Em's Crafty Chronicles

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Before and Afters of Dining Room!!

I am soooooooooooo excited about these!!! Check it out!!!

ta daaaaa!!!

Friday, March 23, 2012

my mommy's cameo project

Today, I did a little project...one with meaning to me...so, in a sense, it wasn't little..but in size terms....it's little.
I have many of my mom's little treasures, they remind me of her and of my childhood as most of the items I wanted to have and display were things I had grown up with and remembered. Ever since I can remember, my mom had this little cameo hanging in her room or bathroom.

I don't know where it came from, if it was a gift from someone, or just something she found and loved but it reminds me of being in my mommy's room, laying on her bed, smelling her smell and it brings back such great memories....but it is also gold...."gold"...It has been hanging in my bathroom and sticking out like a sore thumb so I thought I would give it a little update....

First...I took it all apart

I then spray painted all the "paintable" pieces heirloom white

I cut out a scrap piece of burlap for the background and mod podged it on

I then added some robin's egg blue paint into the mix

Put her all back together....and

taaaa daaaaa!!!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

red chairs!! RED chairs!!!

I've had a thing for red lately....I've never really been a RED kinda girl....but as most things do....I have changed!!! It started with a red wall....seen here....and it really opened me up to exploring options...I have had the pretty formal living room with red rose accents, pictures of roses, pillows with red roses...WHY have I never made the color really pop before???
Let me start by saying I have a few more projects before the red chairs will make their true impact - but it's a start....I need to paint a table and a china cabinet (yes...another one) and my plan will be complete!

Here is my current - eh - er - dining area???

Sad isn't it?? The table is currently dark brown, the chairs are a blond ugly fake wood looking color and they are all shrouded in horrible cover ups to hide the fact that they don't match...oh ya...and there is china covering the table...(waiting to be put into the cabinet I still need to paint...but I digress)

SOOOOOOOOOOO-Red Chairs I shall have! and I shall show you how!!!

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First....I spray painted the chairs a solid red....then brushed them a similar red. I thought I'd be done..

But if you know me, or have seen any of the other posts....you know...oh you KNOW I cant have solid color anything...especially not red chairs!!!! Sooo - out comes my trusty partner in crime....

yes...the sander...oh how I love her petite size and distressing power....so we did our best to distress...and were left with chairs that had distressed accents like this:

now....this is nice...but I REALLY don't like that "blond" color wood...so...I grabbed a new BFF

Annie Sloan is the fabulous inventor of chalk paint, and also makes a fabulous wax to go over it...could it work with my non chalk paint? Only one way to find out....

I dipped a brush into the soft wax (PS use a throw away brush...clean up is no fun)

I put the wax thickly on the distressed parts and let it sit for about 30 seconds

then brushed it upward and downward to blend it in (not a good pic...but i was taking the picture of my hand with my other hand...) and I had a "helper" wanting attention....

Yes...Cappy...thinks it's all about him.sheesh.anyway...here is a chair with wax(R) and one without(L)

I just like the depth of distressing and waxing better than a plain ol' chair...don't you??

You'll have to wait until all pieces are done to get the full effect but for now........

ta daaaaaaaaaa!!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

bathroom cabinet refinish

I just finished "refinishing" our bathroom cabinets!!!

I use the quotations because there was no sanding/no stripping/no hard work at all!!!

Here are our cabinets before:

builder's special...but nothing special about them....

Here is how I transformed them:

taped off areas with frog tape (um...LOVE that stuff!)

Caramel Coulours RECLAIM paint (it's magic!!)

***if you are local...you can purchase at Ron's Nursery on Grand Ave in AG***

This stuff sticks to anything! Seriously, all I did was paint it on. I used a "rougher" paint brush to get streaks mimicking actual wood (and not my flat mdf builders special cabinets)

Here is how it looked just after painting:

I liked it...but didn't love it...so out came the magic sander for some distressing. I know someday my husband will ask why we cant just have furniture that isn't distressed and is just normal....BUT for now....I will distress til my heart's desire!!! That being said, here is the finished product: