POWW 99: A Furniture Link Party

Happy POWW!  After last week's amazing links, I can't wait to see what you all have to show off this week!
I have a dresser I actually did a little while ago, but forgot to share.  I did show you the desk that came with it.  So here is the dresser before:

Ok, so technically, that wasn't the true before.... that was the before it was painted but after holes were filled from its previous hardware and sanded smooth before...
I painted it with two coats of my go to Benjamin Moore Aura Platinum Gray, and painted the knobs with a fun yellow craft paint (and I am sorry but I can't even remember the color!).  I distressed it lightly, and went over it with Minwax Golden Oak to just warm it a bit.  Here it is now!

I thought it was so cute and fun and slightly mod.  I thought it would be perfect in a fun nursery like this:

Via Chic Cheap Nursery

But sadly, no one else has seen it like I have, so it has been hanging out in my garage waiting for someone to love it.   So I am bringing it over to the next barn sale and hoping it will find its forever home.  :)  If I were to have another baby, I would put it to use.  But that ship has sailed!

And now it is your turn!  Remember the rules- those that don't play fair are deleted.

RULES:
1. Your post must be a completed original project and must be a furniture redo or build.
2. Your post must be new to my parties- do not link something you have shared on this blog before.
3. You must be a follower to party here.

4. No etsy shops or the like!

5. You must place my button or a text link in your post or sidebar.
6. Leave others some comment love!

Blogging Without Borders: A Pin-Spired Hook Rack

Happy Monday!  It's time for another Blogging Without Borders Update.  As you may recall, I have been working on my kids section of the bathroom, while several other bloggers have been tackling progressive projects in their homes, too.

Two weeks ago, I shared with you some progress on the painting.  This week, I want to share with you another item checked off my list.
Here is the list I created back at the beginning of this project:
-replacing the mirror
-painting the walls
-painting the vanity
-replacing hardware(with exception to the faucet)
-MAYBE lighting but doubtful since it scares me (though there is that whole without borders thing i guess)
-painting the trim
- creating a hook rack
- paint the ceiling????  This would be me pushing my limits.  I have never painted a ceiling.  This would be a nice small one to start with!


The new item I was able to cross off was the hook rack!  (Can you tell I am procrastinating with the trim painting.... eew).  I really was not sure what I was going to do for it, but we desperately need a place for the kids to hang their wet towels.  I thought about creating a fun pallet salvaged hook rack and painting the words "hang loose" in turquoise, and adding hooks I had salvaged from the inside of my gray armoire.  I even tried it, but I was not a fan.  Just as I was in the process of trying to figure out what to do, I came across this pin and immediately I knew it was "it". (The original source is Martha Stewart).



I decided to use the orange paint from the ceiling and vanity, and use the salvaged hooks I had, and create a similar wall, without the bench area though as the bathroom is teensy.  I had long ago purchased a numbered stencil from Home Depot on clearance and it was the perfect font and scale for the look I wanted.

I began by measuring, and using a level to make sure I placed my stencils correctly and evenly spaced.  I used Frog Tape for delicate surfaces I received from Haven so I could be sure that no paint would be removed from the wall.  Then I began my stenciling. (Pardon the crappy phone picture, and the wall is white, not pink!!!)

I gave it a few coats, and then removed the stencil from the wall.

Once the paint was try, I touched up a couple spots, and then measured and used my level for my hooks as well.  I used the screws they already had as they had the proper patina, but I added anchors to the wall so that the hooks would be secure.  Here is my after!  Don't look at the ugly unpainted trim.  Just look at the pretty numbers and hooks.... ooooh aaah.

And now with their cute little towels hanging in a row....

This project was super easy!  And now Chris will be happy the kids towels aren't hanging over his in our area anymore. :)

Hop on over and check out the progress the other ladies have made!

Amy @ Buffalo Roam, Dana @ Crafted Niche, Jaime @ Crafty Scrappy Happy, Heidi @ Décor & More, Tisha @ Delectable Home, Shannon @ Fox Hollow Cottage, Kirby @ Kirb Appeal, Holly @ Life as a Thrifter, Cassie @ Primitive & Proper, Debbie @ ReFresh ReStyle, Jessica @ Stay At Home-ista, Karah @ the space between, Laura @ Top This Top That and Kelly @ View Along the Way.

