Latest Upcycling...

The last few weeks have been so busy with family reunions, birthdays, and so much more but somehow in the chaos of it all I managed to get a few smaller projects completed and sold. 

This chair was missing one of the ladders on the back...no biggie just filled in the holes and gave her a lovely coat of white with a new burlap seat.  She will be sitting pretty at the outdoor wedding where she will be making her debut...I also finished another like this one and one painted black.

 this oak coffee table was screaming for a makeover and just in time for the owners family reunion hosted at her home.  After the black paint and distressing it was a complete transformation!

 Another headboard turned to decor project.  I have several more of these to get finished in time for the craft fair...better get on that!

 And last but not least, Shala came to me wanting/needing an antique or older styled queen headboard.  I didn't have one that size but I did have a mission style queen...so I took out the slats and repositioned them like this photo below...

Then I gave her a coat of antique white paint and some metal ceiling tiles...and of course some shabby distressing...perfect!

I have so much more to do but I've got to be honest it has been alot harder finding the time for my projects now that I have 3 little boys to take care of...and let's be honest they are hard work but the most important thing to me so please be patient as the projects continue, ever so slowly :)

I'm linking this post up to Donna's linky party here. 

Kid Friendly Book Storage

My good friend and our local children's librarian came to me with this piece that belonged to her father.  It had originally been used as a truck box in the back of a truck bed to hold tools.  I am so glad she thought of me when she saw it and gave me first dibbs!  It is sooo cool and the possibilities are endless!  She told me she saw something similar to it once at a library convention hanging on the wall with books inside, I loved the idea but waited a week or two before I made any decisions on it but I kept coming back to the book storage idea and so I decided to go for it.

 Oh yeah....my kids are LOVING this and so am I!  I am reworking a part of the basement for a more kid friendly space and this is included on the wall along with a bench seat below for reading (and reaching) the books placed in the various cubbies.  Below the seat are baskets full of more books because well, I yard sale alot and there tends to always be childrens books for sale and it seems I have a hard time passing them up :)  As you can see I ended up painting it black and handpainted the word "read" in a type kind of font.

I am loving how the room is shaping up but it's not quite finished yet!  The seat cushion is still a work in progress and I am on the hunt for a fun, bright colored, kid friendly area rug as well.  When those two things come together I will be more than happy to share the room reveal :)  Oh and a great big thanks to you Valerie!!!

Free Dresser Turned Media Cabinet

I was lucky enough to get this old dresser FREE a couple of weeks ago.  The woman who gave it to me bought it to fix up and never got around to it...boy do I know that feeling!  Anyhow, I was more than willing to take it off of her hands since I needed something bigger to put our flat screen on downstairs.  Even though it was missing a drawer, some hardware, and needed some major TLC, I saw it as having great potential.  Here's what I did...

 I demoed much of the inside, making it possible for a cabinet below for blanket storage...it seems our basement is always so cold no matter what season it is!  Then I cut and measured a board for the top to fit nicely for the electronic storage. If you look closely you'll see that the shelf needs some more painting but at 2 a.m. this morning I quit there :) Then I added old cabinet doors I cut down and pieced to fit. as well as hardware.  I also painted the inside a soft muddied blue.  I plan on adding some handpainting here but can't decide what I want to do just yet...it feels like such a big commitment, any suggestions are welcome! 

So as you can see I am not quite finished yet but getting closer!  A big thanks to Tanya for giving me this dresser, someday I'll show you all my before and afters of my basement makeover, it's been a slow transformation coming but I am almost there!

Patriotic Table

What are you doing this 4th of July?  I will be gathering my little boys and the hubs and taking them to the annual 4th of July parade in my hometown.  I am from a very, VERY small town and as far back as I can remember I have gone to this little town parade on the 4th.  My favorite part of the parade when I was a kid was the Air Force Jets flying overhead, the signal to start the parade.  Now that I'm older it's the presentation of the flag and the accompanying national anthem from the very first float.  I love this holiday and the opportunity it gives us to reflect on the freedoms we as Americans enjoy and be grateful to those who have worked and sacrificed so much to make this possible.  So, here's the project...nothing big just a little table with a patriotic flair.

 This is how it started out...great bones but needed some color.

 Here it is after two coats of chalk paint and a piece of beadboard scrap positioned inside the top. I painted the beadboard red with a subtle white stripe in the grooves.

Of course it got some distressed edges for added character.  Just after I completed this project I read that the local national guard troops were looking for donated items for thier annual "Family Picnic Day"  Umm, yeah, this will be perfect don't you think! So grateful to be an American!  Happy 4th all!

Country Style

Tis' the yard sale season I love and so I have been picking up a few gems as of late and here's what I have been doing with some of them:  First off a headboard with hooks!

 Of course paint and distressing helps add to the charm.

 And here she was when I got her.

 This headboard was headed to the D.I. (local thrift) but before taken was offered to me by the owner and friend Lana...thanks Lana!  Here's what I had in mind shortly after...

 I cut off the very bottom of the legs, and cut weathered boards to screw in from behind.

