A Little Family Time

I realize that I usually post about DIY stuff but I thought today I would switch it up and show a little about the family.  A few weeks ago we were lucky enough to stay at a friend's beach house for a few days.  And, wow, it was awesome!!  At times, we had up to 7 adults and 3 kids and it was not even close to crowded.  With like 4 floors and what seemed like endless bedrooms and bathrooms, we were all able to have our own space!  

This was the first photo of the trip...I gave the boys a cup with some M&M's to keep them occupied while we unloaded the car.  It worked pretty well!

Since we didn't go to the beach or pool the first day, the older boys enjoyed "swimming" in the whirlpool tub!  They literally stayed in there forever!!

Fresh corn-on-the-cob for supper....it was a hit with Brady ;)

The next day, we did go swimming and the boys were soooo worn out they would not even eat....slept right through until bedtime!

They had a blast at the pool when their dad's arrived!

This is Colby pretending to be a shark!  Cracked us up!!  Not sure where he learned that at!!

The next day we finally made it to the beach.  Brady didn't like it so much (just like the last time we tried it with him).  But Colby and Nicholas loved it!

Our last morning there, we took the kids to the aquarium where they had a great time and even got to see the divers in the tank!!

Colby is trying to "shoot" the poor thing, lol!!!

We had such a great time and can't wait for next year!!!

From Broken to Beautiful

Wow!  It has really been a while since I  posted a blog.  I know you all have just been dying to see what I have been up to, haha!!  Well, as you know, summer vacation has ended and we are back to the daily routines.  In many ways I am extremely happy to be back to "normal" but in others I do miss the relax feel of summer.  BUT, this is my favorite (get it, orange...fall...ok, maybe not) time of year and I am ready to get going on some fun holiday projects.  Before that starts, I better show you a few of the projects I did at the end of the summer...

I found this great chair on Craigslist a while back.  I decided to use it in my living room for a little extra seating.  Obviously, no one will be chillaxing in it, but it is good for the occasional party or what have you as an extra place to sit, somewhat uncomfortably.    

And............ wait for it...........it only cost me $5!!!

This picture actually makes it look a little better than it did in person.  I did have to fix a small crack on the back leg with some good ole' wood filler.  It also had a cushion which I had already removed....it was quite hideous and maybe a little gross.  

Next comes the Kilz...

As you can see, I actually bought two of them.  It was a pretty funny story, to me anyway.  I had to send my hubby to pick them up from and Asian college student who spoke pretty much no English.  She tried to convince him to also bring home a bunch of plastic chairs and he had a very difficult time getting his point across that he did not want them.  When he got home, he told me that I better know that he loves me to go through all of that for some $5 chairs.  Well, anyway, he got them and I will show you what I did with the other later.

The next step was to spray paint them with a pretty gray and then cover the seat with some extra material I had from making pillows for my living room.

Finished product...

And, with the pillow...

So, in the end, I think it was totally worth all of the confusion for my husband and I am thrilled with the way it goes with the other furniture in my living room! 

The breakdown:

$5 for the chair

$4 for the spray paint

(I already had the fabric, kilz and wood filler)

Total: $9

Have any of you ever had, or caused your spouse to have, a crazy experience with a too-good-to-pass-up find???  Let me hear about it!!

A Vase's Potential Revealed

About 5 or 6 years ago, I found this vase at either Salvation Army or Goodwill...can't remember for sure.  I didn't use it for a lonnnggg time but kept hanging onto it.  Before we moved, I used it as it was in my bedroom but always had plans to make it a little bit lot better.  


Here it is before...

And, as you can see, I didn't pay very much for it :)...

So, I got to work with a little painter's tape and some pretty spray paint.  It took me a little while to figure out a design that would work well.  Once I had it taped, I took it outside and sprayed it, giving it three thin, even coats and letting it dry well between each. 

And, here is the after...

I did go back with a plastic pot scraper and clean up a few of the lines and then sprayed it with a sealer.  I was very happy with the way it turned out!!  

Free Find Made Fabulous!

As I was browsing Craigslist one night, I came upon this table under the FREE section...that is right...FREE!!  I couldn't believe that I had lucked up on this and it was literally right down the road from me!  So, the nice people stuck it out by their mailbox and my sweet but reluctant husband picked it up for me.  He wasn't too sure of it when he saw it but I was sure it had great potential!!

