Updated Adirondack Chairs

We've been working hard trying to get the backyard done so the girls can finally play outside this summer.  One thing that has been an eyesore are our Adirondack chairs.

I go the first one almost 10 years ago, and then a second one a few years later.  The colors never quite matched and they have really started looking old and worn.

I tried to find a color that was close to the original paint color so I wouldn't have to paint more than one or two coats.  I used Annie Sloan chalk paint and mixed equal parts Louis Blue and Florence. 

They only needed one coat and it took me about a day to paint both chairs.  I rubbed them with steel wool to create the smooth soft finish like wax usually does.  I couldn't use wax because sitting out in the sun all summer would cause the wax to melt.

Here is a look at the before and after:

What a huge difference a little paint can make.  I don't know why, but it still amazes me.

I finally have a place to sit outside and drink my morning coffee.  I could not be happier.

Linking To:

Silver Pennies, Two Crochet Hooks, The Foley Fam, The Chicken Chick, House of Hipsters

Keeping It Simple, Skip to My Lou, The Girl Creative, Thrifty Décor Chick

Miss Mustard Seed



Mason Jar Succulents

Three weeks to go before the Lodi Street Faire and I'm finally starting to cross things off my list.  This weekend I got all my mason jars painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, sanded and the succulents planted.  I love the way the turned out!

Here's to hoping I don't kill them before October 5!

Linking to:
Between Naps on the Porch,  DIY Showoff, Keeping It Simple
The Girl Creative, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Coastal Charm
Elizabeth & Co., Sugar Bee Crafts, 

Painted Oars

I've always loved wooden oars.  So when I saw all the cute painted oars on Pinterest, I knew I wanted to paint a couple to put over our TV.  I found both of these oars at antique stores.  One was $10 and the other was about $15.  I didn't care if they were exactly the same.  I just looked for two that were similar.

I painted two coats of white with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, then taped off different areas with painter's tape.  I used acrylic paint from Michael's for the stripes and number.  Then distressed everything once they were dry.

They were still a little boring to me, so I used some thin jute twine I found in the garage.  I held it in pace with tape until I had it where I wanted it.  Once it was in place, I used a little hot glue on the ends to hold it down.  I added triangle hooks on each end so I could hang it on the wall.

Love the way they turned out!  And it only took me an afternoon to finish the whole thing.  

Linking to:

Elizabeth & Co., A Bowl Full of Lemons, Coastal Charm

The Blackberry Vine, Sugar Bee Crafts, Between Naps on the Porch

DIY Showoff

Tea Light Candle Holder

My favorite Christmas project so far this year has been my wood tea light holders.  I love the way they turned out, but I also love that they were completely free!  Everything I needed, I already had in my garage.

I used leftover 4x4 blocks from when we built our new fence a couple years ago.  I drilled the holes using a 1 1/2 inch drill bit (like this) for the tea lights, then stained the block of wood with a dark ebony stain.

When the stain was dry, I painted two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White.

I printed the words onto a piece of paper, then traced over them with a ballpoint pen.  I pressed just hard enough to see an outline of the letters in my wood.  Then I used a tiny paintbrush and filled it in.

I don't have a very steady hand, so I was really disappointed with my paint job.  However, a little distressing takes care of all the painting outside the lines.  It also took care of all the paint marks when I dropped my brush!

I let everything dry, then started sanding away with my sanding block.  I love how soft this paint is after you distress it.  So soft and smooth.  My girls kept "petting" the wood because they loved the way it felt.

I think this will make perfect hostess gifts this season.

Linking to:
Elizabeth & Co., A Bowl Full of Lemons, Coastal Charm
Blackberry Vine

DIY Growth Charts with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

I have always loved growth charts.  So when I saw all the distressed growth charts on Pinterest, I knew I would eventually make one. 

They are so easy and inexpensive to make.  It took me a couple days to complete because of drying time, but the actual work is quick.

 

I used a 1x6 from Home Depot, sanded all the edges and corners and then stained it.  I let it dry overnight and then lightly sanded it again so it was nice and smooth.

 

I marked every six inches and then taped my squares so I could apply paint.  I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint because it dries quickly and distress easily. 

 

After the painted squares were dry, I used a plastic stencil from Michaels to paint the numbers.  I did get a lot of bleeding from the paint under the stencil, but once everything was distressed, it was not noticeable. 

 

 

 

I did two coats of white paint and only one coat of the blue paint before distressing.  I definitely like it better with two coats of paint.  The blue looked too washed out, not really distressed.

 

I love the way these turned out.  I can't wait until I can actually starting marking both my girls' heights!

 



 

 

Linking to:

DIY Showoff, Elizabeth & Co., A Bowl Full of Lemons

Coastal Charm, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Blackberry Vine, Sugar Bee Crafts, Hope Studios

 

 

 



Wooden Christmas Signs

The Plumgrove Boutique was this past weekend and it was so much fun.  I can't believe how many people came to shop.  There was an endless stream of customers.

So, I'm really happy that I made the extra effort last week to finish up these little wooden Christmas signs.  They were so easy to make and I had a lot of fun painting them. 

 

I used an old 1x6 I found in my garage.  I stained it with Minwax in Ebony (my favorite because it is such a dark color), painted it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White, and then used regular acrylic craft paint to paint on the words.

 



After the paint dried I used my sanding block to distress it, added a couple eye hooks and twine and it was good to go.

The only thing left to do is decide which one is my favorite!

Linking to:
Between Naps on the Porch, DIY Showoff, Keeping it Simple
Making the World Cuter, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Desk Redo with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and New Top

We have one more project we can now check off Madison's Big Girl Room makeover.

When she started kindergarten last year, the first thing she asked for was a desk.  She couldn't wait to do her homework in her room at her very own desk.

