New House Guest

Yesterday while searching at the thrift store I spotted five little men I just HAD to bring home. . . .

I cannot WAIT to paint these! They are is great shape just need repainted with DETAIL! Yipee, I am sooooo excited to put these in the gardens. They only cost $1.99 a piece too. Good deal compared to finished gnomes selling for around $20.

Thrift Store Revamp: Timeout Bench

Not sure who made up with the saying Terrible Two's, but apparently they hadn't reached the Three's yet, because I tell ya, they are soooo much worse!! I am thinking the phrase should be reconsidered and reclaimed as "Terrible Toddler's". Much more fitting, don't 'cha think?

As you can probably tell above, Ms. Bumble Bee's got a attitude and is a little trouble maker! So when I found this absolutely adorable timeout bench at the thrift store over the weekend, I had to grab it. Exactly what she needs, a spot all her own when in time out. 

 

I couldn't leave it how it was though. Someone had doodled all over it, and the left front corner looked chewed on. I bet by a Terrible Toddler.  

After sanding, three layers of spray paint, first white, next black, then creme, and more sanding, I am pleased with the final result.

Okay, so I went a little overboard on the aging effect.  But it's my favorite part of revamping. I love sanding layers off, exposing different colors underneath. I love love love the yellow, blue, and red just barely peeking out beneath the other paint layers on the letters. Now it has so much character!

Of course, I have to share a picture of the timeout bench in action.

Sassy like mom probably wasn't the right shirt for this photo opportunity, but I had to capture that lip.

Dining Room Art

There has been a large, blank spot on the wall,  in my dinning room area for a few months now. I needed to fill it in quick for my sanity. What do I want to hang there though?? 

A week ago or so, I decided this had to be dealt with.......NOW.

 I searched the web and other blogs but found nothing. I bought  a few decor magazines and still came up empty handed. I looked through my Pinterest and still not a thing was catching my eye. . I was completely stumped.

 Until I remembered prior to finding Pinterest, I would save pictures of decor ideas to multiple folders on my desktop. In the dining room folder, I found a couple pictures of  plates hanging on the wall. I  fell in love all over again. 

 I did NOT want to go out and purchase expensive matching decoration plates. I hit up my local thrift store and figured out to look only for shape and detail in a plate, and not judge it on its color.

I found seven completely different plates that I loved. I also stopped by the local hardware store and picked up two bottles of Rust-oleum's Painters Touch Ultra Coverage in gloss white.

These are the plates i found, in all their prepainted glory. (I later replaced the sharp angled one on the right side with a much cuter one with a doily look)

So as you can see, these plates would look hideous on the wall grouped together. But after two coats of white spray paint they look FABULOUS!

The trick to hanging the plates are DiskHangers. I forgot to take a picture of how the disk hangers work. This is a picture from their website.

It was so easy to hang the plates with these. Well worth the cost, which isn't bad.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

DIY Canvas Tutorial

Would you like a fun and easy way to create a photo canvas without breaking the bank? I have trying to come up with a way to show off picture with a artistic quality. 

Do you see all the texture and loveliness of the canvas? And it only cost me $2.60 (I did have all the supplies on hand besides the Gesso).

Supplies

8" x 10" Canvas

1 Sheet of Strathmore Tracing Paper (found in the art/drawing aisle)

Acrylic paint, I used black and dark brown with a touch of gold

Mod Podge

Gesso

Paintbrush

Ink Jet Printer

  First print a black and white photo onto the tracing paper.

This can be a little tricky. Be patient. I finally taped the tracing paper to a sheet of copy paper, since my printer wouldn't take the tracing paper alone. Be sure the ink is completely dry before handling the tracing paper. 

You can choose any color of acrylic paint. I wanted an old rustic look to the canvas though, so I choose black and brown. Pink may have been cute if I was going to put it in her room.

 I had flat canvas on hand, so I used it. But I think this project would awesome on a regular canvas with an 1/2 edge or thicker.

Apply the paint to all four sides of the canvas and to the edges on the front. Allow to dry.

Next apply Modge Podge to the front of the canvas, in the area where you will be placing the tracing paper, over lapping the painted area.

