Friday, September 30, 2011

Magnet Board Frame

I am a huge fan of picture frames. I'm not sure what it is about them that I love. Maybe it is the possibility of what it could be. The possibilities are endless! Today I had a specific project in mind for this beauty.


I love frames filled with character like this one. No, the gold is not my style, but that is easy to take care of. Yes, it is ugly the way it is, but look at this detail! It is beautiful.


You can't find this detail just anywhere. You would either have to pay some serious money for this...or...find it in the thrift store for $5! If you are willing to look past the ugliness of what is, and look at what could be, you can find yourself some real treasures for barely any money.

First I gave it a good coat of Rust-Oleum Double Cover Primer.


I used a coat of Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover Aqua Satin for my color. I can't tell you how much I love love love this color! Of course with Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, I tend to want things black right now. I know that will change after Valentines Day...but if I were making this for my house at this moment, I would probably paint it black.

The next step is where the price of this project jumped way up. I wanted a piece of aluminum sheeting in order to make a magnetic board. They had tiny pieces and HUGE pieces. I had to buy the huge piece. The lady at Home Depot seemed to think they sold half pieces, but there weren't any. Besides, I already have plans for the leftovers. I think the sheet was around $23, but it will be used for several projects...I had to keep reminding myself of that.

I also needed to by a pair of metal sheers. I found the cheapest pair for $10. Considering that I will use these over and over I am ok with the price. At the time, I wasn't sure. They did however, cut through the sheeting like butter! And since I have a great friend who passed on a whole roll of metal sheeting that I can use in smaller frames, these were a needed tool in my tool kit. Thanks M!


Look at this piece just BEGGING to be assembled!


I am not sure what the best adhesive choice would be at this point. I was considering Gorilla Glue, but since it has a tendency to expand more than I want it to, well, I was afraid it would ooze out onto the front of my metal sheeting. That would be ugly! I had some E-6000 on hand and figured it would be a good choice.


It worked great! Once I laid my metal sheeting down, I placed some weight on each of the corners to hold the piece down overnight. I don't think you would need to wait that long, but I was on my way to bed, so overnight it was!

Just look what a beauty this turned out to be! The 8 1/2 x 11 paper gives you an idea of just how large this piece is. I wish I didn't have a use for it already, because I would love to keep it right where it is.


How pretty are the details? My friend T is going to use this for her daughter's Silent Auction at school. They are going to use magnetic bulldog clips to attach various gift cards from our area. I think it will be a great presentation and also a fun, functional piece when they are done.


Just in case you were curious about the message on my board. It is from my sweet, sweet daughter. She melted my heart with this one!


I am trying to figure out how I want to preserve this letter. I have some ideas that I think would be great, but I would LOVE to hear some ideas from you! Leave me a comment with all of your brilliant ideas.


I am linking on to the following party:

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Halloween Front Porch Chair

Let's be honest. This chair is SCARY!!


I could have left this chair alone and it would certainly have brought the scary to our front porch! That wasn't quite what I was going for though. I found this chair last week for $4. I liked the style of the chair and I LOVED the price. I knew it could look better than it did...it certainly couldn't look any worse.

I'm going to admit, I didn't redo this chair correctly. I barely sanded and I didn't prime. I just wanted instant satisfaction...I've warned you that I'm not patient. I wanted this on the front porch for our Halloween decor and I didn't want to wait to do it properly.

I removed the seat and wrapped it with a fabric scrap I had from an old set of curtains. I didn't add more padding, which the seat would have definitely needed if I were going to really use it. This seat was worn down to the wood foundation! After wrapping the fabric, I secured it with my staple gun. I gave it one quick coat of Rust-Oleum Ultra Cover Black Gloss. I can't tell you enough times how much I love the coverage of this paint! I barely waited for the paint to dry before attaching the seat back on. I really am impatient!


I love how the look is really coming together of our "Cute Creepy" front porch.


At first glance it is all very cute, but with a closer look, just a bit creepy.


