Old farmhouse table


I wish I knew the story behind some of the items I pick up, you can tell it was hand made piece by piece.  Although it was in good study shape it did need an update of some sort.  Pieces like this you can't just make completely modern and pretend it was never a very old rustic piece.  


I decided to strip and stain the top and paint the base.  Although I usually do not distress most of my pieces, sometimes a piece just needs it to keep with the look.  


I had to paint the numbers by hand because I didn't have any stencils that were large enough.  I have read about people loaning or renting projectors for projects like this from their local library, but since I seem to get inspired to do most my projects after 10:00 pm, I wasn't getting my hands on one:)

Instead of putting a coat of poly over the top, I used a natural wax to seal and buff it out.

I have in my "for sale" page if you would like more information.

My kids AWESOME gingerbread houses!


This year I stayed out of the way and let them go to town!  They loved that I was not all up in their gingerbread house business and let them do their own thing.  Not winning any awards... but they sure had fun:))

Super Easy Pinch Pleated Drapes 


I wanted to share an easy way to fancy up your simple drapery.  I have used this trick on many of the drapes in my current and past homes and have always loved it.  

Here is an example of the last set I did... this is my son's room.  I had originally hung plain pocket panels that I bought at target over a year ago.  Not bad, but kind of boring.

Here they are after I added the pinched pleats.  Naturally my son has NOT and most likely will not ever notice::))  

Here are the supplies you will need...I usually get mine at Hobby Lobby, but I know Joann's and any fabric store will have them too.  You will need Pinch Pleated "stuff" material, pleater hooks and rings.  Make sure the rings will fit the rod you plan to use.  

First thing you will want to do is sew the PP trim to the top of the drapes, making sure that not only the right side, the side with the "pockets" is up, but that the pockets are on the bottom so that the hooks can slide up into them.  

Sounds like a no brainer, I know...but I have accidentally sewn it perfectly...with the pockets on the top!! 

One seam on the dotted lined at the top and the bottom.  

Now just start adding the hooks.  The bag of hooks I choose have 4 prongs per hook.  This bag also comes with a couple of single prongs.  These are good to start and finish with.  But you don't HAVE to.

Example I use...start with the very first pocket, add single prong.  

skip 3-4 pockets (whichever you choose, but be consistent)

add 4 pronger hook

skip the 3-4 pockets again, add another 4 prong hook... REPEAT...

at the end, add another single prong hook they provide.

here are a few pictures that might help explain what is going on...

Here is a tip I just discovered and started using myself.  I was going to leave it out to keep the confusion to a minimum, but I am sure you can handle it::))

Before inserting the hooks, add the rings and pinch them tight with a pair of plyers.  Helps make putting them on the rod SOOOO much easier!

The underside...what they look like on the rod

That's it! Probably easier than I make it look:)

Here are a few pictures of finished projects around my house....

This is panel I made from scratch in my dining room and living room

In my den.  This was actually a table cloth that I loved the pattern of and added the PP trim added to top.

 Hope this helped!  Let me know if you have any questions

Have a Merry Christmas!!
xoxo

Creating a Faux Antique Mirror and Mercury Glass Look...


I love mercury glass and the vintage look of an antique mirror, how the backing naturally etches off in places over the years.  I know there is a way to take a perfectly fine mirror look antiqued as well, this involved a particular acid, something I would like to try in the future.  Meanwhile, here is a very simple tutorial on how to create this look with a product call Looking Glass by Krylon.

I have always wanted to do this project and thought it would be perfect when I was refishing a hutch and needed somehthing a little different.

I am fortunate that I have this nice built in hutch in my dining room, but instead of an area to display all my fine china (right:)), what I really needed was a place to store extra items...girls crafts, my sewing machine and misc. items.  Yes, I know I have the whole base for that "stuff", but I need MORE room!!!! And these were basically items I did NOT want to be able to see. 

 Down to my spray booth.  Making sure the glass is very clean, you want to do 4-6 light coats, this spray comes out VERY thin and you will need many coats.  After letting it dry for a bit, I prepared a squirt bottle with 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water.  The vinegar is the acidic agent that "eats" away at the paint.

 Working in small sections, lightly spray a bit on the dry glass.  Let sit for a few seconds.  With a soft cloth, GENTLY tap and LIGHTLY rub.   Take a minute to figure out how hard you have to press with the rag to lift some of the spray paint.  You may have to go back and add more paint if you take off more than you want, but no biggie... unless you have to make another trip to Hobby Lobby, which is the only place I could find this paint.  Also, Maybe look a picture or two of some antiqued mirrors for inspiration, but I just pretty much randomly squirted and rubbed.

 I really like how it turned out!!  The reflection of the "mirror" keeps it feeling open and actually a little brighter.  And you can't see my mess behind the doors.

Here is a quick tip on how I best acheived the "mercury glass" finish. Using the same supplies, spray a VERY, VERY, VERY light mist of the vinegar/water mixture.  If you squirt too heavy, it will just make all the paint run and not adhere to the glass.  After a light mist, start spraying the Looking Glass Paint.  It will run, you will have to do many coats too.  I kind of moved the jar around to help the mercury glass droplets go what I wanted it to as it rolled down.  layer on the paint until you have the look you would like.