Yesterday was one of those days where one thing led to another and I found myself at the Motor Vehicle Department for HOURS just to fix a clerical error not in my favor! Do you ever have those days? A test of patience for sure... probably good for me :)

Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love.             ~ Ephesians 4:1-2

Today I was able to finish up the wall art project that I hinted about. This was done as a special gift for a sweet young lady who attends our church, Dawson. I've been helping her and her mom plan out her new room design and there was a patch of wall space that needed some art. I asked if she would trust me to surprise her... and she said yes!

Dawson loves to read and really liked the idea of some rustic elements to her room to balance out the bright accent color choices. I had some extra wood panels in the garage and instantly knew what I wanted to do.

I stained the board with one coat of MinWax Jacobean and let it dry for 24 hours. I then mapped out the letters and heart by printing off my font of choice and tracing firmly onto the wood with a ballpoint pen. This allowed for a faint but visible outline to use as a guide.

 I used a basic acrylic yellow paint from the craft store and painted one coat with a small brush. I could have done two coats, but liked the softer look of just one. It was finished with a coat of Annie Sloan Clear Wax and buffed smooth.

I hope you like it, Dawson!


Lots of love,
Mary

I'm alive! I promise :)  And getting back into the swing of things to post more often.

I was ecstatic to be given a project by a client who had found me via Craigslist for one of my furniture sale items. She needed her dining room chairs painted and it was a bit of a challenge. You see, each chair had a custom rooster mural on the backside that she wanted to preserve and paint the remaining portion of the chair. Because I just love to show you the "pretty pic" first, here's a peek at the finished product!

She's a bit of a DIY lady herself and will be doing her own upholstery. My client was happy, and that makes me happy! Plus, I just love how the chairs turned out. Here's a look at the chairs before:

We looked at colors together, and she decided on something in the white family to brighten up her space a bit. I totally agreed and we went with Annie Sloan Old White and decided to age it with AS Dark Wax which allowed for matching some of the white tones in the mural.

I started out with two coats of AS Old White, being careful to hand paint with a small fine brush around the mural. I then used a coat of AS Clear Wax to seal everything including the mural portion. Next, using a medium grade sanding block, I distressed portions of the chair that I thought would naturally happen over time. For example, the tops of the armrests and corners that stuck out got more distressing than other places.

The final step was using AS Dark Wax to really age the piece and pickup the color that the client was looking for. I've said it before, but this is my favorite part! When you brush on and buff the wax, it's amazing to see how much character comes out of the piece. Every piece of furniture is different and will bring out a different texture and result. 

Thanks for hanging in there with me! I'll be back tomorrow with a simple wall art project that you are sure to LOVE as much as I do.

Lots of love,

Mary

We went to the Salvation Army thrift store today to pickup a desk that I had previously purchased, and I stumbled upon a very ornate French-style coffee table and end table set for an excellent price.

Here's a sneak peak:

The wood is in really bad shape, but I can totally see this painted and heavily distressed to bring out the detail. It also has what appears to be a marble-style tabletop inlay! This project will be fun!

Now, onto the humor... So we surprised Adi with a dollhouse for her 4th birthday. I went to Hobby Lobby (with my coupon, of course) and purchased a really nice two-story house. When I got it home I started looking at the assembly instructions. Check out what I read under "Recommended Supplies":

Utility knife?? Fine toothed saw?!?! We immediately started laughing uncontrollably, then started to cry. :)  What are we in for? I haven't opened the box yet -- mainly out of fear -- but Adi is really starting to get anxious. I'll keep you posted on our progress. The fun part is that we get to pick paint colors and completely customize the house!


Lots of love,
Mary

First, I'd like to say "thank you" for the all love and support shown to me this past week! Your prayers have meant the world to me. It touches my heart to know that some of you -- complete strangers even -- have been compelled to pray for me, and I am truly grateful.

I am so very excited to FINALLY get this piece up to show you. Introducing... "Patrick."

