Two Ten Minute Projects.

 In my mind I imagined that all of Brecken's birthdays would be full of balloons, bubbly clowns, lots of food, a candy buffet, and over the top party favors.

Now, the reality has set in that no two year old really cares what their party is like--really.

He was less interested in the presents, and more in awe of the balloons.

He could care less what he was fed, as long as I let him eat in peace without the camera in his face.

The wonderful party favors--he used then as chinese throwing stars to chuck at his cousins.

But I did what all good Mommas do. I still made things for his party because even if he may not care, I certainly do and will. forever. and. ever.

The pendant banner was simple.  It was one of the projects that I have made in the past and will probably make again and again because it is so simple.

For this project I cut out pendants using a rotary cutter and then I purchased Double Wide Bias Tape. "Double Wide" is important to know.

Once I pulled the tape out of the package I then laid my pendant pieces in between the two folded layers of the tape.

Pinned them in place.

Sewed down the bottom of the tape and voila.

Done in 10 minutes flat.

 For the next project I cut mustaches out of paper.

Once they were cut out  I sewed two of the mustaches together, making sure to keep a small space open to fill with candy.

Once all the mustache pouches were filled I then sewed them shut.

One rip later Punk was enjoying the joys of M&M's.

Want to make your own candy pouches? Check out these tutorials here and here....no need for me to repeat history, right?

Thanks for stopping over!~

Reupholstering the church pew...

It feels nice to finally have my dining area finished.  It was a battle that took all summer long, but I think it finally paid off--I've been eating in there if that counts.

;) 

I really wanted this area to be more open and inviting and I wanted to create a space that was original and unique--and I guess I wanted to incorporated a lot of spunked up furniture in the area too.

Because...that's how I roll. 

:)))

 So here's the skinny on the pew.

I got it last April and for about five months it sat in my dining area. It clashed with everything; and it had that nice dingy old church smell to it.

very zesty, I tell ya....

I would apologize to people when they would come over. Hunk finally told me to just get my hiney in gear and reupholster the sucker.

When I finally decided to reupholster it I decided to keep the original fabric on the benches for two reasons.

 First, pulling all of the staples out of the original fabric was totally not worth the effort. Second, because the original fabric was thin, putting another layer over the top of it didn't seem to make it too bulky.

Basically a win-win for all.

 Once I started started stapling the new fabric on the benches I used my trusty Stanley Staple. Total necessity for anyone doing at-home upholstry.

This stapler can be picked up at any hardware store and make sure to get staples that can be used for reupholstry. Sorry, I don't know what size I used, the box just said that it could be used with furniture.

Obviously, I am not a professional.

;)

 When stapling, I started from the center and worked my out. This way I pulled all the bumps out of the fabric and I was able to stretch the fabric to the corner to give the benches a more clean and finished look.

When I got to the each corner I stopped stapling about three inches from each corner.

 I stopped stapling before I got to the corners so I could cut and fold over the corners so the fabric would have a more finished look. When I cut the fabric I made sure to cut it straight across. The piece that I cut off ended up looking like a triangle. (My scissor angle is kind of off in the picture).

 Once I cut the tip of the corner I then used my staple gun to staple at the center of the corner.

 The bulky areas on both sides of the stapled area were then folded across and stapled down so they would lay flat.

This was my first corner, I promise it got better as I went along. My eighth corner looked awesome, go figure my camera battery would die at that moment.

And after multiple paint jobs, pinching my leg with the stapling gun, and lots of fights over the blue paint I finally finished my lovely pew.

And if you were curious my paint colors for my dining area are:

Martha Stewart Wrought Iron

Martha Stewart Sultana

Martha Stewart Popcorn

Thanks for stopping by!

Check out the table transformation here

ScotchBlue Paint Party-Chevron Table!

Welcome to the ScotchBlue™ Painting Party!

A group of fantastic DIY bloggers, including myself, all completed projects with the help of ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape with Edge-Lock™ Paint Line Protector.

 If you’d like to start at the beginning of the party and see more tutorials, head to Brittany’s blog:

Brittany @ Pretty Handy Girl 

Halsey @ Spunky Junky   *You are here!*
Kim @ Sand and Sisal   *Continue to this blog next!*
Allison @ Fab Rehab Creations  
Michelle @ Ten June

 I live in a university town. When something free gets set on the street it is gone in like T minus two minutes.

Gone. Vanished. Good Bye--yeah, that fast.  

A majority of the time the before mentioned free items are actually placed on the street by college kids. That means that true treasures are far and between, most times the free items are dressers missing drawers, bed sets that consist of a full mattress and a queen set of springs, peg-legged chairs, and tables made for that pong game.

So when my sister found this table it was a total miracle no one picked it up before her--not wobbly, all four legs (attached), and made from real wood.

For awhile she had the table in her house, but when she moved I inherited the lovely.

My first order of business was to give it a good ole' paint job.

