Beadboard LOVE :)

Look at what I just whipped up today!  :)  This baby is HUGE....it's 4' long and fit a boring empty wall.  It's just beadboard, ribbon and letters that I bought last night at Hobby Lobby!  I sure hope the girlie likes it.  I'm sure she will.  It's pink and glittery. 

Breakdown of cost:

• Beadboard -- FREE (leftover from a previous project)
• LOVE letters -- $2.49 each, for a total of $9.96 (plus tax)
• Pink paint -- FREE (someone from FB gave it to me)

I painted my beadboard pink.  I sprayed the letters white.  Then slapped on a coat of Mod Podge and sprinkled clear glitter over them.  I drilled mini holes at the top so I could string my ribbon through and used a glue gun to attach the letters.

Yippee.  I LOVE it and can't wait for her reaction tonight! 

And for a little more perspective, here it is in relation to the room.  Please don't judge the mess.  She's got to put her laundry away...and I also think I'm gonna repaint her room a more neutral color.

Easy Console Table

Yesterday I whipped this up within 30 minutes.  I wanted a skinny table by my grill and I had searched CL and FB for something, but really didn't wanna spend more than $20.  Since I couldn't find anything, I figured I'd make one.  I could do this.  So...to Home Depot we went.

I bought the following:

(1) 2x12 (8ft long) = $9.87

(1) 1x8 (8 ft long) = 9.12

 I cut 'em up, used 3" nails to hammer it all together and voila!  I had a table.  :)

Now, time to paint and distress.  The color I used is a Sherwin Williams color: 'Jubilee'.  I let it dry overnight then used an old rag I used for a previous staining project (yes, it was all crunchy and hard) and rubbed it all over the table to distress it.  I think I might dry brush some red into it too (not a whole lot....just enough to add some more variation and distressing to it).  Anyway, here's how it turned out:

Not too shabby for a project that cost me $18.99 + tax, huh??  :)  If you want the project plans, head over here.  It tells you exactly how to cut it -- but for me, I just looked at the pictures, modified my dimentions, laid my table 'base' on top of the side pieces, took a pen and marked where I needed to cut, and went to town.

The side fence

1/4 can of Minwax Gel stain (Walnut color) = $15.76 (plus tax) at Home Depot.
Two old rags (one for application and one for wiping down) = FREE.
About an hour of my time on a GREAT overcast Arizona Sunday.

That's what it took to transform the side gate.  LOVE how it took the wood from gross and frumpy to new and updated.  :)

Next up...spreading 10 tons of rock in the front yard this week.  Oh joy.

Empty Staircase = New Gallery Wall

See that wall?  BOOOOOORING!  We've been in this house for two years now...and this wall needed something but I didn't know where to start.  So...I went to blog land.  There are SO many cute things I could do...and I narrowed it down to some sort of gallery wall.  I LOVED a wall filled with mirrors, but I knew it would take WAY longer to accumulate fun and unique pieces.  Plus...I have little ones, and I didn't want to have fingerprints on the mirrors that were hung lower.  That means more cleaning for me.  NO THANKS!

Frames were the way to go for me!  I had a bunch already so I could start right away!  I traced each one on paper then started taping it to the wall.  It's not the BEST visual but it works.  And I didn't have to put lots of nail holes in the wall if I wasn't pleased with the placement of them all.  :)

After gathering a bunch of things I had around the house and stuff I've found at thrift stores, on CL and FB...I finally did it.  This is how it turned out:

The placement of everything works GREAT....the colors, not so much.  It was just too busy -- and I don't have bright aqua or hot pink anywhere in the house except in Rylie's room.  The wall looked like this for a few months so I could figure out what to do next.  Then one day I just went for it...it wasn't gonna get finished by itself.  HA!  Browns, creams, whites and blacks.  Neutral colors that made them stand out...but not make you go "WOAH!"

