Beautiful blue!!

I bought this adorable table on a whim two weeks ago at an auction. We arrived at the auction shortly before it ended and didn't really have a chance to look around and inspect all the goodies. I spotted this table under a pile of junk and just hoped it was as sturdy as it looked. My husband had already headed to the van for a few minutes and I decided I wasn't leaving empty-handed so I bid until this cutie was mine. I was really excited when I found out it came with two leaves making it a nice sized table. After everyone cleared to another area, I walked up to the table and gave it a little wiggle and my heart sank because it wobbled a lot more without the heavy items on top! I reluctantly walked to the van to get the muscle to help me carry the table. It was when he turned the table over to slide it into the van I noticed that each leg bolted onto the apron! I have a few other tables like this and they are amazing for easy storage and being able to tighten up any wobbles!! Yeah!!!

I picked up at least 15 different swatches of teal trying to find the shade I wanted and finally found the closest match to Tiffany & Co. blue!!

I sanded the table top with my hand sander and then I used Klean-Strip liquid deglosser to make sure the paint would adhere well.

I sprayed the table with two coats of paint/primer and then sanded everything with 220 grit sandpaper. I lightly distressed the table and the gave it two coats of Minwax paste wax for protection. I love those ADORABLE little feet!!

This bed is for the birds!

Oh my goodness!! I've had a huge love/hate feeling towards this innocent bed for the last few months! There wasn't a lot wrong with the bed besides a few scrapes that needed a little extra sanding. The problem was with me and my indecisive personality. I had issues with the pretty footboard in contrast with the very plain headboard. They were so different! I couldn't just paint this bed white and let the details do the talking because the headboard needed something special. It was a blank canvas and I just couldn't settle on any one idea....because I had SO many! In the end I went with birds similar to a desk and chair I painted last Fall. I used a Tiffany Blue for the base color of the bed which is out of the ordinary for our family. We have two girls and blue has just never been a dominate color in our house....usually we are focused on pink and purple!

After I prepped and painted the bed I used the same gray paint from my desk and chair project to paint these sweet birds. I waited a day....which is REALLY hard....to let the paint fully dry and then I set to work sanding all the crisp lines to soften the appearance of the bed. The last step was a couple of good coats of Minwax paste wax to protect the paint and give it a very soft glow.

.

My gossip bench has been featured!!

I just wanted to give Maryann over at Domestically Speaking a big THANK YOU for featuring my gossip bench this week!!

This gossip bench went from downright ugly to fun and bright in just a few hours.

Gossip bench!!!!

I have always loved little gossip benches! I remember going to auctions with my dad and always being drawn to these cute little chairs. Well, Troy and I were at an auction recently and I bought several pieces of furniture including a gossip bench. I didn't even notice it when I passed by earlier in the day mainly because people were sitting on all of the furniture..GRRRR! It was the end of the auction and Troy had already started to load the van with my other buys while I scoped out the last auction items. I wasn't paying much attention until I looked over at the auctioneer and saw what he was sitting on. He actually auctioned off the bench WHILE sitting on it! I decided it must be sturdy and I decided to bid and win I did. When Troy came in from loading and reloading the furniture so it would all fit, I was standing there holding my prize. Lets just say he wasn't impressed, but he picked it up and found it a space because he loves me so much!

Soooooo, this gossip bench wasn't much of a beauty, but it had nice legs and a curved back that appealed to me.

The first thing I did was to sand the laminate table top so the primer would stick better. I will never understand why the tabletop is the only thing on this bench that isn't solid wood....just strange. I then lightly primed the high traffic areas on the bench with spray primer. I had the hardest time deciding what color to paint this piece because I hadn't found any fabric that seemed right. The bench sat in our shed for a few weeks until I spotted this cute black fabric with funky green leaves. The green screamed 70's which fit perfect with this retro bench. Once I painted the bench with my new sprayer, I gave it a light distressing.

I hope you enjoy the pop of color as much as I do!!! I recovered the bench pad and made a pillow for the back and added a couple of coordinating fabric roses to the pillow. I love this bench!!!


.

Waterfall beauty

I have a new favorite piece of furniture at my house!!!! She's a golden curvy beauty and I LOVE HER!!!

Isn't she pretty! I can't decide whether to paint her or take her back to her former life as a golden beauty queen. The cedar inside is in great shape, but there are quite a few scrapes on the top and it's missing the lock. Give me your opinion!!! :)

Better late than never! Christmas sign tutorial

This is a late post, but somewhere in the middle of Christmas preparations I forgot to sit down and post this simple gift idea.  My husband's extended family has always gotten together on Christmas and exchanged homemade gifts.  This year we drew one of his Aunt's and a cousins names out of the bowl.  I had planned on making these amazing signs from Dittle Dattle which I LOVE!!!

I tried several times, but I just didn't like my handwriting.  I wonder if other people hate their handwriting?  My handwriting is not that bad, but I see ALL the imperfections and tend to write larger as I move down a paragraph.....  Moving on ;)  Isn't Carrie's Thankful sign above just SWEET?!?!  I still plan on making one for me with all the wonderful things in my life listed for all to see!


Well, back to my Christmas gifts.  I finally decided that I was going to use the computer or I would never get these projects done.  I printed my list of words that made me think of Christmas on a plain sheet of paper.  Then I wadded and wrinkled the paper so it would soften and accept more dye later.

This next step can be done before or after you wad the paper.  Take a straight edge and tear off extra paper to create a torn soft edge that will soak up the dye.

I found a package of black Rit dye in a drawer and mixed a tablespoon or two with water in a bread pan.  I placed it in the bottom of the sink because....well....I tend to make a mes.  I dipped the paper in the water for a few seconds and gently wrung the water out. The paper will dry several shades lighter so don't worry if you think it's too dark.

This step is tricky, because you now need to gently unwad the wet paper without tearing it up too much.  Lets just say I had to do this step several times.  Once your paper is flat lay it on a paper towel to absorb the extra water and let it air dry or if you are impatient like me gently use a blow dryer.

I used postal wrapping paper to be a backer for the dyed paper.  I could have used a grocery bag, but the crease in the bag was going to show in the frame so I opted to spend a little extra since these were gifts.

I centered the dyed paper on the postal paper I cut to the size of the opening and glued them together.

After cleaning the glass I put the frame back together and went upstairs to get my Cricut.  I cut out the word Christmas in vinyl and placed it in the center of my frame using the words behind as a guide.

This is the final product, now I need to make one for myself to put on the piano since these will be leaving my house soon!

.

I've been featured!!

WoooHoooo!!!!  I've been featured for the first time and I am sooo stinking excited!!!  Hannah over at Young and Crafty feature my desk and chair on her blog!  Thanks, Hannah!!!

.