Refurbished Coffee Table

                

This was a very blah coffee table my sister grabbed for me on the side of the road. It sat around in my shop until I was inspired to touch it. I actually started to worry that I wouldn't envision any ideas for it. BUT it did eventually happen just like all the rest. This same sister started updating an older house she recently bought and I reaped all the benefits! All the old trim that was torn down during construction came to me! The good part was this beautiful wood finish was perfect for a coffee table. The bad part... it had layers upon layers of paint. I spent countless hours sanding away and reach the smooth wood. After this project I did invest in a surface planer which will cut the time I spent in half! Sometimes you have to learn the hard way!  I'm also an organization junkie so I knew I'd need more space at the bottom for some baskets. So I constructed something simple that didn't take away from the overall look. Below are some pictures of the process.

 

 <--- After countless hours of sanding!

 

Kids Creative Corner

Ok moms and dads... The cold weather is coming and I have the perfect piece to cheer up ur kids! This brightly colored table and chair set comes complete with a spinning top (chalkboard!) so it's perfect for playing games. Want space for arts and crafts, remove it! When spring comes back it's a great patio table for them as well with a hole for an umbrella!

Scrapbooking

Sometimes I need a little inspiration and ideas to help me get started when I'm scrapbooking so here I have listed some of the pages I have recently done for my Best Friend. ENJOY!

 

Sewing Room Organization

 

 

I recently added a sewing nook in my office and needed to whip up a quick way to organize the many tangled spools of thread piled in boxes. Keeping things organized will help you get things done faster and honestly it just feels really good! This is one of the quickest and easiest projects I've done yet.   

 

MATERIALS NEEDED:

Wood board (thick enough to nail into without going through the opposite end)

Nails (Preferred size depending on your thread)

Hammer

Spray Paint
 

 

What makes this project so quick and easy is that I DON'T measure. I pick up the hammer and nail and get to work! If you are looking for perfect than I suggest you measure your spacing BUT I don't feel that it really matters. I did use a variety of sized nails because I know my thread will vary in size. After I hammered in each nail I used my (Rust-oleum) Key Lime spray paint to add color and let it dry before hanging it up.

                           

Below is a clear kitchen canister that I got at a tag sale (probably for cents) and filled it with my spools. Another great organizing trick!!

 

                                          

Organizing and designing closets

Since I have already organized both of my walk-in closet's (twice), I moved on to helping one of my best friends. 

This is how we spent our Friday night, a sign of getting old ((sighhhhh)). So we filled, I mean poured wine in our glasses and got to work. We started by ripping the closet apart. I like a blank canvas to work with. My friend is not experienced with power tools so it was a fun night of drinking wine and teaching her. 

In the "before" picture you can see the ample wasted space! The broken spinning shoe rack that, in my opinion, was better used as a tool rack for myself ... Don't ya think!?

I wanted to give you ideas I use when working with cluttered closest and are perfect for ANY closet clean-up. 

If you have room for any size shelves, DIY some that are a perfect fit for your items. Home Depot has the perfect scrap wood pile and the wood for these shelves cost about $3!! 

If you are an organized freak just like me... Clear tacks!! There are so many cute ideas to organize your jewelry BUT the tacks are the easiest and make the less damage to your walls. You can rearrange your collection as you add pieces (which face it, happens way too often). 

Long curtain rods are the perfect display for a large collection of scarves.

Cute baskets and containers are great for storing anything from hats to purses.

Be creative when organizing your closet. Design it around you and your needs. I myself need everything on display and and in my face just so I use or wear it. I have no problem spending time rummaging through drawers and bins at tag sales but I don't like doing it in my closet.

 

If you have odds and ends you need to organize and you aren't sure how, leave a comment! I'd be more than happy to help! Happy organizing!! 

Wine themed party centerpieces

 

 

 

These easy DIY centerpieces were used for my sister's bridal shower but would work great for any wine themed party. You can choose to use the bottles as they are but I wanted to tie the bottles in with the rest of the decor and even stand out a bit.

 

Materials:

 

     -Wine bottles (as many as you drink... I mean Need!)