Once I primed the table using my always favorite Kilz Primer, I then used Martha Stewart's Popcorn paint in semi-gloss to give the table a distinctive splash of white.

Once the paint dried we (Sister and I)  used ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape with Edge-Lock™  to map out the chevron pattern.

We made a pattern using wrapping paper to use as a guide. By taping below and above the wrapping paper we were able to create a design that was symmetrical and consistant. 

It was a little easier said then done once we started the process...

 Once the pattern was taped out I then used a credit card to flattened the tape to make sure the paint wouldn't bleed under my pattern.  

 We also followed around the outer edge of the table with tape to stop the paint from bleeding over the edge.

See? Nice, flat tape.

 For the other color of the chevron pattern we used  Martha Stewart's Sultana paint. I only purchased a sample size of this color because I knew we would only need enough to cover the table top--and to be honest I actually only used half of the sample container.

 Here comes the tricky part.

We did three layers of paint. We allowed the first two layers to dry completely, however with the third layer we removed the tape right after painting.

This is an important step because if you let the paint dry completely then once you begin to rip off the tape the paint may come up with it too--this happened to us when we got to the last strips of tape.

 Once dry we took a light sandpaper across the top of the table for two reasons. First, by sanding down the top of the table we got rid of the ridges that were created by the tape lines--thus creating a smooth surface.

The second reason we sanded the table was create a more distressed effect--that way if there were any inconsistancies in the table it would seem as though they were meant to be there.

Not finished yet...

For furniture items that are under a lot of wear and tear (i.e. tables, night stands, and coffee tables) I recommend covering then in some sort of laquer.

My recommendation is to not use polyurathane. Not only will it make the table turn yellow-ish, but will indent when something hot is placed on it. 

I used a polycrylic because it can stand a lot of abuse and it doesn't dry with a yellow-ish tint. 

In between each coat of laquer I would lightly sand down the polycrylic--I repeated this process four times.

Again, just a recommendation.... 

;)

Isn't it lovely?

Hunk is still trying to decide if he likes it, but I am sure that over time he will learn to love my beauty (if it stays clutter-free).

hahaha.

Also, check out this post to find out how I filled in some of the holes on my dining room table. And don't forget to keep checking back to learn how I reupholstered my church pew, and to find out where I got my inspiration for my photo wall.

 

Review

I really enjoyed using ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape with Edge-Lock™ Paint Line Protector. The tape created really clean, crisp lines, and it worked well on flat surfaces and rounded corners.

If I pulled the tape up quickly after my last layer then my lines were perfect, if I let it dry too long then some of the paint would pull up too--this however, was operater error, and was not the tape's fault.

Overall, it's a great product that I would use again and again. I have already used it with paint, spray paint, and glass etching powder and it has worked wonderfully.

Now it's YOUR turn to gather inspiration, have fun, and win some prizes!

How would you like a chance to win some Scotch Blue painters tape with edge-lock paint line protector?

CLOSED

*Comment here on this post and let me know what project you would use YOUR Scotch Blue on (1 entry)

* Tweet "@ScotchBlueBrand I want #supersharppaintlines for my next project" and then come back and let me know that you've done so (1 entry)

*Become a follower of the Scotch Blue Facebook page, while there check out all of the other customers and bloggers who have posted amazing projects using THEIR Scotch Blue painters tape!

Thanks for stopping in!

ScotchBlue Brand reached out to me to participate in the ScotchBlue Painting Party to celebrate the launch of their new ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape with Edge-Lock Paint Line Protector. My post represents my honest experience with ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape. I am not being paid for my answers, but I did receive ScotchBlue Painter’s Tape to assist in completion.

Repairing Wood Dents and Holes

Really guys, I am not forgetting to show you my dining area. I really, really, big time really want to, but I am containing myself and believe me my will power is weak sauce these days.

However, I promise it will be revealed next week.

 I was asked to particpate in the  ScotchBlue™ Painter’s Tape with Edge-Lock™ Paint Line Protector Link Party and the main focal point of my new dining area is my project for this fab event that will be showcased next Thursday. So I kind of need to hold off on the reveal until then if that's fine with you?

;)

 Hopefully, as I assumed you all have guessed, the focal point of my dining area is my table. Sometimes it is covered in so much crap that you wouldn't know a table was there--but believe under all the mess lies a perfectly good table.

A perfectly good table that I actually traded in for a junker treasure that my sister found on the side of the road.

gasp*

Hunk about flipped a lid when I told him I was getting rid of our table for one that was found on the street.

But where other's see trash I see junk that deserves some spunk, eh?

So as I began scoping out my "new" table making sure it functioned properly and would not topple over with a glass sitting on it, I came to realize that it was a  treasure made a solid wood and metal fixtures--kind of hard to come by these days without having to spend lots of moo-lah.

