EASY DIY: FAUX AGED TERRA COTTA POTS

Over the weekend, I managed to squeeze in a little DIY project for the kitchen.  I love the look of aged terra cotta pots

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I especially like them in the window of kitchens

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So of course I gave some that I picked up at Walmart a little makeover.  Starting with a brand new pot

I used some extra wall paint that I had and dabbed a little on the brush

Be careful with how much paint you use on the brush.  This is really dry brushing so all you need is a little.  The amount hat you see on my brush now is a bit much, so I dabbed a little off on the paper towel.

The next step is easy. Just start brushing on the paint.  Because there isn’t a lot on the brush, it will take a few seconds to cover the pot, but it will not look like it was painted intentionally.

Because I wanted to add a little dimension to my pot, I added another color on top of the gray. I used the same technique except this time I used a tad more paint and rubbed it off with a paper towel

Just continue to add and take away paint until you get the look you want. 

 

Now I need to purchase more plants for my aged pots

 

I’m sharing this over at the Nester’s plant linky party!

WHY DO YOU DIY?

Yesterday while I was banging my head against the wall from all the wrong things I was doing staining the butcher block, I asked myself “Why do I DIY?”.  I mean seriously, a lot of us who do, can pretty much pay for the work to be done.  Think about it, how many times have you made a mistake on a DIY project and had to start over?  And then you eventually could have taken the money you paid originally, plus the money you had to pay to start over and just had it done yourself.  So while I was whining on Twitter last night to my good friend Tricia about how terrible my BB was looking,  I started to doubt my title as a DIY’er.

For some reason, I couldn’t figure out why the stain was making the wood look black.

Then I figured that I really should not have skipped the wood conditioner. So I flipped the BB over and started fresh, this time adding the wood conditioner before the stain.

 

Guess what? The same thing happened.

 So while I was contemplating giving up on the entire project, I figured I’d read the label on the can of stain again just to see if I was doing things right. 

Well I’ll be.  Does that say stir the stain thoroughly before use??? Oh I hollered so loud in this house last night!!!

After I FOLLOWED THE DIRECTIONS, things started to turnaround

before being wiped off

after being wiped off

 

I get frustrated easily when things don’t go as planned.  And when I say frustrated, I mean to the point of tears.  But then I realize that I can’t do anything but laugh at myself because usually the project turned out wrong due to my lack of patience. 

After waking up this morning and applying another coat of stain, I realized why I DIY.  I DIY because when the projects turn out the way I envisioned them, it feels so good to say I did it myself and that I saved so much money in the process!

WHY DO YOU DIY?!

EASY DIY: TRAY MAKEOVER

Yesterday I shared some snippets of kitchen. In one of the pictures was a tray/platter that I picked up from IKEA for 70 cents

I knew that it I was going to paint it so I didn’t care about the design.  I pulled out my last little bit of Annie Sloan chalk paint and got to work

Remember that you don’t have to prime with chalk paint

Because my chalk paint had gotten super thick after sitting up for the past few months, I had to add water to it.  Because of the added water, I had to apply two coats of paint (Chalk Paint is so thick that you usually can get away with one coat of it) .

Finished! Now I have something I can corral things that end up on my counters

This project was super easy.  I could have used latex paint on it as well with a thin layer of primer first.  Now, I need to go find some baskets for my cabinets without the doors!

  What small project have you gotten around to lately?!

PAINTED WOODEN UTENSILS

Hi guys! As promised from earlier, I’m back to show you my version of the painted wooden kitchen utensils!

Before

Boring wooden utensil set from IKEA ($.49)

Use acrylic craft paint

After

Pretty, right? You would think that with all of the stuff I have in my garage, I would have a glass vase or something that I could place these in, right? Yeah, NO.  So I’m going to head up to my favorite thrift tomorrow and scoop one up for about 77 cents

Because I already had the paint and painters tape on hand for this project, it only cost me 1 buck! You can’t beat that with a stick (Or a wooden spoon)! Get it? Beat that with a wooden spoon?

