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I've been waiting (and waiting) to be able to build my dream dining room table but it wasn't exactly in the cards...or the budget...after we moved across state lines in early January. Don't you just love those additional costs to moving that just show up? 

Anyway, I decided that if I had to keep my current table, it couldn't stay "as is". There was just no way that was going to work with the look I'm going for in my new home. 

There you have it. The before. And I know it isn't pretty, y'all. That's precisely what made me take a school day at home alone and a quick trip to Hobby Lobby for supplies.

For this project, I wanted to go with a two-tone look. I grabbed the color Primitive by DecoArt for the table top, Castle Slate by Folkart for the base, and the Home Decor Satin Varnish to seal it when the paint had dried.

I began by painting the top with one coat. It took three full coats to get the finish I was going for. I didn't want to see much of the wood color through the paint. Also? I absolutely adored the gray undertones of this white color.

I really liked how the white paint was finishing around the rough, old edges of the table. It gave it an aged look without compromising the beauty of the chalk paint finish. And the Castle Slate on the base was everything I hoped it would be. I only did 2 full coats on the base as I didn't feel I needed that much coverage with a darker color.

Here is the table with one of the chairs painted in Primitive to match.

I'm in love with the contrast of these 2 colors but mostly I love how they compliment each other rather than compete.

Someday I'll be able to build that Farmhouse style table and bench seat. But for now, I'm enjoying the simple upgrade to what I already had. It was inexpensive and took an afternoon to do. The chalkpaint dries pretty quickly which makes is a quick process.

Ready to do this yourself?

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A Chalk Paint Table #DIY - Farmhouse Flip

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It's been one project at a time over in my new home. There are things I want to add or change or tweak in every room. But if you're anything like me, you understand how things can't just be done at the snap of a finger when you're also caring for 3 kiddos.  

And that's OK. I don't really mind taking things slow. It helps me enjoy the process a bit more and gives me time to edit photos so I can share them with you!

(PS: If you ever want to check out the other projects I've done, whether part of this Farmhouse Flip or not, you can just type DIY into that search bar at the top of the page.)

Alrighty, lets get to this project. 

So. Mercifully, all the walls in my home are of a neutral/gray tone. I love that. It doesn't make me feel like I need to paint each room before I start to nitpick details. That is the color tone in my front dining room as well.

But y'all. This chandelier. 

While I loved the lines of it, I did not love the brass color. Really, nothing makes me cringe quite as much as a brass chandelier clashing with a chalk paint finish on the dining room table. 

Now, since there were no window treatments on the front bay windows of the room, I had picked out these simple black rods and white curtain shears. I didn't want to take away from the daylight or the beauty of simplicity in that part of the room and felt these little touches worked perfectly.

(If you're interested, I found them at IKEA and they were very inexpensive.)

To keep in the theme of simple black touches, I grabbed a can of matte black spray paint and took my chandelier outside. I don't think the brand you use is as important as the finish and if it's formulated to paint metal. If it isn't, it will chip and that's no good.

I'm not going to lie. When I first began painting, I wondered if I was making a HUGE mistake. Like the kind of huge that would mean this project is going to cost me more than the price of a can of spray paint, huge. Thankfully, when I saw it drying I was elated. It was exactly what I hoped it would be.

Now, if I could only get a few more pictures on the wall and a bit more chalk paint to finish painting the chairs. For now, I'm loving the simplicity of matte black details. It's a timeless look and I'm pretty smitten with it. 

PS: Do you like my La Croix on the table as much as I do? LOL This is how you KNOW it's my space. There's either coffee or La Croix sitting around, somewhere. 

I'll be painting another chandelier, soon. This one is over my breakfast table. The style of it is a bit different so I'll be changing another thing about it as well. Maybe I'll have to come back and share about that one, too. 

