Random thoughts...

Well, I obviously haven't posted in a while, although I've been wanting to. So I thought I'd give the Blogger iPhone app a shot. Therefore, if this post has any bad grammar or misspellings... blame my chubby fingers. I mean, a blog post on an iPhone, what am I thinking?

First order of biz-nass, I have a couple of completed sewing projects to post. One's been done for months now, and I just haven't gotten around to posting it. One is yet another Sorbetto!

I have a completed furniture makeover to post. I converted a china hutch into more of a pie safe kind of look. If you follow me on Pinterest, you've already seen it. Here's the before...

And finally, I've been looking onto methods ALL DAY for transferring images onto wood and fabric. My husband used to be a screen printer, so I'm a little spoiled in that regards. Now that he no longer has access to commercial screen printing equipment, most other image transfer methods seem just BLAH. Especially iron ons, ugh.

I did try the waxpaper transfer method onto burlap yesterday. the image looked beautiful on my waxpaper. Didn't transfer at ALL. I guess the vast majority of waxpaper transfer/freezer paper transfer tutorials I found neglected to mention that those methods do NOT work on laser printers.

So, I'm going to give the ol' Citra Silv method a try. I guess they actually sell it a Safeway? So it shouldn't be too hard for me to find. Here's hoping...

DIY chalk paint dining chairs: a review

After the dining table was completed and in place, it took us weeks to find dining chairs. I was set on finding some metal Tolix style knockoffs, and was probably going to buy some from Overstock.

But then my husband brought home four chairs from a yardsale for just five bucks for the lot.  Yes, the same husband ( I do only have one, afterall) who bought two desks for $10 from a different yardsale.

The four chairs were three matching blond/yellow wood ones (sorry, I forgot to take before pictures!) and a fourth black one (that one lives by the computer now).

I've already mentioned our small dining area is a challenge to find furniture for, and it was going to be an even bigger challenge to find the right-sized chair for the teeny dining table.


My husband had intended these chairs to be temporary, and I agreed; I hated their yellow-and-mildew color tones!

But as time wore on, I realized they were just the right size. And, we already had them anyway... time to mend and make do.

First, I tried spraypaint. The Rustoleum Satin Green Apple just wasn't the right shade OR finish. So the lone spraypainted chair sat outside for a few days before I decided what to do next. That decision came to be chalk paint.

I probably don't have to tell you that Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is taking the web by storm. I was totally surprised to find that there's an AS retailer in my town, and was all prepared to pay for it.

But then, I got to thinking... I guessed it was around $35 bucks for a quart of Annie Sloan, and I was pretty close. These chairs were just $1.25 each. It seemed to sort of go against the frugal find that they were if I were to cover them in expensive paint. Plus, there wasn't the right shade of minty green on the AS color chart.

I'd already been seeing all the DIY chalk paint recipes when this post popped up on Apartment Therapy. Most recipes have you mix Plaster of Paris, water, and latex paint in precise measurements and ratios, but the one on AT said the gal kinda winged it until she found a consistency she liked. Works for my lazy artsy, go-with-the-flow self.

I planned on using the lines on the side of my quart container to make pretty precise measurements, and filled Plaster of Paris up to the first line. I thought I was putting water up to the second line when I noticed there was way too much water.

Instead of dumping out the water and PoP to start over like I should have, I went ahead and added my paint, Behr latex paint and primer in one in the color "Mint Majesty". It took a lot of paint to catch up to all the water, and I got a very watery DIY Chalk Paint mixture to work with.

Still, I loved how my first chair came out. I'd done minimal sanding and hadn't technically primed it, which is a supposed benefit of chalk paint-- especially if you're using the real Annie Sloan deal. But it HAD been painted with that apple green Rustoleum, which was acting like a kind of primer.

The next two chairs were another story. With having a little one, I didn't get to do all three at once. So my DIY chalk paint mixture sat overnight. Maybe I should have Googled whether or not leftover DIY chalk paint keeps.

By the next day, the PoP had settled to the bottom in a thick layer. The water was on top. I mixed it up and started painting anway.

I love the color of all three chairs, although I think the first one came out more saturated because of the layer of apple green underneath. But the second two also came out with some large glops of PoP here and there thanks to the day-old mixture. There are brush strokes on the seats, while the first one came out with a smooth seat.

I distressed all three before finishing them off with a couple of layers of Minwax pastewax.

The verdict: I might use DIY chalk paint again, but not for any projects I have in my current queue. This hasn't turned me off from trying the real ASCP, but I think the price for AS has. I like my Behr latex paint and primer in one and plan on mostly sticking with that.