And here is what Patrick looked like before his makeover:

I used two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Antibes Green followed by a coat of AS Clear Wax.

I then applied AS Dark Wax in specific areas to age the piece a bit.

I really like how the dark wax filled in the grooves on the top of the chest, bringing out the wear and tear. That's my favorite part! :)

I chose to replace the hardware with some antique brass pulls that I had saved from a previous project. They fit the piece just perfect and really pop next to the dark wax aging effect.

I was really excited to try out such a bold color choice and I have no regrets! Patrick is a beauty and in my opinion is the perfect mix of antique and modern.

I posted this piece on Craigslist here.
***Update: Patrick has now been SOLD***


Lots of love,
Mary


Linked up here:

I've been out of pocket this week. And while it sounds right to say that I am sorry, I am not. It's been one of those times when my God and my family come first in my life and all other things follow, including this blog. It has been a rough week to say the least. Please, if you are a christian, pray for my strength, wisdom, and peace during a very difficult time.

"Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken." Psalm 55:22

With that said, I do plan on getting back into the swing of things this week. I have some projects to finish up and I'm very anxious to show you. Thanks for your understanding.


Lots of love,
Mary

I'm finally back to painting some furniture! It's been nice to break out the paint brush this past weekend and I was actually able to nearly complete four pieces! One of which I'm super excited to show you today. :)

If your new to the blog, you should know that I'm six-and-a-half-months pregnant. And I'm starting to feel the pressure of the to-do list -- mainly finishing the girls' room so that I can start on baby Daniel's room. Well here's some progress for you. I present to you, the nightstand:

This piece didn't start out so "pretty." It was perfect, however, for the cowboy-themed room previously owned by our cousin Jadon (who has since been upgraded to a young man's room). So we've re-purposed the furniture and kept it in the family! This is what the nightstand looked like before:

You may know that I was the lucky winner of one of the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint giveaways as a promotion for her upcoming American tour. The giveaway was hosted by Kirsty over at Sanity and Chaos and stockist Randy from R. Lucas Scott Co. I chose Coco as one of the new colors to try out and it turned out to be the PERFECT color for this nightstand. It took just two coats of paint followed by a clear wax and then dark wax to age it a little bit.

I chose pink crystal knobs from Target (if you can believe it), which complements the Coco color well. Adilynne (our almost-four-year-old) was so excited when she saw the knobs -- just her style.

Now the fun part was deciding what to do to the top of the nightstand. I knew I wanted to do something different and when I ran across this pic online, it was perfect! I copied the design by freehand with a pencil first, then went over my pencil lines painting with a small art brush, followed by the wax to finish it off. If you don't trust yourself to freehand, a stencil would turn out nicely to place any sort of design on your table top.

Both of my girls just love birds! And I love how just a simple silhouette can be modernized with a bold, bright color.

I'll have the painting of the twin beds ready for you next week and I'm hoping to get some crown molding done soon! Again, if you missed the inspiration and planning post for this room, it can be seen here. Also, the paining of the polka dot walls can be seen here.


Lots of love,
Mary



Linking up here:

This may be the pregnancy talking, but I'm just in love with these muffins lately! (I'm eating one now as I type away). I love them so much that I thought it would be nice to share the recipe with all of you. :)

It was Christmas evening and we all gathered together as a family over dessert & coffee, etc. Our Auntie Beth, who happens to be an amazing cook, brought over these muffins and I was a goner! Just a couple days later, I went to the grocery store to get my supplies. I've been making a batch every week since.

I already had a good banana bread recipe, so I just added in the coconut shavings and chocolate chips. You also may want to add an extra banana to balance out the dryness of the coconut.

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 egg white
approx 5 medium bananas mashed
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cup shaved coconut
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. (Flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt.)

2. Mix together mashed bananas, eggs plus egg white, sugar, butter, and vanilla extract.

3. Combine flour mixture all at once with banana mixture. Mix together and add the coconut and chocolate chips.

4. Fill muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees for approx. 20min.

5. Enjoy! :)


Lots of love,
Mary