Accent Piece for My Princess

An accent piece fit for my princess...
It didn't begin so pretty...

I started with this horrible dresser,

but really,

what do you want for $10.00?

 

I found it browsing Craigslist one Saturday morning...

she wanted $40.00.

I sent my hubby with $10.00 and asked him to do his magic. :)

 

This dresser was beat up,

there was a huge piece of wood missing from the top

(this picture is what it looked while being repaired),

it had several dings and dents,

and it was disgustingly dirty.

She's lucky she got $10.00 in my opinion.

 

After I gave it a good cleaning the first thing I did was send it to my dear Daddy to repair the top,

with a few layers of wood putty and a little sanding it was ready for paint.

I put two coats of Annie Sloan Old White.

Then marked off the diamonds, starting with the top.

 I taped off the first diagonal row of diamonds and removed the tape right after the second coat to avoid having the paint peel up

 

Then I taped the drawers off, I did these a little different than the top, I found this way to be a little more time consuming,

BUT I used less tape.

(sorry its so blurry)

 

Next I painted a few stripes on the sides...

and finished it off with clear wax.

(pink stripes are still drying in this photo)

 

I used this on the handles.

 

The picture shows it after one coat, I put two.

 

This was quite a process...

 

 But so worth it for my princess...

 

She loved it, here it is in her room.

What do you think?

 

Thanks for stopping by, and for taking the time to comment on my kitchen.

 

I'm partying at French Country Cottage and My Romantic Home, stop by and check them out!

xo,

Michelle



What Would You Do?

 

 

Welcome to my kitchen!

 

It's pretty much the same way it was since we moved in
with the exception of new stainless steel appliances and a new faucet.

 

 

No paint, window treatments, pretty lights, no bells or whistles...

 

 

Just a few sweet touches...  

 

 

It's been 4 years since we moved in,

 

 

this is the first of three homes that we do not have white cabinets,

and I WANT them.

  

 

The question is, should I paint them?

Would you?

  

 

Have you? And if so are you glad you did? 

 

 

No regrets? 

 

 

 Was it worth the labor and time?

 

 

I don't hate my kitchen, but I don't love it either. 

 

 

I would love to hear your thoughts.

 

 

 Thanks for stopping by!

xo,

Michelle

Book Page Wreath Tutorial

Welcome back!

My kids are back in school, and I finally have time to make another huge wreath!

Here's my tutorial!!

If I confuse you at any point please feel free to send me a message.

 

First your going to need some supplies,

I hit the dollar store for a wreath and books (you will need 2)...

Your also going to need a glue gun and a stapler.

 

Next your gonna want to start the fun part (NOT),

rip out the pages carefully!!

I found it easier to start near the middle.

After your done pulling out the pages,

clean up the side by cutting the jagged edge off.

 

Since I bought a basket wreath I decided to cover it in duct tape

so I didn't have to worry about the uneven surface and hot glue dripping through the weave.

I left a small portion uncovered to thread my hemp string.

 

Now your going to start making your "petals",

here's a short how to video.

Please excuse my mom hands... and don't adjust your volume...

I tried talking but I hated it... and so I spared you.

 

Your going to need A LOT of these!

I used a 338 page book and it still wasn't enough!

 

Your going to start on the back of your wreath,

make sure you glue these faced down...

Here's your what your first row should look like.

 

Then your second row,

I made these taller then the first row by gluing on the wreath closer to the end of the paper.

 

Then the third row.

Here I added a petal to fill in every gap.

I also trimmed the paper that was overlapping the center of the wreath.

I started trimming the right side here:

 

Your all done with the back so flip it over and admire... ;)

 

Then look at your stock pile and cry...

 

Now onto the front side...

now is a great time to add a way to hang it.

I used a hemp string to hang mine.

(Its better to add this in the beginning but I completely forgot).

 

 Now your going to do the same thing to the front that you did to the back,

making sure to face the petals up.

I made these petals shorter than the previous.

 

 

Then trim you overlapping paper...

 

Keep adding rows...

 

Once I got to the top of the wreath,

I folded the overlapping paper around the wreath to the back and hot glued it.

This hides the ugly duct tape a makes it look a bit more tailored.

 

Here's what it should look like in the back.

 

Continue adding rows...

Here you can trim your overlapping paper after its been glued or just cut it before gluing.

 

Keep adding rows until your happy! 

Here's where if you see any bare spot fill them in!

 

And there you have it!

Your beautiful new wreath...

 

I made this one for my sweet sister...

I hope she likes it!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

What have you made a wreath out of lately?

 

I'm partying with the Thrifty Decor Chick,  Homestories A to Z and  DIY Showoff, stop by and check it out!

XO,

Michelle

 



Backyard Boogie

First off, I want to thank you all for the sweet comments on my book page wreath,

I promise my next post will be a tutorial on how I made it.

I'm ecstatic to say that my backyard is almost complete,

if it weren't for the triple digit temperatures it would be done,

but I seriously fear the heat...

I don't want to melt. Heehee

(I wish it melt fat, I'd be out there all day).

I sort of went gun hoe with the outdoor furniture.

Don't ask me why everything is so matchy matchy...

I bought this it for our last home that had a pool and a gigantic backyard.

I just realized I didn't even take the time to grab the cushions for the chairs from the garage...

I'll have to do an update post with them on.

The poor grass has been suffering along with me on with this last heatwave, it use to be so green

(Please excuse the worthless owl... we've been having birdie problems and FYI

the owl doesn't scare them at all. I actually found a bird sitting on his head one day.)

I'm pretty happy with the trees I went with, Jacarandas (they bloom a beautiful purple), Bradford Pears (which bloom in white clusters) and clumping bamboo.

I went with the bamboo mainly for privacy reasons.

(Our builder put these homes very close together).

For plants I went white knock outs, African Iris's and Lily of the Niles'.

I went for low maintenance since my front yard is pretty time consuming.

All we need to do is add a few boxwood's, do some sort of stain or paint on the fence and add black mulch.

Too think just a few months ago it looked like this...

Then this... 

And finally this!

I took these from an upstairs bedroom...

(Sorry for the window glare)

You can get a better view of the diamond cuts in the concrete.

I need ideas for a covered patio...

Have you worked on your backyard?

Thanks for stopping by!

XO,

Michelle