Dio de la Muertos Shadowbox

September 21, 2020September 19, 2020Leave a comment

Good morning! We finally had a cool off!! The smoke is disappearing, there is a small breeze and the weather is beautiful! I’m not sure how long it will last, but I will enjoy it while I can!

Have you started thinking about fall yet? I added some neutral decor, so not too fallish yet, but I couldn’t wait to make something to add to my CoCo and Dio de la Muertos Ofrenda table.

I found this small shadowbox at a local thrift store. I originally bought it for something else, but the pieces I was going to add to it were too big. So after wandering through the 99 Cent Store, I was inspired by all the Day of the Dead decor. The first step was to paint the shadowbox black. Of course, I used spray paint. 🙂

It was difficult to find items small enough to fit into the spaces, but I was able to find a couple of skeletons, cat salt and pepper shakers, and brightly colored flowers. Then I went through my scrapbooking paper to find paper for the backgrounds.

I cut out a piece of heavy weight paper to cover the heart at the top of the house. Then I covered that paper with floral and polka-dot paper.

The skeletons were actually the little solar things you put in your window and they dance, but I cut off the bottom part and then hot glued the skeletons into the top section of the house. I also added some turquoise rhinestones.

I cut the flowers off the stems and then glued them around the top edge of the house. You can see the rest of the paper that I chose for each square too. The black and white toile paper reminds me of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland.

I had to add a dog to the box and because he was a little bit bigger he got the middle spot. I also gave him a black velvet bow.

One of the black cats was added to a spot with a pretty pink flower on its collar.

I had this paper stamped with the lock already in my stash and then added the key and the rhinestones.

I couldn’t find another small item, so I made this little sombrero out of felt, ribbon and trim.

I found the little dollhouse chair at the Dollar Store, spray-painted it black and glued the skeleton onto the seat.

I added it to the other items I already had on my entryway table. I will be sharing the the Dio de la Muertos hanging next week.

I hope I can find more shadowboxes and create different ones for holidays and seasons. I think one with pumpkins and little trucks would be so cute!

Thank you for stopping by today! Hope you have a great week!

What I Have Been Up To-Recycled Box to Planter

August 12, 2020August 11, 20204 Comments

Good morning! I can hardly believe summer is coming to an end, on the calendar anyways! We will be very hot for awhile yet. But that’s ok by me!

Here is one project I was able to complete this summer. My husband brought this big box home from work. It took me a bit to figure out how to recycle it into something useful, but I finally did. I knew it would be a great planter for the back yard.

The first thing I did was to remove any nails and stickers. I then patched the holes where the nails had been.

I painted all the edges of the box, the ends, and the top of the inside with white paint. I knew I was going to cover up the middle sections on the sides with wood, so I didn’t worry about the middle.

Once the paint was dry, I drilled two holes in both ends of the box.

I ran rope through the holes and tied knots on the inside.

I found a bunch of pieces of scrap wood and cut them all the same length. I painted them with all the different colors I already had in my garage. 🙂 Then I sanded them a bit to give them a worn look.

I laid the pieces out to make sure they would be randomly placed and then nailed them on both sides of the box.

I didn’t want all the dirt and water to rot the wood, so I cut a piece of plastic to line the box with. It took two of us, but we stapled the plastic to the inside of the box. I don’t have a picture, but I filled the bottom of the box with plastic bottles and then filled the rest with potting soil.

Next I filled it with some plants and a few other decorations.

Pieces of driftwood, seashells and rocks fill in some of the empty spaces until the plants start to grow.

I found this Mickey and other pieces at Dollar General and knew he would be perfect here!

I added a few fairy lights too which look so pretty in the evening.

I like adding a few special touches to my patio and enjoy spending time out here! Have you made anything for your patio or porch this summer? I would love to hear about it!

Here are some posts you may have missed!

How To Use Spray Paint for Home Decor

July 20, 2020July 14, 2020Leave a comment

Good morning! I posted this last year, but figured it wouldn’t hurt to put it out there again for you all!

Summer time is my time to get some larger projects done at home. We are finishing up a lot of the work in the living room and I am so pleased with how it is turning out! What a huge difference flooring and opening up spaces does to a room. I can’t wait to show you all! I have a few more things to finish up and then it will be ready to go!

Last week, my favorite blogger, KariAnne, from Thistlewood Farms, blogged about spray painting different items for your home. Please hop over and take a look! I started thinking about all the items I have spray painted. In fact, my mom laughs at me when I say, ‘Just spray paint it!” 🙂 So I thought I would make my own list too. Some of the items are the same as Karianne’s, but most are different. There are just so many options!

