Upcycled Coffee Cans for Bridal Shower Centerpieces

August 15, 2016August 14, 20168 Comments

coffee can makeover bridal shower centerpieces burlap and pommegranites

Hello! How was everybody’s weekend? Was it busy or relaxing? I pretty much stayed at home, getting things ready for the bridal shower I am hosting. I did get to enjoy a frosty on Saturday and a competitive game of Pirates of the Caribbean Life on Sunday. Such an exciting life I lead! LOL!

I did get these cans done over the weekend for the bridal shower. This is such a simple project! I had a couple of coffee cans, my mom had a few and she also found one at a yard sale, which she was given for free. I had received the burlap this summer and my husband had cut the wood slices for me a couple of years ago. You can see my other wood slice projects here. I used the Waverly chalk paint in Mineral and Plaster. These paints can be found at Walmart.

I started with the Plaster color and just brushed it all over the can. As you can see, you can still see the red color through the paint.

I painted a second coat of Plaster and then added touches of Mineral all over the can. I dry-brushed it on and just kept brushing till it was blended in. Chalk paint dries quickly, so painting several coats doesn’t take too long.

I cut pieces of the burlap ribbon long enough to fit around the can with just a little overlap in the back. I hot glued it into place.

All wrapped up! I then added a wood slice to the front of each with hot glue.

I added the initials and names of the bride and groom onto the wood slice with brown sharpie so it looks like it is woodburned into it.

I added pomegranate branches into each can, simply because I have 2 trees full of them. I placed a smaller jar inside the can to help hold the branches upright.

I think these will look really nice on the tables as centerpieces for the bridal shower. I can reuse them later just by removing the wood slice. So you will probably see them reappear again sometime!

This is such a simple and quick project. It’s also a great way to upcycle some of those tin cans you might have in your recycle bin. They could be painted any color that fits your color scheme and any kind of ribbon could be added to it. Let your creativity flow!!

Candlestick Plus Newspaper Equals Awesome!

August 12, 2016August 11, 20168 Comments

Hello everyone! I am reposting this awesome project from June of 2015. I love how it turned out and love having these as decoration in my apartment. So, here is my tutorial on how to decorate a wooden candlestick with decoupage and newspaper.

Mom was cleaning her room and found this candlestick. Now, I have the same candlestick in my bedroom. I covered it in newspaper by means of decoupage and love how it looks. So, I decided to do the same thing for this candlestick. And here is what I used.

I had a newspaper that my roommates and I got for free, mod poge from Michaels, sponge brushes, a small bowl to put the mod poge in, paper towels, and tv shows to watch as I was decoupaging.

I tore the newspaper into small pieces to make it easier to decoupage onto the candlestick. I then got the sponge brush damp with the mod poge and lightly coated it over the piece of newspaper. Because newspaper is thin, it doesn’t require that much mod poge to make it stick to the candlestick. I used only pieces with words on them because I was afraid of the color from pictures bleeding through.

So after two nights of mod poging, approximately 4 hours of work, the candlestick was complete!

Currently it is sitting on my Salvation Table, which you can seehere, along with some of mom’s decorations. I might be taking this to my apartment to decorate in the living room area. I like the look of the newspaper, something that could be modern or vintage looking. This project was fun and something that I know I will be doing more of this summer!

Rattan Plate Holders plus a Nautical Tablescape

August 1, 2016July 31, 201613 Comments

Do you ever have an item you know you want to do something with, but it takes forever to figure out what? That’s me. All the time. I have had these paper plate holders for years. I saw, in a magazine, how they painted them pretty colors. Ok, I can do that. But should I make them all the same, or different colors, and what colors? Oh decisions, decisions!

I finally decided on grey, because…I had the paint already. 🙂 Then Haley came up with the pattern idea.

The first step was to paint them all grey and let them dry. I always use the Rustoleum Ultra Cover. Love this stuff!

Then I wanted to put a white stripe across the middle with a number in it. I measured out how large the stripe would have to be so the number would fit and then used the piece of cardboard to tape off the rest of the plate.

I taped scrap paper onto the plate with painters tape. This way I won’t get white paint on the grey.

They came out pretty well!

Now came the number. I took an old magazine cover and cut out a square that matched the size of the stencil.

It’s kind of hard to tell, but here is the square. I taped the stencil to the paper and then pressed it flat against the plate holder. I used turquoise for the numbers.

Once they were all dry, I was ready to set the table for a night of Al Fresco dining!

When I told Haley I was doing a nautical theme, she asked if it was different then beach theme. I had to think a bit, but yes, in my mind it is a bit different.

Nautical is more boats, ropes, and glass floats. Beach would be more sand and shells. At least that is how my mind categorizes it!! 🙂

I did add a few shells and my favorite whale to the table along with glass floats and some rope.

I love how the striped runners look under the plates. I got them from Target last fall.

It was starting to get a bit dark on these last pictures, so they are a little grainy.

