This desk that I made over was the bargain of the century. It cost $50 and with a few supplies and a little effort it looks very similar to a Pottery Barn desk you can find in their catalogue for $1169.00 (below). I actually like the way my desk came out better than the Pottery Barn one. This desk below is in the Pottery Barn Catalogue for $899. I didn't get a great before picture because I forgot to take one. This is the best one I got. While it was on its side, I applied feet. The feet had screws already in them. I used a drill to create a hole on each of the bottom of the legs to screw the feet into.Here you can see all the feet are attached.I used a non toxic stripper to remove as much of the paint that was already on the desk as I could.Once the top of the desk was stripped down to the grain wood, I applied two coats of a dark brown stain to the top.Next, I painted the legs and feet black.After the legs and feet were finished, I applied the black paint to the rest of the body.I taped around the edges of the drawers to prevent from getting paint on the actual drawer and then painted the face of the drawers.Here is how the desk looked after the top was stained and the body and … [Read more...]
Healthy and Simple to Make Summer Treat
It doesn't get much easier than this. These raspberry and vanilla yogurt swirl popsicles take seconds to make. Not only are they simple to make, but they are healthy as well. All you need is vanilla yogurt and some raspberries. Mash up the fruit in the yogurt and spoon it into the popsicle containers. That is all there is to it! Freeze the popsicles overnight and they are good to go the next day. These are ridiculously easy and something I'm sure you already no how to do but maybe this will give you a little inspiration. Try various fruits and different flavors of yogurt. Have fun and enjoy making this healthy Summer treat! … [Read more...]
Linen Matted Photos
I love the look of these framed pictures. I especially like the look of the linen mattes around the pictures. I came across these on Pinterest the other day and was inspired to make something like this myself.I think these are really pretty linen matted photos.I used two large Ikea frames I used the same spray paint I used for the hamper basket makeover project. It is Rust-Oleum gloss protective French Roast.I sprayed the frames with 2 coats and allowed them to dry about 24 hours.Using poster board, the 8x10 photo, and a tape measure I created a rectangle opening slightly smaller than the size of the photo.I cut the opening out with a razor blade.As you can see above, I cut drop cloth (a material I use often because it looks similar to linen) around the cut poster board.I used glue stick and some masking tape to tape the drop cloth down on the back of the matte.Here is the finished product.They actually came out a lot better than they look and were very easy to do.Something else you could try is to use the same drop cloth material for the matte but make the pictures black and white rather than sepia and paint the frames black.I really like the way they came out. Like I said, they … [Read more...]
Hamper Basket Makeover
I like having a good project to work on- something to paint or re cover is always fun. I enjoy looking around thrift stores for something I can re do. This may seem weird to some people but it is sort of therapeutic for me and gratifying to see the transformation. When I spotted this old hamper at a thrift store, I knew it would be fun and easy to re do. Actually, if I had the right style of house, this would have been a cool vintage piece to fix up. I would have re painted it the same yellow and cleaned it up a bit. My house is not ecletic at all though. It wouldn't work in our house as a vintage piece. All I needed to do with this was wash it off with a hose and give it two coats of spray paint. I used Rust-Oleum gloss protective French Roast.Once the paint was all dry (I gave it 24 hours), I unscrewed the top and used a staple gun to cover it with my favorite material- drop cloth! I say favorite, because I've done a bunch of projects using drop cloth you can find here. I like it because it is sturdy and it looks like linen.Here is how it looked once it was painted and the top was covered. It needed something extra, so I trimmed the lid with smooth nickel furniture nails. I … [Read more...]
Embroidered Pillow
I must have a thing for pillows and monograms. A couple weeks ago I made pillows with painted monograms on them you can find here and the other day I embroidered a monogram on another pillow. I do like pillows. They are an easy way to give a couch, bed, or chair a finishing touch. It's also an easy way to add color and style to a room. I like monograms because they personalize a space and I think it makes a nice gift to give someone something personalized with a monogram. First, I traced a circular bowl (the size I wanted the monogram and design to be) onto a solid colored linen pillow cover. Next, I penciled the design and monogram onto the pillow cover. Last, I embroidered over the penciled design. Embroidery is not hard. If you don't know how, I found a tutorial on Pinterest you can go to here. Turned out pretty good. What do you think? … [Read more...]
