Shabby Coat Rack

It's been a while since the last post, but things have been just crazy busy!  My mom and I have so much to do before Thanksgiving rolls around.  We have so much that we are going to put out for Christmas and man!!!  Our booth is FULL right now!!!  We DID end up getting the WINDOW unit!  (I have GOT to get some pics on here that are more recent!!!)  I just finished up this coat tree the other day, and although it's all done and ready to go, it will wait with some other items that are being finished.  This piece started out all rickety and loose and ugly ugly ugly dark brown.  So... I decided to brighten it up a bit and totally shabby it up!  You can't really see it all that great here, but you have to see the whole thing.

So... to get this look I cleaned it really good.  I took it apart, which is the BEST way to clean it and prep it for paint.  I lightly sanded it and then used a paint on primer (which I forgot the name and it's at my mom's house but you can use whatever brand you prefer.)  I used a basic white primer that we got from Lowe's.  When painting the primer, I didn't completely cover it.  It was more like a quick brush over.  Then I used a coral pink flat paint from Valspar (I always use Valspar because it has my name in it, lol!) and dry brushed it over the white paint.  Again, I didn't coat it completely, just a quick brush over.  Finally, I used Minwax Polyurethane clear coat in satin.  I only used one coat but completely coated the tree and then went over some spots vigorously to rub off some of the paint down to the brown.  The white turned more of an antique white color which (in my opinion) really set this piece off.  I was totally in love with it and my mom didn't want to get rid of it!  This was the final product.

 I just LOVE this look, and the best thing about the shabby chic look is that it doesn't have to be perfect.  I keep telling my mom, "The best pieces are the 'oops' pieces!"  

I do have to say this... I am so bad about getting "before" pics.  I should really start just taking my before pics as soon as we get the pieces.  I am so sorry about not doing a better job of this blogging thing.  I hope to get better.

Paris Inspired Bulletin Board

I am so bad about taking pics before I touch anything... I am trying to remember to do this, but sometimes, it doesn't always happen... I scored this frame for only $1 at a yard sale.  It was a gaudy gold, but I sanded it down and cleaned it up and then sprayed it with white spray paint.  Then I took an "oops" pink that I got from my local Lowe's (which is a great place to get mis-tinted paint for a great price), and painted over the white.  Then, before it dried, I took a wet sponge and wiped off some of the pink to get this look...

Then I went to Hobby Lobby and found this perfect Paris fabric for it.  I decided on doing a bulletin board.  I already had the cork board left over from a previous project that I did for my daughter's room, so I went with it.  I had to go buy foam board from my local Walmart and then measured the opening of the frame, cut the foam board that size and then glued the cork board onto the foam board.  Used carpet tape which works PERFECT for little projects like this!  I then took the fabric, measured it to where I had about 1.5" on each side and then pulled it tightly to attach to the back.  After attaching the fabric, I attached the little clips that hold it in place, which it fit so tightly I really didn't need to, but I decided to go with it anyways.  I covered the back with kraft paper and attached with double sided tape and then placed the hanger on the back so it can hang on the wall... Voila!  This is the final look of my "Paris inspired" bulletin board.

So, that's it!  I should have taken more pics, but like I said, I am new to this whole thing and just need to get in the habit of doing that.  Sorry... if you have any questions though, just ask!  I will do my best to help you out as much as I can.  It's pretty simple though.  I have to make a couple more of these so I promise, next time, I will do the step by step for ya.  Until then, keep on craftin'!