All you need is a little inspiraton

        OK so I have a confession to make, I have been spending way too much time watching Fixer Upper these days. Clothes to fold? Fixer Upper makes them almost fold themselves. Hubby hunting again, have a Fixer Upper marathon with the kids. Bedtime? What bedtime? 
   

   My big kids had a long weekend a couple weeks ago which we kicked off with a bang. Not a good "bang" mind you, more like the hit your head into a brick wall kind. It started with the latest episode of "run for the bucket" & washing a lot of sheets...walls, doorknobs. We officially kicked off flu season. I will not take sole responsibility for what happened next. I blame lack of sleep and those stinkin Fixer Upper re-runs. Well that and and overload of Pumpkin Spice coffee. 
   

 

    I have been wanting to do a pallet wall in my boys room forever. I'm not sure what the previous owners were smoking when they painted just the bottom of the walls, put up a chair rail and left the top just primed?? OK then. If that wasn't bad enough, the trim has been spackled to high haven and then painted over top. The DIY-er in me cried every time I walked into their room.

   Things have been a little tight lately so I pulled out my super frugal "I can do it" cape. The wheels in my head had been turning for a while and soon I was convinced I could be the "Little Mommy that Could". After all if Chip and Joanna can do it, why not me? *I should insert here that this is where all sanity left* 

boy wish i had those muscles

        When we purchased this house, the previous owners had a fenced area outside the laundry door. We had no use for it so my hubby tore it down. The fence boards have sat rather neglected since. 

         I got to work sanding the boards down with my handy dandy sander.

        I am such a sucker for salvaged wood. Actually I'm a sucker for a lot of things old. But really the processed timber has nothing on these guys. Look at all that character. I would incorporate it into my whole house if I could..hmmmm. I just might.

    

    Unbeknownst to me, my son took this picture of me while I used my skil saw for the first time. Can you tell my 8 year old has so much faith in mom. A picture is worth a thousand words! Really do not try this at home folks. A much safer alternative would be maybe a saw horse. But I wasn't about to let that stop me. 

    

    Since these were previously fencing, the boards have this cool "arrow" like shape to them. Instead of cutting off the ends to make them straight I incorporated the detail into a pattern. I painted the wall behind the end of each board the same color as the rest of the walls. My super cool neighbor friend lent me her nail gun and compressor so I got right to it.

     I was pretty proud that I actually figured out how to do cuts around my outlets. I can conquer the world!

   It was then that my bubble popped and I realized that I am a mother to children, five in fact. Actually they were right there along side me the whole while. Kyran, Tevan and Trae alternated between sanding boards, hauling them to the crazed lady in the bedroom, and keeping a careful eye on their little sisters. See homeschooling does teach a lot, if at least how to work great together. 

        These great kids even brought out some berry infused water for me. Compliments of my lil chef in the making, Tevan. Really he bakes & cooks just as well as his mom.(sometimes better) I probably looked like I needed more than a few berries added.

yum

         
      I ended up going to town and pulling off the baseboards and trim too. I replaced them with the salvaged wood and I love it! I still need to trim out the doorway and build a closet door. Thats for another day.

    I can't wait to get the duvets I've been eyeing and some accent pillows. Now I'm really tempted to paint the boys beds a charcoal color. What do you think?

The Chelsea Chairs

It's been an interesting week to say the least. A mix of Annie Sloane, church responsibilities, school responsibilities, late nights, early mornings, treasured moments with the kids. And a looming Flea Market deadline ahead. Why do things kick into overdrive when you actually have a deadline of sorts? A full life indeed. Makes me smile(in between the huffs and puffs).

    I found a local supplier of the Annie Sloane chalk paint and loaded up. I finally invested in the Annie Sloane paint brush and wax brush. Worthy investments. The soft bristles get into all the nooks & crannies. That I like. 

         

    These chairs were calling for some color. The Annie Sloane Provence, seemed a good fit. 

