Inexpensive and Practical Wall Art

Ok, as you know, I have been busy, busy, busy renovating and making over my dining room. I'm down to the last blog post before the big reveal. I'm being a bit generous here because the dining room is really only about 90% done but the "missing pieces" are pieces I am going to spend my time looking for and choosing exactly the right piece at exactly the right price (and you know I love the thrill of the hunt)!

Here's my latest up-cycle -

Aren't these a beaut? They were actually marked $29.95
on the back - for each! Seriously, who would pay that?
I didn't. I got them for $1.99 each and then half off!
I always feel bad when I get something SUPER cheap
when I buy it on-sale at a non-profit
thrift shop but I know I will be back giving them
my money many, many more times, so its all good!
I liked the frames (not the artwork)  because they were simple
and were long enough for my project.

I sprayed painted the frames matte gold and then
did a "sloppy" paint job with the silver leaf paint.
Just a real thin coat over the gold.

I didn't want them to be real sparkly so I lightly
wiped the antique wax over them just to
make them toned down a bit.

Wax on the left, no wax on the right.
Insert your "wax on, wax off" joke.

I covered the back with a neutral fabric with a slight sheen to it.

I used small, white-tipped push pins and put them
tightly around the edges of the silverware.

The silverware hangs inside the frame but can
easily be lifted out to use at any meal.
Aren't I freaking clever?!?

The pins for these went through the decorative slots.
Easy enough.
These are vintage family pieces.

These are "vintage" Pottery Barn pieces - LOL!

So that's it. I already had all the paint, the fabric and pins, and the silver pieces so all I spent on this project was $2 for the sale-priced frames. Yeah me! That might be a first. I'm very happy with the way these turned out and they look great hanging on my wall. The dining room reveal is next, but that is for another post!

Kristin

An Old Soul Deserves an Old Mirror

Ok, so its pretty much been established that I am an old soul, or at least a vintagey-type of person (no old age cracks please!). My entire life, I have always had a passion for thick moldings rimming a room, peeling cornices revealing generations of paint choices, old wavy windows that slightly blur the view outside, doors with intricate details, and of course, colorful and painstakingly-made stained glass windows. Something about flinging open a pair of heavy, old wooden pocket doors that take you from the long, symmetrical hallway into a room with high coffered ceilings, creaky wood floors, a fire roaring in the fireplace, just makes me feel perfectly at peace in the world.

So, one of my goals with my new-old home was to try my hardest to bring only vintage, authentic pieces into it. Items that have a history and simply make me happy (while I profess to be authentic, its not fully true for me when it comes to toilets and plumbing, appliances, or A/C, though!!). As you know, I have been scouring flea markets, antique and salvage shops, Craigslist, eBay, etc… (side note: I am currently waiting to hear back from a fellow Craigslister to see if he accepts my offer on a vintage Victorian fireplace screen, it's really pretty!) but I can't afford all vintage so in some cases, I have to either accept it or alter it. In this case, beautiful antique mirrors are a small fortune so I found the following gem in a little thrift shop in Ocala (via Facebook). It's old but more like 50s' old, not early 1900's old but that's no problem for me!

I love the lines of this mirror but would love
for it to have an "old mirror" look and not be gold
and thanks to Pinterest, I can do that!

First I removed the mirror from the frame.
Look at the "wonkiness" of this glass cutting!
Do you also like the sneak-peek of my dining room ceiling?
In my opinion, its swoon-worthy!

I decided to paint the frame a matte black first.

Ahhhhh . . . much better but not there yet.

I wanted the frame of the mirror to have a silver-leaf look
and this little bottle was able to do the trick
(and two more frames!).

Thankfully, I wanted the mirror to have that streaky silver-look or
at least that's what I told myself.
I also wanted parts of the black and gold to "peek" through.

I also very lightly sanded off some of the silver
and in a few spots, some of the black to let the
layers of color shine through.

I decided I wanted the silver toned down just a bit.
I very daintily (because those who know me know how dainty I can be)
dry painted the deep nooks and crannies
of this mirror with the antique wax and then wiped 98% of it off.

I love it!

Next step is to "age" the mirror.

In order to proceed with the aging,
I needed to remove the outer layer of paint.

I sprayed on the paint remover and left it for about 30 minutes. 

The first coat didn't work that great so I sprayed
another layer of paint stripper and waited.

The second time worked like a charm and was a bit fun
to peel! Then I sprayed muriatic acid to make those
old dots and it went everywhere and looked like crap!
No pictures available because I was busy cursing.

I then stripped all the mirror and started over again
because now basically I have a piece of glass!
Gee, thanks Pinterest!

So I ran to my local Ace Hardware to buy some
of the Mirror Effect spray paint but they didn't have it.
I then headed to my home-away-from-home, Home Depot,
and bought a can (I didn't know it at the time but that was a mistake!).

I did like the way the spray paint layered the layers of silver.
HOWEVER this is after another trip to Home Depot and
2 more cans of mirror paint because the muriatic acid
was a F.A.I.L again. Cue more cursing and now
we are on day 3! I finally decided to just man-handle
the paint and rub away a bit. I added a layer of black spray paint
over the mirror paint and finally,  I am somewhat happy.

