Monday, May 28, 2012

Cut Off Jean Shorts

i have my off days...the past 5 days or so have been that way...i am working on a piece of furniture that i was hoping to be done with on friday or saturday and i missed my goal...that throws me off...i have been trying to get at least one piece done a week so i can link up to blog parties to help build my blog...so far, thats been going great...i have several new followers and lots of sweet comments...i'm just having an off week but i will hopefully catch up...

i've enjoyed my lazy weekend with the family...sometimes it can be too lazy and i have to find something to do...i pinned a pair of cut off shorts a long time ago and i'm just getting around to making them...i love this look!
me posing in the mirror...i tried not to cut them too short...i had a pair of jeans that were pretty worn out...i patched them in the knees a while back but i had some more holes to come in them...they have been in a pile of other things that i wanted to revamp...i measured the length i wanted...marked them...cut...sewed lace on the inside...keep in mind, i'm a 41 year old woman...i can't have them too short...i will embarrass my whole family!

so adorable to me..even though i may not even wear them...i'm a little picky about my shorts..have to get my nerve up with these..if my kids approve, then maybe :)


CREATING LOVE AND JOY
Ashley

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Dresser Before And After

this post copied from other blog...september 9, 2011 

yesterday i picked up a dresser and night stand for a measly $25...very excited about that! i've been wanting something this style and i just couldn't pass it up...

here is the before...it was missing several of the knobs...i had a brilliant idea to use the ones on the nightstand but it didn't have any! so off to home depot to find the cheapest ones i could find...i chose a small plastic one to use on the top 2 drawers...a can of rustoleum orb to paint them with...
here are the knobs...ignore my fire pit!! i already ruined my stone wall by my pool with spray paint...i had to move on to another area...i love this paint btw! 


here is another before shot with the drawers out....


my husband wanted me to stain the top cherry to match the rest of our entertainment center....i knew i couldn't but i wanted to try....this wasn't laminate but it wasn't wood...fake wood?? i had tried this on another piece and after the stain and some wax it worked out ok...but this piece i wanted to look good so i worked to get the water marks out...i had to sand way down...i then primed with kilz and painted black with 2 different types of paint...one was gloss and the other was matte...i didn't have enough of each so i just mixed them together....worked out fine...

as i was putting the stain on, this appeared on the side...there had been a sticker on here and when the stain hit it, the image came through....i debated wether or not to fix it since it wouldn't show where we were placing it...i thought, what if i want to sell this?? i can't leave that there! i took some primer and went over it...afterwards i wiped some stain over it and it was gone...

finished....the top is still wet as you can see in the pic...i just get so excited i can't wait!! i read on another blog, but i can't remember which one, that they used a plastic table cloth to paint on...i found this for $1.50 at walmart on clearance...it worked perfect!


another after...no table cloth...LOL

before and after  



CREATING LOVE AND JOY
Ashley


see the previous comments below:




