My Rental Livingroom

Well, being in the new house has taken me 2 months to finally decorate my living room. It's finally starting to come together, although I plan on updating a few things here and there. 

The home sign I made with some pallet wood and chicken wire. 

Then I added the letters.

I also made the lantern thingy. I used the cheap pine and a plant hanger. I think I got the lantern from Family Dollar for $5. 

The frame is a yard sale find ($1) and the key is cardboard. I got it from a craft store. I think Michael's...  

And the chalkboard is a mirror I refinished. 

Yes, I also made the faux barn door. 

I don't do anything that costs too much.  Most of this stuff is clearance Isle, or thrift store hand me downs that I've given new life to. 

I'm sure there will be more to come, but it's nice that it's starting to feel like a home.

My Rental Livingroom

Well, being in the new house has taken me 2 months to finally decorate my living room. It's finally starting to come together, although I plan on updating a few things here and there. 

The home sign I made with some pallet wood and chicken wire. 

Then I added the letters.

I also made the lantern thingy. I used the cheap pine and a plant hanger. I think I got the lantern from Family Dollar for $5. 

The frame is a yard sale find ($1) and the key is cardboard. I got it from a craft store. I think Michael's...  

And the chalkboard is a mirror I refinished. 

Yes, I also made the faux barn door. 

I don't do anything that costs too much.  Most of this stuff is clearance Isle, or thrift store hand me downs that I've given new life to. 

I'm sure there will be more to come, but it's nice that it's starting to feel like a home.

Chalk Painted Couch

       

Hi everyone! Today I took the bull by the horns and decided to do the unthinkable. I painted this faux leather couch. I bought the couch for $30 off of a Facebook buy, sell, and trade group.  It did it's purpose, but it's dark red barky color just didn't do justice to my decor.

Just not my cup of tea.  There were some areas where the couch had cracked and showed it's age too. 

Today on whim, I decided to try and paint this thing.  I mixed up some homemade chalk paint.  I used a grey base and added brown to it for a nice neutral color. I had a sample can from lowes on hand and some leftover colors i mixed together. I diluted the paint with water. Just to thin it out a bit. I used a large soft brush.  (It's a 3x10.) This helped me get into all the spaces and cover more ground.

Here it is with the first coat:

 It looks kinda scary... but I worked past it.  Usually my projects look ugly before they take on the full effects of their beauty within. ;)

Oh yeah, I dis not haul the monster outside. I think the thi g weighs 400 lbs.

The second coat was much better.

I do have to say, it was a bit harder then painting regular upholstery.  There are a lot of cracks and creases to get to. All together it took me about 3 1/2 hours.  The chalk paint dries so fast. The coats are done very thin.

I love how it turned out.  It brightened my whole living room up and cost me a total of $4. 

Here soon I do plan on adding a sealant of some sort to it.

Any luck painting faux or real leather furniture with chalk paint?

Kitchen Table From Old Door!

So you all know my obsession with old doors right?  

Well... A dear friend of mine gave me an old door from her shed.

It had already been chopped in half lengthwise.

It was missing the complete side where the handle originally was.

I was unsure what I was going to do with it... 

I had several projects I wanted to do, but because of the way it was cut, I decided to go with

dun dun dun...

A new kitchen table!

 I used the plans from here, for the legs, but adjusted them to fit my space.  I also made them 36" tall to be counter height.  

I think it goes great with my new $4 lights!

In the near future I plan on covering it with a piece of glass to protect it...

What are your favorite upcycled door projects?

Vintage Trunk Redo

A few months ago, I picked up this trunk at a yard sale for $5!

As you can see it was in rough shape.

The inside was worse than the outside and it needed a major paint job.

I used homemade chalk paint in a blue-grey color, and a silver glaze.

I did some stenciling on the top and front...

I lined the inside with scrapbook paper by using a spray adhesive.

I plan on adding some legs to it soon!  For now I love it!

Easy Chicken Pockets!

Hey everyone!

Today I wanted to share this little recipe with you.  It really isn't much, but these are sooo yummy.  The

kids and the adults are sure to love these!

Here's what you need: 

1 Can Grands Biscuits

1 Can White Chicken

1 Container Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese

1 Can Jalapenos

1 Cup Shredded Cheese

This is the easiest thing you will make for dinner.  These are great for nights where kids have games, or plays, or dance etc..

These are also great to make at night and pack in school lunches or hubby lunches for the next day!

Start by opening each biscuit up.  If you are using grands they have a lot of flaky layers and are quite easy to separate...  Don't completely separate them in half, only open them up enough to stuff them. :)

Next, fill the biscuits with a small amount of each ingredient.

Close your biscuits up & seal the edges by pinching them tight.

Bake according to package directions on the biscuits.  

 VWALLA!

I know they don't look like much but they are tasty pockets of deliciousness!

Easy, peasy!  The final cost for these was only $9!

$4 DIY Light Fixture!

Hey everyone!

I have really procrastinated about doing some sort of light fixture in my kitchen, but I finally accomplished this task!

The best part is, that it was only $5 for the domes.  (I am super cheap so this works for me!)

Here's what you will need:

Elmers glue   $1

Twine or String    $2

Balloon     $1

Start by pouring 1/2 C of Glue and 1/8 C of water into a styrophom bowl.  Mix the glue mixture.

Blow up a balloon to your desired size.  

Dip your string in the glue and start wrapping the balloon.  Squeeze the excess glue off of the string as you go.  

THIS IS A MESSY TASK! 

Keep wrapping and dipping and unraveling your twine.  When you think your balloon is covered in the right amount of string or twine, set it aside to dry.

I let mine dry overnight.  

Next, pop the balloon.  You should be left with the shell. :)

Next you need to cut a piece of cardboard for the top so it doesnt slide off the lights.

I cut mine from an old cereal box.  Measure your hole at the top of your light fixture.  Make sure the middle circle is smaller than the width of your light socket.  You can cut slits in the inside circle so it slides on.  

Fold your cardbaord circle in half and gently place it inside of your light.

Then just slide them up onto your existing fixture.

You can also place the cardboard up first and then put your string light on.

 If you are wondering about the pendant lights, you can find them here:

                                                                 

I am happy with it!