DIY

05.19.2014

Garage Sports Equipment Organizer

Check out this easy garage sports equipment organizer.

We are in the middle of baseball season here at the Davis household, and there’s a lot of equipment thrown around in the garage. I was tired of stepping out of the house and tripping over bats and cleats. So, I purchased Rubbermaid’s FastTrack 5 piece kit. I needed some organization FAST. And, I have to tell you, this little kit provided the sports equipment organization we needed!

Now, the garage is my husband’s domain, but he was quickly on board with this sports organization project. Probably because this little FastTrack system was so easy to install.

The directions are easy to follow, and Steve had the thing up in no time! {Look at my stud looking for a stud.}

^ Seriously. It’s just that easy.

I (well, actually Steve) added a shelf to the top of the rack for even more storage.

The shelf was just a new piece of wood and some brackets. But I wanted the new piece of wood to look rustic and old, so I painted it with a really simple technique. First, you paint a section of the board, then you dip a rag into the water and rub the paint in and over the board. You’re basically washing the wood with paint. The end result is a lightly “stained” piece of wood that still lets the beauty of the wood grain shine through.

A chalkboard weekly organizer was also added to the sports center. I had an old frame and painted the backing with chalkboard paint. Then, I printed out the header (Davis) and the days of the week. To see how to get perfect chalkboard lettering every time, click HERE!

We love the garage sports equipment organizer!

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Decor

05.15.2014

Funky Girls Room

Want ideas for a funky girls room? You’ve come to the right place!

{If you’re new here, you may want to follow me on Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest.} I’ve been working on my daughter’s room sporadically, and I decided it’s time to show a full reveal – even though I’m sure her room will continue to be a work in progress.

There’s no real theme, but it was inspired by a gift bag I found at Target:

Seriously. You can find inspiration anywhere! I love the combination of cream, pink, and gold. My daughter had one request: pink walls. So, I painted her room what I thought was pale pink. Wow. It was PINK. I ended up painting the back wall a pale cream to calm down the pink. It still shines pink but has more of the lighter pink I envisioned. And my daughter hasn’t noticed because the pink off the other three walls makes that cream wall shine on with pink. I’m happy and (more importantly) she’s happy!

There’s not a room in our home without a chalkboard, and this one references my daughter’s favorite song (You are my sunshine). To see how you can get perfect chalkboard lettering, click HERE.

I painted all her furniture with Annie Sloan chalk paint. To see a full tutorial on chalk paint, click HERE.

I made this felt flower garland that I strung across the back wall. To see how you can do it too, click HERE.

I covered the shelf above her bed and closet doors with vinyl gold polka dots from Etsy. To buy some for yourself, click HERE.

The rag bunting above my daughter’s window is another DIY project you can do, too! Click HERE for more info.

Basically, her room is full of things that are pretty and fun – just like my little girl.

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Decor

05.09.2014

Polka Dot Wall Stencil

This polka dot wall stencil is fun and adds personality to any space!

Here is the before of the guest room…

And here is what paint can do…

I painted the room a pale blue: Valspar’s Pelican and used a stencil from Etsy for my polka dots. You can find the stencil HERE. I painted the polka dots a pale cream: Valspar’s Light Raffia.

I began in the center of the room with the stencil and worked my way down and out.

Painter’s tape helps hold the stencil down to keep your polka dots crisp.

When stenciling, remember less paint is more. You want to take a more dry brush approach to painting stencils to avoid dripping and seepage.

The polka dots took some time, but they are not hard. I started in the center and top of the wall, and this particular stencil was really easy to line up. It is one of the easiest stencils I have ever used. My favorite part of the room is definitely the headboard. To see the tutorial for how I painted the upholstered headboard, click HERE. It was a flea market find that I fell in love with instantly, but the green didn’t work with my decor.

**UPDATE** The guest room since this post has had a makeover with DIY wall paneling and new paint color. The polka dots were very easy to paint over and luckily I didn’t have to sand them first (in case you’re worried about what happens after you grow tired of the polka dots).

Where would you add the polka dot wall stencil in your home?

