Enjoying Spring

Summers here are dreadfully humid and hot.  I can't stand to be outside for more than five minutes at a time from June until almost halfway through September.  Fall and Spring are glorious though.  Today, the high was 93 (it would be so awesome if that were the yearly high), so it was pretty nice out.  It was perfection once the sun started setting and things cooled down a bit.

Zoe and I spent yesterday with pals of ours.  Around noon, we headed to a nearby town for lunch and a visit to one of my favorite thrift shops.  



I found several goodies today, but my favorites were this full-sized quilt, that I paid just $6 for!

And these gorgeous silver plate spoons.  I know they're WM Rogers, but I haven't been able to find out which pattern.   I'm thinking I'll make either garden markers or use them for some kind of framed art.

There was a little toddler bonding going on, on the way home.  How sweet are they?

When we got back home, I filled up our sad little pool so that the girls could play.  

Our neighborhood pool opens this weekend, and I can't wait to get Zoe in it!  That little lopsided thing just isn't cuttin' it!


Until next time...

Jewelry Box Makeover

I haven't blogged much during the past year, but I swear I've still been making.  For whatever reason, I just haven't had it in me to take all of those photos (you know how we take about 100 shots of the same thing just to get the one perfect photo for the post?).  Plus, there's writing the actual post which has never been my strong point.  There are those bloggers who consider themselves writers and then there are those bloggers who are like me.  We just want to get it out there and move on to the next project.

I let my Etsy shop lapse last year during my pregnancy.  I've just recently picked back up on it and have been bitten by that thrifting bug again.  I have to be REALLY careful with that.  I think a lot of us have to be careful with it.  Have you ever watched an episode of  "Hoarders" where they follow the person to a thrift shop and thought, "Oh man, that's so me!"  These people are acting like they're on a freaking treasure hunt, which is exactly how I feel when I walk into a thrift shop and grab a cart.  It's so easy to get carried away with the, "Oh, I can use this for something," or even worse, "So and so can use this for something."  Do you know how many hoarders I've seen who buy stuff for other people?  Stuff the other people probably don't even want.  

OK, I've gotten a little carried away.  I'm not really here to talk about my hoarding tendencies.  I'm here to show you a makeover.  A couple of weeks ago, I found two nice jewelry boxes.  Normally, I find these boxes with the tacky flowers etched into the door glass.  Ug...  I'm sorry, but no amount of paint is gonna take away from that.  I finished the first box a couple of weeks ago and have already listed it in my shop.  The other one is almost finished and should be listed tomorrow.  

AFTER:

 

BEFORE:

Isn't that the coolest box?  I mean, even before, it was cool.  I knew right away what color I was going to use (Folk Art's Patina).  It looks perfect with the red interior!

Linking to:

Anti-Procrastination Tuesday
Get Your Craft On 
Made By Me
Wow Us Weds
Creative Spark
Look What I Made 
Sugar & Spice 

Trinket Box Makeover

It might be hard to believe, but it took me over two years to decide what to do with this box.  Back on April 8th, 2010, I blogged about thrifting this and asked for suggestions on what to do with it.  I just couldn't decide.  I've been using it just the way it is ever since.  For awhile, I had it sitting in my half-bath.  Then I ended up just shelving it in my studio.  

A few weeks ago, I found a paint color that I thought would work well with glazing.  It's an Americana craft paint, which you can get at any big-box crafts store, called Sea Glass.  It's a creamy pale aquamarine color that's great on it's own, but when it's been glazed over, it's gorgeous! 

It's my new favorite color so I'll soon be off to Home Depot for a color match. I've found that these craft paint bottles dry out too quickly, plus it costs more to keep buying those little bottles than it does for a sample from Home Depot or Lowe's.  


***See my glazing tutorial here.***

My Piecemeal Hutch

I'd been wanting a hutch for my dining room since I first started following blogs where very talented ladies perform fabulous makeovers on furniture.  I spent about a year hoping to score a hutch at GW.  It didn't seem to matter that I made the trek to my local shop at least three times a week, I never found one.  Not only could I not find one to buy, I couldn't even find one that someone else had already snatched up.  I guess people around here just don't want to give up those hutches!

