Hope Chest - 1994

the reason i know this is from 1994 is because i received this hope chest for a wedding present from my mom right after i got married...the marriage didn't last but the chest did...way back then it was more my style but hasn't been for about 15 years...i never had the heart to get rid of it, no pun intended, because it was something i treasured from my mother...i never even thought about painting it until the other night when i was trying to fall asleep...i'm not sure how other blogger/crafter/diyer's minds tick, but mine never stops...i go to bed thinking about what i want to do, if i wake up during the night i'm thinking, and when i wake up in the morning i'm thinking...i've actually had some of my best inspiration during these times...

this is the before...a big chunk out of the bottom...a "friend" rented my house and i let her use this...her kids ruined it...

2 coats of annie sloan paint...i have read that lots of people use 1 coat...some things i just like having more coverage on so i did 2 on this

this pic is after i lightly sanded...it looks splotchy...i think its because the wax was still wet...this piece has no stain on it and the wax i used was not tinted...i just couldn't wait...i am still unsure what i want this to look like...it might change...its amazing what changes a coat of wax will do...

i just ordered a silhouette and it should be here on wednesday...the chest might just get something special for the front :)



Peace, Love, & Joy

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Yard Sale Chair

i finally finished this chair that i bought back at the beginning of the summer....it was another one of those projects that i postponed because i didn't think i had the knowledge to do it..and i still think that! i paid $10 for it and i think that was too much...it has a hole in the caning but it the pictures you can barely see it...a friend of mine said that it added character to it...i looked online to see how to  repair it but i knew this chair was not worth the money or time...there was also a nail driven into the arm of it and i just left it in there...i didn't know how much damage was done...i will explain what i did with each photo...

this is the day i bought it...of course i was excited...the people told me that it sure was comfy...i guess so cause it was pretty worn out...it actually did sit better before...

here i'm painting in "my studio"....i used old white annie sloans paint...i really love this paint...i added some water to mine...cause i'm super duper cheap...brushed a quick 3 coats...didn't get full coverage....sanded for a little distressing....

a side view of the chair...it looks alot better thats for sure

i started taking it apart and i was shocked to see the inside...it looks like a bad comforter...i was originally painting the chair cushions because of not knowing a thing about upholstery...i had some left over drop cloth from my curtains...i didn't want to sew anything so i just started stapling it together...

let me start by saying this...i can see 1,000,000 flaws in this chair...i wanted to add the buttons back onto it....there were 5 of them, 3 on top and 2 on bottom....i think i just didn't have the patience to do it...but i did manage to get 2 buttons covered with my fabric...i tried using fishing line to attach them...the problem i was having was with keeping them tight...i even had some plastic things that i put on the back but for me it just didn't work...i did alot of stapling and re-stapling...this drop cloth was more stretchy than some i've seen...my mom made my curtains and had a hard time with them...i didn't even take off the orange fabric...i just covered right over the top..i would love for it to be beautiful like all the other chairs in blogger land...this was a total practice project....i learned alot about upholstery in the past few months...i studied different sites and read numerous blogs...i think for my 1st time i did an ok job...

we all sat in the chair...its not that comfy to us...not sure what i will do with it yet...i might let it stick around for a little while


