Make a Bud Vase / Votive Holder

My daughter, Steph, and I tackled a little project the other evening.

This is a great way to reuse baby food or other small jars and scrap wood.

Old Dresser + Chalk Paint = TV Stand

Here is my latest project....

I started with this little gem that was rejected and stored in the shed loft.

One of the top drawers was broken, so I removed them both to make room for electronic gadgets.

After removing the drawer pulls, I gave it a good cleaning before applying the chalk paint.

The chalk paint recipe I use is this:

3 parts latex paint (I have found a paint with primer works best)

1 part plaster of paris (diluted with an equal amount of hot water)

For example, if I use 1 1/2 cups paint, I would need 1/2 cup plaster of paris that has been diluted with 1/2 cup hot water. Mix these together thoroughly and you're ready to paint! 

For this job I only needed two coats. I like to use a foam roller for the larger flat surfaces and a brush for the corners and curvy places. 

When the paint was dry I protected the surface with SC Johnson Paste Wax. If you can't wait to wax, you may end up rubbing off some of your paint, giving it a light distressed look. By giving it some time to dry the paint should stay in place. I think I waited about 30 minutes after it appeared to be dry before waxing. There was one small edge where the paint rubbed off a tiny bit.

The color is Valspar's Rattan Palm. Because of the chalk paint mixture, it turned out a bit lighter than the actual paint. I covered the inside with a neutral paint sample I found on the oops-paint shelf.

 Brian drilled some holes for wires.

We braced the shelf where the dvd player and Wii will sit with a couple boards from the scrap pile. Brian cut them to fit and we glued them to the sides of the dresser and under the shelf.

Okay - here is what the TV sat on before....

...all chrome and glass contemporary-ness that I never really liked.

Here it is today!

I love how the gadgets rest so neat and tidy inside the cubby.

The drawers are filled with remotes, game controllers, games, manuals, and other assorted junk no one ever wants to look at everyday! The color is about three shades darker than the walls, so blends in nicely.

This project cost me less than $20!

I'm such a geek I just sat on the couch without the TV on to stare it for awhile.

So pretty.

P.S. Did you notice the little boo-boo I made? I thought it was so hilarious I decided to leave it and see if anyone points it out.

Thanks for stopping by today!
Calista @ A House and Yard

                      

Calista @ A House and Yard

Custom Pantry 3

Alrighty! Last week I showed you the progress on my new pantry and it looked like this....

Remember how I promised to show you my big idea for inside the panels? Magnetic chalkboards!

After doing the research I decided against the magnetic paint offered by a big name paint. The reviews kind of made me nervous; there weren't enough happy reviewers.

Not knowing exactly what I would find, I headed to Lowe's for sheet metal and chalkboard paint. I found a couple knowledgeable staff people and came home with my supplies: 4 squares of sheet metal, double-stick mounting tape, and chalkboard paint.

I had already measured the panels, but did it again just to be sure, fixed myself a mocha, turned on the Christmas music, then got to work.

The metal was easy to cut using tin snips. I had to roll the unwanted piece up and away from the panel in order to cut all the way up.

Probably would have been a good idea to wear gloves.

After cutting all the panels I moved outdoors to smooth the edges. I did this with a small, handheld metal file. I also tapped lightly along the edges with a hammer to flatten those areas that became notched from the snips.

Back inside and time to paint. The paint guy at Lowe's recommend that I prime the metal before using the chalkboard paint, which I did. Then, I applied three coats of chalkboard paint. The paint dried quickly, so this took hardly any time at all. Truthfully, it was fully covered after two coats, but I thought three might last longer if we were going to do a lot of writing and erasing.

When the paint was fully dry, it was time to attach the panels to the pantry. I elected to use double-stick mounting tape rather than glue in case I didn't want the panels on my pantry forever-and-ever-amen. This way I can remove them fairly easily if I decide to do so.

The double-stick mounting tape went on the wood first and after revealing the sticky side, c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y I pressed the painted metal panel to the pantry starting at the bottom and working my way up.

One of my panels went on alittle cockeyed for some reason and I had quite a time pulling it off for repositioning. The metal is thin, bending easily and the tape is super sticky, so I ended up with a slight bump. If you try this, make certain of your position before pressing to attach the panel.