I love how this turned out and really glad I finally did something with these plate holders. Now if I can only come up with ideas for the dozens of other items I have!!

Here’s a few other tablescapes you might be interested in!

Steps to Painting Farmhouse Chairs with a Brush

June 13, 2016June 12, 20167 Comments

Happy summer! I have so many projects to do! Eeekkk! One at a time, right?

So I started with my kitchen chairs. I have the chairs that actually belong to my grandma’s table, but they were getting so much use, I didn’t want them to get too worn out. So when the girls were young, we bought 6 oak ones at a liquidation store. Nothing fancy, just something to have around the table. But by now, they were pretty worn too. Paint time!

I know there are lots of different ways to paint and products to use, but I thought I would share what works for me. This time I used just a good old brush and can of paint. I am going to try chalk paint next time and I would like to try a sprayer too, just sayin’!

I cleaned up the chairs, removing dust and any leftover food. I find it easiest to turn the chairs upside down so I can make sure all the underneath is primered and painted well. I didn’t sand this time, and the primer seemed to hold pretty well.

There are hundreds of different primers out there, but Kilz is the one I like the best. It goes on thick and covers really well. I have never had any problems with it not adhering or peeling off.

After the underside of the chairs was dry, I turned them over and primered the top. Be sure to let all the coats dry before starting a new one. I painted just one coat of primer on all the chairs.

As you can see, I had a very curious kitty come by to see what I was doing! I debated about leaving the pawprints because they looked so cute, but I did end up painting over them. The kitty does still have paint on her ear though!

Once all the primer was dry, it was time for the paint! I followed the some pattern as with the primer. Turn the chairs over and start underneath. When it’s dry, paint the top. I used Orchard Supply brand paint, Benjamin Moore’s Cloud White. I did paint a second coat of the paint, but I purposely did not do complete coverage.

I wanted the chairs to have more of a farmhouse look to them. A little worn. Plus I don’t have to worry if the dogs or cats do a little scratching on them.

Again, wait for everything to dry and then add a protective finish over the whole chair. I used Minwax Water Based Polycrylic Finish. It goes on very smoothly and dries quickly. It’s not tacky to the touch and it cleans up great.

They are all ready to sit at the table again! I love the white! What a difference! I have 2 more to paint and then the farmhouse table. I am going to do the table with chalk paint. I will let you know how that goes!

So fresh and clean! I think Ezzy likes them too!

I will see you next time with the table! Have a great week!

Laundry Room Update! Still Not Done :(

May 9, 2016May 8, 201623 Comments

Is it summer vacation yet! I feel like I am really falling behind on getting things done around the house! This laundry room has been a looooooong process. Honestly, I am not sure it will ever be completely done. I will just keep calling it my ‘half’ room. Half of a floor, half painted, half a washer and dryer… see what I mean? Maybe someday. But I can give you a little update :).

Remember the lockers? They are successfully installed into the laundry room! I love them! Haley keeps telling me I need little chalkboards on each one labeling what’s inside! Steve added some shelves inside a few of them so I could store more items, like cleaning supplies and such.

Here you get a little peek at them on the sides. The big door hides the water heater plus stores a few other items like the mop and broom. Steve added some wood around it so it wasn’t just a big piece of plywood, but obviously that is only half done too. I haven’t got the painting done yet.

I also have been working on a sign for the room that should have only taken a couple of hours, but has been weeks instead. I think this whole project is just not supposed to happen! It has just been one thing after another.

I took a scrap piece of wood and painted it white. I had a frame which was cut down to fit around the piece of wood. But…it didn’t fit quite right either. Wow. Oh well. I used it anyways.

When I started writing this post, I realized I didn’t have the pictures for the letters that spelled out ‘laundry’, but I did have ones for ‘patio.’ So that is what we are going to work with! I have had these chipboard letters for years and I am trying to use them up by making words with whatever is left. I had some for ‘patio’ and ‘laundry.’

I picked out pieces of scrapbooking papers that were in the colors I wanted to use. I had lots of pieces at home, but there are lots of pretty designs at the craft stores too. Then I figured out the order I wanted them to go in. Play around with different layouts until you find what is pleasing to you.

I turned my paper over and laid the letter on it backwards. I traced around the letter and then cut it out.

Now I am ready to attach them. I used Modge Podge for mine. I brushed some onto the letter and then smoothed my paper down on top. I also brushed some Modge Podge over the top of the paper after it was aligned with the chipboard.

After all my letters were dry, I glued them onto the board. I laid them out first so I could see how much spacing I would need. I used tacky glue to attach them. I weighted them down with some book for awhile so they would be firmly glued on.

Now that you have all seen the ‘patio’ letters, let’s move on to ‘laundry’, shall we?

Here it is! The letters attached really well after being weighted down. Just that corner thing…

Here’s the corner, in all its glory. Maybe I can figure something out to cover it or put over it. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear it!