**What is something you would like to update in your home?**

~Amy 

From Brass To Class Just Like That: Farmhouse Flip

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My youngest daughter. Y’all, let me tell you. She is full of life and color and all things “sparkle”. She’s a little bit like her mama 😉 and can be just a little bit extra at times. But it’s fun. I love life with a little girl like that and enjoy adding as much to that colorful life as possible. 

While we were out shopping one day, my little lady and me, she saw this ribbon ponytail holder. She just had to have it and thought it would add a fountain of ribbons to her hair. Isn’t she the cutest? I bought her the ponytail holder and after studying it, told her I can make her one. 

Her school’s “Spirit week” was coming up so I thought it the perfect chance. Below, you’ll see the ribbon I chose along with the ponytail holder I bought at the store. I chose to get 4 ribbons with the same width, but if you do this, you can mix up the widths if you’d like. 

• Begin by cutting equal lengths of the 4 ribbons. Mine were cut to be about 15 inches in length, each. 
• You will need 4 cuts of each ribbon, total, to complete this project. 

• These ribbons need to face up if the print is one-sided. After facing them up, I pinched the center of the length, almost layering them on top of each other. 

• Next, I laid out the ribbons in this pattern, saving the 4th group to the side. 

• The ponytail holder goes down next. Don't worry about exact placement just yet. 

• After getting the ponytail holder down, the 4th set of ribbon cuts goes down horizontally across the center. Now, this next part is tricky so bear with me. 

• I had to carefully, carefully, carefully, gather up the ribbons in one hand, pinching down the ponytail holder underneath the fourth layer. Then I pinned the ponytail holder into place by using one straight pin on either side of it.

• Again, very carefully,  I set what I had pinched in my fingers down on my sewing machine. I stitched a straight line across the 4th layer on either side of the ponytail holder. It's important to get as close as possible to the ponytail holder in order for it not to move around when you're finished. 

And here's the finished product! My girls were absolutely giddy!

Don't you think the ribbons make a fun touch to her ponytail? It's like a little pom-pom. 

My girls love this and have another one made out of Valentine's Day themed ribbons. The latest request is for a rainbow one. I love that I can make these customized for my girls and inexpensively at that. 

I enjoy keeping an eye out for clearance deals to set aside for future use. These would also make an adorable addition to a kiddos' birthday gift. 

What color combinations would you try? 

~Amy

Sewn Ribbon Ponytail Holder #DIY

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Welcome to it! I'm pretty excited about this (rather large) undertaking that will be the biggest DIY project I've ever done. As you may already know, my family just relocated from Michigan to Kentucky. This leaves me with a beautiful home I can't wait to add my personal touches to.

A lot of what's here has been here since the house was built in 2004. That means attention is needed pretty much everywhere and some of the finishes don't fit my farmhouse style love.

Together, we will tackle this giant project one small project at a time. It will take a while to get to everything but I'll be carrying you around with me as I go. Make sure you're following me on Facebook or Instagram to see my insta-stories for a real-time perspective on projects.

And as a side-note, I don't have a ton of money to use for all of this. You can be sure I'll be showing you how I'm saving money but making dramatic changes to my home.

Now. Let's look at some "Before" Photos, shall we? These were all taken before we officially moved in. Some boxes and mess are in some of the photos. Sorry. This is just to give you a basic idea of what we're starting with. In another post, I'll show you some ideas of what I'm dreaming the spaces up to be. I can't wait to show you around!

This is my entryway. That little balcony of sorts has a purpose now. I'll share photos soon. Ultimately, this will be the perfect spot for my mini Christmas tree...you know...when it's actually time for all of that. For now, it has a few things parked there. (And the kiddos actually love shooting off Nerf guns from there. LOL)

Right off that entry way is where the formal dining room is. I'm in love with the bay window and the floors in here. You'll also begin to notice the textured ceiling everywhere. That's pretty common for Kentucky homes...and easy and inexpensive finish. Ugh. I'm not sure we'll ever get to fixing any of that but we can sure design a room to draw your eye somewhere else, eh? 

