Magnetic Calendar

I really enjoyed making this magnetic calendar!

First, I picked up a piece of sheet metal from Lowes. I had it cut down to fit into a 16x20 frame I bought at Michaels.
With a dry erase marker I measured and drew lines to create the calendar outline. Then with a hammer and nail, I punctured the metal along the lines.

Then I painted two coats of Kilz primer and two coats of Behr paint that I used on my walls. I wanted mine to blend in to my kitchen, but you can use whatever you like. It is so important to use the primer or little rust dots will begin to show as your paint drys.

While that was drying, I used stamps, the Behr paint, and black acrylic paint to make the weekdays and dates. I then attached adhesive magnets to the back.


I bought some gold and copper glittery letters from Michaels and painted them black for the lettering for each month, and attached magnets to each letter.


To decorate the calendar, I use scrapbook stickers. I use cupcakes for birthdays, and buy the holiday packets for the months that have big holidays. You can find them for just about anything you can think of. Just attach a magnet to the back of them and they work great! Here are some examples:
All done!


- Shannon

Check out the some of the party's I am apart of!

Multi purpose display board

 originally posted this project on my family blog but decided it should be on this blog as well.

I started with a 4' x 10" board I purchased at Home Depot.

Yes, it is the same board Shannon used in her Hotel de Paris sign.

Great minds think alike.

I took a large rock to it and banged it up. Then took a nail and made holes throughtout the piece. I wanted a rustic looking board.

I then sprayed painted it with Rustoleum Heirloom white. I gave it about 2 or 3 coats.

Once that dried I applied 2 coats of Ralph Lauren glaze tinted smoke.

I could have stopped after one coat but wanted it a bit darker.

After that dried I made the holes and added the knobs.

I made this back in December and my sole purpose was to hang our stockings. Once Christmas was over I didn't want to pack this up so I came up with another idea.

I bought 5 5x7 frames at Khol's on sale for $1.59 each. They were an ugly faux wood frame. I painted 3 an espresso color and 2 heirlom white and added the glaze.

I used jute twine to hang the pictures from the knobs.

I love how this piece turned out. It is so versitle.

~Melanie

Tool Box 2 Bread Box

About 8 years ago my Great Grandma passed away. My Mom went and helped clean out her home and brought a truck load of stuff home with her. Everything has pretty much sat in her garage ever since. A few days ago I was going through stuff and found this old wooden box that my Great Grandpa used as his tool box...

I thought of turning this old smelly box into a bread box for my kitchen. It smelled like my Great Grandmas basement, and I definitely did not want my bread to be smelly so it needed a fresh coat of paint :0)I first taped off the leather straps and hardware. Then I painted the inside of the box with Valspar latex cream paint.

Then I painted the exterior red with rutoleum satin finish spray...

Next I made a stencil template by printing lettering and cutting out the letters. I painted "Bread" with a black acrylic paint using a sponge brush.

After allowing the lettering to dry, I applied a dark stain and then promptly wiped off the excess. It created a darker distressed red color.

Here it is done! I love having it in my kithcen. It is an eye catcher and I love how the dark red color turned out.

I have a few more finds from my Great Grandmas stuff that I hope to refinish soon.

An "It's about time" makeover

I've had this cedar chest for about 10 years. I've never really loved oak and the southwestern fabric was just awful. I may live in Arizona but that doesn't mean I have to decorate my house southwestern. It was definitely time for an overhaul.

Before

(without the cushion on top)

This project was a combined effort from my husband. We sanded it, wiped it down and taped off the inside.

I believe we applied about 3 coats of Rustoleum Colonial Red.

Then we sanded the edges a bit and applied stain to the distressed areas.  

Here it is with the nasty southwestern seat cushion. It definitely looked better than with the oak but it still wasn't cutting it. After much searching we found a fabric we both liked. The best part was it went very well with the hardware before. Now the hardware just needed help. We spray painted them an Espresso color also by Rustoleum.

And the finished product...

I love it so much. I don't want to hide this piece any more. I want this to be in the family room where it will be seen and enjoyed.

~Melanie

Vintage Sign for 20 Bucks!

I have been trying to find something cheap, but unique to put above my king sized bed. I found a cool vintage sign that was way to much money. So, I decided to make it myself and it only cost me about $20! Here is the final product...

First, I picked up a piece of wood from home depot for about $6. I wasn't concerned with chips and knots because I wanted to have a messy look. Just make sure the wood isn't warped.

Next I painted the board with Rustoleum Satin Black.Next I applied a crackle finish. I let it sit for about 10 minutes and then coated the board with Valspar Antique White enamel. Because the crackle is for an acrylic paint, it created a distressed weathered look instead of the crackle.Next, I blotched the paint with newsprint which created a scratched aged look.Instead of purchasing stencils, I printed the letters out from my computer and created my own stencils.I used a black acrylic paint for the lettering. It tool about 24 hours to completely dry. The crackle finish took awhile to dry since I did not use acrylic paint for the layers to create a different look.All finished! It turned out better than I expected. It's a cheap way to fill in the empty space above your bed!