Going Away!

Hey All!

Just wanted to let you guys know that I am heading on vacation (quite literally as I type we are about to walk out the door ;^).... I didn't want you to think I forgot about blogging! I have tonnssss of projects waiting for me to show you ;^) I will be heading to good ol' Missouri to visit family, and do some major relaxing and fishing! And where I am headed there is nooo internet. Yay! Really relaxing! So thanks for stopping by I will be back next Thursday! Have a great week!!!




(Have I mentioned this is our first vacation in THREE YEARS?!?!?!?!!?)

DIY Valences

(anyone else having trouble with their blog, I wrote this entire post in my blog writer and it won't publish......arghhh! But I love you so I'll re-do it)


Okay, so as I am working on my entry way I figured it was time to introduce you to my favorite room in the house, the living room!!!

When we first bought the house what sold us were the AMAZING windows! We loved them so much I was afraid to cover them with anything so this is how they remained,



Aww, (yeah that’s popcorn on the ceiling you love it don’t lie *gag*)

But as you become more comfortable in a space you pick the little things apart, well at least I do ;^) (Ask the hubby he will tell you). So this is the one project I do not have a cost total for you, but I will try and pry to find out, I asked for the supplies for my birthday from my mom (aww thanks mom).

So we made valences! Here is the after!



It’s a bit discolored in this pic, I had to edit a bit because it is so hard to get a natural light picture with all of the light pouring in!!!


This picture below is the most true to color. We used upholstery nails on either side to add some interest and break up the length of the valence.





The sheers were$5.00 a piece at Big Lots! (Woo-hoo) I chose an off white to compliment my yellow walls.

I also have a matching valence in my dinning room and kitchen! (It is an open concept floor plan so they are all open into one huge room). SO what do you think? Like??? They add so much more warmth to the space! <3

So if you would like I will draw up a tutorial on how I made the valences? It will be ready in a couple of days, stay tuned!!!target="_blank">

Coat Rack Transformation

ONE MANS TRASH……(equals my next craft project)

I took this phrase literally today as I was driving. For my part time job I work for my old boss (I use to sell manufactured homes) driving around different areas and mailing out fliers to homes that are for sale by owner…. Well this job pays off even more when it’s garbage day!

Long story short we are re-doing our entry way (why do I say we? Me, I am redoing the entry way ;^). And I had bought a small wall mounted coat wrack at a garage sale for .75 cents, but it was only about a foot long and the scale wasn’t right, but it did have awesome door knobs for the hangers so I kept it.

And today I found a compromise!

 

She was just sitting there all tall and statuesque. I know, I know, she already matches my trim color… But that’s no fun! So I grabbed a can of Rustoleum 2x spray coverage in Navajo White (luvvvv this stuff), gave her a light sanding (I broke the rules and didn’t prime) and then 3 coats. I followed this by using a damp rag to rub on an acrylic antique glaze, the same kind I used for my decorative wall shelves, and my Easter dress picture frame. I find it is easier to manipulate if you put a glob on then rub it with a damp cloth, you can always wipe it off or add more later to change the look if need be.

And for the compromise portion, my hubby loved the wall mounted coat rack I mentioned above that was to tiny, so I used the knobs instead of a dowel for the coat arms!!! Wait wait, let me be truthful, I had bought a dowel at HD but couldn’t cut it until hubby came home, so I grew impatient and found a solution ;^) Hey for once my impatience has paid off!!!! ;^)

Attached with double sided screws and some wood glue.

A close up of the finish!

So what do you think? Now I am uber excited to get rolling on this entry way redo.

Project Cost:

Coat Rack: Free courtesy of Garbage Picking

Rustoleum in Navajo White: $2.74 (on sale at HD)

Antique Glaze: Free (already had)

Knobs from original wall mounted coat rack: .75 cents

Double Sided Screws: Had from rocking horse Project

Total: $3.49 (not including tax on the spray paint if you want to get picky ;^)

So for under 4 bux?!?!?! I’ll take it!

Rocking Horse Re-do COMPLETE!

  IT’S FINALLY DONE! okay okay, so I’ll admit it was actually done a week and a a half ago (slap on the wrist), but we threw my daughters second birthday so things got a little crazy…. Ready for the awesome before and afters?

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Aww isn’t he beautiful! I am so excited! And couldn’t be happier with the original $8.00 purchase. The finishing touches included the hair, which is a mop that I dyed using RIT (color tan). Inserting the hair was actually the hardest part, a lot of tucking, tacking and hot gluing.  The handle is actually two table legs painted with some acrylic paint and then sprayed with a pearl glaze that I used on the body of the horse. And the saddle is accented with some upholstery nails. If you have any questions just let me know!!! And the fun part, some more pics!

 

The original seal came through when I sanded and re-stained it! How cool!!!!And the ultimate test! The birthday girl is in love, she rocks-n-rolls on her new horsy!!!!! I hope she will enjoy him and maybe even pass it on to her babies!!!! Hope you enjoyed the transformation!!!

Ottoman Redo!

(Ready for a lengthy post? Don’t worry there are tons of pics ;^)

Hey! So it’s time to share what I got for mother’s day:

Hey now, don’t judge, she has good cushions (and I asked for her) and she was only 20 bux on craigslist! Score! The fact that the cushions (under the hideous fabric) are in such great shape was huge for me because foam is uber expensive.

First things first I ripped her apart, and man all of those staples!

The fabric I got to cover her was a red micro-suede and I bought (3 or 4 I can’t remember) yards for 12 bux and have a tonnnn left over! Can you believe it? It matches my red sofa (which you can see here)exactly!

 

 

So I just wrapped and stapled the fabric! Simple as that, I did pull out the corners and sew them so the fabric wouldn’t rip, then tucked them back in and closed the seam with iron on tape (does this make sense).

I also added upholstery nails down the side to give it a little something extra.

I will be replacing the legs eventually just so it sits a little higher off of the ground.

 

 

 

 

This was in a way a two part transformation, of the ottoman, and of this wall in my living room:

BEFORE: (sorry it’s Blurry)

AFTER:

 

Yay I love it! And this is the best place to sit and read! To see how I did the shelves above click here. And you see the picture of my daughter? Well remember how we made the mat out of her old dress? If you missed it then click here!

Decorative Wall Shelf

Hey! I know, I know, it’s been about a week since my last post and I use to post at least four times a week… But finals, my ex-boss calling me in to do work for him (which is very much appreciated, who couldn’t use extra $$$) and more finals. Oh and did I mention my grams (the best Grams ever) is having a triple bypass  tomorrow? Yup, and she is in her mid 60’s, young!  So needless to say I am wound up tight… Everyone pray for a successful surgery please!

 

Onto my project, I got these gold shelves from my grams.

And ever since I had done my wall art with Veda's old Easter dress I knew this wall needed to be dressed up to compliment the picture. But this gold was wayyyyyy to bright. So I pulled out my fav thing, crackled spray paint!!! Does anyone use this anymore? I am and forever will be in love with it, I have an end table I used it on as well… So a quick and easy application of crackle spray paint later,

 

LOVEloveLOVElove! I pulled some accessories from around the house, the shelf with the cross still needs some work, but not bad for using what I had lying around! I also rubbed a bit of the antique bronze acrylic glaze on, it is not super noticeable, but it pulled in the browns from my picture frame a bit.

(Please excuse the bad pic, I literally just finished and it’s midnight)

 

SO I am in love, and I think they work well with my frame that I love, what do you think?

And do you know what is underneath these wall decorations??? Only my mothers day present, but that, will have to wait for another post because I am still tweaking it! (Am I the only one who asks for “project” related things for mothers day?)