Super Sweet Organizer - on the Cheap!

I am a lover of containers of any kind...and an even bigger fan of organization. I recently stumbled across this "file" box at a local outlet store. It was a pretty enough blue color, not exactly what I wanted, but since it was only $7.00 I grabbed it up anyway. I loved the staggered tiers for files, papers, notes. AND it had one drawer as well. A keeper.

...I found some paint in the garage....a shade of white...and I started painting. The first coat showed thick brush strokes, so after it dried I added a second coat that I applied with a soft cloth, rubbing it on in a smoother coat. Once the second coat dried, I used coarse sand paper and heavily distressed the edges and the drawer pull. Once I was happy with the level of distressing I took a finer sanding block and rubbed over the entire box to smooth things out. A final coat of minwax, in clear and it was finished. I LOVE IT.

It will be the perfect addition to the art studio....

I will be linking this up this week to these wonderful and inspirational parties!

Please be sure to check out all of the other sweet surprises these parties have to offer!

Art Supplies Get a Pretty New Home

I love to create scrapbooks and mixed media journals and all sorts of artsy things, so my stash of supplies is, well, enormous. I have a slight sickness when it comes to organization and my things having a "home," so when the quantity of pretty glitter glues became overwhelming, a new container was needed for storing them. I use them alot, so I wanted them to be easily accessible, and of course, I wanted them to be in something "pretty!" ...in comes that wonderful man again...

A two by four and a drill and he was off to creating.

It was a little rough around the edges, but it was just what I wanted. It would fit perfectly on the art studio island!

I added some layers of paint and took the palm sander to it....then I hand sanded the edges of the holes where it was extra rough from the drill bit.....

 ...it looked so sweet loaded with those soft "sherbety" rainbow of colors!

 Did I mention he rocks?

I hope to link this to some of my favorite inspirational sites. Check out the BLOG PARTIES tab above to see even more awesome inspiration for yourself! 

 Did I mention he rocks?

I hope to link this to some of my favorite inspirational sites. Check out the BLOG PARTIES tab above to see even more awesome inspiration for yourself!

White Wednesday -Shabby French Sign

      I had the good fortune this past weekend to both spend time with sweet, sweet friends AND go thrifting! We had a great time and I found many wonderful treasures (more photos to come later)...but one of my favorite finds was from a local Home Goods Store that we ventured into at the end of our outing! A sweet faux chalkboard. It was a cross between a salmon and red color....pretty, but not white. (I am sorry, in my haste I forgot to get a shot of the red color before beginning to paint). I wasn't sure what I wanted to paint, but I knew I wanted it to be a sign of some sort. I found a pretty french label on the Graphics Fairy and used some of the verbage on my own sign. I am NOT a detail painter by nature, so I had to give the whole thing a really good sanding at the end to disguise my less than perfect lettering. I love the end result. It looks worn and weathered, just like I had hoped. I will be sharing this inspiration on White Wednesday! Enjoy!

Vintage BreadBox

 When I found this really cool old breadbox many years ago I fell in love with it. It was metal and junky and perfect. I cleaned it all up and have used it forever now, in my kitchen...I finally decided it needed a new look. I didn't want to paint the entire box as I adore the old metal finish, so I just gave the gold "pane" on the front a mini overhaul. Cotton Knit paint and some cool lettering is all it took to make it look fresh and beautiful. Enjoy!

Sofa Table Turns Farmhouse Chic

This "too modern for me"sofa table got a soft, sweet makeover today. The table was dark and modern and very clean lined. I wanted soft and shabby... and since it lacked all the scrolly stuff I love, I gave it an extra rub down with the sander and got a sweet vintage farmhouse look!

Thanks to Gina's { The Shabby Chic Cottage } great tutorial I was able to get a gorgeous two-tone "years of layered paint" look! She rocks!

Please click on the tab at the top of the page to see where I will linking this post
& to be linked to all of the other awesome inspiration out there!