I really love the cost of this Halloween Front Porch. Most of the items were already at our house. I paid $4 for the chair, $2.50 for the wreath and $1 for the 3 pack of spiders used on both projects. Not a bad look for $7.50! I guess that doesn't include the price of the pumpkins, but with kids, aren't those "required" purchases? I don't think the pumpkins price really counts...what do you think?

I am linking to a party here:




Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Wonderful Wednesday...Halloween Treats

To be honest, I have no idea how it is Wednesday already! I have been at my kid's schools this week taking class pictures for the yearbook. Where has the time gone? Since "Wonderful Wednesday" is all about spending time with my kids, I guess it is fitting that the week has flown by with me spending time at their schools.

This week I was on the lookout for some cute Halloween Treats. Wednesday nights my kids go to AWANA. I lead a group of Sparks with 5 Kindergarten boys. I wanted to come up with something cute to give them for Halloween, and well, these boys don't need sugar. They are full of energy all on their own! So I came up with these:


I was at the Dollar Store looking for some Halloween decorations and I spied these cute watches. I have seen a few people wearing them over the last few months. They are cute! They are flexible like a jelly bracelet and I thought the orange would be perfect for Halloween. Not to mention their packaging is really cute. I have seen some "test tube" packaging for Halloween treats...these already came in test tubes! They could be made to look really spooky and cool, but these are for 5 year olds, so I just went with cute.

I found a really great label here: Free Printable Halloween Treat Bag Labels


I printed out the label on sticker paper and then cute it out. The labels are made to be treat bag labels, but I just used the polk-a-dot side.


I stuck a label on each test tube and wrapped the top with a checked ribbon. I think they turned out really cute! Since I had the sticker paper and ribbon already, the whole project was only $5 out of my pocket! It is SPOOKY what a great deal this was!



I am linking up to a Halloween Party here:



Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Spider Wreath Makeover

My kids are growing up. I'm not sure when it happened. We used to have two months of the year where my kids DID NOT like going to Michaels Craft Store. It wasn't because I was going to take too long thinking through my latest project...which I admit, I often do...it was just plain CREEPY! When the Halloween decorations started showing up, my kids used to get really frightened. I can't say I blame them. Somehow they have grown into thinking creepy is cool. What? Who are these kids?

So I am trying to give them...a little creepy.


I purchased a wreath at a local church thrift store for $2.50. It is very festive, but not what I was looking for.


If the women at the store ever see this, they might not be happy. One of them wished she had seen it for herself. I felt bad, because I knew I wasn't going to keep it this way. I just wanted it for the base of the wreath. I do think the candy corns are cute, but my door is burnt red, and that makes it very difficult to use an orange wreath.

As soon as I got it inside, I began to tear it apart.


I started by wrapping my little "naked" wreath with some mesh ribbon I had purchased from a yard sale. I don't know how to explain it other than it seems very Fall-ish. It is like a sisal mesh. The ribbon has some wiring in it, so I kind of scrunched it up as I worked it around the wreath. Next I took an L that I already had and tied it on with more of the ribbon. (The L was made from one of those paper mache letters that JoAnn Fabrics sells wrapped with twine.) I looped a long straight piece around a piece in the back to hang the wreath and stapled it to the top of my door. Yep, I am fancy like that...I staple my wreaths to my door. Finally, I pulled out my hot glue gun and added two spiders for our added creep factor.


My daughter is terrified of spiders...CREEPY.
The spiders are covered in black glitter...CUTE.
My new favorite style of Halloween decorations...CREEPY CUTE.



Linking up to:
HOG

Monday, September 26, 2011

Local Landmarks Sign

I have a good friend who asked for some help in decorating her office/playroom. We live in a really amazing area...seriously amazing. In order to enjoy our fabulous location, we sacrifice size. We live in tiny houses. I am ok with tiny. It is definitely worth the size sacrifice to me.

So, this dual functioning space needed to have a space for her two girls to play and an office where her husband wouldn't feel completely over run by girl stuff. We came up with some great things for the girls, but in the office space we were now left with a large blank wall. Hmmm...we had already used a white board and bulletin boards in the girls space. So, we decided to go with a personalized art piece.