We searched for a long time for just the right desk (i.e. cheap).  I finally found it at an estate sale for $20.00.  It was a hunk of junk.  I got the usual eye rolls when I brought it home and then I started to wonder what I was thinking when I bought it.  I did not have high hopes for this makeover.

When we first started working on Madison's room she wanted pink walls.  I did not want a pink room, so we compromised and I told her we could paint her new desk pink.  I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Antoinette.  Madison told me not to distress the desk because she thinks distressing makes everything look old and she didn't want that kind of stuff in her room.  Her reasoning:  "I'm getting a new princess room and princesses do not have old things."

The paint is not actually as bright as it looks in this picture, it's more of a pale rose color.  I just have terrible lighting in this room so none of my pictures came out very clear.

 

This is what it looked like when I first got it home.

 

Not only was it chipped and dented, but it had water damage on one side and was so dirty.  I think it sat in a garage for many years.

 

The first thing I did was do a lead test on the paint.  It was negative so we were good to go.  I pried off the top because there was no way to fix it. 

I used 1x6's and 1x3's to build a new top.  I cut the boards to size, sanded the tops and sides, rounded the corners and stained the boards.

I used flat metal plates from Home Depot to connect the boards together to make one solid top.

 

I placed the top on the desk and used L brackets underneath the desk to connect everything together.

 

Last, I cleaned the hardware with Brasso and steel wool and put everything back together.

 

Madison and I both love it how turned out.  The only thing left to do is get a piece of glass for the top so she can actually use the desk.

 



 

Linking to:

 

Elizabeth & Co., Coastal Charm, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

A Bowl Full of Lemons, Between Naps on the Porch

DIY Showoff, Thrifty Décor Chic, Miss Mustard Seed

 

 





Bedside Tables

It's not very often that I hear the word "No" from my husband.  In fact, I don't think it was until this project that he ever said no to any crazy thing I wanted to try.

I searched for bedside tables for quite some time.  I wanted something substantial, and I wanted them similar, but not matching.  I found one at a garage sale for $7.00 and the other at a rummage sale for $20.00.

Here's what they looked like before I started painting.

 

The original plan was to paint the bottom yellow and stain the top.  I actually like the way they turned out, but the yellow was really pale, almost white.  It looked so bad against our white walls.  I knew I would have to redo them if I wanted to keep them in our bedroom.

Every time I look at this table, all I see is a smiley face.

They sat in my room for a couple weeks before I could figure out what to do.   I ended up deciding on purple.  Not something I would usually consider, but it was that or gray, and I really wanted some color in our room.  When I told my husband, he didn't even consider it.  He said no and walked away.  Obviously he ended up giving in, because now I have purple bedside tables.

So, an unusual color choice for sure, but I love them.  I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Emile.

Linking To:

The Girl Creative, The Shabby Nest, 733 Blog

Somewhat Simple, Shabby Creek Cottage

One Project Closer, Thrifty Decor Chic



Painted Mason Jars

I love jars.  Even my husband knows that we never throw away clear glass jars.  They get added to a shelf in my office for future flower arrangements.  But who really needs 30 clear glass jars?

Last week I got out my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and painted two coats of pure white over my mason jars.  A little distressing on all the raised edges and some random spots and I have cool vintage-y vases.

I filled them with Trader Joe's flowers and set them all over the house.

Some on our mantel, a couple in the bedroom and one on our kitchen table.  Flowers make every room so cheery.

The jars did not get a coat of wax since they will inevitably get water all over them.  I wasn't sure how the paint would hold up without wax, but they are holding up great.  I even had a hard time distressing some parts of the jars.  After a few days, that paint is set.  

Linking to:

Finding Fabulous, The Girl Creative, The Shabby Nest

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

So, it's been long time.  Anyone still out there? 

I recently discovered Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and I've been painting like crazy.  I love this paint so much.  It makes everything look so good and it is so easy to use!  After I purchased my first can, I drove back to my local stockist (The Vintage Bricoleur) and bought more 3 more cans of paint, clear wax, a wax brush and two paint brushes.

We've been looking for a buffet since we moved into our house two years ago.  It couldn't be just any buffet, it had to be the one I pictured in my head.  And, it had to be cheap.  We found this buffet at an antique store in Sacramento and when I spotted it at the other end of the store, I knew it would be coming home with me.

It was completely scratched up and had dings all over the top, but the drawers worked great and it was solid. 

I sanded the top and took off all the original stain.  I restained the top using Minwax in Ebony.  Then three coats of polyurethane to get a streak free finish.

Next I filled all the scratches and dings with wood filler, then sanded it down after it dried.

The great thing about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is that it the furniture does not have to be primed before you start painting.  However, I wanted a little bit of white showing after I distressed the buffet, so I did prime this piece before I started painting.

I came home from work one afternoon and thought I would be able to paint the drawers before I had to go pick up my girls.  I had about 45 minutes.  I ended up painting the drawers and the buffet while I was waiting to pick them up.  I picked them up, painted my second coat, waxed the entire thing then distressed it a little bit.  I had done almost the entire thing in one night.  I only had one more coat of wax and I did that the next day.

I could not believe how easy it was and it turned out exactly the way I wanted it.  My husband is always pretty skeptical when I start something, especially something this big, and he loved it.

I used Annie Sloan's Louis Blue paint and the hardware was spray painted with Krylon Oil Rubbed Bronze.

Linking to:

Keeping It Simple, The DIY Showoff, Mod Vintage Life,

Between Naps on the Porch, Elizabeth & Co.

Bowl Full of Lemons, Coastal Charm, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Sugar Bee Crafts, Miss Mustard Seed, One Project Closer

Thrifty Decor Chic