Using DIY Chalk Paint

Oh my goodness.....I painted a table! I have been wanting to paint an end table that has been living in my family room for over a year. It was a $10 table from an estate sale, but over the year, I may have ruined the top with cold drink condensation.

To be honest, this was a project that I thought I wouldn't follow through with. I had zero experience painting furniture and didn't want to ruin an almost perfectly good table.

But I put on my big girl pants and decided to take it on. I wanted to use chalk paint, but didn't want the expense of using chalk paint. Thank goodness for Pinterest! I found a DIY chalk paint recipe. I have tons of leftover paint, including some paint samples, which is what I used. I just needed the Plaster of Paris. I paid $5 for a huge container. I could probably paint everything in my house with the amount I now own. It was super easy to mix up too!

So I set out to paint my table. After reading through several posts, I knew this was not going to be a one coat job. The first coat is pretty streaky. The paint dries pretty quickly, but I left it for a while in between coats...mostly because sitting on my garage floor is not comfy.

This also gave me time to make a stop at Hobby Lobby and look for a new drawer pull. I found one I liked and headed back to paint another coat.

By the second coat, the table was looking quite a bit better. I was gaining some confidence in my painting ability!

I ended up doing 3 coats of paint. The last coat seemed to finish it up. Now I should seal the top with wax, but I haven't done that yet. I am super happy with the how it turned out.

This project gave me so much confidence to paint more furniture. I am on the lookout for a coffee table for my family room and am ready to tackle the paint job!

Tell me about your furniture painting adventures!

Reflections on Home

Reflections on Home

Spooktacular Hot Drink Station

 

The weather is getting cooler and some days, down-right cold. Time to break out the hot tea and hot chocolate! I love ending my day with a cozy cup of something warm. Having a spot in my kitchen for all my hot drink goodies makes creating delicious drink really easy. I have admired lots of hot drink stations on Pinterest for a while. I kinda put one together. It was functional, but I really didn't think it was anything special. As I was pulling out my Halloween decorations, the creative juices started flowing with some fun ideas for a Halloween-inspired hot drink station.

Finally, my candy corn candles have a place to shine! I am more of a cutesy Halloween person than a scary Halloween person. So I love my happy little ghost next the big candy corn. My homemade hot chocolate mix looks very spooky in my little glass Halloween jar. By the way, this homemade hot chocolate mix is delish! Get there recipe here.

My little fun spider bowl was a great spot to put my stash of tea. Once it starts getting cold, I start drinking a lot more tea. It is so comforting! Having a variety of teas handy makes everything so easy. And if any guests would like some tea, they can see my selection.

I am so happy with how my little station turned out. It isn't super exciting, but it is a fun little festive addition to my kitchen!

Reflections on Home

Autumn Wreath Revamp

One way to love my home is by creating a happy front door. I made this wreath a few years ago, but I was never completely thrilled with it. I liked it, but didn't love it. It needed something a bit more.

Have you seen these half pumpkins at Michaels? This was the perfect thing to use for my wreath because it wasn't going to stick out from the door,. It was also going to create a focal point, but now I had figure out how to attach it to the wreath.

Thankfully it wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be. I was able to use a knife to make a small hole to push through a wire.

The wire easily wrapped around the wreath to attach it! YEAH!

My wreath has a fresh new look and now I love it! This was an easy and cheap way to use what I already had. This revamp project was less than $5. That is my kind of deal for a girl on a budget. Even though it was a small project, I took something I didn't like and made it into something that I love!

Reflections on Home

Snapshots Into My Life

What I am seeing through my lens this week.

This may not be the prettiest picture, but it is the season of comfort food. I made a cornbread tamale pie. It was so good!

We have a great farmer's market in Toledo. I love the colors of the mums and the pumpkins!

I walked out of Michaels the other day and was amazed at how beautiful the sky was. The pinks, blues and yellows were unbelievable!

These two. They may not ever want to admit it, but they are buddies. They were keeping the neighborhood safe from UPS trucks, squirrels and blowing leaves.

10 Tips to Organizing a Catch-All Space

I have a closet next to my hall coat closet that has been a bit of a nuisance space since I moved in. It isn't terribly large, but a whole lot of stuff can fit inside. Stuff that clutters the shelves making it impossible to find what is inside. Every so often, I will straighten the shelves, but there is no method to the madness. I was tired of this valuable closet space being wasted because of a lack of organization.

I am sharing some tips that were helpful as I worked to make this non-useful space useful.

1. Plan Your Project

The first thing I needed to do was figure out what I wanted to use this closet for. In its messy state, it held kitchen appliances, tools, cleaning supplies, candles and candle holders, vases, dog food, light bulbs, etc. Because of the variety of things inside, it became my go-to spot when I couldn't find something. When something wasn't inside, I knew it must be really lost. :)

Because of the location, this closet was a good spot for my vacuum and steam mop, but there was no room because of the shelves. I also needed a good spot for extra paper towels. I listed out the things I wanted in the closet.

2. Stay Calm

These kinds of organizing projects can be daunting. I oftentimes think it is easier to live with the mess than tackling the job. I want a happy, organized home and not dread opening up the closet door. I can do this...and so can you!!

3. Empty the Space

The easiest way to organize a space is to clean everything out. Trying to organize around all the stuff is difficult. Seeing the empty space gives you a chance to see the potential.

4. Don't Get Overwhelmed

See all the stuff piling on the floor and tables? You may start to wonder where it all came from. It is okay. It always looks worse before it gets better. Take a deep breath and keep going!

5. Purge, purge, purge

In the past year or so, I have discovered the freedom of purging. If you don't use it or need it, get rid of it! Someone else might need that thing you had to have, but have never actually used.

