~A Day of Organization~

This was a crazy busy day...starting with dental appointments for the kiddos and ending with cleaning this AWFUL storage unit!

The appointments took much LONGER than I had anticipated so we were in major crunch time in order to get this place cleaned out. This storage space is where I store most of the unfinished furniture I will either be selling or keeping as I re-do it. It is a 10x16 size and has worked quite well for the past couple years although, I haven't been using it's vertical space very well until today!

My goal was to pull EVERYTHING out with the help of my 11 year old (he's one tough guy!!) while the other 3 kiddos played ( yeah right! - I should say...cried, whined and fought!) and then stack things appropriately so that I had a little space left over to store finished pieces waiting to be sold.

Unfortunately, because we were behind on time...I completely forgot to take a before pic. You will have to trust me that there was about a 1/2 inch of space between the door and the last piece of furniture. I could not fit one more thing in there!

It took us 2 hours in this horrible Utah heat (west facing of course!) but,

here it is now!! I have about a 4x4 ft space to work with. YAY!!

Thank you Jackson!

~For Sale~

Chair $155 - SOLD!!! Thank you!








24x30 Message Board $50 - SOLD!!! Thank You!










24x30 Message Board $50 - SOLD!! Thank You!

If interested...e-mail me @aprilfrancom@hotmail.com

Thanks!!

Nursery...

This is what I have planned for this week...and NO I AM NOT ANNOUNCING ANYTHING!!! 4 little kiddos is PLENTY for me :)

Anyhow, this crib was given to me for free (YAY!!) and I bought this corner cabinet off KSL in hopes of refinishing it to go somewhere in the house. Although, it has sat around for quite a while so I decided maybe they would make a perfect pair :).

I am thinking antique white with a glaze??I am also considering doing another scrapbook paper, decoupage treatment to the door too??

~Have A Great Day~

Bar stool Re-do...

These 2 little bar stools have been in my kitchen for several years. They were just the right size for helping little kidlets get into everything!!

Well, I decided since I am over the crow (they are stenciled on top) thing...they needed a little update. Enter...Rustoleum Heirloom White spray paint. Now, I have never used spray paint before and since my lovely air compressor is BURIED in the back of the garage I figured "what the heck"!!

So, to begin...

1. I sanded them to "rough" up the existing finish and cleaned off the sawdust.
2. I then sprayed them with the spray paint. I gotta tell ya, I really liked it :). It was super easy and fast!
3. Next, I stenciled them with the number's 3 &5 to update their look (I custom make my stencils - super easy).
4. Then, I sanded them with a 120 grit sanding block.
5. After that I stained them with Old Dad's Old World stain. I made sure to leave some of the stain in the grooves to create that aged feel.
6. Finally, they received 3 coats of poly for added protection.

Before...

After...

Linking to...
Tools Are For Woman Too
Kuzak's Closet

Silhouette GIVEAWAY!!!

Jen, over at Tatortots and Jello is having an AMAZING giveaway!!!!! It's the Silhouette Craft Cutting machine that hooks up to your computer so you can make whatever you want...fonts, cute designs, and fun images. It even comes with software for you to create your own designs so there are no more cartridges!!! How cool is that! Even better it is worth more than ****$325****!! HURRY, GO CHECK IT OUT!

Cabinet Reveal...

This was an easy, basic re-do...I love those :) I decided to work with the "blue" so I began by sanding and cleaning it first. Then I gave it several coats of Old Village Rittenhouse Ivory. Next, I sanded and distressed it with a hammer and nail - this creates those nicks, dings and worm holes that make the piece look old and well used. I then glazed it with Old Dad's Old World stain. Finally, I gave it 3 coats of polyurethane to seal it.

Before...After...














Linking to:
Tatortots & Jello
Remodelaholic
Under The Table and Dreaming

Kuzak's Closet

Tools Are For Woman Too

Project of the week...

