More Chalk Paint. And the Cutest Footstool Ever

I'm on a little bloggy roll!  I probably shouldn't jinx myself.  

I continued my craft-a-palooza this weekend, and loved it.

We started our morning on Saturday going to a couple of yard sales (pretty much a bust) and getting some ice cream.

After this boy played baseball, my mother-in-law and I went to pick Henry up from my parents' house, where he had spent the night.

We ran into Goodwill on our way home, because I was looking for a little footstool for the playhouse.  My friend Stephanie has an amazing ottoman at her house.  It's one that her mom recovered, and it's covered with patchworky goodness.  I.love.it.  That was my inspiration for the playhouse footstool/little seat.  I didn't really think I'd find anything at GW, because I normally can't go with something specific in mind.

My MIL found this stool.  AHHHH!!!  Perfection!  *I realize most people won't look at this and think "perfection".*  It was five dollars and the absolute ideal size.  It was also begging for a makeover. And yes, I realize how creepy Jack looks in this picture.

It has a lovely red velvet lining.  Hideous, but the kids think it's hilarious.  And the lining is in fine condition, so I left it.  There was a receipt inside from Wal Mart in 1997.

I pulled off the trim and the 1,000 tacks that they used to hold it on, then pulled off the disgusting cover.  All I could think was that some old woman used to prop her gross feet up on it to clip her toenails....

I used four fabrics and cut 4"x4" squares, then just sewed them all together, making sure I didn't have any of the same squares touching each other.  I lined it up on top and stapled away.  I had some jumbo red rick rack trim, so put that where the previous trim (which essentially disintegrated in my hands as I was removing it) was.

It is so cute with its little makeover, and I can't wait to see it in the playhouse.  Though I like it in the hallway, and may need to be on the lookout for another!  Total cost?  $5.00.  I had the scraps of fabric and rick rack, so the only cost was the stool and an hour of my time.

Yesterday, Jack and I got some flowers for the patio and porch.  He and Katie helped me plant them.  Have you ever had someone in a wheelchair who can't move half of her body help you plant flowers?  It's interesting, to say the least.  I'm fairly certain she got more dirt on the patio, herself, and me than in any pots.

After our flowers, Katie was crabby and she and I laid down for a nap.  She actually slept for about 90 minutes, and that child NEVER takes a nap.  

When we got up, I got her settled with a movie and iPad, and hauled our coffee table out to the porch.

I didn't take a picture of it, but this was it.  This picture is from three years ago, and our living room looks NOTHING like that anymore.  Thank God we don't have those couches.  I hated both of them!  I also hate that coffee table, and I don't know why I didn't paint it years ago.  I really want a rectangular table, but this will have to do for now.

I used the other sample container of the paint I got for testing exterior colors for the playhouse.  This one is Sherwin Williams perfect greige.  

I also painted this little table, which had been on our porch for years.  It was looking ROUGH.  

I did some distressing on the coffee table, and it was almost dark outside by the time I was done so these photos are awful.

I did two coats of wax on the top, buffing in between.  It is such a huge improvement!  I'll have to take more pictures next weekend when I get do it with better lighting.  (And, um, with no beanbag and discarded quilt in the background!)

The little table came out really cute too.  I have it on our porch for now, but it may end up in the playhouse.  It might be too little, so we're just going to leave it on the porch for now and see once we get a little further along with the playhouse.

I hope you had a great weekend!

Crafty Saturday

I'm loving all of the things I've been crafting up lately!  It's amazing how some nice weather is all the motivation I need.  We've been sticking closer to home than normal too, with Katie's limited mobility, so that's given me the time to mark some things off of my list.

I made another sweet little doll quilt.  This one is for a fundraiser auction.  It's not live yet, but I'll edit the post to include the auction link when it is.  When I reopen The Crazy Kukla Boutique, I will have these sets available.  I think they are so cute!

The back is a fun purple chevron, and it's got a little doll sized flannel pillow as well, with a coordinating pillowcase.

Remember Katie's Ikea doll bed?

We've had it for almost two years, and it was just the unfinished pine, as it came.

Well I finally tried some chalk paint yesterday, and this was one of my pieces I painted.  I love it!  I used one of the sample colors I had for the playhouse exterior to make the paint, and I had enough (with leftover) to paint the doll bed, a table, and a picture frame.  If you've been thinking about trying chalk paint but haven't, DO IT!  It was SO easy.

I got this little cross stitch at a garage sale for 75 cents.  It was framed in this frame, which was a lovely shade of 1995 hunter green.  I just popped the cross stitch fabric out, did two layers of chalk paint, and let it dry.  (It dries super fast.)  Then I went back and sanded it in random places to make it a little distressed.  Finally, after I wiped it down to get off any dirt, etc., I wiped on a layer of finishing wax, then buffed it out.  I know it sounds like a lot of steps - it's so easy.  The steps don't take long, and it's such an easy way to make something look 100 times better.  This frame was hideous, but it's a good frame.  And for 75 cents, I couldn't pass it up for the playhouse.  I love how it looks now!

This is the table I started with.  (And Katie's 1970s tupperware measuring cup in the background. . . that girl loves to measure some stuff, pour it into another container, bang the cups together.  She seriously could be entertained for 30 minutes with some measuring cups.)

This table was - wait for it - TRASH!  Like, literally trash.  We park in a parking garage at my office.  Someone left this table in the garage for probably a week.  I thought it was the cutest thing.  Obviously needed some love, but the table is so cute.  I joked and said I was going to take it home.  Well after it had been there for honestly a week and it was obvious nobody was claiming it, the girls from my office put it next to my car because they knew I would never take it!  That was TWO YEARS AGO and I've let the thing look like this since then.  I've been using it as my nightstand, and my intent was to repaint it and put it in the playhouse, because it's a little, little table.

Excuse me.  That's back next to my bed.  Chris was so irritated when I brought this thing home, because it looked like a piece of garbage.  It's adorable now!  I'm so irritated that I waited two years to paint it.  

The chalk paint method I used was:

Combine 2 1/2 tablespoons of Plaster of Paris with 1 1/2 tablespoons of water.  Mix until it's smooth.  Pour 8 ounces of latex paint into that mixture, and mix really well until it's smooth and fully combined.  You don't want any lumps.  (I suggest using a plastic container for this so you can just throw it away when you're done.)  The paint dries and thickens quickly, so you have to work fairly fast.  Just brush it on like you normally would and let it dry.  If your mixture thickens up and becomes crumbly, etc., just mix in some more water and re-mix it all back to a smooth texture.  Once it's dry, you can distress or go right to waxing.  If you distress, make sure you wipe your piece down thoroughly to get any dust or dirt off, then let it dry again.  To wax it (which seals the piece and also protects the chalk finish from dings, scratches, etc.), I used Minwax finishing paste.  I wiped it on with a clean rag (I used a baby burp cloth - my magic cloth of choice for every.single.thing.)  I let that dry, then just buffed it.  And that's it!  Seriously, so easy.  And I have enough Plaster of Paris and finishing wax to last me about 30 years.  You use such a tiny, tiny amount of each, your cost per project for your supplies is literally pennies.  I'm going to do my ugly coffee table today!