Friday, May 31, 2013

Flowers and Turquoise Birds

It finally stopped raining long enough for me to take a few photos.
So I'm showing off my flowers today.
And these oh-so-cute shabby turquoise birds.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Cherished Memories Corkboard


We had this really great, detailed frame in the garage. I finally pulled it out and painted it. Using Annie Sloan™ Graphite, I painted the entire frame, then dry brushed some Duck Egg blue over the detailing, finishing it off with a coat of clear wax. 
Next, I cut some cork to size from a plain-jane corkboard we had sitting around and inserted/glued it into the back of the frame.
I added some simple blue ric-rac, painted a piece of chipboard I had on-hand with Graphite and used my trusty awl to put a hole in it. I inserted the cherished memories metal tag (another scrapbooking embellishment) into the hole, glued some pretty matching flowers on the chipboard and added a few vintage buttons and she was finished. 

I think she's awfully pretty now. Hope you do too! 

I would love it if you'd connect with me via bloglovin'facebookgoogle+pinterest, or hometalk!
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Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Strawberries and Cream Farmhouse Cabinet

  I don't know if I've ever shared this with you all before, but I have a bit of a fixation with strawberries. My kitchen is full of them. Strawberry teapot. Shalt and pepper shakers. Towels. Scrubbie holder. Canisters. Knick knacks (as you can see in these photos). Wall decor.
Yep. I have a bit of a problem. :)
When we decided to take this old window and use it as a cabinet door , I didn't intend to go all strawberry with it. But once the chicken wire was attached, and the window was on the pallet wood cabinet Eric had made, it was the first thought that came to mind.
 It reminded me of a farmhouse and fresh strawberries. So I went with it. 
This is one of our early projects, but I wanted to share it with you since it's been hectic week for me, with the holiday and trying to prepare a whole bunch of projects for our upcoming craft show, and I haven't had a chance to get pictures of anything I've been working on.
And besides, this is one of my favorites
(yeah, that's probably because of the strawberry theme!)

Hope you've enjoyed!


If you haven't liked our facebook page yet, you can do that here.
And you can follow me on Pinterest with this link.
To get my new posts at bloglovin', just click this.
Getting new followers and comments absolutely makes my day! :)

Everyone loves a good party!
Check my project out along with other great inspiration, at these great blogs...

One Project at a Time at A Bowl Full of LemonsTransformation Tuesday at The Ironstone NestMonday Funday at Creatively LivingNifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal CharmThe Scoop at Cedar Hill RanchProject Inspired{d}at Cupcakes and CrinolineYou're Gonna Love It at Kathe with an ETransformed Tuesdays at PJH DesignsTweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little HouseTake a Look Tuesday at Sugar Bee CraftsPrimp Your Stuff Wednesday at Primp JunktionBe Inspired at Elizabeth and CoPretty Things Link Party at twelveOeightTime to Shine at A Diamond in the StuffToo Cute Tuesday at Funky Polkadot GiraffeThe Power of Paint Party at Domestically SpeakingCreatively Tuesday at The Rustic PigShow Me What You Got at Not Just a HousewifeShare It Link Party at The Winthrop ChroniclesTasteful Tuesday at Naptime CreationsTutorial Tuesday at Hope StudiosTrash 2 Treasure at Kammy's KornerFluster's Creative Muster Party at Fluster BusterThe Creative Spark at Clean and ScentsibleTuesdays at Our Home at Our Home Away from HomeHomemade by You at Made to be a MommaTrendy Tuesdays at Sweet Little GalsBrag About It Tuesday at Bebetsy

Wildly Original Link Party at I Gotta CreateWow Us Wednesday at Family Home and LifeWhatever Goes Wednesday at Someday CraftsWhimsy Wednesday at Smart School HouseWhat's It Wednesday at Ivy and ElephantsWednesday Whatsits at White Lights on WednesdayWhat We Accomplished Wednesday at Green Willow PondUnder $100 Linky Party at Beyond the Picket FenceShow and Share at Southern LovelyWow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern StyleWow Me Wednesday at Gingersnap CraftsFrom Dream to Reality at The DIY DreamerIts' a Party! at A Creative PrincessShow Off Your Stuff Party at Fireflies and JellybeansLook What I Made Wednesday at Creations by KaraCreate and Share at The Trendy TreehouseA Little Bird Told Me Link Party at The Life of Jennifer DawnOh What a Happy Day Link Party at Not Done Growing

