

<center> <a href=”http://www.livingbettertogether.com/“><img border=”0″ src=”<a href="<a href="http://s1273.photobucket.com/user/fickrj5/media/TGIF_zps40a588c0.png.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1273.photobucket.com/albums/y405/fickrj5/linkpartybutton2_zps5239d45c.png" border="0" alt=" photo TGIF_zps40a588c0.png"/></a></a></a></a></center>

3. No Giveaways, Etsy Shops, or Link Parties please.

4. Please link to a specific post, not your homepage.

5. Get inspired! Visit other links! Spread the word! It is a party after all!

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Get ready to party!

We'll be pinning all of your links to our TGIF Link Party Board on Pinterest to share with our followers!

By linking up with us you are allowing us to use your post to promote the TGIF Link Party and may also be featured on our blogs at the following TGIF Link Party or during a round-up!

Summer Project Recap

I don't know about you, but these cold and chilly days that are starting to hit us can take a hike! I just hate being cold! Plus, I'm being reminded that in just a few short days, summer will be long gone. Boo.

Since those long days of summer are about to come to an end, I thought I would recap on some of the projects that went on around here throughout the summer.  And just in case you missed any of them, now is your chance to get caught up!

Something about going back and seeing all the fun projects from summer really makes me wish it wasn't over.  But I'm also smiling at the memories of each and every one. 

DIY Wedding - Flower Peek 

Messy Yellow Desk

Another Dresser Redo: I Call Her Black Beauty

Transforming a Soup Jar Into Decorative Storage

Who knows, maybe the fall project recap will make me smile to ;)

Linking to these parties...

Elizabeth & Co.

Live Laugh Rowe

Sumo's Sweet Stuff

CRAFT

Coastal Charm

3 Best Places To Thrift

In my experience, there are only three different types of places to consider when going thrifting. If you read my Places To Go Online Thrifting, you'll not be surprised when I say that online thrifting is number one! Who wouldn't want to shop in the comfort of their own home? But where do you go after you've finished online??? Keep reading! 

1) Craigslist.org - hands down this online classified haven is the main place I go for the furniture I pick up. And because I specialize in redoing and repurposing furniture, I'm on craigslist A LOT.

2) Goodwill/Salvation Army - I place these guys number two because they are my #2 go-to for junk.  The good news?  They ALWAYS have inventory and their prices are awesome most of the time. I love that I can go into either one and always find SOMETHING I want to take home and repurpose. 

3) Garage Sales - Garage sales are the best! The only issue with them is that you never know when they are or what the inventory is really going to look like. But the prices are usually CHEAP. People are just trying to get rid of everything they don't want. I love going to garage sales. I save these for after I've hit up the other two. It never hurts!

And those are the 3 best places I use for my thrifting addiction! I've never been to an estate sale or auction. I have heard both good and bad about them. Personally, I think I would rather spend my time online at craigslist, or get in my car and go to Goodwill, The Salvation Army, and then hit up a couple garage sales on my way back. But that's just me :)

A Week In Pictures With The Junk Nest

This week, as with every week, was filled with the usual's. Work, family, and projects.  I seem to be getting a bit of a routine down that includes The Junk Nest and all of it's projects.  Thank goodness for that...because I'm planning on my first tag sale in the upcoming months! ---- More on that later!

So I was able to create some great things from scratch, find some thrifties, and even redo a thrifty dresser. All in a week...whew! 

My favorite would be this little dictionary page wreath. I know paper wreaths have been around the blogosphere for a long time. But I still love the way these look. I'm going to make a bunch more for the sale and for my home!

I worked on some bottle cap magnets. Seventy-One to be exact! 

I picked this little desk up at my local Salvation Army. It's in good condition. Just needs The Junk Nest touch! I think I'll start on this one this coming week.

And then of course, there was the thrifty dresser redo. (Excuse the garage mess, I tend to get a little messy when I create [I'm even worse when I cook in the kitchen]).  Stay tuned for a full post on this little pink gal! She really cleaned up nice...and the pink really wasn't so bad.

Hope you all are having a great week! 

xoxoxo

Jessica

Linking to these parties
VMG 206

Knock-Off Shower Cleaning Tip

I realize this has nothing to do with furniture...or crafting...or anything. BUT it is DIY and it is probably the best thing ever when it comes to keeping your shower clean. I can't remember where I found this idea, but I have used it religiously ever since. It works!

Things Needed:

Scrubber (with handle that holds the liquid)

Dish Soap (any kind)

Vinegar (distilled white)

Just mix the dish soap and vinegar 50/50. Shake, and you are ready to clean!

The reason this is soo cool is because you can keep it in your shower and use it while you are in there! If you are like me, you hate cleaning your bathroom altogether. Finding the time to do it all in one sitting can be frustrating. So now I clean the shower walls and inside curtain while I'm showering. It's very quick and the solution really takes off the soup scum.

A Must-Have Craft Room Storage Piece

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you know I've mentioned once or twice that my craft room is a huge sight for sore eyes.  When we were renting our last place, we didn't have a third bedroom for my craft stuff. All I had was a desk that was literally out in the middle of our living room.  Now I have a dedicated space for my crafty things and I have absolutely NO storage for the room. Everything is everywhere and it drives me nuts. Bottom line is, I need to get some storage and organization.

This card catalog from One Dog Woof's blog....is the perfect storage piece for any crafter!

Check this out...

Maybe it's the colorful items in the drawers....but this has really gotten my attention! Makes me want to go get organized ASAP! One day...I will show you a before and after of my craft room. Just not anytime soon!