My Newest Creation!

A New Project

I have all these frames and I needed a new project.

I knew some would be chalk boards, 

but these were going to be something different!

Of course these are for photos, 

but I used them to display some vintage jewelry!

I apologize for the photos, I can't wait to get a new camera : (

I picked two of these up at a tag sale, for cheap $

They were on the gold-ish side, 

so I dry brushed them with white paint.

I first cut a piece of thin plywood to size, these were 11x14.  

I needed to shave a little off because my materials 

wouldn't fit once I put it back in the frame. 

(Make sure you leave a little room for materials, 

but not too much, you want things to be snug)

I cut a piece of batting and some fabric about an extra 

1/2 inch all away around, I did the same with the fencing. 

Everything was held into place once 

I bent the edges of the fencing around the board.

Once it was in the frame, I stapled the board to the frame in a 

few spots (around the back), just to make sure it stays put! 

Then I cut a piece of pretty wallpaper from one of my wallpaper 

sample books and glued it to the back (with a glue stick)!

I found these cute little clothes pins to attach the photos with!

Here's the other one I did, again the picture isn't great.

I have already sold them both, so I guess they are a success!

Time to make some more!

Thanks for checking it out!

Radio Revamp!

I love this piece!

I'm pretty sure this was once a radio cabinet, 

now it's guts are gone and it's great for storage 

and perfect for that little nook where nothing else would fit!

Here's a close-up of the "after".  

Notice the mirror above- you will see before and afters of that too!

Once again, I forget to take a before pic, before I actually begin!

You get the idea, right?

This needed more work than I thought! 

This linoleum was used as a cover on the back!  

It's amazing what people will use, I was once re-doing 

a chair and found counter laminate used for the back! 

I guess we use what we have : )

Here we are primed...

Painted...  

Now time for the mirror... 

Gaudy in gold...   Not for long!

Big improvement!

Now... 

back to the radio cabinet...

All distressed... now for the inside!

New wood on the back, the shelves are lined with wallpaper 

(used from wallpaper sample books that are discontinued) 

I use this stuff to line drawers too! And it's free!

So what do you think?

Now linking to Transformation Thursday!
and Metamorphosis Monday!

End Table Rehab!

Before & After End Table

I wanted to try something new, not just the old paint and distress.  

I have used the anaglypta many times before, 

but thought I would try a new treatment (for me, anyway). 

Dry brushing- I used the same color I used on the rest of the end table first, 

then a deep brown, then a little yellow-green.

What do you think?

Okay, here's the before....

Big improvement, right?

Then, a close-up of the top...

Let me know what you think, I always love hearing from you!

Now linking to 

Metamorphosis Monday! 

and 

Transformation Thursdays!

Fit for a Princess!

My Little Princess Stool!

I have been sewing for years and of late I have been wanting to take on slip covers.  
My first one here is a simple one, but I am very proud of my little princess stool. 
I have shown step by step how I created it, if anyone has any suggestions on making it easier or better I would love to hear from you!

I have to thank my friend Amy from Maison Decor for suggesting this idea to go with a 
vanity that I have had for awhile. With no luck of finding a chair to fit in between the opening because it's too narrow, luckily I had a stool that was just right! I'll show a pic of the stool with the vanity in a later post.

Here's a close-up showing how beautiful the fabric is, this is heavy home decor fabric, 
can you believe I bought it for $3 a yard??!!  Great Deal.

Okay, here's the before pic. 

First I primed, painted in a bright white and distressed.

After the distressing was done, 

I added a cushioned seat with foam and batting, 

then covered with plain white fabric.

In order to get the size right for the top, 

I flipped the stool upside down and traced a circle around it on the fabric 

(leaving plenty of extra for sewing). 

 To get a good circle I folded it in quarters and cut the corner 

(I hope this makes sense). 

Then I created the piping (my first time : ) 

I also made cuts into the fabric and the piping to make it sit properly, 

here it is pinned together, now for sewing!

Then, I made the skirt. 

I went around the stool approx. twice so I would have plenty of fabric to gather. 

I hemmed the bottom and sewed ends together. 

For gathering I stitched around the top using a #4 straight stitch 

so I could pull and gather my fabric.

Here it is all gathered and pinned to the top, time to sew!

Here is the skirt stitched to the top, doesn't look right, does it?!  

At this stage I realized I should have created an edge with piping all around. 

I guess I was getting lazy and wanted to finish! I am going to create a band that goes all around the top, sewing it directly under the piping, that should do it!

I created a long, wide band, 

now I am ready to attach 

(let's hope this does the trick)! 

I am actually finishing this in the middle of the night 

(couldn't sleep)

pics are not great (not much light), 

still using camera in phone : 0 ... until I get a new one.

I think it did the trick!  

What do you think?  Fit for a princess? 

I'd love to hear any suggestions from you seasoned slip cover creators!

I can't wait to start a new one!

Now linking to:

Savvy Slate and Simeon!

Roofing Slate Turned Black Board 

& Our Newest Little Shopper, Simeon!

Minnie Pearl, watch out! 

 Little Simeon and his parents made a visit to Rustique...

He took a liking to vintage fashion sporting this hat, what a cutie!

Now for the Black Board!

I have had this black board paint for a few years and haven't put 

it to use until I received a little inspiration from Miss Mustard Seed.

My brother, (a contractor), asked if I would be interested in in some 

roofing slate (he's got a whole palette) of course I said YES!  

I would come up with something to use it for.  

This is one of my creations... start to finish... Enjoy!

This is how the slate looks before I do anything to it. 

As you can see, the slate already has two holes 

on either side, perfect for hanging!  

But I don't want to use the traditional rawhide to hang it, blah...

This is the chalk board paint I used, I think I bought it at Walmart.

Apply two coats : )

So instead of rawhide, I thought some vintage hardware would be really cool, 

they don't have to be the same, but maybe similar (both silver or gold or wood)

.

You will need to use washers and fairly short screws. 

I used picture wire to hang, just wrap under washer and around twice.

Make sure you season the surface (cover with chalk and wipe off)

(this was a great tip I received from Miss Mustard Seed also), 

other wise the first thing written in chalk will burn an image.

I also added these antique keys, you could add all kinds of things, 

I am going to try some vintage kitchen utensils next!

The finished product! 

I am going a little crazy with the black board paint 

so you'll see more projects using this technique!

FYI

Simeon's Mom, Annie, told me of a really cool project she is working on, 

so keep an eye out for that in an upcoming post!

An Appetite for Anaglypta!

This is a great end table for any room, 

it has a great amount of storage for such a small piece!

DAGNABIT!!!  

I almost always forget to take a proper before pic!  

I think you get the idea : )

 

The veneer on this piece was in rough shape,  

I removed the top and the bottom front, luckily it came off easily.

Now...  time to prime (I always use Zinsser Bin for glossy surfaces).

Priming done... time for paint, 
I am using a bright white with a hint of blue, 2 coats.

I needed to use something in place of the veneer so I decided to 
use embossed wallpaper (Anaglypta) to make this a really unique piece. 
One coat of paint, (I don't wait until the wallpaper is dry 
 and make sure you get it in all the nooks and crannies) 
then a layer of glazing to protect it.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do with the hardware, 
I decided to spray paint them white and distress them, 
I'm happy with the results!

TADA!!! 

Now linking to: