Distressed Chalkpaint Corner Hutch

I shared earlier with you about my first experience bidding in a silent auction and 

how I had to outbid a sweet little grandpa for this hutch....

She was a beauty wasn't she!  I had some friends scratching their heads as to

why I was nervously bidding on this piece, but I had a vision!

And here's what I saw in my head....

My photos don't really capture her in all of her glory, but she IS a beauty!

I made my own chalkpaint and painted and distressed her.  

I even added a topcoat of Annie Sloan's wax.  

The round knobs are just spraypainted with black spraypaint and I bought inexpensive

black handles for the drawers at my True Value hardware store.

I took the glass out of the doors and went to my shed for some chicken wire which I just stapled right to the back of the doors....cobwebs and all!  

I mixed up some more homemade chalkpaint and using a sample can of paint, I painted the inside a pretty blue color.  I've been using sample cans more often for smaller projects.  

I realize that there are not hardeners in sample cans, but if the painted area is not going to get heavy wear, the DIY chalkpaint recipe helps it to hold up!

I've had some major scores recently at Goodwill and have been outfitting the hutch with white dishes.  I got the soup tureen for $5.00!!! Woohoo!!  

I think that I skipped out of the Goodwill that day!

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Turn an Old Window into a Pot Rack

One of my posts that is frequently bringing traffic is how I like to decorate with old windows, so I decided to share my "how-to" make a pot rack with some updated pictures.

Sheesh!  Those old pictures are horrid!!

We had an IKEA pot rack sitting in a box for the longest time. When we first moved into our house over 6 years ago, I had purchased one, but was afraid to put it up and put holes in our new walls and ceiling.

I almost gave the set to Goodwill.....I think at one point I even tried painting it??  It was a miserable FAIL!  This was before I knew of the wonder of spraypaint!

Thankfully, we kept it because I was able to reclaim some of its parts!

The metal bars of the pot rack are from the IKEA kit....honestly, we never use the actual rails because my hubby is TOO tall.  At 6'5" he hits his head on the pots and that makes for an unhappy hubby!

Instead, I just use "S" hooks from the hardware store and hang the pots off

the cross pieces of my window....no injured heads that way!

To hang to the window from the ceiling, we also just used pieces from the hardware store.

We screwed eye hooks into the window and ceiling and then bought inexpensive chain and clasp at our local True Value store.  The hardware probably cost under $5.00!

It was a quick and easy project and because the window was free along

the side of the road, the total cost was under $10.00!

What have you made with old windows?

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Bamboo Tomato Stakes

I have seen this idea on many blogs.  Carolyn at homework made some

from bamboo stakes and twigs, but I wanted mine to be free and I

didn't have stakes and none of my trees are big enough yet for twigs.

With free guiding my creativity, I called a friend who had a neighbor with a bamboo patch,

I asked her if I could "borrow" some of the dead plants and she grabbed some for me.

At first, I tried cutting the sticks with small pruning shears....didn't work.

Then, I tried a hand saw....still didn't work, so hubby hauled out the miter saw....perfect!

After I cut all the pieces, I just tied the corners with string.

I already had the jute twine, so the whole project was free!!

Now my goal is to not kill my plants!  I have more of a painted

thumb than a green thumb!!

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Faux Grainsack Dining Room Chairs

I am so excited now that the pieces of my dining room are starting to fall into place.

I originally purchased the chairs from the Habitat 

Restore....remember what they looked like?

They were a lovely shade of.....BROWN!!

For their new look, I was inspired my THIS pin from my dining room pinterest board.  I used homemade chalkpaint that I had on-hand, leftover dropcloth from my slipcovering projects and leftover gray paint from our basement remodel.   

Voila.....

.....a whole new look!

I decided to make each chair seat a different "grain sack."

I used a foam brush, painter's tape and gray latex paint.  I wasn't overly concerned 

about perfection.  In reality, these are dining room chairs....there 

will be spillage, it's just a fact of my life!

Using materials that I had on-hand, the cost of this project was.....FREE!

All the materials that I used were leftover from other projects!

Total Project Cost:  $60/cost of 6 chairs

One more project check off my list....only a thousand more to go!

Partying at Beneath My Heart!

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How to make your own paint. . . .

There have been tutorials for how to make your own chalkpaint, but what about a tutorial for how to make your own PAINT???

The following is a guest post written by James Lander of Coupons.  Coupons is a consumer savings site that provides couponing tips and etiquette advice. They also offer top-retailer coupon information.

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Paint made with natural materials is easier on your walls because it allows the surfaces to discharge moisture naturally. While there are a number of eco-friendly options out on the market, they are pretty costly – almost twice as much as conventional paint. Making your own paint is far cheaper.

You can choose from a variety of mixtures when trying to make the ideal paint. This is a guide on how to make basic casein paint.

Basic ingredients of paint:

• Pigment – adds color to the paint. Safer alternatives include pigment derivatives from plants, insects, minerals and iron oxides.

• Binder – helps glue the paint to the surface. Natural paints use binders made from starches, casein, and linseed oil.

• Filler – adds bulk and gives the paint texture. Paints made with starches are often paired with clay as filler because it enhances the binding ability of starch.

• Solvents – also called thinners, helps to achieve a practical consistency.

How to make casein paint

Ingredients:

• Non-fat milk – 1 gallon

• Type S lime – 2 ½ ounces

• Water – 2 ½ cups

• Filler – 6 cups

• Natural earth pigment

Instructions:

1. Set milk aside in a warm place and leave for a few days to thicken. Then pour it through a cheesecloth lined colander into another container; it should make about two cups of curd.

2. Blend the curds and the lime powder together using a blender. If mixture is too thick to blend well, add some water. Remove lumps by straining.

3. Prepare the binder and immediately add water.

4. Moisten the pigments and crush. Slowly add pigment to the mixture in bits until you achieve the desired color intensity.

5. Blend with filler.

After the paint has been mixed, spread on a small area to test, and let dry completely. Observe and make adjustments accordingly:

• Add water if the paint doesn’t spread easily.

• Add binder if it dusts easily.

• Add filler if it appears thin.

• And finally, add pigment powder if color isn’t rich enough.

Tips

Mix ingredients in specific proportions so that the paint doesn’t crack, peel and dust off easily. The more the paint dries, the more opaque it becomes, so allow each coat to dry completely. Avoid very thick coats.

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What a neat idea!!

Thanks so much for sharing!

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DIY Baker's Twine.....

Baker's twine is showing up everywhere! Check out some of these amazing ideas using baker's twine!

Martha Stewart used it to wrap Christmas gifts.....

Whipperberry embellished adorable crayon hearts with it.....

Jen's Ink Spot made these beautiful flowers to embellish a handmade card.....

Whisker Graphics shared these oh-so-cute cupcakes.....

The problem is that baker's twine is expensive.....a sample pack of 6 colors at 15 yards each at The Twinery costs $11.00!  That's a lot of money for string!

So when I saw this tutorial at {nifty thrifty things} I knew that it was too good and I had to share with you all!

Vanessa came up with a way to DIY your own baker's twine!!!

For the complete TUTORIAL, head over to {nifty thrifty things}!

Thanks, Vanessa, for giving us an affordable alternative!!

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