DIY | Dining Table Makeover

Before we moved to North Carolina, I printed out the floor plan of our new place and began sketching in where all of our furniture would go. Knowing that we would have a legitimate dining room for the first time, I was set on I getting a new dining room table to fit the space better than our breakfast table could. There was only one small problem... a new dining room table was just not in the budget. I mentioned in this post that I found this $20 library table on an online trading site. T-W-E-N-T-Y dollars, folks!

I had researched exactly what I wanted to do with the table before starting the project. My plan was to strip/sand down the table top to its bare wood, and then choose a stain and sealer, no paint. Then, I wanted to paint/wax the sides and legs of the table to look distressed. I have posted about some of my previous DIY furniture pieces before here and here, and in both projects, I used Annie Sloan chalk paint and waxes.

One morning, before Matt left for work, I asked him to get out the electric sander for me, because I was going to start on the table. Once he left, I got to work. I sanded the entire top of the table, and the color was definitely not what I was expecting. I loved it! It was then that I decided I did not want to stain the top anymore, and instead, I would just seal it.

Here are all of the products I ended up using for my table. On the left, the water-based, clear protective finish (sealer). I didn't want anything glossy, so this "Clear Satin" was perfect. On the right, you see I actually chose not to do an Annie Sloan brand of paint, but instead, I used a similar chalk paint that matched the color I was going for a little better. It was also cheaper. And, of course, I already had my trusty soft and dark waxes from Annie Sloan. (<-- game changers)

                         

         

      
















I coated the table top three (or four) times with the sealer, and in between each coat, it needed time to dry. So, the first thing I did after sanding the top was brush my first coat of sealer on the top. While that was drying, I painted the legs and sides of the table with the Vintage White paint. Notice, I did not strip or sand these parts of the table. This is by far my favorite part about using this chalk paint--not an insane amount of work.

After allowing both the sealer and the paint to dry, I went in for another coat of each. The paint dries very fast, so pretty soon after that, I was able to start waxing the sides and edges with the soft wax, followed by the dark, followed by a rag to brush strokes in the direction of the grain. This is what creates that distressed look that is so popular right now.

After allowing that to dry, and after another coat or two of the protective finish over the entire table, there was a finished product, and I couldn't be happier. It is exactly what I had envisioned before beginning the project, and even better, I did it myself.

If you think it looks good in our old space, just wait until I give you a peek into our new home with a picture-tour of our dining room.. coming soon!

Highlights of Summer + First Weeks of School

Why the month of no posting? You probably could have guessed. School started. And may I say TGIF?! The first few weeks are hard. New students, new expectations, new curriculum, new year. Before I get too far into the start to school, I want to share some highlights from the summer.

We spent time in Galveston, in Dallas, going out with friends, having reunions, celebrating weddings, serving the inner-city, playing/watching softball, and spent lots of time with family. It was really a great summer. But, as all summers do, it came to an end far too quickly.

The end of the summer brought the beginning of school. The first week back was full of setting up my classroom and attending staff development and planning for the year. I had told myself that I didn't need to make any changes to my classroom decor, but once I stepped foot in there, I couldn't help myself. I started by updating my bulletin boards to keep up with the constantly-updating apps.

One for birthdays, one for studying tips, one for reminders, and one for housing those dear iPhones (that all the middle schoolers have) and graphing calculators.

A few other new things were added this year, because once I started, I just couldn't stop. So, a few more pictures to pull it all together for you!

 For two weeks now, those empty desks have been full. Oh so full. Full of life and laughter and energy--teenagers. And this bright-eyed, year-3 teacher is exhausted. These teenagers are hard work sometimes. They are thirteen going on thirty, so impressionable, and it's wonderful and scary all at the same time. They can so easily fall for temptation. I pray every day that they don't. I pray that they stay young and pure and use their youth to set an example for others.

I pray 1 Timothy 4:12 over them every day. I pray that they enjoy their time in middle school and don't look back one day with regret. I am so thankful for my job and for the kids I get to teach each day.

Happy beginning of school!

4th of July

As always, another holiday weekend at the bay did not disappoint. While I have time in the summer off, most of my family does not get to enjoy that luxury. But, this weekend, we did. The whole gang was there by Thursday evening, and we enjoyed 3+ days of sweet summer together. 

