Shabby Gals: July 2013

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Out of the Ordinary

Good afternoon!! I hope you are all enjoying your last day of July. I still can't believe the summer is going by that fast. As we speak I have a sick baby hanging on my arm. Kids aren't supposed to get sick in the summer right? So our last few days of July have been spent at home chilling inside. Good thing it has been cloudy and rainy or else we would be really missing out. :)

I have an obsession for old items. Some items that are collectibles and some that are old and what some people may think of as "junk". I took a couple of old oil cans...I just love the shape of them, and I sprayed them white. I think they look cute hanging out with my other decorations on a shelf. I know guys like to collect them in there garages or man caves but why can't us gals use them also on our shelves. The white just makes them look a little cleaner and much prettier. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your day!!

Linked to these parties:

http://wearethatfamily.com/

http://www.domestically-speaking.com/2013/07/188th-power-of-paint-party-popp.html

http://www.733blog.com/2013/07/sugar-spice-174.html

http://www.sew-much-ado.com/

http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/

http://www.handymancraftywoman.com/

http://www.notjustahousewife.net/2013/07/show-me-what-ya-got-131.html

http://hopestudios.blogspot.com/

http://www.itsoverflowing.com/2013/07/share-your-creativity-88/

http://theshadyporch.blogspot.com/2013/07/rock-n-share-52.html

http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/2013/07/wow-me-wednesday-114.html

http://www.homemakeronadime.com/

http://knickoftimeinteriors.blogspot.com/

http://www.astrollthrulife.net/

http://www.abowlfulloflemons.net/2013/07/one-project-at-a-time-73013.html

http://yesterdayontuesday.com/2013/07/project-inspired-25/

http://www.houseofhepworths.com/2013/07/31/hookin-up-with-hoh-159/#more-14252

http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

http://www.momontimeout.com/2013/07/your-creative-timeout-party-no-92/

http://handmadecuddles.com/

http://serendipityandspice.com/2013/07/manic-monday-linkyparty-729.html

http://www.madetobeamomma.com/

http://www.jaqsstudio.com/

http://thetrendytreehouse.blogspot.com/

http://thewinthropchronicles.blogspot.com/

http://carolynshomework.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-inspiration-board-creative-party-113.html

http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/

http://becolorful.typepad.com/

Monday, July 29, 2013

Red Utensils......

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you had a great weekend....as they always go by so fast. I wanted to share with you some fun utensils I updated last month. I found both the fork and spoon at a local rummage sale. I think they are just fun....and would add a whimsical touch to any kitchen. The best part is you can spray them any color to match your decor:)

Here they are before I gave them a coat of spray paint....

And here they are with a new coat of shiny, red paint! I chose to antique them a bit with black paint around the edges.

Now....don't you want some oversized utensils for your kitchen?? I think they would look cute in my kitchen....now do I want to sell them in my booth or save them for me??

Have a great week!
Linked to these great Parties:
http://www.handymancraftywoman.com/
http://wearethatfamily.com/
http://www.domestically-speaking.com/2013/07/188th-power-of-paint-party-popp.html
http://www.733blog.com/2013/07/sugar-spice-174.html
http://www.sew-much-ado.com/
http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/
http://hopestudios.blogspot.com/
http://www.itsoverflowing.com/2013/07/share-your-creativity-88/
http://theshadyporch.blogspot.com/2013/07/rock-n-share-52.html
http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/2013/07/wow-me-wednesday-114.html
http://www.homemakeronadime.com/
http://knickoftimeinteriors.blogspot.com/
http://www.astrollthrulife.net/
http://www.abowlfulloflemons.net/2013/07/one-project-at-a-time-73013.html
http://www.notjustahousewife.net/2013/07/show-me-what-ya-got-131.html
http://itssoverycheri.com/2013/07/28/its-party-time-7-28-2013/
http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/
http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/
http://www.skiptomylou.org/2013/07/29/made-by-you-monday-163/
http://www.madincrafts.com/2013/07/mad-skills-party-166.html
http://diyshowoff.com/2013/07/28/that-diy-party-and-weekly-recap/
http://threemangoseeds.blogspot.com/
http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2013/07/the-sunday-showcase-party-no-205.html
http://lambaround.blogspot.com/
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
http://happyhourprojects.com
http://www.504main.com
http://shabbynest.blogspot.com
http://www.trulylovelyblog.com/
http://www.blissfulanddomestic.com/
http://thegrantlife.com
http://whipperberry.com/
http://www.fivedaysfiveways.com/
http://kitchenfunwithmy3sons.blogspot.com/
http://www.oneartsymama.com/
http://www.craftionary.net/
http://www.tutusteaparties.com
http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com
http://www.whilehewasnapping.com/
http://too-much-time.com/
http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net
http://ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com/
http://handmadecuddles.com/
http://www.alderberryhill.com/
http://www.sumossweetstuff.com/
http://diyshowoff.com/
http://becolorful.typepad.com/
http://www.sewcando.com/

