DIY China Cabinet Makeover

You guys! I'm so excited to share my latest project. It's been so long since I've done something big like this and it felt great! I love transforming pieces into something new and refreshing. Since I acquired this china cabinet from my uncle I've been dreaming of the different ways update it to my style.

Originally I sought out to change this beauty into a farmhouse style but because of the hardware, I picked it totally changed the style to shabby chic. While not my favorite, shabby chic can be adorable every now and again. I think this turned out adorable!

Painting with Chalky paint

I used Valspar Chalky Paint finish for furniture in "Kids gloves" color paint. After removing all hardware and taking the doors off the bottom piece I applied three coats of paint. The paint is thick so you want to do thin layers otherwise you will see the goopy drippy dried paint... and that never looks good. It's better to apply multiple thin coats than slapping it on in one or two. I also noticed that the thicker I applied the paint the more likely it would have the crackle paint effect. This is great for a vintage effect but if you're not expecting or wanting this particular look it totally changes the style.

I had some left over sample paint we had played around with when we were renovating our powder room. I knew I wanted to paint the inside of the cabinet a different color to accent the piece but also not completely wash out my7 white china. I used the Valspar Gossamer sky for the accent color.

Distressing

After the paint was good and dry, I took a piece of fine sandpaper and gently distressed the edges of each piece. Basically anywhere that could be distressed I made distressed. There were certain lips and crevices that I wanted to make sure stood out to show the lines and beauty of the cabinet.

Sealing Wax

For this step, I used the Valspar Sealing Wax (step 2) to finish it off. You really want to apply a thin layer of this. A little goes a looong way. Make sure to give attention to the small details, cracks, and crevices. The thicker you apply the wax the more tinted it will dry. With a white paint, the wax turned it more of a cream. Use a white cloth to rub off any excess wax to avoid yellowing. I only applied one coat. Just as a precaution, the thicker you apply the sealing wax the more "aged" it will look. If you are not sure I recommend testing out a small area before sealing your entire piece.

Once it's dry... takes about 4 hours with the wax, I added the hardware and reattached the doors.

Here is the finished product!!! What do ya guys think?

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Tissue Tassel Garland

My daughter's 6th birthday party was this past weekend and I'm excited to start sharing some of the deets with you. The first detail I wanted to share in a post all its own was the tissue tassel garland!

I've been dying to make one of these and the color scheme just seemed to fit so well. This is also something perfect for spring, Easter, or an "April Showers" baby shower theme! I love the pastel rainbow colors!.

Materials used
tissue paper in assorted colors
crafting thread
scissors
hot glue gun

Step One:
Fold your tissue paper in half twice.

Step Two:
Along the second fold cut tissue paper in half. Put one half aside. Fold the other piece of tissue in half length wise aka hot dog.

Step three:
Fold over a 1 inch flap. This is to help guide you when cutting so you don't cut too much.

Step Four:
Cut length wise starting at the folded corner. Cut about a 1/4 - 1/2 inch apart. Do not cut into the folded area.

Step Five:
Open up the folded tissue and cut on the folded edge from top to bottom to form two separate pieces of tissue.

Step Six:
Set one piece aside and unfold the other piece of tissue.

Step Seven:
Roll the tissue paper.

Step Eight:
GENTLY twist the tissue starting at the center and twisting an inch in each direction.

Step Nine:
Make a small loop and begin twisting the already rolled tissue paper together adding a dab of hot glue as you go. Add a dab of hot glue at the start of the loop, at the end, and throughout the twisting to ensure a secure set.

Step Ten:
complete the process with as many tissue tassels as you like. Once you have assembled the amount you desire, fluff them down so none of the tassels are curled up. String them on the crafting thread and hang in a fun place!

This is such an inexpensive and easy craft to add some fun and festive color to your season or occasion. I love the versatility with the colors and you can save the tassels and stitch it throughout the year.

Baby Rag Quilt

I have been wanting to make one of these rag quilts now for over a year. This past week my brother and sister-in-law had their first child and I knew exactly what I wanted to make for them! It feels great to dust off the old sewing machine again.

I went to two different stores to find just the right fabric for this project. I shopped at Hobby Lobby for the cute pink and grey chevron and damask patterns. I found the pink embossed star fabric(used for the backing) and the grey and white polka dot fabric at Joann's.

Choose color coordinating fabrics that are soft and fluffy!

Baby Rag Quilt

What you will need...

1/2 yard of 5 different coordinating patterns
1 1/2 yards of backing fabric
1 1/2 yards of fleece
Fabric scissors
White thread

Not used but extremely helpful I wish I would have used these!!!
Rotary cutter
self healing cutting mat

1) Cut your squares for the quilt in the different coordinating patterns. I would recommend for a baby blanket cutting the squares a 10"x10" or a 8"x8". The baby blanket will be a 6 square by 6 square quilt, totaling 36 squares. You will need about 8 squares each in the different coordinating fabrics. There will be some squares left over but this gives you some options on the overall layout and design. I cut the coordinating fabric squares first.

