Bed Frame Bench

I know it's not officially summer but the weather here in NE Ohio has certainly been beautiful!!  Over the weekend we had the privilege of going to a MLB game as a family and then staying for a post-game Brandon Heath concert!

It was a lot of fun and was a gorgeous day to hang out at the ball field.  Yep, that's me...the shorty next to all my big men!  Why do they grow up so quickly!!??
Anyway, these beautiful days make me want to spruce up my deck for greater enjoyment in the days ahead.  Last summer I showed you the pieces parts from an old bunk bed that I used for displaying flowers.

Then I gave you the hint of what I would do with the rest of the parts...

And you were right!  We turned it into a bench.

The bench was used most of the summer last year without me painting it...I know, shame on me.  But not this summer.  I used Terra Cotta Milk Paint and gave it a beautiful, new look.

I stenciled our wedding year on the back of the bench.

I LOVE the new look!  Now, I'm looking forward to painting other pieces out there too.

 Just a side note...the clematis that is wrapping around the bench has climbed from the ground...about 18 feet below and is making its way up on my deck...{Love it}

Are you getting things spruced up for summer?

Don't forget that a little paint can go a LONG way!!

Blessings,

Linking up to some of these parties:
 Sunday: 
 Under the Table and Dreaming ,  DIY Showoff ,  Nifty Thrifty Things,  Homemaker on a Dime , Embellishing Life, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, DIY Home Sweet Home, Blissful Domestic

 Monday:

  Skip to my Lou ,  Craft O Maniac ,  It's so Very Cheri ,  Keeping it Simple,  Creating Really Awesome Free Things,  Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms  Between Naps on the Porch ,  The Girl Creative      Singing Three Little Birds ,  Mad in Crafts , Organize with Sandy ,  Ask Anna, I'm An Organizing Junkie, Add a Pinch, A Southern Fairytale, Polly Want a Crafter, Sew Can Do, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Cherished Bliss, Making the World Cuter, The Gunny Sack, Mrs Happy Homemaker

Tuesday: 

  Coastal Charm,  A Bowl Full of Lemons ,  Tip Junkie ,  Sugar Bee Crafts ,  Not Just a Housewife ,  Today's Creative Blog ,  Balancing Beauty and Bedlam ,  5 Minutes for Mom ,  Funky Polkadot Giraffe ,  DIY by Design    Hope Studios ,  Reasons to Skip the Housework , Time Warp Wife , Chef in Training

Home Stories A to Z, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Raising 4 Princesses, Celebrating Family, Organizing Home Life, Vintage Wanna Bee, The Blackberry Vine, Carolyn's Homework, The Kurtz Corner, Mommy By Day Crafter by Night, Sassy Sites, Rook No. 17

Wednesday: 

 Raising Homemakers , Crystal & Co. ,  We Are THAT Family ,  Women Living Well , The Trendy Treehouse , Passionately Artistic ,  Night Owl Crafting ,  Handy Man, Crafty Woman  Someday Crafts ,  Fabric Bows and More ,  This Chick Cooks ,  Seven Thirty Three,  Sugar & Dots A Creative Princess ,  Dragonfly Designs ,  The Thrifty Home ,  Creations by Kara, Gingersnap Crafts ,  A Little Tipsy , One Chatty Chic, Uncommonly Yours, My Girlish Whims, Oopsey Daisy

Thursday:

 A Little Knick Knack  Shabby Creek Cottage  ,  Delightful Order ,  Somewhat Simple ,  House of Hepworths,  Saved by Love Creations ,  It's a Keeper ,  Thrifty Decorating ,  The Frugal Girls ,  Miz Helen's Country Cottage ,  The Thirty Sixth Avenue,   Raising Mighty Arrows, Thrifty 101, Diary of a Stay at Home Mom, Beyond the Picket Fence, A Glimpse Inside, Something Swanky

Friday:

