March Madness Day 31 - Blue Mason Jar Box - Blue Box

It's the last day of March Madness and I'm so glad you stuck it out with me for 31 days (actually 30 cuz I missed one day).  I'm not sure you are going to miss these daily posts but I'll certainly have a hard time adjusting to it.  

I was hoping for a big grand finale for the last day but my last 2 weeks have been crazy busy at work and at home so that didn't happen.  However this blue box isn't too shabby to finish up the month.  

When I bought this box it was similar to the many John has made for my painting classes and the price on it helped it to jump in my cart.  All put together and painted already.  

I wasn't too crazy about the blue color but I could make it work but the yellow had to go.  

To calm the blue down I did some serious sanding.  It took forever since it was some type of regular latex with a gloss finish.  I finally got down to a matte finish.

Ane covered up that bright yellow with some Rust-Oleum Linen White.  It needed a little something for the front of the box.  That's a large flat space, so it got a vine stencil in Linen White.

And for a fun surprise it got Linen White handles on both sides.  

This box is a bit bigger than John's so 3 Mason Jars fit with lots of wiggle room.

The blue works with the white and a coat of Clear Wax she's ready for someones table.

Another look at the before and after.  Hardly looks like the same box.

Later.....

March Madness Day 21 - Chair Brightening

When I bought this chair I knew it needed to be lightened up.  So Rust-Oleum Linen White it was.
I love that white.

Here's the chair right out of the thrift store.  The seat of the chair is so rotten and isn't attached.  There is a couple holes in the round piece on the back but other than those things it's a good solid chair.  

I tried to find something to put in that circle but came up with nothing.  So the holes got patched and I painted it Rust-Oleum Serenity Blue that matched the chevron color perfectly.  

Then I added the Serenity Blue in a couple more spots.  Loved that the chevron triangle on the back of the chair so I made it stand out with the Blue accent.  

So fresh and summery now.

I also added blue to a couple spots on the legs.  And added Annie Sloan Clear Wax.  I personally do not like dark wax on white, I have dark waxed a few white items but not many.  

One more before and after look.  

Later....

Circle Challenge

Before Christmas my girlfriend brought me a bag full of wood circle pieces.  She challenged me to find something to do with them, her father makes a beer can holder and this is the part he throws away and he has LOTS of them.  She's like me..... it's hard to throw a perfectly good piece of wood in the fire.

I tried many things but nothing worked.  I put them away and searched Pinterest many nights trying to find something.  There is many ideas but not really anything I liked.  The challenging part is the hole in the center and the sharp lip around the diameter. 

So this girlfriends 50th birthday is coming up.....  I had one idea that I needed to try so I could surprise her with completing the challenge.   This is a bad cell phone photo with it laying on the table but John and I finished it just minutes before walking out the door to the party, no time for formal pictures.

I brought it with to her surprise birthday party and her dad had to rush right over and check it out.  Poor guy still thinks I carved each of these flowers out of those oak circles.

Back board and wood knobs are painted with Rust-oleum Linen White with Clear and Dark Wax. 

The circles are painted with Amy Howard Cartoucsh Green with Clear ad Dark Wax.

She had one of the circles painted red already so I just added a heart and a fun window bracket thingy with an old screw to cover up the hole and some twine for hanging. 

So proud that I passed that challenge, it wasn't easy and she loved it.  

A true trash to treasure with a bit of memory for a friend.

There might still be a few of these going in the campfire but I'm willing to try again to find another use for them. 

Sometimes you don't find what you need on Pinterest so you have to use your own creativity

Later....

Sweet baby girl dresser

 I bought a dresser this summer during one of the garage sales I went to.  I didn't have any plans for it but it was unique so it came home with me.  

Fast forward a few months and my girlfriends daughter is looking for a dresser for their new house in their oldest daughters room.  Looking for something different she asks if I have anything.... Why yes I do.  

I ask her to pick a color........ she leaves it up to me.  That's not what I wanted to hear.  I don't mind picking the color when there isn't an owner in mind but when there is a room and a little girl waiting for it I feel the pressure of the perfect color.  

Here sits the ugly dresser being used as a dump all station in the garage.  

The little girl had green, blue and pink in her room already so my thought of white had me second guessing myself.  Her grandma came over and I showed her my green or blue that I was thinking...... grandma said she LOVED the blue in her room.  Okay so my green was out.  

Painting a dresser a bright color is pretty daring since colors change so quickly so I painted the entire thing aqua blue.  I left the handles intact since they decorative plate was a very thin metal that I felt needed to be left on and painted right over the top.  Remember chalk paint can go over any surface. 

Then I painted the entire dresser in white and distressed it down to the aqua.

It turned out so sweet, I loved it and really hoped that Grandma, Mom and Miss Rae did too.  

The morning came where Grandma and Grandpa were picking it up so of course I have to stage it and make it SHINE with little girl personality.  I painted a fun little tray with my green and a little pink just to add a little fun factor.  Added a little Christmas charm with some second hand store finds and it's screaming CUTENESS.

Here she is all ready to hold Miss Rae's clothes.  

