Another bench, chalkboards, and sneak peek!

Oh boy, where to begin! I have been oh so busy and I am happy to show you some of my progress today.  First, I finally finished this bench, I sold its gray "twin" last week and loved how it turned out so much that I just had to make another.  This one I finished in a celery/almond like color.  Love the extra wide seat that allows for all kinds of decorative pillows. This one would be so cute on a porch with some fall decor!

 Here's a closer shot of the crackly paint and glazed goodness I just love! Loooove it!

 I have also been finishing up some chalkboards.  You might remember this one from a couple months ago...today I changed out some knobs and added the blue porcelon roses instead followed by a handwritten "Bed and Breakfast" sign by yours truly.  I love the words with the fact that the top is a headboard! Perfect!

 This one just needed some cute hardware and something written so "Let it Snow" came to mind, perfect for all winter and so cute with stockings, scarfs and hats, or ice skates hanging from the hooks!  As with all things chalkboards you could make it function for any space you wanted though.

 Oh and here is my "sneak peek" at the desk I mentioned last week...its coming right along and I am loving the metallic thing going on here. Just a few more coats of paint and some finishing touches (possibly castors) and it will be all ready for the craft fair!

I have so much more to do including a kitchen hutch/buffet combo, an oversized end table, and a drop leaf table for starters...those will have to wait until next week ;)  Thanks for indulging me in this crazy passion of mine, I am so going to take a painting/building vacation in November!

A little of this, a little of that...

 

It's that time of year again...the time when I drive myself and my family crazy with endless trips to the hardware store and every waking moment I can spare outside painting, sanding, cutting, building, pricing...you get the idea. It's time for the annual Minico Craft Fair :).  I have a love/hate relationship with this fair because it draws in an insane amount of locals with vendors from so many different places.  The last two years I have shared a booth with my good friend Alyssa who makes beautiful soldered jewelry.  Our stuff compliments each other well and we get to split the entry fee so we keep doing it!  The reason why I hate the fair is for obvious reasons, it means I have to work like a dog the weeks prior, so that's where I am at today, 4 weeks out on a friday night trying not to fall asleep staring at my computer screen.  Here are a few of the "smaller items" I will be taking with me. I'm not going to post everything on here so if you are local you might want to hit the fair early in case there is something that sparks your interest...the last two years combined I have come home with 2 items unsold...like I said, there are an insane amount of people at this craft fair.

 Here is a board sign I just finished for someone as a wedding gift, this will not be in the fair but you can be sure some signs like it will be :)

 Here's a little shabby table with a chalk board top. It just needs a bowl of  bright yellow lemon drops!

 Another little sign that will eventually be holding some long peppermint sticks!

 This was once an armoire door and now it holds to wire baskets...perfect for a kitchen holding fresh fruit and veggies or above a toilet with towels and TP...or the traditional floral arrangements somewhere else.

 Here's another door I painted and glazed and hung two antique jars on...still deciding on what wording I want on it...ideas?

This one is much simpler and definitely has a country vibe to it with its shabbiness and old antique tall jars against the dusty blue gray painted board but sometimes its the simplest decor that makes the biggest impact and I can just see these jars paired with some freshly cut daisies in them...love.
Next week I will share one, possibly two more headboard footboard benches and a desk redo that has taken me in a direction I have never gone with a piece of furniture...just wait!

Headboard/Footboard Goodness!

Just wrapping up another project this week with this headboard and footboard turned into a bench. These benches have been making their way into the DIY/CRAFT world for a few years now but they are so charming I couldn't resist building another!

 Here is what the headboard and footboard I used looked like before assembly.  Lucky for me I have an exact duplicate set to make another one out of...or use for something else :).

 I wanted to do something a little different. Gray has become the new tan and you see it EVERYWHERE these days but what you don't see all that often is a rustic gray look so that's where I decided to take this piece. By adding some deep walnut wood stain over the paint it gives it that beautiful glazed look and I love how it seaps into all the cracks and crevices for added visual appeal.

 In keeping with the walnut glaze I stained 2 x 4's for the seat in the same wood stain.  In this photo below the seat still needs to be screwed down and a coat of poly but you get the overall idea :)

I'm loving how it turned out, hope you do to!

A little bit of sunshine...

I have had this cute little cabinet sitting in my shed waiting to be finished for almost a year! Maybe that's why I can't find any "before" photos now.  Picture the ugliest metallic gold ever and you've got it :)

 This is it sitting pretty drying after a coat of primer, some mustard paint, and a dark walnut stain rubbed on and wiped off.

This would make the cutest seat with a cushion on top sitting under a window or would also work great as a bench in an entry or mudroom with a shelf with hooks hanging above. It's always nice to have a little bit of sunshine in your life...or your home for that matter :)  Happy designing all!

I think I'll link this beauty up to www.missmustardseed.com for her friday furniture linky party!

A Door/Hall Tree!

Perhaps some of you have seen something like this on Pinterest, that's where I originally saw this idea and once I laid eyes on it I knew I had to make one! It just so happened that I was given, yes given an old door not to mention a twin headboard and footboard, so I was all set to go.  Here is a pic of the door and the footboard cut in half and then screwed together.

 It is amazing what a little paint and some wood stain can do, yes? I painted the piece white in a chalk paint and then after it was dry lightly sanded and applied a deep walnut stain as a glaze.  I also ended up adding 3 matching coat hooks along the top.  I loved how a wreathe looked hung on it as well though if one didn't want to hang coats and bags.

 For the seat I simply cut some scrap wood and stained it in the same walnut stain I wiped on the white paint.  It is still drying and needs a coat of poly and some screws to hold it in place but other than that is ready to go...I feel like I say this alot, but I really wish I had a place for this one in my own home!

I am hoping to complete one more of these in time for the craft fair in October.  It will be the same concept with a twist so keep checking back so you don't miss it (Think nature) :)
I'm linking up to this weekends parties at www.funkyjunkinteriors.net and www.missmustardseed.com and homespunhappenings-tammy.blogspot.com

Chalkboard Headboard

Another lone headboard, another one turned into wall decor. This time, however, I decided to change it up a bit...

 I purchased this antique molding shown below a couple months ago and finally found a use for it today. I cut it down to size as well as a piece of scrap board shown here.

 Here is is put together and painted in Banner Red complete with a built in chalkboard and a collection of shabby hardware/hooks.

 This would make a perfect piece in a casual entry or mud room. Ooh I could also see it in a kitchen with aprons hanging on the hooks and the menu written above...so fun!

 Love that there is a handy ledge for the chalk to rest. 

Well, it's onto the next project for me. Happy creating/designing out there! I'm linking this up to Saturday Night Special Party!

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!