Top Projects of 2013

15.  Cement Candle Holders

14.  Old Bench Makeover

13.  Recycling and Reusing Containers

12.  Braided Leather Bracelet

11. White Sweater Pumpkins

10.  Brady’s Bandana Quilt

9. Wool Posies and Vase

8. Handmade Headboard

7.  Wool Wrapped Trees

6.  How to Make Wool Felt

5. Child’s Teepee

4.  Driftwood and Seashell Wreath

3.  Butterfly Eggs

2.  Free Washcloths

1.  Cement Garden Balls

Thanks so much for following and commenting on my blog!  I would be nothing without my followers!  Here’s to all sorts of new projects in 2014!

Folding Chair Makeover

I have had this folding chair in my garage for several (or maybe 10) years…I use it occasionally for when I set up at a craft show or when I have a garage sale.   I have been looking for a chair for the guest room and it occurred to me that this chair would work fine for that. But I wanted to paint it first.

I made chalk paint with some plaster of Paris and a free sample jar of Valspar in Posh Red. Love those coupons for free sample sized paints in the magazines I subscribe to (Coastal Living, HGTV Magazine, Country Living, This Old House). 

I put on two coats of the chalk paint and then waxed it really well with MinWax paste wax. Usually one coat of the paste wax is good, but I put two coats on this beauty! 

Love the satin sheen to the chair!  Turned out really well, there are some areas where the natural wood shines through, that’s what I love so much about the chalk paint, you can control how much of the original wood shines through. 

Loving the way the wax brings out the color of the chair!

I may be linking to some of these great parties!

I made a headboard for $4.70!!

Yup, true story!  $4.70!  I got all my supplies at the Habitat for Humanity Restore, that’s a mere 10 cents a foot for the wood.  And did I mention I built it myself???  No, I am not proud, why do you ask?

I wanted it to look a tad shabby, not perfect.  And I love how it turned out!  I used a homemade chalk paint, using a mixture of two paint colors, both Valspar free samples from Lowes. I mixed 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of powdered grout, and then added it to 1 cup of paint.

I found the bed frame and the mattresses on FreeCycle and guess what-- it was free! I never thought I would get a used mattress from someone I didn’t know but let me tell you, when this owner told me she had shampooed the mattress and it had dried outside in the sun for two days, I decided it was a safe bet. The owner told me she got new bedroom furniture and she had decided to buy a new mattress set with the new furniture.  I did check it out really well, and covered it with a zip mattress protector.  Even the bed frame was in perfect shape.

It took me all afternoon to design the layout and cut the pieces and put it all together. 

I don’t usually do such big projects so I had to pull out the sawhorses.

I thought about leaving it like this but decided I wanted it all the same color.  Although I do like the white posts and top. I sealed it with Kilz as I was not sure what the spots on the wood were.  I didn’t want the stains to bleed through when I was done with it!

After the chalk paint, I used a sealing wax and it has a soft luster to it!

I am very very proud of this project and also how much money I spent on it!  Gotta love a great DIY project!

I will be linking to these great parties!

$4 Table Makeover

OK, this was a Goodwill score at $4…I bought it initially for my son’s new apartment.  He moved out a week ago and I thought since his new place was partially furnished that this would be a good addition.

It looks like it was a shop project…very sturdy, but the top is plywood and the edges had some gouges so I had to paint it.  I used wood filler and went over it several times with a sealer as there were some stains on the top.

I used a cocoa paint left over from another project and slathered on several coats to help cover any imperfections. I wasn’t happy with that so I painted the top white…

and I painted two stripes around the bottom using spray paint and tape.

It’s not perfect but neither was the table! 

Anyway, I have decided to keep this table for my spare bedroom (aka my son’s room).  I will need a bedside table so decided to keep this table for that room.

I am glad to have it done and I do like the way it looks.

I am linking to these great parties!

California Sun Yellow Table

Here’s my newest project…the table, not the dog!  It was a butcher block style chunk of wood that I wanted to use as a table top, it was given to me so I didn’t pay anything for it. 

I looked into metal table legs and they were pricey!  I found all sorts of wooden legs, but they weren’t what I was looking for.  Metal hairpin legs were what I really wanted, and I found some here and here but they were just too expensive for this project.  I’m saving those for a really cool table!

So, I had been thinking about this and was browsing at Hobby Lobby when I ran across this metal legged table with a wood top.  It was 66% off so I paid $18 for the table and couldn’t wait to take it apart when I got it home.

This was my first time to work with chalk paint.  My sister Sarah had given me CeCe Caldwell’s chalk paints in two colors, California Sun Yellow and Destin Gulf Green.  I used the yellow (obviously!) on this table.  I was a little nervous putting the second coat on because it took off some of the first coat…I read the directions about ten times and finally sorted out that I should have just used water as the second coat.

The colors are so vivid and fresh, I am definitely looking for a project for the green color.  I am definitely going to use just water for the second coat. 

I love the varied color…

Beautiful color!  And Milo approves, so it’s all good!

I will be linking to some of these great parties!