Meet Ms. Chevron......

This piece, along with another dresser, was given to me.  They once belonged to my Great Aunt B and since it has some sentimental value I was hesitant on painting it.  This dresser was already a beauty but my daughter turned her nose up at it.  Those of you that speak teenager facial expressions know that this translates to – You’ve got to be kidding me.   So the challenge begins…..

She had a few scratches so I sanded them down.  I tried out my new $7 belt sander that I picked up at a yard sale this past summer. Yay!  I’m not sure I really know how to use the thing but I sure gave it a try. 

I wanted to do a pattern on the drawers but the thought of measuring it out was not the least bit appealing to me.  I am challenged when it comes to reading a tape measure.  Just ask the Man.  Then I found this online……..

 

Genius!

I wanted to try out the Sherwin Williams paint line that I've read so much about but I about passed out when I saw the price.  I needed two colors so $50 in paint was not going to happen.  I picked out two colors, Westhighland White and Front Porch, and purchased them in the Color To Go samples.  Yep, I'm cheap like that.  Less then $15 for two! 

I used 3 coats of the Front Porch as my base on the drawers.  Once it dried I put the chevron tape on and painted the drawers with the Westhighland White.  I removed the tape right away.

Look how pretty......

She needed some color and this Chevron contact paper in Aqua from the Macbeth Collection was clearly the winner.  I put it inside of the drawers.

Look where else I put it.......

Now isn't she stunning?

This stunning lady is singing a new tune!  In the words of Beyoncé, “I woke up like this”.

From Great Aunt B to Ms. Chevron.  Flawless.



 

My Weekend Pinterest Hacks.....

So, where did September go?  Last I remember it was Labor Day. 

September is a super busy time around here.  The kids are back in school, fall sports are in full swing, and it's budget season at work.  All of this added together makes for a very tired girl with no free time BUT, I was able to squeeze in a few Pinterest hacks over the weekends!

First up, my family of snowman.  They are made from the tops of the fence posts that we just installed.  I sanded them and painted them with Americana acrylic paint in cottonball and then used a round foam brush for the eyes and the buttons using Americana acrylic paint in black tie.  I used a triangle foam sponge for the nose and then I sprayed a clear coat of Rust-Oleum Ultra Cover Clear Matte spray.  This girl is slightly challenged with a needle and thread so I got creative with the hats.  A hot glue gun is a girls best friend!

 

Aren't they just super cute?

Next up, wine bottle makeover.  I spray painted them using my go to brand Rust-Oleum and applied a clear coat a few days later.  I used my hot glue gun to dress them up with burlap. 

This set is for me.  I love owls and I attempted to use a stencil to paint an owl on the yellow bottle.  FAIL.  So instead I used the stencil on the burlap using an Elmer's Painters pen.

The best part about this project is consuming the contents of the bottles!

My less then exciting weekend project is my new clipboard.  I picked up an old clipboard from an estate sale and painted it with some leftover black chalkboard paint I have.  The backside lists my projects and the front side has my inspirations and future project ideas clipped to it.  This bad boy will be hanging in the garage by the door.

Lessons Learned:

1. I need better scissors to cut fabric
2. Hot glue hurts when you get it on your finger
3. Burlap is my new fav

Two of the snowman and two of the wine bottles were donated to Team Fraley's Chinese Auction.  Team Fraley is a group of family and friends that raise money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in memory of my cousin Todd Fraley.  You can help in the fight too!  Check out our team page.
http://pages.lightthenight.org/coh/CntlOhio14/TeamFraley

Procrastination at its finest....The Garage Challenge Update

So, cleaning the garage was not on the top of my "To Do List".  It's dirty and there is way too much stuff.  I started off strong.......and then......I lost my drive.  So this girl did what she does best.  AVOID.

My little man and I went to the Bengals training camp.....

As a side note, he got 8 autographs that afternoon.  Who Dey!

We were given a pool......

