Category Archives: Tutorials

March 5, 2012 · 10:34 pm

Big Boy Bedroom {Furniture} – Phase 2

Our little man hit the 2-year-old mark this week, and the countdown towards little miss Bea’s arrival, demanding a timeline on the household projects.  Hence the progression of  little man’s Big Boy Bedroom transformation.  You might remember around Christmas time, we began the process by painting 3 walls and adding barn board to the window wall (See this post for the first phase).  It’s time to transition the changing table/dresser out of little man’s room and into the nursery.  Hence the need for a  $30 Craigslist dresser makeover

The budget was $40 and I was getting anxious… structurally this one would do.  The last owner made a drawer to fit in the bottom slot, I had the husband remove it and turn it into an open cubby area instead.  I have read  a lot about chalk paint.  The less intense prep work (no sanding, priming, sanding, etc) was kind of a selling point for this project.  We don’t have an Annie Sloan dealer near by, so I decided to test some DIY chalk paint recipes instead.  I found this recipe worked quite well…

1 Cup of flat paint
+   1 Tbls. Non Sanded Grout
Chalk Paint for a fun project

(I’ll address the wax later)

Step 1 – create a cubby shelf to replace the bottom drawer.
This was an assignment for the husband.

While he was doing that, I pulled all the drawers and started painting the fronts with a first coat of chalk paint.

As you can see the coverage was pretty thin, but everything adhered really nicely.  It appears the major elbow grease could be avoided for this project (at least so far).

Step 2-3 Paint the body of the dresser
Overall, the paint provided pretty good coverage.  It was really important to keep a stir stick handy as I realized a few times the grout started to settle toward the bottom of the container.  You can see streaks in this picture of where I got a “glob of grout” in the paint.

Just a helpful hint, putting boards under the dresser props it up enough to get the bottom good, and underneath any parts that might be too close to manuever a brush! Step 3 and 4 are repeating the paint job to provide optimal coverage.  I used a pretty heavy 2nd coat and almost a dry brush touch up on coat three.

Step 4 – Sand for distressed look
Using a 600 grit sand paper (Super-fine) I gave it a little character around the edges and helped smooth the overall texture of the paint.  I found that the little bit of sanding really was enough to take the sharpness off.  I actually ended up paint a few places to “fix” the over sanding I did.

Step 5 – Touch up and dry brush
Back to the paint brush, I simply touched up paint spot that I was a bit over zealous in sanding, or wanted to create even more character with a dry brush stroke around the edges.

Step 6 – Wait patiently while everything dries properly

Step 7 – Add Stencil to drawer fronts
I wanted to add some color and character to this dresser so I created number stencils the old-fashioned way (because this was an after thought and my silhouette was resting nicely at home, not the husband’s shop).  I also forgot the camera on day 2 so here’s an after-after picture to show you just how imperfect these numbers were (and a close up of the sanded distress job).

Step 8 – Wax finish
Here’s where the elbow grease comes in a little more.  Wax-on everything painted.  Five minutes later Wax-off.  Again we did 2 coats to get a little thicker finish.  It added just  a finish needed to talk the chalkiness out of the feel of the paint.  I felt it also help protect it a little more from dings and scratch.  A sure future for a piece of furniture in a toddler’s room.

Step 9 – Replace the Hardware
Much like the rest of the hardware in our house, we went with a brushed nickel look.  I was able to buy the handles in bulk ($18 for 10) and the matching knobs at Menard’s.

Step 10 – Fill the drawers and enjoy

All in all it took about 12 hours start to finish.  A few minor details that I’ll mention right away.  The paint colors are both Behr from Home Depot.  Mood Indigo is the blue and Vatican Red.  Super fine sand paper is a must! DIY Chalk paint was worth the trial for this project.  I wouldn’t be opposed to other ideas, but under the timeline and my lack of resources, it worked for this :)

Stay tuned. Eventually, you might even see phases 3, 4 and 5 (imagine a big boy room with wall art, book shelves and entire room reveal).  Never know, I might add some girly love and throw in a  glimpse of the nursery ;)

Linking to these parties:
Home Stories A to Z

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· 6:13 am

“pretty” storage

Several weeks ago I was featuring some organization tips, tricks, and ideas.  This was the planned Friday post.  But then Thursday happened, where an emergency room visit transpired follow by a  flurry of doctor visits.  That was by a family getaway, a 4-day work conference, some job interviews, planning a few birthday parties, and a major life decision, which has sent my blogging routine into a spiraling mess.  Luckily, I see the light and have been capturing pictures of creative events as they are unfolding.  So, perhaps a few weeks late, but here’s a start to some organization (combined with a fun thrifty, pretty, tutorial) for what was the guest room (also known as the “red room”), which is currently being transformed into the new nursery.

