Finish the mural...check!

Some of you may recall my post about the dinosaur mural my 4 year old and I began one afternoon last fall. His "dinosaur obsession", to put it lightly, and my compulsive personality started us on an adventure painting with what leftover paint colors we had in the closet at the time and some of his dinosaur books as inspiration. It was fun and challenging to say the least working with only a few different colors, mixing a little of this and more of that. One thing I failed to mention in the previous post (probably because I was too embarrassed) was that I only had one paint brush at the time...the one you see him holding below. Not exactly ideal for detailed work. So, I had to get creative and ended up using cotton balls and q-tips to add texture and details on the dinosaur. Nice, I know...that's what you get when you decide at 12:00 in the afternoon to do something like this and do it then.

Here it is where we left it that evening. I, of course had every intention of coming back the following days to work on the clouds a bit more and spend some time on the landscape (as you may recall from my post) but like so many other projects a few days became a few months...

until tonight when I finally got after it again lightening the clouds, and adding some much needed shrubbery not to mention some highlights and shadows here and there (with some actual paint brushes this time). I do not consider myself an artist and this is the first wall mural I have ever attempted but I could still spend hours on this trying to make it better. Isn't there always more you can do? In the end the boys will be sharing a different room in less than a year and so it really doesn't make sense to sweat it out but I am just glad that I can finally call it done and walk into his room now not being reminded of one more project left unfinished. Does anyone else have projects "almost" done around thier house but just never seem to get completely finished like me?

Almost forgot...It's saturday so I am linking this post to Donna's Saturday Nite Special @ http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/ and after that @ http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/ for the Metamorphosis Monday Party and lastly @http://domestically-speaking.blogspot.com/ for the Power of Paint party...can't miss that one with a post all about paint :). Have a great week everyone!

15 minute mirror makeover!

I found this oldy goldy mirror at the thriftstore a little while ago for $7.50 (apparantly on sale from $15.00). I liked its potential but didn't really like the price even though it was only $7.50. Then I turned it over to see another price tag...one from a nearby thrift competitor for $3.00! Are you kidding me? I showed the sales clerk and it was obvious she was slightly embarrassed resulting in an offer of $5.50. I took it and here's what I did in a matter of minutes with it today...
Oh yeah, the before shot (I know you all secretly wish you had this carpet somewhere in your home):
After a coat of flat white spray paint and some sandpaper to roughen things up a bit.

I love the result and most of all the little time it took to complete! I will be putting this in the guest room as soon as I get the old wallpaper taken down and repainted. Ughhh, not looking forward to that job so much. Anyone want to come help :)? As always I am linking up to some great parties this week: http://domestically-speaking.blogspot.com/, http://decormamma.blogspot.com/, and http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

Painted dresser for my four year old.

This dresser was my husbands growing up and when our oldest child turned 2 it became his. At that time I painted the old worn wood a dark brown. I bought some wooden knobs from JoAnns to use as drawer pulls but never liked the way they looked so I didn't even finish painting them much less putting them on. Today I was sorting through drawers boxing up the clothes that no longer fit him when I decided enough was enough. I was sick of hiding the ugly thing in the closet. It was time for a facelift. I taped off the top drawer in random sections using different widths and painted some orange and tan stripes (leftover paint I had on hand). After I finished the top drawer I wasn't crazy about stripes all the way down each drawer...I thought it would be too busy so I taped off the inner area of the drawers and painted them tan. Boring, right? Just wait. Here's a shot of the process below.

After the paint had dried I decided to paint a number on each drawer. I have seen this everywhere lately and although I have been known to pride myself in not following trends I really like this one and wanted it for my sons bedroom so I gave in. I free handed each number with a pencil and then using a small paint brush filled in with the orange paint. I know a stencil would have been neater but I actually like the imperfections from free handing it. Now I can proudly say that it is no longer hiding in the closet. I also did some distressing around the edges afterwards. As you can see, I still need to pick up some hardware...I am thinking some round rubbed bronze knobs would look good. Any thoughts or other suggestions?

I'm linking up to the "Power of Paint" party at http://domestically-speaking.blogspot.com/ , "Frugalicious Friday" at http://decormamma.blogspot.com/, "Furniture Feature Friday" at http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/, http://creationsbykara.blogspot.com/ and "Saturday Nite Special" at http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

If you need some inspiration I highly suggest checking these sights out!

