HIGHCHAIR MAKEOVER

Here is the after shot of my "roadside" highchair. I don't have a before, but it was worn and weathered. I love the end result. I spray primed in red, put candle wax all over in random spots (then sanded after final coat), then finished in a dry brushed coat of yellow. Beautiful! It looks awesome with the pail and plants, I'll have to get a picture of that too.

The photos are not the best, I'm having a terrible time with my new camera and uploading to blogger. I had to resize the pictures, so they would download, but now you can hardly see them. Any tips?

HOO-HOO-HOOSIER?

This my friends, is what I have been waiting for. On May 1st I bought this piece for $60 for its storage possiblities and have had it at Linda's (painter ex·tra·or·di·naire) house waiting to be painted. I called her last month and told her I was ready and here it is. My beautiful distressed, taupe-ish Hoosier. I wanted it to store all my stamp supplies instead of the plastic drawers that have now overtaken the homeschool room/office. Almost all my stamp stuff fits in here, minus the stamps...I'll have to rethink that one.

The cabinet was cream with blue accents including handles. I think she did a beautiful job, it is beautiful and oh, so deep and full of places to store stuff.



From Wikipedia:

A Hoosier cabinet (also known as a "Hoosier") is a type of cupboard popular in the first decades of the twentieth century. Named after the Hoosier Manufacturing Co. of New Castle, Indiana, they were also made by several other companies, most also located in Indiana.

The typical Hoosier cabinet consists of three parts. The base section usually has one large compartment with a slide-out shelf, and several drawers to one side. Generally it sat on small casters. The top portion is shallower and has several smaller compartments with doors, with one of the larger lower compartments having a roll-top or tambour. The top and the bottom are joined by a pair of metal channels which serve as the guide for a sliding countertop, which usually has a pair of shallow drawers affixed to its underside. The whole assembly, with the counter retracted, is fairly shallow, about 2 feet deep; the width and height are generally about 4 feet and 6 feet respectively.

MAMA AND THE CHEESE DOMES

You know you're popular when someone writes a story about you, but you know your FAMOUS when your daughter does. Here is a story by my guest blogger Isabella:

MAMA AND THE CHEESE DOMES

My mom LOVES cheese domes. Just one time she didn’t get one, but other than that, she can’t resist! She spray paints them and puts birds that we paint and glaze under them. Blaaah! Cheese domes! Ding-dong! Cheese domes! Everywhere! I just have to make up with them and well, I’ll live. She just got another one! Sometimes she goes to Goodwill and gets stands for them. She just got another one! She just got finished painting it. I have to admit, they are pretty. I guess that’s why she likes them. Before they are made pretty, the cheese domes sit in our garage till she gets an idea. She just just got one and put a tea cup under it. She is going to sell it at One of a Kind. That place is an antique shop. She runs a business called Tea and Traditions. As you can see, it is a tea business.

The End

Everything she says in the story is true. I'm starting to feel withdrawals (it looks like it is spelled wrong, but it is not...I checked) because I only have two cheese domes left after these go to One of a Kind. It's an addiction! Is that possible? To cheese domes? Seriously? I guess it can happen. I love them because they make pretty things look even more beautiful. The robin's eggs are painted Easter eggs speckled with brown paint and the brown eggs in the cream colored bowl are Easter eggs covered in jute (my new favorite embellishment). One thing I love about the birds is that Isabella and I do those together, I paint and she glazes. As she is getting older she can help me more and we are having fun! The little ones do what they can too, after all it is a family business. Most customers have met or heard my children on at least one occasion.

The cheese dome with the white stand was an old cheese dome with wooden plate. I attached a wooden candlestick, painted it and distressed it. The glass stand is a glass candlestick attached to a glass plate with a cheese dome on top.

I'm moving to a new space at One of a Kind, so I'll post pictures soon.

Joining Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

OUTDOOR CHANDELIER

I took one of these...not sure what they are called. Anyone know? I got it at a yard sale years ago and it has rusted in my garden. I've never known quite what to do with it...that is, until now!

I had leftover chain and S-hooks from a birdbath that I did not hang and had an idea to make this beauty - my new "outdoor chandelier"! The glass hurricane fits perfectly in there with seashells and a glass pillar from Dollar Tree. I can change the look anytime by adding different items.

View from the side

View from the top

At a distance

My new centerpiece on the table is a terra cotta saucer with sheet moss in the bottom. I covered a dollar tree glass pillar candle with sheet moss (also $1), added ivy to Isabella's mosaic pot and painted a $1 birdhouse to make this centerpiece. I also layered a doily over a round placement for added interest. The glow of the candle looks beautiful through the sheet moss.

I also, covered an older pot that I just did not like anymore with jute. I love the result and can't wait to plant something in there.