Featured at:

Friday, July 26, 2013

How about some Orange?

Good evening everyone. Here is Michigan and where I am it is raining and about 60 degrees. It's a far cry from the hot and humid weather we had a week ago. I see steam coming off the lake. Well I have a little project that I did and I'm sorry but I forgot to take a picture of my little step ladder. It was really beat up and lots of paint splatters all over it. I wanted to give it a burst of color and I decided to paint it a fun orange. This is what it looks like:

I first painted the whole ladder with Kilz paint because I didn't want any stains to come thru and kilz paint helps that problem. When it dried I painted it my fun orange.

But when the orange paint dried I thought it still looked a little boring so I decided to paint the No.'s on each of the steps in a burnt umber acrylic paint. I than painted all the edges to look distressed and all the bolts and screws on the side of the ladder.

I was pleased on how it came out and it looks so fun and cheery.

What do you think? Until next time, Dianne............................
Linked to these parties.....
http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/
http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/2013/07/frugal-friday_25.html
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
http://missmustardseed.com/2013/07/furniture-feature-friday-link-party-lauras-picks/
http://tatertotsandjello.com/2013/07/weekend-wrap-up-party-and-silhouette-giveaway.html
http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/2013/07/party-junk-197-a-diy-link-party.html
http://iamonly1woman.blogspot.com/
http://lovelycraftyhome.com/
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/2013/07/feathered-nest-friday_25.html
http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/2013/07/show-tell-saturday-072713.html
http://www.thegirlcreative.com/2013/07/25/the-weekly-creatiive-link-party.html
http://diyshowoff.com/2013/07/28/that-diy-party-and-weekly-recap/
http://itssoverycheri.com/2013/07/28/its-party-time-7-28-2013/
http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2013/07/the-sunday-showcase-party-no-205.html
http://lambaround.blogspot.com/
http://www.iheartnaptime.net/sundae-scoop-link-party-90/
http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/
http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/
http://www.skiptomylou.org/2013/07/29/made-by-you-monday-163/
http://www.madincrafts.com/2013/07/mad-skills-party-166.html
http://www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com/
http://www.sumossweetstuff.com/
http://www.keepingitsimplecrafts.com/
http://threemangoseeds.blogspot.com/
http://itssoverycheri.com/2013/07/28/its-party-time-7-28-2013/
http://www.gingersnapcrafts.com/
http://serendipityandspice.com/2013/07/manic-monday-linkyparty-729.html
http://ninthstreetnotions.com/
http://becolorful.typepad.com/
http://thegrantlife.com/link-party-financial-friday-725/
http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/
http://www.nap-timecreations.com/2013/07/tasteful-tuesday-party-730-with-teenage.html
http://www.adventuresofadiymom.com/
http://www.craftionary.net/
http://www.youngandcrafty.com/
http://www.alderberryhill.com/
http://www.kammyskorner.com/
http://www.redflycreations.com/
http://www.504main.com/2013/07/tickled-pink-no-153.html

The Girl Creative

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Book Shelf

Hi all!! I hope your Wednesday is treating you well. This weather around Michigan today is outstanding!! It's probably high 70's and I am LOVING it. Not that I don't like the really hot weather but this is nice weather to open up the windows and get some projects done.

