Flip House Cont.

We are getting closer to the finish line with the flip house!  Over the last month we have made a lot of improvements.  Here are a few pics to catch you all up with the progress.

A new front door and wall paint.  The front porch used to be a barn red that just stuck out like a sore thumb.  We painted the siding white to match the rest of the house.  The old door had weird diamond shaped molding so we put in a new one that has a cottage feel.

 Last post I showed you the leaking sewer pipes (above) that were made out of cast iron.

 We now have replaced them and the toilet "water" no longer drips into the basement.

 We discovered the well water had a lot of iron in it so we put in an in line filter.

 The dining room is done and just waiting for new flooring.  We love the pass through.

 The only original floor we could salvage was in the master.  We sanded it down to the base wood and stained it a rich mahogany.

 We are using a satin finish over the stain.  Yesterday we put on the second coat and Monday we will see how it looks after drying for a few days over the weekend.

 One of my favorite things about the house was the hall cabinet.  Of course it had a horrible wood stained finish and some of the doors were beyond repair.  My husband made new fronts for the damaged ones and we painted the whole thing white.  I polished all the brass hardware and it all looks so pretty now. 

Inside the linen closet.  All fresh and clean now.

Here is the now functioning laundry chute.  The cabinet was missing one of the drawers so we put a nice shelf in the space.  It will be a great place to put pretty hand towels.

 The second bedroom is also done except for the flooring.  Don't you love all the natural light that comes in through the corner windows!

 I was able to save the third bedroom's closet door.  I think it adds a little original charm to an otherwise plain Jane room.

One last picture,  this is a view into the backyard through the dining room's new sliding door.  We were able to find this stone patio under a layer of weeds and dirt!  We now have our lunch out there every day........it makes for a nice break from all the dust from the remodeling.

Hope you enjoyed what we have accomplished so far in our little flip.  We are finishing up the hall, master bedroom and a few closets this next week.  We have also started working on the living room.  We are starting to feel we are getting close to the end!

Diana

Flea Market Flip

Do any of you watch HGTV's Flea Market Flip?  I love that show!  So many clever ideas.........

It was while watching one of the episodes that my husband and I saw one set of contestants turn an old window into a wall cabinet.

 I told my husband that I liked that idea and that I had an old window (hidden under a guest bed of all places) that would be perfect for the project.  Well, the next day he got to work and surprised me with the cabinet almost completed!

 He used pine tongue and groove to build the cabinet box and dividers that section off the interior.  A fresh coat of bright white makes the inside really pop.  (I did have to stop him from painting over the original paint on the window though!)  

Today he attached the hinges on the top and a magnetic closure and brought the finished cabinet in from his workshop in the barn.  It is securely hung on the wall so I can load it with some of my favorite items.  It hangs in the corner of our bedroom and looks so cool.  My husband is really talented and now that he is retired he finally has the time to get creative!  And I am getting so many of my wished for projects done!

Diana

One Last Plate

Have you seen the cute little doily plates from IKEA?  Well, I added a handle to it and now I have yet another dish to serve treats in or hold bedside junk.  I have also run out of the handle hardware I bought on Ebay so you won't be seeing anymore of these projects for a while.....

Diana

Tiered Plates

Cheap plastic plates and leftover hardware from a previous project add up to a fun little "use what you have" craft day!

I picked up these two plastic plates last year at Target on the sale shelf for almost nothing.

 Won't this be cute as a gift or on the Fourth of July tablescape?  Took all of about five minutes to make so instant gratification!

Diana

Ode to the Glue Gun

I actually should have two titles for this post.  Ode to the Glue Gun and Pinterest is So Addictive......

First, here is the before picture of a bench I got for next to nothing ($2) at a church rummage sale.  It was rickety and ugly.  I spent a few minutes gluing and tightening screws.  Then I got out my glue gun, painters cloth, some old lace (another rummage sale) and satiny rope. 

  Where did I get my inspiration?  This Pin from Shabby Chic Tiny Retreat.  I LOVE her blog!  The idea of living in such a tiny house is so fascinating!  But back to the bench.  Took off the old fabric and, don't gasp, I hot glued everything on.  Yep!  I admit it.  I didn't sew, staple or attach any part of this project the correct way.  Went through two sticks of glue.  Burnt my fingers a couple of times too.  Still don't feel bad about using the glue gun (well, except for the burns.....).  The lace skirt hides the less than perfect wood finish.  Total cost for this project.  About $5.00!

Shabby Chic?  Check.

Diana

Junkstore Find

 Isn't this little shelf pretty?   But it didn't start out this way.....

 5 dollars and ubber ugly.  But one can of gloss spray paint later.....

Now I have another space to display my cuties.

Diana

Tuffet Redo

One more project from the sewing room redo.  This is the third time I have reupholstered this little stool.

We have always used it to make getting onto the bed just a little easier.  Below was the last redo about 12 years ago.

