Chalk Paint Dresser Redo!

I know you've all been patiently waiting, and the time has finally come for the reveal of my $25 garage sale dresser redo!!

In case you've forgotten, she started out looking like this:

And now, in all her glory...

I painted her (Yes, it's a her.  There's nothing masculine about this beauty!) with two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Provence, followed by a coat of clear wax.  This was my first time using the famous ASCP and I am quite pleased with the results.  Yes, it's expensive, but it is so worth it.  (If anything, to not have to sand and prime...)
This was also my first experience with waxing a piece of furniture, and it wasn't quite as bad as I had originally feared.  I do wonder, however, if I'll ever be able to buff without channeling a little Karate Kid and repeating "Wax on... wax off".  *snort*

One of the original drawer pulls was broken, so I decided to replace them all with new hardware.  I found these brushed nickel pulls at Home Depot and I think they complement the blue nicely.  

I recruited my sister's help with a little furniture rearranging and moved my new dresser to her intended home - my front entryway.  She's fitting in quite nicely, don't you think?

Project breakdown:

Dresser: $25

Paint: $35

Hardware: $30

Grand Total: $90

I'd say I made out like a bandit on this one!  Just wait til you see the estate sale console I scored for $50!

Linking up here:

 

Not Just a Housewife
Savvy Southern Style
Primitive and Proper
Somewhat Simple
Shabby Creek Cottage Transformation Thursday
House of Hepworths


Miss Mustard Seed


Funky Junk Interiors

Double double, Toil and trouble...

Here we are, all decked out in our Halloween best.  My oldest daughter went as a "zombie Indian" (translation - she wanted at first to be an indian princess and decided last minute to be a zombie).  My youngest was a bride.  My awesome sister... the fabulous Cruella Da Vil.  (Tell me that's not a fantastic costume!)  And I was, of course, a witch - a good witch I might add.  (The little girl next door asked me just to be sure I wasn't a bad witch!)

We had quite the evening of trick or treating - made much more enjoyable by joining in on the dressing up.  Why should the kids have all the fun, right?!

Hope you have a Bootiful Halloween!!

{Tutorial} Mod Podge Witch Hat

With all of the excitement I’ve been brewing for Halloween, it seemed only fitting that I dress up for the occasion, and as a witch, of course.  A standard black witch hat wouldn’t do, though, so I’ve put a little home.made. spin on it – it’s a Mod Podge Witch Hat!

Want one of your very own?  Here’s the Mod Podge Witch Hat tutorial for you!
You will need:

• plain black witch hat
• Mod Podge
• plastic shopping bag (large or several small)
• paint brush or foam sponge
• hot glue
• glitter
• black feather boa
• sheer black fabric (chiffon, nylon, etc.); 1/2 yard
• assorted decorations

Instructions:
1.  Crumple up your plastic shopping bag(s) and stuff the inside of your hat.

2.  Paint on a layer of Mod Podge to the hat portion (not the brim), shaping the hat as you go.  Allow to dry.

3.  Now paint on a second layer of Mod Podge, and add glitter.  (***Note – you’ll want to do this over some newspaper or other covering.  It gets messy!)

4.  Once dry, shake off excess glitter.

5.  Next, you’ll attach your fabric by running a bead of hot glue along the edge where the hat meets the brim and pressing down the fabric, being careful not to burn your fingers!

6.  At this point, you can either fold the fabric under the brim and glue to the underside, or you can let it hang for a veil effect.

7.  Using the same glue technique, add your feather boa along the seam where you glued your fabric.  Trim excess.

8.  Now it’s time to add your embellishments!  I randomly hot glued some sparkly beads; then I added some of these critters, cause every witch hat needs some stretch rats, right?

9.  I couldn’t find plain old spiders, so I used spider rings and simply cut off the ring portion, then glued on the spiders.


Love how this one’s about to crawl up my nose!  *snort*!
10.  Once you’ve embellished to your heart’s content… that’s it.  Put your hat aside until it’s time to get your costume on!  (And fyi, I will have pictures of my full costume ~ hat included ~ after Saturday’s Halloween bash!
Hope you’re able to use this tutorial to make yourself a fun new witch hat – Have a Spooktacular Halloween!!


