Before I share pictures and this post with you I have a disclaimer. No literature was harmed in this project. All books that were altered were not only dumpster dive finds but were the probably trash for the mind as well.....Not that they were THAT kind of trash, I go to the Dumpster not the Gutter! But don't they look gorgeous now! Painting and antiquing books that were not serving much purpose in their current state could be my new favorite project. This is the kind of project where you see Debi's Design Diary DIY Paint make magic Gold Patina and Dark and Decrepit Patina. I (painful part here) tore the spines off the books. Just like pulling off a bandage, do it all at once and it ...
Accessories
Watching time turn into a mirror
Watching Time Turn Into a Mirror This post was originally posted several years ago, but it's a timeless classic and could easily be done with old clocks from thrift stores, etc. I had this old clock, that I LOVED but the clock was dying a slowwwwww death. The company I bought it from has long gone out of business. I thought about finding a replacement clock to fit in the space, but then I had a better idea! This is what we started with: Red and White to change it up a bit: Then some stenciling in my favorite language (that I faux speak) I also used my favorite dark wax. I use this sometimes instead of glaze because it gives a good (grimy?) for lack of a better ...
How to Make a Door Chalkboard from a bunch of junk
How to Make a Door Chalkboard from a bunch of Junk (This post was originally written in 2012, but the instructions remain the same, paint brand has changed) Do you remember this thing I pulled out of le garbage? My client had texted me the night before I found this, asking if I could make a "door" sized chalkboard for her kitchen. The next morning, doing my rounds of looking behind businesses for their good "trash". I saw this lying on top of a bunch of boxes. It was there for moi! I knew with a little reinforcing and some foam core board, it would be perfect. If you are not so lucky to find this frame in the trash, you can easily duplicate this. Here is what you ...
Trashy Tuesday How to Stencil on Old Wood With Stain
Trashy Tuesday How to Stencil on Old Wood With Stain Update! I only use Debi’s Design Diary DIY Paint since publishing this post. DIY Paint is 100% Natural, Clay Based, which makes it different from every other chalk paint product. It is perfectly smooth, the colors are beautiful and cover well, even their whites. It paints like liquid Velvet. You won’t believe how good a paint brush and a can of paint can feel. It is ahmazing stuff. Check my side bar if you want to know more. It's a 2 For Trashy Tuesday! I made this box from old fence boards (you can read how to build stuff like that here), painted it with CeCe Caldwell's 100% Natural Chalk + Clay Based Paints , then ...
Dumpster Makeover Ficus Tree Trashy Tuesday
Dumpster Makeover Ficus Tree Trashy Tuesday You might be asking yourself right now. Ficus Tree? Really? Like those big fake things in a basket that every model home and new apartment, and maybe even (you) had in a corner of your front room? Yep, that very same Faux Ficus Tree that probably still graces the floors in 10 out of 12 Doctor's waiting rooms. The Dumpster's are hot with them right now. This Ficus Tree in particular was in good shape, but the basket (bottom part) was falling apart. I am sure the owner could just not see the Future that the Faux Ficus was fixated on. Lucky for me, I saw a mystical, etherial, metallic and gorgeous vision. To make over this Faux ...
Trashy Tuesday New Idea for that Metal Bucket
Trashy Tuesday New Idea for that Metal Bucket You know, the one you threw in your garbage last week? The one I pulled out of your garbage when I was out walking my dog.... I realize you threw it away because you thought you had no use for it. And, it was a little wonky on the bottom. You didn't realize you could PAINT IT and fill it with flowers! Lucky me, I did see its potential. The first thing I did was try to undo the wonkiness by pounding on it from all sides with a hammer. Pounding on it from all sides actually made it worse. I then tried pounding it from each side to make it "even". This did not quite work out either. I realized I had spent 5 minutes pounding ...
Dumpster Floral Makeover For Halloween with Mod Podge
Dumpster Floral Makeover For Halloween with Mod Podge I love a good makeover. Especially if it is something I found for free, and I had some FREE goodies to make it over with, like this box of goodies I received from Mod Podge! This Mod Podge makeover was so fun. I started with this Dumpster Found Floral arrangement. I knew it would make a great Halloween centerpiece! I removed the Floral arrangement from the container and spray painted the flowers in black and silver. Then I turned my attention to the container. I painted the entire thing in Folk Art Multi-Surface Paint in Charcoal Black. Just two coats, and it was midnight black. Looking creeeepy already! I had ...
Pouf, Upcycle a Pouf in a Poof
Pouf, Upcycle a Pouf in a Poof with nothing but CeCe Caldwell's Paints. I love the word Pouf. Pouf originates from a French word for something inflated. (which I think is funny) Pouf has come to mean a fancy word for a small ottoman. Whatever the meaning. Here are two Poufs I recently made over with CeCe Caldwell's Santa Fe Turquoise. That's right, I PAINTED THEM! They started out as ho hum dark vinylesque leather. CeCe Caldwell's Paints will stick like glue to leather, and vinyl. (Just don't wax it, your body will warm up the wax). This project couldn't have been easier. I opened a can of CeCe Caldwell's Santa Fe Turquoise, started painting. POOF, two ...
How to Gild Fake Pumpkins with Metallic Paint
Don't you love Fall? The change in colors in nature and the endless possibilities of decorated Pumpkins. Check out how to Gild Fake Pumpkins with Metallic Paint. I didn't have to spend a fortune and I can save my money for something I really want for Halloween instead, some candy! Here is what you will need for your Fake Pumpkin Gilding. You might want to keep some chocolate nearby for energy, Halloween is coming after all, may as well start on the sugar train now! Materials needed: White or Orange faux pumpkin purchased from Craft Store Krylon Metallic Spray in "Copper" Krylong Mettallic Spray in "Original Chrome" Metallic Silver and Gold Craft Paint (I am really loving ...
Cabinet Doors on the Hook
Old kitchen cabinet doors are all the rage these days in Dumpsters. At least that seems to be what I find when I am out doing my shopping (ummm, dumpster diving, curbside shopping). There are one million and one uses to repurpose them. OBVIOUSLY the people who threw them out in the first place have never heard of any of them, so more for moi. I decided to hook them up. So to speak.... Check out my Trashy Tuesday series, you can see how many I scored HERE. All cleaned up now and ready for a makeover. If you have a Hobby Lobby anywhere within 100 miles of you, check out when their hooks and furniture pulls go on sale at 50% off. They are half off once a month. Every once ...
Transforming a Trunk with CeCe Caldwell’s Paint Tricks
Transforming a Trunk with CeCe Caldwell's Paint Tricks! I only use DIY Paint since writing this post. DIY Paint is 100% Natural Chalk and Clay Based, and we have over 350 retailers in North America. It's ahmazing stuff. Today, I will try to top how many times I can talk about how tripped out this trunk tis and how many times I can use words that start with T. Totally talking Trunks today. Trunks are one of my favorite transformations to tackle. Update! I only use Debi's Design Diary DIY Paint since publishing this post. DIY Paint is 100% Natural, Clay Based, which makes it different from every other chalk paint product. It is perfectly smooth, the colors are beautiful ...