     -Painters tape

     -X-acto knife

     -Spray paint in desired color

     -Flowers of your choice 

 

 

 Step 1: Clean and dry the inside of all bottles. Remove any unwanted foil around the neck. Using the painters tape cover all the labels you want to remain exposed (I covered both the back and front). Using the x-acto knife carefully cut around the label removing an excess tape to shape the label.










Step 2: With the spray paint color chosen place the bottles in a well ventilated area and spray away! You made need to do two coats to cover smoothly.

 

Step 3: After letting the bottles dry completely (if you don't want fingerprints left on your bottles then I stress .. completely!), CAREFULLY remove the painters tape. The tape did start to stick to one of my labels on the wine bottles and begin to rip it off as well so go very s..l..o..w..l..y. And Lastly... arrange your flowers in the bottle as desired! Easy right!?

Chevron bookshelf

 

For all DIY crafters out there looking to experiment with fabric this bookshelf is an easy fun way to add color and textiles to your room. This shelf wasn't in bad shape but needed some sprucing up. Spackle and sanding were the first things on my list for this project. Then I gave it two coats of paint followed by a poly finish. The back was measured, cut and and primed white to brighten the fabric. I measured the fabric and stapled it to the plywood. Before attaching the back I added two coats of water based polycrylic to make it firm and durable. After nailing the back onto the shelf I added a piece of trim to frame it and make it look complete.

D.I.Y Chevron Wall Art

 

So I really needed some inexpensive wall art to match the very bright blue my boyfriend picked out for our living room walls. When I grabbed these frames from the side of the road I didn't think they were in such bad shape, but then again I do think that about much of the items I snatch up! ...  anyway... boy was I wrong! As I tore through the back and took them apart piece by piece they got worse and worse! Being an optimist I knew the outcome would be worth the effort and I plunged in!

 

First order of business was to put the frames back together... they literally fell apart as I took the back off. This was nothing a little glue and staples couldn't fix! When the glue was all dry I grabbed a dark grey (Rustoleum of course) spray paint and gave it two coats. While the paint dried I cleaned the glass and measured and cut the chevron fabric. The poem "You are my Sunshine" was actually part of my inspiration for this project so I went searching online for the perfect image. When I found them I printed them on glossy  photo paper. I replaced the backing with new (not moldy) cardboard and voila!

Rock Away!

 

Entering into the business of repurposing I knew there would be oodles to learn. Sorry but I can't seem to find a word that fits the amount of information there really is to discover! Every day I retain so much new and exciting information. It could be about antiques, paint, fabric, a new process...I'm sure you get the point. I am getting exceptionally better a measuring ONCE and BAM it fits! Which is why I was proud of myself when working on this piece. Such little accomplishments can feel so big sometimes!

 

So with this rocking chair I kept it pretty simple. I didn't want to add to much craziness since there are so many places people like to put rocking chairs and this wasn't a custom piece. I really thought this one was perfect for a nursery so I went with a gender friendly color and fabric.

 

I had to gut the chair since the springs were sticking up your whoha when you sat down. Not very comfortable so that had to be taken care of. Instead of springs, I opted for a more comfortable approach. I cut plywood to fit and covered it with lots of foam and batting. The most time consuming part of repurposing this rocking chair was the sanding... there are lots of little nooks and crevices on this pretty piece. But, once that was done I was so excited to started with the new look!

 

I'd like to know from you...

Do you have a rocking chair in your nursery? What made you choose it?

Creative closet organization

 

My unique style goes beyond my business, UNUSUAL FIT. I think creatively in EVERYTHING I do and it starts in the morning when I am getting ready...

There are a few things that I am totally obsessed with... I mean other than crafting of course. Like any other woman I like to get dressed up and look nice. Well, some days anyway. Most of the time I am dressed to work in my shop and I'm usually covered in paint and sawdust. But I must add... I LOVE IT!