I put the mirror back in the frame and voila!
It's not what I started out going for but it's not too shabby
or actually, its just the right level of shabby! 

After three days, three cans of Mirror Effect Spray Paint, several minor burns on my hands from the acid, the investment in a pair of heavy rubber gloves, and my time, I probably could have flown to Paris and found a vintage mirror but I am very happy with the results. Knowing me, I will probably pull it down in the near-future to make some adjustments to it but for now it will hang. Wanting to show off my handiwork, I called my youngest in to admire my oh-so pretty mirror and in a teenage girl way, she mumbled something about it being ok. She then proceeded to ask me if I planned on cleaning the mirror. Hand to head! Ahhhhh! Guess I'll need to keep my day job. I head to the kitchen for a bottle glass of wine. Put a fork in this one because I am done! I have another super fun, and much easier, project to share next but that is for another post!

Kristin

From the '80s to Today . . .

Ok, so my dad FINALLY retired last December. He went slightly kicking and screaming into retirement because he still wanted to work 70 hours a week! Why?? We'll never really know but he is slowly starting to get used to the idea and actually starting to like retirement, at least a little bit.

With his retirement came clearing out his office for the past 30 years. O vey! Since he was a CPA, there were papers everywhere, and we mean ev-ery-wh-ere! There was also a lot of wood furniture just begging for a coat of Chalk Paint. I passed on all of those items but I did have a big need for seating in my living room so I chose to take two of the chairs below . . .  yeah, me (slightly sarcastic).

This looks like it belongs in a John Hughes
movie but I will admit,
they are S.U.P.E.R. comfy!

The original plan was to have them recovered and that still might be my long term goal. Unfortunately, I don't have a bunch of extra money just laying around (I spent it all on eBay and Craigslist, remember?) and reupholstering can be pricey. My next option was a slipcover but they're not my favorite unless it's a down-filled, sink-in-it, cozy couch. So where did my crazy mind go - how about if I paint them? I had read about other people who had done it, right?  I mean, if its on the Internet, then it must be true! But then I remembered I actually already owned a painted fabric chair that I bought for my daughter's bedroom from The Brocante Market.

Isn't it cute? 

So I can do this, I think to myself. I am woman, here my roar! Ok, a bit melodramatic but I do get excited when I have a project to work on. So off I went to Michael's to buy some fabric medium. You mix the medium with some paint (I used the eggshell latex paint I had used in the hallway and stairwell) and water so the fabric doesn't get too stiff.  It will be rougher than fabric but not much worse than outdoor fabric and truth be told, anything was better than the current fabric.

I took off the cushion and being my lazy self,
threw down a towel in front of the TV.
It was the perfect time to catch up on 74 episodes of
Days of our Lives. Yes, I still watch
it so don't judge me!

I first sprayed the chair with a light mist of water and then
I used a regular paintbrush and just started painting.
It was a bit addicting as I slowly started saying
good-bye to 1986!

This is the second coat.
I did a light sanding with 100 grit sandpaper
in between coats once the paint had
completely dried.

The third, and final, coat.
It looks kind of like a leather chair and
feels a bit like a fuzzy leather chair.

The only funny thing is that when you sit on it, the cushion slowly deflates. It's kind of depressing when you have been dieting hard but it does pop back up when you get off of it so that's a plus. We thought maybe if I didn't paint the back of the cushion it wouldn't do it but we will never know, at least on these chairs.

One last look at the Before . . .

And now the pretty after!

Overall, I'm very happy with the way they turned out. I used coupons at Michael's (I put them on my phone so I always have coupons) to get the Fabric/Textile Medium for cheap and since I used paint I already had, it really only cost me under $10 to change the two chairs! Hello!?!? That's a freaking good deal. I have some extra medium so now I'm constantly walking around the house to see what else I can paint. It's an issue, I know and I'm sure something will be my next victim makeover but that's for another post!

Kristin

Candy Land Photo Booth . . .

Ok, well we had some really nice folks volunteer to take photos of the kids at our Candy Land photo booth. They came in with all the cameras and lights and set-up. Now remember the nice frame my friend B and I made?

We thought it looked great but apparently the photographers didn't think so. We just got our disks with all the photos and our frame barely makes the cut! On the other hand, our props were a hit!

All-in-all, the kids had a great time and had a blast in the photo booth (even without our frame!).

So I only have one last task to complete before I can officially retire the Candy Land party. Do I keep all the "candy" I made or do I just ditch it? On to another project (what to choose, what to choose?) but that will be for another post!

Dancing the Night Away - Part 3

Ok, so I have shown you all the prep work and setting up for the party and now it's time to eat and get our party on . . . 

Our candy table was the first thing the kids saw after
playing the Candy Land game.
It was great to stand here and hear the kids
cheering and gasping with glee!

We had bags they could write their name on
and then store their goodies!

These cupcakes are from Sam's and we just added the toppers. 

My friend Michelle was in charge of all the food
and decorations and I think it all
looks delicious!

This shot is so blurry but I love the action of it!

Converse were the shoes of choice.
I like those over those high, hoochie heels!

Candy Land game in action!

As a tornado just came on shore blocks from my house, I am logging off and we are hunkering down. I have fun photo booth photos to come, but that is for another post!