This piece that I found at a garage sale (where else would I find it right?) was probably used as a shelf. I guess I am not sure because it was sitting on the ground in a garage when I found it but that is just what I am assuming it was used for. When I saw it though I thought what a perfect bookshelf to hold all of my children's books or it could even be used for magazines. So I flipped it over and tried some books in it and it works perfect. It's not huge so I figure I can put a few books in at a time and keep rotating them. I guess that is the teacher coming out in me. Kids always love when new things are introduced to them, so I figure once these books get old I can go into my stash and pull out some new ones. :) Anyhow on to the shelf...I sprayed it this blue color that I can't seem to get enough of lately and then roughed up the edges and wiped some brown paint all over it. I figured since it will be used in a child's room it will probably be a little banged up anyhow so why not start with it a little bit rustic. :)

Overall I am super pumped with how it turned out and I think it will look perfect in the future playroom or in my daughters room. A great way to keep the books organized!! It's always a good thing to have tools to organize the chaos right? I hope you have a great rest of your week! Take care.

LINKED TO THESE PARTIES:http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/2013/08/show-tell-saturday-080313.html
http://tatertotsandjello.com/2013/08/weekend-wrap-up-party-and-win-a-last-fling-of-summer-prize-basket.html
http://www.positivelysplendid.com/2013/08/back-to-school-link-party.html
http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/2013/08/party-junk-198-a-diy-link-party.html
http://iamonly1woman.blogspot.com/
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/2013/08/feathered-nest-friday.html
http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/
http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/2013/08/frugal-friday.html
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
http://www.blissfulanddomestic.com/
http://www.thegirlcreative.com/2013/08/01/the-weekly-creative-link-party-5.html
http://lovelycraftyhome.com/
http://www.momontimeout.com/2013/07/your-creative-timeout-party-no-92/
http://www.commonground-do.com/
http://rhinestonebeagle.blogspot.com/
http://yesterdayontuesday.com/2013/07/project-inspired-25/http://www.houseofhepworths.com/2013/07/31/hookin-up-with-hoh-159/#more-14252
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/
http://www.733blog.com/2013/07/sugar-spice-174.html
http://www.sew-much-ado.com/
http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/
http://www.abowlfulloflemons.net/2013/07/one-project-at-a-time-73013.html
http://www.notjustahousewife.net/2013/07/show-me-what-ya-got-131.html
http://www.itsoverflowing.com/
http://theshadyporch.blogspot.com/2013/07/rock-n-share-52.html

Monday, July 22, 2013

Tux Onesies

a href="http://www.keepingitsimplecrafts.com/" target="_blank"> Keeping It Simple

Good morning everyone and happy Monday! I hope you all had a nice weekend as we did around here in good 'ole Michigan! We spent a lot of time outside swimming and soaking up some vitamin D. Summer is just moving right along....almost too quick.

I wanted to share with you a couple of onesies I made awhile back (I think it was actually last Fall....judging by the pumpkin in the background:). I was inspired on a craft blog however it's been so long I cannot recall which website I saw these on. Sorry....if you know please email me so I can give credit where it's due. I bought just a few onesies from my local Walmart and then cut the shapes out using freezer paper.

Freezer paper works great as a stencil because when you lay the shiny side down and then iron it, your stencil stays in place. After I ironed my pattern pieces down, I used fabric paint and lightly sponged the paint on. I did two coats and then let it dry and set for a few days. Here they are after.....

I hope you have a wonderful day!

If you're reading....ThAnKs!!!

Linking to these fun parties:

http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com
http://tatertotsandjello.com
http://www.youngandcrafty.com/
http://too-much-time.com/
http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net
http://www.whilehewasnapping.com/
http://www.tutusteaparties.com
http://www.raisingmemories.com/
I've Been Featured:

Monday, July 15, 2013

New and Improved Bread Box

Good morning sunshines! Hope all is well in your part of the world! It looks like we are going to have a hot week here in Michigan so I plan to head to the lake for a couple of days with my son. There's no better place to be when it's hot....right??

I found this bread box at a local church rummage sale.....

I decided to give it a face-lift and spray it with a fun green color. I then antiqued it a bit with some black paint around the edges. Lastly, I removed the glass portion of it and sprayed it with some chalkboard paint. That is my favorite part of the bread box now....

Here is the finished product....