As I began changing my junk into a one-of-a-kind beauty I noticed a few "dings" that were so ghastly looking that I knew I needed to fix them. I am all for the hammered effect-I am not, however, for the gaping hole the size of the Great Salt Lake effect though.

 My sister recommended purchasing Elmers Wood Filler, which they had used on some doors in their house. When purchasing my wood filler I made sure to look for a filler that was paintable and sandable. No point in filling something in if you can't make paint it to look the same, right?

 I then used a thick piece of cardboard to stick in the table half so that when I puddied the hole I would still have a straight line.

 capache'?

 Once the filler dried (I let it sit overnight) I used a light weight sandpaper bar to smooth it out.

 I also used 3M's General Purpose Sandpaper to make sure I kept my straight edge on the table. By rotating between the two different types of sandpaper I was able to create a more smooth look that blended well with the table.

 This process would have been alot easier if I had just done it before I painted the table, but hindsight is 20/20...and I am always up for making my steps then needed.

;)

Once finished I then repainted, stared at my project for about five minutes all the while patting myself on the back, then I went inside, came back out stared at my table again. Went inside, and repeated this same process probably ten times. I am really in love with my new dining room table.

It's a deep and abiding love.

Hopefully, you'll fall in love with it too because the big reveal will happen in T minus seven days and I can't wait for you to see the before/after pictures.

They're priceless, I tell ya!

Happy Hump Day Friends!

Bad Halsey and a Quickie....

I had one of those humbling parenting experiences.....

This morning my sewing machine kept acting up to the point that I needed to pick out everything I had been working on for an hour. 

 At one point I yelled, "suck it" to my sewing machine--I felt completely satisified in my verbal outrage until Punk came running down the hallway yelling "Suck it!"

I should have known he would catch on because he is now entering that stage where he may not say coherent words or sentences, but when he does say something it is usually a phrase he has picked up from either Hunk or me.

Today, he proceeded to tell the cashier at Smith's, the teller at Wells Fargo, and our neigbor to all suck it. I have a feeling that this afternoon may be one of those mother/son days where I tell him "No" and "Bad Boo Boo" at least 50 times before he gets the jist that what has been coming out of his mouth is bad.

What have been some of the funny things your kids have said?

And just so you don't think I am forgetting about your suggestions I am very close to finishing my wall in the dining area.

But I think I am going to wait and reveal it once the ENTIRE project is complete.

While you wait I figured I would give you another sneak peek. ..

One of my favorite features of my dining area is a gumball machine that I picked up for $20 dollars at the thrift store.

After some cleaning, a nice spray paint job, and of course gum balls, it looks good as new.

However taking pictures of it has been a bit of a hassle because there is no direct sunlight by the gumball machine and it is surrounded by shadows from other pieces of furniture.

To solve this problem I took the mirror from our bedroom and while standing over the top of the gumball machine I propped the mirror angling down so the light reflected off of it. (You can't see how it was angled in the picture because I need to step back to get a clear shot--I could really use another arm;)).

By just following this simple idea I created a drastic difference in the picture.

Voila!

Good Bye Yellow! Hello Blue!

Whenever I get in a creative slump I always call my little sister to get her advice. Kambrie is one of those people that can walk into a room and within ten minutes she has a vision of how to make it look like it belongs in the HGTV Dream Home.

All week I have been stressing over the yellow color on my church pew. It's a beautiful color, but it doesn't go with my walls, and there is one strict rule I have to abide by in our house:

NO painting walls!

Lame, I know, but we are planning on selling our house in a year and Hunk already went out on a ledge with all the doors in our house being green.

So I called on my sister in a panic. I knew that the color of the pew needed to change,  but I had no idea what color would go well with my paper brown tan walls (not my favorite color).

So late Friday night Kambrie and Joel drove the two hours from Billings to help me from going into a complete hysteric state.

My initial idea for my dining room was to have lots of yellows and whites with subtles pops of burnt orange, gray, and green.  Basically, I wanted to compensate for my dark walls with more light colors within my furniture.

Well, that obviously did not work.

So we decided on a more a "tame" palette that now consists of colors from the Martha Stewart Collection. 

Have you checked out her collection yet?

If you haven't get you hiney and gear and head on over to Home Depot because it is amazing.

Not only are all the paint color organized into symbols, but identical symbols mean that those colors coordinate.

Dear Martha has also created coordinating glazes, drapes, carpet, trim and molding colors--basically, everything that you will need to make each room flow into one another.

Cool idea, right?

I ended up using three colors in the dining area--Wrought Iron, Sultana (which is actually more of an olive green), and Popcorn.

Before I showcase the big unveiling I need to add a few finishing touches, including my dining area wall, but let me just say that I am so ecstatic with how it has turned out that I may ju camp out there for days!

And thank so much for all your wonderful wall ideas--if you still haven't linked up a wall idea please fill free to do so, I am waiting until this weekend to finish the last touches to the dining area.

Hope your weekend in going well!