Pin-spired: Antiqued Flower Pots Just in Time for Summer

Pinterest strikes again. I was Pin-spired last week to give my old flower pots a makeover just in time for some summer flowers. I learned about using petroleum jelly to distress with spray paint from Holly over at Down to Earth Style. I followed her instructions exactly, so head over to see how it is done. Her project is with a frame but the process is the same no matter what you are painting.

Cottage Inspired Dining Hutch - Before & After

I know I owe you one more video tutorial on dark wax to complete our dresser makeover we have been working on for a couple of weeks now, but I have lots of other things I have been painting that I have been dying to share with you. So today, I am excited to reveal my cottage inspired dining hutch.

Over the River and Through the Woods to Carter's Cottage

Last week, my husband gave me the day off. Yes, you heard me, an entire day without having to dress, bathe, feed or transport anyone but myself. Glorious. So what did I decide to do...hop in the car and drive out to the heart of downtown DeKalb, Ill. to visit my local Annie Sloan stockist, Carter's Cottage.

Previously, I had bought my paint from a local store that shipped to my home and at a store in Tennessee when I went to visit my parents, but from now on I am making the drive out to DeKalb to see Christie. 

Pin-spired: DIY Country Chic Window Treatments

Are you a Pinterest addict like me? I love that there is a simple place to go for inspiration and store it all in neat little categories. This weekend, I finally turned one of those pins into reality, and I am beyond excited to be sharing it with you today.

This project was "pin"-spired by Jennifer over at Town and Country Living. I am a little bit obsessed with burlap. I love its natural, earthy color and the relaxed, country vibe it gives off. I really loved the idea of pairing it with a tree branch for an extra punch of rustic charm.

Foyer - Before & After

I look around my house sometimes, and all I can see are the mountains of projects I need to tackle. It is often hard for me to pause and reflect on just how far we have come on our journey of making this house a home. Today, I want to take the time to slow down and enjoy my foyer. 

At Last, the Dining Hutch Reveal Has Come Along

Happy Monday! The dining hutch reveal is finally here. For those who have been following the blog for a while, you know that I have been working on this piece for quite some time now. I inherited a dining set in early February, and as they say, the best things come to those who wait.

Work in Progress...Still

The hutch I am refinishing has become my life. And, yes, it is still a work in progress. My little J-man turned four this week so I have been busy planning an epic birthday party and day for him. I hope to jump back into the swing of things and knock this piece out this week.

As you may have seen in my last hutch post, I decided to go with a first coat of Paris Grey. After doing some research on washing, I decided to go with an Old White wash on top. Here is a little sneak peek. 

Don't Lose It, Reuse It - Mirror Refinish

I believe whole heartedly these days that you shouldn't donate or throw out any decor until you try to reimagine it. This iron mirror is a prime example of this. It was one of my favorite pieces in our black and white kitchen in Minnesota, but now that we have a main level with cool grays and whites, it just seemed too dark.

Not just for wood, Annie Sloan Chalk Paint can be used on metal, glass or even outside on pots and garden decorations. This was a really quick transformation that my mom helped me with. She was watching me paint and had to get her hands on some Annie Sloan.

Work in Progress...

So, I am currently working on my hutch that coordinates with my dining table. I took a quick video with my iPhone on Friday just to give you a glimpse at how Annie Sloan Chalk Paint goes on and covers.

Eleanor's Table - Before & After

I am super excited for this post today. Recently, I mentioned that I inherited my husband's grandmother's dining set, and today is the day for the reveal of Eleanor's table!

Cane You Dig It - Dining Set Sneak Peek

I know I promised you my last post on the kitchen today, but I thought I would take a break from all the kitchen fanfare and give you a sneak peek at my latest painting project.

I am currently in the process of refinishing my husband's grandma's dining table, chairs and hutch. This set just fell into my lap after a cousin needed to downsize. I have been working on this for a couple of weeks now. I am no where near being done, but I did manage to finish one of the chairs this weekend.

1950's End Table Makeover

The last two weeks have been crazy with traveling and the kitchen remodel. The kitchen remodel is almost complete. We just need the cabinet hardware installed and we are done! The big reveal is coming soon, so keep checking back.

I finally found some time to paint this week. This end table was a Goodwill purchase a few months back, and I thought it would be a quick project to bang out. It is a quintessential 1950's end table. Both my mother and mother-in-law mentioned to me they each had one in their houses growing up.

Creating Weathered Wood Finish with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®

The most fantastic thing about using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® is that there are a million ways to use it. I read about this weathered wood technique in Annie Sloan's Color Recipes for Painted Furniture and also watched a tutorial by the amazing Christen Bensten of Blue Egg Brown Nest. 

Goodwill Dresser Upcycle Reveal

This post contain affiliate links. I will receive a small commission from products purchased through these links.

Update (1-20-16): You guys love this makeover so much I have created a series of video tutorials to show you exactly how I achieved this look. Check out part 1 and part 2 on my YouTube channel. Part 3, the last video in the series, coming soon!

I am beyond excited to share this reveal with you. This is my first refinishing project with a piece I bought from a secondhand store. The hunting part was challenging, but also exciting.

