Painting Adventures, Part 2

Going off of my last post, I also painted this set of drawers for the same project. I'd seen projects like this on Pinterest before and loved the idea, so I was super excited when I had the chance to try it out myself!

So originally they were plain white...

And this is what the end result looked like: 

This took less than an hour and less than $10 in paint. It's also rather fun, if you like painting and whatnot, so be warned--you might feel the urge to run around the house and just paint everything in sight once you get started. :)

A Splatter of Paint (DIY Project)

A couple of months ago I worked on some craft projects for a family, basically involving repainting some nursery items. I completely forgot to write a post about it until now! 

This is an easy project that only costs whatever the price of paint at the crafts store is. Michael's always has weekly coupons, so if you look those up before heading to the store, you can get a really good deal. 

So. I repainted a dollhouse that had seen better days...

And a toy chest with some rather strange rabbits on it:

I also painted a dresser drawer, which I will post tomorrow for you guys to see! 

Hope everyone's having a great Monday! I don't know about you all, but I'm beyond excited for Thanksgiving. I'm so ready for a break.

Unconventional Uses for a Dress

I went to Goodwill this past weekend and have quite a few good finds to share! But today I want to focus on one particular item I purchased, because it's a little unconventional. I purchased this boxy, seemingly homemade dress/nightgown type thing:

The first time I spotted this on the racks I didn't even give it a second glance. I loved the print but it was just ridiculous, and the fabric was an odd texture and slightly sheer so it wasn't something I'd invest in as an alteration project. But I went back to it later and came to the realization that it could be used for a rather unconventional DIY project...conversion from a dress to wall decor!

Basically I cut out squares to match the size of some square canvases I had lying around, taped the fabric to the back of the canvas with scotch tape, and was done!

Supplies used? Some scotch tape, a dysfunctional goodwill dress ($4), and 4 square canvases (~$8). 

So only $12 for some super cute interior decor!

I've seen so many cool patterned but awful looking dresses at Goodwill before. Now I know to buy them and make use of them! 

The best part is, I can easily take the fabric off if I ever need the canvas or want to switch it up. I even left some of them still in the plastic packaging underneath the fabric covering. 

Diamonds

I've had this old bulletin board lying around for a while:

I got it for $3 at a yard sale last year. It needed a bit of sprucing up, so I decided to tackle it with some white acrylic and a paint brush. And some masking tape, laid down in this fashion:

This is what it came out like! Much better, right?

I'm thinking about painting the border a different color. We'll see.

Road Maps

 

A while back I was cleaning out the closet and came across some old road maps from family trips back in the day, when smart phones and GPS systems didn't do the work for us. I immediately thought about using it in this project, but being the procrastinator that I am, it took a few weeks to put it into action.

Once I actually got around it it, it was a pretty easy project!

I used Elmer's glue and clear coat varnish to cover the lower half of the box with the map. The hinges and handles on the box were screwed on, so I was able to remove them rather than work around them.

Then I mixed some acrylics into a light blue color for the top. Yes, I was lazy and mixed my colors on the box. 

 (some tweaking was done....)

And voila! End result.

I'm really happy with how this turned out! The box cost me $2.95 at Goodwill, and the paints were from my existing art supply stock, but probably only cost a few dollars each.

This will go wonderfully with the other things I've redone for my room in the fall.

And just in case you were wondering, it's a map of Indiana.

Mason Jars!

I got a wonderful haul from Goodwill today! Before I even get to the clothing part, I'll focus on the goods in this post. I found this lovely wood box for $2.95. Just has a few minor flaws, but I plan on painting over the exterior anyway. I love the metal hinges and handles on side!

I also found three shelves of these mason jars...and wanted them all.

 But I mustered up what self control I have and only got five for now. There are so many mason jar DIYs on Pinterest that I just couldn't resist. Plus they were only 25 cents each...

I started using one as a vase already: 

Check back for my next post to see the embarrassingly large amount of clothing I got. And I'm not exaggerating...I think I got 6 cardigans. Awkward.

Hope everyone's weekend is off to a good start!

A Touch of Color

As you may recall, I got these things at the thrift store not too long ago (if you don't know what I'm talking about, here's the post about it). They're all pretty fantastic as they are, but to give them a little update and make them better suited to my room decor, I did a little painting this week. I worked on the two frames and a wooden box:

 

I just used basic acrylic paint for all of these. I removed the velvet lining from the interior piece of the wooden box and sanded/cleaned it until most of the existing paint and glue came off. 

With these changes, this is what my haul now looks like:

 

The wooden carved box on the tray also got a little bit of a makeover. It had some old felt lining inside that looked pretty gross, so I ripped it out and covered the inside with white gesso instead. I may go back and line it will some pretty paper or fabric scrap later, we'll see! 

I can't wait to put this all to use!

Birds on a Wire

Remember when I did that Mustache Mug DIY back in May? I only used a tiny fraction of the glass/porcelain-safe enamel paint that I purchased, so I've been on the hunt for more mugs to decorate. Luckily I found this lovely white mug at the thrift store for only 20 cents the other day!

 I sketched out my design with a skinny Sharpie and then painted it on. The paint I used can either been left to dry for 1 hour and then cured by placing in the oven at 350 degrees, or will cure on its own if left to dry on its own for 21 days. Pretty simple!

I also painted the bottom black, thought it would be a nice touch. :) I love this mug because it's the perfect size and shape for non-drink contents as well. I'll be able to use it next semester to contain ice cream or afternoon snacks. Yay for functionality!

Note: Apparently using a Sharpie also works as an easier alternative. I have seen projects where you just draw on the design and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. However, Sharpie is not permanent--it should be fine if you hand wash your piece, but make sure not to put any Sharpie-drawn projects into the dishwasher, as it will wear off!

Trying Something New

Went to the bag sale this morning, but the pickings were slim this month and I decided not to get anything. However, I did have luck with another kind of thrifting. I've lately been looking into home decor/household item DIYs, thanks to endless inspiration from Pinterest and amazing blogs like Something to Be Found. As a result, today's haul comes from beyond the clothing racks!

Navy frame ($1.98), oval mirror-paned tray ($2.98), jewelery box ($3.98), navy & black frame ($0.98), white mug ($0.20), light wooden carved box ($2.50), dark wooden carved box ($2.98), gold embellished box ($3.50).

I can't wait to get to work on some of these items! I've also been in a sewing frenzy today, so I have quite a few refashions to share with you all this upcoming week.

Happy Friday!

Time Flew...And Some Facial Hair Grew

Oh my. It's been a very long time, and I apologize profusely, yet again. This past year of my life has gone by ridiculously fast, and has also been one of the busiest, most challenging, and definitely the most amazing year of my life. That being said, it's finally summer, which means I have a little bit more time on my hands. We've got a lot of catching up to do.

I'll start it off with a DIY...but not a clothing one! I went to Goodwill today (typical.), and bought a wonderful Starbucks plain white coffee mug for 25 cents. I had found this adorable DIY mug idea a few months ago, and have been dying to try it out. So here's the result:

I also may have bought out the entire women's clothing section. We'll leave that for the next post.