Beauty in Blue... Vintage Desk Makeover

I am so excited to share this furniture makeover with you! Between a full-time job and 2 kids (not to mention a really tiny home in which to work), I don't get as many large projects done as I'd like. It's a shame, too, because they really don't take very long when you're using chalk paint. It dries so quickly and is so easily distressed. But, with limited time, it is what it is. Anyway, on to the show! 

This old gal was one of our very first furniture purchases. We bought it from a craigslist ad and I've had it in my home for quite some time now, actually using it to store my odds and ends of the business (sandpaper, hardware, you name it!). But I've been dying to paint it for awhile and I finally got everything cleared out of it and moved it to my work space. My work space, at least in the winter, consists of a (maybe) 8' x 4' area in front of my washer and dryer! lol. It's the best I've got so we make do. And the kids are very aware that they must leave whatever is in the work space alone! That being said, they did slip this weekend and attempt to spin a top on my new desk surface! Yes... a spinning top! Thought I might have to put them outside in the snow after that one! :)

After all, I had sanded the top of this beauty down, stained it 3 times with my favorite dark stain and put 3 coats of poly on it. After all that hard work, I didn't want to redo it! Again! Which is precisely what I told them. And they proceeded to keep their paws off! 

When it came to choosing a color scheme for this desk, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I had pinned a Miss Mustard Seed project long ago, when we first started this little venture we call On A Whim. She had painted a very similar desk with these colors and I simply fell in love when I saw it. I just love the Annie Sloan™ Old White and the dark wood top together. And the Duck Egg Blue on the drawer fronts and the sides is simply a perfect match with those. When I happened to get some Duck Egg for another project, I just knew I needed to work on this old desk! 

The previous owners had taken good care of her. I did fill in a few dings on the sides and top. But not all of them. I kept a few smaller marks on the top because I knew they would end up adding to this girl's character when she was all brand new. 

After painting/waxing/distressing/staining I just love how this Beauty in Blue turned out.

How about you?

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We're sharing this makeover at...

Serendipity and Spice

Tweak It Tuesday at The Cozy Little House

Monday Funday Link Party at Creatively Living

The Rustic Pig

Savvy Southern Style

Whimsy Wednesday

It's Party Time at Three Mango Seeds

The Shabby Creek Cottage

Live Laugh Rowe

A Delightsome Life

Made U Look Linky at Made In A Day

French Country Cottage

The Charm of Home

Pretty Things Link Party at Twelve O Eight

Between Naps on the Front Porch Paint It Linky Party at Liz Marie Blog

Jar of Hearts

I was home last Friday with a sick kid. And I'm talking really sick! He eventually had to take a rest, so I decided to work on a quick, little project while he slept. 

I grabbed a jar I had already painted with Old White Annie Sloan Chalk Paint™, my box of ribbon and my mom's old tin of buttons, and set out to make something or another. 

I knew I wanted to do something with a heart on it, but wasn't sure what I wanted to make the heart out of. I looked around my supplies and found the perfect material: some thin scraps of corkboard. I cut the heart out of the cork, freehand, and then painted the edges with Primer Red ASCP™ to give it a little more definition. 

 I picked out a red gingham ribbon and glued it to the jar, then added some twine. Next I glued the cork heart over the ribbon, adding a cute pink button in the center. :)

When I went to take some pictures of my project, I realized I needed to put something in the jar for the photo shoot. Well, I didn't really have anything laying around. So, I quickly got out some skewers and broke them off to make them different lengths. Then I grabbed some red scrapbook paper with pink stripes and cut some hearts out of it, freehand again. I taped them to the skewers, inserted them into the jar with a little bit of paper for filler and then, suddenly, my little heart jar became a Jar of Hearts.(I just so happen to be a BIG Christina Perri fan, by the way!)

Sharing this craft at...

