Window Frame Revamp

Several years ago I bought 2 window frames from a local swapmeet for $15. The paint was completely peeling so I sanded it (I don't think I even used a mask! Tisk tisk!), and painted it, and aged it with stain then I stapled a pink floral fabric on the back and added some silver knobs to hang goodies.

But like I said, that was *years* ago and my taste has since changed from super duper uber girly to more natural and rustic. I know some people would kill me for changing this, but it was just time. Time for *almost* everyone's fave fabric of the moment: burlap. But of course changing the fabric required pulling out all those staples - blah. Some were so stuck that I had to pull out my pallet knife and finagle them so there was enough room for the hammer to free them.

The first go around I had to use a manual staple gun, but this time I got to use a pnuematic staple gun - so much better!!

Loving it already with the burlap! But of course I had to replace the silver knobs. I got these 3 beauties at Lowe's for just under $10 total.

It took under a half hour to do this project (from taking off the old fabric to hanging it back up) and cost around $15 total, yet it looks so different!!

Chalkboard Tray

So, my sister and I were checking out the bargain section at Target a few weeks ago (which we seem to do several times a week to make ourselves feel like we have lives) and I saw this plastic tray.

I'm sure you guys have seen it too if you frequent Target.  Cute, right? I love love love the shape of it and although I love pink, it just wasn't gonna work with my decor.  I didn't buy it, even though I was totally drawn to it, because I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. Then wouldn't you know that an idea hit me right as I pulled into my driveway? So I went back to get it and there was only one left. Score!! Now, before I start going over the process of what I did, let me just say that I pretty much did everything wrong.  I knew I wanted the outer edge to be painted white with chalkboard paint in the middle, but I figured I would save money by using the chalkboard spray paint that I already had, which was mistake #1. I *highly* recommend using the kind you paint on!

Since the tray is plastic, I used some steel wool to lightly scratch the surface.  I'm sure a fine grit sandpaper would work as well, but I didn't wanna take my chances with scratching the surface too much.

Everything was still going well at that point. Next I sprayed primer on the tray. Then came time to decide how I was going to use spray paint to paint the edges and chalkboard spray paint for the middle...and this is where things got tricky.

I decided for some very odd reason that I would spray paint the edges first (please don't ask me about my thought process because it doesn't even make sense to me somtimes). So I spray painted the back and edges and all was well til it came time to spray paint the middle with chalkboard paint. I tried taping the edges off with painter's tape, but it just doesn't hug the curves too well. Onto Plan B: finding flexible painter's tape.  I've heard it existed, but neither Home Depot nor Lowe's carries it and really, I didn't want to spend any more money than I had to. So, I got a genius idea that I would trace the back part of the tray onto some newsprint paper and cut the center out and then I could apply it to the edge with spray adhesive so that I could paint the center. Are ya still with me? 'Cause I'm confusing myself as I write this =)

To make a long story short: it didn't work too well. Then I decided I would just paint the whole thing with chalkborad paint and test the very back with regular latex paint to see how it did. Ahh, finally something that worked! But let me just say that it was quite a pain in the butt to paint the edge where the paint meets the chalkboard paint. I did several coats and had to use a tiny little brush, but it was worth it and I ended up with this.

It looks pretty cute as is, but I like all things old and thought it needed a little aging. Enter Dark Walnut stain. I also added some little doohickeys to the back so that I could hang it with some twine.

I chose to hang it vertically because I just thought it looked more pleasing that way, but it's really up to personal preference. And now for the final product. Drumroll please..........I hope the suspense isn't driving you mad! Ta-da!!

This would work great hanging by the front door with a little note for your loved ones or you could prop it up against the wall. You could even hang it in the kitchen to let your family know what's on the menu for dinner. So many possibilities!

Please excuse the lack of 'props' in my pictures, but most of my stuff is packed away for the big cross-country move =) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and can find some inspiration to make your own. Considering I only had to buy the tray for this project, I would say it's not too shabby for $2.50!

Stepladder Turned Side Table

Since I am on quite a small, no, tiny budget, I had to be creative when trying to figure out what I would do for a table between my 2 wicker chairs. I had been racking my brain for quite a while when all of the sudden a lightbulb went off.  I realized that a 2' stepladder with a piece of wood on top would be the perfect height so I got to doing research on the internet to see much it would set me back.  The cheapest I could find was around $25, so onto Plan B: Craigslist. I looked for a few weeks with no luck and I finally decided to post an ad in the 'wanted' section and got a response that same day.  I ended up spending $10 on the ladder, which I think was a little pricey considering it stunk like cigarette smoke and one of the legs is bent, but since I hadn't had much luck, I jumped on the offer.  I took a picture of the before, but it seems to have magically dissapeared into thin air which means I will probably find it the second I publish this post =)

Anyway, here is a photo of a much nicer version of my ladder:

Source

I had my dad cut a piece of pine that measured 15x12 (it's actually 11.25 inches and I've never understood why they round it up to 12!).

Then I primed and painted the ladder and piece of wood Lucky Bamboo by Behr. Sorry for the lack of pics, but sometimes I get so into a project that I forget to snap away.

Then I used some Minwax Early American to give it an aged look.

I have to admit that I only got a coat of poly on the ladder and not the top yet, but I am impatient and took pics anyway. I haven't even screwed the top on yet! But this will give you an idea as to what it will look like.