A Little Dirt and POWW Faves

Yesterday was an amazing day and it was just what the kids and I needed after a long week of swim lessons, and Chris working long hours to get a store ready for reopening.  We went over to Jessica's house in the morning and had fun chatting and playing, and sharing Dunkin Donuts. :)  And of course visiting and caressing her beautiful woodland dresser....
After spending the morning there, I took the kids up to Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo for some much needed fun with Mommy time!  We walked all over, and visited with all of the animals including lemurs, snakes, alligators, parrots, fallow deer, owls, wallabies, leopard, tiger, bear, lion, arctic wolf (my favorite!) and many more.  The kids fed llamas, goats, sheep, and deer.  They even got to take a ride on the camel!

We had an amazing day, and it was just what we needed.  And the reserve was beautiful... small, but lovely.  It is not a typical zoo and is much more natural in its surroundings, with tons of greenery.  If you are local or ever just in the area, I highly recommend it for a fun afternoon!

Today I am heading to work at Ginger and Spice Marketplace (formerly Wild Rose) in Walkersville, MD from 10-5.  If you are local and looking for something to do, come on out and say hi!  And if you come, there is a great frozen yogurt place near by.... I like mine with raspberries and granola, thank you very much.

Today you can also find me over at The DIY Club sharing a new addition to our most used door.... a little reminder to myself in a house with dogs and kids!

Let's check out those POWW faves.... this week was exceptional.  I feel like I say that week after week, but when you see these you will understand.

I do not even need to say anything about this dresser from The Golden Sycamore.  Because the picture says it all.  But I will anyhow.... I can't get it out of my head.  Love it!


Another boldly graphic and awesome dresser came from Chrissie's Collections.  Check out this stripedy striped awesomeness!


Living a Redeemed Life shared this adorable bookcase..... would you believe it used to be a dresser?  Yep.  It really was.

A Life Designed created this fabulous bar cart out of industrial pipes and wood!  I love it!!!!!  And look at all that wine... a girl after my own heart!

Lesli from My Old Country House shared these fabulous twin beds she found for a steal!  Love the modern fabric on them... oh and yeah, the whole room is pretty awesome!

There were two creative clock projects....
Love this one from Under a Pile of Scrap:


And love what Dee from My Painted Stuff really put this table shape to use with her design!


And finally, LOVE this numbered dresser from Stacey from Embracing Change- the colors and handles are perfectly beachy!

Happy Saturday!  I hope you get out and enjoy your weekend!

Friday Guest: Catherine from Paisley and Polka Dot Thrads

Happy Friday!  Before I get into my guest today I have a couple orders of business.

First of all, I wanted to let you know that the closing games for the Bloggy Olympics are now going on!  Hop on over to Hating Martha to join in on all the fun!  There are a couple of awesome giveaways going on as a part of it.  And if I had been organized enough, I would have been hosting the closing games link party, too! (Sorry, Janel!)

Secondly, I want to share with you the easiest way every to hang book cake art.  Seriously.  Done in less than 60 seconds easy.  Hop on over to The DIY Club to see how super simple it was to hang these book pages in Emmy's room:

Now I want to introduce my guest today...
Catherine from Paisley and Polka Dot Threads is here today to reveal her daughter Emma's room!  Catherine is a whiz with furniture makeovers, and might be one of the most genuine and sweet people in the world!  She is one of my bloggy friends from down under, and I truly hope I get to make it there one day to visit the wonderful women I have only met online.

Catherine is going to share her daughter's adorable room with you today, including some of the DIY projects she has tackled along the way.  Before she gets into that, let me show you some of my favorite projects of hers.  Most recently she shared this awesome dresser to TV stand, and I just love it!  We can't find pieces like this in the US:


And how awesome is this recycled bathroom art?


Catherine is pretty much talented all around and tackles many projects!  I know you will love her!


Hi P&P followers, I'm Catherine and I blog over at Paisley & Polka Dot Threads. I can't tell you how excited I am to be here!

When I started blogging I thought I'd find inspiration, ideas, and new interests (boy did I ever!), but what I also found are some kind and generous people, like Cassie. If you've commented on her blog you know she always responds, and leaves really encouraging and supportive comments too. Despite being half way around the world (I'm an Aussie!!) this interweb thingy offers such an amazing support network!

So today I thought I would share the reveal of my three year old daughter Emmas' bedroom...

It was this ombre dresser that really started the ball rolling and gave me the confidence I needed to makeover her room. I also had some lovely supporters (including Cassie :) ) who encouraged me to take it on. You can also see some lined ikea boxes for storage... you can never have enough!

