Tag: DIY

Touch of Tartan DIY Wreath

Posted on December 22, 2015December 30, 2015 by Mama

In the spirit of all that is plaid this jolly time of year, I finally finished the newest addition to my Christmas décor, a rag wreath that adds a tiny touch of tartan to the entry of my home. I made this cute little thing using two coordinating types of plaid fabric, some heavy gauge wire and a bit of burlap ribbon. I used about 200 1.5×6 inch ripped strips of cloth for this project and created it in exactly the same way as I did my St. Patrick’s wreath this spring. You can read all the DIY details by visiting that earlier post.

So here’s to last-minute decoration ideas; and by the way, this one can be completed in about two hours. May your boughs we decked and your halls be jolly, and may you enjoy this Christmas time of year.

RagWreath1D

Check out some other great wreath ideas at BloomNation’s #AlwaysBeBlooming project.

These Windows Won’t Scream

Posted on August 20, 2014February 26, 2015 by Mama

Today I’m sharing my newest décor addition to our living room, and as long as you don’t ask me the same question as my three year old — “Why do we have windows where there are no cracks?” — we’ll get along great.

I knew I wanted basic old windows as an accent for the large blank wall above my sofa, but finding the perfect size, condition and price proved to be a bit more difficult than I originally imagined. So when I found these babies at The Rusted Rabbit for $17.00 each, I grabbed them up and carted them home.

windowsA

Why blank windows? Well, my focal fireplace wall is very busy with lots of photographs and pictures and I’m planning a photo collage for the opposite wall, so I thought simplicity here was best. I didn’t go with a mirror, because I didn’t really care for the reflection and there’s a large mirror in the entryway connected to this room. So there you have it; and here’s how I got it.

Materials:

black paint
pale bluish/gray paint
off-white trim paint
foam brushes
electric palm sander with medium grit paper
razor blade scraper
dust mask
old rags
picture hangers
Monkey Hooks

What I did:

I worked on the red side of the windows, because I didn’t want to see any of that color through the panes and that saved me from painting both sides. To begin, I donned my mask — as hot and uncomfortable as it can be breathing in any dust is not healthy, especially when you don’t know the paint history of old pieces.

With my palm sander, I sanded both windows to knock off the peeling paint and dirt. I then wiped down the pieces with a damp rag and gave them a final swipe with a dry rag. (Tip: Old, holey socks are great for furniture refurbishing.)

Using the black paint and a foam brush, I not-so-strategically painted spots of the window. I didn’t cover the entire surface, because this was just the first of several coats.

After the black paint dried, I repeated the process with the bluish/gray paint (the accent color of my living room). I still did not cover the entire surface.

After the gray paint dried, I painted a coat of trim colored paint (to match the trim in the rest of my house) over the entire front surface of the window. This is probably a good time to point out that I didn’t paint the edges of the windows, because they were still a beautiful, natural raw wood. After this first coat of trim paint dried, I applied another whole coat to entirely cover any red paint spots still bleeding through in areas.

After the last coat of paint dried, the fun began. With my palm sander I started taking off layers of color until I started seeing the many different colors and raw wood reappear.

The red paint was the most durable and the least desirable, so after everything looked as weathered as I wanted, I wiped down the entire thing with a rag. I then dipped a clean rag in some of the gray paint and lightly wiped it on some of the red spots to tone it down a bit.

I then scraped off all the paint on the panes with my razor blade knife, attached two hanging loops to the back of each window and put them on the wall with Monkey Hooks (in my opinion, the best and easiest way to hang heavy items on your wall).

I love how these windows look and think this technique is a great way to decorate a large space without screaming for attention.

Age Terracotta Pots the Quick and Easy Way

Posted on April 14, 2014February 9, 2015 by Mama

As Spring arrives and folks think about planting, I’ve noticed a lot of attention has been focused on terracotta pots and how to age them for a more classic look. I’ve read several tutorials on how to get that wonderful white water scale look and to be quite frank many of them seem completely over-complicated without achieving much more than a simple white wash technique will provide. I’m not trying to belittle the creative ideas of others, but I do want to share with you a quick and easy way to achieve an aged look with water and acrylic paint in literally just a couple of minutes.

Pictured here are a few pots I painted this weekend, and it took just minutes to achieve the look. I used an off-white paint on two of the pots and a periwinkle paint on the other for a touch of whimsy. Keep reading (although it might take longer to read this post than it will to paint your pots) to see how I achieved the look.

Materials Needed:

acrylic paint (use a white or off-white for the classic lime scale look)
water
small sponge brush
paper towel
sand paper (optional)

Directions:

Put a few dollops of paint in a mixing container — I used a small solo cup. Add about a 1/4 cup of water to the paint and stir together well. It should be the consistency of water, but if you feel that you don’t have enough color, add a bit more paint.
Starting at the rim of the pot, paint on the paint/water mixture. Work quickly, covering the rim first and then move onto the pot base.
As soon as you coat the entire pot, use a paper towel to wipe off much of the paint beginning with the base and moving up to the rim. The rim should naturally have a bit more color than the base, so working in this direction aids with achieving that look.
If you can’t get off enough paint, lightly wet your paper towel and continue wiping.
After your pot is dry, If you still want to take off a bit of extra paint, lightly sand in spots with a piece of fine sandpaper.

For a bit of extra protection, I sprayed my pots with a matte spray sealer. While it gives the finished look more staying power, it does detract from the naturally aged look you’ve just achieved. You just might want to think about how and where you plan to use your pots before you spray.

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