Sunday, July 31, 2011

Make Your Own Chalkboard Paint

There are some pretty awesome chalkboard paint projects around in blogland and on Pinterest. 

The colored chalkboard paint can be a little pricey, so
 I thought I'd use a few of the many paint samples I already have to make my own. I mixed up a blue paint sample with a grey paint sample that was on my shelf.

The chalkboard paint recipe is really easy... here's the recipe I found on the internet:
1 cup of flat latex paint
2 tablespoons of non-sanded grout

That's it.

My paint sample was satin, but since I don't plan to write on my table and just wanted the texture of chalkboard paint, I thought it would be ok.
You will have to thin out your paint and continue to stir it as you go along.


This little versatile table was on my list to paint. We're changing up the colors around here and almost all of the red accessories in our home are on the project list.


Here's what the table looks like after a couple of coats of chalkboard paint:


I  lightly sanded the whole thing down with 150 grit sandpaper between coats. After that, I wiped on a little burnt umber craft paint and sanded some of the edges for a distressed look.



Voila!



Super simple! I encourage you to try it! 
Maybe might next chalkboard paint project will actually be something I can write on!

Would love to know if any of you  have made your own chalkboard paint.

Pam

p.s. This paint is chalkboard paint not chalk-finish paint which is something totally different






Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Painted Furniture Party

There are some really great paint makeovers of furniture out there in blogland!
 Painting is definitely a great way to get a new look without spending a lot of $$$. 
I've not painted very many pieces of furniture around my home, but here are a few...

I went with a safe color on the front porch...maybe I should go for something a little more bold next time!

Ok, still a safe color on this little table on my patio...

The nightstand for my daughter's room was a Craigslist find and was previously black.



Although I haven't painted very much furniture, I have painted quite a few accessories. Right now I'm in the middle of painting most of the accessories in my house...


Gotta get the kitchen walls painted!!!








Oh, wait, I do have two more pieces of furniture that have been painted lately...Because of my daughter, we went bold on this one!


I have a few more pieces of furniture I'd like to paint, but am procrastinating because I can't decide on a paint color! Need to follow Nike's advice and just do it!

Pam

Monday, July 25, 2011

I Love Baskets

It's amazing how a $5.99 basket from HomeGoods can make your bathroom a little more organized.
My daughter loves to have washcloths handy when she's in the shower, so I picked up a small basket when I was at my favorite go to store.

The shower is just to the left of the basket and towel rack and within reach when one is in the shower.


I love simple and inexpensive solutions, don't you?
If you missed my Master Bath linen closet makeover using baskets, you can see it HERE

Happy Monday everyone!

Pam

Sunday, July 24, 2011

59 Cent Update

Hey everyone! For all of you who live where it's HOT, I hope you survived the weekend and stayed cool.
I tell ya, it was HOT here in my neck of the woods. The thermometer said 100 on Saturday.
The heat kept us from doing a project that we wanted, but we still worked outside for a bit in the woods. The heat was bearable in the shade, but definitely not in the sun!
Since it was so hot, I stayed inside and painted a few things on my list! There still are a lot of things to lighten up around here so I started with two plaster plaques that were up in the kitchen.

Here's what they looked like before: (The walls aren't really orange, they are still a goldish color and will change soon)

I used Apple Barrel Sandstone craft paint for the first coat. It seemed a little flat for me.

So I dry brushed and wiped on and off some Burnt Umber by Americana. Then I rubbed some of the edges and raised  parts to distress it a bit.

So much better!
Now if I could just get motivated to paint the whole kitchen! I think we've decided on a paint color and will show you that later.

Pam


Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Life's Messy, Clean It Up!

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When our kids were little I used to grumble and complain about the house getting messy every day. I know, I know... you're thinking I was a crazy lady. 
It took a Bissell commercial to set me straight. When I heard their slogan; "Life's Messy, Clean It Up", it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was a big "DUH" moment in my life.
Now that I look back, I think it's silly that I expected our home to stay neat and tidy all the time, especially when the kids were little.

Things can get messy even in my own personal space such as the linen closet in our Master Bath and it needs to be cleaned up at least every couple of months.

Here's what the linen closet looked like before:
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After taking everything out of the linen closet, I sorted through it all and took out what I didn't need or want to go back in. I had a few new lined chicken wire baskets  I wanted to use to make things more organized, but it wasn't enough, so off to HomeGoods I went. I found six lined baskets that were perfect.
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Each basket holds a different category of "stuff". My baskets are organized by first aid, pain relievers, nail care and skin care. The clear plastic boxes are organized similarly.
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I found my baskets at HomeGoods, but you can also find them on Amazon


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I'm really loving how organized everything looks and how functional the baskets are. Do you have a space in your home that could use some organizing?

