Coffee Table Makeover

Yesterday, I gave you a sneak peek at my latest project.  I was working on a coffee table makeover.  Well, I finished it!  Woohoo!  Here's the $8 table before -

The top was a little rough so I applied some wood putty -

Then I sanded the whole thing down.  After a coat of Kilz Oil Based Primer, I applied three coats of Valspar Du Jour (I had it left over from another project that I'm working on).  But I wanted to give this table a little bit of interest, so I grabbed some supplies from Michael's -

A pack of Martha Stewart stencils, stencil adhesive and craft brushes.  That whole trip cost me $20 but I can reuse all of it so it was worth the investment.  Then I applied two coats of Olympic Secret Passage.  Here's the after -

I think it is sooo much better now.  I may have to stencil more often!

I've linked this project here -

Tatertots and Jello
Addicted 2 Decorating
Funky Junk Interiors
Dittle Dattle
Craft O Maniac
Between Naps on the Porch
The DIY Home Sweet Home Project
Polly Want a Crafter
Today's Creative Blog
The Blackberry Vine
Confessions of a Stay at Home Mommy
Funky Polkadot Giraffe
A Diamond in the Stuff
Primitive and Proper
Savvy Southern Style
Passionately Artistic
Handy Man Crafty Woman
733
Creations by Kara
Beyond the Picket Fence
Fireflies and Jellybeans
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Ohh Baby Designs
Thirty Handmade Days
Funky Junk Interiors
Between Naps on the Porch

My Ballard Knock Off

So the other night, I was relaxing on the couch, watching HGTV (I'm not sure what was on but it was probably "All American Handyman".  I like that show - mainly because I like power tools.  And even though I have never built a wooden gate or installed crown moulding, I have always wanted to give it a try).  Anyway, my husband turned to me and asked "What project did you do today?"   And I replied "I spray painted an old vase white." And before I could explain further, he asked "Can you use white spray paint after labor day?"  Haha.  Yea, he's funny too..

Now let me explain this easy project - I love looking through Ballard Design and Pottery Barn catalogs but I don't end up ordering much.  Oh once in a while, I find something that is really great that I just can't live without (believe me that doesn't happen often).  But sometimes I just like looking at all of the eye candy. It is really inspiring. And I like the challenge of doing it myself.  Cheaper.  Because let's face it, some of those great little pieces are really expensive.  So when I came across this at Ballard Designs-

I thought "How can I make these?  Because there is no way I could feel comfortable paying $59 for one of these ceramic forms.  Beautiful yes.  But kinda pricey.  Then I thought about all of the junk that I've been transforming and realized that I had something very similar to this shape.  An old free glass vase (I'm sure it came with some flower arrangement years ago) -

I took it outside with Rustoleum Gloss White -

And gave it a few light coats of paint.  I sprayed inside and out.

I know it's not a perfect knock off, but it was free.  And I think it looks great.  Even if it is out of season...

What I'm Doing - and Thanks!

It's been really busy over here - I've been working on a few projects at the same time.  I have already started painting that hutch I bought on Craigslist last week -

It is looking great - but it is taking a while (I guess it's a little bigger than I thought...).  I know it will be worth all of the effort.  And I'm also tackling some smaller projects - stuff I can put on display on all of those shelves.  I've been trying to do this without spending a fortune.  So you know what that means - I'll be sharing another junk transformation later today!  And since I like to multi-task, I have been painting another piece of furniture too.  It's a coffee table that I bought at the flea market over the summer -

I got a great deal on it - only $8 - since I bought it with 2 other items.  Although this table has sat in my garage for a while, the table and stool that I brought home with it have already been fixed up.  Remember these -

That's the little stool that I put in my daughters' room.  I explained that makeover here.  And -

This cute table (which is also in my daughters' room.  They get all the good stuff...).  You can see the before here.

Anyway, the coffee table is almost finished and I can't wait to share the after pictures hopefully tomorrow.

In other news - I've been featured!  Thanks Laurie at Handy Man, Crafty Woman  for choosing my Rosemary Red Potatoes -

You can check out how I make these here.  Which reminds me - I need to make these soon.

And thanks to Allie at What Allie's Making Now for featuring my white ceramic pears -

If you haven't seen the before, check it out here.

So that's what's going on over here.  I'm going to get back to that coffee table now...

Halloween Pinecones

Halloween is just around the corner and I wanted to give my home a fun little decoration.  Since my kids are getting a little older, I don't really go all out at this time of the year.  They aren't as into Halloween as they used to be.  But it's still nice to be have some fun. (By the way, I don't do too much outside either because my neighbor LOVES Halloween and decks out his whole yard.  It's an amazing sight actually and people come from all over to see it.  I'm not even sure if people notice my house after being over there.)

So remember when I explained that I bought a huge glass bowl?  Well, I had a great idea - or so I thought.  I sent my daughter out to collect pine cones. And she came back in with the tiniest pine cones I've ever seen.  And they were all closed up.  And a little muddy.  And I think there were bugs in them.  Well, they weren't exactly what I had pictured.  So, I ran over to Michael's and bought bags of pine cones.