One of the highlights for me was definitely getting to spend some time working on a project with Matt. My parents had brought an old gate from their old house down to the bay a long time ago with the intention to use it in some way. But, almost two years later, and it was out by the trash, waiting to be picked up. I moved it from the trash and into their garage a few weeks ago, only to find that it was back by the trash. Thankfully, it still had not been picked up, so this was the weekend something had to be done, or it would be a goner. 

When the rest of the family went on an afternoon fishing trip, we stayed behind and got to work. In true 4th of July fashion, an American Flag. 

I had painted the entire fence white the day before, so that we had a blank canvas. First thing we did was use measuring tape to decide how thick the stripes should be. I wanted the stripes to be as authentic-looking as possible, since I knew the stars would be... less than authentic-looking. Once we decided on a thickness, we began placing painters' tape in place of where the white stripes would be. 

Above is a picture of what the flag looked like after it had been completely taped. Then, I started spray painting the red stripes. Once I was about three-fourths of the way finished, Matt sweetly asked if he could finish the red stripes. I had gotten so in my zone that I had forgotten that he was there to help. :) So, he finished up the red stripes.

Once we removed all of the tape (see above), we re-taped/covered what we needed to be covered in order to paint the blue section.

I wish I had taken a picture of this next step, but I got too excited and forgot. But, I took an Exacto knife and cut out a star shape in a piece of cardboard. Then, we used that as a stencil, and sprayed white paint into the stencil to create stars in various spots of the blue section. And then after letting it dry....

It makes me so happy to DIY with my sweet hubby. He is very creative and enjoys a good project, too. 

So, what else did we do this past weekend? Well, we hung out in the canal- floating, kayaking, paddle-boarding, AND Avery got a new life-jacket. Yes, she can swim, and actually maybe a little TOO much. Since my parents' house is on the canal, there is always a chance she could go in purposefully or accidentally and no one is right there to pull her out. Therefore, the life-vest. It calms my nerves, and she looks adorable in it! 

Don't you just want to hug her?

My mom always overdoes herself on food. She made this red (and blue) velvet cake. It was delicious! And look how pretty it was!

              

     

This is one of the reasons I am currently hosting a 5-Day Clean Eating Challenge group right now. I have over 20 people who have committed to eating clean this week, and today is just Day 1. Just look at all of those bright colors?

Don't worry if you missed this 5-Day Clean-Eating Challenge. I'll be doing it again in August. But if you are really interested in getting healthy and making a positive change for you and your family, 21-Day Fix is where it's at! Commit to 21 days with me!

Fitness + Nutrition + Accountability = Success.

We can do it together! Comment below or send me a message if you are interested in knowing more!

I just finished my first round of 21-Day Fix and drinking Shakeology and am LOVING how I feel. Today, I am still doing it, but I'm looking for people who want to join me in this journey!

I will leave you with one last picture from the weekend with my family.

I hope you had a wonderful 4th of July, as well! 

Happy Monday!

DIY | Mirror & Patio Furniture Makeover

Annie Sloan is my girl. She does it again. At least, her chalk paint does. This past weekend, Matt and I made a quick trip to the bay house to see my mom for her birthday/Mother's Day. We were there less than 24 hours, but we packed in a whole lot of fun--crawfish boil, beach trip, and some family time--my kind of weekend. While we were there, my mom gave me an old mirror than she had planned on selling in a garage sale or just throwing away, but I saw potential. Matt doubted, but I was obsessed, and pleaded with him to let me bring it home. He obliged, and we hauled the extremely heavy 3' x 4'  wood-framed mirror. He's the best.

If you missed my first Annie Sloan post, here is a furniture makeover that teaches you how to use the paint. The best part--no stripping anything. You just start painting. This mirror was no different. The only preparation I needed to to for the mirror was use painter's tape to line the edges of the mirror.

After that very little preparation, it it time to paint. If you missed the first Annie Sloan post, here is what I was using...

First, paint the color on. No stripping, no sanding, no nothing!

After the paint is on and dry, it's time for the wax. Clear wax goes on first. It is painted on just like the paint color. Once the clear wax is on, dab the dark wax onto small sections at a time, and then take an old rag and wipe away what you just dabbed, leaving behind some residue from the dark wax--making the distressed look you are going for. 