The bookshelves in the corner would have to have been the easiest project, but I think they are so cool!! Ikea spice racks never looked so good ;) They definately bring a bit of colour to the room - hard to do when my three year old wants everything PINK! The vintage bed cover from my Nan is so lovely, it is beautifully detailed and such a wonderful family heirloom.

Emmas' magical forest table is one of my favourite makeovers, though it's so hard to get a good photo of it!

This last picture shows my latest project, Emma's beside table. I wanted something a little different, so I combined a tiny table with a retro vanity case.

Relining the inside was a challenge, but I'm pretty happy with the result. I'm still undecided about the colour - the whole thing may still end up with a coat of white paint... or hot pink... I'd love to hear what you think!

I'd love see you at Paisley & Polka Dot Threads and have the opportunity to get to know you! I'll also be posting more photos of Emma's room, and some of the details, next week if you're interested.

Thank you Cassie for sharing your space with me, it's so appreciated!

A Sweet Girly Chair Redo

Today you can find me over at The DIY Club sharing a sweet girly chair makeover!  I took this chair from this:

to this:

and I even tried out a new to me wax that I think you will love to sniff!  Hop on over there for all the details!

French Gray Drop Cloth Seat Chairs

How is that title for SEO optimization?  I don't care about that, but I just couldn't come up with a good title.  :)

I found these chairs recently at the flea market for a sweet deal for all 4.  The catch of course was that they needed some work, like new seats, and some joint repairs.

Today, you can find me over at The DIY club sharing how I repaired the joints with just some Gorilla Glue!

To solve the seat problem, I used a method my father taught me.

First I removed the caning from the 3 chairs that still had it in tact.  Once that was complete, I painted the chairs.  They had already been stripped, so no priming or sanding needed.  I mixed a concoction of one part water, one part Benjamin Moore Aura in platinum gray, and brushed on just one coat.  That dried in no time; and then I distressed and used Cece Caldwell's all natural furniture wax to seal.

After the chair frames were taken care of, I got to work on the seats.  I used a piece of posterboard and set it on my work bench.  I set the chair upside down on top of that.  I traced an outline of the inside of the seat within the frame of the chair.  I used that outline but went out about another 1.5" and drew the pattern a little larger.  Once I had it drawn on the posterboard I cut it out, and placed it on the chair seat to see if I had created the proper size and shape.  I lucked out this time and got it on the first try- sometimes it takes some tweaking!

Next I used 1/2" thick plywood and traced my seat pattern onto my pieces of wood 4 times.  I used a jigsaw to cut out the seat.  After the first one was cut, I retested before cutting the other 3 to make sure it would in fact fit.  Yay!  Success!  Then I patted myself on the back and thought "Dad would be so proud if he could see me now!"  After my moment of celebration, I cut out the remaining 3 seats and brought them inside to my craft closet.  Once there, I cut a couple of layers of batting per seat as well as a piece of fabric (I used a drop cloth) slightly larger than the seat.  I used my staple gun to attach the fabric to the wooden seat and cover the batting in the process.

Once that was done, I took the seats back out to the garage to attach to the chairs.  I used three 2"screws per seat (3 because I could not get into the back area as a dowel blocked me).  I used the existing holes from the caning to sip the screws in and attached each seat with a screw in the front, and one on each side.

This process may seem a little confusing, so always always feel free to email me if you try it and you have any questions along the way!

Here are the chairs with their new color and new seats!  They are now ready for every day use and are available as of today at Ginger and Spice Marketplace (Formerly Wild Rose) in Walkersville, MD!

I guess I have been on a bit of a chair kick, huh?  Another chair coming tomorrow!  And I even got one the other day to attempt reupholstery on.  No guarantees that project will happen any time soon, but I am ready mentally to tackle it!


Sharing here:
Jennifer Rizzo

POWW 98: A Furniture Link Party

Happy POWW!  Today, you can find me over at the DIY Club sharing several seat makeovers!  I am going to just give you some quick before and afters here, but you will have to head over there for all the details of how each was done, as well as a super handy way to repair chair joints you won't want to miss!

Before:

Afters:

Before (bench):

 After (This is the best picture I have- I forgot to take one at home, and it sold the day after I brought it in!)

So head on over to the DIY club for all the details!

And now it is your turned!  Remember the rules- those that don't play fair are deleted.

RULES:
1. Your post must be a completed original project and must be a furniture redo or build.
2. Your post must be new to my parties- do not link something you have shared on this blog before.
3. You must be a follower to party here.

4. No etsy shops or the like!

5. You must place my button or a text link in your post or sidebar.
6. Leave others some comment love!