The Wow Factor

Recently, Hubby and I took on a project. We are helping our family face-lift their house. (Check back for pictures and how-tos.) This dresser, however, I felt desereved it's very own post. In every home project, there is the Wow peice that turns out better than you even expected it too. This dresser was a $50 Craigslist find. It was in desperate need of some TLC.

Here is what we did... First, a major cleaning. It had been in a storage unit for a while and was very grimy. After, we used this orange paint. Leaving the top unfinished,we brushed the paint on in a criss-cross fashion, making it look a little more worn and weathered. Once the orange was dry, I used a product called Stain and Seal on both the unfinished top and on the orange. I painted it on with a brush and then wiped it with a cloth. The idea is to wipe it off more in some areas than others, creating the old weathered and dirty look. Some great hardware and this dresser looks amazing!

Pillowcase Dress

I just love pillowcase dresses. They are so light and dainty. I love that you can layer leggings and long sleeved shirts under them in the winter and have a cute little summer tunic. They are really easy to make and you can find a tutorial for them on almost every craft site on the web. I made these for my sweet little cousins to wear on the beach.

There is a whole different reason to love these dresses. Little Dresses for Africa is an organization that pulls on my heart strings. These little girls in Africa have nothing, much less something pretty to wear. This organization sends dresses made here in the USA with missionaries to give out to these precious children.  I am working on a challenge later this year to encourage those who are sewing savvy to join me in sending dresses to these girls so that they may feel pretty and loved. More on this later.

Texas Pride

Hubby and I tried a new look and painted our outdoor table with a Texas flag on it. We liked it so much, we are painting flags on all kinds of things. Texans love our flag and will display it everywhere we can.

The original outdoor table...

Then,

     On a dresser....

On a wall...

On another table...

Ruffled Apron

I am always looking for a cute gift for hostesses, teachers and anyone else who needs a little love. Aprons are great because even those who don't cook can find something to use them for! After seeing a similar design, my Nanny asked me to make her a few of these darling ruffled aprons for gifts. The under layer is a dish towel which is so great for wiping your hands while cooking - or crafting or whatever. A great online tutorial can be found here at A Little of This, A Little of That. . What a cute gift! Check my etsy shop for listings.

Master Retreat

We took this master bedroom of the condo and turned it into a master fit for a vacation retreat.

We started with a fresh coat of paint and new blinds in the window. Then, because of the room size, we decided to take the closet doors off and open up that area. We also refinished the headboard, side tables and dresser. The end result is so inviting, don't you think?

Something old, something new

As promised, here is another condo post! Since we were updating the condo with vacation rentals in mind, we wanted to stay on a budget and use as much of the existing furniture as we could. Here is an awesome before and after, thanks to my awesome Hubby.

 He took the iron table base and chairs and painted them black. Then he replaced the dated and impossible to keep clean glass top with this beauiful wood top. I reupholstered the chair cushions, and ta-da :)

Retro Love

Another fabulous Craigslist find. (Yes, we love Craigslist!) People just don't realize what they have. Now, this piece was found for my sister in law, who needed a cabinet for under their mounted tv. It screams a little 1960's but is so unique. After we loved on it a bit, it's pretty awesome - even if I do say so myself.