Peace, Love, & Joy

Linking Up To:
Miss Mustard Seed/ Furniture Feature Friday
The Shabby Nest/ Frugal Friday
French Country Cottage/ Feathered Nest Friday
At The Picket Fence/ Welcome To Inspiration Friday
Finding Fabulous/ Frugalicious Friday
Lamb Around/ Blog Hop
Chic On A Shoestring Decorating/ Flaunt It Friday
Remodelaholic/ Remodelaholic Anonymous
504main/ Tickled Pink
Tatertos And Jello/ Weekend Wrap Up
My Romantic Home/ Show and Tell Friday
Funky Junk Interiors/ SNS
Flamingo Toes/ Think Pink Sundays
Under The Table And Dreaming/ The Sunday Showcase
I Heart Naptime/ Sundae Scoop
http://www.forloveofcupcakes.blogspot.com/
Home Savvy A to Z Monday Blog Party
CraftOManiac/ CraftOManiac Monday
Between Naps On The Porch/ Metamorphosis Monday
CRAFT/ Making Monday Marvelous
Debbie Doos/ Newbie Party
Born Again Crafter/ Lets Share & Be Friends
DIYHSHP/ More The Merrier Monday
Altard/Makeover Monday
Coastal Charm/ Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
A Diamond In the Stuff/ Time to Shine
Not Just A Housewife/ Show Me What Ya Got
Tipjunkie/ Homemade Projects
Crafty Confessions/ Tuesday Confessional
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia/ Tuesdays Treasures
Primitive & Proper/ Piece of Work Wednesday
Savvy Southern Style/ Wow Us Wednesday
A Beach Cottage/ Linky Party
Domestically Speaking/ 89th Power of Paint
Restore Interiors/ Restored It Wednesdays
Blue Cricket Design/ Show and Tell
Someday Crafts/ Whatever Goes Wednesday
HOH/ Hookin Up with HOH
Fireflies and Jellybeans/ Show off Your Stuff
Kammys Korner/ Trash to Treasure Tuesday

Whatever Table

i replied to an ad a while back to pickup some end tables that i found on freecycle...when i went to pick them up the lady offered me this table and i took it...i wasn't sure what i would do with it but i figured what did i have to lose...i was pretty sure i could fix it...as soon as i finished one of the end tables i jumped right on this...after about 30 minutes i just gave up...it was past my knowledge....it was warped....i just couldn't get it to line up...the screws had rust on them and some of them were pulled out of the wood so they would not go back in the holes...i walked away....

i just left it outside when i got home because it was so bad

in just a few months of working with furniture i have taught myself quite a few things...today i was in a cleaning/crafting/painting kind of mood...look out, cause here i come!! i just decided to drag this piece out...it just came to me, the thought was in my head on how to fix it...i won...

i had this paint left over...since i'm into the coastal look right now, i took the paint i had, mixed in a little primer to tone it down, and added some water...my daughter came home and said, mama, you turquoise washed it!! wow, i can't believe she even knew what white wash was...she was right though...i just brushed the paint on...i let it just soak into the dry wood....my huband was about to die again...he hates this color....but when i got done he told me it reminded him of the beach....

so here is my finished table...not too bad huh? especially when i got it free...i think i will try to sell this piece...i just don't have room for it...i am new to pricing pieces...any suggestions?

Peace, Love, & Joy

Linking Up To:
Miss Mustard Seed/ Furniture Feature Friday
Flamingo Toes/ Think Pink Sundays
Under The Table and Dreaming/ Showcase Sunday
The DIY Home Sweet Home/ More The Merrier Monday
Between Naps On the Porch/ Metamorphosis Monday
Home Savvy A to Z/ Savy Homemade
Skip To My Lou/ Made By You Monday
Coastal Charm/ Nifty Thrify Tuesday
Diamond In The Stuff/ Time To Shine
Not Just A Housewife/ Show Me What Ya Got
My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia/ Tuesday Treasures
Tip Junkie/ Tip Me Tuesday
Under The Table And Dreaming/ Tuesday Ten
A Beach Cottage/ Good Life Wednesday
Primp/ Primp Your Stuff Wednesday
Domestically Speaking/ Power of Paint Party
Savvy Southern Style/ Wow Us Wednesdays
Someday Crafts/ Whatever Goes Wednesday
Fireflies And Jellybeans/ Show Off Your Stuff
HOH/ Hookin Up with HOH
Perfectly Imperfect/ Furniture Makeovers

Goodwill Dress Form

i am so excited about this project....i was in my local goodwill store and came across this dress form...it was missing the base but for $4.97 how could i pass it up?

i was so excited that i ripped off the fabric before i took a picture...and i know, i said i would work on my before pictures...i'm really trying...see, i actually took this one with a REAL camera and not my cell phone...it was also attached to a silver pole but the base was missing...

