Thrift Store Pumpkin Makeover

September 23, 2019September 22, 2019Leave a comment

Good morning! Now that’s it’s officially fall, are you experiencing fall weather? This week we have a few cool days, a couple hot ones, and then it cools down for the weekend. I do love the cool nights and being able to cuddle under the blankets!

I found this paper mache’ pumpkin at a thrift store this past week. I liked the size, but didn’t like the shiny finish on it.

I took the stem off and then used some of the chalk paint I had on hand. I used what I thought was a cream colored chalk paint, but it was actually wax. I thought I would try it and it ended up working out.

I used a couple of coats of the wax and I like the chalk look much better.

I used Waverly ‘Mineral’ and Americana Decor ‘Heirloom’ and used a small paintbrush to brush small strokes of paint all over the pumpkin. I made sure to add some in the recesses, to give some shadow.

I also painted the stem with the ‘Mineral’ and ‘Heirloom’ paint and then glued it back on the top of the pumpkin.

I added the pumpkin to my mantel along with a couple of lanterns and a large pumpkin canvas I painted last year.

Just a few touches bring fall into the room!

I also bought a new candle from Bath and Body Works, Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin. Mmmm! It smells so good!

I love when I can take a thrift store item and remake it to be usable again! I also love when I don’t have to spend a lot of money to bring something ‘new’ to my home. What items have you made over? I would love to hear about it!

How to Cover RV Cushions Using Velcro

August 26, 2019August 26, 20192 Comments

Good morning! Is everybody back to school? My first day is today! I have to admit, I am a little nervous about how this year is going to go. I have a very full class and just the mixture of kids is going to be interesting. But I will give it everything I can to help these kids learn.

Last week I showed you my RV makeover. I am so excited about it! It just looks so great! Jump on over here if you missed it. I told you I would show you the little shortcut I took to cover the cushions. I did sew some straight seams, but you could also use the iron on kind of hem tape or something similar if you don’t sew. I am not much of a sewer, but I can sew a pretty straight seam and then fudge the rest. 🙂 Here are the cushions and the ugly faded curtains before.

As you can see above, I had a lot of cushions to cover. The one along the back seat is almost 7 feet long, the width of the trailer. Then there were 3 large seat cushions, 3 small back cushions and the two weird triangle ones in the corners. It took about 10 yards of material to cover them all. I had some pieces left over to make curtain tie-backs and make a reversible pillow.

I started with the easier rectangle ones. I cut out the fabric about 8 inches larger than the cushion on each side. This gave me enough material to double fold a hem and then fold over the cushion, about 3 inches thick, and then continue onto the back.

I ironed one fold around the edges and then folded again for a nice clean hem. I am planning on being able to remove these and wash them if needed, so I didn’t want any fraying to happen when washed.

I used both sew-on velcro and stick-on velcro. I sewed the velcro onto the edge of the fabric and used the stick-on velcro to put on the back of the cushion. My cushion backs have a vinyl back so it was easy to stick the velcro to it.

Once the velcro was sewn on, I folded the long sides up and over to the back of the cushion and matched up the velcro strips, attaching them together. Then I folded the ends like a present. I found it easier to place the sticky velcro onto the sewn-on velcro and then fold it over to stick to the vinyl. That way they matched up perfectly.

Here’s how the ends look. Nice and neat!

This is the back of the cushion. I didn’t have them meet all the way in the middle because I wanted to be able to use the vinyl to stick the velcro on. Plus, it’s on the back. Most people are not going to see it when it’s in the trailer.

I’m not even going to show you how I did the triangle ones. They are not pretty at all! I had a terrible time figuring them out, so they are just kind of velcroed everywhere to make them stay. Ha! No one will notice, right?

I love how everything came together!! I found my fabric at Hobby Lobby, but I did post some links to Amazon in the first post, here.

If you have any additional questions about how I covered the cushions, please don’t hesitate to ask! I’m so glad I took the time to do this project. It made such a huge difference! Thank you so much for coming by today!

I’m So Excited About My RV Makeover!

August 19, 2019August 13, 20197 Comments

Good morning! I’m so excited about this post today! If you are on Pinterest at all, you have probably seen a RV makeover. So many of them are amazing! I have always wanted to do one, but have a couple of reasons for holding back.

The only time I really have the time to do all the work in a full RV makeover is summer. Our summer has averaged between 95-108 degrees. Too hot to be out in a trailer!!
I don’t have a good place to work on the trailer. My trailer is parked in my driveway, right next to my neighbors yard. I wouldn’t have been able to pull stuff out of the trailer without constantly being in their yard. I don’t think they would appreciate it and I wouldn’t do that to them.
Did I mention it’s hot?!

Anyways, I had kind of put it out of my mind. Sort of. But then I realized, I could do a partial makeover. Duh! I could make some changes, but not go all out. My trailer is a 1999 Rockwood, 21 feet long, with the beds folding out of the ends. I knew I wanted to change out the fabric on the cushions and the curtains, which were very 1990’s. Of course, then my mind just kept spinning and I came up with more changes. Anyways, here are some of the before pictures.