This is the girls' bedroom. Notice the window treatments. Oh, man. I can't wait to change these out to something more their style. You'll find these valances in every other bedroom here, too. I don't care for them but won't take them down until I have something else to put up as a finishing touch. 

This is my son's bedroom. His is the same idea as the girls' room. It's just a little bit smaller. 

This is the 4th bedroom which acts as an office/guest room at the moment. It also has a door that leads out to that balcony over the entryway. Again. Valance, be gone. And yes...light fixtures, too...

This is the great room. And "hi!". You'll see me at the top of the stairs. LOL

One thing that I'd love to change in here? The fireplace. Salmon tile and brass finishes on the fireplace are just not my style. 

Here's a look at the master bedroom with the air mattress we were using before our furniture came. Mega valance in here, y'all. I have ideas for that!

And don't mind the mess, but this is the kitchen. It needs a hug and is one of the bigger projects of the different rooms I've shown you. I'm dreaming of WHITE and black hardware and kitchen sink upgrades and subway tile...just for starters. This will be so fun to flip!

As I said earlier, I'll be sharing some ways I'm dreaming up "afters" for this home. I know it won't all come together overnight but I will have so much fun getting my hands dirty and my tools out and put to work. 

What house style would you love to incorporate in your own home? Would you DIY it? 

~Amy

The Farmhouse Flip Project {And BEFORE Photos}

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In the fall of last year, a friend of mine asked me to build her a sofa table after seeing a table I made for my front porch. I and my note pad took a trip to visit her and catch her vision as well as learn specifics of the size and colors she was looking for.

So here's the little table I made for myself. I love quilt block patterns. I'm always reminded of my Mom and Grandma when I see amazing quilts but for this season of my life, I would rather play with power tools than sew. My solution was this table. I drew out, wood burned, painted, and distressed the top before sealing the paint in. 

My friend loved the quilt idea and wanted it on a sofa table. First, let me share with you my inspiration plans for this project. You can find them by the amazing The White Cottage Farm by clicking the name. These plans gave me the basic construction idea and I got to add my own touch to that.

My dad gave me this old, wood scaffolding and I couldn't wait to use it as the table top for this project. I had to cut the lengths, sand it all down, and wood glue those babies together. 

Also.

I only had one clamp when I was waiting for the glue to set. I had to get creative and use these straps on either end that I conveniently found in my garage. (Ha!)

I used the plans I linked up there ^ to build the base of the sofa table. My choice in wood was pallet wood. I found a pallet that was about 6 feet long so I was able to cut 2 big lengths down to create 4 equal sized legs that were already full of character since they were a little beat up. For the bottom shelf of the table, I used a finished piece of plywood. 

Again, she wanted a specific size so I built a bit taller and to a specific length and depth for the space she was putting it in. 

After everything is put together, CHALK PAINT-AH! We went grey for the top and a white with a grey undertone for the legs/bottom shelf. She also chose her quilt square design. I created a pattern, used a pencil to draw it on the table top after measuring to make sure it was all even-steven in spacing. 

Here's where it gets tricky. She wanted turquoise for the quilt pattern color so I grabbed a color. After showing her what it looked like, she let me know she was looking for something a little deeper turquoise and less teal. 

This actually worked out perfectly. I'll explain.

I went back to the store and sent her a text message with a few more color choices. She made her choice and I was able to paint right over the lighter color.

BUT.

When I distressed the top, the lighter color popped out here and there giving the table top a neat patina look.

(It just goes to show you, in a creative life there is no such thing as a "mistake"...mostly...lol)

DON'T FORGET to seal your chalk paint. I used a clear, satin varnish to finish it up.

This pretty little thing lives happily in its new home. 

I had so very much fun making it and can't wait for spring so I can build more furniture pieces. This time, I'll be making things for my new home in Kentucky. Stay tuned! (And please tell Spring to hurry it up!)

~Amy

PSST:  Feel free to give me ideas of DIY's you'd like to see here in the comments. :) 

DIY Reclaimed Wood Sofa Table

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