This will be the Man's project to finish.  I already cleaned it out once.  Yuck!

I went to Chicago for work.....

We decided to finish fencing in our yard......

I thought I was going to get to help with this project but when the men tell you they need your help it really means they want you to go to the store 900 times.

So while the guys were putting up the fence I decided to paint.......

I've hated these pantry doors for 12 years.  They were an unfinished white and now they are a pretty custard (Martha Stewart Living).  They match nothing but I love them.

I also had the best idea ever!  I should replace the bathroom faucet.  Turns out, it was the worst idea EVER.  I would rather clean the garage and the yucky pool before I attempt to replace a faucet again.  Better yet, I will call my Uncles or wait for my Dad to visit (hint....I still need to replace my kitchen faucet).  It turned out to be 3 evenings of torture bliss.  I couldn't get past step 2.  Remove the old faucet.  After several conversations with my Dad, a phone call to my Uncle, a few trips to Home Depot, several curse words, enlisting the Man, a feeling of defeat, and a saw, we finally got it replaced. 

Honestly, I wanted to take a sledge hammer to the whole thing and start from scratch.

With all the avoidance projects, the garage got worse......Sigh.....

So now I have no budget for a garage makeover (not like I wanted to spend any money on the dirt dungeon anyways) but I had visions of this beautiful place to work on all my projects.  You know, the type of place when you open the door you can hear the angels saying "Ahhhhhhhhhhh".  Didn't happen. But at least I can fit my car in it!  The Man's on his own.  I put all the borrowed tools and bikes on his side. 

Now check out that back wall.  See all that furniture?  Future projects baby!  Let's get back to doing what I love.  Making over furniture!

The 44 Day Garage Challenge....

There is an unwritten deadline of getting things done around the house.  I know it and the Man knows it.  Football season marks the end of getting any projects completed around the house!  Nothing gets done when football starts.  Sunday’s are sacred and Saturday’s are the primer.  The TVs in the house stay on a sports channel (notice I used the plural form of TV).  That’s right, all.day.long.  The computer and mobile devices are occupied with our fantasy football stats.  All.day.long.  

With my Buckeye’s kicking off on August 30^th I only have 44 days to light a fire organize the garage and my weeknights are currently consumed with soccer, cheer, tumbling, and more soccer.  It’s time to get a game plan! 

Here’s the current state of our garage…..


 

Yikes!  I’ve got to fit two cars in there AND I want a work space for my makeover projects.  

I hear laughter.

Here’s the game plan:

• Drink wine and get ideas from Pinterest
• Get rid of any broken toys and tools
• Recycle what I can
• Paint the back wall
• Take down the peg boards and shelves on the side walls
• Invest in a good standing 5 shelf contraption
• Build a work table
• Figure out what to do with the lawn and garden crap tools
• Reuse as much as I can to minimize the expense

Now it’s time to get out my inner cheerleader and get to work!  

I’m still hearing laughter……

The $3 Dresser that Needed Some Love

On a whim I stopped by the local thrift store and I found this gem.

It had been marked down several times and it was a 50% off furniture day.  Score!  It wasn't exactly what I was looking for but there was just something about it that I couldn't pass up.  It was in desperate need of love and attention.  I loaded it into my car and off we went!  It took me about a week to figure out what I wanted to do to it and since it only cost me a few dollars I was totally up for some experimenting!

First, I had to get the peeling veneer off the top drawer.  I don't have a heat gun so I placed a wet towel on the drawer and then used an iron to create some steam.  I then used a putty knife to loosen up the veneer strips.  What.a.hassle! It took me about an hour to get it all off and I may have ruined a towel in the process but that's our little secret. 

I decided on a cigar lounge look and wanted a metallic silver.  I mixed DecoArt Shimmering Silver Metallic paint, Americana Cottonball and Black Tie together a few times before I found the color I wanted.