The Shabby Nest ,  Fingerprints on the Fridge ,  Chic on a Shoestring, Life as Mom ,  Miss Mustard Seed ,  Tidy Mom ,  Whipperberry ,  At the Picket Fence ,  French Country Cottage  30 Handmade Days ,  Creation Corner ,  Finding Fabulous ,  Just a Girl ,  Stuff and Nonsense ,  Naptime Crafters Tatertots and Jello, My Romantic Home , While He was Napping , Comfy in the Kitchen,  Bacon Time with the Hungry, Hungry Hippo,  The Country Cook, Pocket Full of Pink Six Sister's Stuff, Kitchen Fun With My Three Sons, Ann Kroeker Writer, Grocery Cart Challenge, Remodelaholic, Kojo Designs, Simply Sweet Home, Craft Junkie Too, Simply Designing, Happy Hour Projects

 Saturday:

  Funky Junk Interiors,  Young and Crafty ,  Be Different, Act Normal ,  A Vision to Remember, Sweet as Sugar Cookies, I Heart Naptime, Positively Splendid, It's Overflowing, The Artsy Girl Connection, Craft Envy, Too Much Time On My Hands

Painting "Good" Wood

Ok, so I showed you all my recovered hope chest.  I love the fancy new material in my spruced up living room.  But when I showed you my hope chest, I asked the burning question...to paint or not to paint??
I asked...you answered.  The majority of you said to paint it and your color of choice was black.  I was however, surprised by the number that suggested I paint it white.  White?  Really??  I never thought of white.

Anyway, a few were concerned that I would paint "good" wood.

What exactly is "good" wood?

I asked My Better Half and he said he would define it as "unblemished hardwood".

My hope chest is cedar on the inside but simply Red Oak veneer on the outside.

This is much like my Grandmother's Dresser and Vanity that I milk painted last year.  These were both covered in a Mahogany veneer as well.

Although, I'm not saying I would never paint "good" wood,  none of these items are what I would consider to be such.

With that being said however, I must present the argument that even if something is considered "good" wood and you are unhappy with its appearance...why shouldn't you paint it??  I'm not trying to start a fight...I just think it would be a shame to have a piece of furniture in your home that you don't LOVE just because it is "good" wood.  Why not paint it and LOVE it!??

Just asking...

Ok, all that to say...I painted my hope chest...BLACK!!!

 and...I LOVE IT!!!

Blessings,

Linking up to some of these parties:

Sunday:

  Under the Table and Dreaming ,  DIY Showoff ,  Nifty Thrifty Things,  Homemaker on a Dime , Embellishing Life, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, DIY Home Sweet Home, Blissful Domestic

 Monday:

  Skip to my Lou ,  Craft O Maniac ,  It's so Very Cheri ,  Keeping it Simple,  Creating Really Awesome Free Things,  Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms  Between Naps on the Porch ,  The Girl Creative      Singing Three Little Birds ,  Mad in Crafts , Organize with Sandy ,  Ask Anna, I'm An Organizing Junkie, Add a Pinch, A Southern Fairytale, Polly Want a Crafter, Sew Can Do, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Cherished Bliss, Making the World Cuter, The Gunny Sack, Mrs Happy Homemaker

Tuesday: 

  Coastal Charm,  A Bowl Full of Lemons ,  Tip Junkie ,  Sugar Bee Crafts ,  Not Just a Housewife ,  Today's Creative Blog ,  Balancing Beauty and Bedlam ,  5 Minutes for Mom ,  Funky Polkadot Giraffe ,  DIY by Design    Hope Studios ,  Reasons to Skip the Housework , Time Warp Wife , Chef in Training

Home Stories A to Z, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Raising 4 Princesses, Celebrating Family, Organizing Home Life, Vintage Wanna Bee, The Blackberry Vine, Carolyn's Homework, The Kurtz Corner, Mommy By Day Crafter by Night, Sassy Sites, Rook No. 17

Wednesday: 

 Raising Homemakers , Crystal & Co. ,  We Are THAT Family ,  Women Living Well , The Trendy Treehouse , Passionately Artistic ,  Night Owl Crafting ,  Handy Man, Crafty Woman  Someday Crafts ,  Fabric Bows and More ,  This Chick Cooks ,  Seven Thirty Three,  Sugar & Dots A Creative Princess ,  Dragonfly Designs ,  The Thrifty Home ,  Creations by Kara, Gingersnap Crafts ,  A Little Tipsy , One Chatty Chic, Uncommonly Yours, My Girlish Whims, Oopsey Daisy

