Fathers Day DIY

I hope all you Dads had a wonderful Father's Day!! My family headed to Maine for a wedding (which was SO much fun), so we gave my husband his gift early... First off, I must say, he is VERY hard to shop for.  I knew I would give him a typical homemade "footprint" gift - but now that Vinnie is eager to help build things, I thought it'd be awesome to make something Anthony could USE for years to come!

I decided we would make him a bar cart for our front porch.

I started with this:

I first separated the two pieces, removed the particle board bottom slat, and thoroughly sanded it down...

Then came the fun part!  Here's what I used...

I added wheels onto the bottom of the cart (two locking, two free)

I stained the whole piece with Dark Walnut, and poly'ed all but the top and two sides...

I used this awesome spray and sprayed the top of the piece and two handles... 2-3 coats and it looked perfect!  The finish is amazing!

I then sprayed both sides with this chalkboard paint - I understand many people are "over" the chalkboard trend, but I am not! Especially with a little one around - I say, bring it on!

I reattached the hardware, filled a galvanized bucket with craft beer, wheeled it on the porch, and that was that!  I am SO happy with how it came out! I hope it gets lots of use this summer!  

xoxo

distressed robin's egg

Pinterest is addicting... I swear I find at least 20 projects, daily, that I want to replicate! This is one of them...

My inspiration... Though, I wasn't going to go for such a severe finish.

My girlfriend picked this dresser up and decided it wasn't her style, so I happily headed over to her house to load it up! 

(This gem, right here)

Here's what I needed to finish it!

First off, I knew I needed to add legs... One of the easiest ways to transform a piece of furniture.  Not to mention, SO affordable!  These legs ran $3.25/each, and the casters were another $2.78/each...

Hardware can add up... Quickly.  My first memorable project last spring was a $1 stool for the foot of the bed I found at a flea market... The hardware I bought to replace existing ended up costing $48.  Kind of defeats the purpose, so I'm all about salvaging existing, if possible! I sprayed the pulls and knobs on this bureau with "hammered" look chestnut rustoleum... On such a small scale as this, the effect isn't crazy, and it works SO well to "antique" up otherwise boring metal.

I sanded down the drawers and bureau, and primed with Kilz... While primer was drying, I stained unfinished legs with walnut stain, and attached casters to the bottom of bureau.

(I apologize for the lack of progression pics... I was on a mission to start this, then hit the beach while the paint set!)

After primer dried, I sprayed all (except the top) with heirloom white, then robins egg blue.

Once I got home, I was ready to stain and distress!  I simply used 100 grit sandpaper and the claw end of my hammer... 15 minutes later, I was happy! I went over claw marks with a q-tip dabbed in walnut stain, then quickly wiped off with a shop rag... Then smoothed all over with 150 sandpaper 

And my electric sander...

I finished it off by staining raw wood on top with the same stain and clear glossy polyurethane!

Finished and happy in the guest room!  Perfect place to store fresh towels and sheets!

Happy Sunday!!

xoxo

$5 rustic shelf

$5 makeovers seem impossible... But they are NOT!!!

I had a ton of projects in the works today, and needed a "quickie" to occupy my down time... You know the kind.... 

 While at Home Depot I picked up two brackets.... I said to the poor soul waiting on me, "I don't need fancy.... The cheaper the better."  

I got the two I needed for less than $5. I had he scrap wood waiting for me at home.

All I had to do was paint cheesy brackets and stain wood... I used these;

My favorite products/shades I always have on hand!

Two coats on each.... Easy enough!

Then I had my amazing husband anchor each bracket into the wall. A million swear words later, she was up and level! I didn't intend to use this shelf for anything too heavy, so the stained plywood is just resting on top!

Love it!! 

I tossed on a few pieces, and voila!  $5, 1 hour, and a husband headache later and you have a sweet shelf that looks like it costs way more than it actually did!

xoxo