Anywho, if you are considering doing this, I would definitely grab the packs from IKEA.  If you are doing them for décor (like me), then you could also head to a thrift store and pick up some. I find them all the time at mine.  By the way, I do have some that I picked up from the thrift store, but I didn’t have time to pull them out.  On my next attempt at this, I’ll use them and share how they turn out!

Now go paint some spoons!

 

I’m linking this to Centsational Girl’s spring Linky Party!

EASY PEASY DIY

Today I’m starting on the easiest DIY project you can imagine.  It’s one of my favorites that I’ve seen floating around Pinterest and recently the House of Fifty Facebook page!

Painted Wooden Spoons!

(Little Bit Funky)

The above picture is probably my favorite thus far.  Below is another great example of this project

(House of Earnest)

This set is more understated when it comes to color, but it makes a good display in the kitchen anyway.

 

The other day I told you I would show what I purchased from IKEA. Well, here it is two packs of wooden utensils for $.49 each!

Today I’m going to use them to make my own version of the painted spoons!

I have two darker spoons that I picked up from the thrift store a while back so I’m going to use those too (as soon as I dig them out of the garage!).

I’ll be back later today or in the morning to share my finished project

 

Have you tried out any DIY projects that you’ve found on Pinterest?!

EMPTY

I love the look of empty frames in design.

(I think this space is by  Décor Demon)

I have collected quite a few frames during my thrifting adventures.  I think its time to pull those babies out!

 

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Love this blue and white..

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The above image is my FAVORITE!!! When I found it, I knew I wanted to do this in my house. 

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The coral and the aqua looks real good right about now.  Though we didn’t have a cold winter, I’m so ready for spring/summer and the colors used in that space screams summer!

 

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I love that these frames aren’t just on the walls.  Some are on the floor, the shelves, mantle, and side table.  It’s a bit much for my home (with the boys), but I like that the frames aren’t the same color.

It’s going to be in the 70’s today so I’m going to pull out the spray paint! I have the perfect place that is screaming for some attention.  Actually I have two; My hall and in my powder room.  Hmm, should I use  empty frames in both spaces? That may be overkill, huh?!

THRIFTY MAKEOVERS BY A READER

Recently a reader (Sherry D) contacted me to share some of her thrifty finds and their makeovers. Here is some of what she said:

“I live in Huntsville Al, last week I saw your post about the things you passed up at GW, guess what? last Monday I came all the way to ATL just to go from one GW to the next, smile. I didn't find anything good on that trip but hey maybe next time. The items in the photos came from Craigslist or yard sales.”

I’m amazed that she made the drive here to shop at Goodwill. She is a girl after my on heart! Thrifting is great no matter the source. And as see here with her Craigslist and yard sale finds, you can still find great pieces! Here are a few of her treasures

Dinette set… I love the glossy black!

I’ve never seen old school desks look so chic!

Her desk looks AMAZING! I see these all the time at thrift stores. Now, I wish I would have brought one home;-)

Thanks Sherry for sharing your before and afters with me and allowing me to share them with my readers! I hope that you’re able to join me for the “Goodwill Meet-Up”!

What have you found lately while thrifting?!

DIY FALL WREATH….A Tutorial!

Last year I took it upon myself to make a Fall wreath for my front door. And I know many of you may be trying to do the same so I’m reposting the tutorial just in case you missed it!

I started with two grapevine wreaths. I used two because I wanted my wreath to be full.

I went to Hobby Lobby and found all of my foliage and pumpkins. Everything was around $25 and if you’ve ever purchased a pre-made wreath, you know that that’s a deal! Also, Hobby Lobby has things 50% off a lot, so there is no doubt you’ll get a good deal. And there is always the Dollar Tree for good deals too!

Using some floral wire

I combined the two wreaths

Using my trusty glue gun, I glued the leaves and pumpkins to the two wreaths until they were covered and I was happy! With this project, a low temp glue gun would have been ideal. I did this project late in the evening and had on a night gown and I burned my leg very bad with the glue:-(

I didn’t have the chance to hang my wreath because as soon as my sister in law saw it on my blog, she purchased it from me!

I will be making another wreath for my door and I will give you a tutorial for that one because I’m hoping to try something different! Have you made a wreath for your door already? If so, share a link in the comment section with me. I would love to see it!