Simply Creations Link Party at My Simple HomelifeFurniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard SeedInspire Me Please Link Party at Liz Marie BlogFrugal Friday at The Shabby NestFeathered Nest Friday at French Country CottageWhat Have You Redone at Redoux InteriorsHome Sweet Home at The Charm of HomeThrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty GrooveSimple and Sweet Fridays at Rooted inThymeBe Inspired at Common GroundFaunt It Friday at Chic on a Shoestring DecoratingFrugalicious Friday at Finding FabulousFabulously Creative Friday at Jennifer RizzoShow and Tell Friday at Romantic HomeJunkin' Joe Vintage and Thrifty Finds at The Cottage MarketWeekend Wrap-Up Party at Tatertots and JelloShabbilicious Friday Link Party at Shabby Art BoutiqueTickled Pink at 504 MainAnything Blue Friday at The Dedicated HouseRustic Restorations Weekend Link Party at Homespun Happenings,  Great Idea Thursdays at A Handful of EverythingOne Sharendipity Place at The T2 Women Blog

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

A Touch of Masculine {with a soft side}

 I think I picked a beauty to share with you today!
My friend Karlye texted me a few weeks ago and asked if I would redo a dresser.
Of course, I said yes!
But then she came over with this gorgeous antique beauty.
Wow was about all I could think!
How lucky was I to get to work on this?!?
For this piece, I wanted to do something just a little masculine.
The chest of drawers, without the mirror attached, just seemed to call for it.
And the piece was originally going to be a surprise gift for Karlye's Dad.
So masculine certainly seemed to fit the bill.

She and I both knew we wanted to stain some of it.
The wood itself was a little too gorgeous to cover up!
But, since it was such a wonderful piece, I also wanted to give it a little umph!
Something more than just stain. 
I  immediately though of ASCP Coco.
I love it when used with dark aging wax.
So I sanded down the trim on all four sides in order to restain those areas.
This piece also had peeling and warped veneer on the top that I decided to take off. I could tell the wood underneath the veneer would look great with some dark stain. So I set to work.
Thankfully, it came off fairly easily.
Sometimes that's a super difficult job and absolutely no fun at all!

Here's the chest sanded and restained.
I did not sand the inset areas or the drawer fronts, as I knew I would be using chalk paint there anyway.
Here's a picture of the Coco on those insets.
No wax yet...
And same with the drawers. Just paint, no wax...
 This is a close up of the drawer with distressing and wax.
Love that it has the keyhole too! :)
The side with distressing and wax...
 I chose Minwax stain in Jacobean because it's really pretty dark and I wanted dark for this piece. 

Once I had the body done, I got out the mirror.
I sanded the base for that and restained it.
Then I painted the mirror frame in Coco.
I'm loving how it turned out!
Somewhere along the line, Karlye's Dad found out about the project and he told Karlye that she could keep the Chest of Drawers.
Lucky girl!
Once I found that out, I knew I wanted to do something a little feminine with the drawer knobs.
I decided to make a trip to Hobby Lobby to look at their awesome selection of knobs and pulls.
I saw these and knew they would be perfect.
The white gives the piece just a little pop of color and yet coordinates so nicely with the Coco and dark stain.
And the dark chocolate swirls are just the perfect feminine touch for this piece!
I also bought this little birdie candleholder when I was there.
It's so delicate and my favorite color.
I just couldn't resist! :)

I think this piece turned out just how I had envisioned...
masculine with a soft side. 
I hope you've enjoyed seeing this great chest of drawers today.

