What do you do to deStress???

Hey there!
I have had a ton of changes happening in the last 2 years.
First, my youngest, SIX graduated from high school and went off to college.
Then, Bratchild had a baby.
Then, HeMan Hubby got cancer.
1 year and 18 days later, my SuperHero passed away ...
At home surrounded by the kids and me.
Since then I have started a new job.
Started a home based wellness business...
Check out ColorMeThin.us to find out about that... but I can tell you I bring Happy into people's lives and that is something that makes me very happy!
I am currently in the process of moving out of the home HeMan Hubby and I shared. Where we raised our 6 kids.
The place that has been my haven for nearly 25 years.
In the process of sorting thru, clearing out and downsizing...
Believe me...
Downsizing from a 4000sq ft 6 bedroom house to a 10x20 storage unit is really hard!
During this process I found the stash of furniture I had planned to refinish and sell...
So, I refinished some pieces for a couple of my friend's little girls and I enjoyed it so much I have decided to do the rest of the pieces in the basement too!

Before... the desk and dresser were covered in graffiti from BratChild and her friends...

The after pics show how pretty they ended up...
With a little elbow grease and imagination!

The old vanity (below) that was my grandmother's, had about 7 layers of paint on it. I stripped it down and as I removed each layer of paint I liked the way it looked with the blue and white and the original mahogany ... 

And... I decided to seal it that way... 
Doesn't it look nice!

This really has helped me deStress, well my Happy Coffee (and chocolate and lemonade) on ColorMeThin.us have helped immensely too😀
Life has thrown me some curve balls, but I am working my way through it all...
One day, and one piece of furniture, at a time!

What helps you to deal with your stress?

What was Old... Is New Again part 2

As promised-

Here is a some more of TeenBoy's bedroom Reno...

We took out his 20 year old carpet and installed cabin-grade oak hard wood flooring.

It is called cabin-grade because it is of varying lengths and has knot holes and color variations that are more rustic in appearance.

The walls were painted tan and the window trim and crown molding       were painted Fox Black.   The ceiling fan got a good scrubbing and then was spray painted oiled bronze hammered finish and the blades painted matte black.                 

The over-all effect is very sophisticated and clean and simple... 

and much more appealing to the Adult-Like TeenBoy than the teal carpet and dark green walls of his childhood...

The flooring came from Wood Floors Plus and was only .99 a square foot.  

More on this and the living room floor to come soon! 

What was Old ... is New Again part 1

TeenBoy was about to turn 20 so...

We figured that it was time to update his bedroom.

This is what his bedside table looks like now...

However...

Before the makeover it was a plain unfinished aspen table .

Some Fox Black ( HGTV from Lowes) semi-gloss paint

a couple sponge brushes

tissue paper

clear furniture wax

and

Mod Podge

That's all it took to create a Grown-Up bedside table!

I cleaned and sanded the entire cabinet- this was a chore since TeenBoy had been writing on it with chalk... and apparently used the top to keep his pen knife- knife embedded in the wooden top!

Once all the dirt and saw dust were wiped off I painted it Fox Black inside and out with a soft bristle brush. Two coats went on the sides and inside while three were used on the top and back.

Next- I wanted to make it a little snazzy looking with a contrasting, yet manly, treatment on the drawer to add texture, color and interest as the entire room is tan and the floor a natural oak- you know, very light in color.

This look is created by putting a thick coat of mod podge on the drawer front (I did not paint it black but did sand it with the rest of the piece).   Next, I took a piece of white tissue paper- the kind left over from birthday and Christmas gift boxes- and balled it up really tight. Then I smoothed it out a bit and placed it over the mod podged area.     I used scissors to cut the excess from the edges and then added a thick coat of Mod Podge over the tissue paper- gently dabbing with a sponge brush so that the wrinkles stayed put.

Let this dry for about 25 hours and then paint with whatever color paint you would like. You can use latex or acrylic paint. 

Once dried- about 6 hours in this case because it was very hot that day- I used a spray acrylic sealer on the drawer front.

To seal the rest of the cabinet I used clear furniture wax - 2 coats. I buffed after each coat had dried and the final piece was ready!

A simple project for those who want to try something new on an old piece of furniture- beginners and old-timers alike!

Oh- and the brushed nickle nob is being changed- once I figure out what I want to replace it with!

More of TeenBoy's room reno will be coming soon!

It's A Kitchen... Pantry Barn Door !

It's Official...
The Pantry Barn Door is complete...

From the outset it was a BIG job on a non-existent budget...

But HeMan Hubby and I figured out how to create a barn door track ...
Well, HeMan Hubby figured it out and told me all about it...














The door I wanted, of course, did not exist in the land of
Home Improvement
so...
THE Father-In-Law made one to my specifications...
Even when I wasn't exactly sure what they were yet!

Not only does the door fit perfectly across the pantry opening...

but it fits perfectly across the open doorway from the entry hall into the kitchen... 

Now we can close off the front hall to cut down on noise or traffic flow when TheBusyFamily and their FRIENDS are being too social!

A little sanding and some paint... white, magnetic and chalkboard varieties... and Voila'

pantry door open- hallway closed

pantry door closed- hallway open

The finished product is Amazing...

If I do say so myself...

And once the swing out shelving is designed...

and HeMan Hubby figures out how to make it work...

And installs it...

This Pantry will be AWESOME!

It's All Faux To Me... faux paint on kitchen and family room walls... Sponge and plastic wrap techniques

I like to try new things.
I also like to try new colors.
In my clothes, shoes, accessories...and on my walls!