The dresser was delivered as a surprise to mommy and a few days later I received the sweetest thank you card.  

It's so much fun to bring new life to ugly worn out furniture but even better to bring smiles to those who receive the treasure.  

Give a new life to something ugly and see who you can make smile.    Later......

Trash to Treasure Tuesday

I'm a bit behind but I'm coming up with lots of excuses, I'll spare you the details and just amaze you with a pretty fun trash to treasure Tuesday.  

The Saturday after Thanksgiving has been a family shopping day for many years.  The sisters and I make a trip to Eau Claire and many years ago we brought our girls.  They got sore feet, they wanted everything, they pouted, the laughed, we took them to movies, we had great family time.  Then...... they grew up and us sisters had to continue to shop that day by ourselves.  

Now we have my girls back again and their girls.  The little girls get sore feet, they pout, they want everything, they love to spend their money and we do lots of fun stuff with them.  

This year we went to Goodwill on a Ugly Sweater Hunt for Gayle.  She ended up with 3 of them.... all perfect so it was hard to decide.  Then I got sucked into the "junk" and my arms filled up.  I was on the hunt for churches..... ugly cheap churches.  And after filling everyone's arms with churches and reindeer.... a few hours later we exit the store.  

Pretty ugly church.... since Lynn was holding this one we called it the Baptist church.  I was pushing my churchs on everyone.

The Catholic church..... in our small towns we have lots of taverns and churches.

The trio tiny village with a church that isn't pictured.

Baptist church painted white - yep bet you guessed that already :)  I'm loving my white

A little distressing.....

A bit of glitter.....

And we have pretty churches.....

Lynn got her Baptist church today and I'm keeping the Catholic church.  They are beautiful.  Now why didn't I buy all those village houses I seen a few weeks ago for a song and have an entire white village?   DANG!!

I've heard many stories from my sisters about a white nylon net tree that my mom had.  It was something you had to assemble every Christmas and the older sisters got that task.  I was probably in their way and stealing pieces they needed.  After so many years of this tree being in the daylight and being assembled it rotted and became un-useable.  My sisters were sad, I didn't know any different.  They researched a few years ago and found a pattern to make them.  I'm still not interested.....  

This summer we had a reunion and my sister Sharon had nylon net trees to action off.  John has no idea that I know nothing about them, I'm not sitting next to him and he hears family memories of the tree and he bids until he buys me one.  So sweet

BUT I know nothing about this tree...... after 2 hours swearing like a sailor, reading directions (if you know me, you know I don't read directions) requesting a drink, calling my sister to vent, throw the whole thing across the living room..... it's up.

It's amazing.....it really wasn't that bad.  Now I have a tree that fits my white village and a memory of my mom.  I find myself staring at it and knowing why my mom loved hers, it's beautiful.

Surround yourself with family memories and if you don't have many, make some.  

Later.....

More white

I've been trying to transform the colors in my house to white and blues. Why?  I don't know, time for a change, white continues to show up everywhere and I really like it.

Sunday after my last painting class I decide I should paint something for myself once.  I have this old dot-matrix printer table in the dining room painted from long ago in a yellow and green, you remember the kind with the long slot in the back for the paper to be on the shelf with the printer on the top.  I've painted and sold so many fun unique table that would have replaced this boring table but of course I kept boring for me and sold fun to others.  So today was the day to paint boring once again.

Check out boring and busy 

Now here is white, clean and symmetrical.

I had a new family photo to hang up and the last time I hung our family photo it was just temporary until I could paint the frame.  As you see in the photo above temporary became permanent.  Now it's white and updated with 4 more people.

I had that back board out in the garage and thought it might be a nice addition to the boring dot-matrix printer.  I haven't attached it yet due to the dang light switch and I'm not sure that I like it.

The shelves got cleaned off and ended up white and clear glass

I love it, now I think John needs to replace the black breakfast nook with stained wood vs the black.  Hummmmmmm who is going to tell him?

Before and after

Have I convinced you to paint white yet?    Later.....

Owl Love/Hate Relationship

My daughter loves owls and she loves them more when they are the 70's style.  I think they are pretty darn ugly but I buy them for her anyway.  I was in the second hand store and seen 4 lamps and a clock with Shannon's name written all over them.  

I laughed and sent her the picture.  She replied.... I want them all.

I made a decision for her house and her boyfriend.... I only bought her the clock one.

My sister Sharon replied to an Instagram photo of the clocks..... I want one.  So I go back for one for her.

Next day these owls are bugging me..... I really should buy one and paint it white like I've been wanting to do for a long time.  So I go back to buy one for myself.

I start to paint it white while up north

I quickly send a text to my sister Gayle..... go buy me the matching owl lamp, I need two.

Excuse me Mr. Owl you have a bit of white paint on your face.  

They are awesome painted white and will look very cottagy up north.  I painted them with Linen White Rust-Oleum Chalked Paint

I am a distress girl but these guys did not get any distressing.  Just a coat of Clear Wax.

My sister Gayle came up for a moonlight kayak trip down the river and she's kicking herself for not buying the last owl lamp.

Now to find two matching shades.  What can you paint white and give it a whole new look?   

Later....