Linking up here:

• Tea Rose Home
• Somewhat Simple
• House of Hepworths
• The Shabby Creek Cottage Transformation Thursday
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To Catch an Armadillo

One of the things I love about where we live is that, even though we're in a well-established neighborhood, there is never a shortage of exciting things for us to discover in the great outdoors.  I've had deer in my front yard munching on the acorns... had a fox scare the bajeezus out of me on a morning run... had my dog barking madly at an opposum who was, well, playing 'possum!

I've also had the not so pleasant discovery of another creature - the nine-banded armadillo.  Little did I know how destructive these guys were... they've dug up most of my mulch in the flowerbeds looking for grubs.  They've left behind a mine field of holes in my backyard that are capable of breaking your ankle.  And they've managed to dig themselves some nice entryways under the fence between our yard and the field behind the house.

Little nine-banded devils, no doubt.

So what does a gal do?  I went against all of my Texas roots and put away the artillery in favor of a live animal trap.  I did some research on how to bait an armadillo, but it was not something I was interested in - Meal Worms, Maggots, Spoiled Meat, Sardines??!!

Darnit.  Fresh outta maggots.

Ew.


So Mr. HM set up the trap at the point of entry into our yard, and we waited.

And waited.

And waited... until...

Oh SNAP!

Why hello there!

We caught us an armadillo - (no maggots required).  It was quite a feat getting a good picture of this big guy - he was squirming around like crazy in the trap!  I must say that I was channeling a little Steve Irwin - this creature really is beautiful, in an armor-plated, long-toenail kind of way.

And for those of you worried about this fella's fate, fear not.  We're a catch and release kind of household... so Mr HM relocated him to a lakeside piece of property down the road.  Far down the road.

The score so far:

home.made. - 1

Armadillos - 0

Stay tuned for the remainder of the story...

Syndicated on BlogHer!

My Halloween Spider Wreath is being featured today as a syndicated post on Blogher!  I am beyond thrilled and so honored for this opportunity to share my little corner of creativity with a network of over twenty six million women.

Syndicated.

Little 'ole me.

WOW.

{Friday Faves} Homewares

In case you haven't shopped Etsy lately, there are quite a few very talented people making some awesome things for your home!  Here a some of my fave finds from this week - enjoy!

Source: etsy.com via rhonda on Pinterest

Chevron crochet??  This is amazing!

Source: etsy.com via rhonda on Pinterest

I love this modern way to let your kiddos know the rules of the bathroom...

Source: etsy.com via rhonda on Pinterest

I can't help myself - I love Christmas - and I love this Peace on Earth sign.

Source: etsy.com via rhonda on Pinterest

This ruffled tablecloth is so gorgeous.  (At $250, it should be, right?)

Source: etsy.com via rhonda on Pinterest

Love this modern birch on burlap pillow.

Source: timeless-settings.com via rhonda on Pinterest

And not from Etsy, but too good to not share!  This dish rack wants to come home with me.  Seriously.

Hope you've had a great week - how are you sprucing up your home this weekend?

Oh.... and TGIF!!

{What's Cookin' Wednesday} Parmesan Sage Pork Tenderloin

Happy Humpday everyone!

It's that time of the week again when I tempt your taste buds with a dish that I've made for my family...  I made this slow cooker pork tenderloin this past Sunday and it turned out fantastic!  The best part?  It cooks while you're out and about with your busy life - all you do is fill up the crock pot and walk away!  When you return 4-6 hours later, your home-cooked meal is ready to fill those hungry tummies... enjoy!

Via

Parmesan Sage Pork Tenderloin


Ingredients:

• 2 pounds diced red potatoes
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup sherry
• 1 (2-pound) pork loin
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons dried sage
• 1 tablespoon salt-free garlic and herb seasoning
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Instructions:

Place potatoes, onion, celery, and carrots in bottom of slow-cooker. Pour in chicken broth and sherry. Season pork all over with salt and black pepper, sage and garlic and herb seasoning. Place pork on top of vegetables and top with Parmesan, pressing the cheese into the meat. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours.


That's it folks - an easy, healthy dinner that will have your family asking for seconds!