 Then I added some chalk paint and coat hooks.  Now all it needs are the vintage words saying "You are my Sunshine" painted on and it will be perfect!

 The red sign completed above still needs the hooks added along the bottom.

I have one more I am making for my sister and I'm not exactly sure how we are going to do it yet. What kinds of things have you done with old headboard/footboards?  See you all next week for a new post and new project to share!
I'm linking up to two of my favorite blogs: www.funkyjunkinteriors.net and www.decormamma.blogspot.com

A New Headboard!

I have been working on updating my bedroom for the last couple of days.  I have a very long way to go and I am dreading the closet door makeover but here is some of my progress so far.  It all started with some scrap materials I had laying around...

 Then a few cuts here and there and I had a rough design going...

 Next I added some white paint, and a white glaze (over the tins) and screwed the boards and ceiling tins in place.

 Once I finished touching it up and brought it into my bedroom I realized the color was still a bit too gold. With my walls being a cool beige color the two really clashed so I whipped up a little aqua glaze and put her on.

 Here's what it looked likedrying...much better already!

 And here is the finished product.  I really want some new bedding but for now this new headboard works well but still lends itself to other options in the future.

 Sorry the photos are so dark...I didn't get these taken until my little ones were in bed tonight. 

There is still so much to do in this room but maybe, just maybe, when I am all done it will motivate me to keep it clean :).  Happy Father's day everyone! 

I am linking up to: www.funkyjunkinteriors.net

Vanity turned Window Seat!

Thanks to my good friend Alyssa, I scored this vanity at a yard sale for a whopping $15 last week!  The mirror was broken and the rest of it needed some love as well.

 Using my own chalk paint mixture (adding non-sanded grout and water to paint) I painted it a soft ivory like color and distressed the edges for some shabbiness.  Then the hardware got a coat of flat black spray paint and I threw on my old burlap pillow/cushion.  What once was a vanity is now an adorable seat with storage.  This would be sooooo cute under a window with some books stacked on either side, would it not?  Problem is...I don't have a window for this to go under so I may end up selling it, if I can bring myself to part with it, that is :)

 Here's a closeup of some of the distress marks.

 Then the cushion on top.

And that's it folks!  I still need to rub the wax on over the top but that won't take long.  Oh and don't worry about the piece that once held the mirror...I have BIG plans for that in the near future as well :).
I am linking this post up to these parties at these blogs this week: www.domestically-speaking.com ,www.findingfabulousblog.com and www.funkyjunkinteriors.net

Chalkboard Cabinet Door

Today while my two littlest ones napped I jumped on this project that has been long overdue.  This old cabinet door was collecting dust (and cobwebs) in a corner of my shed and it was time to get her done.  When both boys fell asleep I knew it was my chance!

 First I carefully broke the glass and removed and discarded it.  Then I took some scrap paneling I had and cut this piece using my jigsaw to slide into the grooves that originally held the glass.

 Once that was done, all I really had to do was paint.  The frame got two coats of white and the paneled board got a couple coats of chalkboard paint (I brushed mine on but spray paint would have been easier and faster).  Of course I added one of my favorite quotes and hung it in the laundry room...appropriate don't you think ;).

And there you have it, a simple chalkboard that has a little decor flair as well.  And as I am posting this my 3 year old is STILL asleep and my 3 month old just woke up so that's it for now!  Have a great week everyone!
Linking this post up to www.funkyjunkinteriors.net

Swing Away!

I saw this idea on pinterest a while back and just had to do this...it was soooo easy too!

 I simply took my hack saw and cut the legs off this second hand chair.  Then I drilled holes through the seat and frame and threaded the rope through.  Once that was done I simply tossed the ropes over a branch and tied them off once it was level.  The seat is black pleather but I thought a pillow made it look a bit more inviting :)

 Needless to say my kids are LOVING it!

 Okay, really LOVING it!

Summertime at our house just got a little better :)  A swinging bench made out of two chairs could be really cute this way as well. Ahhh, I love summer!
I'm linking up to Donna's party cuz its saturday night people!

Flower Power!

Many of you have probably seen the cinderblock planters recently.  They seem to be everywhere I look: pinterest, www.designsponge.com, or www.apartmenttherapy.com. to name a few.  Because I had 20 or so cinderblocks just sitting in the wood shed serving no purpose I liked the idea of how easy this project would be not to mention affordable and interesting all at the same time.  There is a far wall in our backyard near a concrete basketball pad that has bothered me since we bought the house.  It just looks drab and empty, particularly compared to the other side of the yard so this project was perfect for this spot.

 Instead of planting herbs, like so many others are doing with these planters, I opted for more flowers instead because I am all about the color...it's almost summer afterall!  I can't wait until these petunias and other assorted flowers start to grow bigger and cascade down and around the blocks.  Oh, and the painted numbers...well, we try not to take ourselves too seriously around here, especially when it comes to the backyard so I painted the numbers for some added fun and hey as a bonus my three year old will get better at recognizing numbers this summer (at least 1-15, anyway ;)!