Finished Project

Well it's taken me longer than expected, as most projects do but I'm so happy to check this one off my list. It's a dress up dresser for our little bug. I'm working on a couple dresses, tutus, jewelry and some other fun accessories to hopefully fill it up in time for her birthday.

This project was super simple and there are some tutorials out there on the web or even better, Pinterest. You simply take out the drawers, I left one for shoes and other accessories, paint it and attach some fabric to the inside. I'd say the fabric was the hardest part but once it's full of fun stuff you wont even tell it's not perfect. I kept mine neutral anticipating it may go in a fun playroom one day but you could do all kinda of fun colors.

Stay tuned for fun posts on DIY costumes/ dress up items!

Children's easel

We've had these two old "bachelor days" end tables laying around in our basement just waiting to either be given away or re purposed into something spectacular.

At a recent craft fair I saw these cute little flannel boards with felt dolls for kiddos.

I loved the idea but the price tag was a little out of my budget.  I knew I could easily (and on the cheap) recreate them.

So I simply took the top off one of those not so beautiful end tables and covered it with flannel.  It took me about 5 minutes and the flannel only cost about $2.

Then I went searching online for felt dolls when I came across some adorable ones on Amazon that were already cut out and were half the price of the others.  I don't want to be spending hours and hours cutting out little intricate doll pieces.

These are just a few of the pieces it came with...there's all kinds of outfits to piece together.

For the other side of the easel all I did was spray paint it with chalkboard paint.  Easy enough.

After attaching some hinges and chains, it sets up nice as a little floor easel for my little one to play with.

A perfect gift for very little cost!

If you don't have two end table, you could buy a cheap piece of wood too and it would still be a very inexpensive project.

Memo Station

Chalkboard paint...it's a wonder.  And even better, it comes in spray paint!

When I learned of this marvelous wonder, I knew it'd be perfect for some revamping to create a memo station.

I recently mentioned that I got rid of all junk drawers in my house.  That left a little problem for the kitchen where a quick notepad and pen is often needed and spare keys are occasionally needed.

So, I present to you my new memo station:

I love it.  It keeps my life organized and both my husband and I on the same page.

That chalkboard was made from this old pan.

Simply spray painted with chalkboard paint and it is an instant magnetic chalkboard.

If you're wondering about that menu board...check out my post here.

Go get organized with your own memo station!

Play Kitchen

Before:

Old play kitchen from my grandma's play room.  It was originally my mom and her sibling's and then later all of us grandkids would play with it when we went over to grandmas.

After:

Now it is an updated play kitchen for our little daughter.  She loves it so far and it will be a wonderful long term play item for her.  Check out the oven mitts and apron I made for her too. :)  I'm very happy with the way it turned out for this non-carpenter.

Vintage Inspiration

This cute little outfit was made from this vintage scarf I found at a antique store for one dollar.  I made some shorts to match out of some extra pink fabric.  One day I will get to the sunhat I planned for this little outfit.  It's still a bit chilly here but once summer hits, this is the perfect outfit to stay cool in.

Before...

After...

Kitchen Island/Cart

This is my favorite project ever!!!  I seriously love this and I'm so proud of myself for finally finishing it.  I started this project about 6 months ago.  I had this old sewing table that I bought along with a cool antique sewing machine at Goodwill Last Chance for $6!  Six dollars!!  How I wish I could thrift shop all day long... Anyway, I wanted the pair for the old Singer sewing machine, the table was a plus.  Well, I tried to use the table for my up-to-date sewing machine but it just wasn't working and I found an old army table from my dad (which I love also for it's amazing "antique, I've been through soo much look") was a better fit.  So, then I had this extra table laying around.

Well, I stumbled upon this blog where the crafter transformed her old sewing table into a kitchen island.  Perfect!  Hers was much more elaborate as she had a larger kitchen and more space to work with.  My kitchen is fairly small so I had a little space planned out where I could stash this "island" when not in use.  The table originally was a bit to big for the space so I had to trim it down.  After adding a shelf for extra storage, some wood glue, spray paint, wheels and decorative knob I am in LOVE!!

In the middle of this project I had thought I was way over my head by trying to cut it down to size, put it back together, and add a shelf and it sat in my garage for quite some time.  If my carpenter dad ever looks too closely he will have much to say about my horrible craftsmanship but to the "normal" eye it looks just fine.  There is a little shelf inside where I'm going to store our towels and washcloths and the shelf on the bottom is for a bread basket.  The wheels allow me to cart it around and use it for whatever the need is.

OOOOOO....AAAAAHHHHHH.....

Our girl's very own throne...

My first completed project for our little girl!  I have so many projects started and nothing seems to get finished.  I found this little rocking chair at a thrift store and decided it would be perfect for a little girl.  After some struggles (it was a little harder than I thought), I love the way it turned out.

Mom's old rocking chair

My mom had this old pink rocking chair for as long as I can remember and was going to get rid of it! It is in perfectly good shape, it just needed a face lift. I have to admit, I was in over my head on this project as I have never reupholstered anything but I was up for the challenge. The only problem I had was I bought fabric on clearance and didn't buy enough!! I had to compromise and it could have been done a lot easier had I planned more effectively but in the end it looks better then it did before. It is really comfortable too!!

This is really easy and I swear anyone with a machine could do it!! You just hold the fabric (wrong side out) on the chair and pin different pieces together at the seems. It is kind of hard to explain but once you get started, it is really easy to pick up.