One of the things I loved about our house was all the character and unique built-in storage.  Here’s what I presume was an old built-in dresser.  You can see I have taken advantage of the storage space, but not in an effective manner.

One of the design elements that I took into consideration when working on this room, was the neat hardware….

Which was the inspiration for the design concepts.  Initially I was going to have the husband build some big funky drawers that I was going to cover with fabric, but then I noticed that Laundry basket sitting there all white and lonely and thought I could easily transform her into something.  The result…

A pretty laundry basket that doubles as a hidden storage area.  Best yet, the total budget for this project was a about $6 (fabric remnant, Modge Podge, laundry basket and about 2 hours + dry time).

The Process
Gather Materials- laundry basket, a few foam brushes, Modge Podge, scissors, tape, and fabric.

I taped one end of the fabric just inside the lip of the laundry basket.  Then I let the fabric hang and determined the size/amount of fabric I needed from that and simply cut the fabric with about 1-2″ on either edge of the front face of the basket.

Using a foam brush,  I “painted” the modge podge onto the naked basket, then over the fabric.  I found that Modge Podge was a little too thick, so I added some water to make it more glue like.  I started at the bottom of the basket and worked my way up.  I painted a thin amount directly onto the basket, smoothed the fabric down, and then painted over the fabric.  To keep the ends from curling or bubbling up I simply used scotch tape and secured to a dry area on the basket.

I cut a slit in the fabric where the front handle was located.  I then made wedge cuts from the middle slit towards the handle.  I then  Modge Podged these fabric wedges.  Similar to before I painted a layer of Modge Podge inside the basket, folded the fabric wedges over, and painted another layer of Modge Podge over the fabric.  The key is to contour the lines of the basket as much as possible.

Let dry for a about 4-6 hours (or if your like me you forget about it in another area of the house for a few weeks) and then appreciate your new budget-friendly, “pretty” storage!

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February 13, 2012 · 2:46 pm

A lesson in organization {mail}

Let me be frank here, I’m the world’s least organized person so it seems a little silly for me to be writing this.  But tips and tricks are the key to the game, so I thought I’d throw one out for the good of the order.

Challenge: Counter-full-of-stuff and the dreaded tax preperations.
It never fails… mail, paperwork, random stuff ends up on our counter heaping full every night.  Do to the unfortunate layout of our back door leading directly into the kitchen there is no good place to put STUFF.  Hence the husband and I developed a (semi) nightly procedure to follow. And it goes something like this….

1.  Whoever gets the mail, sort the mail immediately. Personal cards and Bills are opened, envelopes and return envelopes discarded (since we do online bill pay). All bills that need to be paid go into the “inbox” on the office table.

2.  Any credit card offer or other junk mail is immediately sorted and discarded

3.  Special mailings, letters or flyers get put into our mail slot for 24 hours.  If they are still there when the next days mail arrives, they are also discarded.

4.  The inbox (theoretically) is addressed once a week.  Once bills are paid we have a 1 year bin to help track receipts and expense for tax purposes.

Being the chief preparer for all things taxes in this house, I am already finding there is at least a go to spot for receipts or bills in question.  Once the previous year’s taxes are filed, then all supporting paperwork goes into a specific tax file and retained for the recommended amount of time.

Does anyone else have a tip or system to help maintain a clear counter OR with keeping tax paperwork organized throughout the year?

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February 11, 2012 · 10:41 am

Hardware Wall Art

About 7 years ago I started creating a gallery wall in the man-cave family room basement (which was the 2010-2011 winter project).  This weekend, with the husband’s assistance and motivation we got around to adding a few elements to it.

As you’ll notice from the colors and decor, the entire basement was based around one of my husband’s passions: his Harley.  In the gallery wall I wanted to utilize some hardware pieces to help pull the concept together.  Thanks to my discovery of 3M Command Picture Hanging strips, this vision came together in all of about 30 minutes.

First I gathered some Harley Davidson hardware (provided by my husband) and a black 12×12 canvas that I had picked up on one of 312 40% off coupon experiences at Michael’s.

Then I added peel and stick 3M command strips to several areas on the back of the hardware.

One by one, I peeled off the “wall side” sicker and attached it to its location on the 12×12 black canvas and held firmly in place for 30-60 seconds.

