Rocking Horse Redo (Day 1)

 

Alrighty! I have started my Rocking Horse Redo!

I found this at a thrift shop when I was about eight months pregnant. I can’t remember the exact price but it was UNDER TEN DOLLARS!!!! Can you believe it? I figured they’d want at least thirty and I just asked about it on a whim… Needless to say, MINE!!!!

I put off refinishing him for a while because I was busy re-doing our house, but my daughters 2nd birthday is May 22nd, so I figured this would make a great present!!!

Step 1 was to sand him down and strip him, here you go, beware he is naked!

I am amazed at how beautiful the wood is underneath!!!! Here are all of the tools I used and all of his parts:

 

He is almost all the way sanded, but I ran out of sand paper, so this is it for today.

 

You can see his little eye balls laying there, I was unsure if I was going to replace them, but I sanded over them on accident so I had no choice.

 

As far as the finish, I was surprised at the beautiful wood grain, so stain seemed like a good option, on the other hand when I think of a little girls rocking horse I think of a pretty cream color. So here is my solution:

The bottom of the stand will be stained, and the horse will be cream! Perfect! I will also more than likely stain the handles to bring some of the base color up. And look at the red seat! How fab!!!! Obviously my horse is of a more basic design, but great inspiration!

Stay tuned! Next I need to touch up on the sanding, put some wood filler in and tighten him up! Then onto painting/staining!!!

Everyone cross your fingers that this keeps on going well, I think my daughter will love it!!! <3

Coffee Table Spruce Up!

I figured it was time to introduce you to one of my fav pieces. It does not look like much, but for whatever reason this big chunky old table caught my eye.

The price tag at the garage sale set my love in cement. EIGHT DOLLARS! WHAT? *sigh* it is love ;^)

This table had layer after layer after layer of shellac on it. (enter hubby and electric sander)

So after sanding and SANDING and sanding We were ready to stain. We used Minwax Polyshades (stain and polyurethane in one) Hello! One step? Even better! The color is Antique Walnut Gloss and to achieve the richness we wanted we used two coats.

Oh simple sturdy coffee table I LOVE you! It looks perfect with the first piece of furniture my husband and I ever bought, our Big Red Couch!

And look at these adorable flower arrangements I made (we are having a fundraising party tomorrow for March of Dimes March for Babies). They are half live/half fake (enter Dollar Tree), in simple mason jars.

So I hope you like my simple sturdy old and loveable table as much as I do! Remember, when you’re out, if you see something you like, squint a bit, think a bit, create a bit, and get ready for a piece of furniture you will love all the more because you helped create it!!! <3

Entryway Art

So after a very stressful week (longgg story) I figured I’d take a break from cursed, YES CURSED, window treatments and work on something simple and adorable!

My grams had this key in her house a longggg time ago and I fell in love with it in High School. I was going through some old things at my mom’s and found it again,

I wanted to make it into entry way art, so even though the gold was okay I needed it to match my laundry room (light green walls/white trim/ black and white accessories). Our laundry room is also the “mudroom” at the back of our house. I found this cute sign at the Christmas Tree Shoppe,

Okay so the sign has a few bubbles on it, but it was only 2 bux!!! So we will call it “aged”…. I painted the key black and as you can see in the above picture I hung the sign from the key with ribbon.

(When hanging something with ribbon,I always “mock” hang it, by that I mean actually nail the pieces up separate and make it look like the ribbon is holding it.Otherwise the ribbon will stretch and not hang correctly).

So here it is!

I am in LOVE! And what a great reminder. Those are words we should all live by, so seeing it every day should be a great reality check!

(P.S. please ignore the hole in the wall, it is from the art that was there before ;^)….

And so you know I have been garbage picking! <3 lol, meaning my project list is growing HUGE! After this stressful week is over I will be starting something a bit bigger… Rocking horse, or “timeout” chair, or bakers rack….hmmm?

A Shout Out to Mad Skills Monday!