Thursday:

 A Little Knick Knack  Shabby Creek Cottage  ,  Delightful Order ,  Somewhat Simple ,  House of Hepworths,  Saved by Love Creations ,  It's a Keeper ,  Thrifty Decorating ,  The Frugal Girls ,  Miz Helen's Country Cottage ,  The Thirty Sixth Avenue,   Raising Mighty Arrows, Thrifty 101, Diary of a Stay at Home Mom, Beyond the Picket Fence, A Glimpse Inside, Something Swanky

Friday:

The Shabby Nest ,  Fingerprints on the Fridge ,  Chic on a Shoestring, Life as Mom ,  Miss Mustard Seed ,  Tidy Mom ,  Whipperberry ,  At the Picket Fence ,  French Country Cottage  30 Handmade Days ,  Creation Corner ,  Finding Fabulous ,  Just a Girl ,  Stuff and Nonsense ,  Naptime Crafters Tatertots and Jello, My Romantic Home , While He was Napping , Comfy in the Kitchen,  Bacon Time with the Hungry, Hungry Hippo,  The Country Cook, Pocket Full of Pink Six Sister's Stuff, Kitchen Fun With My Three Sons, Ann Kroeker Writer, Grocery Cart Challenge, Remodelaholic, Kojo Designs, Simply Sweet Home, Craft Junkie Too, Simply Designing, Happy Hour Projects

 Saturday:

  Funky Junk Interiors,  Young and Crafty ,  Be Different, Act Normal ,  A Vision to Remember, Sweet as Sugar Cookies, I Heart Naptime, Positively Splendid, It's Overflowing, The Artsy Girl Connection, Craft Envy, Too Much Time On My Hands

Ceiling Fan Makeover

While looking at light fixtures for my basement a few weeks back, I came across this ceiling fan.

source

I loved it and thought it would be adorable in My Princess's room...until I looked at the price tag, and that certainly didn't look so great.  Then the creative side of my brain kicked in and I realized I could use the ceiling fan I already have and make it look as cute for a little bit of nothing!!

So, first things first...I removed the ceiling fan blades and cleaned them up.  Wow, fan blades are gross...how they get that nasty is beyond me!!

I made little stencils with my cutting machine, turned them into stickers and stuck them on the blades.

Using the same paint I used to paint My Princess's bedroom, I painted over the entire blade.

While the paint was drying I made green little flowers for the globe...just to spruce it up a bit and to tie in the green curtains in the room.

Sorry the coloring is off... basement lighting is not the greatest!

 

After the paint dried, I removed the stickers, put the blades back up and VOILA!!!

A whole new look for pennies!!

SOOO CUTE and SOOO SIMPLE!!

Blessings,

Linking up to some of these parties:

Sunday:

  Under the Table and Dreaming ,  DIY Showoff ,  Nifty Thrifty Things,  Homemaker on a Dime , Embellishing Life, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, DIY Home Sweet Home, Blissful Domestic

 Monday:

  Skip to my Lou ,  Craft O Maniac ,  It's so Very Cheri ,  Keeping it Simple,  Creating Really Awesome Free Things,  Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms  Between Naps on the Porch ,  The Girl Creative      Singing Three Little Birds ,  Mad in Crafts , Organize with Sandy ,  Ask Anna, I'm An Organizing Junkie, Add a Pinch, A Southern Fairytale, Polly Want a Crafter, Sew Can Do, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Cherished Bliss, Making the World Cuter, The Gunny Sack, Mrs Happy Homemaker

Tuesday: 

  Coastal Charm,  A Bowl Full of Lemons ,  Tip Junkie ,  Sugar Bee Crafts ,  Not Just a Housewife ,  Today's Creative Blog ,  Balancing Beauty and Bedlam ,  5 Minutes for Mom ,  Funky Polkadot Giraffe ,  DIY by Design    Hope Studios ,  Reasons to Skip the Housework , Time Warp Wife , Chef in Training

