The Best Seat in the House

My favorite part about giving a gift is seeing the surprise/excitement on the other person's face.  This gift got me just that exact reaction.  And I love that!

This past year the family decided we would have a nothing-new Christmas.  Not including the gifts for all the kids, any presents we gave had to be recycled, handmade, previously used or vintage.  Every year we each draw a name of another family member and have a $50 budget.  I drew my sister-in-law Laura's name.  She wanted anything for the house, specifically a bench for the entry way or front porch if I could find one.  She also said she would like to have something with their last name on it, if possible.

Challenge accepted.

I came across this cute little storage bench at an antique mall and it was quite a steal at $20.  All it needed was a little personalization and it would be exactly what she was looking for.

Luckily, I just learned how to do a Citrasolv transfer and had the perfect solution...

I printed their last name in a variety of different fonts on my handy dandy laser printer (in reverse of course) and transferred them onto the thick comfy cushion I made.  These transfers took under an hour!  How can you beat that???

Plus, I already had a piece of 4" foam that was the perfect size for this bench!  The whole thing ended up costing less than $30!  The only problem is now I am a little jealous...secretly I thought about keeping it and coming up with a different gift.  But, after seeing how much she liked it...I was glad I didn't.

An Outdoor Rug Makeover

A few months ago I found this great sisal rug at a thrift store for $6!  Yes, I said $6!  I couldn't pass it up.  I had been on the lookout for a rug I could paint to use on my kitchen floor and this was the perfect size.

Unfortunately, I have this playful dog that thinks anything on the floor is a chew toy.  So, I laid the rug out in the kitchen to see if she would leave it alone....but, it only took about 10 minutes to decide it wouldn't work.  She was just waiting for me to leave the house so she could tear this rug apart without me stopping her.

On to plan B....a birthday gift for mom!  Once again I wasn't smart enough to get a before picture, but hopefully with this one you can imagine the before pretty easily.

I used a large wall stencil to create the background print.  As you can see from the picture, I had a few spots where it didn't line up perfectly.  This was my first stenciled rug and the surface was so uneven.  Even with the imperfections, I love how it turned out....and more importantly so was she!

Hopefully I can find another great rug like this one again very soon!

An Etched Cake Plate Tutorial

I love giving gifts!  And not just any gift, but unique personalized gifts.  

What better way to personalize a gift than with a name, initial, monogram, nickname, etc. on it?

A great way to make a personal, unique and sophisticated gift is to etch a cake plate (or pie plate or casserole dish or glass pitcher or glass vase or glass jar or mirror or window...you get the idea!)

Now it's your turn...

What you will need:

Glass Dish

Printout of the design you want to etch

Masking tape

Clear contact paper

X-acto knife

Paint brush

Armour Etch Cream

**Just a quick note about the Armour Etch Cream: I bought the 3 oz. bottle (with a 40% off coupon of course) and I was concerned it wasn't going to be enough to etch two pie plates.  I almost bought the larger bottle, but luckily I didn't.  Since I bought that bottle, I have etched 3 cake plates, 2 pie plates, 2 casserole dishes and a large counter top glass beverage dispenser and I still have half of the bottle left.**

Once you have decided on a piece to etch, make sure you clean with soap and water and the piece is completely dry before you begin.

Print your design in bold black print and trim to fit.  Tape your design to the inside of your piece.  Be sure to line it up exactly where you want the etched design to end up.  This will work as your stencil.

**If you choose to etch a piece with a rounded edge like my cake plate cover, it may be difficult to get it lined up perfectly.  Smooth it against the glass as much as possible.

Once you have your stencil where you want it, cut a piece of clear contact paper larger than the design.  You want to have plenty of extra area covered on each side of the stencil.  Smooth out all bubbles (or if the edge is rounded, smooth as many as you can...you want to make sure there are no bubbles in the same space that you are going to etch)

This part can require a lot of patience, depending on how intricate your stencil is.  Use your X-acto knife to create the stencil.  Trace along the outline of your design to cut out the same design in the clear contact paper.  **Keep in mind the etching will be done on the area where the contact paper is removed.

(It's pretty hard to get a picture of the design in the clear contact paper, but if you look closely you can see the "W")

Elevate the side of the glass piece you are etching before applying the Armour Etch.  This will help minimize any dripping.  If possible, lay the piece down so the stencil area is parallel to the counter top.

Using a paintbrush, fill in the entire stencil.  I have found that it works best if you put a thick coat on.  I always use a layer thick enough that you can't see any glass through the cream.  Let it set on the stencil for at least 5 minutes.  If you're not in a rush, let it set for 10 minutes. 

 After letting it set up, rinse all the cream off using cold water.  Once the thick layer of cream has been washed off, remove your stencil and thoroughly wash the entire piece.

Viola! A personalized unique piece!

Ballard Inspired Dog Food Container and a sneak peek...

I saw this great dog food container in the Ballard Designs catalog months ago and have been wanting to make one ever since.

The only problem was I couldn't find the right tin to use.  I looked everywhere I could think of...and nothing!  Then while visiting Sacramento, I went to IKEA (because you can't go to a city with an IKEA and not go shopping there)...and what do you know...they had just the perfect container that I had been looking for.

I couldn't wait to get this home and personalize it...

Less than an hour with my Cricut and I had all the letters cut out and ready to apply.

Applying the letters, on the other hand, took longer than I expected. 

It is tricky lining up each row on a curved surface.  And if you really inspected it, it isn't perfect. But, after several attempts of placing some of the words, I can live with a little imperfection.

I just love how it turned out and it is the perfect size to hold the 40 lb. bag of dog food.

Plus, it only cost me $30 to make the whole thing!!

Oh, and I almost forgot the sneak peek...

My mom and I had gotten to a point where we had purchased more furniture than we could keep up with.  Too many projects, too little time.  You know what that's like, right?

So, we made a pact.  No furniture for a month. 

Then we stumbled upon this adorable french provential desk at Goodwill for $15.  I think we both looked at each other at the same time thinking how we can talk the other person into an exception of our newly formed pact.  We just couldn't pass it up.

A few coats of paint and some new knobs for the drawers is going to make a world of difference.

Check back soon to see how she turns out!



Recycle, Recycle, Restyle

I live in a split level house and the kitchen is upstairs and the garage is in the basement.  So, I used to have this tacky set of plastic bins in my kitchen to hold all my recycling so I wouldn't have to run down to the garage every time I had something to put in the recycle bin. 

Finally, I got sick of looking at it and decided it was time for a new bin that was a little more stylish.  Well, maybe stylish isn't the right word, but I like to think it is.



I wanted this to have a worn look to it, so when I painted it black I was sure to leave a few areas lighter than the rest.  After I stenciled "RECYCLE" on the side, I sanded over it a few times to roughen it up a bit.

I love how it turned out and it is just the perfect size.  I use it all the time.  Now the only problem I have is that since it is so low to the ground, the dog is always curious about the things I put it in.  She hasn't pulled anything out just yet, so hopefully she will continue to leave it alone.