Patio Set & Outdoor Pillow Covers

I'm excited to tell you about this mini revamp.  I found my wrought iron patio set on the side of the road about two years ago and some change.  Aside from alot of chipped paint and some rust, the set was in great condition - nothing that a good can a spray paint couldn't fix.  I spotted it on the way home from work just a block from my house.  I raced home and told Rob what I found and told to him hurry up and follow me in his car.  We snatched it up in seconds and off we drove.  Score!!! 

I knew we'd be moving into our town house soon and that I'd want a nice patio set.  So the timing on this find was perfect!  I saved us a couple Benjamins (at a minimum) that's for sure.  Several weeks after we officially moved in to our pad, I borrowed a friend's power washer and Rob gave it a good scrubbin'.  Once the patio set was dry, I sprayed it with a fresh coat of white Rustoleum paint. 

Well that was almost two years ago I gave it a fresh coat of paint.  If you're a project junkie like me, you probably get tired of things around your home pretty quickly.  This year, I decided that the white just wasn't working for me any longer.  We got a cute black outdoor table (which is actually designed to look like wrought iron) and four black chairs as a shower gift, so I thought I'd spray paint the patio set black so that everything matched.

before.  here's our table in white.

rustoleum is the best spray paint because it prevents rust (which is important for outdoor furniture) and it's great for all sorts of surfaces such as metal, wood and plastic.

my neighbors think i'm nuts because i don't bother to lay a drop cloth outside.  why would i?  as soon as the grass is cut the paint is no longer there.  ha!

after.  here's the patio set in black.  much better - don't ya think?

Did you notice those awesome pillows?  Yup.  I made em'.  I started to tell you about this project in my New Sewing Machine post.  As I mentioned, these pillow covers were the first thing I've ever sewn.  I dunno...I think I did pretty good.  I definitely got better and better with each one.  The pillows are just the perfect touch to my newly revamped patio set.  Ahh.  These DIY moments make me so happy.



check out that super straight, straight stitch.  not shabby for a beginner right?



here, i wanted to show you another stitch angle.



yikes.



I told you that I got better with each one.  The pillow above was the first one I sewed.  I folded too much fabric for the hem which left me with a shortage of fabric coverage in the back of the pillow. 

just your basic envelope pillow case.  easy breezy beautiful cover job.

see, my pillow covers got better and better as i went.  full coverage here.

Rob teases me that Brother is only a phase, and that I'll get over the excitement soon and it'll start collecting dust.  Not happening my friend.  Right after I finished my pillow project, I started sewing curtains for our family room.  For the time being I think I'll be plenty busy with sewing projects. 

Here's sneak peak at my curtains in progress.  I'll blog about these soon, too.

Spray Painted Mirror

Hello and happy Sunday my friends!  I hope you're having a good weekend.

I eyed up this mirror over the summer at a thrift store and snagged it immediately.  I thought it was so cool and I knew that a simple coat of spray paint would instantly revive this baby.

Let me explain the red paint on the top part of the mirror -- for a moment, I wanted to decorate our office with red accents.  I saw a picture of a room somewhere that had green walls, very similar my office color (Behr Garden Spot), with red accent pieces and it looked really nice.  I used this mirror to test the red and good thing I did because I decided that red wasn't for me, or our office. 

Cha Ching!!!  Check out the price tag. Yup, $15.  Ahhhhh.

As I took the mirror apart to prepare for spray painting, I noticed it said something on the back.  It reads, ".......... June 3, 1966."  Although it looks like it reads "1866" in the picture, it's actually "1966."  I don't think this warrants a visit to Antique Road Show, but how cool!  This mirror is 44 years old!

After one coat of white RUST-OLEUM Gloss spray paint, my 44 year old mirror now looks like this:

A rather nice touch to our office if I don't say so myself. 
BTW - pay no mind to the ugly yellow chair in the corner of this picture.  Hopefully, one of my x-mas gifts will be to have this reupholstered.  Fingers crossed :)

I love the glossy white paint. And my favorite part is the dotted border along the frame.

All said and done, this mirror put me $19 in the hole.  I'm certainly not complaining.

So the next time you're about to throw out - what you think is an old and ugly mirror - think twice before chucking it the curb because a can of glossy spray paint can make a world of difference. 