I would love it if you'd connect with me via bloglovin', facebook, google+, pinterest, or hometalk!
Getting new followers and comments absolutely makes my day! :)

Everyone loves a good party!
Check my project out along with other great inspiration, at these great blogs...
One Project Closer Party at House of Hepworths

One Project at a Time at A Bowl Full of LemonsTransformation Tuesday at The Ironstone NestMonday Funday at Creatively LivingNifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal CharmThe Scoop at Cedar Hill RanchProject Inspired{d}at Cupcakes and CrinolineYou're Gonna Love It at Kathe with an ETransformed Tuesdays at PJH DesignsTweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little HouseTake a Look Tuesday at Sugar Bee CraftsPrimp Your Stuff Wednesday at Primp JunktionBe Inspired at Elizabeth and CoPretty Things Link Party at twelveOeightTime to Shine at A Diamond in the StuffToo Cute Tuesday at Funky Polkadot GiraffeThe Power of Paint Party at Domestically SpeakingCreatively Tuesday at The Rustic PigShow Me What You Got at Not Just a HousewifeShare It Link Party at The Winthrop ChroniclesTasteful Tuesday at Naptime CreationsTutorial Tuesday at Hope StudiosTrash 2 Treasure at Kammy's KornerFluster's Creative Muster Party at Fluster BusterThe Creative Spark at Clean and ScentsibleTuesdays at Our Home at Our Home Away from HomeHomemade by You at Made to be a MommaTrendy Tuesdays at Sweet Little GalsBrag About It Tuesday at Bebetsy

Wildly Original Link Party at I Gotta CreateWow Us Wednesday at Family Home and LifeWhatever Goes Wednesday at Someday CraftsWhimsy Wednesday at Smart School HouseWhat's It Wednesday at Ivy and ElephantsWednesday Whatsits at White Lights on WednesdayWhat We Accomplished Wednesday at Green Willow PondUnder $100 Linky Party at Beyond the Picket FenceShow and Share at Southern LovelyWow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern StyleWow Me Wednesday at Gingersnap CraftsFrom Dream to Reality at The DIY DreamerIts' a Party! at A Creative PrincessShow Off Your Stuff Party at Fireflies and JellybeansLook What I Made Wednesday at Creations by KaraCreate and Share at The Trendy TreehouseA Little Bird Told Me Link Party at The Life of Jennifer DawnOh What a Happy Day Link Party at Not Done Growing

Simply Creations Link Party at My Simple HomelifeFurniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard SeedInspire Me Please Link Party at Liz Marie BlogFrugal Friday at The Shabby NestFeathered Nest Friday at French Country CottageWhat Have You Redone at Redoux InteriorsHome Sweet Home at The Charm of HomeThrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty GrooveSimple and Sweet Fridays at Rooted inThymeBe Inspired at Common GroundFaunt It Friday at Chic on a Shoestring DecoratingFrugalicious Friday at Finding FabulousFabulously Creative Friday at Jennifer RizzoShow and Tell Friday at Romantic HomeJunkin' Joe Vintage and Thrifty Finds at The Cottage MarketWeekend Wrap-Up Party at Tatertots and JelloShabbilicious Friday Link Party at Shabby Art BoutiqueTickled Pink at 504 MainAnything Blue Friday at The Dedicated HouseRustic Restorations Weekend Link Party at Homespun Happenings,  Great Idea Thursdays at A Handful of EverythingOne Sharendipity Place at The T2 Women Blog

Monday, May 20, 2013

lilacs and snowball viburnum

I admit it. I had to look up the name of these white flowers. But aren't they gorgeous?
 I think I got it right. Snowball Viburnum.
And lilacs, of course.
The house next door has this bush with beautiful white flowers spilling over the fence.
And the house is currently vacant.
Well, I just couldn't resist picking a handful...
...and grabbing an old soda bottle, a few mason jars and a rusty old container.

Hoping everyone is enjoying their spring and the beautiful blooms that come with it! 

Friday, May 17, 2013

I Guess We Make Lots of LOVE Stuff :)

I love aqua. For anything. I think this sign would look awfully cute displayed with red! I love me some teal and red!

This was just another vintage frame we purchased from an auction. With a little cleaning and a light coat of aqua paint, the details on this beauty just pop!
I usually end of taking the glass right out of the frames for most of our projects but, for this one, I decided to keep it. We simply glued some black and grey floral fabric on the backer and inserted it behind the glass. The only thing left to do was cut a white vinyl stencil and apply it to the top of the glass.

We think she turned out quite lovely! How about you...?


I would love it if you'd connect with me via bloglovin'facebookgoogle+pinterest, or hometalk!
Getting new followers and comments absolutely makes my day! :)

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Guest Post at Alderberry Hill

I'm guest posting at Alderberry Hill today!

This is my first guest post ever and I love Alderberry Hill, so I'm very excited!

