Modern to country charm! !

Yep, you read the title right!

After my recent move, my gorgeous slate top tall dining room table and chairs was way to big for my kitchen so a change needed to be made.

SOOOO- what better time to build a farmhouse table, right?  Well. my original "want" was to build it out of 2" thick barn wood but with all the nails, my builder aka ( Ron) wouldn't cut  barn boards. So off to menards I go.

I was able to save a lot since I already had 4 chunky legs to use! I bought my 2x6 pine boards, 2x4's, polycrilic, dark walnut stain and the other goodies to make this happen.

Here's the link I used to make my  table. I made mine a little smaller though ( again, trying to save some room in my kitchen.)

I had to keep stopping by to catch some sneak peeks at Rons progress. Oh and as he started he told me my wood was a little warped ( bad move on my part) but it is a farm house table so its not going to be perfect. BUT I will say if you don't want it bowed be sure to pick straight boards. Mine were almost there but the wood was a teenie bit damp. Boo hiss.

Then I had to find some chairs since I only have 1. This was not as easy as I thought it was going to be. After hitting all the second hand stores I finally found 3 mismatched chairs to go with the one that I had.

 

A couple coats of chalk paint on the chairs and table sides and legs, and now its time to work on the seats!

Now on to the next fun part, covering the chair pads. I wanted to use flour sacks but was sticking out at this as well so I decided to make my own! I tea stained a sheet, doubled it up and transferred the images I found online via waxed paper. Can you believe it! Waxed paper works awesome!!!! Click  here for the tutorial for doing this!

Now to remove the old fabric and put on the new! Wowza, I came across an old chair for sure, straw bottom??

One good coat of sealer and chairs are done.

Hmmmm I want this to look like old barn wood so I got out the hammer, chisel, screws and a chain. This was what I will call, take out your frustrations on the table part :)

Some sandpaper scuffs on the table legs and I'm almost done!

Now some dark walnut stain and table is done!

 I will go back and seal the legs and table top with polycrilic a different day since its snowing a little and I cant drag this heavy beast outside by myself.

I made a centerpiece out of a 2" piece of barn wood with holes drilled in for the flicker tea lights.

LOVE my newest addition to my home, hope you do too.

Sweet treat for a weeknight!

I love me some fresh fruit and its healthy to boot! So tonight I found the best recipe for a fruit salad. Secret Fruit Salad,

Oh my sweet goodness! THIS IS THE BEST EVVVVVVVVAAAAAAA!

I modified mine just a tiny bit. I added 1 fuji apple diced and 4 TBSP of the pudding instead of 3. I also topped it off with a squeeze of lemon juice to helpo the fresh fruit ( especially the apple) keep its color. Now had I known it was as good as it is, there would have been no need to worry about the apple keeping its color because it will be gone way before that!

Anothe sweet treat I made was this cute little watermelon baby buggy ! I made it for my brother and Sams baby shower!

Short and sweet post tonight!

If you make the salad let me know what you think by leaving a comment!

Re-purposed Vanity

Oh how I LOVE my new nightstands!!  I purchased a well used, vintage vanity from Pete's Furniture & Antique Barn that I absolutely love for my newest project. My plan is to cut the center out and add a fresh coat of paint and be done.

Well, the project turned into a little more than I anticipated! All that fancy little scroll work that you see in this picture....well, its veneer.

before

I chiseled away ( with only mild damage), sanded and painted.

Now to add some color, I "hid" my damaged spots with the bird and a couple stencils.

I now have beautiful nightstands that match my color scheme/decor in my bedroom.

before and after

Next up, I'm on the hunt for a chest of drawers then Ill be ready to move on to a new project!

Re-purposing weekend!

Happy Memorial Day weekend! While most people are out camping I stayed home this weekend to get some projects off the list.

There's not much ...how to as most of the things I did this weekend are pretty self explanatory.

Most of the items I either had laying around or picked up at the goodwill for a little of nothing!

Old sitting bench turned in to table

A little paint added to the roses and the tiny beads

For my newly repurposed table, I added a picture frame purchased from Hobby Lobby with a print I found online and hot glued some flowers and beads to the top corner! BAM - beauty!

My new sitting area in the bedroom complete with table now!

an old cabinet door transformed into a "project "board for my soon to be re purposed office!

A shelf Michael made for me from a pallet!

A flower tower made from terra cotta pots and tin cans!

