Christmas Ideas Tour and Samaritan's Purse VW Auction Giveaway

What a busy and exciting week here in the blogging world!

A few months ago my friend Larissa from Prodigal Pieces gave a waterfall dresser a Volkswagen Bus makeover and named it BEEP.  It was such a success that she's done it again by introducing BEEP II.  What makes this makeover extra special is that it is being auctioned off on eBay and the proceeds are being donated to Samaritan's Purse!

We are keeping our finger's and toes crossed that the Samaritan's Purse VW Auction brings top dollar for Samaritan's Purse before it ends on Sunday, December 6th.  If you would love to see BEEP II sitting in your home and want to support a wonderful organization this holiday season, please PRESS HERE for a link to the auction.

If that's not enough, Larissa is also offering a $350.00 Prize Package Giveaway to one lucky winner! The winner will be announced on Friday, December 4th.  You can enter the giveaway by pressing HERE.

Both the auction and giveaway are open to U.S. residents only and BEEP II will be shipped to the winning bidder for FREE.

Junque: http://www.junque.boutique/
HomeRight: http://www.homeright.com
DecoArt: http://www.decoart.com
Rustic Brands: http://www.rusticbrands.com

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The second exciting thing happening in the blogging world this week is the Christmas Ideas Tour. Starting today and running until Thursday, 28 bloggers have come together to bring you holiday decorating inspiration!  

Today's theme is Holiday Mantels.  Press the links at the bottom of this post to see how each talented blogger decorated their mantel for the holidays.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for Holiday Tablescapes, Wednesday for Holiday Wreaths, and Thursday for Thrifty Crafts.  I'll be joining the Thrifty Crafts leg of the tour so I hope you come back for a visit on Thursday to see what idea I came up with.

Told you it was a busy day in Blogland!  

Monday - Mantels

Petticoat Junktion My Creative Days 2 Bees in a Pod Restoration Redoux Atta Girl Says Art is Beauty Cottage at the Crossroads Housepitality Designs Shabbyfufu

Tuesday - Tablescapes

Postcards from the Ridge Town and Country Living Hunt and Host Savvy Southern Style All Things Heart and Home HighStyle Restyle This Makes That

Wednesday - Wreaths

Domestically Speaking Our Southern Home Mad in Crafts H2O Bungalow Sweet Pea Around The Watts House

Thursday - Thrifty Crafts

Dukes and Duchesses Confessions of a Serial Do-It-Yourselfer Prodigal Pieces The Interior Frugalista Cupcakes and Crinoline Girl in the Garage

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Old World Clock Face Table with an identity crisis

This poor Queen Anne table has had so many makeovers that it has an identity crisis. The first incarnation was in 2013, after acquiring it from a neighbor. It was one of my first furniture makeovers and I cannot help but laugh because the poor thing looked like a frog. Thank goodness my furniture makeover skills have improved because its final incarnation painted black is quite lovely as an Old World Clock Face Table.

Old World Clock Face Table

Before getting into the details of the final makeover, let's take a little trip down memory lane...

Makeover #1 - The Frog Table

On the bottom right in the photo collage above is what the table looked like when given to me by a neighbor.

When I started refinishing furniture in early 2013, my preferred paint medium was milk paint. The table was painted in a combination of Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint in the colors; Lucketts Green, Boxwood, and Ironstone.  You can find that makeover here in my post Curbside Find Upcycle.

The table sat in our living room for several months before I finally accepted the fact that it looked too much like a frog.

Makeover #2 - Vintage French Cloutèrie Table

By the second makeover, I had discovered Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and gave it a new look with the paint colors Versailles and Old White. I gave it some Parisian flair by adding a Vintage Cloutèrie graphic with the intention of using the table in our guest bedroom. You can catch that makeover here in my post From Curb To Français.

Instead, the table was given to my Mom when we moved her into a secured dementia suite at a designated care facility to add some personality to a rather institutional looking room. Unfortunately, it was receiving a lot of abuse and at one point the glass knob was walloped off and so it came back home with me.

Makeover # 3 - Vintage Clock Face Table

Thank goodness my furniture makeover skills have improved because finally, this poor Queen Anne table has a look that I can be proud of.

The table was painted again using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint but using the colors Graphite and Old White.