Home Stories A to Z, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Raising 4 Princesses, Celebrating Family, Organizing Home Life, Vintage Wanna Bee, The Blackberry Vine, Carolyn's Homework, The Kurtz Corner, Mommy By Day Crafter by Night, Sassy Sites, Rook No. 17

Wednesday: 

 Raising Homemakers , Crystal & Co. ,  We Are THAT Family ,  Women Living Well , The Trendy Treehouse , Passionately Artistic ,  Night Owl Crafting ,  Handy Man, Crafty Woman  Someday Crafts ,  Fabric Bows and More ,  This Chick Cooks ,  Seven Thirty Three,  Sugar & Dots A Creative Princess ,  Dragonfly Designs ,  The Thrifty Home ,  Creations by Kara, Gingersnap Crafts ,  A Little Tipsy , One Chatty Chic, Uncommonly Yours, My Girlish Whims, Oopsey Daisy

Thursday:

 A Little Knick Knack  Shabby Creek Cottage  ,  Delightful Order ,  Somewhat Simple ,  House of Hepworths,  Saved by Love Creations ,  It's a Keeper ,  Thrifty Decorating ,  The Frugal Girls ,  Miz Helen's Country Cottage ,  The Thirty Sixth Avenue,   Raising Mighty Arrows, Thrifty 101, Diary of a Stay at Home Mom, Beyond the Picket Fence, A Glimpse Inside, Something Swanky

Friday:

The Shabby Nest ,  Fingerprints on the Fridge ,  Chic on a Shoestring, Life as Mom ,  Miss Mustard Seed ,  Tidy Mom ,  Whipperberry ,  At the Picket Fence ,  French Country Cottage  30 Handmade Days ,  Creation Corner ,  Finding Fabulous ,  Just a Girl ,  Stuff and Nonsense ,  Naptime Crafters Tatertots and Jello, My Romantic Home , While He was Napping , Comfy in the Kitchen,  Bacon Time with the Hungry, Hungry Hippo,  The Country Cook, Pocket Full of Pink Six Sister's Stuff, Kitchen Fun With My Three Sons, Ann Kroeker Writer, Grocery Cart Challenge, Remodelaholic, Kojo Designs, Simply Sweet Home, Craft Junkie Too, Simply Designing, Happy Hour Projects

 Saturday:

  Funky Junk Interiors,  Young and Crafty ,  Be Different, Act Normal ,  A Vision to Remember, Sweet as Sugar Cookies, I Heart Naptime, Positively Splendid, It's Overflowing, The Artsy Girl Connection, Craft Envy, Too Much Time On My Hands

Spray Paint in the Kitchen

 Two things I really love are Spring and spray paint!  I think you already knew that but now that Spring is here and the temps are rising, I can freely spray paint again...GOOD TIMES!

This time I attacked my kitchen with spray paint.

The stove knobs were looking pretty yucky...

Spray painting them would make them look new again...I hoped.  I used stickers to cover up the "Off" and "Lite" markings on the knobs and then got busy.

I thought I would paint them red and give my kitchen a nice pop of color!

And it worked!

I read an article in This Old House of how someone had painted their toaster.  Mine looked nasty so after a good cleaning and prepping I used paint on this too.

I did not use a high temp. paint so I'll keep you updated as to how this holds up.  We've been using it for a week now and so far so good!

I like mine red but if your appliances are stainless steel...that kind of paint is available too.
To tie the color in elsewhere in the kitchen, I spray painted this little basket.  I keep my salt and pepper shakers in it.

 All of these got a great Colonial Red facelift for under $4...not too shabby!

I love the versatility of spray paint!  If I ever get tired of the red or just want a change...for $4 I can have a new look...again!

