Quick Chair Makeover

I love these chairs--I bought two, kept one as is, but this one needed recovering. I'm guessing someone was smoking and caught the chair on fire since there is a big burn hole in it--although it doesn't stink, so who knows.

I picked up a few fabric sample pieces at a garage sale this past weekend and chose this fun pink one to use on the chair. The chair has a greenish cast to it that isn't showing up, but looks good with the pink fabric. The fabric barely fit across the widest part of the seat. I will sell this one. Sweet girl had to pose for a picture!

Sunday Verses

This is the day which the LORD has made;

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

-Psalm 118:24

Rejoice today, be glad, find happiness, simply because God created today. You may not feel like rejoicing today, but choose to because God made this day and because his Word tells us that is enough of a reason to rejoice and be glad!

What I've Been Up To

Here are a few of the projects I have been working on. Nothing is finished, so check back next week for that.

This dresser:

A ginormous bread box transformation:

A metal stand redo:

A pink night stand that needs a new top:

And this is what I woke up to yesterday morning. It is all gone today, but more is supposedly on the way--oh joy! Hope you are having a good weekend. I did find a few things at garage sales today, but that will have to wait for another day-I am busy cleaning, my mama is coming to visit.

CD Storage

There sure are a lot of CD storage pieces out there--at thrift stores and garage sales. I've seen some fun redos with them. Here is one I changed-It originally hung on the wall as a little shelf. I turned it on its back, added some feet (that were chopped off of an old chair), a little 1x2 on the sides and a chair leg as a handle and you have a catchall for magazines, books, knitting supplies, bathroom goodies, etc.

Have you turned a CD storage piece into somethinh else? Let me know and in a couple days I will provide a link to your site. I think Mr. Linky is beyond my computer capabilities??

Slim Pickins

There were about a dozen garage sales on Saturday and a friend and I went to most of them, but there wasn't much to be found. Here is what I did get. The yellow primitive table did make it worth it. The Cinderella dress is for preschool. I bought the rake to use for one of the cute rake projects they showed in the current issue of Country Living (is it my imagination, or are they starting to show more junk make-overs now that Country Home is done?).

Here is a chair I redid. I forgot a before picture of the whole thing, but it was wood with this nasty seat cover (look, my grass is trying to get green!):

Layer 2:

Layer 3:

Chair--painted, distressed and recovered:

Sunday Verses

http://goodlifezen.com

Noah was a righteous man,
blameless among the people of his time,

and he walked with God.

-Genesis 6:9

I started a Beth Moore study a few weeks ago, A Woman's Heart. This was the first study I did a few years ago, and I am doing the newer version of it now. It is all about the tabernacle and God's desire to fellowship with us. This past week we looked at this verse about Noah, and it has stuck with me. Noah lived in corrupt and wicked times, as do we. Yet he did not succumb to pressures and worldly influences and he was found blameless. How? He walked with God. He spent time with God, day in and day out, hour by hour, minute by minute.

Is there something in your life that is getting in the way of your relationship with God? TV, music, friendships, co-workers, pornography? This week walk with God, spend time with Him, daily, hourly, whatever it takes to stand up to the corruption that surrounds us. I am praying for you!

Dreaming of Wildflowers and 1-2-3-4-5

I am dreaming of flowers--flowers that I probably won't see much of until July. Decided if I couldn't see them, I'd paint some on this old chair and suitcase. I sanded the chairs some so the layers of paint would show through.


I also painted this coat hook with the 1-2-3-4-5. I had seen something like it somewhere--maybe a catalog, and it stuck in my head. Sorry, it is just sitting on the couch here--I need to get heavy duty hanging wire for it. My hubby did not understand the numbers, needed to know why they were there, why they were in order. I told him to just appreciate it and try not to understand it.

Pretty Picture and a Post

I picked up this print the other day at thrift store on 1/2 price day. I love it and will probably be keeping it if I can find a place for it.


Here is the information on the back.


The original painting was done on the 1920's and I think this print is from the 30's or 40's. It is supposed to be of Jesus--the western version with the blond curls. It has such an ethereal quality to it. The artist was known as the Norman Rockwell of the Catholic Church--funny.

I also picked up this post/pole thing on the side of the road for free. Looks like it is the pole used to hang IV bags or something--don't know what it is meant for, do you? I think it will be great with plants or jars with candles hanging off of it. Have a great day, and someone enjoy some spring for me--we are supposed to get 8-12 inches of snow tonight--egads!

