DIY-Painted Glass Jars

 

I found a use for those cute little Frappuccino bottles.  I've been craving these drinks all summer! 

 

 

 

This is so easy and you have quick little accent pieces in no time.  I applied two coats of chalk paint and sanded lightly with a sanding sponge.  And, of course, some pretty embellishments....

WaaLaa!

 Waiting on a lavender chalk paint to come in to finish the third bottle.

 

My room is slowly coming together.  I've been working on a make-over for my daughter's old bedroom.  It's going to stay a bedroom, but be a combo room for me to enjoy as well.  The room is going to be light and bright...a perfect area to work on drawings or my blog!  :o) I still need to paint the walls, which I plan to make a really soft off-white with hint of lavender.  When I eventually get it together, I'll post pics.  Can't wait!

 

 

DIY-Painted Frame

I picked up this cheapy frame from a local thrift store.  It caught my eye because of the texture.  I was finally able to get some Vintage Market & Design chalk paint that I’ve been dying to try from a local shop.. I used the off-white to paint the frame, sanded very gently to remove a little of the paint and applied two coats of clear wax.

 

It turned out really pretty and I have the perfect photo to use!

Side Table Refurb

I know I've been MIA for a while, but this has been a crazy spring and summer.  Hoping to get back to normal here soon. 

While browsing the antique mall this past week with my sister, who was visiting, I found this little side table.  I couldn't wait to get my hands on it.  It started out like this...

 

I gave it a quick sanding to remove some of the reddish stain on the edges, then painted it with chalk paint.  I had to apply 2 coats of paint in order to cover that dark stain.  Found a beautiful French typography over at The Graphics Fairy website.  To get the transfer onto the top, I printed a flipped image on my ink jet printer.  I used 3M sticker paper by removing the stickers and printing onto the smooth finish where the stickers had been.  Because the ink stays wet, I carefully laid the image onto the top of the table and transferred it using a plastic scrapper.  The ink is not waterproof so in order to apply the water based wax, I first sprayed the image with a matte sealant.  After that was good and dry, I applied 2 coats of the cream wax.  Went to look for a drawer pull and was pleasantly surprised at what I found at Hobby Lobby!  They have a great collection.  I also found the burlap liner in the scrapbook paper section. :o)

 

 

I Love It!

 

DIY Shabby Chic Crate

There's not much storage space in my daughter's new loft apartment.  So, I've been looking for things to make that are not that expensive.  This idea I came across on the web.  It's an inkjet transfer onto the crate.  I found these crates at JoAnn Fabric for 40% off. 

After sanding the crate, I watered down a linen color acrylic paint and used it as a wash which allows you to still see the wood grain.

 

I then applied a walnut stain over the entire piece, rubbing off all the excess.  While that was setting, I printed my image onto wax paper with our inkjet printer.  I used photo editing software to reverse the image so the transfer wouldn't be backwards.  It took 3 attempts on my printer to get a clean print without smears.  I almost gave up!  While the stain is still wet on the crate, lay the ink side down very carefully and as straight as possible.  It can't be moved once it's down.  Use a credit card to rub the image onto the wood.  Remove the wax paper and WaaLaa...

 

 

It turned out so much better than I expected and Beki loves it!

 

Refab Projects

Been busy, busy over here working on projects.  Found Beki a $15 end table and gave it a makeover.  Total cost...about $35.  She loves the French style décor, so I tried to create the French Country look.  With the leftover fabric, I had enough to make a pillow to match!

I've been trying to find wood wine crates for DIY projects.  However, I'm finding they aren't easy to come by.  I was lucky enough to find two at Costco a few weeks ago.  With those two, I made John an end table with book storage.  With a little bit of stain and a few pieces of hardware, this project rounded out at about $30.

I'm also refinishing two Cracker Barrel wood rockers I've had sitting outside.  The paint was chipping away and so with quite a bit of sanding and some spray paint, I've got two like-new rockers for my bedroom!  Spray paint...about $18 and a little elbow grease. 

 

 

 

Wine Cork Boards

When John started saving wine corks, I never expected to fill up both a basket and a vase full.  I'd had an idea some time ago to make cork boards out of the corks.  My daughter, Beki, and I saw some different versions on Pinterest and it got me actually wanting to put these together.  I found these cute corkboard frames at Kohls for 50% off in the frame section.  I paint stained some of the corks in a cream and a brick color.  Then started hot gluing them in place, using a serrated knife to cut some of them to fit on the odd rows.  It took approximately 140 wine corks!  I love how they turned out and it was such an easy project.  Not sure why I put off making them for so long!

 

Spring Nests

Today it's hitting 72 degrees.  It's been a long, cold winter for a lot of us.  Glad to be seeing the end of winter.  I wanted to post something to help usher in the warmer weather and am going back to a project I did last Spring.  I couldn't post then because one was for my sister's birthday and I didn't want her to see the post before she got her gift in July. 

I bought some wooden eggs at Hobby Lobby and painted them a solid aqua color.  You can use any shade of blue.

 

 Then spattered them with a contrasting color by putting a small amount on a paint brush and flicking the bristles.  I used brown and cream.

 

The cute little porcelain birds I found at Michaels Craft Store.

 
I put it all together in a cute hat/gift box tied up with a pretty bow.  I'm using a wooden bowl for mine and I put my sister's in a black iron bowl.  They would also be cute put under glass.  It's a simple gift and it's a great time of year to find the eggs at the craft stores.

Is it Spring yet?

As I sit here watching snow falling quietly on my deck, I'm wondering where Spring is?  Regardless of the weather and the tricks it's playing on me, I decided to change out the house decor and usher spring in.  I've been busy crocheting some really cute Easter eggs for my tree (pattern below). I used the left over roses from Ari's wedding flowers to make a pretty little center piece for my kitchen table.  Now I have a reminder of a very special day!  

Easter Egg Pattern

sc-single crochet

sc dec-single crochet decrease

st-stitch

slst-slip stitch

 

G hook

Worsted weight yarn (I used 100% cotton)

 

Working in the round.  You may want to mark the beginning of each row.

Rnd 1:  Magic Ring, 1 sc, 5sc in ring. 5sc

Rnd 2:   2sc in next sc around. 10sc

Rnd 3:   2sc in next sc, 1sc in next sc around. 15sc

Rnd 4:  2sc in next, 1 sc in next 2 sc around. 20sc

Rnd 5-8:  1sc in each st around. 20sc

Start stuffing the egg.

Rnd 9:  (sc dec, sc in next 3 st around) repeat 4 times. 16sc

Rnd 10:  sc in each st around. 16sc

Rnd 11:  (sc dec, sc in next 2 st) repeat 4 times. 12sc

Rnd 12:  sc in each st around.  12 sc.

Finish stuffing.

Rnd 13:  (sc dec, sc in next 1 st) repeat 4 times. 8sc

Rnd 14:  (sc dec, sc in next 2 st) repeat 1 time. Slst in next sc.  Tie off.  6sc.  Using darning needle, pull yarn through top of sc’s and pull snug to close off opening.