FYI My wicker chairs (I have 2) used to be the typical white and had a country feel, but I sprayed them with Rustoleum's Satin Espresso spray paint to better fit my style. It took at least 2 cans of primer and 6, yes SIX, cans of spray paint, but considering the chairs were hand-me-downs $20 in spray paint aint too shabby! I just need to do some touch ups and do a protective coat before my cross-country move.

New Vanity Bench

A few months back my sister called me to tell me about a garden bench sitting in her neighbors trash pile (you know those days when everyone puts all their 'junk' at the curb? I so look forward to those days!). So I decided to go check it out at night because I always fear the people will see me taking stuff from their junk pile even though it's out there for a reason. I guess it would probably look even weirder though to see someone lurking around your trash pile at night wearing a ski mask and all black. Ok, I didn't really go *that* far, I swear! And in my defense, there actually was a man who came out to see what we were doing as we sifted through his pile of weathered wood. Anyway, I digress. Here is a picture of the lovely little bench.

Ok, so it's not really *that* lovely, but I knew I could make something great out of it. After some brainstorming, I decided I could turn it into a cute little vanity bench. I really didn't care for the curvature of the top so I knew I would be making a new top for it...er, my dad would be making a new top for it. So basically the legs were the only thing salvaged.

I had my dad cut a piece of wood, but since pine comes in 12 inch widths, he had to glue and clamp 2 pieces together. Once that dried overnight, he routed the edges to spruce it up a bit. He screwed a strip of pine to the top of the legs and also screwed a dowel at the center of the X for extra support.

Now it's time to prime and paint!

I also used some stain to age the bench, which is the same treatment on the rest of my bedroom furniture. I just love how it turned out! It's going to be perfect for my vanity. I can't wait to post pictures of it after I move!

Ballard Designs Alphabet Ornament Knockoff

This last Christmas I was looking through the Ballard Designs catalog and find these great ornaments (Hmmm, I must've been snacking when I flipped through the pages! Haha).

It was love at first sight! Something about the contrast between the black and crisp white...and I just love letters! But $69 was just *slightly* out of my budget (Ok, a LOT out of my budget!). So about a month ago my sis and I decided to check out Marshall's (we were both kid-free. Score!) and I found these:

Ok, ok, so they are not the same, but they are pretty darn close, and at $15 I couldn't pass 'em up! I haven't decided where I will put them yet, but they deserve a special spot. I think next Christmas I will try making some similar ornaments by getting the clear glass ornaments (on sale, of course!), painting the inside white, and getting some type of alphabet stickers.

Scroll Painting

A while back I fell in love with a project from Lowe's Creative Ideas magazine where they used a rubber door mat to spray paint a design on some wood boards. You can find it online here.

Something about it reminds me of Hawaii, which has a very fond place in my heart, and I knew I had to make something similiar. The only problem is I was worried that the paint would bleed through, so I decided to do all paint, instead of stain for the background. It sounded like a great idea, but let me tell you it took forever to finish! And being a perfectionist definitely doesn't help the cause.

I bought the same door mat that they used in the magazine, which measures 24x36 inches. In an ideal world, it would be ready to go the second you bring it home, but unfortunately they usually come along with extra rubber that needs to be trimmed. I used an Xacto knife to get the job done and I only cut the rubber from half the mat and just flipped it when it came time to trace the other side.

FYI This step takes a long time and will leave you with a sore wrist! Anyway, after that was done, I had my dad cut 3 pieces (2ft long each) of 12-inch wide pine, which gives you 24x36 inches. I wanted each piece to be seperate, but I guess I didn't communicate that well and my dad ended up gluing and clamping them together to make 1big piece. No biggie though!

TIP: Before you start priming the wood, spray on some matte finish to seal the knots so that they don't bleed through later.

Next, I sprayed on 2 coats of primer and then my brown paint. I would recommend doing the background color as your base coat, but I was being resourceful and using what I had on hand, which was the color for the actual design. I just think it would be easier to paint the scrolls because the background requires painting itty bitty spaces. I hope that makes sense!

The next step is to lay the door mat on the wood piece and trace the design with a pencil.

If you use a dark base color like I did, it's kind of hard to see the design, but that's where some good lighting and a pair of reading glasses comes in handy =)

This is what it looks like after 1 coat of paint. Can you see the spots where I forgot to trace the design? =)

Here it is after 2 coats of paint (and before the touch-ups).

Now the fun begins: highlighting and shading. If you aren't good at figuring out where to put the highlights and shadows, like me, you can take a picture of the door mat in whatever kind of lighting you prefer (overhead lighting, straight on, natural light, etc.) and use that as a reference while painting. To create the highlights, I used a small brush to brush on some white craft paint and then used my fingers to smudge it to make it look more realistic.

Here is a picture of my painting with some highlights. It's still at a 'rough' stage at this point. The refining comes at the very end.

After the highlighting is done on the design, the next step is to create a shadow underneath the design. This will make the design really pop off the background. You can see the huge difference it makes in the photos below.

This painting is far from being perfect (that's the perfectionist in me speaking!), but I still love how it turned out. Just need to do a coat of poly (can you tell that's my least favorite thing to do and I always drag my feet?) and attach something to hang it with and it will be done!