Blessings,

Linking up some of these parties:

Sunday:

  Under the Table and Dreaming ,  DIY Showoff ,  Nifty Thrifty Things,  Homemaker on a Dime , Embellishing Life, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, DIY Home Sweet Home, Blissful Domestic

 Monday:

  Skip to my Lou ,  Craft O Maniac ,  It's so Very Cheri ,  Keeping it Simple,  Creating Really Awesome Free Things,  Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms  Between Naps on the Porch ,  The Girl Creative      Singing Three Little Birds ,  Mad in Crafts , Organize with Sandy ,  Ask Anna, I'm An Organizing Junkie, Add a Pinch, A Southern Fairytale, Polly Want a Crafter, Sew Can Do, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Cherished Bliss, Making the World Cuter, The Gunny Sack, Mrs Happy Homemaker

Tuesday: 

  Coastal Charm,  A Bowl Full of Lemons ,  Tip Junkie ,  Sugar Bee Crafts ,  Not Just a Housewife ,  Today's Creative Blog ,  Balancing Beauty and Bedlam ,  5 Minutes for Mom ,  Funky Polkadot Giraffe ,  DIY by Design    Hope Studios ,  Reasons to Skip the Housework , Time Warp Wife , Chef in Training

Home Stories A to Z, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Raising 4 Princesses, Celebrating Family, Organizing Home Life, Vintage Wanna Bee, The Blackberry Vine, Carolyn's Homework, The Kurtz Corner, Mommy By Day Crafter by Night, Sassy Sites, Rook No. 17

Wednesday: 

 Raising Homemakers , Crystal & Co. ,  We Are THAT Family ,  Women Living Well , The Trendy Treehouse , Passionately Artistic ,  Night Owl Crafting ,  Handy Man, Crafty Woman  Someday Crafts ,  Fabric Bows and More ,  This Chick Cooks ,  Seven Thirty Three,  Sugar & Dots A Creative Princess ,  Dragonfly Designs ,  The Thrifty Home ,  Creations by Kara, Gingersnap Crafts ,  A Little Tipsy , One Chatty Chic, Uncommonly Yours, My Girlish Whims, Oopsey Daisy

Thursday:

 A Little Knick Knack  Shabby Creek Cottage  ,  Delightful Order ,  Somewhat Simple ,  House of Hepworths,  Saved by Love Creations ,  It's a Keeper ,  Thrifty Decorating ,  The Frugal Girls ,  Miz Helen's Country Cottage ,  The Thirty Sixth Avenue,   Raising Mighty Arrows, Thrifty 101, Diary of a Stay at Home Mom, Beyond the Picket Fence, A Glimpse Inside, Something Swanky

Friday:

The Shabby Nest ,  Fingerprints on the Fridge ,  Chic on a Shoestring, Life as Mom ,  Miss Mustard Seed ,  Tidy Mom ,  Whipperberry ,  At the Picket Fence ,  French Country Cottage  30 Handmade Days ,  Creation Corner ,  Finding Fabulous ,  Just a Girl ,  Stuff and Nonsense ,  Naptime Crafters Tatertots and Jello, My Romantic Home , While He was Napping , Comfy in the Kitchen,  Bacon Time with the Hungry, Hungry Hippo,  The Country Cook, Pocket Full of Pink Six Sister's Stuff, Kitchen Fun With My Three Sons, Ann Kroeker Writer, Grocery Cart Challenge, Remodelaholic, Kojo Designs, Simply Sweet Home, Craft Junkie Too, Simply Designing, Happy Hour Projects

 Saturday:

  Funky Junk Interiors,  Young and Crafty ,  Be Different, Act Normal ,  A Vision to Remember, Sweet as Sugar Cookies, I Heart Naptime, Positively Splendid, It's Overflowing, The Artsy Girl Connection, Craft Envy, Too Much Time On My Hands

$20 Living Room Mini Makeover

We LIVE in our living room but I like it to look nice too.  I want it to be relaxing,warm, and inviting.  Now that it's Spring, I've gotten everything all deep cleaned and looking nice but I wanted it to have a new refreshing look.

I was getting tired of the Fall/Wintery colors of the room though and wanted to brighten it up.
I showed you my hope chest that I recovered.

That got me motivated to continue to add color to this space.

Last week I showed you these "full of potential" birdcages.

My kiddos had a blast tearing them apart.

I got them all primed and painted and they look great in my mini made-over living room.

Remember the boat-load of pillows I got for a little bit of nothing?  Well, they weren't holding up so well.

So we removed the stuffing from them and I sewed some new ones.

I'm getting pretty fancy on my sewing machine these days!

