A "New" Armoire for $15

Patience isn't usually my strongest attribute; I will say it paid off in this circumstance!  I had been looking for an armoire for months, but they were always so expensive.  I found this at Goodwill for only $15!

Even the lady working there didn't believe it was only $15... she thought the sticker must have said $75 so she looked it up in the computer system.

Yep!  $15!!!  Now, it didn't start out looking like this.  It was a crazy light peachy colored wood; I just knew it would need to be painted.

I don't have any before pics (they were all lost on the great external hard drive wipe out of 2012).  You'll just have to trust me that it was UG-LY!

I primed it and painted it with a light gray.  Then I glazed it with an espresso-colored glaze and sealed it with Modern Masters dead flat varnish.  That stuff is the best!  It completely knocks down the sheen yet makes the surface durable (and washable).

source

I contemplated changing the hardware, but I ended up liking it after living with it for a while.  Maybe one day I'll switch it out

Are you ready to see the inside?  It isn't pretty...

I told you.  But for $15, it will do for now!  AND we just got a new TV so we took the sad little guy out of there.  You can hardly see the gaping hole in the back now.

Here are a couple more pics

you can see the paint coming off a little here from wear and tear over the course of the last year, but I think it gives it more character

See?  I told you that peachy color was bad.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings,

Jamie

This post is linked here:  Today's Creative Blog Blue Cricket Design Kurtz Corner Mommy by Day Crafter by Night Cherished Bliss Lines Across My Face Southern Lovely Bear Rabbit Bear French Country Cottage Craft Junkie Too DIY Home Sweet Home Saved by Love Domestically Speaking Funky Junk Interiors Homemaker on a Dime Eisy Morgan The Answer is Chocolate Making the World Cuter Craft-O-Maniac lolly jane 504 Main I Heart Naptime Singing Three Little Birds mad in crafts House of Hepworths Somewhat Simple Chic on a Shoestring Keeping it Simple Be Different Act Normal Sew Can Do Sew Chatty Pinkapotamus The Girl Creative Flamingo Toes Tatertots and Jello Sisters of the Wild West Reasons to Skip the Housework Giggles Glitz and Glam Tip JunkieThe Trendy Treehouse Ladybug Blessings Night Owl Crafting Tea Rose Home My Girlish Whims Allie Makes Gluesticks Thrifty 101 Momnivores Dilemma A Little Knick Knack Miss Mustard Seed Freckled Laundry kojo designs A vision to remember Primitive and Proper 733 Rook no 17 Home Stories A to Z Naptime Crafters Whipperberry delightful order blissful and domestic elizabeth and co diy by design gingersnap crafts>my repurposed life

Faux Brick and Rusted Iron (Some Pics From Our Church's Christmas Set)

I remember promising you that I'd give you details about why I was so busy in December... oops!  It's only March now!  Well, here is one of the things I was working on:  The set for our church's Christmas production!  They presented the story of Christ's birth (in a modern and updated way).

"Joseph" isn't really painting here... that wall he is pretending to paint is a rotating panel that has three sides (so that they could change scenes quickly and easily)

The set was enormous!  I serve on the set-painting/design team and it has been such a blessing to me.  I worked on this set with two friends from church, Brittney and Deborah... it was a dream team!!!

The entire set was constructed out of wood, paint and polystyrene board (typically used for insulation).  We used some really cool techniques to sculpt and paint the faux brick.

We started with these boards and peeled off the plastic film

source: building.dow.com

And then marked off where we wanted our mortar lines.  We used acetone (applied with paint brushes) to eat away at the foam and make indentations where the mortar would be.

Then we painted the brick

I used about 4 different paint colors, applied with a large kitchen sponge.

Then I painted in the mortar lines with a grayish-taupe color

This is what it looked like finished (complete with some graffiti).

Here is a close-up of the stairs;  they were made of wood, but we wanted them to look like old iron.

We painted them in black first.  Once that was dry, I dry brushed some orange and brown on top. 

Here is the set before we started painting

If you look closely, you can see Brittney painting the "concrete" on the second story...

and here it is all done!

