One Man's Trash.....

Happy yard sale season!!!  This winter has lingered on long enough and I am ready to be outside.  It has been so good to be able to get back out in the trenches of full on garage sale season! 

 I was talked into buying approximately 15 cabinet doors by a fellow yard sale buddy.  While I hate to pass up a good deal, I have been really focused on limiting my incoming projects.  So I was very reluctant to buy these gems, but I am glad I did. 

I was able to create this cute little chalkboard from one of these cabinet doors!

I also created this cute little tray that is perfect for a Mother's Day Breakfast in bed, better make that Mother's day cake in bed!

I would eat chocolate cake for breakfast with a nice tall glass of milk to wash it down, after all it is Mother's Day and we deserve it!  I hope your Mother's day is extraordinary!

Have ya missed me?

Have you missed me?  I have finally finished up on an entire bedrooms suite for a client.  It was a long process and the journey has made me realize that even though I love making transformations, sometimes the best reward is just being done!  They are labors of love, but not always do we love them.  Some start out fine and then they linger, and linger and linger all the while imprisoning you.  It is as this point that I know I just need to push through to get to the finish line.   Basically this is just my poor excuse for being absent.

I did manage to work on a lovely little china hutch and I am totally stoked with the end result.  I picked up this little gem on Craigslist and made my husband go pick it up with me.  He was not entirely pleased with this particular outing.  As we pulled away, I remember him saying, “Is there no where that you won’t go to pick up a piece of furniture?”

This is the only before photo that I have.  The piece was a little rough.  It was missing glass shelves and one of the glass panels in the door was out, not to mention that the entire thing reeked   of smoke.  I gave it a good scrubbing with bleach and then another good scrubbing with Lysol and it still smelled.  So I took an entire box of baking soda and dumped it in a container and just set it inside the piece and put it in my storage area.  I let it set there about six months before I even started to touch it.  I first started priming it with Kilz and then hit it with a nice white coat of Valspar paint, the kind that has the primer  mixed in.

I found some lovely new hardware at Hobby Lobby along with some great fabric to line the back of the piece.   Ikat  fabric has been all the rage lately and I found some that went great with the colors in my basement.

I really love the age and patina on this hardware.

It really works great for storing nick-nacks and the 12 million games that we have somehow acquired. 

Before .....

After....

sharing here.....

FREE PAINT!!!!

Free paint! Yes, that is what I said.   You heard me, free paint.   Head to your local Westlakes to redeem a quart.   Check it out:  Here and get one for your next project!  Free paint makes me so HAPPY!!!!!  I LOVE FREE PAINT.   Heck, I love free anything!  Well almost.

Fabric Scrap Fun

I love using material efficiently!  A month or two ago I bought some frames used for canvas off of a Facebook crafting sight that I started.   It's a lovely little sight where you can sell products that you produce from local participants and where you can buy and sell crafting supplies.  I picked these up hoping to create a little decor magic.  Off to the scrap bin for a little mayhem!  I found some lovely fabric that I had used in other projects that I knew would fit the bill.

This was a very easy project of cutting, pressing, and stapling.  Easy enough!

Here is the end product.

They can be used by themselves as wall art or

as letter art, or 

used to mount your favorite photos!  Here is where mine ended up, but I will probably end up moving them.  

I have a few large photos of my kids that I need to display and have 3 frames that are perfect.  I just need to get some mattes that are the correct size.  I will post a follow up of those when I get them done.  

Sharing at these great sights:

Hey Girl

Yes, I wish it were this easy......

It's the Hey Girl Valentine link party, so link up @theviewalongtheway.com!

For the love of Pinterest

I know that most of you are familiar with the brilliance of Candace Olsen.

Via Hookedonhouses.net

 She is by far one of the most talented designers on this planet.  I love the way she layers textures, patterns and not to mention the combination of colors that are always calm, yet sophisticated.  She has a way of collaborating  all kinds of elements and  finds a way to scatter them throughout the room all the while creating harmony.  It. is. RIDICULOUS!

The other day I was pinning on Pinterest and decided to put good ole Candace in the search engine.   Low and behold what my eyes witnessed was a plethora of design divinity   So I made my own "Candace" board.  It seems to me, that if you want to create a space as lovely as these, that you must emulate what you see.  I can't afford a Candace Olsen Room, but I can try to utilize some of her ideas and translate them into my living space.

Via google/pinterest

I love the placement of the daybed in this room.  It allows for additional open seating and creates multiple conversational areas. 

Via google/pinterest

The color scheme in this room is similar to the last, but here the wall color is a more vivid saturated color.  It is balanced by a very large neutral mantal and over mantel.

Via google/pinterest

Here the usage of space is critical.  There is a lot going on in this small attic space and using open shelves and glass or clear pieces help make the space seem larger. 

Via google/pinterest

Here is a perfect example of a monochromatic room that is anything but boring.  I love the layering of the textures here that help create a soft warmth.  I could definitely spend some time here. 

Via google/pinterest

I love the soft grey and white pallet in combination with the more masculine tones of the room.  I love the "SLEEP" above the bed. 

I hope this has inspired you to seek out that which is lovely and apply it to your home. If nothing else, at least you had some great eye candy to look at!

It's A New Year....Well, Almost

I have now been blogging for a whole year!  Happy Birthday blog!  I will be the first to admit that it is much harder than I anticipated and there is so much more that I have to learn!

The best part is going back to look at all the great projects that I have conquered  for myself and for my friends.  Here are my top five for last year.  If you want to see more,  check out the project gallery.

5.  The Blue and White chair Make over with Chevron pillow

4.  International Man of Mystery -finally the finale!  

3.  Chevron Ottoman

2. Waterfall Buffet

And the number 1.  Disco Baby 

Thank you so much for all of the encouragement and wonderful feedback.  I hope that you will stick with me through the next year to see what else I can conjure up.  Have a safe and wonderful New Year!

A cute little number

Once again I have no before photo for you, which is truly a shame because this piece was a mess.  The top was in pieces and the feet were all rotted on the bottom.  I picked this piece up from a Facebook post for a client.  She was well on board with my plans.

I replaced the top and gave it a good coat of walnut stain followed with a topcoat of poly.  This is Annie Sloan's graphite color and I love the wood grain peaking through on the doors.  I could have painted on the numbers, but I really love the 3-D affect of these house numbers I put on.  It is perfect for a little boys room.

I love these drawers hidden behind the doors, such good form and function, not to mention character.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my latest project.  I hope that everyone has a blessed and joyful Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Sharing at these fabulous sights, come check them out!