 I should have more pictures of the sewing room tomorrow so be sure and check back.

Diana

Plain to Pretty in 5 Minutes

Sometimes the simplest solution is the best.  I mentioned I was changing the color scheme in my sewing room in a previous post.  Getting rid of all the red just felt right.  This white lamp had a very serviceable lampshade but it was definitely red.  I thought of all kinds of fixes for that shade.  Fabric paint, wrapping with burlap, etc, etc, but none of then seemed feasible.  Sometimes you just have to give up, so to Walmart I went. Well actually I started at Pottery Barn but the prices were outrageous!  Hence the trip to Walmart.

I found this cute pink shade for about $7 and these little flowers for about $10 for the three packages.

 A little hot glue and I have a beautiful shade for less than 1/2 the cost of ones I had been looking at.

Before

                                                                              After        

Anybody need a red shade?

Diana

DIY Pinmoors Quilting Anchors

If you are a quilter you might recognize these objects.  They are Pinmoor quilting pin anchors and they are so great, but at about 19 bucks for 50 they are also pretty expensive.  Especially when you typically need 300 or more for a lap quilt.

 So it was time for an Internet search to see if there was a cheaper alternative.  Nothing out there!  But I did come across an idea some blogger had (sorry, I didn't save the site so I can't give her credit) to use poly foam caulk saver as a super cheap substitute.

  Costing less than 4 bucks for a 20 foot long roll, caulk saver can be found at Lowes and Home Depot.  From that roll I got 300 anchors.  The same number of Pinmoors would set you back about $114!  I just cut the roll into pieces (about 3/4 of an inch long) with regular scissors.  It is made from closed cell foam and does a good job of gripping the straight pin. 

Alright, now let's talk about the downside of the caulk foam version.  It comes in one color, gray, so pretty it is not.  Also the caulk foam is foam not silicone so obviously these will eventually breakdown, after maybe a hundred uses, so you will have to replace them at some point.  The Pinmoors will last forever.  The foam is also larger in diameter than the Pinmoors and I cut them longer than the Pinmoors.  Why longer?  The foam isn't as dense as silicone so the pins need that extra length to protect the point from going through and sticking me!  So.....they take up more storage space.   Final verdict?  For me, none of the above really bothers me so I am definitely going to put off buying more Pinmoors for now and give these a try.  If any of you try this idea let me know what you think.

Diana

Crazy Good Chair

I know I did a post on Picmonkey already but I thought you might be interested in another cool way you can use it!  Previewing what a project might look like BEFORE you ever pick up a paint brush or scissor!  Here is an example of a chair redo........

Here is the before chair and........

here is the chair after using this fabric with the drawing and overlay functions on Picmonkey.  How fun is that!  Just think, no more wondering what that redo will look like.  Oh and the fabric on the chair is one I came up with but isn't for sale (yet).  However, if you send me a note on Spoonflower I will update it on the shop so you can get it.

Diana

 

Tiny Tart Pan Ornaments

  I can't believe the countdown has begun for Christmas already!

 I want my tree to have more white on it this year so I made 36 of these lovely ornaments over the last day or two.  I used simple mini tart pans (available here).  I gave them a light spray of white paint.  Using a tiny drill bit I put a small hole at the top of each pan.  A simple o ring went in each hole for easy hanging.

 Then I punch out circles and scallops from old book pages.  These were glued on the inside of the pans.

 Next came out my jar of old buttons and bottle caps.  I gave the caps a spray of bronze paint and then combined buttons, caps and tiny gems into pleasing groups.  They were then glued here and there.  A bit of glitter pen on the edges of the paper.....then a quick blast of glitter spray. 

 Finally I hot glued small bows at the top of each ornament.  So pretty.

Don't worry about everything being perfect.  These are so much more interesting if the tin shows through.  Think vintage and shabby.......  Now they will look so nice on the tree, mixed in with all our other ornaments.  Yeah!

Diana

Hubs And Doilies

Just a few more pictures on our progress with the 1963 Yellowstone camper.  Below are the new half moon hubcaps.  Don't they look sweet? 

 Next is the pillow I put together using an old doily and some leftover fabric.  I thought the pink and aqua combo was perfect for the camper. 

My husband has been working hard on the lights so that she will be ready for her maiden voyage this Saturday.  We also got her registered so we are legal! 

Diana

From Ugly To Fancy

How often have you seen one of these ugly vanity trays at garage sales and turned your nose up at it?  Me too!!!

Then I thought there must be something of value left in these old gals....

I found one that was really bad, the mirror was scratched and tarnished, the metal starting to rust at the corners, in other words, perfect!

 First I took it apart and replaced the back with a new piece of cardboard (covered in a pretty pink chevron fabric).  Then I painted the frame a bright pink.

 Since the mirror was so bad I thought I would etch an image on it.....a sweet bird!  What was once a piece destined for the dumpster is now ready for a second life.  I think this is now so pretty and cool!

Diana