Anything Goes at Eye Heart Mondays

Making the World Cuter Monday

The Girl Creative

Tin Can Lid Upcycling Project for Valentine's Day

When is comes to tin can lids, I've got you covered! With 2 little kids around the house, we eat plenty of soup and spaghettios so tin cans and lids are never in short supply! And I'm always trying to figure out another good way to put them to good use. Today I'll share with you a Valentine project using can lids as artwork. :)

I started with a simple dollar store frame that I had laying around the house, painting it red. I cut some burlap to the outside size of the frame. Then I got out my trusty old tin can lids and used some Annie Sloan Chalk Paint™ in Graphite to paint them. I cut out some red gingham scrapbook paper for the letters and used Mod Podge to glue them onto the dried lids. 

I got out my box-o-ribbon and found some great bright teal that I new I'd love with the red. Placing the lids onto the burlap so I could get my placement correct, I cut each ribbon the desired length and glued them to the backs of the lids. Once the ribbon was dry, I then glued the ribbon to the back of the frame. The only thing left was stapling the burlap to the back of the frame. Or so I thought...

Looking at my creation, I couldn't help feeling like something was missing. So I ended up cutting out a stencil in the scroll pattern and painted that directly onto the burlap with the Graphite Chalk Paint. I'm so glad I decided to add that finishing touch. I just love scrollwork! :) 

And that was it. Another Valentine creation done. And I managed to use up some of my stash of tin can lids, too! (Not that this project really made a huge dent! But I'll find some more uses for them. I just know it! lol)   

Valentine Picture Frame DIY

I picked up this folding picture frame at the local thrift store. It had a very light stain on it. It didn't look very interesting, that's for sure. But I have one like it at home, in a dark stain, and I use it. So I figured, why not...

I was just going to paint the frame and call it good. Give it a fresh color and move on. But I was monkeying around with a few layouts one day and I decided to see what something would look like. And thought I'd give it a try.

I first removed all the glass and painted the frame and waxed it. I then cut some leftover canvas material that I had laying around to fit the picture areas and painted them in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint™ (Primer Red). I really like the way the chalk paint looks on this particular canvas, which is actually banner material. When painted, the back has a great texture!

The trickiest part of the project was getting the layout to work with the Coco heart on 4 separate pieces. Measuring between each panel so I would be sure to get the heart to line up, I laid the design out and cut my stencil. I applied those and painted the hearts and lettering. I used Coco and Old White Chalk Paint™  and also some pink acrylic that I had on hand. 

The only thing left to do was assemble the pieces back into the frame. I kept the glass out of the 4 left sections but put them back in the last section. (I cut out some cute magazine pics and inserted those for the photos. Figured that was easier than cutting up pics of my own kids!)

And the project was done. Cute, if I do say so myself. I'm beginning to wonder why I didn't just use pics of my own kids in there. That could be my excuse for keeping this little treasure! :)

Why Fight It? Just Let It Snow!

Seems like we've gotten more snow in the past week over in here in West Michigan than we have the entire winter! And this comes after some record warm temps not too long ago. But, after all, we pretty much learn to roll with the punches when it comes to Michigan weather! :)

Sitting here (under a warm blanket of course!), watching the snow fall, it feels like a perfect time to tell you about one of the simple projects we did before the holidays.

This little silver frame seemed like it was just waiting for bling to really  make it shine. I happen to love white glitter, just not the mess it makes as it flakes off onto the floor! lol. That being said, I though I'd give a technique I saw on Pinterest a try...

This frame already had a matte in it when we purchased it. I took some white glitter, mixed it with Mod Podge, then brushed it onto the matte. I was crossing my fingers that this technique would do what it was supposed to: glitterize my little silver frame with a non-flaky coat of sparklies! And it worked. Once mixed with the Mod Podge and dried on the matte, the glitter did not constantly flake off. Hooray!!

More than satisfied with the results of the glitter experiment, I turned my attention to the picture itself. I painted the backer in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint™ Graphite, then pulled out some rubber stamps. Using my favorite aqua paint, I stamped let it snow onto the backer. The imperfection of the rubber stamps with the paint give it a simple, primitive feel. And I love the aqua color with all that white glitter!

Now, I suppose, I will crawl out from under the blanket and get something accomplished! Too bad, because it's nice and cozy in here! :)