Driftwood Crosses
Last time I was at the beach I collected a bunch of driftwood. I was thinking about framing a mirror with layered pieces of driftwood. I didn't have enough to do this though. Maybe I'll make one in the future. Anyway, I like simple so I came up with driftwood crosses decorated with sea shells. These are very simple to make. I feel like I say that with almost every project I post on here. It's true most of my projects are simple and these crosses definitely fall into that category. What You Will NeedDriftwood, Seashells, Rope or Twine, Glue Gun There isn't much to this. Just cross two pieces of driftwood and tie the rope around the middle to hold the 2 pieces of driftwood together. Tie a knot in the back or create a loop for hanging purposes. Use a glue gun to attach shells to the center. You can use store bought shells and coral as seen in this one above. You can use a bunch of shells and layer them or just lay a few shells across the front. I think they came out pretty and would make a nice gift. What do you think? … [Read more...]
Drop Cloth Table Runner
Would you like to make a drop cloth table runner that looks just like linen? The drop cloth material that painters use is great fabric when you want the look of linen. It is inexpensive and durable. You can purchase a 6x9 piece at Lowe's or Home Depot and get 2 or 3 runners with this amount. To make a table runner, lay out the material on your table, measure and cut to the width you would like it to be. After you have cut it, wash and dry it. When you pull it out of the dryer, it is kind of a mess. There will be strings all over the place. Use scissors to cut the wound up strings. Pull the strings from the edge to create a frayed look. Pulling the strings out takes a little bit of time but is simple. Put a good movie on to get this part done. Once you have created the frayed edge, iron it out and lay it on your table. I purchased this package at Home Depot for $10.99 Lay fabric out on your table. Measure your desired width and cut. This is what is should look like after you cut it. This is what it looks like when you pull it out of the dryer. Pull the strings out along the edges to create fray. Iron your runner out and lay it on your table. - … [Read more...]
Fabric Covered Diaper Wipe Cases
Yesterday I realized it had been days since my last DIY project. I know this sounds kind of silly. I can't imagine saying something like that a year ago. I was never really into craft projects until Sophia. Anyway, I've mentioned this before that these simple little projects I do on here really do something for me. They are fulfilling. It's fun creating things and I like sharing my projects on here because I hope to inspire others to create as well. So yesterday I felt the need to create. I came up with these fabric covered diaper wipe cases. I didn't have any expectations. I just thought I'd give it a shot. I really like the way they came out. And very little effort was involved. I think that's what pleased me the most. It was a quick and easy project with pretty good results. Anyone could make these, seriously. You should give it a shot and let me know how they come out. A Few Supplies Needed glue gun, scissors, fabric, travel size diaper wipe case, and some sort of trim like ribbon.I forgot to take pictures of the first step but it's basic. Cut 2 pieces of fabric about 9 in x 4 1/2 in. As you can see in the bottom left picture I made the pieces a little bit smaller. They … [Read more...]
Matte Art with Burlap
Have you ever thought to matte art with burlap? It actually looks pretty good. I had a large area of white wall in the guest bathroom that needed some color. I wanted to use a vintage ski (we live in the mountains) tin art sign I bought from Amazon but it was too small for this large amount of white space. I decided to use a large pine frame I purchased from Ikea with burlap as the matte for the art. It created a great impact on this white wall. It was simple and came out looking pretty good for a very small cost. There are all kinds of ways you can use burlap with art. Try using burlap as the matte for a bunch of vintage postcards or as the background for a shadow box. Get a large frame, piece of burlap, and some kind of art you want framed. Measure the burlap, cut the burlap to the size of the board, iron it out if it's wrinkled, glue on board, measure and mark where you would like your art, and tape on the burlap. Looks pretty good for very little effort. … [Read more...]
All You Need Is Love Sign
I haven't gotten this project right yet but I'm going to share it with you guys anyway. I really like this frame. It suits the rustic decor that goes with living in the mountains. Originally, my mom made this sign for our wedding we had here in Mammoth. She stenciled the letters of our names on a piece burlap, painted the letters white and framed it. After the wedding, I decided I wanted to stencil "all you need is love" on drop cloth and use the frame. Rather than using stencils, I printed out my own letters using Georgia font (size 400). I was going to trace them on the drop cloth and paint the letters the same way I did the monogrammed pillows I made recently. My husband thought that sounded like too much work and suggested he spray paint the letters I had printed then glue them on the drop cloth. He talked me into and it ended up looking pretty good. This is before I glued the letters down. I wasn't crazy about the drop cloth. It was too light in contrast with the color of the frame. I don't know, I just didn't like it. So I pulled all the letters off the drop cloth, stapled a piece of burlap over the board and glued the letters back on. I know it sounds a little crazy … [Read more...]
