It's the Lil' Things

(May 2011)

As I mentioned in a previous post, there are some sayings that just stick with you when you walk into a store, especially those little crafty stores… one Friday afternoon after work, I stopped into one and there were some just random words on different size boards, all hand painted etc., so I thought…. (watch out now…)… WHY CAN’T I DO THIS…. So I did… here’s a couple I came up with for the Vintage Shabby Chic Bedroom… also here’s a photo of what the room somewhat turned out like. I was never able to fully finish as we moved before completion… ohwell, there’s always another room to work on. 

Short Story: It's been what... three years with the Vintage Shabby Chic design and here I am wanting to change it ALL over again... it's never ending and I absolutely LOVE IT!!!

Total Cost for ENTIRE ROOM with paint, accessories, curtains/rod, bedding (some of which are not shown), and all furniture whether it was free or bought on craigslist: $235... not bad in my book

Particle Board Tables

(May 2011)

I don’t have a before picture, but think of a natural wood color on a round particle board table with glass tops… boring!

Sometimes when you walk into a cottage style store, or an antique store, you see some really cute sayings... “Sweet Dreams”

I didn’t bother sanding them, I simply wiped them down, painted two coats to even out the finish and then my husband free handed the outline of the letters based on a font I picked out from the computer and I filled in with Paint, put a sealer on it, let it all dry, and then put the glass on top.

They have lasted through 2 moves, but it’s about time to retire them to someone else who may enjoy them. 

Short Story: These tables were from my college days (yup, definitely old…er)  and rather than spend more money on newer end tables for a spare bedroom I’m never in, I wanted to recycle what I had.

Total Cost: FREE  (I had everything)

VINTAGE MIRROR

(March 2011)

I probably spent more on this mirror than I actually should have, but it sounded like a good idea at the time. 

This project was a hands-on popcorn disaster waiting to happen. One wrong ding, or one to many plucks of the staples and the mirror would have cracked and I would have had to get a new one cut. 

When dealing with 'glass' try and be as cautious as you can. Take great care so you don't end up cracking or scratching your glass/mirrors. 

I first took the piece apart, then I started in on the staples of the backboard holding the glass in place. Once It was all taken off, it was smooth sailing. Be sure to place your glass in a Safe place and ALWAYS lay your glass flat, never on it's side or tilted/at an angle

I lightly sanded it, one coat of blue paint, let it dry, applied crackle finish, let it dry, applied the top coat of paint, let it dry, applied a sealer- let it dry, then I put the mirror back in, I lightly tapped new staples/tacks into the backboard (got these at Home Depot), then I started putting it back together. It fit perfectly into the vintage shabby chic design for the spare bedroom. 

Short Story: I got lost not once, but twice on my way to pick up this mirror- I was half tempted to 'forget about it' and move on... obviously the third time's the charm

Total Cost: $40 on craigslist (I had the other supplies)

Cork Tie Backs

September (2013)

I was wanting some wine/cork tie backs but I was unable to find any I liked online or in the stores; so I made my own... very simple. I found everything I needed at Hobby Lobby and used a needle to fish the twine through.

Short Story ~ the needle wasn't going through the cork very easily so I used a small drill bit to make things a little easier

Baby Girl Dresser

(June 2013)

This is another one that is close to my heart, this dresser was created for our godchild...

Same process as the others... apply stripper, scrape, sand, prime, paint... but... the top on this one was the first of it's kind that I did... Laced fabric top w/Mod Podge. I can't honestly say I'd do the Mod Podge top again, it was too glossy and smooth, but I think I needed to sand it more- lesson learned...

the old handles were replaced with ones from hobby lobby and I used the dremmel to make them to length, they are pink glass knobs with a center brass sun flower design

Short Story ~ I had purchased a dresser on Craig's list to refinish, but my husband and his friend found this one for FREE on the sidewalk- I kept the purchased dresser for a later date... waste not

HUTCH

(May 2012)

This was a special project to me mostly because our family friends loved it enough to put it in their home....

 Here's a brief run down...

- remove all glass and keep it protected

- remove doors and cupboards below

- add stripper- wait a few hours (we had to add a lot of stripper and repeat as needed)

- it took me a couple weeks to fully get this piece cleaned up and primed for painting

- the backer board was too flimsy for my liking so we replaced it with 1/4" thick ply-wood 

- the ornate piece at the top was plastic and I thought about replacing it, but I left it off and plane- in hindsight, I probably should have replaced it, but I have yet to find something I like for this piece

- the cupboards had to go so I added wine holders (my favorite feature on this one)

For the backboard I used a projector to add a design- I never claimed I was an artist :)-

Short Story ~ this piece was on the side of the road with a *FREE* sign on it, we got it in the truck and moved it w/out breaking one piece of glass- Pretty Happy :)-

PHOTO BOOTH

(July 2013)

This Photo Booth was created for a family member's wedding.

They were having a rustic outdoor wedding so we didn't need to clean up the shutters much, we sanded away some loose paint and rough edges...

We first painted it yellow, painted a little black over it, sanded to let some of the yellow show through., did a little crackle finish on the bottom half...added some hinges to bring it together... 

Curtains were made to dress it up a bit, added some sconces on the side and the mini chandelier at the top, which happened to be a solar light, so in the evening it turned on for a light glow... 

Short Story ~ the shutters we found in a family members trash... FREE....they were remodeling and we dropped by at the right moment... LUCK!

Total Cost: $15 (sconces, fabric for curtains & curtain rods, everything else we had)