On this side, I only used the metal panels in the middle section. I applied the chalkboard paint directly to the primed wood of the lower sections.

I like the contrast of the black paint and the red cabinet.

Still to be done to call this project finished are handles for the large pull-out shelves and some trim. Guess I'll have to write another update!

Custom Pantry 1
Custom Pantry 2

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And now for this commercial message.... If you like my pantry and need some cabinets, let me know. My son-in-law, Adam, is in the custom cabinet making business and would be glad to talk to you about your kitchen cabinet, bathroom vanity, and/or furniture needs.

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Thank you for stopping by A House and Yard!

Kitchen Corner Reveal

31 Days of Order - Day 22

I am happy to be able to show you some pictures of the greatly improved corner in my kitchen.

This is what it looked like before....

I already showed you how I covered the back of the hutch with wrapping paper....

This is what it looks like now!

The bins store things like batteries, flashlights, bills, papers, 

computer disks, music CDs, and cooking magazines that need further organization 

(that's a project for another week).

The drawers contain school & art supplies: 

paper, pencils, pens, markers, sticky notes, cards, and so on.

I made the skirt out of cafe curtains. 

Since I'm not using it as a desk, I figured if it was covered I could still use it for storage. 

Ah - ah - ah...no peeking. Actually, it's clean under there, too. 

Our printer is hiding behind the pretty curtain.

I sewed the two panels together, folded and sewed down the top, 

then gathered the seam.

Using stick on Velcro, I attached it to the desk to hide the legs.

This little heart bowl has been my key holder for a long time. 

However, it used to be a dusty blue. Anybody remember that color from the eighties?

The frame got an update as well. Hurray for spray paint!

The autumn print is page from a calendar.

I got to dig out some decorations from the shed loft. It was like seeing old friends.

Stay tuned for an update on my efforts to toilet train the cats!!

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This post is part of my 31 Days of Order series. See the rest of the posts here. 

To find other bloggers also writing for 31 Days this month on a variety of topics, click here.

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Linking to....

 

     

Order Up! A Kitchen Project

31 Days of Order - Day 3

Another project for the list! This one promises to bring order to the most used room in the entire house. Any guesses? Yep - the kitchen. Actually, just a corner in the kitchen, but it is a very important corner. You can see this corner from almost any place on the first floor of our house. 

Here is said-corner from the front door.

Here it is from the living room couch. Of course, it can also be seen from the dining area.

Standing at the back door....

....and in the kitchen.

I know. NOT a pretty sight. When we moved in that spot became the place for so many random things. Where does this go? I don't know. Put it on the desk in the corner! Do you ever do that? Can you believe I've lived with it this way for so long? Well...I've been busy. Sheesh!

Here's the plan. Take everything - and I mean ev.ry.thing - off. Sort. Find permanent homes. Trash. Only put back those things that need to be there because I use them in the kitchen or dining room. At the moment I'm thinking that will be cookbooks, school supplies, bills and paperwork that needs processing.

I'll either paint or paper the back of the hutch and use fabric bins for those items that need to be contained. I've been toying with the idea of painting it, but haven't decided. What I really want to find is a buffet and that I will paint if needed when I find it. But for now, this desk and hutch is free. It's sort of, almost an antique. My folks bought it for me in 1978 as part of my bedroom set.

Here's a handful of inspiration pictures I like.
On this one I like the drawers a different color than the desk, as well as keeping the wood top.

Source: missmustardseed.com via Calista on Pinterest

I adore the peacock paint color and it appears to be glazed rather than distressed.

Source: 551eastdesign.blogspot.com via Calista on Pinterest

This one has wrapping paper double-stick taped to the insides....

Source: rachelsnest.com via Calista on Pinterest

Projects abound and I am excited to share this experience with all of you. It keeps me accountable and I 'm enjoying the interaction with those of you who have commented.

So, tell me. Is there a rogue corner in your house that needs to be completely taken apart and put back together in some semblance of order? Where is it? What will you do?

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This post is part of my 31 Days of Order series. See the rest of the posts here. To find other bloggers also writing for 31 Days this month on a variety of topics, click here.