They were on clearance for $2.99 a bag (I bought 4 bags).  Then I grabbed some spray paint at Lowe's (because I love spray painting) -

After the paint dried, I tossed them into the bowl - in the classic candy corn order  ;-)

Now the bowl sits in my family room (on the dresser I transformed) -

Now, I just have to stay away from all of the candy I bought...

I've linked this project here -

The DIY Home Sweet Home Project
Creations By Kara
Beyond the Picket Fence
The CSI Project
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Today's Creative Blog

Field Trip - Christina's Adventures!

I am very excited to be going on another blogging field trip - I'll be guest posting over at Christina's Adventures today!  How fun is that?  If you haven't checked out her site yet, I HIGHLY recommend giving it a look.  Christina is incredibly talented - and her blog is filled with great ideas.

I am also working on a few different projects right now - and I can't wait to share some of them with you in the next few days!  I have a fun seasonal idea - and an easy not-so-seasonal idea (as my husband pointed out...).  I'll explain everything later this week.

And finally, I want to thank Jamie at The DIY Home Sweet Home Project for featuring my easy art project -

Pottery Barn Gift Card Giveaway!

Well this is exciting!  Head over to Not Just a Housewife right now to enter for a chance to win a $100 Pottery Barn gift card!!



Stacy is offering this giveaway through Hometalk.com.  Hometalk.com is a FREE site where you can talk to professionals (and DIY junkies) about home projects.  I'm heading over to Hometalk.com right now to sign up - I can't wait to check it out!
Good luck everyone!

Knock Off Decor - Check It Out!

I am so excited to be featured over at Knock Off Decor today!  If you aren't familiar with that site - you really need to check it out!  Beckie features all sorts of projects that are based on products seen in very popular high end stores.  Today, she is featuring my pear redo -

Do you remember these?  I bought them at Salvation Army for $1.88.  I wasn't crazy about the color but I knew that was an easy fix.  So, I took them outside and gave them a few light coats of Rustoleum Gloss White -

Now I love them!  And it seems that I'm not the only one into pears - I found a similar set at Ballard Design - for $35 (that's for the small one - $49 for the large)!!

Don't get me wrong - I think these are great.  I just couldn't bring myself to part with that much money on pears.  So, I'm happy with mine.

Thanks again Beckie!!

Free Candlestick Makeover

I want to share a fun little project that I did this week.  As I have mentioned, I am transforming old junk that I have around the house.  I am trying to find creative ways to use things that have lived in the backs of cabinets and closets for years.  As we all know, it can cost a fortune to accessorize a house - and I do not want to spend a fortune.   If you're still counting, this is junk transformation number three.  You can check out the other transformations here and here.

This time I started with a pair of candlesticks -

I decided to wrap them in jute - which I already had from this project.  I started from the bottom, and applied a dot of hot glue to the candlestick -

I continued to apply hot glue and press the jute in to place.  Around and around -

I stopped near the top - leaving the wood exposed - which allowed me to tuck the jute under a ridge to hide the end -

I purchased two white candle at Walmart for $1.88 each.  And here is what they look like now -

I moved them into the dining room - which I just painted.  (check out that before and after here.) -

I really like the dark wood around the top of the candlestick - it complements the dark wood from the mirror frame.  And other than a couple of bucks to buy new candles, the whole project was free!  Here's the before and after -

So much better!

I've linked this project here -

Between Naps on the Porch
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A Diamond in the Stuff
Today's Creative Blog
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Chic on a Shoestring
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Dittle Dattle
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Under the Table and Dreaming
Funky Junk Interiors

Feeling Blue...Accessories That Is

It has been a very busy week!  I've been working on many different projects - both big and small.  I'm still working on my foyer (which will take a while...) but I'm taking breaks to tackle small projects.  Oh and that hutch I bought off of Craigslist the other day - I already bought the paint for it.  I just couldn't wait.  I'm ready to dive in.  This could become my new favorite project (as of right now - this dresser is my favorite project).  Take one last look -

Because it will be very different soon!  And - since I knew I'd need to fill all of those shelves up with cute little accessories, I've been working on some projects already.  Starting with this old candlestick -

Does it look familiar?  It was part of the old junk I found (which I wrote about here).  I described my first junk transformation here.  So, I guess this is junk transformation two (if you're counting).  I grabbed some spray paint at Walmart (for $3.48) and took the old candlestick outside -

I know - you were probably expecting me to go white (I've done the white spray paint thing a lot - check it out here and here.) but I wanted to be a little bolder.  I chose Krylon Global Blue in gloss. After a few light coats (and a new white candle from Walmart), I now have this -

Well that's a little bolder!  And I love it.  I can't wait to add it to the new hutch.  And for $5.48 (paint and candle) - it's a very inexpensive project.  I'm happy to say that I do have a lot of extra paint in that can.  I'm looking around to find something else that should be blue...

I also want to thank Melanie at Bear Rabbit Bear for featuring my Dresser Makeover this week -

And Michelle at Delicate Construction for featuring my Easy Art Project -

Thank you Melanie and Michelle - I really appreciate the acknowledgement!!