New craft

I had seen a similar idea like this before.. not sure where because I searched it on pinterest I couldn't find it. A simple, yet effective way to display a picture. I had my dad cut me squares from a framing 2x4 we had laying around from when we finished the basement. Then, it was sanded, painted and I applied a printed and edited picture (you need to edit it down and crop)... added a date for a nice keepsake. Take a look at the finished product!

I'm baaack.... 2 projects!

Life has gotten in the way of my hobby lately... but alas, I was inspired to do some crafting when a friend (thanks, Nicole!) brought me a lovely chair that was itching for a makeover. Amazing what a little paint and some fabric can do. Here are the before and afters! And project number 2..........this is a dresser that I use to hold my computer... I decided it needed a little more pizazz! Here are the before and afters!

New project - HIDEOUT for the kiddies!

so... our basement was finished several years ago and it was always in the plans to maybe cut an area for the kids under the stairs so they could have a little nook. Why we didn't do it in the first place when we finished the basement? No clue... we were in a hurry to finish the whole basement since I was about to have our second baby.. well, we did it now (read: the hubby needed a project)... Here's what our basement wall looked like 'before.' What was behind this wall was an unfinished room/workroom....The doorway for the hideout is now exactly where the train table was in the photo below.

Here's what my genius life-mate came up with. I did the painting and the decals.. He did everything else. :) Enjoy! The opening:

and inside... notice the cool built in shelving with the pvc cubbies with a lip to hold legos...

A repurposed shutter

Got this shutter from my brother's house and decided to put it as an addition to my laundry room with a purpose of course! Check it out...

New to me!

Well, it's been forever since I posted... 3 kids will do that to you... but that doesn't mean I haven't done anything. A couple days ago, I was driving out of my neighborhood and was very attracted to a mound of things on the curb in front of a neighbor that's moving. Here's what I pulled off the road and into the back of my car: I was so excited to put it as my centerpiece on my mantle: And upclose: I also snagged this chair that I plan to paint and reupholster: And here is a shelf that I wish I had taken a 'before' of... it was a dark green with an apple cut out on the top. I painted it and decoupaged a hulk minifigure on it for Aiden's room and his lego collection.

One last finishing touch...

Decided to line the drawers with some wallpaper I had left from a previous project... You like?

The dresser!!

It's finally done! Not without wanting to chuck it out the window a few times though. Here is what happened... I started, thinking that I would do a reverse stencil, meaning, paint over a stencil and then peel it up and it would leave the silhoutte.. easy??!?! WRONG. My first failed attempt the stencil was a disaster!! The paint leaked under it and bled everywhere and then when I peeled it, it peeled up all the paint along with it. I had to power sand all the drawers down again and start over!!! here's what happened:

Here is the dresser when I got it from CL for $20.

Here's the next thing I did. I took my Paris Grey Annie Sloan paint and painted the exterior, leaving the drawers with the original wood color.

Next.. here comes the failed decal. I applied the decal, painted primer, and then 2 coats of paint. I have no pictures of the horrific peeling because I was too annoyed to go get my camera.

Ok.. so then I screamed and ripped my hair out and sanded. here are the newly black drawers that I sprayed after sanding them down. I realized that a black silhouette would look better than the wood anyways.

Here's the NEW affixed decal.. remember the color is irrelevant since I'll be just using it as a stencil.

Here's the process of when after the drawers were painted and I began to peel up the decal. I decided to use spray paint this time so I wouldn't have that bleed that regular paint has.

And DRUMROLL PLEASE... Here is the finished dresser after waxing and distressing the edges and corners.

And lastly here are the before/afters of the mirror that goes with it.

And one last time here is the before/after: