Decorating with CENTS: Planter

Decorating with CENTS: Planter
http://thriftycraftygirl.blogspot.com/2011/08/blog-hops-count-as-exercise.html

Planter

Here's a small plastic planter I've been experimenting with, I was going for an old world look...the original color was clay, but I had already spray painted it a light beige.

I then started painting a brick pattern...ummm, wasn't too please with this, but decided to keep with it besides I was only playing around and practicing...

Then I dabbled with adding texture by plastering compound on top to give it that old, rustic look... I had to keep playing with it, adding colors here and there, dry brushing in areas, but eventually I was satisfied.

This isn't the way it was suppose to turn out, but I like it...

 
Sorry for all the pictures, but it's not everyday I'm fortunate to mess up something and still fall in love with it. (smile)

 
Why is it, when I look at this, I think of fresh homemade sourdough bread? Now if I can just find a plant to inside it. 

So, the next time you're working on a project and you screw up, don't give up just continue to LET YOUR CREATIVITY FLOW!

DIY Showoff

Wow, today my file cabinet that I painted, was featured on The DIY Showoff there were other beautiful desks and draws featured as well.  I appreciate Roeshel for taking time to feature me.

This was my cabinet before

This is it now

You can read more by clicking here.

I'm happy I posted that blog and I hope I was able to inspire someone else. You can't imagine how beautiful you feel when you LET YOUR CREATIVITY FLOW!

Pictures

Here's a neat project I did with some pictures of my son.  My niece, who is a professional photographer, shot some pictures of my son some time ago.  I had some spare white ceramic tile left over after tiling my floors some years ago, so I decided to play around with an ideal. 

I first made copies of the pictures (didn't want to mess up the originals).  Then I glued each copy on top of the tile and then the fun began.

WHITE CERAMIC TILE BEFORE

On this picture I wrinkled tissue paper (the kind you use in gift boxes), cut them in strips and then glued the paper around the picture.  I then painted over the tissue paper and sealed with a clear varnish.

On the next picture I used paint chips (the kind you get from Home Depot or any paint supply store).  I cut out the chips, glued them on top of the tile, played around with crackling and then varnished to seal.

And on this one I cut strips of construction paper, glued around picture, crackled and then varnished to seal.

I then displayed them in his room.  I like how they turned out and I really liked knowing I didn't have to waste money on picture frames.

Being creative is about having fun while being different. The next time you want to be different just LET YOUR CREATIVITY FLOW!

Pillows

It's amazing how pillows can transform your furniture/your room.  My intentions were to have my furniture, in my family room, upholstered.  The blue was looking a bit dull and because I had recently completed my tables click here to read I wanted to give my furniture a facelift.

I checked with various upholsterers and I was given an average cost of $350 for a sofa and 2 chairs. They also confirmed I would need approximately 25 yards of fabric (assuming no stripes or patterns).  I figured $350 for upholstery and $150 for fabric ($6 per yd); $500 wasn't a bad price, perhaps I could get them to throw in a throw pillow or two.   

I happily rushed to the store to get my fabric, I'm usually impatient so I was anxious to get my room together and move on to my next project.  Now, I'm not a mathematician, but I know $12.99 x 25 = more than $150... so, after walking around in circles for a few minutes it hit me that was the lowest price they had  and the only word I can use to describe that fabric is UGLY.

The best part about being thrifty is contingencies.  There's always a contingency, and after one week of total depression I came up with a solution.  Pillows.  Every home magazine has been showing off pillows - big pillows, round pillows, decorative pillows, fancy pillows, striped pillows, plain pillows...

So, for less than a $100 I purchased my pillows and gave my furniture the facelift it needed.  Maybe next year I'll look for slipcovers!

 So, the next time you're running short on cash just look for a contingency and LET YOUR CREATIVITY FLOW!

Sister's Fireplace

When I went to visit my sister Sharon over the holidays she asked me to experiment on her fireplace.  They had just moved the previous year and she wanted to add some drama to the mantel and her walls.  I figured experimenting on her house was much better than experimenting with mine (smile).