My friend loves living here, but will only be here for a few more years. We are a Navy town and people come and go...it is a sad fact of life around here. I wanted to make her something great for the space now, but something that would also serve as a reminder of all the places and people they loved here. So I decided to make a large rustic sign of all their favorite local landmarks.

There is a house down the street that has an old Ferry Landing sign. We walk past this sign all the time and it always catches my eye. I am not sure if it is an original sign or a replica, but I love it. It is aged and worn and always makes me smile. For years I have thought I should make something similar. This is not really similar, but probably where the idea originated.

I started by lining up a row of 1x4 pieces of wood. I laid two pieces of wood horizontally across the other pieces. I used Gorilla Glue to attach all of the boards together into one large sign. Then I used some wood stain I had to cover the entire piece.


Next I took a list of favorite local landmarks and went onto mapquest. I use mapquest all the time, but I never thought I would use it to make art! I used their address, the locations they love and mapquest to figure out exactly how far each of these places are from their home. I then took these distances and landmarks and used my Cricut to cut the letters needed from vinyl. I used a white colored pencil to mark off straight lines and stuck my letters down.


After all of the locations were spelled onto the boards, I made sure to press each piece down to ensure it would stick. Next, I gave the entire piece a coat of Rust-Oleum Heritage White Satin. When the paint dried, I peeled off each of the stickers.


I didn't like what I had at this point. It looked far to new. I really wasn't happy with the piece, so I began to rough it up with my power sander. Now I had some places that were no longer stained. I took a rag and lightly rubbed over the entire piece, even the painted areas. That's what I wanted.


I think I need to make one of these for myself!

I am linking up to the following party:

Funky Junk's Saturday Nite Special

Friday, September 23, 2011

Come Join The Parties

I am linked up to the Weekend WrapUp Party at Tatertots and Jello. My kids love knowing I am looking at Tatertots and Jello. Actually they just think it is funny to hear me say Tatertots and Jello! It is one of my all time favorite blogs, and I am thrilled to be learning how to link up. It has been a learning experience for me! If you want to see a whole bunch of ideas at a quick glance, go and take a look. Have fun!



I am also linking up to the Funky Junk's Sat Nite Special. I love her! Every time I hop on her blog I am determined to make SOMETHING from a pallet. Go check her out!!
Funky Junk's Sat Nite Special



Photobucket

Firewood Bucket Restoration

I was passing by the Amvets Thrift Store the other day, and was compelled to stop in. It is usually incredibly packed with parking ridiculously hard to find. I guess that's how you know it is a place worth checking out. Anyways, it was my lucky day, because miraculously I found parking without waiting. Not only that, look what I found:



I'm not really sure what it was originally intended for, but I knew I liked it. I wasn't fond of the price though...$9.99. Kind of expensive for a bucket. However, it was very sturdy...and maybe I was won over by the cute detailing on the front.


Th inside looked disgusting. I am not sure how it had been previously used, but it either involved water or it was left outside and filled with rainwater. The inside was really rusty and just not in good shape. For what I intended to use this for, it really didn't matter. So I didn't let the ugliness stop me.


I did take my power sander to the inside of the bucket. It really loosened up a lot of the junk, and I figured it would be in better shape without all that in there. After wiping it all down I sprayed it all with a coat of Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover Black Gloss. I knew this wasn't the look I was going for, but I wanted it covered well before I went for my top coat. I knew I had this paint on hand, and I wasn't sure of how much I had of what I really wanted it to look like. Like I've said before, I'm not very patient...so the thought of waiting until I could get more of what I really wanted was out of the question. Finally, I gave it a top coat of my favorite...Rust-Oleaum Universal Metallic Oil Rubbed Bronze. Look how pretty it is...