Until next time :),

Weekend reveal (part 1)

Last weekend was great at my sisters! We literally worked night and day to get the livingroom revamped and I am so happy with the results! I decided to post this in two segments since there are so many little things we did working on a budget of roughly $160.00! Pictured below is one of the "before" shots my sister took for me. Yet another chair makeover. You may remember that I had two left unfinished from my dining set. I painted it white and distressed the edges for a shabby look, then replaced the cushion with some new blue fabric to coincide with the new blue wall paint. I think they look great together.

Here's what we did to dress up the piano area. First I added the newly painted lamps and candle holders, then replaced the old doile with a piece of burlap to sit underneath the glass lantern filled with potpurri. The vase was something my sisters husband made back in high school and I thought it added just the right amount of interest and scale I was looking for. The painting behind was something my sister-in-laws mother had done and the rich and warm brown tones within the painting also suited the space perfectly.

A shot from the side. Have I mentioned that my sister is an amazing pianist? I am hoping this will encourage even more music in her home.

This is a "before" shot of the wall just off the front door entry.

I wanted to keep her family photos here but kick things up a bit, so I taped off this design to use as framework for a collage.

Then we added the dark brown accent color to the wall and filled it with white painted frames...some for photos and others for mirrors. I love how this looks and can't wait to see it complete with photos inside, very chic don't you think? Everything you see came from the thriftstore here.

Like I said before we had a great time and thanks to my sisters being the hardest workers I know we got alot done! Check back here for part 2 of the weekend reveal later this week.

As promised.

Here are some more pictures of accessories I have been working on for my sisters new livingroom makeover about to take place (this weekend)! I am so excited to see her I can hardly wait! Below are a couple of candle pillars I picked up last week for $1.00 each at the thrift store. Now they are a beautiful white. I plan to put dark brown candles in them and beside them are a light blue frame I found (also a $1.00). Are you catching on to the color scheme I have in mind yet?

Oh yes, and these were all finds from the thrift store as well ranging from fifty cents to a dollar each (I have several more not pictured here that I will be using as well). I am creating a wall collage with family photos in some frames mixed in with mirrored frames. I can't wait to see this wall completed :)

Just one of the frames I am using...it needs a bit of cleaning up but you get the idea, right?

Check back here next week for some "before" and "after" shots. Have a great Valentines Day everyone (my hubby and I are celebrating tonight since I will be gone Sunday)!

I'm addicted!

Hi, my name is Ericka and I am addicted to thrift stores. There, I said it, ahh that feels better :).
Okay, so I found this gun cabinet last week at one of my favorite thriftstores for $15.00 and although my husband and I both are gun owners I didn't exactly have that in mind when I made this purchase. So, here's the "before" shot I took when my husband brought it home (shaking his head of course as to what I had brewing up in my crazy mind this time). Because of the cottagy (is that a word?) cornice on top I thought an antique blue/green color would suit it (and my kitchen) nicely...

but first I had to put some work into it. I started by ripping out the shelf inside that was used to help stablize the rifles. Then I beefed up the seat a bit by covering the whole bottom with new boards on top and some trim around the front. It was around that time that I started really thinking about different options for a seat cushion. I really didn't want to spend any more money so I pulled out my old feather pillow from the back of the linen closet and voila, it fit perfectly! Oh yeah, and then of course I sanded and primed (my least favorite part).

Here it is now. I think it needs some kind of hardware up on top to balance things a bit more and I have something in mind just haven't got it yet. This is now a perfect place when we come in the door to put our coats, bags, and shoes. Much better than on the counter and around the room. We have a fairly roomy coat closet but the problem is it is right off the front door entry and we rarely use our front door...basically it gets used when I clean up the mess :) I'm hoping this new piece will help reduce that clean up!

The cushion: I printed out a C in a font I found in Microsoft Word and then freehanded it on cardboard to the size I wanted to use as my stencil. I'm sure there is an easier way to do this but this was my first time attempting it and that's what I came up with. After the paint was all dry I simply sewed two identical sized pieces of burlap together. Oops, still need to paint those legs :)

Love the tiny cubbys for my little ones shoes (or boots)! Total cost for this project was $33.00! This included the cabinet, hardware (hooks), burlap, and paint (everything else I needed I had on hand).

I'm linking this post up to all these great DIY parties this week! Check them out!

http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/, http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/, http://decormamma.blogspot.com/ , http://domestically-speaking.blogspot.com/, http://reinventedkb.com/ http://theshabbychiccottage.net/ and http://bluecricketdesign.net/

More sisters weekend prep!

(Above)

These candle holders were only .75 each at one of the local thrift stores here last weekend. I'm going to spray paint them white with dark brown candlesticks above(assuming I can find some) and possibly play around with a decoupage treatment around parts of the wood so stay tuned for the final result.