Thursday, July 11, 2013

A Bird's Nest

Good afternoon, fellow bloggers. It's a beautiful Thursday afternoon. Sun is shining and it's not a blustery hot afternoon. Well I have a project that I did a little while back and it's sitting at our cabin. It was a square maple end table that needed some work on the top. I forgot to take a before picture, but I'm sure one can remember the nice 70's square maple table it once was. I had lightly sanded the table and then painted a coat of kilz on top of the wood. I chose a white paint and than designed a bird's nest on top. Why not? Our cabin is surrounded by birds and nature, so why not bring nature in. I than antiqued all the grooves and edges with a burnt umber acrylic paint. Than I splattered burnt umber paint all over the table. Here is a sampling of what it looks like:

Here is my bird's nest with eggs.

Here's a close-up of the distressing.

Here it is sitting in my cabin with my funky lamp which is also vintage.

So what do you think? Until next time, Dianne................
Linked to these parties:
http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/2013/07/transformation-thursday-no-212.html
http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/
http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2013/07/make-it-pretty-monday-week-57.html
http://thissillygirlslife.com/2013/07/two-girls-and-a-party-linky-party-no-24/
http://www.linesacross.com/
http://www.thegirlcreative.com/2013/08/01/the-weekly-creative-link-party-5.html
http://diyshowoff.com/
http://itssoverycheri.com/2013/08/04/its-party-time-8-4-2013/
http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2013/08/the-sunday-showcase-party-no-206.html
http://lambaround.blogspot.com/
http://www.iheartnaptime.net/sundae-scoop-link-party-91/
http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/2013/08/show-tell-saturday-080313.html
http://tatertotsandjello.com/2013/08/weekend-wrap-up-party-and-win-a-last-fling-of-summer-prize-basket.html
http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/2013/08/party-junk-198-a-diy-link-party.html
http://iamonly1woman.blogspot.com/
http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
http://ninthstreetnotions.com/2013/07/i-made-it-monday-67.html
http://serendipityandspice.com/2013/07/manic-monday-linkyparty-729.html
http://www.trulylovelyblog.net/
http://twoyellowbirdsdecor.blogspot.com/
http://www.madetobeamomma.com/
http://www.jaqsstudio.com/
http://thetrendytreehouse.blogspot.com/
http://thegrantlife.com/financial-friday-free-desktop-calendar/
http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/
http://becolorful.typepad.com/
http://www.504main.com/2013/08/tickled-pink-no-154.html
http://www.twindragonflydesigns.com/
http://www.alderberryhill.com/
http://www.threemangoseeds.blogspot.com/
http://igottacreate.blogspot.com/2013/07/wildly-original-link-party-63-flash-back.html
http://www.craftionary.net/
http://www.youngandcrafty.com/

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Simple Frame Idea

Good morning!! It looks like it is going to be another beautiful day around these areas!! I can't believe that we are ten days into July already. I am wondering where my summer is going. It's going WAY to fast.

I bought this frame at a garage sale. It had a mirror in the middle at one point but had broken and they removed it. When I saw it I immediately thought it would look cute with some chicken wire in the middle. Lately that seems to be one of my favorite materials to replace anything with. I just love the look of it and the possibilities of chicken wire are endless. Anyhow I painted it up with some homemade chalk paint. I then sanded it down to distress the corners and make it look older. It just goes to show you that nothing needs to be thrown away...you can always find a way to re-new and re-use anything.

I hope you all are enjoying your summer months and have a great day!!

Here is the before picture. As you can see the mirror is no longer inside of the frame. I took off the back piece and inserted chicken wire.

Linked to these Parties
http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/2013/08/show-tell-saturday-080313.html
http://tatertotsandjello.com/2013/08/weekend-wrap-up-party-and-win-a-last-fling-of-summer-prize-basket.html
http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/2013/08/party-junk-198-a-diy-link-party.html
http://iamonly1woman.blogspot.com/
http://www.blissfulanddomestic.com/
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/2013/08/frugal-friday.html
http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/
http://www.thegirlcreative.com/2013/08/01/the-weekly-creative-link-party-5.html
http://www.iheartnaptime.net/sundae-scoop-link-party-91/

http://itssoverycheri.com/2013/07/28/its-party-time-7-28-2013/

http://lovelycraftyhome.com/
http://lambaround.blogspot.com/

Monday, July 8, 2013

I made a few more signs.......