As I got going I thought it needed some cool handle pulls.  Since this handsome piece was going in my Lil' Man's room it was only appropriate to find mustache pulls (slightly a challenge to find).  Of course I could not find any mustaches as a double pull so I had to fill two of the holes on each drawer.  My handy Dad recommended that I use wood putty to fill.  Easy!

Because I was feeling a little crazy crafty I thought I would go all out and try my hand at decoupage using Mod Podge.  I used old maps to line the insides of the drawers.  Check them out (it's the best part really).....

Now check out this handsome dresser! 

Now check it out again.......

It feels great to be finished with this project!  Stay tuned for Lil' Man's room reveal!

Lessons Learned:

1. Decoupage takes patience
2. Decoupage takes patience
3. Oh, did I mention - Decoupage takes patience



 

 



Roxanne....

You don’t have to put on the red light. 

Now go back and reread the title and the first sentence.  How can you not sing that song when you hear the name Roxanne? 

(FYI for you young folks – Roxanne is a song by an English rock band called the Police who were popular in the late 70’s and 80’s.)

While out walking the dog, a neighbor was wheeling something to the curb.  I didn’t have a clue what it was and I didn’t want to seem interested in it while my neighbor was still standing there.  A few minutes late we walked back down the street and I could only see the back side of a tub on wheels.  The next morning we drove down to the bus stop (it had been raining – we typically aren’t that lazy) and I parked in front of the house that had the tub on wheels.  This time I could see the front.  It took me a few minutes to figure out that the tub on wheels was really a cooler (basically a tub on wheels).

My creative juices started to flow.  I still didn’t pick it up!  I got to work and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.  I went out to eBay and found one selling for $199.  I quickly grabbed my BFF and we headed out to lunch for a little curbside shopping.

We pulled up and the cooler was still there!  It was meant to be and Roxanne was reborn.  She is now the patio show stopper.

I used Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch black gloss spray paint for the legs and Rust-Oleum American Accents in apple red gloss spray paint for the dress body.

Total Cost = $12 in spray paint

Lessons learned from Roxanne:

1.  Don’t use spray paint on a windy or mild windy day no matter how excited you are to use it
2.  Red spray paint on the driveway is noticeable
3.  Light coats using a sweeping motion are best
4.  Start and stop spraying off of the object

 

Sticker Shock.....

One Sunday afternoon I went shopping for new beds for my kids.  Looking at the price tags made me gasp for air and become a little uneasy.  I’m not sure what I was thinking when I thought new beds for both the kids would be a good idea at the same time.  The more I looked the sweatier I became.  What’s that?  You don’t break a sweat at the thought of spending money?  I headed home feeling disappointed and bummed (and maybe a little stinky from all that sweating).  I decided I had two options, expand my budget or do nothing.  I did nothing.  And then one day I received an email from my Mom with a picture of this bed.

 

Um, no was my immediate response.  I just couldn’t get past the wicker.  Talk about 1970’s!  And then a week later she sent me this pin:

http://www.busydoor.com/captivating-teenage-boy-bedroom-design/simple-boys-bedroom-design-with-two-shelf/

 

That’s all she wrote folks.  Within 24hours my creative side kicked in.  We went to the second hand store (Red Maple Curio for you local folks) and it was still there in all her wicker glory.  I took that beauty home along with another headboard and lamp!

Now let the painting begin (after I take the wicker out of the sliding doors)…..

The headboard had laminate on it so I lightly sanded and then applied a coat of Zinsser Primer.  She’s looking better already.

 

Then I painted using two coats of Rust-Oleum Ultra Cover in black semi-gloss latex paint.  I also applied Minwax Polycrylic protective finish to give it a shine.  Now look at her!  She is no longer stuck in the 70’s! 

 

My son loves it! 

Total Cost = $80 (includes headboard, footboard, side rails, primer, paint, and finish)

Lessons learned from my first furniture painting adventure:

1. Paint brushes DO matter
2. Maybe I should tent the primer when using a dark paint color
3. My man gets a little antsy when I take up his side of the garage for my projects