After it was dry and time to hang, we realized how heavy this mirror was and that we needed some special hardware to hang it on the wall. A quick run to Home Depot, and we were back at it. Matt helped me hang it, and he even showed me a new trick. When you are having to dig into your wall, hold a wet paper towel underneath where you are digging, so that none of the dry wall powder gets on your furniture, floor, etc. 

Once the hardware was safely and securely in the wall, it was time to hang the mirror!

Below is the finished project. It was the perfect addition to our little guest room/office.

Another project we tackled this weekend was re-painting our patio furniture. It needed a little makeover. We bought some black [outdoor] spray paint and went to town. Here is a before and after.

I will leave you with one last picture. I am always on morning potty duty for Avery. Matt does night time. Here was our morning this beautiful wet Tuesday morning. 

Happy Tuesday, y'all.

DIY | Mason Jar Wall Vases

If you are looking to fill some wall space and/or an incredibly easy DIY project, then this one is for you. Have you ever seen this pin? Well, if you follow the link, it takes you to a website that sells these mason jar wall vases. There are also Etsy shops out there that sell them. They can be used for many different things, and I loved them, but I didn't want to buy them if I thought I might be able to make them myself. So, that's what I did.

This was a project I tackled the summer before last. (AKA My Pre-Annie Sloan Days) If I were to do it over again, I would choose different paints, but I love how they turned out, and they are still proudly hung in our home.

What you will need:
*Pine Wood (1x6)
*Sandpaper
*Three mason jars
*Three metal hose clamps (pictured at right, find at hardware store)
*Three of the smallest screws you can find (you don't want them poking out of the back of your pieces of wood)
*Paint
*Paint brushes
*Flowers, or whatever you are planning on putting inside them (pens, toothbrushes, etc.)

Steps to make your very own:
1. Cut pine wood into 10" lengths. Hubs helped me do this with his circular saw. You could probably sweet talk someone at the hardware store to do it for you, too.

2. Use sandpaper to sand down each face, edge, and corner of each piece of wood.

3. Once sanded, paint each piece of wood. You could paint all three the same color or use up to three different colors. I tried this "crackle paint," and it was pretty much useless. Again, I would use Annie Sloan if I were to do it again.
      



      











3. Drill the backs of the metal clamps into wood pieces with the screws.

4. Place the mason jars into the clamps and tighten clamps until very snug. You don't want mason jars falling through the clamps and crashing to your floor, do you?

5. You're done :) I told you it was easy! Now, fill with your choice of... anything!

If you hang them in a bathroom, you can use them as toothbrush (or other bathroom essentials) holders. Or you could keep them in your home office and use them as pen/office supplies holders. I, however, have them hanging on a wall that is only about 12" wide that separates our kitchen from our living room, and I filled them with (fake) hydrangeas. I used to have (fake) tulips in them, but they looked very fake, and that wasn't exactly what I was going for. Here is the finished product...

      

      































     

         

Have you made anything recently?

I'm ready for a new project. 

...which translates into--I'm ready for summer so I have some time for projects!

Hello, Spring!

Have you seen this pin? A friend of mine showed it to me and wanted to replicate it, because it is 1) super cute, and 2) selling for $99. I got everything for this wreath on sale (40% off, plus my 15% teacher discount at Michaels) for $22.80. And I actually ended up with one too many apple blossom stems. Here's how to DIY...

What You'll Need:

-Twig Wreath- whatever size you like best (I think mine is a 14")

-Wooden Letter- to match your last name, not mine :)

-2 Hydrangeas- any colors (picking these out took me the longest) I went back and forth on which color(s) I wanted to do, but I love how it turned out. The original one on Pinterest has two green hydrangeas, but I was happy I added more color to it

-1 Apple Blossom stem- I had bought two, but I only used one and I still have one small stem from the first one that I didn't use. If you want yours to have more apple blossoms, then go with 2!

-1-2 Hanging fillers- or other greenery; I was wanting a more airy look, so I went with something lighter. There were four stems on the one filler I got, and I ended up using the whole thing, two on top, two on bottom.

-Hot Glue Gun- this is not included in the $22.80, but if you don't have one, now is the time to invest! 