I scored this little guy off KSL for $5...gotta love that! He received a good sanding, wipe down and a 1st coat of paint this morning. I hope to have him finished in a few days...fingers crossed :)

~Have a GREAT day~

Finished Nightstand - YAY!!

Before...

I have FINALLY finished this nightstand for my son's room... This summer break thing and 4 little kiddos (20 months - 11 years) is proving to be rather difficult... I can't get anything done!!! But at least we are having FUN because mom hasn't been working :).

Besides all the fun we are having, I did managed to refinish this piece in a few minutes of my SPARE TIME following the same steps and techniques as the fireplace. I also sought some inspiration from here too.

I continued to use the Linen Milk Paint from Old Village paints as the base coat but I switched to Valley Forge Mustard from Old Village paints as the top coat. This piece also has a lot more distressing as I wanted a very "chippy" look to it. I am very please with how it turned out. Now I just need to finish his bed!

After...












Linking to:
Tool Are For Women Too

Someday Crafts

Featured!!!

I am so EXCITED!!!...I've been featured again over at Stephanie Lynn's Sunday Showcase Party. Thank you sooooo much. I feel very honored!! If you haven't checked out her blog Under The Table and Dreaming then you are missing out! She is one talented lady and you need to see all the inspirational projects she has featured.

~Have a GREAT day!~

Wedding Gift

Today was the last wedding...for a bit!! My husband has 1 niece who recently returned home from her Mission to Chile, and 1 nephew that just graduated from High School left but, it may still be awhile :). Anyhow, this is the gift I made for Sarah and Neal and I am LOVING this scrapbook paper. I may just have to make another trip to Hobby Lobby next week.

~Enjoy your weekend~



I received a request about "how to make this frame" so here goes....it is SUPER easy :)

1. First, I painted the unfinished wood frame Antique White (Walmart brand) - don't forget the sides too!
2. Then, I sanded and stained/glazed it. I used Old World by Old Dad's (sorry, they are out of business but I did find some at our local Unfinished Furniture store - it's worth a try) because it is a really nice darker stain. I think Dark Walnut by Minwax would probably work really well too.
3. After that dried...I took a 12 x12 piece of scrapbook paper and traced the inside opening of the frame on the wrong side and then tore/ripped the paper around the pencil marks. Don't cut around the opening because you want that torn look (I did make a hole with the scissors to get started) and if you cut it first then you have removed to much paper. Also, tear the paper around the edges too.
4. Next, decoupage the paper to the frame. Let that dry for a few minutes then put another layer of decoupage on top of the paper to seal it.
5. After that layer dried, I lightly sanded the surface with a 150 grit sanding pad to remove any rough spots from the decoupage. Then apply the same stain as in step 2 all over the front of the frame and paper. Wipe the excess stain off leaving some to give that "dirty/ old world" look.

That's it!

I'm linking to:

Tools Are For Women Too

Shanty2Chic

Someday Crafts

Antique White Furniture - Round 2!!!

Okay, so normally I would NEVER take the time to do a piece of furniture twice but...for some reason the more I looked at it, the more I kept thinking it needed "something else"-UGH! I figured maybe I would take advantage of the Raised Panels?? Anyhow, I went to Hobby Lobby and found scrapbook paper that was just perfect! I then decoupaged it to the panels, glazed/stained the whole piece and applied polyurethane - again!

Remember the Before....

The Next Before...


The Finally Finished After...

















I LOVE IT!!


I'm linking to:
Mustard Seed Creations
Remodelaholic
Under The Table and Dreaming

The Girl Creative

Tools Are For Women Too!
Shanty2Chic

Thrifty Decor Chick

Kuzak's Closet

Sneak Peak...

This darling little cabinet is what I have been working on this week. Well, trying too that is... School is OUT so, we all know how well that is going!!! :). Anyhow, I am refinishing this to use as a nightstand for my son's bedroom. I also have a queen 4 post bed in the works for the same room so I thought this would be just the perfect height. Gotta love KSL!

And... I also have another little update on this lovely set coming soon.