I LOVE SPRAY PAINTING!!!!

This mirror is partying with the best of them at:

  

 

Completed Picture Collage

After tons of moving around, lots of reader feedback and way too much time spent staring at the wall...I'm so thrilled that our picture collage is hung, finished and lookin' good!  Our wall of pictures is a compilation of images I captured and that tell one unique story after another - and I couldn't be happier with the end result!

An added bonus to this picture collage is that I can bust out the mixologist skills I picked up from my good ole' bartending days and serve our guest up a nice cocktail while they enjoy the serene images.  Cheers!

My goal for tonight, in addition to showing off my collage, is to tell you a bit about what I did to create this collage look.

First, I went on a hunt for picture frames.  I frequent thrift stores several times a week so it didn't take long before I had a nice pile of frames to work with.  And even though this collage is finished, that won't stop me from continuing to look for old pictures and frames- there's always going to be something fabulous out there.  I knew that I wanted to spray paint most of the frames white. But I also wanted a couple metalic and dark wooden frames because I thought these would tie in nicely with the elements in our living and dining rooms.  Most of the the picture frames I purchased cost about $3.00.  I think the most expensive was about $7.00. 

Something you should know that I think will save you alot of time and money in the long run when creating your own collage is that although it's important you love the frame itself, this should not be the end all be all when buying them second hand.  Take these tips into consideration:

• Matte- Look for pictures with a neutral or light colored matte that can work in any room.  Otherwise, be sure to keep in mind what color matte will work for your space.  Buying old pictures with a matte already included will save you lots of buckaroos.
• Hanging- Check that the picture has a hole, hook, wire or anything else that will allow you to hang the picture from a nail.  I actually had to use my hot glue gun to add a hook on the back of two frames.  Ugh.  Also, when deciding which of your fabulous images to include in each frame, keep in mind where the hook is.
• Condition-  Buy frames that are in good shape.  Frames that are dinged up, broken or chipped will not look nice once painted or hung on the wall.
• Staples- Some of the nicest picture frames I picked up were held together with metal staples in the back...they. are. a. pain.  I recommend you remove them with pliers and then hammer a couple teeny nails in the back on each side for support of your new image. 
• Glass- Make sure the picture frames you buy have a glass front already in them.  I mistakenly bought one that did not have a glass front.  

Next, wipe your frames with a damp cloth to clean them.  Now spray paint away.  Two coats should be sufficient.  I used Valspar white interior spray paint.  Make sure the spray paint you use is appropriate for your frame's surface. 

Then, select your favorite images and print them out.  I really wanted the pictures to look nice and I had store credit at Ritz Camera so I printed them there.  Also, with all the money I saved buying second hand frames there was a couple extra bucks in my budget to spend on quality printing. 

Finally, decide where you want to hang your picture frames.  There's a ton of tips and how-tos for doing this, and a simple Google search will showcase lots of different ideas.  For me, I found the best way to do this was to arrange them on the carpet in different ways- you can see a couple options I played around with here.  Take a picture of each option so you can go back to them and make your decision.  Also, when you make your decsion, the picture will also lend as your guide for where to hang the frames on the wall.  Unfortunately, my first attempt at hanging the frames was kinda dissapointing because I hung them too close and had to start over.

I hope you like the end result as much as I do.  Feel free to shoot me an email if you have any questions.

So now, if you've always wanted to create your own picture collage, I hope after reading this you'll get movin' on it.  It's so easy, inexpensive and DO-ABLE!!!  You have no excuses not to.  Be sure to send me your pics!   

THIS TUTORIAL LINKED UP WITH THE BEST OF EM' AT:



Check it out, HERE.




Check it out, HERE.


Check it out, HERE.

Thoughts on Picture Collage

After playing around with a couple options for how to hang these pictures, I (with your helpful input) decided to go with option #2.  And here it is...

Rob suggested I space the pictures a bit more. At first I didn't want to listen to him because I spent alot of time hanging them, but I think he may be right. Ugh. Also, I think I should move the entire collage up several inches so that the picture on the very bottom isn't so close to the chair rail.

In case you haven't noticed, there's seven frames hanging without pictures. I'll fill them soon. For now, they needed to be hung as place holders.



