Snazzy Little High Chair

I feel like I spend weeks and weeks on pinterest collecting ideas and then for one random week I go crazy copying ideas.  Check out this little number I found a few weeks ago!

I KNOW!

It is so so so cool, unique, and fun!

So look what I did with that inspiration.

I apologize for less than stellar photos. I completed this one during my maniacal race to get a truckload full of "stuff" to take up to Trina Rose Boutique before their store opening. And it had just snowed...obviously.

This is what I started with.

It was a bit rickety so I tightened it all up and used some wood glue to secure all the joints. Then I busted out some of my scrap booking stickers (which I know I will never use) and stuck them on the untouched wood in a fun pattern.

Next, I used my homemade white chalk paint to paint the whole chair with 2 coats.

I was super worried when I saw the stickers lifting and puckering, but was in it this far so just went along for the ride.

The stickers were soaked through and really a pain to peel off.

(I should have waited to peel them off till after I painted the gray stripes-but apparently I enjoy making more work for myself:)

Check out this mess of leaked paint blobs...super...more work again.

The paring knife worked the best for me when I was scraping little tiny bits of sticker and paint from the inside edges of the flowers. The scraping went better than I thought it would and didn't take too long.

Much better! Since I knew I would be distressing the whole chair I wasn't super picky about perfectly clean edges. I taped off my stripes next.

I used Americana craft paint for the stripes because it was what was right next to me while I was working.

After it dried, I distressed and sanded the whole chair. I got most of the gray paint off of my designs, but left just a bit behind.

Then I used Annie Sloan clear and dark wax to finish 'er up.

I am pretty happy with how it turned out!

It took a long time though.

I think it would look cute as a "table" in the bathroom too.

Thanks for hanging out ! This ends today's regularly scheduled programming.

8-Track Tape Clock Tutorial

What up my 70's loving friends? 

I told you I snatched every last 8-Track tape my thrift store had in stock. The clerk was impressed that I still had an 8-Track player and when I told her that sadly I did not, but I was going to turn these tapes into I-Pod docks and clocks she looked at me like I had a screw loose. 

Well, maybe I do, but WHATEVS!

Check out this rad clock!

It's the soundtrack from the movie Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman-AWESOME

The tapes I used for my I-Pod docks popped apart so easily, however I almost chopped off more than one finger trying to pry this case apart at the beginning of this project!

TMTOMH can not be held responsible if you try this at home.

I used every pokey and sharp device I could to pop this son of a *$%@# apart. I am shocked I actually got it apart without breaking it.

I emptied it all out and the kids got crazy with the 17 miles of tape found inside...again. Apparently that game never gets old:)

Lucky for me there was already a small hole in the center. So I snipped off the bracket

and used the scissors to twist and turn and scrape to enlarge the hole to fit my clock parts.

again,,,please don't do this at home and hurt yourself

Then I popped in the clock insides

and attached the hands.

Now, I will admit, I was stumped at this crossroads in my project and this little clock sat just this way for about a month. I tried mounting it on a piece of wood and it just didn't look right. So I decided to paint a $1 IKEA photo frame black and I epoxied the tape to the edge of the frame.

I desperately wanted a way to attach the back of the tape as well, so the clock would look cool from both sides, but I just couldn't figure it out. I tried hinges, velcro, hooks. But nothing looked good, attached securely, AND was removable for battery replacement. So I decided to use a weathered piece of scrapbook paper in the actual photo slot.

I will probably try to find a print of the album cover to use instead. But it does look fun for sure!

Anyone need to keep some retro time?

Come on all you creative and inventive people out there. What else could I do with these tapes? I still have 3 from my first purchase and I grabbed 3 more the other day. I am determined to use these nostalgic and fun tapes for some cool projects!

Homemade Chalk Paint - Not Bad!!!

A few weeks ago I featured this amazing post from

No Minimalist Here

in my Good Morning Sunshine series.

Sherry posted about her escapades with homemade chalk paint and she found success with only spending $4.00

$4.00

Do you  know how much that dang chalk paint costs? Like $89 a quart....well, no not really, but it is like almost $40 a quart and that is INSANITY! I hear everyone saying, "oh but it lasts forever," "you can water it down," "it is the most amazing paint product ever invented!" I get it, BUT, if there is a way to replicate it, I am surely going to give it a shot! I figured if it didn't work I would cave and spend the money on the legit stuff.

Sherry inspired me to get  serious, I was ready to give this homemade chalk paint a shot (especially since I'm so cheap).

 I read and reread Sherry's post and ran out to gather supplies and use her technique.

I found calcium carbonate -in the powder form- at Vitamin Cottage. It was with the other mineral supplements and you can find it in health food stores or on Amazon.

I mixed 

1 1/2 Cups of latex paint

1/2 Cup water

1/2 Cup Calcium Carbonate

I used an old spaghetti sauce jar and mixed REALLY well. It really isn't a precise measurement, just eyeball it and adjust to the consistency you need.

Now, it is completely against my nature to follow directions, prepare beforehand, or look before I leap. But, I really wanted this to work so I actually did some research before I started painting!

I read this tutorial at Perfectly Imperfect and watched Shaunna's videos-she is cute and funny and knowledgeable. Snagged some good tips there. 

Then I ran down to Littleton, Colorado and met with the lovely ladies at The Little Black Chair. They sell all the Annie Sloan products and have a ridiculously amazing warehouse where they create perfectly beautiful stuff!

They also enlightened me on what to do when I got home.

I learned a few important things in my research:

1. You do not have to sand or prime-this chalk paint sticks to everything.
2. Use very thin coats of wax or it will never dry. Thin coats will dry in 24 hours.

3. Minwax is not a suitable replacement wax product. You HAVE to use Briwax (VERY stinky) or Annie Sloan's soft wax (not stinky). I figured I was saving on the paint, so I grabbed the Annie Sloan's wax ($24.95 a pop-supposed to last forever-yadda yadda yadda)

So here she is, my first chalk paint project ....

and isn't she a bute! 

I took my beautiful blue paint and painted the first coat.
One bonus is this paint dries SUPER fast-love it!

Then I did a second coat, you can still see brush strokes-they disappeared later

Then I took my sandpaper and scuffed it up. Another bonus, this paint comes off so easy when distressing. However, it will come off so easy that you need to be careful you don't strip all the paint off in one fail swoop.

I worked in small sections and brushed on the clear wax making sure it really soaked into the paint.

and then the dark wax right on top of the clear, while they are still wet -really work it into the paint.

I used a cheesecloth to rub, remove some dark wax, smooth it out, etc.

I let it dry for 24 hours, then I went over the whole piece with a soft cloth and buffed it to a lovely shine and buttery soft finish. It really does feel so soft and nice. My cloth removed some excess wax, so I am glad I didn't skip this step. Not sure if I used too much, didn't work it into the paint good enough, didn't let it dry long enough, or if that is normal. I guess I will investigate further on my next piece.

Oh yeah, and of course I reupholstered that U-G-L-Y  (it ain't got no alibi-it's ugly) cushion.

And here we go with the finished piece!

 It worked.

I like it.

I am going to do it again.

21st Century flowers are much nicer.

I went pretty heavy with the dark wax. You can go  lighter and get a much more subtle look.

Or you can use only the clear and just get a nice shiny finish with just abit of emphasis on the distressed areas.

The BEST BEST BEST part of this is that I can make a gazillion different colors for next to nothing!
But if you are afraid to make your own or need the wax, brushes, cheesecloth, head over to The Little Black Chair and order it from them!