The broken glass knob from the previous makeover was replaced with this pretty floral ceramic one.

I went back to the Graphics Fairy and found the perfect French Clock Parts Graphic and French Cafe Typography.

Using my preferred image transfer technique, I printed the graphics and taped them onto the top of the table. Slipping a sheet of graphite paper underneath, I tried the graphics on the table top.

Using a script liner art brush and chalk paint in the graphite color, I painted the graphics onto the table. Wanting an aged time-worn appearance, I heavily distressed the graphics with 220 grit sandpaper and applied dark wax.

The lesson I hope you walk away with after reading this post is, it's just paint.

If you have a piece of furniture, whether it's been in your home for decades or something you recently acquired, don't be afraid to give it a new life with a can of paint. You're not going to ruin Aunt Martha's hutch if you get it wrong the first time.

That's the beautify of chalk or milk paint, if you're not 100% satisfied with the results, you can change the color with little to no prep. Brush yourself off, like I did...twice, and keeping painting until you're happy with the results.

I'm sharing this project with these fabulous PARTIES.

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Antique Waterfall Hutch

Today is Themed Furniture Makeover Day and the theme this month is Storage and Organization. This will be the third month I've participated with this talented group of bloggers who come together each month to breath new life into a piece of furniture based on a theme.

I knew my Vintage Art Deco Waterfall Hutch that I found this summer at a local online auction would fit perfectly for this month's furniture theme.

This poor thing had seen it's better days. The veneer was peeling and/or missing along the bottom and someone slapped a few coats of red tinted lacquer over the entire piece, yuck.  The glass doors are also missing.

Here is what it looked like before...

See the red tint in the lacquer? Regluing the peeling veneer was an easy fix and the missing veneer was repaired with wood filler. The tinted lacquer, on the other hand, was a HUGE labor intensive challenge to remove.

I used my go to Heirloom Furniture Stripper and it took several coats to remove the layers of lacquer enough that I could get rid of the leftover bits with a sander.

I contemplated replacing the glass doors and then for a hot minute I thought about building chicken wire sliders. In the end, I decided the open shelving looked better.

To dress up the back of the hutch I applied paintable wallpaper.

The interior was chalk painted in the color Vanilla Frosting from Country Chic Paint. Because it was hard to get into the nooks and crannies I spray painted it using my HomeRight Finish Max Pro Paint Sprayer.

I thought about painting it a vibrant pop of color but decided clean white would play better with the dark black exterior and make everything on display pop.

The exterior was brushed with chalk paint in the color Liquorice also from Country Chic Paint. It's the same paint color I used on the Black Old World Map Table shared in last month's challenge. I was really liking how the light wood complimented the black so I lightly distressed this piece to reveal more of the wood underneath.

The grain of the wood on the drawer front and side panels was too pretty to cover with paint so I decided to keep them natural. I applied one coat of Milk Stain by Homestead House Paint Co. in the color Provincial Walnut. I think it compliments the black beautifully.

I also stained the bottom door, but it made the hutch look too checkerboardish (new word) and then a light bulb went off in the old noggin.  What about creating a stained pattern on a black painted door?

Sure Marie, what a great idea and how are you going to do that without a Silhouette machine to make a reverse stencil? So I got creative and used what I had on hand.

This isn't a technique I'll repeat anytime soon, but it did the trick. Santa if you're reading this, please pretty please with a cherry on top put a Silhouette Machine under my Christmas Tree this year - I promise I've made your Nice List!

With the door removed from the hutch, I taped a stencil onto the front.  In a mini crockpot lined with foil, I melted beeswax. Using a stencil brush, I essentially stenciled with wax rather than paint.

Once the wax cooled I brushed two coats of black chalk paint over the entire door. After the paint dried overnight I removed the wax with a heat gun on the lowest setting, dabbing the wax off with a lint-free cloth.

To remove the wax from the stencil and stencil brush, I used mineral spirits and then washed both in warm soapy water. It worked but I'm not going to lie, it was a little time-consuming

I lined the drawer with some pretty contact paper that I had in my stash.

The original hardware looked lost against the black so I added some pretty glass jewelry to glam the hutch up a bit.

Again using the HomeRight Finish Max Pro Paint Sprayer the entire piece was sprayed with two coats of Minwax Polycrylic in a matte finish.

