Table Makeover....Again

 

 I just couldn't make things work with Henrietta.

Click here for Annie Sloan "Henrietta" Table Makeover

No matter how hard I tried to like the color Henrietta, I just couldn't. 

So, I got out my supplies and repainted the table, again. This time I love it! 

Notice all of the texture on the top of the table? I achieved this look by using Texture Magic. You can find this down the paint aisle of most craft stores. It was super easy to use...just squirt it on, disperse it some and allow it to dry. 

For the top, I decided to try color blocking. The first color is a mix of Antibes Green and Old White. The second is Louis Blue and Old White and the third is good old Paris Grey. The rest of the table is Old White with a heavy coat of dark wax. 

As I was painting this piece, I used very short and varied brush strokes to give it a patina look. As you can see below, the brush strokes held in the dark wax. 

My daughter instantly fell in love with this table and swiped it up for her room. 

Sorry things didn't work out Henrietta.

That's one thing I love about painting. 

You don't always have to love it because you can always change it. 

Linking up to: Savvy Southern Style , Uncommon, Not Just A Housewife, Ginger Snap Crafts, My Romantic Home, French Country Cottage, Miss Mustard Seed

Water Color Summer To-Do List

Need a fun craft project for you or your kids? How about making a Summer To-Do list?

I saw this cute idea on Lisa Leonard's blog (she makes the most beautiful jewelery).

What you'll need:

-A To-Do list

-White canvas

-Permanent marker

-Water color paints and a brush

The first thing I did was write a to-do list on the canvas in permanent marker. I was going for an imperfect and whimsical look.

After the marker dried, I started painting in sections. You have to allow the sections to dry before moving on or the colors will bleed. I had some colors seep together but I actually like the look.

Such a great project for kiddos and it will brighten up your wall!

Linking up to: Ginger Snap Crafts, Serenity Now, My Romantic Home , The Shabby Creek Cottage,Savvy Southern Style, A Bowl Full of Lemons

 

Hello Monday

Hello Fancy Drinks

Hello Friend Getting Engaged

Hello New Shoes

Hello Free Dresser From A Dumpster

Hello Dance Performances by Mini-Me

Hello New Washi Tape

Hello Snugly George

Hello Table Makeover

Hello Wine

Hello Small Downtown Cary

Hello Horse

Hello Friends and Family

Hello Late Night Drives

Hello Laundry

Hello Potato Pancakes

Hello Sangria

Hello Boots

Goodbye Weekend

Hello Monday

{Extra Special Monday}

Life's Too Short

Life's too short not to eat dessert for breakfast.

Homemade Lemon Cheesecake Bites with Strawberry Sauce




Happy Friday y'all

 

Blog Stalkin'

We all do it.

Compulsively check, read all the archives, look at every picture, read the bio page twice...

I'm talking about blog stalking.

Recently I've been stalking enjoying these blogs (in addition to all of my favorites)



Lil Blue Boo

Just visit this blog. Ashely is a super crafter, wife, mom and just went into remission after battling cancer. She will inspire you to choose joy. Even on days when you don't want to.





Little Miss Momma

I love this girl. She's made me laugh and cry all in one visit. Plus, she teaches me how to take pictures of myself. One stop shop in my opinion.



 

 Living Savvy

Tiffany is my new BFF....but she has no idea.

How's that for stalkin'?

No seriously, she is a sweetheart and has been so fabulous about supporting my wee-little blog. She is constantly spray painting something, while drinking wine.

Love it.

 Check out these blogs sometime.

{Or a lot}

Linking up to: My Romantic Home

Vintage Bird Prints in Painted Picture Frames

 

Cute prints, huh? I found a large vintage bird poster at an antique shop over the winter and just recently remembered that I had it.  The frames were purchased at Michael's for a whopping $4.99 a piece (originally $12.99).  But check out how ugly they were....

They look so much better painted. I really like how the Paris Grey creates a mat around the print. 

Now I need to decide where I shall hang these beauties....

Linking up to: French Country Cottage , A Bowl Full of Lemons, My Romantic Home

Shabby Chic Dinette Set

 I had a chance to take new photographs of the dinette set that I recently repainted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (Old White). 

Perfect for a French Country Cottage look....

This set is for sale. For details, please view the For Sale tab on the navigation bar. 

Linking up to: Miss Mustard Seed, French Country Cottage, Uncommon, Decorating Insanity , A Bowl Full of Lemons, My Romantic Home 

Good Morning Saturday....Good Night Dogs

 They went out at 6am

But they needed more water

Then they wanted more food

One wanted to howl in the living room

The other wanted to compulsively clean himself right next to my head

Fine. I'm up 

And what did they do? 

They went back to bed 

Good morning Saturday.

Good night dogs.