Whats summer time without a picnic!

My weekend in pictures!

The next project is my office desk from an old door, the 2 Victorian wing-backed chairs that are getting a burlap makeover, and a vintage vanity that will soon be nightstands!

Have a safe and Happy Memorial Day Weekend! 

My latest project!

A chair that was given to me -

A trip to my favorite store ( Hobby Lobby) for a couple yards of fabric and some E6000 glue. A phone call to mom for some white paint and walla - my new chair!

I pulled out all the upholstery staples with some help from Michael as my wrist was wearing out! Painted the chair white to give it a clean refreshed look, cut my fabric, attached it with some upholstery staples and glued the cording around the edges. Not to bad huh?


It's a great addition to my bedroom.

side by side view of the big difference

Next project will be tackling  an upholstery job on 2 chairs for my living room with printed burlap. Stay tuned!

Love those old french doors!

Oh how I love old shabby doors! I kept noticing several of my friends posting on Facebook the old french doors hung on walls with pictures behind them. Seeing this made me want some doors and it just so happened that a friend of mine had 2. I went to her house and picked them up. Now to put my  creative thinking hat on and come up with a plan. Anyone that knows me, knows I like something a little different!

Off to my favorite store ~ HOBBY LOBBY! I purchased some chalkboard paint and then I started looking for colored chalk. Much to my surprise...they now have chalk markers!!

http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/fluorescent-bistro-chalk-marker-set-103960/
 Oh boy am I going to have fun with these.
Time for the fun to begin. I applied 3 coats of Krylon chalkboard spray paint to every other pane. Remember to let dry in between coats. I let dry about 1 hour to assure a good cure.

I measured my wall and anchored it to the wall in each corner ( this thing is a beast) I then started with some creativity for each pane. Since its spring and Easter is just around the corner, that was my theme.
Lori and Toni were visiting and didn't realize they were actually going to be helping, at least with the hanging! As I said it was a heavy beast. Lori was the first to draw and chose to draw a bunny......hmmmmm really, a purple bunny. :)  I did erase the bunny tail and made it a fluffy white one for her. I also have to give her credit, she drew this without looking at a picture as I did!
I then glued some scrabble tiles on , made a couple wreaths out of artificial grass I had laying around added a bird, chicks, butterfly and this project is complete.

this is a close up of all the bottom panes

close up of the top panes

I'm looking forward to decorating each season and holiday!

Inspired!

I was recently looking for some material to reupholster a chair and came across a craft that inspired me. So off I go to Hobby Lobby for a few supplies. 

12 x 24 canvas ( not on sale, no problem 40% coupon, score! ) 
decoupage ( I used Matte Mod Podge, love this stuff! ) 
paint ( phone call to mom turned up a whole tote full) 
paint brushes ( I had these on hand, I used a 1" fan style and a small #10 shader)
printed vintage letters, old dictionary pages, old book pages, old music, etc. You get the point,right?
vinyl quote of choice - I found this one while shopping for supplies, and contacted my Etsy gal for a price. 15.00 plus shipping, well, I think that'll work! Not to mention that her work is great! Click on the link ( my Etsy gal)  to check her work out! 

I cut my pages to look older by wetting the edges and giving it a quick tear. Then lay them out how you want them positioned on your surface. Time to get a little sticky! Paint decoupage by applying a thin even coat. You'll need to apply 3 or 4 coats to give it a nice hold. Let dry 5-6 hours in between coats.

Time to position your vinyl quote. Be careful if you are using small letters as they can rip apart easy. 

I then painted a Poppy ( I was pretty impressed with the way it turned out, I haven't painted anything in YEARS )  I chose a poppy to go along with my vintage art piece because Poppies symbolize the departed who fought for freedom. The poppy was chosen to be the symbol of remembrance because it was the only other living thing that survived during the war. With every warm season It brought hope, life, color and reassurance to those who were still in war fighting to free their people. So with my old letters, It made me think of war time and letters that were lost during wartime. 

 I added the frame around the canvas because I didn't put my pages to cover the edges.( nest time, I will pay better attention) 

My total project cost me roughly 22.00 since I had some of the supplies on hand. 

This was a lot of fun to create and even more fun to display in my home!  Follow my blog to see what I come up with next! Here's a few upcoming projects -  hint - I have 2 old french doors and Im looking for an old dresser.....stay tuned!