Shabby Chic Craft Table

 
  What do you do when you tell your daughters they need to share a room?  You give them the best room possible!

When I first saw this room it was a blank canvas.  Well, almost blank.  More like a pink and white striped canvas.  Two little girls who previously had their own rooms needed to share a room so their awesome mommy wanted to give them the best room they could get.  This room was calling for a cottage, shabby chic look and that's just what I am giving them. 

 

 This is what I started with.  Say "Hi" to Handy Hubby!  He was there to offer his support...To the desk...so it didn't fall!

 

I will start at the top and work my way down.  The shelves are from Ikea they are called Ekby Trtggve.  They are pine unfinished shelves already cut and sanded and are just $3.99 each.

 

 

I then stained them in a walnut color stain and after they dried brushed them with white chalk paint.

 

Here is the finished product.

I wanted them to able to move the shelves around to accommodate their storage needs so I decided to go with Rubbermaid upright tracks and 8" brackets.

I wanted to add craft rolls to the bottom of the shelves to free up the counter space.  I achieved this with a basic craft roll and curtain rods purchased at Ikea.

 

The desk top continues the Ikea theme $45. for the top and table legs were $15 ea.  We only needed two because we supported the back of the table with a 1x2 support mounted to the wall.

 

 

The bench is a Norden dining bench which goes for $79.  I decided to go with a bench instead of chairs because if the girls wanted to sit with friends, or mom, or even their baby sister then they would have enough room for everyone.

 

 

I painted the bench with Opal Silk by Behr.  Then followed that with some sanding and stain to age the bench.  To make sure it lasts for a while I topped it with a paste finishing wax. 

 

And There you have it a craft station for two (or more) and a sneak peak into the closet.  There  are some finishing touches that are still needed for the rest of the room.  As soon as those are complete I will have more pictures and tutorials.  But the only thing that really matters is these happy little faces who love, love, love their new space.

 

 

 

DIY Valentines Day Jars

  My son has a little something at school tomorrow so I wanted to throw together a little decorative Valentines Décor.  Because of time restraints I reverted to some of my oldies but goodies.  But if I can put it all together in an hour maybe it will help you in a crunch.

It all started with my endless supply of Mason Jars

 

Please ignore the ugly tile counter top.  Its on the to-do list!

Back to the jar.  I put two strips of masking tape on the jar and then cut out a heart template and outlined it on the jar.

 

 

Using my razor I cut off the extra leaving just the heart on the jar.  I then got out the red spay paint and covered the entire jar.  When it was dry I pulled of the tape and this is what was what I had.

 

 

 

 

 

I did two jars and this one I sprayed gold to the inside of the jar.

 

 

Just enough for a little touch of love in the house.

And speaking of love I added a cute little sign because... well, why not.

 

 

This was a last minute thought but my jar needed a little (wooden sign) love. 

 

 

 

 

For the love of Pallets!!

Who doesn't love the look of pallet wood? OK maybe some but they haven't seen all the wonderful things you can do with such an inexpensive (or free) building material. I have put together some of my favorite. Which one is yours?

 

You didn't hear it from me but the alleys always have some good pallets hanging around, lonely without a home and no one to love...

Kitchen Refresh....The story of a kitchen I tolerate.

     It was a crazy weekend for this girl.  I should have know better than to try and get anything done with a little boy running around the house but I finished most of what I wanted to get done.  Just like any mom out there, life and finances always seem to get in the way of our grand plans. 
    
     I managed to finish the cabinets, refinish the hardware and paint the walls.  I guess I will call this phase one.  Phase two will consist of installing open shelving in three different locations and accessorizing the kitchen.  The accessories are always fun because that involves my favorite hobby ... Thrifting!!!

     I know the suspense is killing you, so, here is the before and after of my weekend.

 

Before

After

 

     Although I'm very happy with my finished product, I cant help but obsess over those things I cant change.  Budgets stink!  I would love to get rid of my beige tile countertops for one but it is what it is.  One day I will have my quartz countertops and I will be so happy that I may never leave them!

Now, lets talk about how much brighter and modern this looks shall we.  I love the contrast between the upper and lower cabinets.  It was exactly what I was going for.
 
1 - Starting at the top, the bright white cabinets are painted in a flat white paint but I put a coat of semi gloss polyurethane on them  for texture and protection. 