To see the hardware canvas in context to the rest of the wall (thus far)…

stay tuned for parts 2, 3, and 4 to the gallery wall coming this week :)

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January 27, 2012 · 12:25 pm

Armoir Amore’ {A Reveal}

Surprise – a finished project!  Turns out this one was finished several months ago (as you’ll notice by me painting outside) and I’m just getting around to posting it now!

Let me start by saying that the word organization makes my palms sweat.  I’m not good at it, and it sometimes makes me feel really uncomfortable.  When I picture organized homes, I think of stuffy and cold.  However, I also have organization envy.  So this next project was one I was excited about but also dreaded at the same time.  The office (once referred to as the pretty room) is a sore spot in our house, it’s the place we put “stuff.”

I’ve been looking (for years) to get an armoire for the computer to hide “the stuff”.  Finally I found what was looking for on Craigslist for $40 (within my price range).  While she wasn’t bad I had an idea in mind.

I took the hardware and doors off, removed the shelves from inside, and lugged everything out to the driveway to get working on it.  With the husbands help, I used a paint sprayer and sprayed a few coats of KILZ primer on (the only primer we ever use).  This began the beginning of several challenges.  Some were out of my control (mother nature and the Wisconsin weather) and others were well-deserved (I tried to JUST get it done and paid for it in the long run).  You see I started to strip the varnish, but then thought I’d just sand it, and then thought the primer should work just fine.  To make a long and painful story short and sweet- between my husband and I we sanded, primed, painted, and stripped it all back down and started over 3 times.  A true testament to our marriage!

Lesson Learned #1: Take the time to prepare your furniture, it’s worth it in the long run, and while I’m at it lesson 2 is when spraying paint/primer it’s better to apply more thin coats than to try to cover with a thick coat.  Reason being- you end up with a bunch of runs that are impossible to hide.

Once the armoire was primed we used Rustoleum Heirloom White spray paint (5 cans to be exact).  I am an addict of this stuff.  Menard’s happened to have a sale plus a rebate  (each can was only .99 cents) so I stocked up and now I am looking for more things to paint.  At one point I ran out and my husband thought he’s just run to town and pick up the next best thing (which he thought was ivory Krylon) it wasn’t.  It looked pale yellow.  I ended up leaving the inside of the armoire less than perfect with some of the ivory paint still on because it wasn’t worth it to me since the inside won’t be visible unless I’m working on the computer- and as stated above I’m not neurotic about stuff like that.

After the painting I took some dark brown Oops paint from Home Depot (I actually added some black acrylic to make it even darker) and mixed with Ralph Lauren Glaze.  You literally need less than a cup to cover the entire armoire.  Thanks to All Things Thrifty and her glazing tutorials I was much more satisfied with this project over the last glazing project.  Glazing is much easier than it seems.  The one thing to keep in mind is to really get the glaze into all the little cracks. I even made a special effort to get the dents and scratches glazed up.  Also mix up your techniques a little.  I wiped most of the glaze off with a wet rag, but I’d also use a dry rag or a dry foam brush to go over it to give it a more weathered look.  It’s not supposed to look perfect.  Here she is up close.

I went to a local warehouse (M Schettel Freight) where they literally have everything you could possibly need in life (including the kitchen sink) to pick up a few unique handles (.99 cents each) . Since hinges can sometimes be a pain to match up I opted to keep the old ones.  I added a gob of glaze to all of the hardware and let it semi dry before I wiped it off.

Now, in order for this reveal to be as amazing as it really is you need to how it impacts the room overall.  So here are a few shameful pictures of the office before we reorganized and added the beloved armoire…

And now….

A huge task off the list!  This one brings a smile and big sigh every time I walk past. And yet the space is functional.  I cut some cork board (double thickness) to fit inside the right panel door to hang the little stuff that typically cluttered stuff up (adhered with E6000 because we’re close friends!)

And there you have it.  An armoire to fall in love with :)   Now the trick is keeping the piles of “stuff” off the table!

Linking to:
Miss Mustard Seed
Lovely Crafty Home
Funky Junk Interiors
Sister’s of the Wild West
Not Just a Housewife

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January 14, 2012 · 3:00 pm

How to Create a Blog Button or Header in Picnik

As a thrifty Do-it-Yourself blogger I knew I needed a button, but often am too stubborn to pay for what I want.  I really enjoy learning all this techy-stuff, while it’s not my specialty I feel really smart when I get the results that I was hoping for.  I had heard through the grapevine that you could create buttons in picnik- which might be my biggest blog crush EVER.  If you didn’t realize I am a professional photographer who has divorced Adobe Photoshop for Picnik.  I do spend the $2.08 a month to become a premium member because to me it’s worth it!

