Fit For A Princess

This is another $5 piece my neighbor picked up for me at an auction.  Isn't it gorgeous?  I mean, the yellow flowers are to-die-for, wouldn't ya say? ;)  Okay, seriously, what girl doesn't love the look of an antique vanity?  And I'm not a girly girl by any means.  But I had a special order.  This was to be a birthday present for a little girl who loves pink and white and princess themed stuff.  Something I know nothing about.

It had some rough edges that needed to be taken care of.  It was taken care of easy enough!

The mirror ended up being more than just dirty, it was downright messed up!  So I found this one at the Jackson Resale Factory (CLICK HERE TO VISIT THEM) for seven whole dollars.  I had to remove a bottom piece of wood to make it fit, but we made a go of it.  The drawers pulls got a shot of silver spray paint, and I couldn't believe my luck when I found two gold crowns that I had taken off of an end table once.  One of them was exactly what this vanity needed to give it a royal touch.

I finally finished this last night as the sun was setting and in plenty of time for the little princess's birthday.  I hope she fills at least one of those drawers with wands, crowns, glass slippers, and a frog to kiss (they turn into prince charming, right?) .  :)

           

Horizontal Stripes - Office Makeover!

Scraping off border was right up Tobin's alley because he got to stand on a ladder!!!  Nothing beats working on a ladder in a little boy's mind.

What. A. Disaster.  Boy, I wouldn't go back to this for anything!

We taped off 15 inch stripes and used a dark gray and light gray.  I went "shopping" in my barn and found that little stand for the printer (which needs to have a black paint job!), and the desk (CLICK HERE FOR BEFORE AND AFTER!).

Before - view from the addition.  No, my camera lens wasn't dirty.  That's dust!  I think I'm still hacking up drywall dust.

I know my little $2 coffee table is screaming "PAINT ME NOW!!!!"  Any suggestions, readers?? The little bookshelf in the corner is the kid's library.  They check out books and sit on the pillows on the floor and look at them for "ages".  It's so much more fun to look at books in a library. :)

So where the big opening is to our addition was once a window that looked out to our little lean-to laundry room, a cement pad, with weeds and odd wild flowers....  I enjoy this view much better!!!  Pinch me, I think I'm dreaming!  

50 Cent Foot Stool Before & After

"How much for the little footstool?"  "I'm really into this fifty cent thing.  Seems like everyone wants to pay fifty cents, so I just started making my answer fifty cents.  How's that sound?"  Ummm, YEAH!!

A few weeks ago, when Maran and I were out junking, we went in to St. Vincent De Paul and they had fill-a-basket of fabric for $1.99.  Naturally, I stuffed as much as possible into my plastic basket.  There were several yards of this super fun purple and white retro fabric!  SCORE!  Originally, I was thinking "oooooo, cute fabric for a dress for Tori!  Pretty please, Grandma Kim??"  But how cute for a little footstool?  There's plenty of fabric left for more projects.  Don't look too close at my upholstery job, it needs a few more tacks!!  Ever done something round?  Sheesh, it requires a lot. of. tacks. or stapes.  or both, if you were me with this project!  Want it?  It's for sale. Contact me. :)   

My New Chairs - before and after!

Casey, THIS IS FOR YOU!!!  Casey.  Was it with a "C"?  I know I asked, but why do I even bother when I can't remember squat.  Casey is another of the REALLY SAWEET dudes that works at the all new Jackson Resale Factory.  His equally studly bro, Ben, gave me a sic deal on these chairs.  Just perfect for my new "coffee sitting area".  I think coffee is disgusting by the way... so if you drink it, you must be disgusting too.  Just kidding of course.  I won't judge.  ON TO THE CHAIRS.

Hello BEFORE picture.  Straight from the Jackson Resale Shop (Click HERE to visit their Facebook Page!).  Someone did a swell job cutting some wood paneling to fit the seats just right.  Made my job easier. Just had to find some cushions!

Ya know, you can ALWAYS find what you need at a garage sale.  Have I mentioned that before?  Need Windex?  Garage Sale.  Need clothes pins?  Garage Sale.  Cushions just the right size for some thrifted chairs?  Garage sale.  (AFTER I bought some for $$$$$ at JoAnn's since I got in a hurry and didn't wait for the garage sale at Pope Church the next day!  Good thing I actually hung onto the receipt.)  These were $1 each.  Well, the top ones.  I paid slightly more for the bottom ones at Cash and Carry.

I only had to buy fabric for the top and sides of the cushion.  Trying to save money, yo.  Believe it or not, I got FREE fabric last year when I picked up a plastic container on the CURB in Parma!!  It had some crusty edges that I had to cut off....  HAHA, but it worked PERFECT for what I needed it for!!  Especially since the blue fabric at JoAnn's I was going to buy rang up to $20 a yard!!!  I.  Think.  NOT. 