I finally began looking for anything that would do the job, and I eventually wound up with two pieces that when put together, make a hutch.  I bought the bottom half from a GW for $40, and I scored the top from an auction for $10.

I filled some holes and Charles mended some pieces.

After we got it all fixed up, it was time for paint.  For the bulk of the hutch, I used an Olympic color called Dogwood Blossom.  I wanted the back to contrast against the rest of the hutch because I'm planning to display white dishes and milkglass at some point.  I ended up using Sea Anemone for the back.  I thought it was a great color for either a beachy look for a Shabby Chic look.


After painting, we added new hardware that I picked up at Hobby Lobby for a few buck each.  I'm still trying to decide if I want to paint and distress those.  For now, I'm leaving them the way they are.

I just love this hutch, and I think even more so because it was something I had to put together, and I was able to do it for just a few bucks.

What do you think?




Linking to:
Twice Owned Tues @ House of Grace
POWW @ Primitive & Proper
Restored It Weds @ Restore Interiors
Wow Us Weds @ Savvy Southern Style
Creative Spark @ Clean and Scentsible
Whatever Goes Weds @ Someday Crafts
Transformation Thurs @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
Under $100 Linky Party @ Beyond the Picket Fence
Crafty Soiree @ Yesterday on Tuesday
Hookin' Up With HOH @ HOH
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed
SNS Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Spice Racks - Not Just for Spices

Han is all moved into her new room, and is working on getting it all set up today.  We still need to accessorize and order her new furniture, so I won't be sharing photos of the room until it's actually complete.


I was trying to come up with some way I could contribute to the room since all of the hard work was being done by Charles, and the design work by Han.  I have a ton of spice racks in my stash, and I thought one might be useful to her as a rack to hold her nail-polish.


I used spray paint this time (I was careful of the fumes!), which seems to be winning me over again since it doesn't take nearly as long as brush painting does.  It seems I no longer have the patience to work on a project for days.  This was a can of Rustolem Green Apple that I bought last year when I first began doing makeovers.  Basically, this was a free project, which is the best kind!


I'm loving how the green looks against the aqua wall.

I also love how she went all ROYGBIV when arranging them.  




Linking to:
Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Made it by Monday @ Made it for Monday
Mad Skillz Party @ Mad in Crafts
Get Your Craft On Tues @ Today's Creative Blog
Trash to Treasure Tues @ Sassy Sites
One Project at a Time @ A Bowl Full of Lemons
Wow us Weds @ Savvy Southern Style
Creative Spark @ Clean and Scentsible
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge

Antiqued Wall Sconces

Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a great weekend!  My posts have been a little scarce the past two weeks, but I hope to be back in the saddle from now on.  There's been a lot happening over this way and I hope to be able to share it with you guys soon.

Today, I'll be sharing a new glazed piece with you.

I think anyone who thrifts has seen this gold-ish plastic stuff before.  

This stuff seems to have been popular in the late 60's, based off of some of the dating I've seen on the back of some of it.  Two manufacturers that I can remember off of the top of my head are Homco & Syroco.  While this stuff might be ugly as is, it looks great painted, and even better painted and glazed.

Honestly, these weren't too bad before, but I don't usually buy something and just leave it alone.  I really love how the glaze helped bring out all of the details.  It really added a lot of depth to them.

Thanks to everyone who commented on my last post.  I'm planning to start on the jewelry box this week.  It's a pretty detailed piece so I expect it to take me awhile to finish.  I'll definitely be posting on it when I get finished.

Linking to:

Met Monday @ Between Naps on  the Porch
Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog 
Twice Owned Tues @ House of Grace 
Restored it Weds @ Restore Interiors 
Mad Skillz Party @ Mad in Crafts

Color of the Week???

I'm not sure, yet.


Last month, I was inspired by this post from knack, to try a similar color.  I chose Martha's Rainforest.  It's a rich blue-green that I thought would appeal to those who aren't really into the whole cottage look.

I decided to try it out on this mug stand, and I have to say, I'm just not sure about it.  Maybe it's because it's not really my style.  I prefer the lighter colors that make up the shabby cottage look and this definitely isn't one of those.  It seems a little plain to me, and maybe it just needs to be distressed to add a little oomph to it.  What do you guys think? 