Here's a white pigeon I threw into the mix of the collage.  I honestly have no clue what kind of bird this is. 

This is when I'll defer to you again.  Do you think Rob's right about spacing the pictures more?  Should I raise the entire collage away from the chair rail?  And my mystery bird...am I nuts?

Long Time No Post

It's been several weeks since I've posted something new.  I like to write about projects I've completed.

My husband told me last week that I have too many "projects" going on at once.  He said, "You need to finish one thing before starting another."  And you know what?  He couldn't be more right.

See, the thing with me is that I get so exicted over DIY projects and as soon as I get a good idea in my head I want to execute it immediately.  To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, the projects I'm currently working on include painting curtains for my guest bedroom, refinishing a credenza, creating a picture collage in my living room, designing our office (which is a hundred little projects in itself) and giving all of the doors in our town house a fresh coat of paint.  Phew!  I know...it's a bit ambitious.  So, since my husband's eye-opening comment, I've prioritized my projects and promised my hubby to finish one thing before starting another.

In the meantime, here's a few pictures of what I've been up to.



I purchased this votive and red candle at a thrift store- all for $1.50.  The red berries are from the tree in my front yard.  This adorable little decoration is so cute on our dining room table.



Rob took this picture of me on Friday.  I was in the midst of organizing my picture collage for our living room wall.  [can you see my blue credenza-gone-wrong on the right?  I know...yuck!]

 

This is one of the curtain panels that I'm painting for the guest bedroom. 

 

I've decided to spray the credenza with a white HI-GLOSS Laminate spray by Valspar.  I painted the first coat this morning.  Just two more coats to go....





Rob and I hung the mirror and picture yesterday. I've had this mirror since I was 14 and it's one of my favorite things that we have. The mirror has been leaning against a wall in our bedroom since we moved in because I wasn't sure where I wanted to hang it. I decided yesterday, with Rob's help, that it would look fabulous in the dining room. I snagged the picture on the wall at HomeGoods yesterday.

 



I also snagged these lovely little shevles at HomeGoods yesterday. I need to decide on something AWESOME to put on the shelves.




This is a picture of our office, which we've since finished painting.  [I normally don't use painters tape but Rob was painting that section so the tape was absolutely necessary.] 



Curtain Alternative

I can honestly say that there are only about four things that I salvaged (temporarily) in our townhouse when we bought it - and one of those things was the curtain that covered our back door.   

When we were painting our family room I burnt a big hole in the curtain with a light bulb from a (shadeless) lamp I was using for extra light.  You'd think the big hole in my curtain would be the motivation I needed to buy a new one.  Um no.  I let the curtain hang on the door for another six months. 

Two weeks ago, I measured the window and finally went to BED BATH & BEYOND for a new curtain.  Bought one, brought it home, started to hang it...and I realized it didn't fit.  Ugh. 

That's when I started thinking about what kind of curtain alternatives there are.  And then, I  remembered there was such a thing as frosted glass spray paint...and I've always wanted to use this stuff!!!  Now I had a reason to!

Here's what I did:
Two days before the idea for this project popped into my head I purchased this DURA-LAR paper below at Michael's craft store.  I bought the durable (and washable) material to make stencils for my curtain makeover project (currently in progress).

I used the DURA-LAR and craft knife shown above to make my stencil. I knew I wanted to do circles (easy breezy. modern. fun. nice looking.) so I searched around the house for a circular object to trace. I outlined one of the panels on the back door so I knew how much space I had to work with. A tea light turned out to be the best item to trace.

I used a ruler to draw straight lines- this was helpful in making sure my circles also stayed in a straight line while tracing.  Once my circles were traced, I used a craft knife to cut the circles out.

Here is my stencil after the circles were cut out.  See how perfect it fits into the panel area.

The only other materials I purchased for this project was double sided tape and Valspar frosting spray paint.

This is our back door BEFORE.

This picture shows how I used the double sided tape.  The tape was great for ensuring that the stencil stuck to the glass closely, in order to prevent the spray paint from bleeding.

The back door AFTER.

Here is another shot of the back door shown in a different light. 

This is a shot of the door from the outside looking in at night time.  This curtain alternative provides the right amount of privacy we need, while still allowing an abundance of sun to shine through.