And who doesn't love a frosty white mirror on the wall? These are just a few of the elements I am preparing for my sisters "wall collage" on her soon to be accent wall...can't wait to see the end result! Oh and FYI I just recently discovered that using a razor blade to scrape off the unwanted paint afterwards is so much easier than trying to tape and cover the glass before painting and my life just got a little easier :). I picked up all of these framed mirrors for less than $1.00 each!

Sister Painting Party!

I have three sisters who are each a huge blessing in my life. There's just something so special about the bond between a sister! Well, unfortunately none of us live very close to each other and as a result don't get to see each other as often as we would like. This weekend, however, my youngest sister and I are going to meet up and drive together to my older sisters house (about 6 hours away) and do what I love most...decorate! I am so excited to spend time with my sisters. My husband is so incredibly supportive (of everything I do really) and is keeping the baby all weekend while I take our 4 year old.(did I mention this weekend is Valentines Day)! I know, I am so lucky! So...we are going to be having a painting party...you know walls, furniture, and of course accessories all for her livingroom. And of course we are on a VERY TIGHT budget so I am trying to get some things done ahead of time and thought I would post these lamps I just finished painting tonight. I bought them for $3.00 each at a thrift store several months ago and put them away in the basement for someday in the future when I would need them, glad I did! First, I gave them two coats of dark brown spray paint.

Then, I painted over the lines using a small paint brush in white. After that I filled the petals with a light smoky blue color (bummer, the pictures don't show the colors very well) that is similar to the color we will be painting the walls. For the final step I added some shadowing in a darker blue and some highlights in white. I need to pick up some shades so when I get those I will post a true "after" shot (preferrably in the daylight) with some of the other accessories I am prepping for the big weekend so check back here later in the week to see more painted accessories!

(click on photo to enlarge)

Giving Re-upholstery a try...

Again, here is my "before" shot taken just after I got home from the Thriftstore... All finished...well as good as it's going to get anyway with my limited skills and lack of patience :)

And a view from the side.

I paid $10.00 for the chair and much more for the fabric and new foam cushion which was an unexpected added cost (I'll be sure to investigate that part a little better the next time before I buy a chair). The foam alone ended up costing me $28.00 :( and the fabric, which I had originally purchased for window treatments I paid another $35.00 for. This project didn't exactly end up being as big as a bargain as I thought it would be in the beginning but I am pleased with the overall results and at least I can say that I have actually reupholstered something that required some sewing (something I have little patience for) :) I think I will be more selective on future reupholstery projects after this experience but I'm not saying I won't ever try it again...I'm sure I will but next time I just might hire out any required sewing. I'm linking up with all my favorite parties this weekend at : http://decormamma.blogspot.com/, http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/, and http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/ . Be sure to check them out for loads of creativity and inspiration!

I've always wanted a kitchen island...

Today I decided that my Pier 1 Imports project desk should now be our kitchen island!? Okay...don't look too closely there is some major decorating that still needs to take place here and I am thinking that with the new window treatments and a fun scrapbook print attached to the back of the shelves this place will look fabulous with some color in it!

THE STORY BEHIND MY MADNESS THIS TIME:

So, the boys have been sick this week and as a result my house cleaning has really taken a backseat. Anyway, tonight I decided enough was enough as I looked over my messy (filthy would be a more accurate term) kitchen. Overwhelmed with where to start and unmotivated to get after it, I started thinking about mixing things up a bit. This is exactly what I used to do in high school when my mom would order me to clean my bedroom when I had let the mess get out of hand. In the end my room was sparkling alright with all the furniture rearranged as well. I guess the excitement of a "new look" takes over the burden of cleaning.

As you all know I have just refurbished dining chairs. I am not sure if I want to keep our existing dining table and paint it to match or start over (truthfully, I'd like a smaller table). In the mean time, we have been eating at my project desk I purchased from a Pier 1 Imports that was going under a couple years ago (at half cost) for the last couple of weeks. I love the desk but really have had little use for it...until now. What do you think? Too cramped? I prefer the term "cozy" :). Seriously though, I know it greatly reduces the traffic area but by utilizing the extra counter top work surface I feel like it really works better for me...I mean you're not going to fit a wheelchair in there but all of the appliances and drawers can be used and opened at full capacity so I'm okay with it. I also like how it visually separates the kitchen from the eating space more since we don't have a separate dining room. I think I have a little more convincing to do on my husbands part but since I do the majority of the cooking around here I am hoping to win out on this one at least for a little while. I've also found it's much easier to "sell" a new space plan on him when the room is cleaner than it was before :) Thoughts?