1 – 15 of 15
Blogger Kathryn Ferguson Griffin said...
Wow, that is beautiful! Fantastic job! Found you via Between Naps on the Porch. Toodles, Kathryn http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2011/09/voice-studio.html
September 11, 2011 9:17 PM
Blogger Deborah March said...
REALLY lovely...such a nice updated look! Deborah (happily visiting from http://upcyclingmylife.blogspot.com...hope you can stop by too...)
September 12, 2011 8:37 AM
Blogger Jen-CraftOManiac said...
THE AFTER IS AMAZING, well done. winks-jen
September 12, 2011 10:12 AM
Blogger Steph @ Crafting in the Rain said...
Looks lovely! I just re-did a dresser too, and it's so rewarding! http://craftingintherain.blogspot.com/2011/09/dressed-up-dresser.html
September 12, 2011 10:54 AM
Blogger Just Jaime said...
Pretty! Love the knobs!
September 12, 2011 8:30 PM
Blogger Debra said...
That turned out really nice. What a great deal you got on it too.
September 12, 2011 11:17 PM
Blogger Cassie @ Primitive & Proper said...
SOOO much better and so much more charming and full of character! great job!
September 13, 2011 6:45 PM
Blogger aimee said...
i love what you have done with it. its gorgeous xxx
September 15, 2011 2:48 AM
Blogger Ange said...
Thanks for stopping by and commenting on my entryway! Your dresser looks great, isn't spray paint da bomb diggity? I love to spray paint whatever I can! :)
September 15, 2011 6:08 PM
Blogger Rosie Goins said...
Hi Ashley. Thanks for visiting Dogs & Grandkids. Your makeover looks great.
September 16, 2011 9:38 AM
Blogger Erin of HomeSavvyAtoZ.com said...
Your dresser turned out great, Ashley! What a score for $25! I would love for you to link it up at Freshmen Friday! http://www.homesavvyatoz.com/tips-for-building-your-blog-or-website-freshmen-friday-2/
September 16, 2011 10:19 AM
Blogger Becky@Beyond The Picket Fence said...
What a fantastice redo, good thought to go over sticker area. Thanks for sharing at Beyond the Picket Fence!
September 16, 2011 11:29 AM
Blogger Michelle said...
It looks sooooo much better! Love the way it came out! I am visiting from House of Hepworths and I am a new follower!!! Hope to see you around my Delicately Constructed linky party this weekend! Have a great day! Michelle www.delicateconstruction.blogspot.com
September 17, 2011 1:57 AM
Blogger Heidi said...
It looks so much prettier. You did a great job with the dresser. Love
September 17, 2011 9:07 PM
Blogger Erin of HomeSavvyAtoZ.com said...
Hi Ashley! Thank you so much for sharing your dresser post at Savvy HomeMade Monday and I hope you will come back and party again!
September 18, 2011 8:52 PM

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Vanity...One Hot Mess

 do you know how excited i was when i found this piece at good will?? its in the best shape for a piece of used furniture...

i didn't have plans for it when i bought it...i thought i could make money on it if i decided to sell it...my daughter wanted it to go in her room because she has no place for hair and makeup...right now she sits on the floor...

i read some info about  paint that lowes sells..supposedly if you use the paint you don't have to use primer...when i bought this piece, i was new to furniture restoration and you could say a little dumb...thats how i feel now...

 so i painted the whole piece with several coats of paint...i also sanded the top and stained it...i never liked how the paint went on to start with...i also didn't like the sheen of the paint if that makes sense..it wasn't really glossy but not flat...i decided to distress it...the first pass of the sander peeled off a huge hunk of paint...it looked like it had never been painted...

i was very distraught...i walked away and never looked back...until this week...its been sitting on my back patio since last summer...so i'm on a mission to get my patio back for the summer...



the day i bought it...


today...may 22, 2012...peeling and sanding paint
its my goal to have this finished by the end of the week...i am slowly getting it done...this is a large project...i wish i would have known better than to trust reviews that i read about the paint...if you have questions about something or not sure just ask someone...it could prevent a huge hot mess like i have...finally, i have a little sense..LOL

CREATING LOVE AND JOY
Ashley

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Chair

i've had this chair for some time...it came from jeffs grandmas house when she moved out...it was one of the pieces nobody wanted...i really didn't have a place for it but i love to take free things...who doesn't? especially when i know that i can try to work my magic on it...

before...it was in good shape...i just don't like stained wood...
i mixed up some chalk paint...gave it 2 coats...i didn't get full coverage on this piece...i knew i wanted to distress and sand...very easy sanding with just 2 coats of the paint...just a small amount needed...i didn't even use a whole tester of paint...


i'm not really fond of the color of the seat cushion, but it does have a bit of the blue color in it..its hard to tell from the pics...i think i may leave it for a while...just til i decide what i'm going to do with it...
i love little projects like this..i could do these all day every day!

CREATING LOVE AND JOY
Ashley

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Little Girls Side Table

i came across another great find...so excited to get it done that i finished in one day!

this piece actually came from the same place as the little side table with the zebra print on top
a little something special left by shy...i think she loves you leann...
this was my sneak peek that i posted on facebook...i like to tease my friends ...lol
the finished project
it may be hard to see in the picture but its a soft pink...i mixed up some chalk paint to do this one...i like the fact that its so quick and easy...i could do more than one piece a day if i did this technique on everything i did...hopefully a little girl will want this beside her bed...

CREATING LOVE AND JOY
Ashley