This pic cracks me up; everyone who took part in this production did an amazing job!  And you get to see a close-up of Brittney's awesome job on the faux concrete.

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Blessings,
Jamie

This post is linked here:  Today's Creative Blog Blue Cricket Design Kurtz Corner Mommy by Day Crafter by Night Cherished Bliss Lines Across My Face Southern Lovely Bear Rabbit Bear French Country Cottage Craft Junkie Too DIY Home Sweet Home Saved by Love Domestically Speaking Funky Junk Interiors Homemaker on a Dime Eisy Morgan The Answer is Chocolate Making the World Cuter Craft-O-Maniac lolly jane 504 Main I Heart Naptime Singing Three Little Birds mad in crafts House of Hepworths Somewhat Simple Chic on a Shoestring Keeping it Simple Be Different Act Normal Sew Can Do Sew Chatty Pinkapotamus The Girl Creative Flamingo Toes Tatertots and Jello Sisters of the Wild West Reasons to Skip the Housework Giggles Glitz and Glam Tip JunkieThe Trendy Treehouse Ladybug Blessings Night Owl Crafting Tea Rose Home My Girlish Whims Allie Makes Gluesticks Thrifty 101 Momnivores Dilemma A Little Knick Knack Miss Mustard Seed Freckled Laundry kojo designs A vision to remember Primitive and Proper 733 Rook no 17 Home Stories A to Z Naptime Crafters Whipperberry delightful order blissful and domestic elizabeth and co diy by design gingersnap crafts>my repurposed life

Bringing Some Spring Into Our Home Decor

I made a few changes around the house this week.  The pear tree out front is in bloom, the bees are back in action and we've had the windows open; It's time for the winter decor to go.

In with the eggs...

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and out with the pine cones.  

The eggs started as colored plastic eggs.  I painted them in neutral colors and bespeckled them (is bespeckled a word???).  I found the painted egg tutorial at Let It Shine.

This

used to look like this.

Despite my "let it snow" message on the dry erase lamp, we only had one pathetic little snow this winter.

I finally gave up the hope for any snow and decided to officially welcome Spring

And here are our favorite Easter decorations

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These cute vintage bunnies were my mother-in-law's when she was a young girl in the 1950's.  I love having them around the house this time of year!

And did I mention they rattle???

Happy Spring everyone!!!  Are you ready for this warm weather?  Have you made changes around the house yet?  I'm wondering just how shameless it would be to turn the air conditioning on in March;  it has been over 80 degrees inside the house all week!

Blessings,

Jamie

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This post is linked here:  Today's Creative Blog Blue Cricket Design Kurtz Corner Mommy by Day Crafter by Night Cherished Bliss Lines Across My Face Southern Lovely Bear Rabbit Bear French Country Cottage Craft Junkie Too DIY Home Sweet Home Saved by Love Domestically Speaking Funky Junk Interiors Homemaker on a Dime Eisy Morgan The Answer is Chocolate Making the World Cuter Craft-O-Maniac lolly jane 504 Main I Heart Naptime Singing Three Little Birds mad in crafts House of Hepworths Somewhat Simple Chic on a Shoestring Keeping it Simple Be Different Act Normal Sew Can Do Sew Chatty Pinkapotamus The Girl Creative Flamingo Toes Tatertots and Jello Sisters of the Wild West Reasons to Skip the Housework Giggles Glitz and Glam Tip JunkieThe Trendy Treehouse Ladybug Blessings Night Owl Crafting Tea Rose Home My Girlish Whims Allie Makes Gluesticks Thrifty 101 Momnivores Dilemma A Little Knick Knack Miss Mustard Seed Freckled Laundry kojo designs A vision to remember Primitive and Proper 733 Rook no 17 Home Stories A to Z Naptime Crafters Whipperberry delightful order blissful and domestic elizabeth and co diy by design gingersnap crafts>my repurposed life

Not Your Mama's Furniture Store...