My favorite part of the find was the woman who stopped me on the way out of the store. Apparently she had seen what I was buying and was quite intrigued. I know how that goes. Have you ever seen someone buying just what you would like to be walking out with? Oh, it is almost painful. This time I was the lucky one. She had her own theory of what it must have been...an old fireman's bucket. Maybe that was what it was supposed to look like, but the $39.99 sticker from HomeGoods sealed the deal that it wasn't too old. Doesn't matter, I liked it and I love the way it turned out.


I can't wait to cozy up and enjoy a nice warm fire. Happy Fall!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Tiny Treasure Shelf



I am not sure what is more of the treasure here, the little items that will be on the shelf or the little shelf itself. I almost passed this one by. I can't believe it now, because I just love it, but I almost put this piece back. It was $1.91 and I almost didn't pick it up because I just wasn't sure. Really? That is practically shopping at the Dollar Store. I have to remind myself of that sometimes. Would I pick this up at the Dollar Store....ummm...yeah...so take it home goofball!



Ok, so this is what it looked like. Not quite as cute, and I think I was thrown by the white piece in the back. I have to remind myself to visualize it all in one color. Would I like it if it was a uniform color? I was pretty sure I would. And yes I do!



One coat of primer, one coat of Rust-Oleum Heritage White and a little bit of light sanding was all it took. It is so cute! I am assuming this will be a home for many ocean treasures. That is kind of where my brain went with it at first. A place for the kids to display their latest beach jewels.

However, I am currently trying to "de-beach" our home. Can that be a new word? De-beach? We live at the beach and are truly blessed to enjoy it all year round. I adore it here. This time of year is actually the best. The bulk of tourists have gone back home and we have empty beaches all to ourselves. It is delightful! We do however have to remind ourselves that it is indeed Fall. While the rest of you have beautiful changing leaves and crisp evenings with football...we need to be reminded that the seasons have changed. So our beach things are being put away for the most part and being replaced with the treasures of Fall. De-beaching.



So the beach treasures that were in there yesterday were gone last night. They have been replaced with tiny white pumpkins that I am sure you will see sometime in a later post.



Goodbye summer...

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Wonderful Wednesday...Pencil Favors

Wednesday. I never knew a day of the week could sound so sweet. You know how Monday seems to strike fear into the hearts of most people? Wednesday is the exact opposite for me. Kind of like Friday for most, but it is even better. I have a 3rd Grader and a Kindergartner this year. Kindergarten is full day school here. Well, it hasn't been until this past Monday. They start out the school year slowly, so the kids get a chance to adjust. So until this week my little guy has been coming home at 11:35. Yes, that is a very short day of school. No, there is not much time to get things done. I have gotten a lot done this week, but I miss my little buddy.

Wednesday changes all the rules. Wednesday's are minimum days. All the elementary kids get out early. On Wednesday we are back to getting out at 11:35. Yippee! We get to ride our bikes home from school without being in a mad rush to make it to the other school for pickup. We get to have a Mommy Date for lunch. I get to hear about his day before he is exhausted. We get to pick up his sister early and have time to breathe before we rush off to our activities. Wednesdays are busy days, but we get quality time that sometimes is hard to come by on the other school days.

So on Wednesdays I am going to take time to celebrate being a Mom and post something that I have done with my children or for my children...something specifically relating to them. Wonderful Wednesdays. Time to reflect on these amazing children I have and what a gift they are each day. Time to share something that maybe you would like to do with or for your children too. Wonderful Wednesdays.

This is the world's most simple project. It is also incredibly versatile. It is also inexpensive. Simple, versatile and inexpensive...that sounds like my type of project! These were made for my daughter's last day of 2nd Grade:


These pencils came from Target and I loved the colors. LOVED the colors! I think they had 10 in a pack for $1. So for less than $3 I was able to give a treat to the entire class. I pulled coordinating scrapbook papers from my stash and ran them through the printer. I typed my words in the middle of the page and left several blank lines before repeating the text. Once printed, I cut the paper into strips. I brought the paper around the pencil and glued the two sides of the paper together with a glue stick. Then I cut the ends to finish it off. Simple!