2)Once all the coordinating fabric squares were cut out, I matched up the fleece and the backing fabric on top of each other. Then, I pinned the already cut squares on top like the picture below. You will want your quilting squares to match up exactly, which is why I choose to cut them out directly from the already cut squares. This will allow them to match up perfectly!

3) After all your squares are cut, you should have 36 pinned squares, 3 layers each. So, you will have your coordinating fabric on top, fleece in the middle, and your backing on the bottom. Make sure your backing is facing out ward when they are stacked. You will then cross stitch each square with a big X from corner to corner. This process takes some time.

4) Once you have your 36 cross stitched squares, you can start to layout the squares in an aesthetically pleasing pattern. I had a lot of grey so I wanted to make sure that the predominately grey squares were not right next to each other. I laid them out every other.

5) Once you have the layout of the blanket, start with rows. Pin together each square in one row and sew the sides together with a 3/4" seam allowance. In the picture below I have finished three of the six rows.

6) When you have finished sewing your 6 rows, pin each row together to start assembling the quilt. Use the same 3/4" seam, having the sides fold forward with all of the layers.

 

7) Once all the rows are sown together, stitch around the outside of the entire quilt enclosing all 4 sides. Use the 3/4" seam. 

8) Now it's time to clip your excess seam to make that rag quilt effect. I would recommend using a microtip fabric scissor. Make sure you don't cut your stitching! This process also took some time. Over the course of a couple days and downtime I was able to complete the clipping.

9) Wash your quilt on a short delicate cycle. Dry your quilt on a regular cycle. The drying will help fray your clippings and make it look super cute!

What I like about the rag quilt is that it's forgiving of tiny mistakes that would be very evident on a regular quilt. Since I'm no quilting expert this was extremely helpful. I am planning on making a much bigger one for my girls beds! 

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DIY Laundry Detergent

I'm always looking for ways to save money and go a more Eco friendly route with home products. After some research and a little experimenting, I made my very own laundry detergent that works great and is lighter on the wallet! You can also add some essential oil to this recipe to give it a custom scent. I suggest rosemary, lavender or eucalyptus.

Supplies

5 cups of Borax
5 cups of Washing Soda
1 Medium box of Baking soda
I small container of Oxy Clean
1 bar of Fels Naptha Laundry Bar

Grate the bar of laundry bar soap. Combine all and your ready to go.

I use 1 scoop for regular loads and 2 for larger or heavy dirt loads.

Valentines: Date Night Bucket List!

A friend of mine from work had mentioned how her hubby took it upon himself to do the sweetest thing ever! He created her a bucket list of dates.

When I told my hubby about the idea, he was equally excited as I was. Together we created a list of 48 exciting dates to liven up our marriage and put the spark back into date night!

I decided to take it a step further and surprise him on V-Day... Shhhh I pasted the bucket list on the inside of a smash book I created. This way we can check them off one by one and have the memories all in one place! I hope you all have a very fun filled Valentine's Day!!

Display Wedding Memories with a Shadow Box

I was looking for ways to display some of my things from my wedding. I wanted to use our invitation, program and some dried flowers from my bouquet. I found this deep shadow box at a home goods store for 15 bucks! Here's what I was able to design....

I used my pins from the bouquet to stabilize the stationary. I hot glued the dried flowers after careful dissembling of the bouquet and rearranging them. Key word here is careful! These are delicate dried flowers that can snap easily!

Whats great about this idea is that you can use anything from any special event. If you want to use a bridal handkerchief, jewelery, special notes and photographs, the options are limitless! What are some of your ideas for keeping and displaying those memorable events?

DIY: Refurbished Kids Cottage

Have you seen that thing on Pinterest, with the DIY of the Little Tykes kid cottage? Well, I tried it! 

I used Krylon Fusion for Plastic in red, white and brown. 

What I used....

3 cans of white

2 cans of red

2 cans of brown.

Here's what I did....

1. Dissembled the house. I took off the door and shutters.
2. Power wash both sides of all pieces of the play house and allow to air dry
3. Use a drop cloth or a large piece of cardboard under to protect the grass or drive way from the spray paint.
4. Evenly spray coordinating pieces with the color you choose. Allow to dry for at least 45 minutes.
   
5. Turn over the play house pieces and spray paint the opposite side as well as the sides.
6. Allow all pieces to dry over night to avoid chipping when you put the house back together.

Tip: Do this outside and on a day that is NOT WINDY or you will go through too many cans of spray paint!

Also, I only did the outside of the house in white. Since the inside was a faded yellow, I didn't really notice that much of a difference and it saved me time and money!

How did it really go?.....
I spent about 40 dollars on spray paint and from a distance this actually looks pretty cute. When I started to put the house back together, some of the red paint, on the doors and shutters,  smeared with the white pieces. It makes it look a little cheap but my girls really enjoyed it.

I spent all total of 5 hours and a sunny afternoon. For the time and the money, I probably wouldn't do this again. It was a free garbage picked playhouse that needed a little face lift.

Here is what it used to look like....



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