Joining Metamorphosis Monday, Nifty Thrifty Tuesday and Outdoor Wednesday

SUGAR SCRUB GIFTS

I saw this on Under the Table and Dreaming and wanted favors for a "tea" party I am having tomorrow. I've invited the dealers at the store where I sell my tea. There are so many awesome ladies that I never really have a chance to talk to or get to know. So, I thought an outdoor tea party was in order.

I adjusted the recipe adding more sugar (eyeballed and smelled it - I did not like the heavy olive oil smell) and added lavender essential oil along with the lemon. Put it in baby food jars with a circle punch label on top, tied it with jute and slipped in a sample spoon (to scoop out for use). I hope the ladies will enjoy these.

Like she said on her blog, it is good to get paint (and glue) off your hands after crafting.

UH-MAZING DOLLAR TREE

Needed something to go over the dandelion vinyl cling from Stampin Up in the girls/guest bathroom - enter Dollar Tree. Total project cost $4 for the frames at Dollar Tree. I used scrapbook paper and the bird punch from Stampin Up to do the rest (they were already on hand). Love the result!

Just goes to show, it does not take a lot of money or time (took about 30 minutes to put together) to decorate.

I have big plans for those cabinets, stay tuned for the reveal. I also purchased a gorgeous mirror to go on top of the vanity, just trying to figure out if I'm painting it or not...maybe I'll let you be the judge?

Linking to Southern Hospitality's Thrifty Treasures and Coastal Charm's Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays

FIRST BIRTHDAY - DECORATIONS AND FAVORS

I found this bulletin board at Goodwill for $4.64 a week before the party, with no intention of using it for the party, well, that is until I had this brainstorm. I used fancy fibers and yarn to cover the board and printed Happy Birthday on cardstock. I cut out the letters using a circle cutter and matted them. I attached them to the fancy fibers with binder clips. I printed baby pictures of Judah and did the same. I had an extra smaller palm tree that I cut up and stapled behind the pictures for added color and texture. I love the way it turned out!

This was on the front door, I used one of the napkins and attached it with brads to a piece of cork I had and placed it in the center of the wreath.

These are the beach balls we gave away as favors, they were in the shape of jungle animals and there were glasses to match. The kids had a ball with these.

This guy is from Judah's shower, isn't he cute sitting on the palm tree?

This was the table in the foyer. It has a palm tree with another lion, the glasses, a photo frame with Judah's birth announcement in it and a digital frame with a slideshow of his birth picture.

These are Annais' monkeys that he let us borrow for the occassion.

A HORSE IS A HORSE

These petticoat hanging lampshades inspired me months ago and I have been looking for the perfect project to knock-off this shade. I found it! A $13 (including shade) horse lamp for my daughter who loves all things horse.

Photo from Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic site

This is exactly what it looked like when I brought it home. Isabella posing proudly with her now trash, soon to be treasure. I love that she can envision all that I tell her I am planning to do. So, it was off to Michael's, Hobby Lobby and Jo-Ann's - we completed the crafting triathlon in under two hours at rush hour...not bad for metro Atlanta.Here we are prepped and ready to paint, she chose white. She also handed me a McDonald's french fry bag (when you have four little ones these are readily available on your garage floor) to cover the light socket and knob. She's a born crafter!Here are the first three layers of our petticoat knock-0ff. I ripped off the cowboy fringe and hot glued eyelet fringe around the shade.Do you like my hat?
Voila! The finished product. The lamp is metal, so the body area can be used as a magnet board. I am working on making some spectacular magnets to finish it off. I am re-doing the second row of eyelet because it is not spaced right.

I covered the horse with a floral scrapbook paper, again the ole' trace, cut and paste (spray adhesive) method. I sanded around the edges for a more finished, shabby look.

In retrospect, I would spray paint the shade white first or cover it with white fabric. The picture below is after I adjusted the second row of eyelet.

Linking to Trash to Treasure Tuesday at Reinvented and Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm - check out these sites for other AWESOME ideas, tips and transformations.

FILE THIS!

In my attempt to organize the homeschool room/office I created these decorative and appealing (use me, use me, use me) file folders. It was simple, I used the old trace, cut and glue method. I used Microsoft Word to make the labels for the folders using clear labels.

I know they sell folders like this already made, but that just wouldn't be me, would it? They cost a lot and you do not have to fancy them up because they already are. So, for you frugal, organized and creative types...this project is for you!

Here are two quotes that I have hung up in the room as I attempt to organize:

"We don't need to increase our goods nearly as much as we need to scale down our wants. Not wanting something is as good as possessing it." - Donald Horban

"Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." - Albert Einstein

Whereas, the sign on the door reads:

DO NOT ENTER
Under Construction or Destruction?