Thank goodness for my mom visiting from Iowa who actually knows how to use my sewing machine!!  Oh and notice...  Free Tea Cart hand-me-down from a friend.  Free old window from another friend.  Wanescoting salvaged from my old laundry room.  Scoring all around here, eh?  I say "eh" alot.  My 4 year old always asks me if I'm Canadian.  "Eh" is just a good word, those Canadians actually have that going for them.  I think the top cushions need a big fat button in them still, like the bottom ones have, but now the question is....... to paint the chairs or leave them???  What is the consensus?  And the tea  cart?? Was wanting to originally shabby chic it white.... but do you think it would get lost on the wall?  Feedback please!! :)

Oh, and that fabric by the way???  TOTALLY not what I had in mind.... but I found that amazing orange light in a thrift store and couldn't pass it up so my colors suddenly had to include orange.  Cobalt blue and orange.... I think it works. (cuz what you don't see is my cobalt blue bottle collection on a high shelf over the sliding doors on your left!)  ummm???

 

Out with the Gold, in with the TURQUOISE! Before & After Clock

Before: A gorgeous little clock from my MIL.  But it was gold long enough. :)  I mean, if you had to wear the same dress every Sunday, wouldn't you get a little tired of it?  What makes you think this clock would feel any different? 

I just used acrylic paint and a little paint brush, and then pulled out my favorite silver glaze.  Do you know I've had the same little jug of silver glaze for probably 10 years and it still feels full?  I brushed the glaze all over it and the result was a stunning new outfit for the clock.  Shoes to match?

After. :)  Perfect Punch of Color.  (in my opinion.  But turquoise is pretty much my favorite color - well any hue of blue.  A result of being forced to have a pink room growing up, possibly?  Which is why there is nothing pink in my baby girl's room! Mmmmm Blue.)

   

A Pillar's Journey

HEY.  I heard that.  NO LAUGHING.  This is about the pillars, not me.  And yes, I was a kid when I got married.  Just to answer the question before you even ask! :)  I had several different sizes of these white pillars at my wedding.  I think they started out in a Hobby Lobby Store.  I'm not sure what ever happened to one of the small ones pictured, but the next size up, wound their way into my home and served for quite some time as this little decorative piece in my living room.  They got a marbled look with some gold, and were downright pretty.... for a few years........

Then one day, my brutally honest friend Maran (everyone needs someone like this in their lives!) mentioned to me that she was surprised I kept those pillars in my house - when the rest of my house was.... well.... just not in keeping with that whole arrangement!  You're very right, dear.  I think I was holding on to them, like I was trying to hold on to my youth... the young carefree days of newly married life - when there was no lawn to mow (hello apartment life),  a tenth of the laundry load, and dial up internet.

My mom had just been WAITING for the word.  In fact, I think the day I told her I was done with the pillars, she hopped in her car and drove the seven  hours to rescue them!  Yeah, she's like that.  Psychoooooo..... (but that's why we love her!).  Faster than I could kick you in the shin, she had them painted black and in her living room to serve as her new end tables.  Not bad, Mama.  Glad their journey is continuing...  where to next?      

My Old Cupboard Door

We live in a doubly old house.  From the 1800's.  I found this old cupboard door out in the barn when we moved in, among old wood trim, doors, windows, rabbit cages, and other ancient stuff.  I love ancient stuff!  This was crackle painted and distressed without me ever having to touch it!!  It's been sitting out in my corncrib because I just knew someday it would find a special spot.  And now with our addition....  I have a spot for it!!! 

It was so dirty, but the paint came off super easy. Hello my maniac mother who says "this thing is filthy" then proceeds to grab a rag and scrub the daylights out of it!! I had a heart attach - STOP!!!!!!!  Along with the dirt disappearing, so is all the amazing crackled bluish colored paint!!!!  (Someone once described a scene with the main character being my mother, which I thought applied to this scenario as well: "She came rushing into our kitchen like a barbarian and ripped the curtains off the wall!" Bahahaha!).  Soooo I took over and washed it with a soft artist brush in soapy water and dabbed it carefully with a paper towel. 

Then I coated it with polyurethane to hold the paint in place and also give it a good aged finish (as if it needed that, huh!).

The clock was my mom's idea.  I have a wood one we were going to distress... but I couldn't find it with all the hullabaloo around here so she bought this one at Dollar General.

Ask my father-in-law how he likes it.  He thinks I've lost my mind.

     

John Deere For the Ladies

We bleed green around here.  So I don't know why I hadn't thought of these before!  But I had a request for John Deere hair accessories, and I thought "what a splendid idear!".  Wasn't quite sure at first how to go about this...  I considered painted the renown yellow deer shape on a green button... but I'm pretty sure it would have turned out looking like an alien animal from unknown planet.  Anyways, I ended up using John Deere scrapbooking stickers!  Here are the results.  Let me know if you'd like one - $4!  They'll be going on the online store soon, but you can let me know ahead of time if you'd like one. 

Hair Clip

Headband