1. Frames

I have painted SO many frames!! I find the outdated ones with fancy woodwork on them at the thrift store, take them home and spray paint them. You can paint them any color to match your decor. I have made mine into chalkboards, Christmas decor, or gasp! an actual frame!

2. Outdoor Furniture

Spray paint is a great way to refresh our outdoor furniture. The furniture can get faded and worn over time and this revives it. Be sure to clean the pieces well before painting. These Adirondack chairs are plastic and were a hunter green color, so I pulled out my favorite turquoise color and they look great! In fact, I just repainted them a couple of weeks ago! I also used spray paint on the metal furniture. Black is a great basic color and makes them look fresh and clean.

3. Dishes

I wouldn’t recommend actually using these painted dishes to eat off of, but its great for decor pieces. The pitcher had an 80’s design on it, but a few coats of white spray paint and it is up to date.

4. Home Decor

Do you have a vase you really like, but the color doesn’t go with your decor? Or find a piece in the thrift store, but it doesn’t match? That’s right! Paint it! This cow was too cute to pass up. A fresh coat of white paint, and she is perfect!

5. Indoor Furniture

I have painted beds, dressers, chairs and so many other furniture pieces. I usually paint larger pieces by hand. But if the piece is rattan or wicker, spray paint is so much easier. It can get into all the little spaces better than a brush. I used white spray paint on this rattan table for my living room.

6. Lamps

Again, wicker is so much easier to paint with spray paint. You can also use paint for the base of an outdated table lamp. Put a pretty new shade on it and you are all set.

7. Wooden Signs

I spray painted the background on this sign and then hand painted the letters. This will work for any piece of wood. On the second sign I added chip letters to form the word ‘Laundry.”

8. Planters

I made these planters years ago from a concrete block, but I have also painted regular ceramic or plastic flower pots. Spray paint is great for covering any type of surface!

There you go! 8 different ways to use spray paint, and there are so many more! What have you transformed with spray paint? I would love to hear from you! Thank you so much for following along!

Disney’s Mickey Lego Table Makeover

May 26, 2020May 26, 20201 Comment

Hey everyone! It’s been awhile since I have been here! I have missed you all and your sweet comments! I have several projects I have completed, but just haven’t sat down to post them. It’s hot this weekend though, so I thought this was a perfect time!
I bought this child’s Lego table a while ago at a garage sale and had it in my classroom, The paint was getting pretty worn, so I finally brought it home and gave it a makeover. I guess I have been missing Disney, because I have done a couple of Disney projects including this one!
I started out by sanding the chairs a bit. The paint was glossy, so I knew it would need some sanding. I used 120 grit paper and sanded by hand so I could get into all the crevices.

Once the chair was sanded, I painted 2 coats of Kilz Primer. I probably should have done 3 coats! The blue just wanted to keep seeping through. After the primer was dry, I painted 2-3 more coats of semi-gloss white paint.

Once the paint had dried, I wanted to add a Mickey Mouse head shape onto the chair seat. I printed out a Mickey head silhouette onto cardstock paper, cut out the shape and then used it as a stencil. I used a small brush to paint blue inside the stencil. I painted a couple of coats of blue.

Next, I did the same on the table, but this time I DID paint 3 coats of primer. It made covering the red much easier.

I wanted to protect the pieces better so the paint wouldn’t wear off so easily, so I brushed on 2 coats of Minwax Polyurethane on all the pieces.

I didn’t take pictures, but I also painted a small Mickey head on each side of the table using the same technique as above.

I really like the color scheme for this table and chairs! The kids at school loved playing with Lego’s and it was one of the activities I enjoyed doing with them.

Of course, the Disney and Mickey theme is perfect for our family and the turquoise and white colors are perfect for my home!

I even managed to make a pretty good ‘D’ out of the Lego’s I had!

I hope you enjoyed this makeover! I would love to hear your comments! I would also love it if you would pin the image below!

Here are some other Disney posts you might enjoy!

Easy St. Patrick Day Ideas

March 16, 2020March 15, 2020Leave a comment

Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day! Are you ready? Do have your green on? I found a few simple and quick ideas you can still get done before tomorrow!

This is such a cute idea for your kiddos! I would have done this with my preschoolers, but it’s good for older kids too.

Kids love to marble paint! And every design looks great! Add a little gold glitter to look even more festive!

Looking for some snacks? This looks delicious!

I actually made this one for my Bunco group! They loved it! Just be sure to use small cups or buy lots of Skittles! There aren’t many red ones in the bag.