Washi Tape: Storage Drawer Makeover

 Many years ago, I picked up a cute 3-drawer unit from the Market Bizarre at Target. I remember it being a clearance item and dirt cheap. At the time, it matched my decor perfectly and I adored this little guy. Not so much anymore. Over the years my decor has moved away from the reds, golds and tans and towards Shabby Chic. 

Before

To make it new again, I painted the piece with Paris Grey and Old White. I used very random and choppy brush strokes to add character and a patina look. I wasn't quite sure what to do with the glass drawers. Being too scared to free hand a design on them, I used good old craft tape and sealed them with Mod-Podge. 

So what do I keep in these little drawers??

Screws, hooks, extra car keys, pool passes, flash drives, junk....

I must say, my love for this little 3-drawer unit has been revived. 

Are you breathing new life into something old these days?  

Do share....

Linking up to: A Bowl Full of Lemons, Six Sister's Stuff, Tatertots&Jello, The Crafted Sparrow, French Country Cottage, My Romantic Home

Annie Sloan: Henrietta with an Old White wash

 

Just a few weeks ago, I picked up a small side table from a neighborhood garage sale. I thought it was the perfect piece for using my sample pot of Annie Sloan's Henrietta.

 Sorry for the bad before picture. I had already started painting when I remembered to snap a quick picture! 

I decided to use a few different techniques with this table. I started by painting the table in Henrietta. I was very unimpressed and highly disliking the color. To tone down the purple hue, I gave the table a wash of Old White, which I've never done before. I simply put some Old White in a container, mixed in some water and painted. I then used an old rag to wipe off the excess. 

As you can see, I left quite a bit of Old White on the top but wiped most of it off the rest of the table. As I painted, the chalk paint started to bring out marks on the table top. To me, it brought out character. I imagine that a child use to sit on the floor and do homework at this table. If you look carefully you can make out parts of equations, words and some fancy doodling!

To distress the table and take off more of the white washed top, I used a damp cloth. Typically, I sand, sand and sand away to distress a piece. I must say, the damp cloth worked great and was mess free! Those of you that use chalk paint can relate to how messy distressing is....

So what do you think? I'm still not sure if I like it or not. Don't be surprised if this table reappears in another make-over session! 

Have a lovely evening...

Ciao Ciao 

Linking up to:  Miss Mustard Seed, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Six Sister's Stuff, Tatertots&Jello, The Crafted Sparrow, Common Ground, The Charm of Home , My Repurposed Life, My Romantic Home , French Country Cottage, Primitive and Proper

Jelly Donut Cupcakes

These are the most delicious, from scratch cupcakes ever!  

Ingredients:

1 cup soy, rice or almond milk

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 canola oil

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

About 1/3 cup jam or preserves

Preheat the oven to 350. Pour the soy milk, vinegar, and cornstarch into a measuring cup and set aside. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper cupcake liners.

In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt. Create a well in the center of the flour mixture.

Stir the soy milk mixture with a fork to dissolve the cornstarch, then pour into the flour mixture. Add the oil, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Stir until well combined.

Fill the cupcake liners about three-quarters full with batter. Place a heaping teaspoon of jam on the center of each cupcake. You don't need to press down on the jam or do anything else; baking will take care of all of that and it will sink in.

Bake 21 to 23 minutes. You can't really do a toothpick test here because of the jelly filling but the cupcakes should be done at this point. The tops should be firm.

Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

Sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

Just trust me on this one and make these soon! Yes they are vegan but no one will ever know....

Veganommicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook

Linking up to: Ginger Snap Crafts, It's A Blog Party, Uncommon, Six Sister's Stuff, Tatertots&Jello, My Repurposed Life, Serenity Now, My Romantic Home , French Country Cottage , The Shabby Creek Cottage, A Lettered Life, Savvy Southern Style

Weekend Wrap-Up

 

Hope y'all had a nice Mother's Day weekend! On Friday I went to the Zac Brown Band concert, here in Raleigh, NC. This was my second time seeing them....they are awesome live! What made this concert extra special was that my brother got to join us. My brother is with the Special Forces in the Army. We don't get to see him very often and like this weekend, he sometimes just shows up for a night out of the blue.

I made some yummy jelly donut cupcakes. They are vegan but I swear, no one can tell! I will post the recipe sometime soon. 

Here's a sneak peek of a project I started....

For Mother's day I received this funky chair. I love how the back is more contemporary and the bottom is more of an antique style. (Party on the top, business on the bottom).

I was also given Photo Plus X5 by Serif. Thrilled doesn't even describe how excited I was over this. However, I have discovered that it is SO complicated to use. I actually cried at the computer yesterday because I was so frustrated. No worries, I will figure it out....

That's my weekend in a nutshell! 

Happy Monday {insert sarcasm}