I found this gem at Goodwill for $24.99. I hesitated to buy it at first because it had a couple of chipped drawers. Keep checking back for a post on how I fixed that problem. This thing was really banged up, too, with tons of dents and weird spills and stains. I almost walked away but my gut told me that at this price, I had to give it a chance. And I am so glad I did. It is the perfect piece for our front foyer.

I started off by sanding down all the spills and giving it a good scrubbing with some Murphy Clean and Shine Spray. This thing was dir-ty.

This is one of the corners I repaired. You can't even tell. Post coming on this technique soon. 

I removed all the hardware and sprayed it with Rust-Oleum Universal spray paint and primer in Hammered Black. This was my first time using this product, and let me tell you, it is amazing! This stuff looks like real metal. It costs around $7 at Home Depot, and it probably saved me about $50-80 in new hardware costs.

This look was created using two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White. I tried a new technique and distressed it before I used my Annie Sloan Clear Wax. I used 100 grit sand paper to distress followed by a coat of clear wax and finished it off with a mix of clear and dark wax. I wanted this really shabby because of all the nicks and dents it has, so I used dark wax on the entire piece versus just in the spots I distressed.

With the great price I got for this piece, I am tempted to try and sell. But I think at this point, I am too in love with it. What do you think? Sell or keep?

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint- I Die

I have been dreaming of using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint since I first started researching it in August. This stuff is pretty pricey (one pint runs around $38 and the clear and dark waxes go for $28), and you will also need to invest in some good brushes and other essentials. 

I finally bit the bullet and bought some in early December. In the words of my girl Rachel Zoe- I die. This stuff is truly amazing. I am having a blast reimagining things all over my house.  

There are tons of great bloggers and small business owners that have great tips and tutorials on using Chalk Paint. Some of my favorites are Blue Egg Brown Nest, Simply Reinvented, and The Purple Painted Lady. There is a bit of a learning curve on how to use the paints and waxes, but I really think there are tons of ways to achieve the look you want. I have pulled inspiration and tips from all these websites to Chalk Paint my way.

Here are some pieces I upcycled from around my house using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

Project #1: End table

Before

After

I painted my first coat with Paris Grey and a lighter second coat with Old White. 

I applied clear wax and heavily distressed it with a 100 grit sandpaper. 

Project #2: Nightstand

Before

After

Here I used two coats of Paris Grey followed by a coat of clear wax and heavy distressing. 

Then I finished it off with a mixture of clear and dark wax to give it that aged look.

Project #3: Floor Lamp

Before and After

I used one coat of Old White on the base of the lamp and lightly distressed it. I then did a coat of clear and dark wax. The lamp shade look was created with painter's tape and spray paint. Read more about this lamp upcycle.

What about you? Are you dying to try ASCP?

Disclaimer: At the time of this original post, this blog and this post are not sponsored by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I received no product or compensation for this review.

Extra: Behind the Scenes

Photo shoots don't always go as planned. My little J.S. and S.J. wanted to join in on the fun.

Putting down the phone and breaking out the big boy.

The Art of Upcycling- Lamp Edition

Before and After

As most of my friends know, I am a sucker for a great before and after. It is the HGTV in me. This lamp has been a long time in the making. I have had this piece since I got my first big girl job after college. I have never been quite fond of it, but it still works so it has made four moves in its lifetime. A lot of people have mentioned to me on more than one occasion that it doesn't quite go with the other things in my home. A polite way to say- this thing is u-g-l-y and why does it keep making these moves?

I hate to admit it, but I agreed with those unspoken comments. So instead of sending it out to pasture, I decided to redeem it. Let's say it- upcycle. I really believe almost anything can be salvaged with a little reimagining. 

Upcycling is the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality.

I know chevron is really trendy right now and probably on the downtick of its popularity, but I am a big sucker for it. So I grabbed my painters tape and went for it. I would love to tell you how I did this, but there really was no science to it. I just taped and made sure my spaces were even. I have heard that they are now selling shaped tape and even have a chevron pattern. Good to know for flat surface project. I don't think it would have worked for this odd shaped shade. 

Most projects can be completed with painter's tape and patience.

After I taped this bad boy up, I took it out to the garage and sprayed it with some Krylon Fusion spray paint in White Satin. I had this can from a previous project. I like this particular paint because it even sticks to plastic. I do several light coats of spray paint with about 20-30 minutes in between each coat so it doesn't drip and to get a nice smooth, even finish. Just read the can. Spray paint is really easy to use. Once you have the coverage you want and it is dry to the touch, remove your painter's tape.

Better but not quite right.

My latest obsession in crafting is Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. This stuff is amazing. It sticks to almost anything without priming and distresses really nicely. You can finish it off with clear wax and dark wax that gives it a nice antique look. My mom had been telling me to lighten this base up, so I took her advice and used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White. Visit the Annie Sloan website to find a stockist near you.

Looking great in her new home.

Here is another lamp upcycle I completed recently. With this one, I spray painted the base after taping off the cord and the top part where you screw in the bulb along with the switch. Again, I used my Krylon Fusion. Then I found the new lamp shade at Lowe's for $4.49. Such a deal.

Before and After

Do you have any lamps around the house that need some reimagining? Send me your before and afters. Like I said- huge sucker for them!