To begin the process of creating a blog button, you need a few design elements that you like.  A few great resources are 2 Peas in a Bucket, Designer Digitals, Shabby Princess.  To start upload the papers or elements to your library that you might want to include in your button.  Then to start choose what you would like for a background.  I’ll choose this dark paper. I should note that I tend to work actual dimensions immediately, so for a header I crop the background to the actual pixel size that’s required before adding pretty elements to it! This background is an exact square which is what I want for a blog button so no need to crop to start the process.

In the bottom left there is a “Photo Bucket” if you click on the arrows all of your uploads.  Simply drag and drop any elements you’d like on top of your background.

Then to add text click on the “Create” tab.  Click on text, choose your font, your color, and I like to test some of the fun “advanced modes” to see the dramatics effects it provides.

You also can add a frame or sticker which add to the personality of your blog…something to play with.

Before you save it go back to the “Edit” tab and click on “Resize”  and change the size to 125 x 125 (blog headers vary in size, it’s best to check what the custom size is for your blog, etsy shop, etc.)

Then make sure to save it in the highest quality.  I tend to save it to my computer before I upload to a  photo host.  Since I am a pro-photographer I use SmugMug, but Photobucket works too. You’ll need to upload it to a site so that when it comes time to add to your blog you have an image url.  And that’s it.  Hopefully this was helpful!

I have another Tutorial to help you with inserting the html code into your blog Here.

As you might notice, I’m hoping to be kicking off Thrifty Thursday Linky parties in 2012, I’m working through a few technical things yet…no worries, it’ll be here soon.  Start thinking of what you might be interested in linking up!

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December 16, 2011 · 12:10 am

Star light, Star Bright, Christmas Tree topper I see tonight…

With the completion of our basement this past winter, I found I had a whole new space to decorate this year.  Our basement in our new family room, so it seemed appropriate that we put our Christmas tree down there.  The only challenge was we have an artificial tree.  On the first two levels of our home we have 10 foot ceiling (kind of unique for  50+ year old home).  However in the basement, it’s only 8 foot, which is exactly the same size as our tree.  I certainly wasn’t willing to opt for a new tree so I had to improvise for a Christmas tree topper this year.  Hence the Book page Star burst project!

There’s been lots of starburst inspiration around the web, and lots of book page wreaths and other decor….so I thought I’d combine the two for a Christmas Tree topper.

To start I pulled one of the 50,000 old books from a box of books that I managed to “steal” for a $1 (yeah, that was for the entire box that I couldn’t carry to my car), and randomly tore out a bunch of pages.  The pages already had an aged yellowing look to them with darker edges giving me the antiqued look I desired.

I cut one page of book paper into a 3 1/2″ star on my Silhouette (remember that toy that has distracted me for countless hours) and a 5″ star out of red cardstock.  I modged podged the two together to get this.

I took some gold glitter puffy paint and outlined the border of the book page star

Cut out a 3″ piece of cardboard that will fit behind the star without peeking out the sides.

Set the star aside to dry.  Cut out some book pages and cut into strips.  The book pages were originally just over 5″ wide by almost 8″ long.  I simply cut the page into 1/3 page strip and 2/3 strip.  Then cut both in half.

I rolled each piece of book paper into a cone shape

and stapled it to the edge of the cardboard.

Just keep going till you’ve covered the outer edge with paper cones stapled to the cardboard.  To add some depth and make it look more full I added a second smaller layer of paper cones to fill in (using the 1/3 page strips of paper cut in half).

If you notice I stick my fingers in the middle of the cones to help position them into place.  I started out gluing the cones together, then realized it wasn’t necessary, the staples held the cones pretty well.  On some of the smaller ones I reverted to gluing the cones before adhering them to the cardboard.  Before the final steps of adding the star, I took more gold glitter puffy paint and smeared it randomly on the edges of the paper cones to add some sparkle and depth.

When the paper cones filled the cardboard to my heart’s content, I added the star.  I poked a hole through both the cardboard and star for a Christmas light.  I adhered the star with some 3-D stickies on all 5 points.  It is not flush to the cardboard, rather reinforced through the paper cones and with the Christmas light.

As you can see it works well with the family Christmas tree (which will be an upcoming post, stay tuned).

