Bathroom Tile Fix- {How-to}

Hello and welcome! Thanks for joining me as I work on checking off some items on my to-do list! 
I am very excited about sharing this long awaited project with you.
Well, actually, to be honest I’m just really happy to have it done.
 Hahaha!

I really don’t remember when it happened, but my sweet girls were playing and had their hands under the tile on the edge of the counter one day, just rocking forward and back, and along came the tiles, one right after the other in their hands. I was standing right there and saw the whole thing, so the account isn’t even hearsay. 😉
The poor girls were astonished and stopped immediately, but once one tile had come, the others just started coming too.
I just set them aside and decided to come back to them later. This and the master bath renovation (which will come later) were the reasons I chose tile as one of the materials to use this year. 
Since this has been on the back-burner for so long, it became the month to get it done. I decided it was time to fix a long awaiting project on the to-do list, and set to work. 
 Tile can be intimidating to some, but honestly, I started my first project years ago in our last house when we finished our basement. I tiled the bathroom and my craft room floor after my husband encouraged me to take a class at Home Depot one Saturday. So there, now you see that I’m a professional! 😉
First you mix up your mortar so that it’s spreadable.
 This was a bit too thick, so I took it off and remixed the batch with a little more water to make it more workable. It should be thick enough that you can spread it on smoothly and will stay when you adhere it to the surface, but not so thick that it clumps together when you are scoring it. If it is slipping or running, you know it is too thin and need to mix in more mortar. 
 After spreading the mortar on, you score it with the edge of the notched tiling float tool. There are different sizes for the various needs of the project. I just used what I have on hand for our shower project, but this gives you the idea anyway.
 Next, I spread the whole surface with mortar. 
After scoring that as well, I set the tiles using spacers. These are 3/8″ spacers. Pretty standard, but chosen according to the grout size you want between tiles.
After a couple of hours or over night (according to package directions), you fill in the tiles with a matching grout. Luckily I had the right color on hand from a previous project. (Which was probably  my kitchen back-splash)
 Once the grout is dry, you can seal it and  check that off your ever long list of to-dos,
 and move on. 
 It’s funny how I put things off so long. They aren’t really that hard either. The burden of having them hang over my head just doesn’t seem worth it. I’m getting better about just doing what needs to be done as soon as it demands my attention, but I find myself pulled in so many directions that it isn’t always possible. 
I hope this helps you tackle that tile project you’ve been putting off. It’s so much simpler than it seems and is always so gratifying! 
Hugs,

Furniture Refresh-{Snow White Night Stand}

Life has been crazy busy around here, but I have managed to get a few things done,  squeezing in a sanding down here,  a coat of paint in there, a quick trip for hardware between jobs and running kids around. The payoff is worth it, but posting about them all is a trick.
I’m very thankful for my groups that keep me actively sharing.
So today I’m sharing another Furniture Refresh, stick around and check out all of my sweet friend’s posts at the end.

My girls have been in need of a nightstand for quite some time. I finally realized I had the solution just waiting in the garage.
I had signed this piece off, really, because it was what I call a “craigslist find fail”. I had contacted the seller about this adorable nightstand thinking it would make a darling piece to make over and sell in my shop space. But once I met her at the Ross Clothing parking lot in the middle of the pouring rain, I found it had a few dog chewed spots on it that basically rendered it un-sellable. Not wanting to fuss about it, I went ahead and paid her the $20 she was asking for. She said she’d go down to $15, but I didn’t have change, so there you have it. I’m a wimp like that. 😉
*Piece of advice here- Don’t ever take big bills like that. Always be prepared for negotiation, like at a yard sale!
Anyhow, the piece has great lines and is pure wood, so what the heck, huh?

I decided to match it with my girls room and paint it white like all the rest of their furniture.The one downside of this, is that no matter what, furniture painted white always seems to need a million coats on it, primed or not.
Okay, not a million…but at least 1 or two coats more than any other piece. It feels like a million…okay?! 
Anyhow, even though I don’t have any “during” photos (apparently I was hasty since I was working on other things at the same time), I began by sanding the surfaces and then priming with an oil based primer. This is my favorite way to paint anything anymore, I’ve had a few projects go bad because the paint was originally oil based and I used water based primer. The best way to avoid that mistake is to just use an oil base primer to begin with. Then I painted this poor piece 3 times over with General Finishes’ Snow White. And…

…She turned out exactly how I envisioned!

 All except that I must not have used the same color of white on the girls other furniture, because this is a more pure white and their other furniture is an off white.

 I spray painted the hardware black, and there are a few flaws I noticed upon photographing…so touch ups are necessary…

 but this photo session made me understand why so many people decide to paint everything white.

 With the poor lighting in our home due to how the house faces, I am still able to get some pretty pictures. Plus, the pure white is so cheery and bright!

 Here is a picture of one of the defects in the piece. I kind of like a flawed piece in the end.

 My girls love it…so much so that I need to find another one for girl number two. 😉

Chai tea anyone?
Now come and visit all of my other friend’s beautiful makeovers! 
Making My Apartment A Home- Garage Sale Shelf
Raggedy Bits- Old Farmhouse Cupboard
Shelstring- Snow White Night Stand
Third Stop on the Right- Nautical Beauty

Project Challenge- {A Picture Frame turned Dainty}

It’s sure been awhile since I’ve shared with my lovelies, hasn’t it?!
It’s been a busy and hectic few months. Now that I’ve started back up with online school, I am trying my best to balance life as I know it. I think I’m finally getting a grip on things, though  my cute husband has been out of town on business for a couple weeks now, and I feel like I’m constantly being sucked into a rip-tide. Do you ever feel that way?
It is really refreshing to pull out of the every day once in awhile and create something. This was the case today, so I’m joining my sweet Project Challenge friends this month and the theme is old frames.

I’ve had this old frame in the garage for quite some time now. It used to proudly display a beautiful portrait of Jesus in our Living Room, but falling from the wall one day, it broke in two and ended up in the fix-it pile out there.

While I was contemplating what I was going to make,, I took a look out there to find an old frame and there she was, all ready for me to fix and bring new life to. I did love this frame the way it was, but I had an idea and it was time to give it a new look.

First I attached “L” shaped brackets on the back to connect the broken corners and make them strong again. 
Then I gave it a coat of Ballet Slipper Pink paint and primer spray paint. This project required three coats so that it was well covered. 
During drying time, I gathered some supplies. Not too many needed for this project, so it was fairly quick and easy.
All you need is a staple gun, satin ribbon, 6″ glitter tulle, and clothes pins. I bought these short fat ones; perfect for small fingers.
To attach the strings of  glitter tulle, I tied a loose knot at one end,  stapled it down, and tightened it up. Then I attached the other side the same way, trimming the ends to hide behind the frame. 
Next I gathered the tulle and tied it with satin ribbon to keep from spreading out. 
See how easy?! Next was just to hang and attach the clothespins ready for a really dainty photo holder. My daughter doesn’t know that I’m making this for her. She asked for an instamax camera for her birthday and I noticed the photos were piling up. that’s how this plan evolved. 
It’s really obvious which corners were repaired though, they could use a little caulking. Perhaps when I caulk the baseboards I just applied to our master bathroom renovation we are finally completing! I cant wait to share.

In the meantime, what do you think of my daughter’s new photo frame?
I think she’s going to love it…
I do!
Now join my friends and see what all they came up with…you won’t be disappointed!
Curvy and Content- Suitcase Umbrella Stand
Domestic Deadline- Paint Storage Cabinet
Recreated Designs- Halloween Tray

Project Challenge- {Pallets}

Wow! Has it really been a whole month? So much for weekly blogging. 
I may not be posting much, but don’t be fooled, that doesn’t mean I’m not crazy busy. I’m getting ready to show you all my bedroom doors I’ve been refinishing since my last project challenge (you can see that one HERE), so don’t forget to come back later! 

As you can see, there are some pretty amazing projects, so don’t forget to check them out!

Soooo, to get on with the project, this month’s theme (as you can see) is Pallets. 
I was really glad we had this theme because I’ve seriously had this pallet in our garage just waiting for me to do something with for a few years. 
Since it was broken, I didn’t really want to use it, but then I decided that was part of the charm, so I drug it outside and sprayed it with a clear coat. 
I had attached a fence board to the bottom years ago when I was going to use it before. It just never quite got completed…I don’t know why.
 I rummaged around my craft drawer and found the word “home” from a previous project, so I
stenciled it on with black chalkboard paint. 
It was really the only paint I could find that was black.
 The numbers to the right, that you can barely read, are our address.
I stenciled them over the crack because I wanted it to look natural…
 like they were already there. 
Like the writing on the side of the pallet

 The hydrangeas are from my neighbor friend’s yard.
She has the most beautiful bushes that have the most amazing blooms!
Once I had cut a few out, you couldn’t even tell I had taken any. 