Want to see more? Click here to see all the details!

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Paint

05.06.2014

Chalk Paint on Fabric

Although I would not always recommend using chalk paint on fabric, it does work! I’m sharing a tutorial for using chalk paint on fabric.

{If you’re new here, you may want to follow me on Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest.}

I’m still painting things…

Tutorial for Using Chalk Paint on Fabric

I found this amazing headboard at a flea market last summer. It was love at first sight. Seriously, my heart skipped a beat.

I love old furniture, but I do get a little creeped out by used fabric pieces. The velvet upholstery was in perfect condition (despite the green color which did not match my decor), but I didn’t know where this headboard had been and it smelled pretty bad. And, I was asking MY GUESTS to lay their heads next to a used (stinky) fabric headboard. So, before I tried reupholstering it, I decided to try paint!

I painted the frame of the headboard in Annie Sloan Paris Gray chalk paint. To see more about how to use chalk paint, click HERE.

I also painted the upholstery with Annie Sloan Paint, but I used Pure White and clear Annie Sloan soft wax.

The first step is to water down the paint for the fabric. I did a 1:1 ratio – 1 part paint to 1 part water. (I did clean the upholstery before I painted it by washing it down with Mr. Clean. I’m not sure how much that did, but at least I tried.)

After you have your watered down paint ready, start painting!

I have painted an upholstered fabric chair (to see more about that project, click HERE), but this velvet was new to me. It really SOAKS up the paint. I painted layer after layer after layer…

I was lazy on the last layer and used straight, chalk paint. Do not get lazy like me. Keep watering the paint down to avoid the paint from cracking.

By the time I was done, I painted between 4-5 coats of paint. I used almost my entire quart of paint to complete this project.

Once I had (finally) completed the painting portion, I let it dry. Drying takes a while since you soak the upholstery in the process. I had to wait a full 24 hours before I began the next step.

I lightly sanded the paint before I waxed.

After I sanded, there was chalk paint dust everywhere. I used a hand vac to sweep it up before I began waxing.

I added two layers of wax, and then I took my lint free cloth (an old tshirt) and rubbed in/buffed the wax.

I let the wax set a couple days, and then I set the headboard up in my guest room.

tutorial for using chalk paint on fabric

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Paint

04.22.2014

Spray Paint Thrift Store Dishes

I LOVE white dishes. I love their simplicity and how they brighten up any space. You can spray paint thrift store dishes to inexpensively get this look!

I am obsessed with this Martha Stewart photo:

Decor dishes can be expensive, but there is an inexpensive and easy DIY solution that includes (glossy) white spray paint and some thrift store (or garage sales) finds. I found my dishes at a local Goodwill. Look past the color and design and focus on the shape of the pieces.

I used glossy white Rust-Oleum spray paint and sprayed the pieces with three coats of paint. It is important to do several light coats versus one heavy coat (let each coat dry before applying the next). It WILL drip if you’re not careful!

I now have a hutch full of pretty white dishes for next to nothing.

I love using vases for floral arrangements.

If you want to take this DIY to the next level and get a little more creative, you can glue dishes together. I have made several pedestals stands for decor pieces. All you need is a plate and a candlestick holder (ice-cream dishes can also work).

Glue the pieces together using a strong ceramic adhesive and allow them to completely dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Once the glue is dry, spray paint the entire piece (keeping in mind less is more – several thin coats of paint is best).

The result is beautiful!

Here is another before:

And after:

These DIY spray-painted dishes are perfect for home decor accent pieces. These apples are not real – you do not want to use these spray-painted dishes for food. I use these little pedestal stands all over my home. They even work in the bathroom.

Now, I may not be able to “use” my dishes (again, these are for DECOR purpose only), but they sure do dress up my home! *Although I don’t recommend using spray-painted dishes with food, all paint sold in the US is non-toxic once dry!

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Paint

04.15.2014

Yellow Painted Hutch

I painted my hutch yellow. And I love it because the yellow painted hutch brightens up my kitchen nook.