Did I mention it's my birthday, too?
Well, it is!
Help me celebrate by checking out the guest post!
We made over an awesome antique chest of drawers and I just know you're going to love it!
Here's a little sneek peek of it...
To see the rest, head on over to Alderberry Hill.

Have a super day.
As for me, I'm definitely going to eat cake and ice cream with my kiddos to celebrate.
Only one more year in my thirties, after all, so I might as well live it up! :)

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

A Blue Beauty {The Sequel}

 
We previously showed you our Beauty in Blue Desk Makeover in Duck Egg and Old White. It's one of our most popular posts, so go and check it out if you missed it. :) In the meantime, here's a photo so you can check the two out together. 
A friend snatched up that desk and she loves it. She loves it so much that she wanted a dresser to match! She ended up choosing a dresser from a little shop known as My Garage Showroom. It's actually very far from a showroom. There's hardly any room to move in there right now! And it's currently much more full than in this before pic...
This particular dresser was a free-to-me from another friend. Her husband had started scraping the old (and quite bad) paint job off already. He had most of it done except some scraggly areas and one whole side. As soon as Karlye decided to go with this one, I started sanding and scraping. The weather was nice, as it had finally started to get warm here in Michigan, so it wasn't an unpleasant task. And the scraping was pretty easy. I had to fix one corner of the veneer at the bottom, too, but it was basically just gluing it back down and then putting wood fill over it to smooth the edges.
 Once sanded, I stained the whole thing in Minwax Jacobean so it would be a nice dark finish like the desk. I did the whole piece since I had to sand it and I wanted it to distress the same as the desk too.
 
I painted the drawer fronts and the sides in Duck Egg. For the front, I used Old White.
Then, because the desk had nice Old White trim along the corners but this dresser did not, I taped off the sides and the bottoms of each side and painted a faux trim along them. 
I distressed. Then waxed with a combination of clear and dark aging wax.
For the finishing touch, I chose knobs that actually didn't match the desk. We used the original hardware for the desk but this dresser only had one knob and, truth be told, doesn't even need any. But it looks so much prettier with the knobs I chose, all white and distressed and flowery. Just a touch of girly :)
I chose 2 different styles but they all have the same chippy finish.
I staggered each drawer so that the knobs on the top and 3rd drawers are 10" from the outside of the dresser and the other four knobs are only 8" from the outside. I thought this boxy dresser deserved a little more pizazz and the knobs did the trick!

Although it seems like the blue on the dresser is a different shade than desk, it really is just a product of the difference in lighting I had to work with for each photo shoot.

I hope she is as happy with her new dresser as she was with the desk! Next week, we'll be showing you a really awesome chest of drawers we did for her too. But you can get a sneak peak of that project this Thursday when I guest post at Alderberry Hill {So excited!}


If you haven't liked our facebook page yet, you can do that here.
And you can follow me on Pinterest with this link.
To get my new posts at bloglovin', just click this.
Getting new followers and comments absolutely makes my day! :)

Everyone loves a good party!
Check my project out along with other great inspiration, at these great blogs...

One Project at a Time at A Bowl Full of LemonsTransformation Tuesday at The Ironstone NestMonday Funday at Creatively LivingNifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal CharmThe Scoop at Cedar Hill RanchProject Inspired{d}at Cupcakes and CrinolineYou're Gonna Love It at Kathe with an ETransformed Tuesdays at PJH DesignsTweak It Tuesday at Cozy Little HouseTake a Look Tuesday at Sugar Bee CraftsPrimp Your Stuff Wednesday at Primp JunktionBe Inspired at Elizabeth and CoPretty Things Link Party at twelveOeightTime to Shine at A Diamond in the StuffToo Cute Tuesday at Funky Polkadot GiraffeThe Power of Paint Party at Domestically SpeakingCreatively Tuesday at The Rustic PigShow Me What You Got at Not Just a HousewifeShare It Link Party at The Winthrop ChroniclesTasteful Tuesday at Naptime CreationsTutorial Tuesday at Hope StudiosTrash 2 Treasure at Kammy's KornerFluster's Creative Muster Party at Fluster BusterThe Creative Spark at Clean and ScentsibleTuesdays at Our Home at Our Home Away from HomeHomemade by You at Made to be a MommaTrendy Tuesdays at Sweet Little GalsBrag About It Tuesday at Bebetsy