The Great Mantle Debacle

With the fall holiday season underway, I've been admiring all of the fantastic mantle displays around the blogosphere.

Like this one...

Source: findinghomeonline.com via rhonda on Pinterest

And this one...

Source: decorchick.com via rhonda on Pinterest

And this one.

Source: everyday-lovely.blogspot.com via rhonda on Pinterest

All of these mantle displays are swoon-worthy and I would love to recreate them.  The problem is I have one of these above my mantle:

Source: walmart.com via Trey on Pinterest

*Groan*

The TV above the mantle is not that big of a deal; rather it's all the cords and things that go with it.  Not attractive with my decor, if you know what I mean.  Luckily, there is hope and that hope, my friends, is called Pinterest!

Source: pinterest.com via Erin on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Kristen on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Robin on Pinterest

That last one makes me think I might have this situation solved by the time Christmas rolls around... Now what to do with all of the cord nonsense?  I don't have beautiful built-ins flanking my fireplace; rather I have windows with a view of the pool (not that I'm complaining).

Any ideas?

Missing Her

Today is my mother's birthday.

She would have been sixty years old.

I should've been planning a big party for her, going overboard with over-the-hill decorations, and lavishing her with fun little gag gifts.

Instead, I'm missing her.

I'm missing the times she sang along with The Doors and The Mamas and the Papas.  I'm missing her laugh, her smile, her presence, the way she'd bust out in an old school cheer at the drop of a hat.  I'm missing her voice on the phone... and scared that one day I won't be able to remember it.

I don't ever want to forget her voice.  


I don't want to forget anything, other than the fact that she's gone.


The ache in my heart, however, reminds me of that loss every day.  It's been nearly eleven years and the hurt is still just as real as it was that day.

I'm missing you mom, more than you'll ever know.  Hope you're having a wonderful celebration up there.

Happy Birthday~

Love you,
Ronnie


If you're lucky enough to still have your mother, give her a call today and tell her how much you love her.  You just never know when that opportunity will no longer exist.

Life is too short to not let the people you love know that you love them.

{Tutorial} Halloween Ghost Tea Towel

Have you noticed yet that I'm going a little ga-ga for Halloween this year?!

Luckily for you, that means more fun projects to come!  After sprucing up my entry and my dining table, I thought my kitchen needed to share in on the spooky fun, so I whipped up these cute little Halloween towels.

Want to make your own??  Here's the tutorial!

What You'll Need:

White Flour Sack Towel or other White Towel

Black felt

1/4 inch knit elastic

scrap ribbon

fabric marker

measuring tape

1.  Unfold your towel and turn it wrong side up (aka seam side up).  Using your fabric marker, make a mark every three inches along the bottom of the towel seam.

2.  Next, measure six inches from the edge of the towel and repeat marking every three inches.

3.  Cut your elastic into 4 inch strips.  I used a 27" inch wide towel so I needed nine of these.

4.  Pin the elastic to your six inch marks.

It will look like this once you've pinned them all.

5.  Now it's time to sew!  Using a straight stitch, sew over your pinned edge of elastic, backstitching a few times to reinforce the edge.

6.  Now, stretch your elastic to your seam-edge marking and hold in place with your finger as you sew.  (You can pin here if you want but I found it much easier to just hold it in place and stretch as I sewed.)  Secure the other end with a backstitch.

7.  Repeat this step for all of your elastic pieces - it will look like this when you're done.  (Don't be alarmed if the edges roll - they easily straighten when you fold the towel later.)

8.  Now, cut out two oval eye shapes and a smaller oval mouth shape from your black felt.  (I freehanded this, but if you want a template, I can make one for you... let me know!)

9.  Pin in place on your towel.

10.  Sew around your felt pieces to secure to the towel.  I used a straight stitch but you can use a zigzag or satin stitch if you'd like.

11.  And that's it!  Add a little bow for a ghoul  girl ghost or leave as is for a boy version!

Now, go hang your new spooky hand towels in your kitchen (or bathroom... this works well there too!)

Linking up here:

Somewhat Simple

The Artsy Girl Connection

Freckled Laundry

Transformation Thursday