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A picture is worth a thousand words... or a hefty To-Do list!

Hi, my name is Chelsea and I am a compulsive list maker. I have lists that tell me to make other lists. It's a problem I know.... Anyway, I got tired of rewriting my to do lists when the page was full but only half the things on the list were done... so I decided it was time to get a dry erase board. But one of those stark white, office eyesores was not going to do the job. The husband and I often leave each other notes on the bathroom mirror in dry erase marker, so I figured glass worked just as well as any ugly epoxy covered white board. I found an 11x14 picture frame at a yard sale and painted the wood frame a bright blue. (I chose a frame that can stand up OR hang on a wall, since I'm not one for commitment.) Then I printed a background for my memo board on white card stock. If you use an elaborate frame you can always just paint the back of the glass white or frame a blank page. Ta da! Only $2 and no ugly white board.

{A can of spray paint can perform miracles.}

Overall, the project was so easy I can't believe I didn't do it sooner.

Ol' Money Bags

Since I'm on kind of a revamped vintage kick, I thought I would share another recent craft project. Estate sale season is upon us and at one particularly junk filled casa I scored these awesome vintage money bags. With just a little stuffing and some quick stitching the empty canvas bags became fabulous accent pillows.

Here are the flat money bags before their transformation:

All you need is some generic fiberfill and cream colored thread.

Turn the bag inside out and stitch about half way across the top. Just far enough that you have enough room to turn the bag right side out and fill it with fluff.



After stuffing the bags with fluffy stuff, hand stitch the remaining opening and you're done! Easy peasy!

The worn canvas is surprisingly soft and makes for a cool conversation piece. Now if only they were filled with more than fiberfill...

Crazy for Color

It's amazing what a little color can do to liven the mood of a room. If you haven't read Jonathan Adler's My Prescription for Antidepressive Living, you should pick it up immediately. Jonathan's ideas all follow one basic principle - design should make you happy. With that in mind, some sad little estate sale finds met a can of spray paint and a new (and happy) life is born.

A few underwhelming estate sale pieces BEFORE their colorful transformation:

A short trip to Home Depot and a basket full of color...

And the big reveal... What was once bland and outdated becomes loud and proud! The beautiful lines of the vintage pieces now demand your attention and become a happy focal point for a room.

Trash to Treasure: White Sculptural Accent

This weekend the husband was out of town. What does that mean? Girls-only garage sale-ing and an empty garage! Woo hoo! Two of my (cheap cheap) garage sale finds got a high gloss makeover to create a sleek white sculptural piece. My inspiration came from a few bright white pieces I've been eying over at Z Gallerie...

{Z Gallerie}

Very cute but sadly out of my budget. So with a little creativity I got the same look for much less...

Before: Two less-than-jaw-dropping garage sale finds

{Before}

{one plus one}

Add some white spray paint and a thick coat of lacquer... and here's the AFTER:

{After}

Not bad for $1.50. Anything can be art when it's put together in a creative way and then painted a cohesive color. I'd love to see other DIYers trash to treasure works of art. Email me photos and I'll make sure they make it to a Reader Revamp! :)

No Cost Bedroom Makeover

This weekend we finally painted the guest bedroom... it was my Valentine's present to myself. I forgot to take a before picture, but just imagine beige walls, beige trim, and some more beige. Did I mention I hate beige? We used leftover paint from the living room to paint a chocolate brown accent wall and immediately the ceiling felt higher and the room more cozy. I painted over some old canvases to add a pop of blue (what else I'm going to paint on them is TBD) and hung some frames that I had collecting dust in the closet. By re-purposing items that I already owned I was able to give this bare guest room a whole new look.... for free. Gotta love free. :)

{The AFTER}

Modern Bulletin Board How-To

I recently found two elaborately carved frames at a warehouse sale for about $75. They were already lacquered black so I didn't even have to buy paint! (I believe everything looks better with a good coat of glossy black paint.) I decided to make them into matching bulletin boards for my always-a-work-in-progress home office.

But first I had to add picture hanging hardware. I bought 1-Hole 'D' Ring Hangers from Home Depot. Two hangers per frame was more than enough to hold the heavy carved wood.

Drill pilot holes before adding the screws. It makes the process much more pleasant. :)

I decided to use two layers of white foam core board instead of cork board. It was on sale at Michael's for about a dollar vs. $20 cork board. I measured the inside of my frame and cut the pieces to fit using an x-acto knife and strait edge.

I then covered the pieces of foam core in damask fabric using spray adhesive and tacked them into place with a few small nails. Ta-da! Matching inspiration boards that are truly inspirational.

Now I'm ready to tackle the rest of the office...

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!