This post is linked at:
Ginger Snap Crafts, Someday Crafts, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths, Momnivore's Dilemma,

Before & After: Dining Table Makeover

Our dining area in our small eat-in kitchen is a challenge to get just the right-sized table for.

We'd first bought an awesome mahagony table off Craigslist for just $40... and it ended up being way too big.

So we snatched this table up when we saw it at the thrift store. It was priced higher than I wanted to pay for a rinky-dink table like this, even on sale, but it was the right size for the space.

I directed my husband to remedy the yellow/orange wood with a coat of dark stain on the top, and to paint the base white. I'll just say, I would've used different materials than what he chose (spraypaint and all-in-one stain/poly), but it's still pretty close to what I wanted. I wish he would've put one more coat of poly or the stain/poly on top, but I love the color.

I know I usually post a materials breakdown, but I have now idea what either of these colors are! A satin Rustoleum on the spraypaint with no top coat, and the stain/poly in one is most likely by Minwax.

WIP: craft desk & sewing nook makeover

Well, I'm still plunking away at my sewing nook. You may remember I did a DIY wallpaper collage on the back of it. I covered up a non-functional cork board.

Next order of business was a sewing machine cover.


I basically drew my inspiration from here, but my sides are rectangular instead of trapezoidal. Trapezoidian? Trapzoidular?

Source: spoolsewing.com via Elisha on Pinterest

They have a free pattern that I followed loosely.

Mine's muslin, not upholstery fabric like theirs, so it's much droopier. But I like it.

When I was researching this project, I came across a lady on a message board who responded to others talking about their own sewng machine cozies who said "why would you want to sew a machine cover? It comes with one..."
 
Um, huh? Am I the only one who thinks that's a weird reaction from a person who enjoys sewing enough to own a sewing machine and to be participating in a sewing message board?

In other news, I'm working on Simplicity 2176. Hopefully that's done soon.

Before & After: nightstand makeover

Shabby chic: ya either love it or ya hate it.

I happen to love it... as long as it's not total overboard like you're living in some countryside Northeastern (1980s) bed and breakfast. I like the muted whites and florals that the look is known for, but I also love color and other graphic prints too much to go full-on with it.

And of course I love vintage, retro, antique... just plain OLD stuff. Always have. So that's perhaps what I find most appealing of all about the SC aesthetic. The aged, loved, worn, and yes, distressed (even it's it's faux distressed) fabrics and woods.

Don't be hatin'.

Among the old things I don't love: 1970s veneer. So when I bought this nightstand, I full intended on painting it all along.

And here she is now!

I know you've seen these "white with distressed paint" makeovers all over the blogosphere so it's nothing really special, but I'm really happy with it!

It was my first attempt at making over a piece of furniture. Oh, I've painted plenty of stuff, but I've never sanded, primed, chosen new hardware, done specialty finishes like faux distressing and blue washes, then sealed.

My previous endeavors were "paint over the old paint until you can't see said old paint any longer aaaaannd.. done".

It'll now live next to my bed and probably hold some sewing stuff spilling over from my craft nook. I hope I get to do more projects like this in the future!
White Nighstand Makeover
Nightstand: veneer and wood nightsand (~16.50 - thrift store)
Hardware: mismatched knobs (~15 - World Market)
Paints: white primer and latex paint in one (husband chose it! $14 for full can used on two night stands - Home Depot), Minwax past wax (~$10 - Lowes)
Total cost: ~48.50

WIP: craft desk & sewing nook makeover

I can't believe I'm about to show this mess up in here, but I keep it real... so here is the "before" shot of my sewing desk...

In all fairness, this was still unpacking from the move and at a moment that I remembered to whip out my iPhone to snap a "before" shot.

My husband picked up this desk, AND that white desk chair, AND a second, very similar desk AND a matching headboard for $10 at a yard sale. Not $10 each, not "like, ten bucks"... $10 for the whole she-bang. I was so glad he thought of my sewing desk when he saw the dueling desks-- I LOVE the one I picked out! And it fits just right in our bedroom nook.

The prob: that corkboard behind the work area is completely useless. The tacks won't stick all the way in before hitting the back of the hutch, and everything falls out.

So, rather than leave a discolored, useless corkboard, I decided to cover it up.

Behold, the "after"... kinda.

Yeah, yeah, there's still a LOT of organizing to go. I went back and forth one whether to label this postt "WIP" or "Before & After" before settling on the former. Because SRSLY, I still have some spots to paints and some hardware to change out and LOTS of overall organization projects for this area. But I'll keep you posted with the various updates.

This particular "Before & After" was what I was hinting at here, and instead of wallpaper, I used Modge Podge and scrapbook paper.

