Pain In The Butt Project (A.K.A Cedar Chest)

So, I bought this cedar chest off of craigslist, thinking it would be a great project to refinish and sell for more, but it ended up being the worst.project.ever. Why, you ask? Because it had a veneer top that was starting to peel and I thought it would be easy enough to take off. WRONG!! It seriously took WEEKS to finish. I even googled how to take off veneer and found that you should iron over a wet towel and peel it off. Don't get me wrong - that did help, but it still was a LOT of work.

This is my best before shot. To be honest, I was feeling way too lazy to move it so I could get a good shot, so this is what you are stuck with =)

I originally wanted to stain it, but there were so many gouges from my lovely handiwork on the top, that I had to paint. I did one coat of off white paint and then sanded the heck out of it.

The top turned out a little funky since it was plywood, but I figure I'll just put a runner on it to cover it up.

I thought it looked alright at this point, but I wanted it to look a tad bit more cohesive, so I did a coat of Dark Walnut stain over the paint.

Here you can see the difference the stain makes. It really adds to the old, worn look.

And here she is all finished. I just threw on the accessories for the photos, but I'm not quite sure what I'll do with it. I'll def be doing something to that pot 'cause the whole terra cotta look is not workin' for me.

I originally wanted to do something with the handles when I was planning on staining it, but after painting it I decided the handles look perfect.

So, I know I said I was planning on selling this thing to make some money off of it, but after all the work I did, I feel the need to keep it. I know that sounds strange, but there's gotta be someone out there who understands!



Painted American Flag

So, I realize I missed the 4th of July boat with this one, but who says ya can't show off the American flag all year round?

To make my flag, I started with a 12" wide pine board (which is actually 11.25" and I really don't understand why they say it's 12". I'm feelin' a little jipped!). I cut the board down to 16" and painted it white. Next came the dreadful task of trying to figure out how wide each stripe should be. Let's just say that 13 does not go into 11.25 evenly! And if that wasn't bad enough, next I had to figure out the spacing of the stars. Bring out the Excedrin 'cause math is always sure to give me a headache!

First, I painted the red stripes.

Then the blue.

And then distressed.

And then stained.

What's that? You think I forgot about the stars? No way, silly head! Not after all that measuring! If you look at the photo before the distressing, you will notice little holes where the stars should be. Those are for the thumbtack stars!

Yes, I seriously used thumbtacks as stars =)

And there ya have it! How to make your own flag. But if you are totally feeling like you don't want to get a headache from all the measuring, leave it up to me and check out my Etsy listing on the sidebar. Shameless plug, I know =)



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!