diy

November 19, 2012

Coffee Table Transformation 6

by Janie • DIY Projects • Tags:

So I found this super neat coffee table at a local consignment store for around $30.00, fell in love with the carved wood style and thought to myself…  ”southern style”! I took it home and came up with a plan. Make it look FAB! So here is a run down of what I did!

1. Strip to bare wood using Strip-X

2. Sand using 220 grit sanding paper (I sanded by hand)

3. Use a tack cloth to remove dust

4. Tape portions off that you do not want to color (for example I taped off the white edges to paint on the green and vise versa).

5. Paint in long even strokes and in thin and multiple applications until you reach the desired color you want. I painted in 3 applications. Let dry in between coats. Last coat, let dry 24-48 hours. For paints I used a semi-gloss discount antique white and green that I found at Lowes for 3 dollars each, totaling 6 dollars. :)

6. Use water based poly spray and follow the directions on the can carefully and use a mask. The spray poly was around 11 dollars at lowes. I used 2 coats of this spray letting it dry for 6 hours in between and spraying further away then recommended so that there are not any uneven dots.

7. Enjoy your table!

You can do this with any piece of furniture you wish to paint!

November 18, 2012

Custom Nail Polish Shelf & Nail Station 4

by Andrea • DIY Projects • Tags: , , ,

My office redecoration is almost complete!  Just a few more finishing touches are needed, but I wanted to share my new nail polish station and custom built nail polish shelf.  The table and chairs are from Ikea.  The glass table top is supported by two helmers.

I searched for a shelf that I could use to display my polishes on the wall, but I wasn’t able to find anything suitable.  Most only hold 90 bottles or so, and they’re made of cheap plastic.  My dad has great carpentry skills so I asked him if he could make one for me as my Christmas gift… and viola, Christmas came early this year!  This shelf is 4 feet wide, and we estimate that it will hold approximately 300+ bottles if they are displayed in single rows.  The shelves are actually deep enough that some brands could be doubled up, or they could be staggered to hold more.  I currently have close to 200 bottles, so this gives some space for my collection to grow.

Nail Station with Custom Built Nail Polish ShelfNail Station with Custom Built Nail Polish ShelfCustom Nail Polish Rack

Here you can kind of see that the front actually has a little lip that keeps the bottles from sliding off.

Nail Polish Shelf

And here’s a quick peek at the book shelf that I just refinished.  This shelf was built by my great grandfather probably back in the 80′s.  My mom had it and though it would look cute in my office, but it was stained wood and didn’t fit in that well.  So I sanded it down and primed and painted it and now it looks brand new again.

You Might Also Be Interested In:

November 12, 2012

How to Make a Chalkboard 1

by Andrea • DIY Projects • Tags: , , ,

homemade chalkboard

If you follow me on Facebook or Pinterest you might know that I’m in the process of redecorating my office.  I’ve always wanted a chalkboard for my office but I couldn’t find one that looked nice, so I decided to make one.  I found my inspiration for this project here.  I headed to my local thrift store in search of a picture frame that I could use for this purpose.  I wanted a frame that was gold in color with an ornate pattern, and I also wanted it to have some sort of solid backing that I could paint with chalkboard paint.  I didn’t find exactly what I was looking for, but pretty darn close!  I found a piece of artwork that had a glass front and it had a nice frame, but it was the wrong color… nothing a little paint couldn’t fix though.

Supplies used for this project:

Here is the picture frame that I started with.  The back of this frame doesn’t come off easily, so I just left the picture as-is!

The first thing I did was use tape off the edge of the frame so that I could paint the glass with the chalkboard paint.  I used the painters tape to carefully go around the edges of the frame, and then covered the frame with newspaper.

Next, I spray painted the glass with the chalkboard paint.  I did this in my garage since you need to do this in a well ventilated area.  Don’t try to do this inside of your house.  I let the paint dry for about an hour, and then repeated the process so that I had two coats of chalkboard paint.