Ugh, I NEVER thought I would be saying I used Modge Podge OR scrapbook paper, let alone the two together. It's just so... mombloggery.

OK, well maybe Modge Podge, especially after this project. You've won me over, Modge Podge! You do, indeed, "rock".

As for the scrapbook paper, I got a huuuuuge tablet of it at Ross for $9.99, and there's still the majority of it left over. I thought it would achieve the look I wanted without me having to order a wallpaper sample book off eBay... and I was right! I LOVE the color this adds not only to my sewing nook, but to our whole bedroom!

What about you, do you have desk or an entire room to craft and sew in? Do you have any tips for organzing my notions and supplies? So far, I've put my patterns in that Costco chicken stock box pictured above (that'll get Modge Podged too), and used old spaghetti sauce jars to put my spools of thread into (much cheaper and handier than hunting for antique mason jars).

Project: DIY Retro Bread Box

Please excuse the blurry iPhone photos, I promise better photography in the near future.

I've already shown you the inspiration for this and told you all about how I've wanted a vintage enamel bread bin but can't quite seem to afford one. (And lest you cry out "but I always see them in my thrift stores," here's where I complain that my neck of the woods just does NOT have good thrift shops).

I racked my brain for a while on how to paint letters onto a readily available metal bread box. What kind of food-safe enamel paint would go on neatly? And how do I get it to not look so much like a stencil, just like my inspiration?

But first, the box. I found this cute retro bread box on Amazon, and for the longest time, that was the one I planned on buying... until I saw the one above at Target for about $15 cheaper. The garage-door-style one above isn't exactly the style I wanted, but I couldn't pass it up for the price. I may still buy the Amazon one at some point. Sorry, they longer have this one at Target for me to link to.

And now, the solution to retro-fy it... vinyl stick-on letters. They're a true black and a good font for the look I was going for. They're just permanent enough, but not too permanent that I couldn't preposition them. Yes, they're crooked in the picture below. That's the beauty of it; after this picture was taken, I straightened them out. And then was too lazy to re-take the picture.

These basic black ones I found at Wal-Mart in the poster section for I think about $3.99, maybe even $2.99. But I saw similar ones at Office Depot in different colors and fonts, which might be fun to try also! It looks like Amazon has some too.

DIY Retro Bread Box

Materials: bread box ($17.99 - Target), vinyl letters (~ $3.99 - WalMart)

Total cost: Under $25

This project is linked at:
The Frugal Girls, I Heart Naptime, Under the Table and Dreaming, Sew Many Ways, Petite Hermine, Nifty Thrifty Things, Lamb Around, Homemaker on a Dime, Raising Memories, My 1929 Charmer, Flamingo Toes, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, Making the World Cuter, Craft-O-Maniac, Sew Can Do, Delicate Construction, Mad in Crafts, Creating my Way to Success, KDBuggie Boutique, Tip Junkie, Today's Creative Blog, Vintage WannaBee, Creative Itch, Ladybug Blessings, Funky Polka-Dot Giraffe, Ginger Snap Crafts, Polka Dots on Parade, Lil Luna, Someday Crafts, Southern Lovely

Before & After: Bed to Bench makeover

It's hard to engage in too many DIY projects when a.) I have the LO attached to me pretty much most of the day and 2.) I don't have much of my own space here on the ranch with my parents.

But here's one of my dad's projects: an iron bed up-cycled into a cowboy bench. It was a gift for my mom.

You can see the headboard is the backrest and the footboard was sliced in half to become the arm rests. He welded horseshoes, a bit, and a steer head thing as accents.

I always think I got my desire to create, craft, and DIY from my Grandma, but it must've come via my dad.

I AM! IRON BENCH! DUUUUUH NUH, NUH-NUH-NUH.... DUH NUH NUH NUH, NUH NUH... NUH NUH NUH.

My dad also welded the front gate, which Flickr user Brave Heart snapped a picture of.

As long as I'm still on the ranch, I'm thinking of snapping a Barn Tour to really give a sense of my dad's design. Consider yourself warned.

Before & After: China Cabinet Makeover

Psych! It's a PhotoShop mock-up of a china cabinet makeover, and a hastily done one at that.

This is currently for free on Craigslist. I asked my husband about getting it, but we ultimately decided to wait on grabbing any furniture until we were moved off the ranch. I agree.

But I also think he didn't see what this cabinet *could* be, so I started with the 'Shopping. And couldn't stop. An hour or so later, I have a lame picture that serves no purpose (I know my husband will only give it a a quick sideways glance) and STILL NO CHINA HUTCH.

So, why waste that pointless hour I spent doing this when I should've been doing something more productive? I'll just post the image here on my blog, where it can live in perpetuity.