Dining area and bed, table also makes into a bed

Kitchen

Refrigerator

Storage area and another bed in the back, bathroom on the right

That’s it in all it’s glory. In my makeover, I didn’t do any painting or major changes. The linoleum flooring really needs changing, but that will have to wait for another time. I am not much of a seamstress, but I managed to get the cushions covered with a slight short cut. I will show you a little here, but I will do another post next week to show you what I did. Here it is! I love it!!

The door is just on the other side of the refrigerator and you walk straight into the kitchen area. In the front is the seating area and then one of the beds that pulls down. You saw the table in the before pictures, but it is so big, it’s hard to get in and out of the seats, so we only use it when we actually have to use it for a bed.

I found the olive/grey striped fabric on clearance at Hobby Lobby for only $4.00 a yard. That was how I decided what colors to use! Lauren and I also found the cute trailer and camper fabric that I had to have! It makes the cutest pillows. The last fabric was the curtains, and these had the perfect colors so they all coordinated together.

Grey and White Fabric * Camper Fabric * Floral Fabric

I also used the fabric to make curtain tiebacks. I wasn’t going to make curtains to separate the beds from the rest of the trailer, but after making the the other new curtains, I couldn’t leave the old ones up! They looked terrible! All the curtains were faded, dirty and torn. I used some old curtains I already had on hand and put them up on curtain rods.

Instead of the large table, I used this little folding table in the middle. It looks so much cuter! I just found this towel and a coordinating one at the lake this past weekend. It is the perfect match to the colors I had used. And of course, hot cocoa is a must when camping!

Camping Life Towels * Tin Cup * Mocha Table * White Table

I also added a valance above the kitchen sink and the stove. There hadn’t been one at all before. This made it look much softer and ties in with everything else.

And this new pet bed! Isn’t it adorable! The bowls even match! We always take our dogs camping when we go, so I just had to have this! Of course, the turquoise is perfect! They came from Lakeside Collection, but I found similar ones on Amazon.

Camping Pet Dishes * Camping Pet Bed

I also painted the front of the refrigerator with chalkboard paint. The faux wood piece in the front just slid out so I was able to paint it outside the trailer. Now I can write down the menu for the weekend.

Bristro Chalk Marker * Chalkboard Spray Paint

Haley had given my these lights awhile ago, and I thought they would look cute in here. I hung them above the refrigerator along with the divided basket. I used some white foam tape on the bottom of the basket so it doesn’t move and fall off when we travel. This is the perfect place for a box of Kleenex and holding items such as keys, change and sunglasses.

Rattan String Lights * Divided Basket * White Foam Tape Squares

I love these canisters! My aunt and uncle were getting rid of these and I snatched them up! They are so retro! The lettering was for coffee and tea and I changed it with some scrapbook paper and stickers to coffee and cocoa. When we used to have a cabin at the lake, we had cups like these. Several years ago, I found these at a yard sale. I can’t believe how perfect they go with with all the other decor.

Black Canisters * Galvanized Canisters * Happy Camper Mug

Here’s a little sneak peek at how I covered the cushions.

I sewed the curtain tiebacks and added small plastic rings to the ends. Then I screwed a cup hook into the wall and can place the rings on the hook.

Cup Hooks * White Plastic Rings * Sew-on Velcro * Stick-on Velcro

I used the seashell specimen art I made a couple of years ago, to hang on the wall. Another blogger used Scotch Extreme Mounting Tape. It’s amazing! Even over all the terrible roads, none of the pictures or other items I hung up with this tape have fallen when we traveled.

Scotch Extreme Mounting Tape

I also painted this metal box to use as a shoe holder when we camp. It’s so much easier to have flip flops right by the door, so you can slip them on quickly to go in and out of the trailer. I painted the stripes with spray paint to match the ones on the shower curtain in the bathroom.

Galvanized Bin * Rustoleum Spray Paint

The hooks are a great place to hang our dogs’ leashes when not in use. Perfect! Isn’t this little lantern the cutest thing! It was an Avon aftershave bottle. I just poured out the aftershave and washed it out really well. 🙂

Command Key Rail * Tiny Coleman Lantern

I placed some old books and a candle up above the table. I used the same white foam tape to keep them from sliding around. I made the fabric banner a few years ago and hung it up across the front of the bed. It’s made from fabric squares and twine.

There was a hole here in the cupboard panel where we removed an old speaker. I painted a small piece of wood white, glued it to the panel and then hung the beach sign on it.

Beach Sign

The last thing I added was a Camping Rules chalkboard. This was an old sign I had and so I added some of the ‘rules’ and hung it next to the bathroom. It got rubbed against a few times during this weekend. 🙂 I need to get a new white chalk pen!