I let the paint dry for a few hours and then removed the tape and newspaper.  If you are happy with your frame, you are done!  But I wasn’t happy with the color of my frame, so the next day I used tape and newspaper to protect the glass area of my frame that I just painted black and I proceeded to paint my frame gold.

And that’s it!  After the paint dried, I just removed the tape and newspaper and now I have a lovely chalkboard to hang in my office.  Here is a closeup of the frame.

You Might Also Be Interested In:

August 24, 2012

Homemade Photo Light Box 1

by Andrea • DIY Projects • Tags: ,

Homemade Photo Light BoxHomemade Photo Light Box

Lookie what I made!  It’s a light box for photography.  I always struggle to find the right spot for lighting when I take pictures.  Indoor pics at night seem to turn out dark and miscolored, and sometimes the daylight shots are just too bright, so I looked into light boxes.  I found several pre-made ones for sale, but after reading reviews the each seemed to have some drawbacks, so I decided to save a few bucks and just make one.

I took a box, cut off the flaps on the top, and then cut out “windows” on three sides.  I left about 1 1/2 inches around the edges for support.  I covered the windows with white tissue paper, and then taped a piece of poster board on the inside (matte side up).  I found some utility lights with clamps at my local hardware store for about $7 each, as well as some 100 watt daylight bulbs.  As you can see from my picture, I just clamped these onto some chairs on either side of my box and one above the box.

It’s not the prettiest setup, but this is in my basement which is practically empty except for my workout equipment.  So far it’s working great!

You Might Also Be Interested In:

July 26, 2012

Remove water stains from wood with an iron & towel 1

by Andrea • DIY Projects • Tags: ,

I had a bit of an accident this week involving a window air conditioner that left a giant water stain on my bedroom floor.  I put the air conditioner in the window and turned it on and kept checking to see if it was leaking, but I didn’t feel any water on the window sill so I thought it was fine.  The next day I came home from work to find water dripping from my living room ceiling and the paint was peeling.  Uh oh!  I ran upstairs and found that the water from the air conditioner had been dripping onto the dog bed that was on the floor below it which acted like a giant sponge.  Unfortunately I didn’t discover this in time to avoid a major water stain on the floor, which you can see in the picture below.

I wiped up the excess water that was on the floor and let it dry for a couple of days, and then I tried a trick that a friend told me about.  She said to lay down a towel on the floor and run a hot iron over it.  I tried it on a little spot at first, and surprisingly it seemed to be “removing” the stain.  I found that using steam helped the effectiveness.  It’s not perfect, but what a difference!

Chickettes.com: Remove water stains from wood using an iron

After doing this, I got to thinking… there was a white spot on another floor that had been there since I bought the house 10 years ago.  All these years, I’ve kept this spot covered with a rug.  So I wondered if this might also be a water stain and if the iron trick would work.  Well take a look at the amazing results…

Chickettes.com: Remove water stains from wood with an iron

You Might Also Be Interested In:

June 29, 2012

Easy Homemade Wine Charms by Upcycling Corks 0

by Andrea • DIY Projects • Tags: , , , ,

Homemade wine charms from corks

Chickettes.com: Homemade wine charms from corks

I’m helping plan a wine tasting for tomorrow, but it seems the crowd is going to be a little bigger than initially expected.  Since we only have a limited number of wine glasses, I thought it would be a cute idea to make some customized wine charms so that everyone can keep track of their glasses.  Upon researching, I found this clever idea using wine bottle corks!

These were super easy to make.  I knocked out 25 of them in about 35 minutes (and I was taking my time).

Materials:

  • Used wine bottle corks
  • Serrated knife or razor
  • String
  • Needle
  • Marker

Directions:

  • Use a knife or razor to cut the corks into rounds.  Each cork will make about 6 pieces.
  • Write your guests’ initials, random words or letters, or draw pictures into your cork pieces.
  • Pre-cut the string into 7-inch pieces.
  • Using a sewing needle (I used a big fat one!), thread the string through the cork.
  • Tie the string in a knot around the cork leaving equal lengths on each side, and then tie around your glass.

You Might Also Be Interested In: