SO I painted a chair-- "I'm sorry what now"?!!!!

  As thrifty as I may be, I love a good bargain.  I found this chair for a steal of a deal. It was super comfy, but it was definitely an ugly stepsister! ( ugly tan microfiber) 

So after much Googling  and endless blog entrys  I found crazy people out there who actually put this in practice!! 

Painted furniture!!!

DIY Chalk paint style (see my earlier blogs for recipe )

Right around here my heart was experiencing palpitations and thought perhaps 

I made a HUGE mistake!!!

This was after one coat, I had to leave the room, I put two fans- 1 infront and 1 in back of the chair, Chalk paint dries really fast.

By coat 2, I realized all was well with the world.

Keep on trucking!!

After the 2nd coat dried, I used a sheet of 100 grit sandpaper and sanded the chair by hand.  

Chalk paint leaves a gritty feel, but once sanded it is super soft, like butter!!

This is the end result

And.....

After having monkeys climb all over it and certain butt grooves set, a few weeks in.  

She is holding up well, It wipes down clean and no paint transfers off and there is no weird cracking like you see in bonded leather.

Mudroom Recycled Boot Bench

So this was a joint project made By dear hubby and I.  He is the awesome woodworker.  After much looking and only finding crappy press board for rather  $$$ prices, we decided to  build our own.

 We used mostly recycled wood from other projects and bought a new piece of plywood.

I painted it with leftover paint. 

                                                   

We then cut a piece of plywood that matched the top of the bench, this would be used as the seat.

I used a bumpy foam for a bed and folded it in half (bumps inwards) I used hot glue to hold it folded. 

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I then layered the foam first, then the board, covered it with the remains of fabric from a curtain that I used to cover our dining room chairs with.

Finally  I used a heavy duty staple gun  to secure the fabric to the board and then laid the board on top.  We didn't secure the seat to the bench, with the fabric and wood, It actually doesn't move and this way I can update the fabric at any given time. 

Overall I am quite please with this and it also acts as a spare seat on the other side of the living room!

Some After Pallet Projects

Our pallet coat rack!

easy peasy: 

cut a pallet down, installed coat hooks, slathered some paint on & attached it to the wall with brackets.

The letters were found over the years at Micheal's art store and Winners

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Again from the 35 pallets in my back yard:

I made a welcome sign for my in laws. I attached a mason jar to it with a pipe clamp, It's used as a vase.  They have it out in their garden.

Another garden pallet sign.  This was a gift for my cousin, it says Family is Forever

I still have a stack of pallets 

more signs to come!!

Coffee Table Re-Did

SOooooo, by now you have realized that I am OBSESSED with my own DIY chalk paint.

so we had some beat up coffee tables.  They belonged to hubby and he moved them into a house with children... They barely made it out alive!!!  So we bought a new couch and these tables didn't match.  It's a good thing I am thrifty as Sh%t because as much as I disliked these battered babies I  instead would take the chance and painted them up.  Since they were technically his, I  just went ahead and then waited until he noticed they were painted, haha and he was quite happy.

I do dig this round table

the best part is they are all painted and dry in 2.5 hours

This is the old apartment

and this is the new home, on the hunt for a better rug

Adding some spice to some sad, sad bedroom furniture

Below, the before is taken at the old apartment, It was sad, just like the carpet.

Random yellow moment

So I made another quick batch of chalk paint/

 I used only a 1/4 of the quart to paint the entire night stand, I was so happy with how it turned out!!

Now on to the distressed dresser.  I knew I didn't want to paint it yellow,  I was inspired by Eastern themes, I went with a small quart of spice, I then used sandpaper along the groves and the black underneath the spice comes through.  Once wiped clean I use a small artist paint brush and painted white strokes throughout. At the time I hadn't picked out new hardware, but eventually the big box hardware store helped me out 

Well there we go, a shiny version of what the final outcomes were! 

 Now that we moved and have acquired more eastern decor and non black walls (bahahaha)

...they actually blend in.

Old Window Panes- not a huge pane in the @ss!!!

Yet Another Hobo Christmas find!!

I dug these babies out from the hobo xmas pile across the street from my old apartment. My very nosy neighbour watched me from the window, I felt a rush as I darted across and grabbed two,  They were heavy and I couldn't carry the other 4 that were heaped in the junk pile.  I originally thought I would make them into picture frames for my 3 kids and install coat hooks under each window for back packs in the entrance. But that didn't look as good as it did in my head. so........

Notice the snow, I must have been determined !!

So after I asked THEgoogle many a different time (lol) how to make chalk paint

 - I figured out a recipe!!!

1 qt of flat paint

1/3c H20 (enough to make a paste with the grout )

2-tbl white unsanded grout (found at Home Depot)

(photo cred: +The Home Depot )

Mix it all together!!! 

TADAH!!! cheaper than the stuff they make you buy premade.

So there is no primer required, just slather on the paint, it coats thick.  

Once dry you can sand for a smoother feel.

You can seal it will a clear finish spray paint 

or 

get your hands on some Annie Sloan wax for a proper seal

(photo cred: http://www.anniesloan.com/)

I wanted to make the look distressed, so at first I painted different layers of colours, then once they were completely dry I sanded it down,  This method proved to be long and was very hard on the wood, especially by the panes, the old wood would crumble.  So instead I added brush strokes of white and black paint in corners and throughout the grains.  

Then they sat there for a year, we even moved to a new home and they came also.  Finally I had a stroke of genius after I saw this in a shop window

Our friends got engaged and my hubby was in the wedding party.  I wanted to make them a special gift, since the bride is a diehard Pinterest pal, I knew they would love this!! So that was it!!

I would turn  my panes into something similar

The result !!

I used wire to run along the inside with clothespin to hold pictures- one engagement pic and one for once they were Mr. & Mrs. and in the middle I used just a small tube of Martha's chalk paint (blasphemy-I know) with the song lyrics from their first dance!! i alo installed heavy duty hinges at the top in order to attach to a wall or string wire through like an old hanging frame with a nail <3

Now, I still have the second pane, and I'm just waiting for inspiration to hit again- hahaha!!

Welcome and my first Hobo Christmas find!!

Welcome to the jungle:

So I have been meaning to do this for awhile.  I am now finally sharing my  wicked creations through the years.  I have always had a creative streak and I must say thanks to the millions of blogs and Pinterest, it has lead me to create so many great things.  I also find that certain things I want to try, well there isn't much info on, so I would like this blog to be a tool to help others. I am most in my element either digging in a thrift store or squealing up beside something  abandoned on the street that I see potention in (and kidnapping it in my mom van).  My 4 year old Ginger daughter T loved driving around last June for hobo Christmas  looking for treasures!  I love re-purposing items as well.  So please enjoy the pictures and you may contact me with any questions or if you have an ugly piece of furniture and want to have some love put back into it I would love to help! Cheers!

Hobo Christmas Find: headboard & footboard bench -say what!!

So This was my first major project I had.  My father in law is the master carpenter so he was able to help me with the major part of, well anything power tool related as I was not familiar ( I am now, phew!!) Of course I realize mid project I should take before pics, mid, then final, but alas I have this blurry one with a ghost child.   So this baby had paint upon paint  on it that I sanded down,  He made new front legs from a banister and well thanks goodness for him because I probably would still have a head board and foot board

|Finished bench, ain't she a beaut!!