        Let me just say that every project seems so much easier than it is in reality. These buggers needed some TLC and new seats. Thankfully I convinced my hubby to pitch in his manpower and know-how. Our end product is more beautiful in person than my lacking photography can portray. 
    Here are details. Let's call them the Chelsea chairs.

         Can't you just picture Chelsea with a small pedestal table, some antique linens,quite possibly fresh cut flowers? The imperfect host to your morning cup of tea? Just saying she deserves some company. 

Kitchen table redo

 
  There's nothing like an upcoming BBQ to motivate me to get my butt into gear. My kitchen table has seen way too many school lessons that included markers & was in serious need of a face lift. So one beautiful, dry, hot, Texas day I pulled out my sander and set to work. I love the lines of my kitchen table and chairs so I just needed to make them shine. At this point I had a vague idea of what I wanted with the intent to try the new "vinegar tea stain". 

   Seriously this is why I usually paint & praise the day chalk/milk paint came out. Sanding is not my favorite thing!
  I sanded just the top with course "remove" sandpaper then finished it off with fine grit. The edges I did by hand. I chose to leave some of the white finish on in spots since I wasn't looking for perfect.
  (I previously had went over the table legs with "Miss Mustard Seed" milk paint and sprayed on a polycrylic top coat. So that was all good.)

  Next I applied a coat of Linseed oil with a cloth and wiped off the excess. The Linseed oil really brings life to any old wood and makes it pop. *Note on linseed oil. Never leave your used rags in a pile. They will self combust. Lay them flat to dry and then throw them away. Or like I did, throw them in the burn barrel.*

   I was really experimenting here because you really should test to see if you actually like the color of your particular wood. Me, Im a little bit of a wing it, trial and error person. Live & learn. Here the table top is after one coat linseed oil.

   I thought it was pretty as it was but then I realized my $15 garage sale bench was a different wood. Not good. 

  I used the "vinegar tea stain" method and applied it to the raw wood on my bench. See the difference?

  To match the bench and table, I decided to try the vinegar tea stain over the linseed oiled top. Here she shines. I love how they differ in color. Like old barn wood. 

 *Its funny because later that day I ran some errands and passed an old barn with the exact finish. The vinegar Tea stain method naturally oxidizes the wood, much like nature does to barns. How cool is that!* 

  Finally I hauled my masterpiece back into my dining where she belongs. She was rather happy to be re-united with her company of beautiful chairs. I think they are a great fit.  

A consignment find turned clock

 A Couple years ago I found this round, black frame at a local consignment store. I saw it and fell in love! Oh the possibilities! It literally took me a year to finally get some old barn wood backing the frame. (I convinced a friend to do it) It really was beautiful already so I didn't have to do much to bring this project to life. 

  I bought some stencils and a white paint pen, then set to work. Honestly I am not a graphic designer at all but stencils I can work with!:-)
  I knew when I bought the frame that it would be perfect for my favorite quote. My life verse. I used a good ole ruler to make sure my lines were straight, and outlined everything in pencil.
  Then spent my evenings coloring when the kids were in bed. Seriously it reminded me of being a kid again.Very relaxing. When that was done, I embarked into the unknown(to me). Powertools. Of course Im new to blogging & wouldnt have thought to actually take pictures of this step.. But I will tell you what I did.
   I bought a "clock kit" from our local Hobby Lobby and set to work with my power drill. After measuring to the exact middle of my clock face, I marked it with pencil. Then using a wood drill bit, I drilled my hole into the back through to the front. Sounds easy right? Well not really, for amateurs like me anyway. I ended up making the hole too big & my hubby had to finish it for me.  
   After the hole is drilled, then follow the directions on the back of your clock kit to put it together. Set the time & wallah! Thankfully my frame already had hanging brackets so I just had to adjust them to work for me. If your frame doesn't you will have to attach some before hanging it. 

  

Now the fun begins! Find that perfect wall that is calling for some dressing up. For me that was my entry wall. Isn't she a beaut!?