Even though I don't really think I like this color on the mug stand, I do think it might be perfect for this jewelry box that I scored at an auction awhile back. I think the design of the box, coupled with this vivid color, would make a nice India-inspired piece.  Yes???

*This post is part of a series of color posts.  To see all past colors, click here. 

Color of the Week - Meadow Mist

This week's color is another blue.  For whatever reason, I seem to be stuck on blues and greens.  I do have a couple of pink pieces that I've done and I'll probably be sharing that color next week, just to change things up a bit.

This color was used on two projects that I shared with you last week.  I'm reposting the photos below since these are the only two completed pieces I've used this color on.  I've got one piece that I'm still working on and I'll share that with you later this week.

cloche post is here

the shelf post is here

This is another great beachy color, but it's also a good shabby chic color too.  I'd say that if Sea Anemone and Sea Glass had a baby, this would be the result.  It's a Valspar color called Meadow Mist.  

I have to tell ya, the sample colors they show online usually DO NOT match the true color at all.  You can tell the difference between what's being shown on the link from Lowe's (above) and my photos.  This particular color has more green in it than what they're showing.  That just shows you how different a color can appear online.  I try to get my photos as close to the actual color as possible, but even that is a problem sometimes.  If you're in doubt, trust the paint chip from the store.  I'm not talking about the online chip, I mean the one you grab at the store.  That will be more reliable to you, in person, than what they show online or what I share with you.

I've been having fun with these color posts and I'm excited to try some different colors.  I'd like to step out of my comfort zone and go with something completely different than what I've been using.  So far the colors I've shared, have all been ones I had on hand.  I'm just starting to use a few that I bought specifically for these posts and again, they're green and blue.  Agggghh!!  I will say that one them, even though it's a blue, really has me outside of my zone.  So I guess I'm taking baby steps in the color world and I'm thrilled to have you all along with me!


*This post is part of a series of color posts.  To see all past colors, click here. 

Linking to:

We Did it Weds @ Sew Much Ado 
Wow us Weds @ Savvy Southern Style

Little Shelf Makeover

I hope everyone's having a great weekend!  Han and I thrifted a couple of things for her new bedroom makeover.  YES, we're doing it again even though it hasn't been a year since the last one.  She's just like her mama that way, I guess.  Most everything will be cosmetic and we're trying to keep it under $100.  Under $200, if we make this bed for her.  She does need a sturdier bed and storage underneath would be great.  The bed she's using now, which I thrifted for $20, will go in the guest room, once we get to that room makeover.

Anyway, I just realized that I only posted twice last week.  I hate it when that happens.  I want to try and post at least three times a week.  This week, I've been scrambling to get my dining room finished so I can start painting stuff for the Upcycled Living Fair & Market which is only TWO WEEKS away!  Until the dining room makeover, I'd been painting pieces consistently, but also listing them on Etsy.  I've sold most of what has been listed in the past few weeks and so my Market stash has been depleted. 

I'm posting this here little shelf makeover today and then I'll be back again tomorrow with a new Color of the Week post.



Here's my little shelf as it was when I bought it.

I stained her with Minwax stain in Ebony and then went over that with a sweet color that I'll be sharing with you guys tomorrow.  I also added the knob that had been on this, to the little drawer so that it could actually be opened.  

I ended up listing and selling it as a spice shelf which I think is the perfect job for her.  Wouldn't you agree?

Well, I'm off to clean Han's room.  She opted to clean the whole downstairs, including my room if I'd clean hers.  Yeah, it's that bad.  ha ha

Have a good night!

Linking to:

Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple 
Get Your Craft on @ Today's Creative Blog 

The Pedestal Cloche, All Gussied Up

Ah, pedestal cloches.

I'd have to day that I love making them more than anything else I do.  It's just amazing how a little paint can unite two pieces in such a wonderful way.

Before I go any further, I have to give a shout-out to Allison @ House of Hepworths, which is where I first saw this idea.  Thanks, Allison!

I've made and painted at least 20 pedestal cloches in the past year.  The materials for these are my top priority when I go thrifting.  Sometimes the domes are scarce and sometimes it's the wood candlesticks.  Recently, I'd used up my candlestick stash and was having a hard time finding new ones.  Around this time, I was scouring the isles of my local Good Will when I came across these resin candlesticks.

I'm a big sucker for anything ornate and of course, I know how much paint can transform something and make everything look crisp and clean.  Needless to say, I bought these babies.  I'd planned to paint them as sell them as what they were, but then I noticed that one of them was missing the aluminum cup that holds the bottom end of the candle in place.  Hmmmm.....  what to do?  Well, why does the cloche candlestick have to be made of wood?  Couldn't I just use any kind of candlestick?

Yes, I think so.

I can't get over just how pretty these two are, and I'm sure you can guess what else has made it to the top of my thrifting list.

Linking to:

Hookin' Up With HOH @ HOH
Everything but the Kitchen Sink @ A Little Knick Knack
Check me Out Sat @ A Vision to Remember
Nifty Thrifty Sunday @ Nifty Thrifty Things 
Making Monday Marvelous @ CRAFT 
DIY Project Parade @ The DIY Showoff 
Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple 
Get Your Craft on @ Today's Creative Blog 

Color of the Week - Sea Anemone

Welcome to this week's Color of the Week post.  This is a new color for me and so I've only got two pieces to share.

I bought this sample of Martha Stewart's Sea Anemone back in November when I was trying to choose paint color for my bedroom makeover.  It looked terrible as a swatch on my wall, and I just didn't care to try it on anything I wanted to sell.  Week after week, I kept reaching around it as I chose another color.  Poor Sea Anemone.  I finally decided to give it a try when I felt it was time to start listing more Beach Cottage items.  I'm glad I did!  It looks so much better than it did on my wall!  Out of my beachy colors, this one is my favorite.  It's a very pale blue.  Almost like a white with just a hint of blue. 

Here are the two pieces I've done with it so far.

 

Here's a neat little tidbit about the pedestal bowl.

The BEFORE bowl, was thrifted and given to me by my sweet friend and fellow SC blogger, Leslie, and it was purchased by another SC blogger, Carrie, with a Speckled Dog @ Etsy giftcard she won last fall.  Cool, huh?

Linking to:

We Did It Weds @ Sew Much Ado

Creative Share @ Trendy Treehouse 

Who's Got Talent @ Night Owl Crafting 

Transformation Thurs @ The Shabby Chic Cottage 

Hookin' Up With HOH @ HOH

Everything but the Kitchen Sink @ A Little Knick Knack  

Making Monday Marvelous @ CRAFT 

DIY Project Parade @ The DIY Showoff 

Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch

Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping it Simple 

Upcycled Pedestal Bowl in Duck's Egg

Now, before I get started, I want to make it clear that I know this bowl is very similar to the one I posted about last week.  I couldn't help it.  I loved how the first one looked with Duck's Egg color and I just had to use it again.  Actually, I did start this new bowl out with a similar color, but I just wasn't diggin' it.  So I painted over it in the Duck's Egg.  Based on the number of comments, features and Pinterest pins the first bowl got, I don't think many people would blame me.  Chuckle, chuckle, chuckle.

I'm lovin' this bowl because it was made from two thrifted pieces.  Specifically, these two pieces.

Here it is again, all gussied up.

I had Charles pop the candle holder off and then we attached it to the bowl by coring  holes in both pieces and then using some glue and a dowel to hold them together.

I've had this on my dining room table for the last week.  Those pears match my green and white checked tablecloth perfectly, and the bowl color pops against the two.  Like most of the pieces I'd love to keep around for awhile, this one sold rather quickly.  I've got some spare parts in my stash and some more Duck's Egg for another pedestal bowl.  Maybe I'll keep the next one.  



Linking to:
Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch 
Wow us Weds @ Savvy Southern Style 
Under $100 Link Party @ Beyond the Picket Fence 
Crafty Soiree @ Yesterday on Tuesday 

Upcycled Living Fair & Market - Plus a Redo

This June (25th & 26th), I'll be participating in the first Upcycled Living Fair & Market which is being sponsored by The Grapevine, an awesome shop located in Greer, SC.