I forgot to get an actual before picture before I started paint testing the hutch. And no, I don’t normally keep daffodils in my hutch. I had just picked a bouquet and thought they were so pretty and had to share… I fell in love with my dining room set in an antique store.

I looked beyond the giant lace doily (that thing is HUGE, isn’t it?!) and saw potential in this set. You can see more about my dining room HERE and check out my dining room chair update HERE. The hutch was in really bad shape, and I wasn’t really up to refinishing it. (And I was already dreaming about a yellow hutch.)

I used chalk paint in my hutch’s update – no sanding, priming, prepping required! To see a full tutorial on chalk paint, click HERE.

I prefer Annie Sloan’s chalk paint, but she didn’t have the exact yellow I was envisioning. So, I bought some chalk paint on Etsy and mixed in some cream chalk paint I had on hand to lighten it up a little. I bought “That’s the last straw” from the Etsy shop ChauxBelle. My hutch makes me happy.

And the painting continues…

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Paint

04.01.2014

Paint a Fabric Chair with Chalk Paint

Today I’m sharing how to paint a fabric chair with chalk paint.

I’m not afraid to paint things. My motto is: it’s just paint – you can always repaint! However, I was a little skeptical of the recent popularity of painting upholstered furniture. But, I can now add it to my list because I painted a fabric chair!

The chair I painted was 10 years old, and I actually had it in my Goodwill pile. It looks much better in the photo, but it has seen some wear and tear.

Lena had drawn on it, there was a hole in the upholstery, and the seat was pretty grimy – despite my numerous attempts to clean the seat. Honestly, this picture does the chair way too much justice. Anyway, I had seen lots of Pinterest pins on people painting upholstered furniture, and I decided this was the perfect opportunity to test it out. So, I pulled out my Annie Sloan Chalk paint (Duck Egg, Old Ochre, and clear wax) and got to work!

I painted the fabric in Annie Sloan Duck Egg and the wooden legs and arms in Annie Sloan Old Ochre. For my first coat of paint on the fabric (I did two coats), I dipped the brush in water before I dipped it in the paint. It helps the fabric absorb the paint better. The first coat took a while, but it wasn’t hard. Just a little time-consuming.

It was a little boring at this point, so I decided to give it some stripes – inspired by the beach towel I was painting on…

Or inspired by Lena’s little striped socks sticking out in the top right of the photo? 😉 Anyway, I taped off the stripes. I didn’t measure, but I attempted to visually make them straight and even.

I used frog tape, and it worked great! I really think frog tape is worth the extra money.

Next, I sanded down everything. I usually sand after I remove the wax, but I find that I go through so much sandpaper this way. The wax really gunks up the sandpaper fast. So, sanding before the wax worked well, but I did have to blow off all the dust before I added the wax.

I used a bigger wax brush for this project. It helps the waxing process go so much quicker! (By the way, I need some lotion on those hands!)

Then, I used a lint-free cloth (t-shirt) to buff the wax. I was seriously impressed at how easy it was to paint fabric. And, the fabric still can move. The paint doesn’t crack – at least not yet! I wouldn’t do this on a “tv watchin'” chair, but it will make the best office chair!

Would you paint a fabric chair with chalk paint?

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DIY

03.21.2014

DIY Felt Flower Garland

I recently saw a beautiful flower garland on one of those daily deal home decor sites. It was $50 for a 6 ft strand. For that price, I decided I’d attempt to make a felt flower garland myself. And you know what, a strand (double the length!) cost me under $10!

Here’s what you need for this DIY Felt Flower Garland:

Glue Gun (and glue sticks)
2 Sheets of Foam paper (you can also use cardstock/cardboard or poster board, but I like foam paper because it doesn’t rip easily.)
4 Sheets of felt
12 Feet of Ribbon

I found all of my supplies at Hobby Lobby. As you can see in the picture, I stocked up on the felt since I wasn’t sure how many sheets I needed. Obviously, I way overbought. Luckily the sheets were only 25 cents for the plain and 50 cents for the patterned.

STEP 1: Draw circles on your foam sheets. (I used the Lego cup that recently came in Happy Meals from McDonalds.)