Hey! You may notice a new button on the side of my blog! The creators over at SuperStinkyBoys host a Mad Skills Monday, this is a great place to post the projects you’ve been working hard on all week and meet other crafty women such as yourself!

SuperStinkyBoys states that it is “a Support Blog for Mom’s of Boys”, but it is so much more! I have a little girl and follow this blog, so don’t let the title fool you!

Even if you don’t have any little ones their crafts and creations will inspire you to create something for family or friends!

So pop on over and check them out! Tell them InnovativeMom sent you!!!

Chandelier Complete (light bulbs and all ;^)

Alright! Well today I went and purchased the CORRECT size light bulbs, so here is a final view of the chandelier…

I have to say I am totally in love, and it looks 100x better in person! I wasn’t sure at first, normally change doesn’t bother me, I welcome it, but going from a huge box light to this was a big change. But while sitting at the dinning room table coloring with my daughter and looking into the kitchen we fell in love 100% ;^)

You can see a sneak peak of my window treatments I am working on in the background. The valence I did a while back (I will have to post about it) but the kitchen looked naked and needed something extra…. So I stole some sheers off of another window and was playing around.

Now this is just a ROUGH idea, but I was playing with shapes, I like the right much better… SO tonight I will be busy working on that until the wee hours!!! Can’t wait until it is done it will make such a difference! You all will be the first to see!!!

<3

Chandelier Reveal, (Almost There)

Remember this?

Well he has been brought back to his former glory, (with a little extra flair ;^).

(Do you see what I ran out of? Besides Patience LIGHTBULBS! Hello, I of course bought the wrong size;^). This reveal brought on another surprise, can you see it? Look hard, a HUGE splotch on my ceiling where my fluorescent light box was, one project always reveals at least two more!

I first primed it with rustoleum, and this time used a colored primer, and now am IN LOVE with that product! It COVERED AMAZINGLY! I then sprayed it with the Anodized Bronze, but it looked very gray, so for the final touch I lightly swept on gold spray paint and then wiped it with a wet cloth. I <3 it!!!

I tried to wash up the white cylindrical thingies that go under the bulb, but they were yellowed from age, so I figured I would have to get more and just for the heck of it I sprayed them gold. What do you think? To much gold? I thought so at first but it’s kinda growing on me? I need a second opinion.

And of course I am the MESSIEST spray painter in the world…..

This will not come off… I could have worn gloves but this is my badge of honor, my “I am a DIY girl hand” or at least that’s what I am telling myself when people at the grocery store give me an odd look ;^).

So what do you think of the transformation? And the color on the cylindrical thingies (I should really find out their real name). I will post more pics when I have day light (and more light bulbs) but I literally just finished and wanted to show you!

<3

(oh and everyone say a prayer that this thing will STAY UP! you never know…. *fingers crossed*).

Kitchen Chandelier *Sneak Peak*

As a much needed break from reviewing journal articles and writing lesson plans (ah the joys of earning a bachelors degree) I am going to let you in on my current project!!!

 

You see that beauty? Okay, well maybe diamond in the rough would be a better term ;^) My mom had him just hanging out in her garage, and didn’t even tell me! Tisk tisk mom…

I am going to put him in my kitchen over my island! Want to see what he is replacing? Are you sure you can take it?

 

I know I know, it’s okay you can stop screaming now. It’s what I so lovingly refer to as our department store lighting ;^) lol. Hideous and although it is bright it gives everything a slightly yellow tint *gag* sorry, got a little choked up there.

Well if you can see that little flush mount ceiling light in the background of the above picture, I am painting this new chandelier that same color.

And guess what? Mom had this in her garage to… She’s been holding out on me! Normally I would have had this project done by now, but can you guess? RAIN RAIN RAIN… And spray painting in the house is not a good idea, yes I will admit to trying it once upon a time :^)…

 

QUESTION FOR YOU, take a look at the chandelier again in the first picture please, would you paint the white cylindrical things that go under the light bulb? The sleeves I guess you could call them? I don’t think I want them to be white? Help please :^) And hopefully in a couple days this beast will be a beauty! <3