Sunday Verses

http://www.katapi.org.uk/images/Archaeology/EmptyTomb600wH.jpg

Why do you look for the living among the dead?
He is not here; he has risen!
Luke 24:5-6

Happy Easter to you all! I pray that each of you reading this has a personal relationship with Jesus, that you know his saving grace. He took our sins upon the cross that we might live with him forever. Thank you Father!

Indecision

*Thanks for all of your thoughts on this! I decided to leave it as is, with the original wood top. If it doesn't sell in a month or so, I will probably cover it in the fabric. I am going to make a pillow out of the fabric to sit on it. Thanks again!


Usually I know just how I want a piece to look--it speaks to me and I have a vision for it. So when I found this bench at a thrift store I knew what I wanted the finished bench to look like.

After taking out a bajillion staples and removing these lovely layers of fabric, I discovered a bench top that I didn't expect to like, but do, and thus my dilemma.

So I am taking votes, but you only have until the morning to vote because I want to take the bench out to my antique booth. And Friday night of Easter weekend is not the greatest time of readership so all of you lurkers need to come out of hiding and vote too. As you can see, I already painted the legs cream. Keep it as is, with the wood top (it is scratched, but looks good that way),


or recover the top with padding and this fabric (it is just lying here in this picture). The fabris is not showing up great-it is blue and cream and tan. Thanks for your help!

Nesting

Made this little nest thingy (sorry for my lack of a better word--it's been a long day and I am a bit brain dead) from the clock I showed you in the last post. The back is on only temporarily as I still need to find some little blue eggs to put it in it. I think I need to straighten it out a bit too--needs a little tweaking. I painted the outside. I needed to put something on the inside rim to cover up to screws sticking up, that hold the base on. I used a burlap "ribbon".

Tray Chic

I picked up this cute tray a few weeks ago at ??? I don't remember--I think Sally's. I wiped it clean, sprayed a clear coat on it, glued a ribbon on the back for hanging, and glued some magnets to coordinating buttons. Quick and easy!

And here is a before picture of a clock I bought for $2 at a thrift store. Tune in tomorrow to see the after.

Sunday Verses

Because your love is better than life,

my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live,

and in your name I will lift up my hands.

Psalm 63: 3-4

Friday night hubby and I went to a Burn worship event for about 3 hours. It is a 24 hour time of worship held monthly. You can read about it here. It was a great experience and we will do it again. Nothing like some time spent in praise and worship to God to give you clear thinking. I gave some things over to God that I have been holding onto. I was reminded of God's overwhelming love and presence in my life. What about you? Have you had some real worship and praise time with Jesus lately? This week, try to set aside one hour of time alone with your God, time to praise him and worship him and just be with him. He is waiting for you.

PS--Yes, I am messing around with my layout--please excuse the mess while I play around for a few days, thanks!

Picture Lotto

I found this picture lotto game recently at a church rummage sale. The poor girl on the front was no doubt an orthodontist's dream.

This is what I did with some of the individual cards. The blue one I made first, with a wood plaque I also got at the rummage sale. I then went to Michaels and found more wood that would work. I painted and stained them and the used modge podge to stick them to the plaque. I still have to put hangers on the back of them, so they are sitting on my dusty piano here. I think the individual ones would be cute on a little stand--I may have to make some.

I still have the 6 large lotto cards that I have an idea for.

Peeling Paint Technique

One of my blogging goals this year was to show you more tutorials. I haven't been very good about that goal. I thought I'd share the technique I use to make wood furniture look like there are layers of paint on it. Here is a basic wooden stool, picked up at the thrift store for $2. It did not have any kind of finish, so I didn't need to sand or prime it.

I started with a coat of cream paint, slapping it on quickly. It is best to use acryclic craft paints for this technique. Latex can end up peeling off in big pieces.

When cream was dry, I used an old candle and rubbed it in different spots on the cream, in long strokes. in the summer, the wax can melt if it is too hot. This time of year, I have to press harder to get more wax on the piece, because it is cold.

I then slapped on a coat of blue (sorry-fuzzy picture, but the only I took).

Lather, rinse, and repeat (which means I repeated the waxing process when the blue was dry).

I then painted my final coat, green. I have done up to five colors before. When the green was dry, I used a paint scraper to scrape the paint off, from where the wax was.

When I had finished scraping, I sanded to smooth out the paint finish. You do not want to skip the paint scraping and go directly to sanding--it totally gums up your sandpaper.

After wiping the piece clean, I used minwax gel stain in aged oak over the paint. The gel stain will sit on top of the paint nicely, and doesn't need bare wood to soak into.

And here is the finished stool after a coat of polyacrylic. I am liking the fresh spring green (especially since I see white out the window!).