STEP 2: Cut out the circles. (Obviously, they don’t need to be perfect.)

STEP 3: Hole punch the circles on opposite ends

STEP 4: String your ribbon through the circles. (I tied my two 6 ft strands of ribbon together to make one large strand.)

STEP 5: Cut the felt sheets lengthwise into strips. (Mine were around 1 inch wide.)

STEP 6: Put some glue in the center of the circle. (Don’t look at my terrible manicure.)

STEP 7: Start to roll a strip of felt and place it on the hot glue.

STEP 8: Once you have the center securely in place, keep gluing around the center and continue wrapping the felt strip around.

STEP 9: Add a second strip of felt and continue wrapping it around covering the foam circle as much as possible.

STEP 10: Enjoy your felt flower and repeat steps to make more! (I alternated my colors, and I double-sided them as I found that the flowers flipped around when hung.) This project is really easy but somewhat time-consuming. I made most of it while watching Frozen with my kids, but I was working as fast as I could. However, I think it was worth the time and $8.50 ($1.50 for the felt sheets, $1 for the foam sheets, and $6 for the ribbon) for this DIY flower felt garland!

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Printables

03.11.2014

DIY Chalkboard Calendar

Learn how to make your own DIY chalkboard calendar!

Baseball season for my boys is just around the corner, and in preparation, I ~~decided~~ needed to create a DIY chalkboard calendar.

For this chalkboard paint project, I used an old mirror I found last summer at a flea market. However, you could also paint over the glass of an old frame or paint a chalkboard directly to a wall. First, I painted chalkboard paint on my mirror and waited 24 hours after the final coat dried. (I did two coats for this project.) Next, I printed out my lettering for the mirror.

You can get the free printables here:

calendarQUOTE (Let Today Be The Day – Part 1)

calendarQUOTE(2) (Let Today Be The Day – Part 2)

DAYSofTHEweek (M Tu W Th F Sa Su)

Then, I used the technique I shared in a previous post to get my perfect lettering. If you don’t know this technique, I promise it’s fairly simple and you can check out my tutorial HERE.

Making the calendar lines was the hardest part. I went with 7 boxes across for the days of the week and 5 boxes down. Unfortunately, I didn’t think about the fact that a few months start on Saturday and actually require 6 boxes down (Like this month, March 2014). Anyway, I’ll just be a day late (or early) switching the months, and this will solve my problem.

I used a (semi-permanent) chalk pen on the quote, days of the week, and grid lines (I did 4-inch squares). This way, when I erase the board every month, only the events erase (since I use regular chalk to fill in the squares).

*I found these chalk pens on Amazon.

They are great for chalkboards you want to keep more “permanent”.

Here’s an affiliate link for the chalk pens on Amazon:

Get organized with this (monthly view) calendar. I use a regular piece of white chalk to fill it in every month.

Do you prefer a weekly schedule? I also use a weekly chalkboard calendar in my kitchen.

To see this calendar (and tutorial for a chalkboard fridge) click HERE.

The shoe cubby was a find at a local antique shop. I was told it was once in my town’s original post office. True story or not, it’s one of my favorite finds to date. Also, the mirror I used is a little larger than 2 feet by 3 feet. I wouldn’t go much smaller because I think you won’t have room to write in the squares.

Want to see more on my mudroom area?

Click HERE!

Go create something!

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*All Sincerely Sara D. printables are for personal, non-commercial use only. Use it, gift it, but don’t alter it, sell it or otherwise distribute the print or the file.

I have several other free printables on the blog:

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DIY

02.28.2014

Rag Bunting Tutorial

This DIY rag bunting tutorial is easy and inexpensive. The bunting makes adorable decor for any nursery or kids space!

As I’ve mentioned before, my sisters are both pretty creative. My younger sister recently made a rag bunting for my niece’s room. It’s adorable and easy! Here are the supplies you need: *fabric *rope *scissors (1) Gather up your fabric – my sister actually picked up old sheets at thrift stores and garage sales for her bunting. It was inexpensive, and the sheets are easy to tear.