I even re-stained the bannister!  I absolutely HATE that orange-y oak that builders throw in houses.  It looks cheap to me.  Thank goodness for Minwax Gel Stain.  It was SO easy.  A light sanding with 220-grit sand paper, a quick wipe down and one coat of the stain.  DONE!

Mirror turned chalkboard

Isn't this mirror SO cute?  It came with a dresser that I bought Rylie for her room....but she already had a big shabby mirror that I liked better, so this one sat in the garage for about a year!  Then I ran across something TOTALLY awesome on Pinterest...

Did you KNOW you can paint over a mirror with chalkboard paint?  OH yes you can!  :)  I bought a can of chalkboard spray paint from Lowe's and sprayed three light coats on the mirror, then painted the frame black.  You can't tell from the picture, but I lightly dry painted red over it so it looks a bit distressed!  What a cheap way to make your own chalkboards!

And as an FYI....FORGET the chalk!  It's messy and leaves all the chalk dust when you erase it!  Buy these....Chalk Ink Markers (Brian got me these last Christmas off Amazon!  Here's the link -- TOTALLY worth the money!  You will NOT be disappointed with these).  LOVE them!!!  No mess at all!  And when you want to change up your chalk board, just use a wet paper towel to wipe it off and have a go at it again! 

Makes ya wanna make a chalk board RIGHT now, doesn't it?  :)

Bookcase/Hutch Redo

See this old oak bookcase/hutch?  I bought it from a sweet lady that I met off Facebook!  Did you know FB has groups you can join....and they are just like CL?  I LOVE them!!!  And I LOVE most of the people I've met!  SO nice!!!  Well....I bought this for $40 (I'm pretty sure that's how much I paid for it).  It had the perfect lines and shape to match our office furniture.  All I had to do was paint it black.

I didn't REALLY wanna paint it because I was in a hurry to get it done and in the house.  So what's a girl to do.....use SPRAY PAINT!  Yeah, I know.  If not used properly, it can run/drip and look splotchy -- but if you spray it right, it can look REALLY good!  So....I ran to HD to grab a few cans (actually 3) of black spray paint!  I also added a piece of bead board to the back of it, that I had laying around in my garage!  A quick coat of black...shortly after it was done and put into the house!

I didn't put the doors back on and left it open and I added some new knobs that I had laying around and voila!!!  What a difference!

70's TV Trays...

I bought these suckers off Craigslist a few years back for a total of $5.  Yeah, they look totally 70's, so I understand why no one wanted them.  But I had a plan for them!  Almost THREE years later, I FINALLY finished them!!!! 

How cute are THESE now?  Everyone loves numbers!!  I {heart} them and can't wait til I can pull them out and actually use them!  :)

Broyhill Coffee Table Revamp

The other day, I bought an AWESOME (and heavy) Broyhill Fontana coffee table.  I bought it for the great storage it has -- I could get rid of the kids train/lego table in the family room and this table would hold ALL of their toys!

Here's the before picture....

Nice, huh?  But the honey oak color JUST didn't work in the room.  I tried something different.  I made my OWN chalk paint!  Here's the recipe:

1 cup Paint (I use satin finish -- gives it a bit of a sheen, but it's not too dull)
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup Plaster of Paris (I bought it really cheap at Lowe's)

I put it all in an old pickle jar (because the lid seals it air-tight) and shook it real good.  I brushed it on, using a brush that I paint my walls with.  Yes, you see brush marks when it's wet, but as soon as it dries (around 20 minutes, give or take), they disappear.  The best part about this paint is that you don't have any prep work!  No sanding!  Just make sure it's free of lint/dirt and start painting!  :)

I painted three coats of it on (sounds bad, but since it dries so fast...it REALLY wasn't bad at all).  Here's what it looked like:

Too white for me.  It was too bright for the room (especially with the dark brown couches).  So...after debate and expertise from others, I decided to take some stain and lightly wipe it on/off.  LOVED IT!!  I also put some elbow grease in with some steel wool, to give it another color hue!  And THIS is the final product....

Isn't it a beauty?  Well....if you don't like it, that's ok.  I LOVE it.  :)

Now.  Here's the breakdown of what I used.  The color is called 'Creamy' by Sherwin Williams.  Satin finish, like I mentioned before.  Then, I used Minwax stain - shade: "Early American".

The best part?  This sucker is filled with Legos, Duplo blocks, cars, trains and train tracks.  And no one knows.  LOL

Pine Armoire and Dining Room Set Paint Job

I've had this pine armoire for years.  I bought it off e-Bay when I lived in Chicago, and my dad and I headed to the city with his truck to pick it up.  I think I paid a little over $200 for it and was SO excited to have it!  It's been in Chicago, it's been in Northwest Indiana.  Then when I got married, it got moved to Phoenix.  All the people who've helped us move hate us.  This thing is HEAVY!  :)  **And yes, that's me in the chair holding our second son who was about a week old in this picture.  It's the only good 'before' pic I had of the armoire!**

Now...about 5 years later, I got a wild hair to paint that big ole honkin' thing.  I did a lot of research on colors, because I didn't want to have to paint it twice.  I ended up going with Sherwin Williams "Creamy" as the color.  It's a GREAT soft white.  Not too white, not too off-white.  Here's how it turned out:

Ignore the upside down chairs in the left corner of the picture.  Those are on Craigslist right now...and I'll get to my new chairs next!  :)  Didn't it turn out GREAT!  It totally opened up the room and brightened it up!  I still have to paint the bun feet -- but I need my husband to help me lift it so I can put a piece of wood under them before I tackle that.  Like I said, it's HEAVY.  And that's an understatement.  So, they may not get done for quite a while.  HA!

Next, my dining room chairs.  Here's the best picture I could find of the table.  It was right after we moved in...so the dining room wasn't finished and if you follow my blog, you've seen the new hutch that I got and painted a gray-blue.  It's gorgeous.  But anyway...on to the table and chairs:

I got this set off CL for $250.  But I wanted a switch-up.  I got new chairs (that of course, I bought off Craigslist).  Here's a before shot of one of them:

I LOVED the style.  I HATED the color.  So, nothin' that a few cans of spray paint can't fix!  I bought Rust-Oleum spray paint at Home Depot -- and the color is "Heirloom White" in a satin finish.  It's a pretty good match to the Sherwin Williams "Creamy" color that I painted the living room armoire.  Here's how they turned out: 

Can you BELIEVE it?  They look like chairs that came from Pottery Barn!!  Yippee!!  Just the look I was going for.  :)  Then....they looked funny at my table.  So I flipped it upside down and took the legs off.  I sprayed them 'Heirloom White' as well...and painted the skirt of the table 'Creamy'.  A wonderful match -- and SO easy!  With the shape of the table legs, I didn't want to have to paint it by hand with a brush.  TOO much work for this mama!  And this is how the whole set looks now:

SWOON!!!!!!  :)  I'm FINALLY happy with my living and dining room!  Now...what's the next project?  HA HA!

Girly Jewelry Armoire Re-do

I've had this little jewelry armoire for 20 years now.  My grandma painted it and gave it to me as a Christmas gift in 1992.  Since I had boys...it couldn't be passed down to them.  HA....and really, it's kinda ugly.  Ok.  REALLY ugly.

It's been sitting in my step-daughters room, holding all of her jewelry -- and since her room is so girly, it was time for an update on this bad-boy!  :)

I headed over to Home Depot and found a can of pink Rust-Oleum spray paint in pink.  'Sweet Pea' is the color if you want the full scoop.  Then, I sanded it down before I sprayed it.  After it dried, I pulled out my Silhouette Cameo and cut this cute little dress form out.  And before you ask about the pattern...I found it online while doing a Google search.  I took it into Photoshop and turned it all black, then imported it into the Silhouette Cameo software that came with the machine and traced the points so I could cut it out on some matte black vinyl.

I sure hope she likes it, because I sure do!