Just one more week to go (I’m sorry I missed a few days, but there is much more excitement to come!)…stay tuned for more homemade inspiration.

 

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December 5, 2011 · 9:46 pm

Priceless gift {Memory Jar}

There comes a point with certain people who gift-giving becomes very difficult. They don’t need anything, you feel like picture or heartfelt gifts don’t seem like enough for all they do. Enter the Memory Jar Homemade gift. Think of the memory jar as a scrapbook in a jar (just to note the pictures I am sharing are from the same type of project, but for special dates with Grandma).

As a family we came up with over 52 memories and either typed them or wrote them on sheets of paper. Some were stories, or sayings that would make us laugh, some were personal memories shared and signed by that individual. Each one was unique. The idea was that grandma would have at least 1 memory to reflect on each week for a year. There are many variations to this project so feel free to let your creativity flow.

To start, I typed up all of the memories shared, printed them on different colored paper.  If I were to do this over, I would format the document into bigger text boxes so I could include some pictures or a personal piece of artwork on the backside. I also left a few blank spaces for her to write down her favorite memories for the year.  We have even talked about having this be our after dinner game- to review all the memories in the jar and then as a group think of additional ones to add.

I found a tin with a lid at a thrift store and spray painted it White (Rustoleum Heirloom White to be exact). When it was dry I glued some festive ribbon on it to dress it up a little.

I cut up the memories into individual sheets so she could pick one at a time.  Simply put all the memory slips into the tin and create a cute little title for the lid.

As I stated earlier, this particular was from a grandchild who lives close and was made with lots of activities to do with grandma.  Our title was simply grandma’s memory jar!

It’s a priceless gift that you can make on the cheap.  Trust me, we had so much fun, not just making it, but going through all the memories she’s pulled since we last visited.  It’s almost become a memory-maker of it’s own!

Sharing this project at:

The DIY Club

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November 30, 2011 · 1:35 am

Words of Inspiration {Handmade Gift}

This time of year it’s easy to get sucked into the commotion of the holiday season.  Elaborate gifts, an abundance of decorations throughout the house, a food spread fit for a king….all in all it always seems like there is an abundance of stuff.  For me it’s helpful to have inspiration reminders to focus my energy.  Hence the inspiration for this project.

I’m participating in a handmade gift exchange thanks to Linda at Craftaholics Anonymous.  My gift exchange partner happens to have a little lust for the written word, Yellow and blue make her happy, and is drawn to the word Simplify…hence the inspiration for this project.  I too tend to believe in SIMPLIFY your life, your stuff, your calendar and often this time of year need to be reminded of that ”more doesn’t equal better.”

Supplies needed- although a change of plans on the buttons, added some paint and fabric to really throw a loop into the plan.


(yes these are foam stamps from 2002)

To start I painted some modge podge onto a blank 8×10 canvas.  Ripped up book pages and randomly placing them to cover the canvas and painting a layer of modge podge ove the top to smooth out the surface, and avoid curling of pages.

Repeat 17 or 29 times until your canvas is covered to your liking, and then maybe a few more times to cover any mistakes.  I used paint and foam stamps for my lettering, purely because I wasn’t in the mood for clean lines and vinyl. So hello paint- colorful, affordable and ready to use when I need you!

I smudged a few other colors of paint to add some dimension, and some fabric scraps for character and give it a little more festive appeal.  Punched a fancy button through the fabric and adhered it all to the canvas with a little heart-throb of mine…E-6000.

“Simplify-ed Word art is a nice gift to offer some inspiration words to friends family, maybe even a new idea from the monotonous teacher gifts…all within $10.

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November 29, 2011 · 11:57 am

Light up the Holidays {accessorize your candles}

Here’s a fun way to spruce up some simple dollar candles into something brighter for the holidays.

Grab some plain old boring candles and an assortment of pretty paper, old book pages, sheet music, fabric, what-ever fits your fancy. Then throw in some fun twine, ribbon or wire and maybe a few random embellishments.  Spread a bit of Modge Podge onto your candle with a foam brush.

Place the paper or fabric over the Modge Podge and smooth out with the foam brush.  For some papers you’ll want to add a layer of modge podge over the top and sides of paper to smooth it out.
Then take your ribbon, twine, or what ever else you have in mind and wrap over the paper and tie it.  For some of the heavier wire I wrapped it, then also added a few dots of E-6000 or another strong adhesive that would encourage it to stay put.

Display proudly.  Nothing light a winter evening lit by candles with the soft hum of Silent Night playing in the background!

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