CHAOS - or what they don't tell you on DIY shows and a sneak peek!

Well our Kitchen cabinet makeover is drawing near to an end! (yeah!!!) I am thinking maybe 2-3 more nights -whew!! But this project is not our first time down this road but, in between projects you forget the following:

1. It probably will take longer than you originally estimate

2. It is wonderful if you have a date where you are having company over in the near future -wonderful motivator when you get to the half way point in a project.

3. All the stuff that is where you want to work has to go SOMEWHERE!!! (Most likely in your dining room, under chairs in the living room etc..) So the moral of this story is while you or your sweet wonderful hubby are working on a project your home might be best described (borrowing the terminology here from the FLY lady) as C.H.A.O.S. - can't have anyone over syndrome!!!

So it is really best to start a project with all these things in mind!! and if you forget just slap your forehead (like on a V-8 commercial and go "Oh yeah!" and take a deep breath it will all be ok).

Well here is a little "Sneak Peek" :

I am so excited!! I love this new color! It really is a little darker than it appears close up with the flash! I can not wait until the doors are done! We have done the cabinets themselves, as well as all the shelves. It took approx 4 days thus far!

I will hopefully be posting pictures of the completed project this Thurs or Friday!! Fun! Fun! Fun!

beat up hope chest to zebra coffee table

Hi ya'all! Well you know I have been redoing my tweens bedroom in purple and zebra print. It has been so much fun! I get to do all kind of crazy things and it is ok, because it is for a teens room. Well the first thing my tween said she wanted was a couch, futon, anything really for her friends to sit on and hang out on when they are over watching movies, or listening to movies or face booking whatever the case may be. So I was trying to be frugal (I have 3 girls remember and I got into this mess by allowing them ALL to switch rooms - so yep, this is only the 1st of 3 girls room I will be doing ~ call me crazy! I do! and did I mention I am going to try to have all of it done by the time school starts (yes, that sound you heard was me laughing hysterically)

Well first of all while I was brain storming I thought of an old hope chest I had before my hubby and I got married. It had set at the foot of our bed when we first got married, and over the years had been moved around and lost a sense of purpose ~ that yes, I do believe most furniture needs a purpose. Well, the forgotten (but loved) piece of furniture is pictured below, and yes it really was that scary. Yes, that was exactly what my tween thought at first too! I first brought it outside (for some reason no one likes me to paint inside) and took the lid off, well it was almost falling off.

The second step was I took the fabric off of the top, and painted the whole thing matte black. Top to bottom two coats. Then I painted a clear matte varnish over the whole thing. I let this dry (the paint took 24 hours which surprised me because it was really hot outside!) Then I took the top and replaced the foam padding and covered it with Zebra printed decorator fabric. How fun is that! I stapled gun the fabric to the top of the lid. The very last step was that I scotch guarded the fabric really really well.! I hope approve, my daughter does- she loves it!

Confession time: I think in the past I was too quick to get rid of pieces of furniture before I thought outside the box. Is anyone out there in blog land guilty of similar mistakes? What was your favorite save, or looking back what did you give up on to quick?

Zebra print dresser and mirror

Here is the project that I started on a previous blog: ta da! Finished!!! Yeah!!!

On the previous blog I showed how I modge podged decorative tissue paper on the above mirror - however when I went back to the store they were out!!! Ahhh!!! was my reaction! Then I stopped and thought about it, and scrap book paper for the dresser drawers would really be a better option since the drawers would be handled every day.

The dresser was off white and yellow. That I sanded down, and painted black (matte finish). Once the dresser was painted I removed the drawer handles and modge podged on the zebra print scrap book paper to each drawer front. Then I painted the drawer handles that were white and gold with black with settled into the lower area and made the drawer handles black and white - which I think really looks cool with the zebra paper.

A teenager will be using the dresser drawer every day with flat irons, and curling irons on top. So I put 3 coats of clear matte varnish on top of the dresser and sides that were painted black, as well as the drawer fronts and mirror.

This project is far from "perfect" but it was fun to do, and salvaged a piece of furniture that was to uncool for a teen room for approx $17.00. Yeah!!! I love when I can salvage furniture and make it fit in a room so perfect that someone would assume it was bought for that very room!