A Little Halloween Fun

Once upon a time I was a scrapbook instructor.  I designed and taught classes at livelovescrap.  I had great fun.  I met soooo many wonderful women.  Then, after three years and the sad economy (people balancing food on the table or one of Allison's classes) livelovescrap closed their doors.  It was sad for all of us.  HOWEVER, I still have great friends from those days and a TON of products and tools. 

The thing I remember absolutely knowing was, I hated the skeleton move.  Do you remember it?  The tattoo's and such?  Tim Holtz even came out with some eerie stuff.  I do cute and cool, not scary.  Anyway, I needed something on my front door to let friends and family know I am not a total party pooper to the whole Halloween season.  Did I mention I don't do scary very well? 

So a few weeks ago, Jack was downstairs watching TV and I ran upstairs, and within 30 minutes I had my front door decoration ready to be hung.  Jack was amazed at how quickly I accomplished this wreath.  And it felt great to be "playing" in my studio, surrounded by my products and tools again!!!  (a wreath, some fabric, some hot glue and a few scrapbooking techniques and viola) The wreath is stinking cute, even if I had to put those skulls and cross bones in it for a full "scary" effect?

I used the hot glue gun to make some webs!

I love it!

Happy haunting my friends!

You Gotta Love a Reveal

I  {LOVE} Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and her awesome Waxes.  I mean {LOVE} it!  What can I say, I am a sucker for something that saves me time and looks marvelous.  It's true, no denying it now.  {LOVE} at first usage.  You can check out the "bones" of this furniture on yesterdays post!

 

First & second coat, easy peasy.



Stenciled and Waxed.  Stinking cute, eh?

Painted, waxed and modge podged.



Marilyn.



And as they say, the proof is in the pudding.  Addie {LOVES} her new furniture.  The Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is AMAZING and worth every penny.  I did think I was going to have a slight meltdown after my second coat of dried modge podge confirmed streaks.  (This is after ruining the first poster by RUSHING the project and TEARING it.)  So, those super cool circles came from me just rotating the sponge brush in a circle and my oops super neat mistake was using a semi-wet brush that I thought was dry.  Little bubbles started popping up in the M.P. after I had already done a quarter of the top.  I couldn't stop.  I panicked.  I continued.  It dried.   Table lamp sits great on it as well as a coaster with soda. 

And the best part, did I mention, Addie {LOVES} it!  We have one military gun transport boxes left to paint out with her Annie Sloan colors (Provence and Graphite) and she'll just need some lamps.  I am telling you, easy peasy is very nice in my life. 

Oh, and I almost forgot to post a picture of (not Ginter's) the trash dive I took this summer.  Okay, I didn't dive, it was on the side of the road with "FREE" on it only three doors down! 

I am jazzed about getting my A.S. paint out for this gal!

Addie Starts Saving with My Help and Annie Sloan!

I am just so excited that Addie (our 19 year old hair designer) is growing up.  You know, maturing into one of those super cool young adults.  She is moving on from the turbulent relationship she has been in and pulled up her big girl panties.  You all know what that means for Moms right?  You get my undivided attention and apartment shopping help!

I picked up some generic barstools on Craigslist for around $18 bucks and an end table for $15. And then what is a girl to do? Yup, grab her Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and go for it!

The barstools.

 

The coffee table - gotta love a kid that loves "retro".



The paint - Provence and Graphite!



And Addie L O V E S Marilyn.

Tomorrow is the big reveal - stay tuned!!!!  And you'll get to see my new piece of furniture I scored from my friend Ginter.

MGTB turns into a lovely coffee table

Good morning friends! I told you I would do it!! Remember the craigslist haul I had a few months ago, those super cool Military Gun Transport Boxes? A couple of them also had some Russian writing on the lid of the boxes.  Remember???

And Remember Mr. Jim the builder? I know, I am asking you to use those valuable memory cells on my post today.  He helped me put casters on the bottom and replaced one of the lids and hardware. Then for the next few weeks Mr. Jim supervised my painting of the boxes. He would shake up my paint can, help me pull out my tarp and then watch. It was so stinking cute when he would point out a spot I missed, time and time again. Actually, it was nice to have a secnd pair of eyes pointing out my flaws.  I enjoy hanging out with "old" people. You get to hear some super neat stories and it does pass the time away.

I did get talked out of one at the Apple Butter Festival, put one in my family room and two others are going to hold windows in my studio until the next show.   I also have one saved for Addie's future apartment.  My friend Linda, the muscle behind helping me haul these things back to my house is in the picture below, so not posing! 

How much fun are these??

 

Now she doesn't mind posing for the "Look how many my friends
Honda Element can hold."  I swear if I would have said I don't care if we put
them on the roof, she would have thrown one or two up there.



Vandy informed me it was Russian printing on the inside lid.



Me at Mr. Jim's, painting, staining, mod podging, rushing!!!

I just loved this box even though it was "lidless" until Mr. Jim made one for me
and added new hardware.  I greenwashed the top, didn't like it and then decided
to wax it with of course, Annie Sloan, Dark Wax.



Set up at the apple Butter Festival.  They held my windows wonderfully.




And the final product - coffee table!





I so enjoyed this project.  I painted four of the boxes out white, but thought I needed to do some distressing on at least one of them.  I LOVE the last box in this post.  Love love love it!  And yep, once again, Annie Sloan Dark Wax.  It is totally awesome!!!  I had full intentions to do some lettering/stenciling on the tops, but ran out of time.  Now that the ABF is over, I have time to think about a stencil for my white coffee table in my family room.  I will for sure do a part two next week. 

So ladies, what do you think??

End of Day 2 of the ABF

Hi.  Small print I know.  I feel a tab sad by my HUGE feelings of failure after yesterdays and todays festival.  I thought I would do so well.  I swear I had the cutest booth in the entire festival.  I was, what I thought, budget friendly priced.  I didn't see much sold except food.  I saw A LOT of people walking with food.  Okay, enough of the pity party.  Oh and I did hand out about 200 business cards to people that ASKED for them.  Maybe they are 'thinking' about their upcoming purchases.  A girl can be hopeful.

Hi again.  Thank you for listening/reading that pity party up there.  I have kept a very brave face on after being asked a million times how I did and I needed to share the baby pp before I erupted into a volcanic tear zone.  It helped.  Thanks again.

So, tomorrow I open my Etsy shop.  I am going to dive right in, right?  Right!  My things are "cute".  Everyone loves cute. 

Also tomorrow I am going to blog my craigslist military gun coffee tables.  I sold one yesterday at the festival that I painted old world white.  It was the first piece of furniture a college student bought for her new apartment.  She was super excited!!!!!  And loved it like me, so it was even cooler!  And a success, right?? 

I am off to eat dinner with my husband.  He cooked dinner for me, even after the 20 yells yesterday morning.  I am so blessed. 

Have a wonderful evening friends and I will catch you tomorrow!!

Our mini trip to Lake Lure in NC.  Ahh, I can not wait to go back there!!