Wildly Original Link Party at I Gotta CreateWow Us Wednesday at Family Home and LifeWhatever Goes Wednesday at Someday CraftsWhimsy Wednesday at Smart School HouseWhat's It Wednesday at Ivy and ElephantsWednesday Whatsits at White Lights on WednesdayWhat We Accomplished Wednesday at Green Willow PondUnder $100 Linky Party at Beyond the Picket FenceShow and Share at Southern LovelyWow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern StyleWow Me Wednesday at Gingersnap CraftsFrom Dream to Reality at The DIY DreamerIts' a Party! at A Creative PrincessShow Off Your Stuff Party at Fireflies and JellybeansLook What I Made Wednesday at Creations by KaraCreate and Share at The Trendy TreehouseA Little Bird Told Me Link Party at The Life of Jennifer DawnOh What a Happy Day Link Party at Not Done Growing

Simply Creations Link Party at My Simple HomelifeFurniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard SeedInspire Me Please Link Party at Liz Marie BlogFrugal Friday at The Shabby NestFeathered Nest Friday at French Country CottageWhat Have You Redone at Redoux InteriorsHome Sweet Home at The Charm of HomeThrifty Things Friday at The Thrifty GrooveSimple and Sweet Fridays at Rooted inThymeBe Inspired at Common GroundFaunt It Friday at Chic on a Shoestring DecoratingFrugalicious Friday at Finding FabulousFabulously Creative Friday at Jennifer RizzoShow and Tell Friday at Romantic HomeJunkin' Joe Vintage and Thrifty Finds at The Cottage MarketWeekend Wrap-Up Party at Tatertots and JelloShabbilicious Friday Link Party at Shabby Art BoutiqueTickled Pink at 504 MainAnything Blue Friday at The Dedicated HouseRustic Restorations Weekend Link Party at Homespun Happenings,  Great Idea Thursdays at A Handful of EverythingOne Sharendipity Place at The T2 Women


Monday, May 13, 2013

Moms

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday.

Although I wasn't feeling very well, I spent the day with my two little munchkins and Eric's family.
We had a lovely time!

On Friday, we all went to Chris's classroom and had muffins.
Here's a pic of me and my lovelies.
I'm so proud to be the mom of 2 really special kids.
My daughter, Keara, is a wonderfully bright and beautiful girl with a kind heart.
And my son, Chris, is so funny he just about knocks my socks off sometimes! 

They bring so much joy to my life that I can't even put it into words. 
Above is a little sign we made that we sold at our last show.

It rings so true to what I feel being a mom is.
A little bit of this and a little bit of that,
all rolled up in a big bundle of unconditional love.

It's what I always felt from my own Mom and what I always hope my kids feel from me.
Above all else, is love.

Happy week to everyone! 

Friday, May 10, 2013

A Custom Mother's Day Gift

In honor of Mother's Day, I wanted to share with you this custom sign we made for a friend of mine.
She sent me the poem a while ago and asked if we could make something rustic for her Mother in Law.
Yeah... we do rustic. :)
I first laid the poem out in Adobe Illustrator to set the text  up in a pleasing way.
Then I cut a stencil.
I painted the leftover banner material with ASCP Old White and then Coco, adding some dark wax over that. I normally don't put wax on this material, but I just love Coco with dark wax on it. 
Next I laid out the stencil and painted the serif text in Graphite and the script in Aubusson Blue.
That part was done.
Next up, Eric made a frame with pallet wood. I asked him to make it slightly larger than need be so I could put a burlap matte around the canvas.
I stained the frame and, once dried, measured my burlap out and cut it, also cutting the inside portion out to about the size I wanted it. I then placed it on the back of the frame, making sure to check to flip it over before stapling to be sure it was relatively straight along the inside edge of the frame. I stapled it onto the back at the corners. Then I added the banner, stapling that, along with the burlap, along the whole edge all the way around. I trimmed up the inside of the burlap then, just to straighten the line a bit. 
My friend thinks her Mother in law will love it.
I certainly hope so!
I'm happy with the burlap matte.
I had never tried it before but it turned out really cute. 

Happy Mother's Day to all of you!
Hope you have a great one!  
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