I have some exciting news!  I was selected as a finalist for Su Casa's Test It Blog It Win It contest!  This is seriously like no other furniture store you've ever been in.  

source: Su Casa

Here was my reaction when I first visited the store years ago:

Gasp!!!  (oh the beauty)

Sigh..... (I bet I can't afford a single thing in here)

Hooray!  (I looked a some price tags and realized I could)

This place has mastered the art of balancing fun with sophistication.  Su Casa helped me realize I could have a say in my home's style.  I could put my stamp on it.  Mix it up.  Love where I live.  Just walking around the store inspired me.

These ducks that are sold at Su Casa became standard gifts for friends of ours when my husband and I were first married.

Go check them out...  each one has his or her own name and personality!  The adult ducks are pictured above, but we love the baby ducks too (and especially their $25 price tag).

Here's an example of the Su Casa style... don't you just love it?

source: Su Casa

So, here's how the contest works:  I get to test out a piece of Su Casa's furniture for a month.  I will be writing about my experience from purchase to delivery to cohabitation with my new piece all the way until the tearful goodbye.

Unless...

I win the piece of furniture and get to keep it forever and ever.  But I'll need your help with that.  If you could just click over to Su Casa and check out their stuff it would be a huge help!  It only takes a second and you won't regret it.  One look at their website and I promise you'll be able to tell this is not your Mama's furniture store!

I cannot wait to go shopping.  I'll be updating periodically to let you know what I get.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for your support!  Be sure to leave a comment if you decide to stop by their website.  I'd love to know what you think (and what piece of furniture you think I should try out).

Blessings,

Jamie

Some Fun New Murals and Wall Vinyl Text

I had the opportunity to paint some more murals in the hallways at our church

Looking for tips on how I paint "swirls"?  Check out this post!

I got to use my Silhouette Cameo for some of the work

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Oh my gosh this is a time-saver for doing text on walls, the machine has practically paid for itself in the time and labor it has saved me.

This is in the staff hallway

*a little tip:  Use at least 2 colors and overlap a little of the text to create more visual interest.

I used to not care about how long a project would take, but now that I have two little cuties waiting at home for me, I don't like being away from them for longer than is necessary.  Well, that and I have to pay for childcare hourly!

Here is the hallway leading to the children's ministry rooms

For this area, I wanted something fun, kind of mod and totally abstract.

Someone at church described it as "trippy" hahaha.  Maybe a little.  I just think it's fun!

These "bubbles" are gigantic.  I really wanted them to be playful looking for the kids.  The florescent lighting is really harsh so the walls didn't photograph well, but you get the picture.

So, this work is a little of the reason I took a blogging hiatus in December.  I have no excuse for my slacker-ness lately.  I have been so scatterbrained and I can't seem to focus on any one thing.  Anyone else having this problem lately?

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Blessings,

Jamie

This post is linked here:  Today's Creative Blog Blue Cricket Design Kurtz Corner Mommy by Day Crafter by Night Cherished Bliss Lines Across My Face Southern Lovely Bear Rabbit Bear French Country Cottage Craft Junkie Too DIY Home Sweet Home Saved by Love Domestically Speaking Funky Junk Interiors Homemaker on a Dime Eisy Morgan The Answer is Chocolate Making the World Cuter Craft-O-Maniac lolly jane 504 Main I Heart Naptime Singing Three Little Birds mad in crafts House of Hepworths Somewhat Simple Chic on a Shoestring Keeping it Simple Be Different Act Normal Sew Can Do Sew Chatty Pinkapotamus The Girl Creative Flamingo Toes Tatertots and Jello Sisters of the Wild West Reasons to Skip the Housework Giggles Glitz and Glam Tip JunkieThe Trendy Treehouse Ladybug Blessings Night Owl Crafting Tea Rose Home My Girlish Whims Allie Makes Gluesticks Thrifty 101 Momnivores Dilemma A Little Knick Knack Miss Mustard Seed Freckled Laundry kojo designs A vision to remember Primitive and Proper 733 Rook no 17 Home Stories A to Z Naptime Crafters Whipperberry delightful order blissful and domestic elizabeth and co diy by design gingersnap crafts>my repurposed life