Tutorials

Barn Door Hardware Transforms an UGLY Hallway

#sponsored OUTDATED Doesn’t Begin to Describe It Yes. I admit it. My hallway was boring, ugly, dark, uninviting – you get the picture. Before we bought the house, the one wall across from the closet had a type of salt wash that made it very rough. I sanded it down and painted before we moved in, but never liked the hallway partly because it was dark and partly due to the bifold doors. Or should I say “bifold door.” The one was off and the other had a doggie door in it. I have no idea why other than I know they had lots of animals, so the animal “stuff” must have been in the closet.     For the past 5 years I’ve waited to update that hallway and get new doors, but I’ve been holding out, wanting the barn door look. Every day I just ignored that area … Read more

Accent Table Turns a New Paige – Pure and Original Fresco Lime Paint

#Sponsored Post They all were just passing her by… We named her “Paige”. Here she is in her original home before she became mine. She was one of many at an estate sale: Paige was pretty scratched up and worn out, but she had good bones. We snatched her up and packed her in with all the other pieces we found that day and took her home. She was an after thought. Why not? She had potential. After flipping her over, we could tell she had been handcrafted by the pencil marks that were still visible. Materials List (Affiliate Links) Soy Gel Metal Putty Knife Wallprim Fresco Lime Paint Rigid Hand Sander HomeRight Finish Max Sprayer Dead Flat Eco Sealer Java Gel Wipe On Poly FolkArt Mandalla Stencil Since we had just started using (afflink) Soy Gel to strip some pieces, my DH threw her in the mix. Strip off … Read more

End Tables Ava & Elsa Restyled by P&O Inspiration Collection 2017

#sponsored post The Story of Ava & Elsa Ava & Elsa were not wanted. Ava & Elsa sat out in a driveway thinking there was no hope. Ava & Elsa were wobbly and scratched up pieces with a $10 tag for BOTH of them. Ava & Elsa though they were worth more but needed someone to find them and make them beautiful again. I was that someone… AVA “BEFORE” Finding Your Inner Artist It does take practice, but the more you hunt and take home projects, the more you practice different techniques and experiment with different paints, the more you will gain a new perspective on our craft and gain your own style and develop a vision for redesign. Don’t tell yourself you don’t have the talent or tell me that you could never do what I do.  I learned how to transform old unwanted out-dated pieces of furniture and … Read more

Serving Cart Goes Fresco – A Lime Paint Transformation

#sponsored An Uncommon Surprise I know I say this a lot – so forgive my repetitiveness, but this transformation snuck up and surprised me more than I could have ever expected. (afflinks) Pure and Original offered to let me try out their Fresco lime paint on a piece of furniture. Typically one would use the Fresco Lime Paint on walls, but I wanted to try it on my furniture. BEFORE This serving cart sat in my house, slowly becoming outdated over the years – as have many pieces in my home and probably yours too. Before and After At one time this was modern and trendy. But no more. When I look at it now, I just see “old & boring”. Normally I’d not show the “after” so soon but I just couldn’t resist. This one threw me for a loop. The (afflink) lime paint finish is extraordinary. AFTER Here … Read more

Refinished End Tables Pair Up to Become Cora & Nora

#sponsored Estate sales are a great way to find matched sets. Twin end tables are rare and are highly sought after in the furniture rehab world. We found Cora & Nora, along with their matching coffee table, last summer at an estate sale in Stevens Point. The finish was “OK” but I like my furniture to be more than “OK”. “OK” is good enough for boring people. True that? So how do we “un-boring” it? Stuck on the Old-World Look. You could call it shabby chic, distressed, farmstyle, etc. but basically the “imperfect” has become the new “perfect.” Smooth, consistent, and coordinating have been replaced with chipped, shaded and contrasting. It is what it is, and most like it. There’s something about the worn, aged look that is appealing and millions around the world are in agreement. The Process and The Fail I first planned to use a new product, … Read more

2 Candle Holders Upcycled = A DIY Bird Feeder

Do you have an eye? Do you have an eye for upcycling? The craziest Goodwill finds can be combined to make useful and trendy home decor. Ya just gotta see it – imagine possibilities and be willing to experiment. That’s the case with these two candle holders – 1+1=1 For this tutorial, I’m going to be very specific and detailed – not because it’s a difficult or very detailed project, but because I want you to see the process for how a project comes together. Simple or complex, each project requires planning and contemplation for it to come together. Do you see how they can combine to make a one-of-a-kind bird feeder? 1. Turn the candle holder into a cup by creating a larger area to hold the bird seed. This is what it looked like “before.” DH called in the big guns for this job – it’s called a … Read more

DIY Duck Cloth Canvases {Love My DIY Home}

DIY Kid’s Room Canvases – Using Duck Cloth

Duck Cloth and Artist Canvases I have a nice and easy project for you – using (aff link) duck cloth canvas material, wood letters and artists canvases from (aff link) Hobby Lobby. Here is a coupon for you if you plan to shop there for your supplies (just click the coupon banner below and then look for “get coupon” in the right hand corner of the (aff link) Hobby Lobby web page): Supply List You will need (aff links): duck cloth 12 x 12 artist canvases (Search for: 12″ x 12″ Canvas Panel 5-Pack) heavy duty staple gun & staples scissors large letters (Search for: 9 1/2″ Wood Letter or the size appropriate for your canvas) paint for the letters (Search for: your fave acrylic paint color) bling STEP #1 Measure or just lay your canvas on your (aff link) duck cloth and cut it a few inches larger, just … Read more

Coffee Table Update OFMP {Love My DIY Home}

Coffee Table Comes Alive – An OFMP Update

Since I wanted to try out the two OFMP greens, Lexington and Tavern, layering seemed the best way to go. The first layer was Lexington. I added Extra Bond after a bit of research, since stain came off onto my sponge when I was cleaning in preparation for painting and I didn’t want to use shellac. The supposition is that the Extra Bond would seal in the stain if I mixed it into my first layer of OFMP. It covered well with not a hint on the dark stain bleeding through. So far so good.

Old Tissue Box Revived – Spray Paint Season is Here!

  I first wrote this in the beginning of 2015, and the technique has become quite popular, so I’m playing it again, Sam…     Another consignment shop find has found itself at the end of my spray paint can. I do enjoy spray painting – it’s quick and requires no top coat. It doesn’t fit every scenario, but once in a while it’s the best choice.   Spray paint season is once upon us and so let the games begin…   While dropping off STUFF…you know that STUFF that sat in your basement for years wondering if they’d ever turn into a “real piece of decor,” I found this cool little tissue box holder slathered in hand painted foofy flowers. Not really my style, but I could picture it painted. E.A.S.I.L.Y. I had done something similar to what was floating around in my head on an antique table for … Read more

80s Bookshelf Redesigned {Love My DIY Home}

1980s Style Bookshelf Redesigned

I’ve been tooting the “flip it don’t toss it” horn for quite a while now – have you heard it? Look around your house. Do you own any furniture that is the same ol’ same ol’ from the 80s? Are you tired of hum drum? Let’s look at a bookshelf re-designed out of the 80s and into the present. This old thing has been sitting in my hallways for a dozen years. It was time for a change and I’m not willing to go out and spend $100, but I will pick up a brush. Since (aff link) The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company provided products for this project, I was able to experiment a bit and come up with an original piece of art. Yep. I said “art.” Art isn’t always a framed picture on a wall. Art can be anything that an artist creates. What makes an artist? They … Read more

Love My DIY Home