buy cheap frames and make them how you want

I had this frame from a long time ago I think it was a $1.00 at the dollar store! I always buy my frames at good will, dollar store or target, because target has surprisingly 2.99 frames all the time in regular black, white and brown colors. This frame was actually black I painted it and the paint would not stick, so... I took a cream colored button down I didn't want anymore and cut off the sleeves then cut those into stripes. All I did from there was wrap the stripes of shirt around the frame and hot glued the ends down. I took the buttons off the cuffs and placed them where I wanted towards the left corner and that's all! the only thing I had to adjust was the back because I wasn't paying attention and started covering the back prongs to hold the picture in. but its easy to work around them...Here is the finished product (with my beautiful cousins in it!)!!!

TORCHING!

I can not take credit for this project... my wonderful boyfriend Antonio gets complete praise and credit for this torch job he did while I was at work yesterday, and I am completely in love with the way these crates turned out! I caught them at Joann's unfinished and had the idea to torch and hang them up, but what Antonio did went beyond what i thought they were going to look like all you need to do is take a torch being very cautious about catching the wood on fire have an extinguisher handy.. and you can make a piece as light or as dark as you want them, I didn't have a preference so Antonio just did whatever and it looks great! ! i don't have anything on them yet, but I think its the perfect spot for my yarn vase bottles that are in the making right now!

BEFORE...

AFTER...

BEAUTIFUL!

Glazing an old picture frame...

My first time ANTIQUING!

Antonios mom gave me this beautiful mirror, I wanted it in my bedroom which is black and white...

 I primed and painted the mirror white...

Then I bought TINTABLE glaze and added black paint to the tint to make it darker (it comes in like a charcole color) I wanted it darker so I added some black paint, you can add as much as you want. Then I painted it on with a paint brush, it doesnt have to be neat just make sure everything is covered...  

Right after I painted the glaze on I took a damp rag and whiped it back off leaving the glaze in the nooks and crannies of the frame!



Bedroom furniture make over!

 Before....

After....



The room is far from finished, and the furniture is receiving new pretty hardware today but this was truly the hardest part and it made the biggest difference already...spray paint does a world of difference, and i have to say that I learned a HUGE lesson with this project over the weekend.. Krylon spray paint is horrible! cheaper definitely does not mean better in this case! the nozzle is weird, and the finish is very uneven, I took it all back and went with my ever so dependable Rustoleum from the home depot a few more dollars but well worth it!.  finished product to follow!

Trunk re do number #2

i recently re did this trunk to go in my living room, but ideas change in my head from day to day and so now, as much as i loved what i did to the trunk the first time....

I am even more proud of myself the second time....

I wanted this trunk in bedroom instead of the living room, so there was no question it had to be black and white because my bedroom has bright aqua walls so everything else is black, with a little white. I love how it turned out! all I did was paint the entire trunk white then after it dried I took one inch wide blue tape and made the argyle design on the lid and with 2 inch wide blue tape made 2 thick stripes around the body!!! this is one of those projects that you cant believe you did, first time trying it and I'm so happy with my results! 



stencil trunk

This trunk is one of my favorites so far and was one of the easiest. Antonio's mom gave me this trunk  she did not want anymore that had a really great hand painted picture on both the top and side, however it just was not my style. I felt bad re doing this piece because I knew the hard work that went into this paint job... but after i was done i couldn't help but love the new make over!

I sanded it all down smooth primed it...

spray painted it this slate gray

sanded the entire trunk with 120 grit sandpaper to make it look old and worn

then bought this stencil at Joann's and used a cream colored paint and sponged it on the top!

rose wreath

I am in the process of working on a rose wreath I keep seeing one at Target I wanted and it was like $40 not that that's expensive but its PAPER! so i looked at it and thought I can probably make that... and I did well I am making it! it looks just like the one i wanted to buy and is even better because I can chose what color(s) I want to use to go with the room I want to put it in! ...finished product to follow!

Crackle

my very first project

Back in the summer Antonios mom was having a yard sale, I picked this little guy out of the load just to play around with and see what I could do...

 I wish I had taken a before picture but to try to give you a visual it was a medium colored wood with a hunter green colored seat. Luckily I did not have to sand this one, so i removed the seat with a screw driver and began priming it with Rust-oleum brand primer . I have not had much experience yet with primer or spray paint except rust-oleum which I get at home depot and it seems to work and cover really well. I primed the entire piece outside (or in a well venilated area) and let it dry over night, you really do not need to wait that long but I decided to start this project at like 8 pm one evening. I think you can wait about an hour depending on the temperature the warmer it is the quicker it dries. Then I painted the piece with white pray paint and let that dry about an hour. After that I wanted to give this bench a little bit of a distressed look so I took a piece of 80 grit sand paper which is the roughest sand paper (although I dont think i really needed it th paint seemed to rub off very easily its just all I had, but if you have a lighter piece maybe a grit or 2 lighter that should still do the job) and rubed parts of the piece where I thought would look best which was along the edges. The actual bench itself was done it really was only a 2 step simple project. The hard part was the seat. I kept the original piece of wood which made it a little easier but if you have to completly replace the seat it is easiest to keep the original to use as a template for the new one. I went to joAnn and found this print which was on sale because I got 2 yard for like $1.00! then I went over to the foam and got a roll which im not sure how much it was but the lady forgot to ring me up for it ;)  I FELT BAD BELIEVE ME! but i did not realize it until i got home I always do that I need to pay more attention when I check out places because I have been over and under charged so many times and never noticed until I got home. So anyways.... after I got home I layed the foam over the seat and measured how big I needed to cut the foam then I folded the 2 yards in half and kept it that way to double up on the fabric then I layed the seat on the ground then the foam on top of that in place then the fabric on top of the foam in place how I wanted it. After it looked the way i wanted it to look I pulled one side and stapled it down then with the other side I pulled pretty hard to make it nice and tight and stapled that side then went around the entire seat and just kept tuggin and stapling! ( u may need 2 people) you need to tug pretty hard. After the fabrick was all stapled down I flipped it over and for the moment it is just sitting on top in the picture and actually still is I need to attach it I think i might try Antonios glue he uses for his construction work maybe? So here is the finished product I promise now that I know Im going to be blogging i will have before after and even during pictures to give a better understanding and explantion of future projects.