I love the special touch the Pallet holder adds to the entryway. What’s fun is that I can 
change it out for the seasons.

What do you think?

Now go check out my amazingly creative friend’s posts by clicking on the links below, and see what they all came up with!
Hugs, 

Furniture Refresh- {Using Stain}

Hey friends!!What a crazy couple of weeks here, it was very refreshing to work on something just for fun. 
Welcome to this month’s Furniture Refresh! 
The these this month is stain. 
I love to use stain on my projects for a variety of styles and today, I’m sharing one of them on these stools. 
I bought these stools on Craigslist.
To be honest, they were in perfect condition. Well stained, and sturdy as can be. I was really disappointed when they turned out way too tall for our counter. I have a couple ideas to make them work, but in the end, I think I’m going to end up selling them.
To make them special, I sanded off the finish on the top.
 Then I stained them using Kona. It is the darkest stain I’ve used. I picked it for this project because the tone is almost black.

I like how the grain of the wood shows through. It’s just the right rustic touch I was going for. 
I pulled some number stencils from my stash. They are numbers I actually got in a package from Wal-Mart. 
Honestly, I just used an off-white color I already had on hand. Then I just put a plate over the top and painted around it. I just eye-ball it to center. I’ve done this before and am always impressed with how it turns out. It actually surprises me. haha!
I love the way they turned out. 
We’ve been enjoying some beautiful weather here. I’ve finally found a couple hours to get the gardens cleaned up and plant some flowers. 
I never can resist flowers and these were extra special because I found them on a great sale!
(Why is it when I look for deals like that, I don’t find them? Yet when I’m just dropping by the store to pick up a couple of items, there they are? All on sale for just the day with a price I can’t refuse?)
Well, I’m going to be finishing planting these flowers, in the meantime, why don’t you drop by and see my friend’s projects?!
We have some new friends too, so you are in for a treat!

Project Challenge- {Doors-Part 1}

‘m excited to share with you for our monthly Project Challenge Today. The main reason being that the theme for this month is doors. I was was really looking forward to this project because many of the doors in our home have been in critical need of attention. 
A few years ago I got really enthusiastic about refinishing the doors and trims in our home. Little by little, I have been adding special touches and have tried to brighten things up. The wainscoting in our entry and hallways is original to the house and real nice quality. The color was pretty drab after awhile though, so I painted it a creamy white color. Though I did prime them first, I didn’t use the

correct product, so after quite a bit of use, there has been a bit of peeling. Especially on the closet door.

I really noticed this significantly one Christmas season when I went to take my Christmas cards down and the paint peeled off with the cards. 
What a sad experience!
I want to prevent this from happening to you, so I am going to share a few tips I’ve learned the hard way. After all, you want all that hard work to pay off, not have to go back and do it all over again, right?
TIP #1: Take time to sand-
The first time around, I admit I took the lazy man’s way out and just hoped for the best. I primed and painted in a hurry for a function at my house. 
Never a good idea!
I cannot stress this enough. I am the queen of trying to accomplish the impossible in an unrealistic period of time.
Just don’t do it!
It will be messy, but it will clean up and save you a lot of time in the long run.
Tip #2: Use Oil Base Primer-                 
In my early years, I was taught by my Gramps, who was an AMAZING carpenter, to paint with oil based products. The first few projects I ever did were oil based. Over the last several years, the paint market has discouraged oil based products for various reasons, whether it’s because they have strong odors, take a lot longer to dry, or are simply harder to work with, I don’t know. It’s quite possibly because many of them used to contain led. However, they are making a come-back and starting to fill the shelves in hardware stores once again. Especially if you don’t know the type of paint that was used on something, take the time and care to use a good Oil Based Primer. You will have much better success.
Tip #3: Know What type of Paint to Use for Your Project-

This is something I caught onto over time. 
When you go to pick your paint, make sure you pick it according to the item’s use. If it is something like doors and trim, a higher sheen is typically recommended for easy clean-up and a beautiful finish. I typically like a satin sheen in Behr for my walls because it has a nice low gloss look. However, I have used satin in Dutch boy without the same look, so be sure to check the samples for the different paint types you are using and ask the clerk what is recommended for your project. 
For the doors and trim, I commonly use a semi-gloss. A lot of  handprints get on mine so I like a finish that is really easy to clean. 