Target has some really cute Halloween pencils in their Dollar Section right now. This would be really cute for Halloween treats...and I'm sure the teacher and parents would appreciate less candy. It would make a great welcome to the first day of school from a new teacher. Or "I'm glad we are in the same class" treat to share on the first day with new classmates. It would make great rewards for Sunday School or Brownies. I am thinking of doing this for my little guys birthday to take to school. The possibilities are endless!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Ugly Coffee Table turned Coronado Chic

I'm not going to lie. I am sure the couple I bought this from thought I had absolutely lost my mind. I tried to contain my excitement, but I was giddy. I knew this coffee table would be amazing. Would I want it sitting in my family room as is? Not exactly, but I had big plans. I knew those details would look fantastic if it was just updated a bit.


Do you see what I saw? Just look at those details! You can't find stuff like this today. The top was a mess. The finish was coming off and it was covered in scratches. One of the legs had been chewed on by a dog. Ok, I don't really know what did it, but I am telling myself it was a dog. Otherwise the choice is leaning towards giant dog sized rats and well, a naughty dog sounds MUCH nicer! I knew there were enough details on the legs that no one would ever notice if I did a little sanding.

Besides, I am going to be completely honest. I didn't have to do this project alone. I had help. Yes, this project is not completely Homemade by Heidi. (I am currently hanging my head in shame.) I have discovered a great handyman locally. He is a hard worker and his hourly rate can't be beat. He is an up and coming builder with big aspirations to have his own building company someday, so he works for free! I know, I know. You think you read that wrong. He does indeed work for FREE! Yep, he just wants the experience. He wants to build his resume. I appreciate someone who wants more practice at their trade and more experience under their belt....toolbelt. How could I turn that down? I know I want to show pieces that anyone can do on their own. I would have done this on my own, but I just couldn't say no. So, I had some help in sanding this piece. His help was awesome and it saved me from more one on one time with my power sander. Besides, it feels great to know I am helping to form a future craftsman.


Oh, and I forgot to mention that he is the cutest future builder in town! Seriously, how could I say no to this face? Ok, I guess he doesn't work completely for free. There are a lot of requests for snuggles and ice cream, but I'd say he is worth his weight in gold!


This piece took quite a bit of sanding. In order to get the top really smooth, I had to get it down to the bare wood. Not everywhere, just on the top surface. You can see on the bottom of the legs where I had to really sand it down because of the ridiculous bite marks. I guess I just don't understand because we are practically animal free in our home. Our beloved pet is a fish, so bit marks are foreign to me.



The next step was a coat of Rust-Oleum Ultra Cover Primer. I don't think I can say this enough...use it! I was lured into another brand because of a contest they were having, and well, it is just not as good. I have used many different brands and this is just by far the best.

Next I pulled out my Cricut machine. If you don't have one, you could freehand this after painting the table. To be honest, if you are patient you could easily cut the letters out of contact paper on your own or make stencils from cutting out computer made letters. Once again, I am not patient and I want immediate results...so the Cricut is ideal for me.

I peeled off the contact paper backing and placed my stickers across the table. I did move them around a little to get the perfect placing. Next, I went bold and added a coat of Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover Aqua Satin. Yep, Aqua. I usually go neutral, but I was looking for a pop of summer color. This is now one of my all time favorite colors! After spraying the table with two coats to ensure complete coverage, I peeled off my sticker letters to reveal the primer underneath.



I loved it! This table went from dull and outdated to fresh and beachy. Not your typical beach style with clean lines, but a more sophisticated beach look. Kind of reminds me of Coronado itself...sophisticated beachy.



We pulled this table outside one afternoon for a lemonade stand. I must admit, it was the cutest lemonade stand I have ever seen! Our neighbor wanted to know if I had gotten the table from "The Attic" (an adorable vintage store in our area that I just think is awesome). That was a HUGE compliment. Nope, just a Homemade Beauty made by me. It has however moved on to a new home. My friend fell in love with the table throughout the day and it now resides in her backyard. Getting it prepared for the outdoors and properly treated was a bit of a nightmare, but it is really cute in her outdoor oasis. I hope you enjoy K!