The fun part was displaying and storing our antique silver and china in the hutch. Even though it's a small hutch it has loads of storage.  Besides it's intended purpose it could be used to store quilts and bedding. It could also be used in an office or craft room.

I'm quite pleased with the transformation, despite it being VERY labor intensive.

I can't wait to see what my talented friends in the Themed Furniture Makeover Day group created for their Storage & Organization piece.

Press the links below to see their makeovers and pin directly from their blogs.

An InLinkz Link-up

I'm sharing this project at the following fabulous PARTIES.

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Vintage Footstool Makeover {Guest Post}

Good Morning, isn't this photo a welcoming treat on this cool November day!  I have the pleasure of introducing you to Robin of Redo It Yourself Inspirations who is an exceptionally talented furniture and home decor reimaginer.  Today she is sharing her Vintage Footstool Makeover with you and so without further ado, please give Robin a warm welcome...

Hello friends! I'm so excited to be visiting you from Marie's blog today! I'm Robin from Redo It Yourself Inspirations where I blog about thrifty "redo's".

I'd love to share this vintage foot stool makeover with you. Since it was a thrift shop find, it was very cheap but in need of a big update.

First, the seat had to be removed to work on the stool frame. Because of the style I had in mind called for "aged" wood, all I did was sand the existing wood finish to distress it. Then cleaned it off.

That was it!

Then the seat, old upholstery and buttons were removed to reupholster the cushion frame.

I used three layers of quilting poly-fill to cover the seat by stapling it to the underside.

Then covered the poly-fill with felt. (Again, stapled underneath.)

For a cozy winter upholstery, I chose this cable knit sweater from a thrift shop.

Deciding to reuse the stool tufting buttons, I recovered them as well. I used the original holes in the frame to reattach them.

This was very easy and quick to do.

Now the stool has a new look.  An expensive look from current magazines, but for less.

Psst... a LOT less.

$2 for the stool and 99 cents for the sweater!

This updated "vintage" appearance is much better than the old version.

I hope you enjoyed this easy DIY and will try it yourself. I had a lot of fun doing it for Marie!

Thank you so much for having me here today!

Robin, thank you so much for so generously helping me out during my last week of surgical recovery. I love the makeover you gave this vintage footstool, especially upholstering it with a sweater!  Using it to elevate my knees in front of that warm cozy fire with a good book would have been perfect during my recovery.

I hope you all enjoyed Robin's post as much as I did.  I urge you to pop over to Redo It Yourself Inspirations to give Robin a warm hello.  While there check out her gallery of furniture makeovers - I promise you will not be disappointed.

You can also follow Robin on:

FACEBOOK
PINTEREST

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An Introduction and a BIG Giveaway {DIY Furniture Makeovers}

Hey guys, there is this fabulous new site that I want to tell you about.  It's a site that features fabulous furniture makeovers done by fellow bloggers.  The site is called DIY Furniture Makeovers, and was recently launched by my talented friend, Jen (aka Girl in the Garage), who loves transforming furniture herself and being inspired by other people's makeovers.

Anyone who loves updating furniture will be inspired by the projects featured on this site...ahem...there are a couple you may recognize!  Be sure to stop by for a visit and take a look around - I promise you won't be disappointed!

But there's more...

Visit the site HERE

Follow on Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Instagram

Bloggers: Submit your furniture makeovers HERE to be featured on DIYFM!

To celebrate the launch of this new site, we're celebrating with a big giveaway!

One person will win all 6 of these prizes, valued at over $350:

* $50 Credit to Royal Design Studio Stencils {Check out their fabulous furniture stencils}

* $50 Credit to D.Lawless Hardware {New hardware is like jewelry for your furniture!}

* Choose either 2 quarts of Metallic Paint or a Metal Effects Kit from Modern Masters

* Prize Package from Junque Milk Paint {Incuding 3 1/2 pints of milk paint, wax, bonding agent, handmade head wrap, and Makers Gonna Make mug}

* RYOBI ONE+ 18-Volt 5 inch Cordless Random Orbit Sander PLUS battery and charger {Check out its features}

* $50 Amazon Gift Card {For more of the DIY painting supplies you need!}, courtesy of DIY Furniture Makeovers (*affiliate links included)

Giveaway open to US residents, age 18 and older.