Steps to make your very own:

1. Cut your hydrangea off of their stem, so that you have only about 2 inches left of the stem

2. Place the left over stem into the twig wreath where you want the hydrangea placed; repeat with second hydrangea.

*NO hot glue yet, just in case you change your mind on anything--my rule is to get everything placed and hot glue at the very end!

3. Then, take your filler, and cut each stem off.

4. Stick the end of the filler into the twigs, underneath your hydrangea, and repeat until you are happy with filler.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for your apple blossoms (or other small, spring flowers). The stems you cut from these are a little smaller than the filler, so it will take more. 

6. Go back and fill in any spots you think need more, just sticking stems into the twigs. 

7. Place your wooden letter where you feel that it should go, across from your arrangement. 

8. Hot glue. Wherever you think something could/will fall out/off without it, add some hot glue on the twigs beneath it, and hold the flowers there for a few seconds, and it should stick! As for the wooden letter, hot glue worked for me (so far), but it may need more reinforcing later. 

It's amazing what you can do with a twig wreath, faux flowers, and a hot glue gun. Happy Spring DIY-ing!

Any DIY projects in the works for you this spring??

Let me know if you try this one! 

Furniture Makeover

We lived in a small, one-bedroom apartment for the first year and a half of marriage, and we are now in a bigger place, with more places for furniture. We had been saving furniture that had been given to us, but it was sitting in our storage unit because there was just not space, and to honest, a couple pieces just did not go with our decor.

One of them was a small, bookshelf-type piece from Ikea that looked black, but Matt swore was "espresso," which still wasn't much better. We hid this piece in our room, and had bought baskets to go inside to try to make it look more like our style. When we knew we were moving, we knew we needed a media center, but everything we liked was so expensive. We have continued to be cautious whenever buying new furniture, because we know that everything we buy, we want to be able to use for a long time in our future homes. Matt had the idea to use the Ikea bookshelf as our media center, and I was less than enthusiastic about the idea, but I obliged because I knew we were trying to save money. I did end up talking him into letting me try to paint it, and he even wanted to help. Here is the bookshelf turned media center piece before the makeover (and during Christmas-time):

The other piece that we decided to makeover at the same time was a beautiful table that was given to us by family. It really was beautiful; it had been refurbished before, however, it was just not our style. It didn't have a place in our home as-is, so it stayed hidden away in our storage unit for over a year. Here it is before the makeover:

My mom has re-done about five pieces of furniture from the bay house she and my dad bought two years ago that was furnished with furniture that "was not their style," so they made it their style. She was the one who told me about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Matt and I did some research about the different colors and ways to paint with this type of paint. We decided on the color "French Linen," and went to buy all the goods. Here is everything we used/you need:

Pictured above is the chalk paint that we chose, French Linen, the soft clear wax, and the soft dark wax. In order to get the antiqued look we wanted, you will need all three cans. Then, you'll need paintbrushes and small towels/rags (for the dark wax).

The BEST thing about this painting technique is that you do NOT have to strip the finish! No sanding, no stripping, nothing- it's awesome! The first step is to paint the entire piece of furniture using a paint brush with the color of chalk paint that you choose. Depending on how much texture you want on your piece, you can be either lax or more precise with your brush strokes. My motto is "the more imperfect, the better," so we painted more careless on purpose with more imperfect strokes. After painting, here is what the furniture looks like… almost good enough to leave it just painted!

But then the magic happens! It does not take long for the paint to dry, but once it does, it is time for wax. The best thing to do is work on small sections at a time. We used a paintbrush to brush the clear wax onto a small section. After that, we took a round brush to dab on the dark wax over the section where the clear wax was brushed on. You cannot mess this up. It looks really freaky that you are adding such a dark color, but once it is on there, you take a rag and just wipe it off! It leaves the section darkened a little and distressed/"antiqued" looking. Here is what it looks like after the waxes have literally been "waxed on and waxed off."

You are probably wondering why we did all of this inside… well, it was too cold to be outside. AKA- we were being divas. Sorry, not sorry. We had no spills, no worries! Once everything was dry, we were in love with how they turned out! Below are pictures of the finished products.

The small table ended up in our bathroom and is home to bathroom essentials. We have a long and narrow bathroom, so the shape of the table is perfect. I was very excited that the media center now fit our decor. It brings our living room together perfectly.