6. Make Piles

Set aside the things that need new homes. Don't worry about putting them away yet. Keep focused on the task at hand.

Keep the items that will stay in the closet together. It will make it easier to put them back in.

7. Clean

Because of the empty space, you can clean it. Wipe down shelves, cover them with shelf liners if needed. You don't want to the backdrop of your organized space to be dirty. True confession...I was going to paint the inside of the closet, but it just didn't happen. Another project for another day.

8. Organize Your Space

There is no right or wrong way to do this. You will be using this space, so put items where it makes sense for you. You may need to tweak it after living with it for a few days.

After I cleaned everything out, I found out that I had more space than I thought. Some of the things I was going to move could actually stay where they were.

9. Find Permanent Homes for the Rest

A place for everything and everything in its place. Find permanent places for those leftover items. My pile went to several spots, including a cabinet in my garage, my craft room closet and my spare bedroom closet.

10. Do A Happy Dance!

As my 2-year-old niece says, "I did it!" It is such a great feeling when the project is done and looks great! Keep up with the organization and don't let it become out of hand. It may change as your needs change.

Good luck! Let me know what organizing projects you have on your list!

Learning to Breathe, Pt. 10 and a Challenge

October starts my favorite three months of the year. I love fall and the time leading up to Christmas. It makes my heart happy! I love decorating, making warm, feel good food, burning candles, etc. The list goes on and on.

October also starts the 31 Day Challenge. For those who don't know, it is a challenge to write every day in October. This is the third year I have participated. My first year I wrote about fall and actually wrote all 31 days. Last year, my attempt was a little half-hearted - Making a House Home Sweet Home. I only blogged 11 days. This year, my topic is similar to last year - Loving the Home You Have.

It is something I am passionate about. My house is a LONG way from being what I want it to be, but I love it.  Besides being anywhere with my family, there is no place else I would rather be. While I am waiting for my windfall of cash (I am not holding my breath), I am doing things that are allowing me to make it into the place I want it to be - comforting and inviting.

I hope you will join me on this challenge. I will include links to each day's post at the bottom of this post. I hope I can inspire and encourage you.

If you are participating in the 31 Day Challenge, let me know. I would love to visit your little spot on the internet.

Day 2 - Organizing a Catch-all Space
Day 3 - Snapshots Into My Life
Day 4 - Reflections on Home
Day 5 - Autumn Wreath Revamp
Day 11 - Reflections on Home
Day 12 - Spooktacular Hot Drink Station

Feathering My Nest - Where to Start

Since this is the last week of October, I decided that I should try to make an effort to finish out the month on a high note. I have not kept up with my Home Sweet Home series and I was really excited about it. But I have also learned that I need to be more prepared.

I started a second job this month at a popular home store, so my nights and weekends just got busier. On the plus side, I have a discount! And I am using the money to help pay off some bills, which I will talk more about next month.

Since I have had my kitchen redone, my dispensable income has dwindled quite a bit. However, this extra time is giving me opportunity to really think through want I want to do with a space.

As hard as it is to do, I am forcing myself to focus on one area at a time to complete. The first area is going to be my entryway.

Right now my entryway is a empty. This is the area I want to make pretty. The wall needs a little touch up painting done by the baseboard. It was damaged when my flooring was going down.

This area isn't very big. The wall is a little over 30 inches wide. My vision is to have a small table with a mirror above it. I found a little cabinet that I like at Hobby Lobby, but I am afraid that the color is too similar to the wall color and it will disappear in the space. My search is still on.

The other thing I want to change is the light fixture. I actually have one to replace it, but I haven't had it changed yet. I wouldn't mind learning how to change a light fixture, but I am terrified of electrocuting myself. I think that job is better left to someone else.

I am excited to get this space spruced up a bit. I want everyone who walks through my door to feel welcome and this will be the start.

Baking Buckeyes

I am an Ohio girl through and through, so I am no stranger to buckeyes whether referring to trees, football or candy.

When I was in West Virginia a few weeks ago, buckeyes littered the ground after falling from a tree. I was going to do this little easy craft with acorns, but instead I used buckeyes.

To get rid of any kind of any yuckiness, I wiped the buckeyes off and baked them at 200 degrees for several hours. I didn't see any hole in the buckeyes so I don't think there were any bugs, but better safe than sorry.

Tomorrow, I am sharing where I am using all my buckeyes!

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

So I haven't been doing a great job at keeping up with the 31-day challenge. I hadn't prepared as well as I thought and I was in a little bit of a funk last week. Everything suffered from that, including my blog. But I am back at it today with an easy way to stock your pantry with a seasonal favorite - pureed pumpkin!

This recipe came from Portuguese Girl Cooks. It is super easy and is definitely quite a bit cheaper than buying the canned stuff. Even if the can says that it only contains pumpkin, I know for sure that this is 100% pumpkin and nothing else.

I bought my pie pumpkins from a local pumpkin farm. They were 50 cents a piece, so much cheaper than the canned version. The first step is getting all the guts out of the pumpkins.

Then off into the oven, they go! The recommended baking time is 60-90 minutes. I went right in between. Since I had 2 cookies sheets in the oven at once, I rotated them around the halfway mark.

After the pumpkins are finished baking, the flesh is scooped out and then pureed in the food processor. Super quite and easy! And you are left with beautiful pumpkin puree.

Draining the pumpkin is really important. As you can see there is quite a bit of liquid that drained from the pumpkin. I let it sit for about an hour.

I can't wait to use this puree.

From my 4 pie pumpkins, I was able to get about 4 and a half cups of pumpkin puree.  I kept the half cup in the fridge and put the rest in the freezer to use in the future. To swap out a 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree with the homemade version, use about 1 3/4 cups.

The next step is to use this puree. I am thinking cookies!