(2) Next, you need to tear the fabric. You can cut notches at the top of the fabric – I would suggest 3-4 inches wide. The notches help get the tearing going. (3) Once you have your fabric strips, cut them the length you prefer. I would keep them somewhat similar in length, but they do not need to be perfect.

(4) Start tying. Figure out how long of a bunting you want, and you just fill the rope up with your fabric ties. You can make it as full (or sparse) as you like.

(5) Enjoy! There you have it. An easy DIY rag bunting! Be as creative as you like with patterns and colors. These buntings also make adorable party decor!

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Decor

02.25.2014

Psalm 90:14 Printable

I’m excited to share this Psalm 90:14 printable.

I’ve been doing a little soul searching lately. I began blogging because I needed a creative outlet. As I’ve said before, I know I was created to create. It’s what makes my heart happy. However, I just don’t know where to go next – or more importantly, where God wants me next. I’m currently reading Discerning the Voice of God: How to Recognize when God is speaking (by Priscilla Shirer) with a friend. I selected this book because I grew weary of waiting on God. It was time to take action. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a very patient person. I want God to speak to me NOW.

So, I bought this book. I’m not very far into it, but you know what I’ve discovered? My impatience is going to get me nowhere. Instead, I need to SLOW down. I need to spend more time listening. If I want to hear God, I need to work on my relationship with Him. It needs to be two-way. God listens to me. (Believe me, He spends A LOT of time listening to me.) I need to spend time listening to Him. We are busy people. It’s hard to find time to just sit and be with God – especially with kids. (Or when you have things to paint.) Although I am not a morning person, I decided to set my alarm a little earlier and have a date with God. I think this early rising would be much easier if I drank coffee – or tea – but I don’t. So, instead, I’ll settle for my can of Diet Coke. I love that I’m talking all big about getting up early. I have to admit, this morning was my first attempt at my early start. It was also the same morning my daughter decided to wake up early, too. But, I wasn’t going to let that ruin my plans. Thank goodness that girl loves TV. So, while she was content with Mickey Mouse, I went into the kitchen to spend time with my date – attempting to be distraction-free with my Bible and open ears. And you know what? It was a good morning.

The same friend I mentioned earlier shared this verse from Psalms (which is what encouraged me to start my early morning rising routine):

I made a printable to share with you this verse from Psalms. I hope it can encourage you as it has me. May it be a reminder of how much He loves you and wants to spend time with you. I’m going to hang mine up in my bathroom so that I can be reminded of his unfailing love (and to encourage me to set that alarm as I’m brushing my teeth before bed).

You can download the printable by clicking on one of these links:

8×10 Version: Psalm90 or the 5×7 Version: Psalm90(5×7)

Go create something!

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DIY

02.21.2014

Painted Kitchen Cabinets

Painting kitchen cabinets with chalk paint is a great option because it eliminates the need to sand, strip or prime. It does, however, have a more rustic look and brush lines are more visible with this type of paint.

When I first decided to take on my kitchen cabinets, I decided to take on the small section under the stove. Then it turned into one wall of the uppers which led to the next wall of cabinets. Well, this week I painted the lower cabinets too. I blame all this on two friends who were painting (all) their cabinets. I didn’t want to be left behind, so I painted what I had left. But first, here is the kitchen before:

And the after:

I painted all the cabinets in Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint. The Uppers are painted in Annie Sloan Old Ochre and the lowers are painted in Annie Sloan Versailles. To see a more detailed look at how I did it, you can check out my (step by step!) tutorial on painting cabinets with chalk paint HERE or check out my DIY feature on About.com.

**IMPORTANT UPDATE** I hated the wax sealer on my kitchen cabinets and ended up repainting them all. To see that process (and photos of why I hated the wax) click HERE. Save yourself the time and trouble and don’t use wax as your sealer in the kitchen!

Go create something!

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***UPDATE*** I had several of you ask where my stove was. It’s on a separate wall – directly across from the wall my dishwasher is on. To see more click HERE or on the pic below.

Four years after moving into this house, we remodeled the kitchen. To see the newly updated space, click HERE!

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