Cheap, Cute and Easy Toy Storage

I have no problem having toys in my living room...as long as they're hidden. But unfortunately, most of the toy storage solutions you see in the stores are bright, primary colors or are plastered with super heroes or blue train engines. Mmm, yeah, not gonna work in my living room!

Instead, I bought this plain pine toy box off of craigslist.

The End.

Just kidding. There was no way I could leave it like that! Unfortunately, it had a very think coat of poly on it, so I decided to paint rather than stain. It got 2 coats of my beloved Lucky Bamboo by Behr (say that 5 times fast!), but still needed more, so I decided to slap a compass on the front. Oh, if only it was that easy. As I've mentioned before, I despise math and figuring out angles and all that oh-so fun stuff, but I started by finding the center and then worked from the outer ring in. My set of glass mixing bowls worked like a charm as my circle templates. Super handy that you can see through them.

 

I painted the background white (and in case you were wondering, yes it was a pain in the booty getting paint in the grooves). 

Next, I painted the points in 2 contrasting browns.

I then hand painted the letters, which turned out a little wonky, but it adds charm...ahem.

And that thing in the center? Yeah, that's supposed to be a globe. But once again, wonky = charm. One trick I've learned to cover up wonkiness is a little bit of sanding. You'll thank me for this tip someday.

So, at this point it was lookin' pretty cute, but those feet just had to go.

They were made from blocks of wood and had some poly drippage goin' on.

My solution? Outdoor fence finials (found in the lumber section of Home Depot). Pretty cute for being less than $3 bucks a pop.

A little paint and stain later and I had myself a toy storage solution that actually doesn't look like a toy storage solution.

I love the feet!! They make it look a little more like a piece of furniture than just a plain ol' box.

The ugly original handles got the boot and were replaced with some rope from Lowe's. I paid around $3 bucks for 5'.

So folks, I am here to tell you that it is possible to have a house that doesn't look like it's run by a bunch of crazy kids who have waaaaay too many toys. Although I can't guarantee the toys will stay in the toy box that you slaved over for days trying to make it look super cute to match the rest of your decor.

4th of July Inspiration

Ahhh, 4th of July. Makes me think of yummy food, amazing fireworks, and spending time with family. I secretly wish I lived back in the 60's because I imagine people would have these awesome block parties where everyone knows everyone else, which makes me think of that scene in The Sandlot where they are running through the block party on the 4th.

Anyone else have a MAJOR crush on Benny?

Is it bad that I still think he's super duper cute? Haha.

Anyway, I'm so totally getting off track. Back to the 4th of July. I gathered a few festive pics from Country Living and Better Homes and Gardens.

First up, an old-time feel:

(So simple, yet so pretty)

Dressing up your patio/deck and table:

 (So easy to make and MUCH less expensive than buying bunting)

(How adorable is that tablecloth?)

Some fun paper crafts:

(LOVE the new papers with the worn buckets!)

(This looks so simple to make!)

(These are place cards that also serve as hats! Fun idea, but I'm not quite sure I would wear one, haha)

And if you wanna go with more of a formal look:

I have a banner that I've been working on. Guess I better hurry since the 4th is right around the corner!

New Paintings!

I've been a busy little bee lately, trying to get stuff painted to sell on Etsy. A few things have been absolute FAILS (although I don't like giving up on projects and will prob try and rework them), but I was successful with a few little paintings that I like to refer to as my 'insect series' (don't worry, it's not as icky as it sounds!).

Ok, now I've gotta ask a favor of you techie people. Can anyone tell me how to link up my Etsy page to my blog? I totally suck at doing that kind of stuff!

Until I can figure it out, you can click here. I can't even guarantee it will get you to my shop. Yeah, that's how terrible I am!

Green Dresser: Take 2

Remember this dresser?



Well, it was just a tad bit too small for the area and for my storage needs, so I found this guy on craigslist.

Not the prettiest, but it's solid wood, which is a huge plus in my book. It's so hard to find solid wood furniture at a decent price nowadays.

I painted it my fave green, Behr's Lucky Bamboo, with a coat of Minwax Early American.

I replaced these old, shabby handles...

with some jute rope.

I wasn't in love with the curvature on the top drawer, so I took it out, removed the top piece of moulding, painted the inside of the dresser, and replaced the drawer with 2 baskets.

I think the scale of this dresser is much better compared to the old one.

But as much as I love this dresser, I'm already thinking of replacing it with something else! Egads!!