Pam

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Transforming Outdated Bookcases From Ugly To Beautiful

Last week the finished bookcases for my youngest daughter's room were revealed. 
They came out better than I expected. 
The bookcases didn't always look like this...
bookcases, diydesignfanatic.com, upcycle, cottage, craigslist, diyDesignFanatic.com

I love bookcases
They give you a place to display your collections and pretty things and also give to great storage. I was looking for bookcases with shelves on top and closed, hidden storage on the bottom I searched for several months and finally found the perfect ones to transform.

This is what they looked like when we bought them from someone who listed them on Craigslist. 
We paid $150 for the pair. Not a bargain, but the doors were solid 5 piece raised panel with applied molding and mitred corners. We don't have the ability to make something so fabulous and to have them made would cost at least $150... or at least that's how I justified spending $150 on two really ugly bookcases.
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First off, the bookcases were not as tall as I wanted them to be. I wanted them to be taller than the windows and they needed to be tall enough so that the curtain rods could be installed between them. It would have looked too awkward to add all of the height to the top, so I had Mr. Fanatic build up the bottom of the box. It was going to be covered anyway with furniture base. Here's the bottom before:
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The old base molding was removed...
bookcases, diydesignfanatic.com, upcycle, cottage, craigslist

... and an inch and a half was added with a couple of pieces of plywood.
bookcases, diydesignfanatic.com, upcycle, cottage, craigslist

He did the same with the top...
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The crown molding was removed
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... and the box was built up. I wanted a bead so that the seam between the bookcase and the added height on top wasn't so obvious.
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Then a box was added on top of the bead.
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Here's looking into the box on the top of the bookcases. Later, Mr. F added a shelf closer to the top so that the lights would sit closer to the top of the crown molding. Crown molding was also added to the top of the box.
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After the bookcases were constructed, it was time to prime. It's times like this when I'm so glad we have a basement!
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Here's a good look at the top of the bookcase...
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After priming, came the paint. We used Valspar Semi-gloss in Brilliant White. The brass hardware was spray painted silver.

If you notice, the crown molding was added so that the bookcases can be used either together or separately against a left and right wall.
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At this point, the bookcases  looked pretty good, but I thought that they would look even better with the backs painted a contrasting color. I thought blue would look great, but my daughter picked out a really bright color that I thought might be too "loud", as my mom used to say...
bookcases, diydesignfanatic.com, upcycle, cottage, craigslist

Boy, was I wrong!
bookcases, diydesignfanatic.com, upcycle, cottage, craigslist, diyDesignFanatic.com
The backs of the bookcases are painted with Valspar Nautical in Satin

After the bookcases were finished, there was still wiring to do. Mr. F had to go into the attic during a couple of really hot days. He was able to bring the cable wire and install a new outlet up through a space between the floors from the attic.
He's so clever.
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In order to give the bookcases a built in look, he cut out the baseboards so that the bookcases could fit up against the wall.
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I'm going to share a little secret with you... The window is not centered on the wall and the right side is 4" wider. You can't tell because the curtains cover the space.  Gotta love that!    
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On the right side of the window
there's a four inch gap
bookcases, diydesignfanatic.com, upcycle, cottage, craigslist, diyDesignFanatic.com
On the left side of the window the bookcase
is right up against the casing







So, there you have it:
Before <--- and After --->
bookcases, diydesignfanatic.com, upcycle, cottage, craigslist, diyDesignFanatic.combookcases, diydesignfanatic.com, upcycle, cottage, craigslist, diyDesignFanatic.com












bookcases, diydesignfanatic.com, upcycle, cottage, craigslist, diyDesignFanatic.com

















bookcases, diydesignfanatic.com, upcycle, cottage, craigslist, diyDesignFanatic.com


That's how we transformed two ugly outdated bookcases into beautiful storage!

Pam
You can find Bookcase reveal for the whole room  HERE.

P.S. The total cost for these bookcases was around $300. We paid $150 for the bookcases and spent about another $150 on paint, wood, molding, wiring, and lighting.

Disclaimer: The above post is how we upcycled our bookcases. I don't take any responsibility for any errors or results obtained from using this information. Using power tools can result in injury, when using power tools, use safety equipment.