This is it before...

I decided to attempt to do something similar to a table I had seen on a fellow blogger's site...http://www.notjustahousewife.net/2011/02/yellow-glazed-table.html

My table wasn't quite as detailed so I knew it wouldn't be exactly the same.  But, it certainly gave me inspiration.  

First step was to prime it...

Then, paint it the bast coat which was a cream color (actually called Almond).

Next came the hard part....the diamonds.  Well, I will be honest.  I struggled with this.  Measuring and multiplying and dividing and all that goes into this part is definitely not my strong point.  So, I called on the ole hubby again!  He was so enthused ;)

We finally decided to just do it a different way which ended up with a different end result but that was okay with me!

The dots are the ones that I would paint.  I chose a light blue color (same as on the vanity I did last).

I then went over them with a dry brush and very little of the almond paint to lighten them up.  After that, I used a dark stain to age it a little.  Then I gave it about 3 coats of polyurethane.  Added a couple new drawer pulls and....

All Done!!  

I wish I had better after pics but unfortunately I forgot to take them at home and then had to try to get them while holding my 1 year old who was kinda fussy at the time...so, the angles are not great.  But, I really loved the way it turned out :)

Yay for the FREE section on Craigslist!!

The Vanity Re-Do

 I was so excited when I found this beautiful vanity on Craigslist.  I just couldn't wait to get started.  It has such beautiful lines and great storage.  Although it wasn't ugly as it was, it could definitely be better.  

This is it before...

So, I started with just a little repairing...I had to fix one of the drawers with a little liquid nails.  Nothing difficult at all!

I put a can of paint on top to hold it tight as it dried.  

Then, I primed it with Kilz.

I then painted the vanity with a green color that I had on hand, wiping it off as I painted it on.  After that coat dried, I did the same with a pretty blue color...making sure to do a thin coat so that the green could come through.  I went back in places to highlight with a cream color.  This is a very easy and forgiving technique!!

Then, for the knobs...I loved the ones on it but I was not feeling the tarnished brass color...

So, I sprayed them with a primer then a very light blue spray paint.  I went back with the cream paint I used on the vanity and toned down the blue on the knobs with it. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures of that step! 

I added a mirror to the inside and put a simple lace ribbon around it to soften the edges.

My oldest, Colby, who was a cowboy that day, decided to "help" me with the ribbon....isn't he precious :)

I taped the ribbon as I glued it to give it time to dry well.  

I was given this awesome old chair from a family member who didn't want it and it fit the vanity perfectly!!! 

So, after sanding it with a fine sanding block (just enough to get the loose pieces off-I wanted it to look worn), I primed it with Kilz and then used the same painting technique on it as I did with the vanity.

I then covered the cushion with some fabric I had already and even had enough to hem a piece to lay inside the vanity top to add a little extra to it! 

I really love the way it all turned out!!

It is my favorite re-do ever!!  Too bad I have absolutely no room for it so I hope I can find it a good home ;)

Not Just a Candlestick Anymore!

First of all, I want to give props to the blog that I got this great idea from!  As soon as I saw it @Thrifty Decor Chick, I knew I wanted to make one.  To see hers... http://thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/2011/07/candlestick-turned-table.html  The only problem was finding the perfect candlestick.  I looked at a few goodwill's and such, but had no luck.  I had a large one in the past that my mom had handed down and then I had given to my mom-in-law since it no longer matched my decor.  Thankfully, she said she didn't really need it and gave it back so I could use it for my project!!  (Thanks again for that :)  So, here it was before...

It is cute, but I was ready to jazz it up some!

So I primed it...

Then sprayed it with a pretty blue color and let it dry.  I really liked @Thirty Decor Chicks simple white but I wanted to add color to my walls.  To tone it down a little, I then used the wipe on/wipe off method with some white paint...

                           

Oops...who is that precious red head?  That would be my youngest, Brady.  He loves to be "involved" in all of mom's DIY projects :)

So, here is the finished product.  I chose to use a plastic plate that I had already and loved but had never found the right place to use it.  I think it worked out great!!

 

It is so much fun to find great advice and inspiration and make it your own!!!  I can't wait to find the perfect place for my new and improved candlestick table!!