 Lay the tracing paper, print side up, onto the area where Mod Podge was applied. The paper will naturally ripple, creating a textured effect. Apply paint around the edges of the tracing paper to blend into the edges of the canvas. Again, let the canvas dry before moving on.

  Mix a small amount of Gesso and paint. This will create a tinted overlay onto the photo. Once dry apply the mixture over the entire canvas. This coat will seal the canvas.

Now you have a beautiful DIY canvas for much cheaper than any print shop could have made!

The Low Down about: Paint!

Spray Paint:

     I love spray paint. Painting large projects with gallon or craft paint, more often than not, leave paintbrush streaks, and oh how I hate those streaks. Spray paint seems to look more store bought not hand made.

Spray paint adheres to most materials, but you must match paint to project. If you are painting plastic, for example, make sure you have paint made for plastic. Spray paint is also time saving. Instead of waiting hours for coats to dry, it take minutes.

Spray paint is more pricey though.The two brands I like the best are Krylon (has a great nozzle) and Rust-oleum Painter's Touch 2X Coverage. When spray painting make sure to always primer the project. It will save money in the long run and pave way for the best results. I like Rust-oleum primer but Kilz works well too. The sheen of the paint is up to you. I usually choose satin  for it is easier to wipe down.

When painting use a back and forth motion. The paint should start off the side of the project and end up off the other side of it. If the project will be handled a lot, say like a table, I recommend sealing it with a polyurethane.

Gallon Paint:

 
      First off don't buy cheap paint. Cheap paints have a higher percentage of solvents (up to 70%). Meaning cheap paint has tons of water in it. Which in return, evaporates and leaves little color behind. This is why you end up re-coating fourteen different times with the cheap stuff lol.

Latex paint- Most common, water based and environmentally safe. Clean up with just soap and water. Latex paint is almost odorless and dries fast. This paint can even prevent mildew and moisture. Exterior and interior of your home can all be painted with Latex paint. But be aware that allergies to latex include this type of paint!

Oil based paint- I don't use oil based paint or Alkyd paint much. Latex can handle almost any job oil based paint used to be known to only do. Oil based paint usually is used in wet areas like bathrooms. But they take forever to dry, smell awful, need paint thinner for clean up and release bad chemicals (volatile organic compounds) into the air. I did use it to paint the interior of my camper trailer though.

Crafting Paint

When it comes to crafting there is a paint for every project. Acrylic paint can be used for an array of projects. Just remember it dries very quickly. Mixing paint can sometimes be a problem for that reason. There is also specialty paint like magnetic and chalkboard paint. My favorite paint lately is Martha Stewart's new Acrylic paint . You can paint almost any surface; wood, fabric, glass, plastic, metal! And  even better the paint it dishwasher and washing machine safe. Best paint ever, right? There is 160 gorgeous colors too.

Speaking of Chalkboard Paint here is how to make your own super easy!!

 Start by picking ANY shade of flat-finish latex paint. Pour 1 cup of paint into a container. Add 2 tablespoons of unsanded tile grout. Mix with a paint stirrer, carefully breaking up clumps. Apply paint with a roller or a sponge paintbrush to a primed or painted surface. Work in small sections, going over the same spot several times to ensure full, even coverage. Let dry. Smooth area with 150-grit sandpaper, and wipe off dust. To condition: Rub the side of a piece of chalk over entire surface. Wipe away residue with a barely damp sponge.

Craigslist Revamp: Free Cabinet

I have an confession, I am a Craigslist addict. I lurk CL hourly! So when I spotted this cabinet FOR FREE only minutes away from my house, I had to have it. Okay so the craigslist picture was taken from a distance and a bit diseving. But it is super sturdy and FREE!

The top drawers were jammed and had awful locks on them. I fixed it right up with wood filler and a LOT of sanding. I painted the cabinet with white latex paint left over from the laundry room walls. 

Once the base was dried and even more sanding, I distressed the cabinet with stain. I applied dark stain around the edges and other random spots I sanded with a rough brush. I wiped the stain off with a rag almost immediately after applying it.

Finally satisfied with the results, I painted a coat of polythene and added handles.  The handles originally came from T-birds captains bed. Since I keep everything, I still had the hideous gold floral handles lying around. While a fresh wash of white looks better, I am still not completely happy with the handles. Maybe a dark bronze color would look better.