Cheap Easter Baskets

Got these little pastel pails at the dollar store. Tied on some ribbons and added either scrap paper or stickers that I had in my craft cabinet. Not bad for $1 each!

Boys' Gift Container

Gift idea- plain plastic container personalized with paint and filled w/coloring books, toys etc!

Projects in the works!

I have four projects I am currently working on, and they are all taking lots of elbow grease! Now that the weather is nicer I can actually get outside and paint more. Will be posting soon.

Tutus and Hairbows

Oops, I did it again....

....didn't take a before picture!! But, it wasn't that different than it is now. Just a plain mahogany colored table. I wanted it two colors, so I took the drawer out and painted it all black. I distressed the sides but didn't like the way it looked so painted back over that. Then I took the drawer and painted tan, then sprayed just a bit of metallic gold on top of that. I want to get different hardware then it will be done.

Reupholstered Dining Chairs

I desperately want to get a new dining table but for some reason it has sentimental value to Paul. So for now, just giving it a facelift. I didn't get the fabric I wanted because for the price I could have just bought new chairs. So I settled for this plain tan. I washed it, ironed it, coated it twice with scotch guard. Unscrewed, stapled, and screwed back on. My arms were quite tired! But it was worth it. Bye bye, out of date stripes! Next, dining room paint and new window treatments...

Snowy Day Project

Ok almost forgot to take a before picture again...I had already sprayed white and started painting stripes but I did remember! Anyway this was originally supposed to be a Christmas gift for Ashlee. It was just a plain brown rocker in a box that I got for 9.99. I put it all together and sprayed it all white and it sat in the hall closet until today. Since it was all snowy outside and we couldn't go anywhere I decided to get some of the kids' stuff out to consign and instead somehow ended up doing the chair. Anyway I just painted some areas and papered some areas. Glue and paint, and a small boa. All stuff I had in my craft room, aka laundry room... So total cost of the chair was still $9.99 and took about 2 hours. Ashlee loves it and has been sitting in it all afternoon.

Wooden Photo Blocks

I made 5 of these for Christmas gifts this year for family, in various designs and sizes. This one was my favorite. Got a 97 cent wood block at hobby lobby, painted the edges, glued on a picture and mod podged over the photo. I just added some embellishments on the bottom-this one is wrapping paper, a ribbon and crystal G sticker. Some blocks will stand on their own but this one wasn't thick enough so just bought a little wooden stand to go with it. Total cost of project is only about $5.00

Bedroom Makeover

I am sure I have stated on here that I am tired of red and green. Love the colors, just tired of looking at them in my house because they were everywhere. Just re-did my bedroom, and funny green ended up back in there, but a much better shade. Anyway, just did some minor changes. Same furniture and paint but different accessories. Here are some before and after pics.

Wreaths

Handpainted Tray

I have done several of these for birthday gifts. They make great coloring supply trays. My girls love coloring and anything art related. So for birthday gifts I paint the tray and get several coloring books and crayons/markers and wrap with shrink wrap; turns out really cute!

Furniture Redos

I am TERRIBLE and I do mean terrible at before and after pictures. I have redone so much furntiture; well not SO much but probably 15 pieces, round about and do not have a before and after. Well, I might have one but that'll be in a later post. Here are some afters.

The black small chest of drawers w/pink handles was in combination with the white secretary. They were both cherry with brass handles. My friend sold them both to me for fifty bucks.

The white nightstand I bought at Salvation Army for four bucks. It was HIDEOUS. Really bleached out oak with a country blue painted top. And included the klanky brass handles all chipped and hanging. Not a pretty sight. Got that baby home, cleaned it, sanded it, painted two coats of Krylon white and replaced the hardware. New nightstand for a total of about 10 bucks.

The black chest was given to me; before it was green with grapes on it. I painted it with black craft paint, distressed it randomly with sandpaper and sprayed a light tan finish on top of it to seal and to give the sanded edges a little color. It's one of my favorites.

The white dresser was in my bedroom when i was little. It had actually belonged to our cousins first, I think. It was brown with some really bad knobs on it, but the structure was still good. It had been in my parents' shop for years and I said I wanted it when they were ready to get rid of it. It was in sad shape. I first had to clean the years of spiderwebs and dirt that had accumulated on and in it. Then I sanded the entire thing down. I painted in a slightly glossy white and replaced the ugly brass knobs with crystal ones; you can't even tell it is the same dresser. What I wouldn't do for a picture of the before on that one!

