What's the difference between a toolbox and a toy box???????

The age of the owner. 

I'm slightly addicted to boxes.  Any kind of boxes.  Wood boxes, metal boxes, cardboard boxes, fabric boxes, plastic boxes, if it's got the word box in the name, chances are I want it or have one.  A toolbox is no different.  I found this one at an estate sale.

It even had some goodies.......

It even came with some rust......

I tried using a scouring pad and I tried some vinegar to remove the rust but this girl had little patience for either.  I used sandpaper to remove the rust that I could.  I then sprayed one coat of Rust-Oleum Filler Primer and finished it off with Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch in Deep Blue.  Oh, and I can't forget the mustache sticker that makes it officially "cool" for my son.

It now holds all those little annoying toys that you find all over the floor.  You know, the ones that you step on and try to hold in all the curse words as your hopping around on one foot.  Yep, those are the ones.

And that whisky box keeps all the legos from being sucked up into the vacuum.

Now that's what I call genius!

Stay Thrifty,
Shea

The Mouse Hideout........

Recently we had a snowy weekend and all our activities had been canceled.  So what does this girl do when she doesn't have any place to be?  Find something to paint!  This beauty had been sitting in my garage for awhile.   

 

 

I had picked up a few bottles of the Americana Decor chalky finish paint a few weeks ago in the hopes of doing something different.   Okay, truth be told, I watched a bunch of YouTube videos on using chalk paint and the Americana line was the cheapest and easiest to get.  

I decided I was going to use the dresser in my kitchen to replace my sad baker’s rack that was being held together by a few screws.  Not real sure what happened to the rest of the screws but whatev.  It’s been around for awhile.

Now this beauty was nicely tucked away against the wall in my garage with a towel over it to protect it from the man and kids setting random stuff on it.  I pulled it out and noticed there were some mouse droppings on the towel.  Ewwww!  We thought we had a little creature in our basement but we weren't for sure.  Our suspicions had been confirmed when I followed the droppings from the dresser down to the floor and along the wall and into a gap between the concrete and the drywall.  Then I found a bag of grass seed on a shelf that had been busted open with seeds and droppings all around.  Sneaky little thing was livin large!  We quickly shut that down and served him an eviction notice.

After all that excitement I took a nap I got started on the chalk paint makeover.  I used Delicate as my base (it's a yellow) and Rouge as the top coat.  I did not sand before the base coat but I did do a light sanding after the base coat and the top coat.  The yellow and the wood come through in different areas and it is just beautiful.  I left the top as is and reused the original knobs.  She now has an old farmhouse feel to her.  She's perfect!

That's an old milk crate that now holds my wine bottles!





Don't you just want a glass of wine after all that!



 

If at first you don't succeed....

Try, try again.

I decided to use this little lady as a nightstand in my daughter's room.

Of course it would require a makeover before it could be accepted as one of her own.  I moved the table from the garage to my studio kitchen and walked past it a few hundred times just waiting for it to call to me.

And I waited.

First, I brighten her up with some RePurpose paint in Crisp Linen.  She looked so refreshed!

I thought I wanted to do a little stencil design on it.  I struggled with how and where I should put the stencil.

I didn't like it.  Sigh.

I reached out to my Facebook peeps for some input.  They gave me lots of ideas and within an hour I had painted over the stencil.  Time to start over!

And I waited.
And I stared.
And I walked past it a hundred more times.

Finally, I talked myself into trying again without stencils!  And I like it!

I used some left over paint for the feet (I prefer to call them slippers), drawer, and stripes.  It's Behr Premium Plus Ultra in Yucatan (same color as the wall behind the table).  I covered it with two coats of Rust-Oleum Polyurethane and I spray painted the drawer pull black. 

I'm glad that one is over!

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……