I wanted an orangey color in the family room to liven it up and make it reflect me...

Oh, and be the opposite of what it was.

What was it you ask?

The bottom was dark evergreen and the top was green ivy vines on a white background wall paper.
Now it wasn't bad. The wallpaper covered the top 3 feet while the bottom 5  feet was the dark green. In a huge room with natural light pouring in from 4 windows and 2 french doors... the dark walls kept  the room from being too bright or unwelcoming.

But, after 15 years I wanted something different to go with the whole kitchen/breakfast room/family room make-over.
We built the house 19 years ago with what was then an innovative floor plan featuring an open area across the back 2/3 of the house that comprised the kitchen, a morning room, and the family room.

The family room and morning room (breakfast room) have large french doors that open to ...
well the family room opens  to a large deck, while the morning room doors open to nothing since we haven't agreed on whether to make a small balcony for a  bistro set or to make a larger one that spans that half house to connect the morning room with the doors that lead out of the dining room to nothing.

It took us 10 years to agree on a storm door so...don't expect a decision on this any time soon.

SUNFLOWER is the name of the top color...
the glaze toned down the orange without making it look dingy
the  bottom is sage green but I am thinking it might
become something else soon

As I was saying.
I wanted color...and boy did I get it.
Remember all that light we get in that room?
Well, it made the walls glow... and NOT in a good way.



So rather than repaint it all again, I opted to use a faux finish to tone down the orange without ruining the punch of color I wanted.

The glaze is transparent so it adds just a hint of bronze

 To achieve this look I used a faux finish wall glaze- found in your craft or home improvement store, a roll of plastic wrap and a soup bowl.

First- glop some of the faux finish into the bowl.

Second- add a teaspoon of water and gently mix it into the glaze until it is very watery-
-- add a few drops of water at a time if needed to get it thinner.

Third- tear off a piece of plastic wrap that is large enough to cover a casserole or baking dish...about 9-12 inches long...and then lightly scrunch it into a pouf .

Close up of the kitchen wall ( below) after glaze has dried

The final step is the hardest...

Dip the top of the plastic wrap pouf into the bowl of thinned glaze and gently dab
excess onto a paper towel.

Now just lightly dab the pouf onto the wall.


More  glaze on the pouf makes a darker contrast, but too much and it will  run down the wall.
For the kitchen wall I wanted a slightly different texture so I used a slightly damp sea sponge to pounce the glaze over the wall  in large random circular motions.

Experiment with your wall...if you don't like it you can wipe it off with a damp cloth and start over!

The kitchen wall from a distance...the same glaze used on the orange walls in the family room toned down the yellow and gave it the look of old-fashioned plaster walls

So go ahead...
get creative...
try something new...

After all...
It's Only Paint !

Scrapbooking...not just for books!

Yes, you read that correctly!

Did you know that you can  get 16x16 square frames designed to fit scrapbook pages at your local craft supply store?

Well - Now You Do!

The best thing about these frames is that they are similar in depth to shadowbox frames, but not quite as deep and not nearly as pricey!

This means that you can create beautiful scrapbook pages for any occasion...
Complete with the embellishments that make  your heart sing...
ribbons and bows
buttons and brads
coins, concert tickets...
even a child's cherished keepsake or small trinket or toy...

And it will fit!

I  had a great idea to make a page for each birthday  for my grandchildren with photos and momentos from that year ...
put it in a frame until the next year.


Once removed from the frame for the new page the old one would be put into a scrapbook album.

After 18 years there would be a completed scrapbook  for each child to take with them on their journey to adulthood...be it college or marriage or  whatever... that would keep them in touch with  their loved ones and the memories of their childhoods...

I am sorry to say that plan has not worked out as I has planned... I still plan to make those pages...I just have a few years to catch up on that's all.





So-here  is what I did instead...
To commemorate the visit from HeManHubby's brother and his family from DownSouth this year I out photos of their little ones and our grandkids- FancyPants and BabyG.








I think it turned out well and it looks great on the wall between the kitchen and the family room.




Happy Crafting!
        ~d

Owl You Need is ... a Little Peel and Stick

I got these peel and stick wall stickers at Pier 1 last year on sale...  
No idea what I would do with them, but I couldn't resist...can you blame me?





Then I found this frame at Hobby Lobby for half price after Christmas.

And an idea began to take shape on how to put  those Owl stickers I had been holding onto to good use.

All I needed was a little something special to make it come together...

and then I went to the dollar store...

And I found this transparent wall sticker with the perfect inspirational phrase...

Well, it's perfect for my family and what I them to believe...

Put it all together and you get...

To make your own inspirational wall art just do what I did :

1) clean the glass on both sides of the frame. The peel and stick graphics go on the front of the       glass so you can leave it in the frame.

2) place the frame-with glass in place- on a flat surface and simply arrange your peel and stick        wall stickers on the glass the way you want. Be sure to apply them from bottom to top, slowly      rubbing as you go to remove air bubbles.

3) To get a 3D look figure out where you will hang your framed art and arrange the inspirational     peel and stick graphic on the wall so that it is visible on the wall behind your framed piece.


The finished effect will have a 3D look from  the shadows cast by lighting or sun shining into the room.
Like this:

Oh- please ignore the messy sofa...a family of 6 lives here and I like throw pillows and blankets!

Next project is to fill the bottom of the wall with old family photos... not sure just how yet but I'll be posting it once I am!

Happy Crafting 

~d