This is the BEFORE

All white isn't necessarily  boring, but for my sister it's a major sin!  I took a deep breath, waited until the family left for church and pounced.  I have difficulty working with prowling eyes. (smile)

After a few days of sanding, priming and dabbing I finished her fireplace.

 

Close Up

 

Once the fireplace was completed we tackled her wall - sorry I didn't take any "work in progress pictures".   The camera didn't pick up the colors clearly but it was cranberry and taupe, both colors were plastered on creating a kaleidoscope of colors.   Do you remember the vases from my earlier blog?  If not you can read here.

 

We were both pleased with the results including my son!

You want to know the best part about working in my sisters house?  If I had goofed up anything it would have been in her house and not mine!

Isn't it wonderful experimenting on other people walls while you LET YOUR CREATIVITY FLOW.

My Cocktail & End Table

Some time ago I moved this from my kitchen - 5 styro crates stacked on top of each other.

I separated the parts and placed them in the family room to improvise for a cocktail & end table.

They were initially sprayed black with a mixture of blue, but over the years they had gotten all scraped up.  A lot of people use to think they were rock because a lot of the paint had came off and they were looking scruffy and everything.

As usual,  money was tight, so I decided to hold on to them and play around with the color to make them more appealing.  Sometime ago I remembered seeing a table that had a tile top so I decided to paint the glass top to imitate tile.

I then painted the base and added some detail

 So here was my newly painted table...

Not bad for styrofoam!

Well after awhile I decided to mess around a bit more.  I had been reading about crackle and other techniques, so I bought some glue and played around and got this...

Closer Look

 

 I like this old antique-ish, cracked-up look, so I think I'll keep it like this for awhile... 

So, the next time you're playing around with paint don't be afraid to be different and LET YOUR CREATIVITY FLOW!

Breakfast Table

My kitchen table was one of those sturdy tables that could take a lot of banging. I think everybody owned one... you couldn't show it off but it worked well with having everybody sit around the table for meals, studying or playing games. 

After 15+ years it started to break down, sort of like my body (smile), so I kept it covered with cute and sometimes pretty table cloths. Of course I wanted to get rid of it, but I was curious to see if I could fix it up.  I browsed through magazines to get some idea of the color I wanted, but because I had accumulated so much paint, I decided to mess around with what I had.  While rummaging through some of my stuff I also found some fabric one of my friends, Sandra Harrison, had given me some years ago.  I immediately knew I wanted to use this fabric for chair covering.

BEFORE

Table had started chipping around the edges

Fabric in chair given to me by friend

Work in progress...

AFTER

How cute is it!  Every time I look at my table it reminds me of the time I visited my sister Teresa.  I'll never forget how she had a basket of fried chicken wings on the table waiting for us.  We all sat around the table, munched on chicken wings, and talked about our younger years.  If I was as good of a cook as her I would have a basket of chicken wings on my table every weekend to show off my 'ugly duckling' turned 'beautiful swan'!

The next time you're sitting around your table eating fried chicken, mashed potatoes, collard greens and corn bread just wipe your mouth, smile and LET YOUR CREATIVITY FLOW!

Doors

Today is my tribute to doors. (smile)  No, I just want to show off my doors I painted.  I don't know why we don't put very much emphasis on our doors, after all they serve important roles in our homes.  Like shutting people out, blocking out noise, allowing us to have private time, and most importantly keeping that stinky smell from coming out of that you know what room .... (smile)

All of my doors, with the exception of the bedroom & bathroom doors, were painted plain brown like this...

and this... (see there's no difference)

 

So I painted them to look like this...

This...

And this...

All of these doors are equal in importance, but the most respected door in the home is our bathroom door.  

Homage to our doors! 

The next time you're opening a door, closing a door or just staring at a door don't be afraid to LET YOUR CREATIVITY FLOW!