This last one is a secretary I got from a friend; (the one that goes w/the black chest of drawers) Well, kookoobearkids.com is one of my favorite websites and I got a bedroom inspiration from that website for my middle daughter. Her favorite color is blue and I found a fabulous room and had originally planned to paint all the furniture black but didn't turn out that way. I have two black pieces, a white and a pink...Anyway getting off track here....like I said I had planned to paint everything black but I just wasn't seeing the secretary in black; just white. So I spray painted the whole thing (I love spray paint to brushing anyday) Krylon---it is the best spray paint there is. Took only 3 cans to do the entire thing. Lined the inside of the hutch with scrapbook paper. Had planned on getting new knobs but had some leftover pink paint from the baby's room and just thought I'd try to paint them and see how they looked considering you can buy a new dresser for how much hardware costs!! I really liked the way it ended up looking, so put a couple coats of clear sealant over the knobs when I was done and it's never chipped a bit.

Baby Legs from Dollar Store Scarf

I got this idea from another blog; I wish I could remember which one so I could post the link on here. Anyway I hate, hate that I can't sew. One thing I am determined to do is cook and sew before I am old and gray. Anyway I do have a fabulous grandmother though that sews like nobody's business. So, I LOVE Baby Legs. One of my favorite things right now for my girls. But they're like $12 a pop, so I got this idea at that blog to take a dollar store scarf, cut in half and sew together. Took them to my g-ma's house and here they are. Turned out SO cute, the picture doesn't do them justice. She did 3 pairs so I have some for all three girls and they just love them!

Pushpin Pumpkin

We like to decorate pumpkins lots of ways around here; usually the girls paint them or add black felt for spiders or cats, put earrings and wigs on them; etc. This year while I was going through my craft stuff I found these little pushpins and it was just enough to make an A for little Ashlee. I don't know how much she really cared for it but I thought it was really cute in her room during Halloween/Thanksgiving season :-)

Backpack

I found this little backpack at the dollar store and thought it would be cute as my niece's gift bag for her birthday gift. Just painted her name on (embroidery machine is another thing I want before too long) and added some fur. I like to add fur to things a lot you will see. She uses it as her bag to take to her babysitter's everyday and loves it so I am a proud aunt. :)

Welcome Shelf Turned Girly

Long story on this one. It was a friend's...just a basic white shelf that had a cutout "welcome" with mirrors behind it (some story about how she picked it out from the hospital gift shop while she was still very heavy on pain medication) So took it home with me, covered the beautiful welcome with scrapbook paper, added her girls' initials with some chipboard letters and stickers I had in my craft box. Oh and of course fur. New shelf, zero dollars.

Old Ugly picture Redo

The first picture isn't really the "before." Before THAT, it was actually a 90's burgundy and green frame with this picture of the flowers and a very dated green mat. My aunt gave it to me thinking I could do something with it. So I painted it black, and painted the mat gold and tried to see if the flowers would work. Nope, still looked way 90's. Over the flower pictures.... Bye bye. So took it apart again, got some decorative paper, glued to the back of the beautiful flower scene and put back together. I think the after is mucho better!

Bedroom Redo

Again, no before pictures which sucks because this furniture looks so different!! But this summer a friend and I took on her bedroom as a project and completely changed its entire look. Along with rearranging, we also painted all the furnture black and it gave it such a facelift. The biggest change was the hardware. It was just the classic brass, so we painted it with the pewter hammered finish and instantly looked brand new. Can't even tell it's the same room! Only thing I learned about this project--NEVER paint in the 100 degree heat. It's not the best idea. Your paint job will come out looking very asian inspired. Which is great if that's what you're going for, but in this case we were not. Live and learn!

Formula Cans Turned Crayon Holders

I love decorating cans; I've recycled so many, even the small ones. You can decorate them up so cute and use them for so many things. These are formula cans; just glue on some scrap paper, add some trim and paint on a name. These I made as the girls' crayon holders and they love them.

Old Trunk Revamp

Ok this is the before. I am SOOOO happy I took a before picture. Because like I said I'm so bad at it. I'm in the middle of re-doing it, but it's taking me awhile because of lack of time. But stay tuned; I think it's gonna be a cutie!!

Hairbow Hangers

Twin Mirrors

These were done for twin girls. Painted, jeweled, and ribboned

Canvas/Frame Art

Holiday Floral Arrangement

Long story but this was quite a sentimental piece that I changed from everyday to Christmas. It is HUGE so the only place it will fit is on top of the curio. Can't tell much about it from the picutre but it is one of my favorite things to have out at Christmas.

Mod Podge Plates

These were just plain square plates from TJMaxx. I got four pieces of coordinating paper and cut to fit the middle part of the plate to make a wall hanging in my sister-in-law's dining room.

Stocking