Contest runs November 16-20, 2015. 

Winner will be verified and then notified by email. They will have 24 hours to respond.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Wood Slice Coasters that will rock your holiday cocktails

During a late Spring snowstorm, after the leaves already opened on the trees, we lost two 50+-year-old trees in our yard. Thankfully we have a backyard fire pit so the firewood will come in handy. It took an entire weekend to cut up all that wood.

Last week while sipping my morning java and admiring cursing the freshly fallen snow from my kitchen window my eyes caught a glimpse of that woodpile and inspiration struck. On went, the snow boots in search of the perfect size log to make fun Wood Slice Holiday Coasters.

Yup, I see it too...

There it is, my big fat spelling mistake that I didn't notice until after I published the post. I know how to spell, I would win the spelling bees in grade school. What was I thinking! I know JOLLY is spelled with two L's. I've since corrected the error but decided, instead of removing the photos, I'd keep it real.

While the inspiration for these coasters came from my wood pile, the motivation for making them came from the Power Tool Challenge team. The theme this month is Kris Kringle Holiday Edition. If you haven't heard of the Power Tool Challenge, it is a group of tool savvy, skill sharing blogging friends who encourage and empower our female readers to step out of their comfort zone and try simple projects they can make themselves using a power tool.

Wood Slice Holiday Cocktail Coasters

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend to complete this project. What that means is that if you click on one of the product links, I may receive a small portion of any sales at no additional cost to you to support the costs of running this site. See my disclosure policy page.

For this project, you will need just one power tool, a compound miter saw to cut a tree branch into slices. I've included a Materials List near the bottom of this post for your convenience.

Wood Slice Cutting Jig

A great idea for ensuring the wood slices are cut straight and uniform thickness is to make a wood slice jig using a block of wood held in place with the miter saw clamp (as pictured above). Measure the distance from the end of the wood guide to your saw blade for the desired thickness (mine are 1/2-inch thick). Don't forget to wear eye protection.

Prepping The Wood Slices

Using 180 grit sandpaper, smooth the surface on the top of each slice.

Create typography with your favorite software - I used PicMonkey. You can see there is a cocktail hour theme to my coasters. I've included a Free Printable of the graphic I used for your convenience. Click on the graphic below for your copy.

Image Transfer Option 1 - Carbon Paper

Print the graphics on bond paper and use carbon paper to trace them onto the wood slices (as pictured below).

With a Fine or Ultra Fine Sharpie, trace over the transfer and let the ink dry for several hours before moving on to the next step.

Image Transfer Option 2 - Ink Jet Printer

Using an inkjet printer (a laser printer will not work) change the settings to print a mirror image (reverse) of the graphic. Print onto glossy paper (glossy side up). Photo paper, sheet labels with labels removed, or clear sheet protectors work great for this step.

Place the graphic print side down and hold firmly in place, being careful not to smudge the ink by moving the sheet. With the back of a spoon, rub over the back of the graphic until the ink is fully transferred onto the wood.

Sealing The Wood Slices

Once the Sharpie ink is completely dry, spray two coats of shellac over each wood slice to seal and protect them.

Add felt pads onto the bottoms to prevent the coasters from scratching furniture.

Your guests are sure to have a chuckle when setting their cocktails on these coasters during the holidays. They also avoid having to use wine charms to identify each person's drink.

The extra fun part of the Power Tool Kris Kringle Challenge this month is that our projects are part of a Secret Santa gift to a designated friend on the team. I made extra sets to include a bottle of wine for hostess gifts this holiday season.

I also made Wood Slice Map Ornaments that are great for the travelers in your life.

Materials List

Wood Slices
Fine Sharpie Pen
Graphite Paper
Shellac
Compound Miter Saw

If you were inspired by these fun Wood Slice Holiday Cocktail Coasters, please share them with a friend and/or save them on Pinterest.

I invite you to join me in visiting my Power Tool Challenge friend's blogs to see what they each made for their Kris Kringle challenge projects. Press the link below to see a thumbnail photo of their projects along with the link. If you like and are inspired by any of the projects, please pin directly from the blog posts.

An InLinkz Link-up

You'll find this project shared with these fabulous LINK PARTIES.

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