so here she is after i applied some bible pages with mod podge...please, try to understand why i did this...i know there are probably some people that might think it was wrong to tear up a bible but we have a very strong faith here and thats why i did it...its for my daughters room...she is very active in church and i want her to look at this and be reminded of her faith...this took a minute to put all these pages on here....i first just put random pieces and then went back and put the ones with the names of the books...ruth is her favorite book so i made sure you could see it...

i covered the hole up in the neck...i added some beds just to see how it was going to look...so far i like it!!

so, i'm to the point that i "think" i'm finished with it...i keep coming up with ideas that i want to use...i made some flowers out of various things i found around my house...i'll start at the top left and explain what i did...the ruffled flower was made out of the bible pages...it is circles that i wrapped around a stick...i then glued them down onto another circle and i glued a clear stone in the middle...the black one is just a fabric flower made out of a black tshirt from dollar tree...the white one is lace...its actually vintage that i found in my moms old sewing box...i'm 40 so i know its at least that old or older...i glued silver beads in the center...bottom right starting with the black...its made out of the black tshirt but i braided it before i made it into a flower...the white one was made out of basting tape...it was in the sewing box too...i glued it on a piece of white felt...the large one is out of the bible pages also..i just glued it a different way...after i made the flowers i found the dress form prints from graphic fairy...i let my daughter pick where she wanted them...its missing pearls though!! got to find some....

Peace, Love, & Joy

Linking Up To:
Under the Table and Dreaming/ Sunday Showcase
Between Naps on the Porch/ Metamorphosis Monday
The DIY Home Sweet Home Project/ More The Merrier Monday
Craftomaniac/ Craftomaniac Monday
Debbiedoos/Newbie Party
A Diamond In The Stuff/ Time To Shine
Not Just A Housewife/ Show Me What Ya Got
Tipjunkie/ Homemade Projects
Coastal Charm/ Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia/ Tuesdays Treasures
Savvy Southern Style/ Wow Us Wednesdays
Domestically Speaking/ Power of Paint
Blue Cricket/ Show And Tell
Someday Crafts/ Whatever Goes Wednesday
HOH/Hookin Up With HOH
Fireflys and Jellybeans/ Show off Your Stuff
At The Picket Fence/ Inspiration Friday
Remodelaholic/ Remodelaholic Anonymous
Designer Gardner/ VIP Party 
Funky Junk Interiors/ SNS
Fingerprints on the Fridge/ Feature Yourself Friday
Flamingo Toes/ Think Pink Sundays

Antique Lantern

yesterday i was rambling through my parents barn...they have a bunch of junk that can't seem to throw out...i saw this old lantern and passed it by...but, the more i thought about it, i figured i could do something with it...i was thinking about painting it but i still haven't decided what accent colors i'm using in my dining room...so i left it a nice rust color...LOL...

it has a bent handle...the inside part where you light it is broke...i tried bending all those pieces back into place...at least i can say no one has one like mine!

i took some sisal twine and wrapped around 2 parts...i hot glued it in the back...i took this starfish thing (that says made in philippines on the back) and twirled some twine around the  middle, glued it in the center...seriously... its fake...i bought it in panama city beach for $1.00 at the everything is a dollar store back in june....i hot glued it on the front of the lantern...i love projects that cost me hardly anything to make!! this is one of my favorite projects i've done...

Peace, Love, & Joy

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Coke Crate Project

i was on pinterest...yes, i'm an addict and i admit it...but its not a problem!! i've been adding pictures to my coastal/beach board so that i can go back later and read the how to's...i found a picture of coral from pottery barn....

i love this...i wish i had all of it!!

