Toogie's Toy Cage

Pinterest strikes again!  Yes... my daughter sent this pic to me and said, "Think dad can make this for Toogs?"  I showed it to the hubby and he said it looked simple enough, so off we went!  He went to the hardware store and picked up what he thought we needed and I started searching the web for some painting inspiration!  I couldn't just do anything plain!  That's just not me... I always have to add my flair!  Lol!  Found this great chair for my painting inspiration!

  

It wasn't really that hard to do... and I can't even remember exactly how many of these we got, but I think it was a couple of 2x4's and a couple of 1x1s to make the box.  We had a few pallets that he tore apart and attached to the bottom as well.

It was too big to really "hide" from her, so she decided she wanted to help too.  It's okay, she's little.   She didn't know what it was, only that we were messing with it.  It took us couple weeks to get it completely done but it turned out great!

 I was so nervous doing this, but I always am when I am free handing anything.

We were going to use bungee cords, but have you seen how much those things are?  For as many as we needed, we ended up using Marine Cord.  It stretches like bungee cord and we could buy it much cheaper than bungee cords and we paid per foot.  I think that the total cost for this project was about $30.  I had all the painting stuff, so that was for the lumber, the hooks to attached the cord to and the cord.  Not too bad for a first timer!  It's super sturdy too!

I love the paint scheme!  And Toogs loved it!  She actually gets in it sometimes and piles the stuffed animals on top of herself!  

Project date: Dec 2016

Grandma's Dresser Redo

So... As I was getting started, I thought to myself, "self... you need to snap a pic!!!"  Well, I had already taken the drawers out, but this was a set that was my grandmothers and I decided to redo this for my daughters room.  We were redecorating our old room for her and the baby (beings it was the biggest room in the house, we thought it was appropriate for her and the baby).  

I found this stain for metal that gives it "patina" and I absolutely HATE brass... I wanted to keep the original knobs because I actually like the design of the hardware.  I love this stuff!  They turned out AMAZING!

This thing was SOOOOO heavy!  But I think that it turned out great!  I did this around November 2014, and it's been through a lot (before and after the redo) and I think that I may (later) redo it in some chalk paint, but i love the stained top.  It's so pretty!

Playing catch up!

Wow!  It sure has been a while since I posted on here!  Honestly, I totally forgot that I even had this blog!!!  So much has happened over the last couple of years that kinda slowed me down on doing very many projects, but I thought that I would post a few here that I have done... there aren't that many, but I have been working on things for my own house instead of selling so much.

I decided to redo my little table and bench that I had on the carport, turned out nicely.  I did this in 2014 and it's now time to do it again.  I think that this time I may go with some brighter colors to make it "pop" more.  It's actually not even in the same place anymore, lol!  This was a simple spray paint job.  I just cleaned it good and used a spray paint that was made for outdoors.  It's lasted a while, so I am happy with it.  :)

These next few I actually did for the booth.  Just spruced up an old corkboard with some paint and covered the cork with this awesome looking fabric I found.  It didn't last long...

Now, those dang baskets on the other hand... those took a while to go.  I still think that they are pretty though.  I probably spent too much time on them really.  They were brown plain baskets and I just spray painted those with a glossy paint and added the pretty ribbons.  If I had a fire place, I would have totally used those for spring decor!

So... one of the "things that was going on" that caused my absence from here was I am now a grandma!!!  :)  Yup!  So, you know I had to do something special there!  This is a diaper cake that I attempted.  I had never done one before and it wasn't actually that hard.  It turned out BEAUTIFUL!!!  My daughter wanted a "Shabby Chic Baby Shower" so of course I was ALL IN!  This, of course, was only the tip of the iceburg!  I made every decoration (using this theme) and everything was centered around the diaper cake.  Not too "shabby" if I say so myself!

My next project was my first dresser redo attempt.  This was actually my MIL's that I decided to redo.  Hubby wanted to put it down by the road and I told him to let me redo it.  I think that it came out great for my first ever dresser redo!  This was a piece that I put in the booth simply because I didn't have room in my house for it.  Thinking back, I should have kept it.  Oh well.

This was a little chest that my mom had in storage that I redid for my grandbaby.  I kinda cheated on this one because I was redoing a dresser set at the same time.  Of course this was during the time that I wasn't taking any "before" pics... but it was a huge transformation from what it was in the beginning.  It's actually one of my favorite pieces.  My daughter has since moved out, and of course she took this with her.  :(

The little window that was once on the porch... I ended up redoing that and creating this... I am thinking that I am going to redo it.... yet again.  Another Pinterest idea lol!  Not bad though.

I have some more that I have done but I am going to save them for another post.  :)

Project dates:
Patio Furniture: April 2014
Bulletin Board and Baskets: 2013 (featured in earlier posts)
Diaper Cake: August 2014
Teal Dresser: October 2013
Small Tall Dresser: November 2014
Window: December 2014

Shabby Chic China Cabinet

Mom found this beautiful china cabinet and immediately I wanted to get my hands on this thing and shabby chic it up!  The front has glass on it, not a mirror, although it does look like a mirror.

 The back of it was really messed up so I decided to just cut a new piece of wood for the back.

First thing, sand it.  So, I used my electric sander to knock off the sheen so the paint would stick to it.  Then primer.  I just used a basic white primer.

Once I let the primer dry for a couple of hours, I started the process of painting it.  I used a seafoam green color to paint it with.

 After applying the green, I mixed the green with some water and used a sponge to rub off some of the paint for the shabby look.  Other spots I used a light grit sand paper, but I was really going for a light/dark look for this piece.

After I got the look that I wanted, I applied my favorite sealer, which darkened it a bit just like I envisioned.

After I sealed it, my mom and I headed to our favorite store, Hobby Lobby, and found this really pretty designed fabric.  We came back home, hubby cut the wood to replace the back for me and I sprayed a glue adhesive to the wood and had mom help me stretch it across the back.  I let that dry for a few hours and then attached it to the back of the china cabinet.  Done!

Here is the finished product!  I just love this shabby chic look.  I want to do my whole house like this.  One day... maybe... if I ever get the time to do it.  :-)

Coffee and End Table Redo

Mom and I picked up this set of coffee and end tables at a yard sale and there was some things that were missing... there were these decorative wooden bars across the bottom so I just cut them off with a saws-all.  Mom filled it with wood putty and sanded that down along with the rest of the tables.  Then it was time for paint...

First coat was a white primer then she put a yellow color on it.

After the yellow became a little tacky, she hit some areas with a fine grit sand paper and gave it the shabby chic look.  Finally, the sealer was put on it.

This is the BEST sealer out there in my opinion.  When you apply it, you have to make sure that there are no drip marks and then let it dry for at least 24 hours before handling it.  The finished product is simply gorgeous!  The sealer makes the color deeper.  You can put up to 3 coats of this, depending on the wear and tear that you are anticipating for the piece that you are working on.  So, here's the finished tables!

The color is much deeper than we wanted, but in this business, one thing that I have learned is that it doesn't matter what we like, it's what the customer wants.  Needless to say, these gorgeous tables didn't even last a week!  They were GONE FAST!