TIP #4: Add Beautiful Accessories when Applicable

 The first time I refinished this door, I spray painted the knob. I will never do this again, no matter how many wonderful posts there are out there about doing it correctly. There is simply too much wear and tear to not invest in a good quality accessory. Many knobs are the same cost as 2 or 3 cans of spray paint. How’s that for perspective?!
 Well, those are the tips I’ve learned over the course of time. 
 This post is actually 1 of 2 parts. I will be sharing the bedroom doors next time, so stay tuned! 

Thank you for stopping by today, I always love to have you and hope to hear what you think! 
Now join my wonderfully talented friends! We have some amazing new members in the group too, so check out their wonderful projects too by clicking on the links below!
Hugs,

Furniture Refresh- {Chalkboard Paint}

Hello Everyone, just a quick project and welcome to another furniture refresh challenge!

This month it’s just two of us. My awesome friend Michelle at Michelle James Designs is linking up with me. Our theme this month is chalkboard paint, and believe it or not…it was a real challenge for me!

For the life of me, I didn’t know what I was going to do. I have had so many furniture updates lately and some recent changes in our home, that my head just wasn’t in the creative chalkboard way of thinking. 
Then I saw this table by our front door that the kids have been using to have bake sales and sell lemonade on. 
That’s when the light bulb in my brain finally came on. 
Perfect! 

So I drug it to the backyard and sprayed the top with Krylon’s Chalkboard paint.
At first I painted the legs blue. I really didn’t like it. 
I thought about painting it yellow…like a lemonade stand yellow. That would be cute, but I decided to make it more versatile instead.

So I painted it with some General Finishes Antique White Milk Paint I had leftover from another project. 
I made it somewhat rustic and crude by distressing and deciding not to bother taping off around the top to make a perfect frame around the board. 

I like the way it turned out! 
I used sidewalk chalk to write 4 Sale on it. This type of chalk works best with the spray chalkboard paint for some reason. Regular chalk doesn’t want to write on it. 
If you want to make a chalkboard for domestic chalks, use the kind you brush on, it is far more user friendly in my experience. 
Now the children can play games as they wait for customers, or write any sort of messages for sale on their little table. 
It’s perfectly compact for their purposes. 
This project was a lot of fun because it was so worry free!
Thank you so much for stopping by!
Hugs, 
 Now go check out Michelle’s refresh, she always comes up with the most creative designs.
Here is her before picture, and trust me, this is one refresh you won’t want to miss!!

Easter Tablescape

I love Easter. I love all that is celebrates and represents. 
The newness of life because of all that The Savior made possible through His atoning sacrifice. The spring flowers and buds on the apple tree in the backyard. The Sacrament service at church. I love it all. 

 I’m always excited to enjoy the festivities with my children. This brings me a great deal of joy as we gather around the table and talk as we enjoy turning each hard boiled egg another color and make it unique with design. We stick with a lot of the traditions my family adopted when I was a little girl.We die Easter eggs and buy new Easter clothes, take pictures and attend church services. 

I like to keep things simple. 
 This Easter my son helped set the table. 
It wasn’t until after I took all the pictures that I realized that not all the glasses were on right side of the plates and the silverware hadn’t been set, 
haha!
We got it all taken care of eventually. 
I hope your Easter is full of love, forgiveness, and joy!
Source List 
TJ Maxx HomeGoods- Tablecloth, napkins, place mats, ceramic bunny (years ago)
JoAnne’s- Ceramic bird votive holder, egg topiary
Walmart- Stemware
Fred Meyer: Bunny napkin rings
Heirlooms: plates, pewter salt and pepper shakers, glass candlestick

Furniture Refresh- {Grain Sack Bar Stools}

Hello hello! How happy I am that you visited me today. I have a special post for you today. I’m joining my beautiful and talented Furniture Refresh friends, and the theme is acrylic, so don’t go away before checking out their projects at the end of this post!