Here is my version....its nothing in comparison to the original...for me it works...i don't have alot of money to spend on buying things because we only have 1 income...i love crafty, vintage things though! the coke crate was free...my husband found it under a house he was doing pest control on...the coral i bought at walmart...to me it was rather pricey for a piece of plastic...i think it was about $8 or more...i can't remember for sure because i bought 2 different ones....the smaller shells didn't come from the beach...i had to buy them! can you believe that?? they came from the everything is a dollar store in panama city beach...the large white one came in a pack i bought at marshalls for about $9.99..it was a large plastic bag full...the vase is a starbucks bottle...i added the twine, sand, and shells...the sand and shells for that project came from dollar tree...i had a left over sheet music page from my table project that i cut and stuck in the bottom left side...

here is the front view...i already had everything for this project...all the things were previously bought before hand...i love it...make sure you check out pinterest...you never know what inspiration you may find...

here is my edited pic...it looks alot better with my camera...i'll quit trying to be so lazy ;)

Peace, Love, & Joy

Linking Up To: 

Lamb Around/ Not Baaad Sunday
Flamingo Toes/ Think Pink Sundays 
I Heart Naptime/ Sundae Scoop 
Under The Table And Dreaming/ Sunday Showcase 
Between Naps On The Porch/ Metamorphosis Monday 
Home Savvy A to Z/ Savvy Homemade Monday 
The DIY Home Sweet Home Project/ More The Merrier Monday 
Craft-O-Maniac/ Craftomaniac Monday 
Skip To My Lou/ Made By You Monday 
Tip Junkie/ Homemade Projects 
Coastal Charm/ Nifty Thrify Tuesday 
Diamond In The Stuff/ Time to Shine 
Not Just A Housewife/ Show Me What You Got 
Creating a House of Grace/ Twice Owned Tuesday 
Restore Interiors/ Restored It Wednesday 
Someday Crafts/ Whatever Goes Wednesday 
Savvy Southern Style/ Wow Us Wednesdays 
 HOH/ Hookin Up with HOH
Fireflies and Jellybeans/Show off Your Stuff 
Saved By Love Creations/ Thrifty Thursdays 
The Shabby Cottage/ Transformation Thursday 
At The Picket Fence/ Inspiration Friday 
Shabby Nest/ Frugal Friday 
French Country Cottage/ Feathered Friday 
504 Main/ Tickled Pink  

Small Table

i was in my local junk store a few weeks ago and i saw this table...i remembered that my grandmother had 2 of these when i was little....its funny how certain images stick in your head...i noticed that the tag said as is...it needed a little tlc, but i knew i could fix it...it was a little shakey too...(i guess thats not a real word...but i'm using it...LOL) my grandmothers table was like that too, i can't remember her sitting anything heavy on it...this table was really a pain in my rear....if i could do over i would...i would have never brought it home!!

this is the day i brought it home..oh, i was excited!!

i had a lot of gluing to do...the table had completely separated in 2 places...i glued and clamped it in place...i did some more sanding...i wanted the top to be rustic...here is the pic where i'm applying some stain...i finished staining it and it came apart again....really frustrating for what i thought would be a quick project....

so, i sanded it all down again and repeated with a different glue...the funny thing is, i bought some wood glue and dollar tree...it worked!!....i painted the legs and bottom white....distressed a little...put some stain on it...

here she is...with the top finished...i posted the 1st pic on facebook and asked for a name...mavis...LOL...the person that came up with the name said it meant troublemaker...and i can tell you she was....it all looks so simple when you post a blog with a few pics but trust me, this one was a pain....

here is the finished top...i had plans to keep rustic top and paint an image on top...a label, a bird, etc...just didn't work out for me...i decided to just mod podge the top...i thought this was the easy answer to my problems...now this turned out to be alot of work...i printed off the sheet music from graphic fairy...i then tea stained the pages...i wanted to add a little something so i printed the piano onto a music sheet...i just kept adding..then the violin...it seemed to never end!! finally, this is what i came up with....i'm not crazy about this piece at all...i just wanted it to be over with...my daughter likes it...she asked for it to go in her room....i'm never gonna make any money at this rate!!

finished....the end

Peace, Love, & Joy

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