Hey there! I hope you all had a great Fourth of July weekend! We headed north to my parent's cabin and enjoyed a long extended weekend lounging by the lake. It was very enjoyable and went by way too quick!! Now....it's back to reality, which includes putting everything away and getting organized again which really is NOT much fun...right? It's hard to believe that we just celebrated the Fourth of July....can we just sloooow down time for a bit? Summer is my favorite season....and I need it to stick around for a bit!

I wanted to share with you a couple of signs that I made a few months back. I had some boards laying around so I gave them a coat of primer. After the coat of primer had dried I created both stencils using my cricut machine. I've said before that contact paper works great as stencils and is much cheaper to use than the vinyl you find at your craft store. I placed my contact letters down on the board and then painted a layer of gray paint and yellow paint (pictured below). After that layer of paint dried I lifted the contact paper letters off and received my desired phrases. The letters came out almost perfect:)

Thanks for reading.....
Linking to these parties:
http://www.craft-o-maniac.com/
http://www.sewcando.com/
http://becolorful.typepad.com/
http://diyshowoff.com
http://www.sumossweetstuff.com/
http://www.keepingitsimplecrafts.com/
http://www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com/
http://www.homemakeronadime.com/
http://www.alderberryhill.com/
http://ninthstreetnotions.com/
http://www.linesacross.com/
http://jembellish.blogspot.com/
http://diyhshp.blogspot.com/
http://handmadecuddles.com/
http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com/
http://ourdelightfulhome.blogspot.com/
http://saynotsweetanne.com

Thursday, July 4, 2013

A Little Teacup Pincushion

Good Morning and Happy 4th of July!!!!!!!!!!!!!!We are headed out to our camp and I thought that I would finish up my little blog before we head out. Sounds like we will have a nice weekend and a busy one. Well, anyways I had this vintage teacup that was missing its saucer but I thought that this cup was so pretty and I didn't want to throw it away, so I decided to make it into a little pincushion. Here is the before picture:

I had this pretty floral material in my stash and I thought that the colors would accentuate the little teacup.

I also decided that I needed a little bit or rickrack to add to the finished result.

I hot glued some small pieces of foam to the bottom of the inside of the teacup. When I liked the rounded amount, I than covered the foam with battening, a few pieces of that. I made a small little ruffle of the material and attached the ruffle to a piece of lace. I than glued that to the inside of the teacup along the edge of the rim. I than made a larger circle of the material and slightly hand gathered the edges and pulled it to the desired size and hot-glued that on top and along the edges of the rim of the teacup.

When that was dried and set I hot-glued the edges of the top with the rick rack, just to make a nice finished edge.

So, what do you think about my little teacup pincushion?

Until next time, Dianne........................

Linked to these parties:http://www.houseofhepworths.com/2013/07/03/hookin-up-with-hoh-155/#more-14059
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/
http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/2013/07/transformation-thursday-no-211.html
http://www.733blog.com/2013/07/sugar-spice-170.html
http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/
http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/
http://thissillygirlslife.com/2013/07/two-girls-and-a-party-linky-party-no-23/
http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/
http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/2013/07/frugal-friday.html
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
http://tatertotsandjello.com/2013/07/weekend-wrap-up-and-silhouette-giveaway.html
http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/2013/07/party-junk-194-fav-summer-adventures.html
http://iamonly1woman.blogspot.com/
http://www.thegirlcreative.com/2013/07/04/the-weekly-creative-2.html
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/2013/07/happy-4th-of-july-feathered-nest-friday.html
http://www.positivelysplendid.com/2013/07/all-things-summer-link-party.html
http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/2013/07/show-tell-saturday-070513.html

Monday, July 1, 2013

Painted ABC Blocks

Good evening! It's Monday and we are looking forward to spending a few days up at my parents' camp for the long fourth of July weekend. I'm looking forward to putting up my feet and enjoying the sun and relaxing! It's one of my favorite places to be and it's looking like it's my son's favorite place to go as well:)

I found these ABC blocks awhile back at a garage sale. Simple and cute...right? My son is four and really has outgrown these small blocks so I thought why not try and even make them cuter?

So, I went to work and gave them a coat of one my fave colors right now....a light aqua color. After they dried I rubbed a bit of black paint onto the blocks. I really do love them after their make-over......They would be cute on a shelf with a word like..."LOVE" spelled out. They are in my shop as we speak....maybe someone will love them as much as I do.