I picked up four different varieties of material and mixed and matched colors so really anything would match the living room.
And so here's the finished look:

My little Raggedy Ann from my flea market finds fits right in on the window sill.

 

Still homey, but now bright and fresh.

I love it!  One of the best parts...I did it all for under $20

Blessings,

Linking up to these sites:

Sunday:

  Under the Table and Dreaming ,  DIY Showoff ,  Nifty Thrifty Things,  Homemaker on a Dime , Embellishing Life, Sumo's Sweet Stuff, DIY Home Sweet Home, Blissful Domestic

 Monday:

  Skip to my Lou ,  Craft O Maniac ,  It's so Very Cheri ,  Keeping it Simple,  Creating Really Awesome Free Things,  Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms  Between Naps on the Porch ,  The Girl Creative      Singing Three Little Birds ,  Mad in Crafts , Organize with Sandy ,  Ask Anna, I'm An Organizing Junkie, Add a Pinch, A Southern Fairytale, Polly Want a Crafter, Sew Can Do, I Should Be Mopping the Floor, Cherished Bliss, Making the World Cuter, The Gunny Sack, Mrs Happy Homemaker

Tuesday: 

  Coastal Charm,  A Bowl Full of Lemons ,  Tip Junkie ,  Sugar Bee Crafts ,  Not Just a Housewife ,  Today's Creative Blog ,  Balancing Beauty and Bedlam ,  5 Minutes for Mom ,  Funky Polkadot Giraffe ,  DIY by Design    Hope Studios ,  Reasons to Skip the Housework , Time Warp Wife , Chef in Training

Home Stories A to Z, My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Raising 4 Princesses, Celebrating Family, Organizing Home Life, Vintage Wanna Bee, The Blackberry Vine, Carolyn's Homework, The Kurtz Corner, Mommy By Day Crafter by Night, Sassy Sites, Rook No. 17

Wednesday: 

 Raising Homemakers , Crystal & Co. ,  We Are THAT Family ,  Women Living Well , The Trendy Treehouse , Passionately Artistic ,  Night Owl Crafting ,  Handy Man, Crafty Woman  Someday Crafts ,  Fabric Bows and More ,  This Chick Cooks ,  Seven Thirty Three,  Sugar & Dots A Creative Princess ,  Dragonfly Designs ,  The Thrifty Home ,  Creations by Kara, Gingersnap Crafts ,  A Little Tipsy , One Chatty Chic, Uncommonly Yours, My Girlish Whims, Oopsey Daisy

Thursday:

 A Little Knick Knack  Shabby Creek Cottage  ,  Delightful Order ,  Somewhat Simple ,  House of Hepworths,  Saved by Love Creations ,  It's a Keeper ,  Thrifty Decorating ,  The Frugal Girls ,  Miz Helen's Country Cottage ,  The Thirty Sixth Avenue,   Raising Mighty Arrows, Thrifty 101, Diary of a Stay at Home Mom, Beyond the Picket Fence, A Glimpse Inside, Something Swanky

Friday:

The Shabby Nest ,  Fingerprints on the Fridge ,  Chic on a Shoestring, Life as Mom ,  Miss Mustard Seed ,  Tidy Mom ,  Whipperberry ,  At the Picket Fence ,  French Country Cottage  30 Handmade Days ,  Creation Corner ,  Finding Fabulous ,  Just a Girl ,  Stuff and Nonsense ,  Naptime Crafters Tatertots and Jello, My Romantic Home , While He was Napping , Comfy in the Kitchen,  Bacon Time with the Hungry, Hungry Hippo,  The Country Cook, Pocket Full of Pink Six Sister's Stuff, Kitchen Fun With My Three Sons, Ann Kroeker Writer, Grocery Cart Challenge, Remodelaholic, Kojo Designs, Simply Sweet Home, Craft Junkie Too, Simply Designing, Happy Hour Projects

 Saturday:

  Funky Junk Interiors,  Young and Crafty ,  Be Different, Act Normal ,  A Vision to Remember, Sweet as Sugar Cookies, I Heart Naptime, Positively Splendid, It's Overflowing, The Artsy Girl Connection, Craft Envy, Too Much Time On My Hands