If you followed my March Madness Twelve Days, 12 Projects then you are aware that not everything on my list to clear out the garage got finished. That’s probably good in the way that I have something to share with you today, right?! I’m actually excited about this one too, because I’m thrilled with how this flip turned out.

I started out with these two bar stools I bought from a really nice woman who sold them on
Craigslist. They are solid wood, and let me tell you, they are heavy! The back on one of them was loose and wobbly. I’m guessing it fell over at one point because the screws had become loose in them. To remedy this, I used wood glue and then used my brad nailer to secure them from the front. This did add a couple of nail holes, but it is solid now and I think it will hold up well.
To start, I sanded them down really good. There were a lot of rough edges that were smoothed out. Next I primed them. Then I painted them with two coats of General Finishes Seagull Gray (not an affiliate). Something I really loved about these stools were all the straight lines that were so easy to paint. I have painted a lot of spindles lately, so this was refreshing!
 The back rests to these stools lent themselves to doing something really fun. I thought of a whole mirad of ideas, but finally settled on a pattern that just felt appropriate to this time of year. I think you know how much I love grain sack, right? Being that the theme was acrylic, this was perfect since I generally do my designs using acrylic paint.

 Just a quick tip. I have been painting with acrylics for 24 years. There are some really good quality paints out there, and there are some really poor quality. Over the years, some of them have changed to. I’m here to tell you that you get what you pay for. So if you want to pay the regular price of 1.00, you get 1.00 quality. If you pay the 1.50-2.00, you will get that quality. Let’s just say, it’s worth the extra 50 cents to a dollar. Ceramcoat and Delta are my favorites. Apple Barrel is wonderful if you want to just wash something. It is thin and runny.

 

For this project I used the Delta in Light Ivory for the stripes and added a little of the Ceramcoat in Black to my Seagull Gray for the bees. I wanted the same color just darkened up.

  The design turned out just how I’d hoped!

  As you can see, there is a rung missing on the stool to the left that I think I will be adding later. I wasn’t going to, but after finishing them, I’m thinking it would be a better idea and wouldn’t be that hard to do. I’ll post an update when I add it.

 
 What do you think?!
See you next Tuesday with another project, but for now,
 go check out the beautiful refreshes from my friends. They always do the most inspiring projects!

March Madness #11- {Project Challenge- Pipes}

Hello everyone, and welcome to my March Madness #11! What better way to start wrapping up the twelve days than sharing another Project Challenge?
This month for Project Challenge, the theme is pipes. 
I actually had really been wanting to make one of these for awhile after seeing them on Pinterest. Christy over at Confessions of a Serial DIYer has a wonderful tutorial on this, so I will let you go with hers. 😉
Originally when I told my mom about how I wanted to make a garden teapot, she sent me a brown transferware teapot, knowing I love transferware so much. Moms are the best, aren’t they?!
I couldn’t bare to use it with the risk of it getting thrashed outside since it’s an heirloom, so it still sits on our hutch. 
However, I found a beautiful one that I loved at TJ Maxx for pretty inexpensive. 
I love how it turned out.
 

This is perfect for my March Madness theme, because I had a couple of teapots laying around the garage. You know how the goal has been to get the garage cleaned up.
I love teapots. 
They are so beautiful. 
I also love to drink herbal tea and caffeine free Chai Tea in all my beautiful teacups. Wonderful treats while watching a good English movie like Sense and Sensibility or Pride and Prejudice. 
Right?
 Anyhow, it probably took me 2-3 trips to the hardware store for the supplies, so I have a few tips to make it easier for you, hopefully:
  1. Make sure your fittings all fit together before you make your purchase and pay, then you won’t be running back later. 
  2. Make sure your glue is compatible to glass and Pipes. (The glue Christy shares is perfect.)
  3. Our Home Depot didn’t carry the crystals, so save yourself some time running around looking for them and buy them at Hobby Lobby with your 40% off coupon if they aren’t already on sale. 
     
     
    Once you have all the supplies, it is pretty quick to make, and super simple. 

     I’m glad I finally had the opportunity to make it, I really love seeing it out there in my garden.

     So sweet.
 I will be re-positioning them though, so that the pipes are hidden in the bushes.
I love that the teacup can act as a rain gauge too.
So what do you think, will you be making one this spring?

Come back tomorrow for the last project in my March Madness!