I don’t have a before of the bathroom because I changed this room before I decided to do the rest of the trailer. This wall used to have a medicine cabinet on it. I took it down and added these baskets to store all our personal items in. I added a little picture on the wall below the towel mostly to cover up some holes in the wall. The mirror on the right is the mirror from the medicine cabinet. We removed the mirror from the cabinet and hung it above the window.

Grey Plastic Bins * Seas the Day Plaque * Striped Shower Curtain

I hung up this striped curtain over the shower. It used to have just a plastic curtain, but this is so much cuter!

I bought this towel along with the other one on the little table because ‘This is how we roll!’ I also collect magnets from the different places we visit and place them on the oven door. I love the memories it brings back!

So what do you think? I love it! As I was sitting in the trailer this weekend, I looked around, and just love how it all looks together! I’m so happy I took the time to do this makeover! I would love to hear your comments! Thank you so much for coming by!

Master Bedroom Vintage Dresser Makeover with a White Wash

March 11, 2019March 9, 2019Leave a comment

Good morning! I’m back this week with a mini makeover! I have been trying to decide what to do with this dresser for quite awhile now. I had scrolled through Pinterest and did searches looking for an idea for a mid-century dresser that wasn’t too mid-century. So easy, right? This dresser had been my aunt and uncles, then my sisters’ when we all lived at home and has been mine since I got married. I’m not sure of the exact age.

When we first got it, it was painted dark brown. My husband sanded it all down and then we just left it as is. The wood is very soft and dirt and oils had absorbed into the wood.

I think this darker spot was from some candle wax.

My cat also decided to use this corner as a scratching post.

Since the wood is so soft, I was able to sand it by hand and all the dirt and oils came off pretty easy.

The scratches were a little more difficult. Some of them were pretty deep. I sanded as much as I could, but I would have had to sand a lot of the wood away if I was going to get it as smooth as possible. I left it like this and thought it would work out okay.

I used Benjamin Moore Simply White and watered it down. You can’t really tell in the picture, but it is pretty watery.

I used very little on the brush and even wiped some off before I started painting.

Once my brush was ready, I started brushing it over the surface until it all looked even.

I would still like to do something with the mirror and my husband is working on some kind of frame. I’ll let you know what happens with it!

Doesn’t it look so pretty!

I love the wood grain on here!

This little vintage dresser was my moms and aunts when they were little girls. It held their doll clothes and all my cousins and I used it too whenever we played at Grandma’s house. I use it for jewelry now, but it holds lot of great memories.

I added a few turquoise touches and my seashells.

I’m really happy how this dresser turned out! It was a nice simple refresh for the bedroom. Thanks for coming by today!

Here are some other posts you might have missed!

Creating Storage for My Seashells

July 31, 2018July 30, 20181 Comment

Good morning! It’s the last day of July! Can you believe it? Do have children getting rady to go back to school? Or maybe you are! I still have a few weeks left before I go back. So today I am heading to the zoo with Lauren and my two little nieces. It’s supposed to be over 100 degrees today (actually this will be 26 days in a row!), but we are going anyways! The zoo does have a water play area, so we will be spending time in there getting wet!

Last week, I pulled down a box from my closet, not even sure what was inside. It ended up being fabric. I wondered where those fabric pieces had gone to! For some reason, this time when I looked at the box, I came up with the perfect use for it! My seashells!

Here’s how I had them separated. Real classy, right? Yep, good ol’ ziplock bags!

I knew I needed more than just 4 compartments, so I dug through my scrapbooking paper and made some more dividers.

I measured each section and then cut pieces of paper a little larger than would fit across each one. I then folded the edges to create a place to glue. I cut 4 pieces and then varied where I glued them in, so that some of the spaces were bigger for my larger shells.

The dividers in the box weren’t exactly straight, so some of my pieces are a little bowed, but that won’t matter once the shells are in it.

The lid had one corner missing. I don’t even remember that happening, but I had to find away to fix it, at least a little bit.

I guess I forgot to take a picture, but I cut 2 little strips of cardboard and glued them on the side and around the corner. Then I glued a burlap ribbon over the while edge of the lid, so it was all covered up. You will see it in the finished pictures.

This is my ancient Cricut machine. I’m sure it’s an antique now.:) But it still mostly works! It took me forever to decide what I wanted to put on to of the box. I knew I wanted it to say ‘seashells’, but I couldn’t decide how I wanted to do it. Stickers, chipboard, paint? I looked through my stash, but finally decided I could get the style I wanted with my Cricut.

I love this paper! Once I had my letters cut out, I drew a chalk line on the box so I could keep my letters in a straight line and then glued the letters on. Once I had the letters afixed, I just wiped off the chalk.

Here is the side of the box. I added the ribbon to cover up the fixed edge and then added the sailor knot to cover the spot where the ribbon comes together. I added the label too, just in case I forget what’s in the box again. 🙂