Crafty Christmas: Framed Photo/Message Board

A few months ago, my aunt passed down some old frames to me and I've been itching to re-purpose them. Plus, my husband has lovingly dubbed a corner of our bedroom the "frame graveyard" so I figured it was time to get working and send them on their way.

My first project was a hit and I loved putting this one together for our Christmas-at-Thanksgiving tradition. It was hard to let this one go! 

Here's what I started with: an old wooden frame with lots of knicks and rough edges. After much sanding and then cleaning, I gave it multiple coats of spray paint. The white part of the frame is a cloth insert. I didn't know how well it would hold paint, but it did beautifully. 

I cut a few strands of twine and tied a knot at each end around flat pushpins. It's not a super strong hold, but  it also won't have much weight to bear.

And the finished product! I found some fabulous teeny tiny wooden clothespins that will look adorable holding photos, paint swatches, quotes and other mementos. And since this one went to my super cute and stylish teenage cousin, I had to make this one in her favorite colors. The paint color is Rustoleum's Lagoon (it's more of a teal than this picture shows) and the lavender flower is actually a Christmas ornament from Michael's that I hot glued directly onto the wood.

The Christmas crafting has begun around here! Have you been crafting lately? What presents are you DIY-ing this year?

Hello, Spray Paint, My Old Friend

I {love} watching someone's expression when you tell them you are planning to spray paint. Mainly because it's the same face I would have made about a year or two ago. The first blog post I ever read about spray painting furniture left me in complete disbelief - jaw dropped, arms crossed. It just couldn't be that simple...could it?

But project after project, I'm amazed at how ridiculously easy (and quick!) it is to transform just about anything with spray paint.

Above is the lovely I purchased for $2 at a thrift store. I walked in looking for a fluted or scalloped dish of some kind for my kitchen and this fit the bill perfectly. Except for one thing...it had to be white.

See, these are the colors I used to decorate with...all autumn colors. Had I had this little yellow dish a few years ago, it would have been perfect. But since we moved and I painted my kitchen a super bright fun green, I've been sticking with white accesories and a few earthy neutrals.

But for $2, I knew it was a great spray paint candidate. Until this project, I had never spray painted ceramics or pottery. I started early this morning before the heat and humidity could take over and laughed out loud when I read the back of the can that said to only use it when temps are below 95 and humidity is less than 85%. That would mean pretty much never in Texas.

But one thing is for sure when spray painting. Bugs will always find the wet paint...

Despite the bug glitch, the project turned out exactly as I'd hoped. The spray paint went on smoothly, dried quickly and didn't leave streaks (imagine how many brush strokes there would have been had I used regular paint?!).

I used a semi-gloss because it is what I had on hand, but in the future I'll remember to use high-gloss for ceramic pieces to keep the original sheen look.

Perfect.

**It goes without saying, but dishes that are spray painted probably aren't food-safe. Check your labels!**

What have you spray painted lately?

Linking to:

Fresh Coat Fridays >

Garage Sale Vanity to TV Console

Oh, sad little garage sale desk. I found it with a $15 sticker on it and offered the seller $10. She gladly took it. I think even she knew that I was going to have my hands full refinishing this one.
It had been passed down through her family, serving alternately as a vanity and desk. When I opened the drawers to check it out they were crammed full of papers, crayons and all things little girl. It was filthy, but in relatively good shape. I just knew I could make it pretty.

Once I started working on it, I really wondered if I hadn't bitten off more than I wanted to chew...

There was wood glue that was well past its prime, scrapes, scuffs and marks everywhere.

Even alphabet stickers.

The drawers weren't in awesome shape, but they were an easy fix. Especially since they won't be opened and closed every day.

I wiped the entire thing down with wet rags. You wouldn't believe the amount of dirt and cobwebs I cleaned off. {OK, my husband cleaned off the cobwebs...}

Then I sanded it down with a power sander. It was my first time to use one, and I must say it makes a world of difference. I don't know that I'll ever go back...

After I wiped it down again and let it dry, I primed with Kilz spray primer, and added two coats of leftover white paint we had in the garage. And voila...

The knobs came from Hobby Lobby's half-price sale. They were $13 total and totally worth it. I think they really made the piece.

Right now, the computer and Xbox/DVD player sit on top, but I'm cookin' up a strategy to hide them underneath. And those cords are going into hiding ASAP.

Remember my blue chair? I still love her.

I originally envisioned this piece in my entryway but I don't think it's going anywhere.

After all that work, my totals are... $10 for the vanity, $4 for primer, the paint was leftover and free, and the knobs were $13.

Total: $27! Not too bad!

Doesn't it give you the garage sale-ing itch?!

Linking to:

Kojo Designs Fresh Coat Fridays