To say that I'm super excited about this event would be an understatement for sure!  This will be my first event and I'm having a lot of fun planning for it.  I've finally gotten around to planning my booth and have started pinning some ideas for things I'd like to make for decor.

In addition to that, I have really kicked production of my work into high gear.  I'll be listing most of it on Etsy, up until it's time to go to the market and then I'll close up shop for a couple of days while I'm selling at the market.  I'll also be dedicating posts to most of the new pieces.  If you see anything you'd like, you can always get it from my Etsy shop, or if you're not too far from Greer, SC, you can come out to the market and save yourself the shipping costs.

Also, if there is anyone out there who may be interested in selling at this event, they are still looking for a few vendors.  Please check out the market website for the vendor application and more information.


I just finished this piece today and I looooove it!

This is what it looked like when I brought it home.

I sanded off the rest of that ugly label and then added a wood ornament thingy that I'd stained (so somethin' peeks through after distressing).  I painted in Folk Art's Patina and then lightly distressed it.

Those little wood pieces are great for adding a little something to plain pieces found at the thrift shops.  If you've not seen them before, you can get them at Lowe's, Home Depot and most craft stores.  They're only a few bucks and they can really boost your makeovers, making them look really fancy-pants.


Linking to:
Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple
Under $100 Link Party @ Beyond the Picket Fence 
Whatever Goes Weds @ Someday Crafts  
Crafty Soiree @ Yesterday On Tuesday  
Hookin' Up With HOH @ HOH  
Everything but the Kitchen Sink @ A Little Knick-Knack 
Feature Your Sassy Sites @ Sassy Sites  
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest 
Frugalicious Friday @ Finding Fabulous 
SNS Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Weekend Wrap-up Party @ Tatertots & Jello    
Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch 
Wow us Weds @ Savvy Southern Style  
Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple 

Sea Glass

If you've been following me the past few weeks, you know that I've been sharing some of my favorite makeover paint colors.  You can find my past color posts here.

This week, I'm sharing another Martha color.  This one is called Sea Glass and it's another of those colors that's perfect for all things beachy. 

It's one of the colors that comes in a premixed sample.  I'd say if you're going to use this to paint small stuff, like me, you should go ahead and get a sample mixed.  I say this because the premixed samples have the a brush attached to the inside of the lid and it's kind of a pain to use.

With that being said, I'd like to share with you, the pieces I've painted with this wonderful color.

Linking to:

Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch 
Three or More Tues @ The Gypsy's Corner 
Wow Us Weds @ Savvy Southern Style
All Things Inspired @ All Things Heart & Home  
We Did It Weds @ Sew Much Ado 
Whatever Goes Weds @ Someday Crafts  
Crafty Soiree @ Yesterday On Tuesday  
SNS Special @ Funky Junk Interiors 
Weekend Wrap-up Party @ Tatertots & Jello 

In Love

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been sharing some of my favorite paint colors.  If you've missed those posts, you can find them here, here & here.

Last week, I stopped by Home Depot and browsed through the Martha colors, taking three color samples home with me.  I've fallen in love with the first one I used.  It's called Duck's Egg and it is GORGEOUS!  

Take a look at this beautiful pedestal bowl, transformed with a few coats of this beautiful color.

after

before

I predict there'll be lots of Duck's Egg pieces in my future.  Maybe even a furniture piece or two.

Linking to:

Free for All Friday @ Sassy Sites
Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest
Feature Yourself Friday @ Fingerprints on the Fridge
Show & Tell Fri @ My Romantic Home 
Think Pink Sunday @ Flamingo Toes 
Sundae Scoop @ i heart naptime 
MMM @ C.R.A.F.T. 
Met Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch 
Three or More Tues @ The Gypsy's Corner 
Wow Us Weds @ Savvy Southern Style
All Things Inspired @ All Things Heart & Home 
We Did It Weds @ Sew Much Ado 
Crafty Soiree @ Yesterday On Tuesday 
Under $100 Link Party @ Beyond the Picket Fence
Weekend Wrap-up Party @ Tatertots & Jello