If things aren't out in the open in my closet I tend to NOT wear them!! For those of you who know me you KNOW that it is not at all because I am lazy. I just don't like rummaging through drawers to find clothes or accessories like I do when it comes to a tag sale or yard sale! I like to store things in my closet in a very neat, organized way that gives me complete access during a busy morning. I have spent many hours in my walk in closet, the size of a small room :) , organizing it to be ... well almost perfect! Since I wear scarves all year round I tend to have a rather larger collection. So a quick and easy DIY project for YOUR walk-in closet is this curtain rod scarf holder! I got this lightweight curtain rod from IKEA for literally dollars! Every scarf I own is easily hung up and I can always find the right one to match!

Its a Shutter Shelf

I am so excited to present to you...  a shelf made from old shutters! A little recycling can go a long way! This creation was a custom order for a shelf that was able to hold several binders. After searching through my entire stock of inventory I decided I was going to have to create a unique piece that was designed around my client. After receiving the requirements I started sketching out ideas since I was building from scratch. I'm also really thrilled to say that I have advanced from beginner to intermediate at using the table saw! YAY (Patting myself on the back)! I know to some experts out there this doesn't seem to be such a big accomplishment. BUT This is the only tool that really scared me! Between the extreme noise and the blade being in control I was hesitant to use this, especially since I am at my shop solo. The reasoning behind the shelf spacing is this... Since this shelf will be used to hold binders I wanted to make sure that after the binders were piled on you were still able to see the backdrop. That is the best part of the shelf after all! So I measured and added a few extra inches, now when it's full... you can still see the beautiful colors.

Saving a Kitchen Island

Saved from the trash! This piece had certainly seen it's better days. After sitting outside through various types of weather conditions wearing down on it, it really needed some TLC (or a lot!). I of all people know how important a little extra space is but, in some rare cases .. smaller can be better. I wanted to add extra storage but still keeping size in mind. Once I had the vision I was ready to begin and started taking this rescued treasure apart piece by piece.

I'm not a big fan of the whole drop leaf thing, what could I say... it was ugly! When not in use it's left just hanging there so ... this HAD to go!

It needed a vigorous sanding with all the stains and obvious wear marks. Then I did a coat of primer.













After It was taken apart and sanded down it had a lot of holes that needed to be filled. With some Spackle and wood glue and hours later it was dry and ready for another session of sanding!



I went through my scrap pile and pulled out two pieces of wood that would serve as shelving for the island. I didn't want to put a big shelf in the center since I believed it would jeopardize the space that could be used for storing larger kitchen items.

 

I decided that I wanted to completely remove the knife holding station that contained a cubby, which in my opinion was good at storing mostly dust! My reasoning, safety hazard! I was pretty uncomfortable with knives left out in the middle of the kitchen. The customer that purchased this piece has a couple young children so this ended up being a very wise choice! I did replace the towel rack since there is always good use for one of those!





I also made the decision (after already priming) to sand the top down smooth to show the beautiful butcher block wood. I was originally going to paint it another color (again I was trying to add MORE color... I just can't stop) BUT it just makes sense to leave the top original and the end result was pretty stunning! I did give myself more work since I sanded the top, primed it, and then had to sand it again but it was well worth the extra time. I used two coats of stain and always wanting superior durability I went for the third and final coat.



After all was said and done this was the final result which I was thrilled with.. (Oh and this is minus the wheels which will be added tomorrow)...

 

Chevron Bench

 

This piece is proof that one man's trash is another man's treasure! Thanks to my ex-neighbors who got rid of so many great pieces! The bones of this bench were in such great shape, minus the marker stains and carvings. I loved that this project was on such a smaller scale than the last few I have done so I was excited to start! In need a of a good sanding I removed the stains and any imperfections (I love the smell of cedar!). After sanding I used some wood glue on the crack in the top and sealed it up well. After letting that dry I wiped the bench down and gave it a few coats of some black paint ( I went more neutral than I usually do). I was originally going to sew a square cushion to fit the top but then decided I wanted to completely wrap the top in fabric. Using foam, batting and then the chevron fabric this bench ended up being pretty cozy! It measures in at 31"W x 17 3/4"H x 20 1/2D. It has plenty of space underneath to slide in some big baskets for storage.