Santa!

Got this idea off pinterest... except we used a projector to make it easier. Yay for cheap christmas decorations!
I bought the canvases used off craiglist and just painted over it white and then used silver paint marker from michaels to paint the santa which were 2/$5

The hutch is finally done!

The hutch we purchased for $50 off craigslist last yr has finally been refinished! With the move to Iowa and the cold weather, we havent had the opportunity (or desire really he he) to haul it out to the garage and get to workin'

Before


I sanded the top all the way to a smooth bare wood. Then i stained it with a stain i purchased at the Habitat for Humanity Restore for like $3/gallon. I know i didnt do it right because I didnt wipe it off, but thats the only way i could get the desired color. Its a bit blotchy in some places, but it looks just fine.

The white was just spray painted on with Kiltz primer, and then sanded lightly and clear coated. I then roughed up the edges and antiqued it a bit here and there. The knobs were spray painted with black "metal" spray paint. The whole project only took about a week (because the stain took forever to dry)


After

Pottery barn knock off

This topiary tree was inspired by pottery barn. I got some moss from hobby lobby and hot glued it to a foam ball. I then found a stick in my yard, and actually poked it into a citronella candle. I then covered the bottom with berber which was only about $4/yard.
It's not perfectly round, but hey, nothing in nature is perfect!



Pottery barn inspiration:

Garden table

My mom found these tables in someone's trash a few yrs back. I used a stain that i actually got at the restore, for labout $3/gallon. Turned out decent!
I sprayed it with clear protective indoor/outdoor spray to protect it from the elements.

Before


During


after

Another coffee table redo

I got this coffee table at the Habitat for Humanity restore for $3. it had tile's on both end, but one of them was broken. I replaced it with glass.. brilliant idea however it had to be "tempered glass" which ended up being $55! ridiculous. Lesson learned - i should have asked how much it would be before i tell them to cut it to size.


Before:



after:

Love my vinyl house numbers

These are so hot right now ;)

I got them off of etsy for only like $10

Chairs

I was tired of our modern glass bar height table, so I sold it on craigslist. I then bought these 4 wooden chairs off craigslist for $30. I have been looking for a long time for a reasonably priced chair that wasnt too fancy but cute enough to sit on every day. these already came with this fabulous fabric, so i didnt have to recover them (cuz fabric is freakin' expensive yo!) but i can certainly do so later if i want to. I spray painted them white, and did not antique them.

Sorry im not really good at taking before pics :(

Family room update

Here's what we've done so far in the family room.

First we took off all the wallpaper which took FOREVER. it actually took so long, that we gave up on the bottom half of the wall and just decided to paint over it. Hopefully the boards will keep it up and the paint will keep it from peeling.

We previously bought a paint sprayer which helped a lot. We did 2 coats of primer and a glossy white coat on the trim in about 1 hour tops (not counting drying time!) We used oil based primer since we read that it works better on wallpaper, but the sprayer was a pain to clean with mineral spirits. It was still worth it though!

We still have to hang the mantle, hide the tv cables and boxes, etc. We're not sure what to do with the cabinets though. Keep it the same... white, gray, something else? just not sure, so it'll stay as is for a little while.

Before



after

Coffee Table/End Table

I wanted to try a fun color that i've seen other people do. I used Meditteranean blue spray paint from Lowes after a layer of Kiltz primer. It's a lot bluer with the flash than with out. It's cute. Plus i can always change it back to white for a more "grown up" look ;o)

Before





After

Ugly mirror into chalkboard

I got this gold mirror off of craigslist for $5. Then I primed it white and antiqued it using a black pre made glaze from Home depot. It was my first glaze, so its definitely not perfect ha ha.

Then i spray painted the chalkboard paint on it.
I bought "chalk it up!" markers from Michaels to write the menu for the week. This currently hangs in our kitchen

Before





after