2 - The door handles where painted using the same technique I used for the hardware on my coffee bar.    I wanted them to be there for the convenience of having them, but, I also wanted them to blend in. 

3 - The hinges were returned to their brass roots.  This was the hardest part of this whole makeover, but well worth the cuts and scrapes my fingers suffered.  I spayed the handles on the lower cabinets with a gold spray paint and then brushed with a antique glaze.

 

     I painted all the walls of my eat in kitchen the light gray I shared in Part I.  I have yet to put it back together because, as always, I have bigger plans.  The upside is, I will always have plenty to do because I am never really done.  There's always something.

 

     I have big plans to put barn wood on that wall behind the table.  We usually keep the table pushed up against the wall.   And, because of that, scratches are going to happen.  The barn wood will serve to add that vintage look while protecting wall.

 

 

 

     I don't know about everyone else, but I could never have a "move in ready" home, especially those with generic, "builder-grade" materials.  I believe that every house should be finished with personal touches that make it a home.

 

     My home tells a story, my story.  Each room has a journey.  And I love that I'm not just a part of it, but that I created it!

 

 

  

Day One Of My Kitchen Makeover

     Today begins my Kitchen makeover.  I'm expecting it to take me three days to complete.  It will not be the remodeled kitchen of my dreams just a better version of itself.  Day one started with paint.

     Here is a sneak peak at my color scheme.  I'm will be adding a few accent colors, but for the most part, these are the colors I will be working with.
Note: I prefer to paint with flat paint.  It helps hide imperfections much better than other finishes.

 

 

     So, here is my kitchen before I get started.  It's your basic galley kitchen.  One exception is that mine has a stairway to the right that angles over the right side of my sink area.  If you'll notice, I moved the refrigerator down and added some shelves.  They provided me additional storage and extended my counter space.  My finished product is going to include installing some additional shelving on the wall over top.

 

 



 

     Today, I started with the upper cabinets.  First, I removed the upper doors and took all the hardware off to refinish them. 

Note: Always remember to label each door to lend with reinstallation.

 

 

 

     Plenty of layers of paint to remove here!  I will take care of all the hardware tomorrow when I remove the rest with the lower cabinets doors.

     Then everything then got a fresh coat of white.

 

 

     This is where I stand for today.  Already looking better!

     So far so good, but I still have a long way to go.

I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow, lots do get done.  So, be sure to check in to see where I am. at.

DIY Wood Sign

 

I made this sign tonight in under 20 minutes!

Are you looking for a quick easy way to add some artwork to your walls?  Then you need to try this one. 

I had a busy day today but I still wanted to have some Mommy "project" time.  So, I went through my scrap lumber and threw this together. 

I started with a scrap piece of 1 x 6 pine.  I chose this piece because I loved the knots and holes.

 I stained it with a dark walnut and wiped off the excess.  I wasn't satisfied with this because it needed a little more depth.  That's when I started mixing colors.

I added a red mahogany and ebony to the walnut.  Same application just brush on and wipe off.

Perfect!  Now ready for letters.

To give it that true rustic look, you need to break out the sandpaper.

 

That's all there is to it.  And it was simple, easy, and simply cute!

DIY Wainscoting of a Hallway

  This hallway was always bare and it really bothered me. While I was digging through my garage one day, I came across some extra baseboards from my bedroom remodel.  That's when I started to think, "hmmm what can I do with these?".  So, I kept digging.  Then, I came across an old frame I had put together with 1x1 pine and stapled fabric on it for an art piece.  I now had these 6 pieces of wood and I knew exactly what to do with them!
  The hallway project was now in full effect!  The amazing moment came when I realized that they all fit perfectly without any cutting required.  When does that happen?

Here is my lonely hallway before.

 

Yes, it was definitely calling for some love.  Please pay no attention to my ugly carpets.  I have plans to install hardwoods throughout.  However, I am stuck in the vicious circle of wanting to tear down my walls for an open concept, but they are load bearing.  Which means, if I change the floors now, I will have to patch the flooring when the walls finally come down.  So, I wait..... 

 

Now, back to the walls ... and the frame is up.

 

 

Time to patch and sand.

 

 

Then, a heavy coat of trim paint.

 

 

And here is my finished hallway.  It took a day of work and some left over wood from my garage.

 

 

Happy DIY!  And be sure to share if you like what you see.