Category: quick and easy.

I’m sharing another of the brand new 2019 Summer release transfers from Prima Marketing’s Re.design line today.  This one is called Delicious Menu.

This is definitely another one of those transfers that you can use on a ton of different projects, much like one of my other favorites, Everyday Farmhouse.

Just think of the possibilities!

In fact, I’ve already pulled together three quick and easy projects using this one, so let’s get started shall we?

First, I picked up this vintage metal picnic basket at a garage sale last year sometime.  I love these old metal baskets.

This one was in kinda rough shape though.  A bit rusty and crusty.  Which is probably why it was only $2.

Initially I thought I would just sell it ‘as is’ as a planter (because obviously, how cute would this be filled with red geraniums?), but after I received this transfer I knew I could add a little bit more.

It was super simple to cut out the sections I wanted to use and rub them onto the basket.

Next, I added some holes to the bottom of the basket so that it would have good drainage for plants.  It’s easy to do this with a drill, if you have one, but you can also just pound a nail in which is just as quick (or even quicker if the battery on your cordless drill is dead).

Then I just filled the container up with some potting soil and some pretty annuals.

I see a lot of people online asking whether or not the transfers will hold up outside, and also wondering whether or not you have to seal them with something.  I don’t like to give advice on that sort of thing without testing it first myself.  So, I’ve decided to keep this basket now and see how it holds up over the summer.

Oh, who am I kidding?  I’m keeping it because it’s frickin’ adorable.

I can already tell you that I’ve had this outside since the end of May and so far so good.  I didn’t seal it with anything.  In my opinion it’s more likely that the basket itself will rust out and fall apart sooner than the transfer comes off.  But we’ll see.  I’ll keep you posted on that.

But my philosophy is this.  I paid $2 for the basket.  The section of the transfer that I used on it would be about $2 too (assuming you use the rest of the transfer on other pieces).  So I’ve got a whopping $4 invested in the container.  Meanwhile, I spent about $30 on the annuals I planted in it and I know they are only going to last a year.  Therefore, who cares if the transfer doesn’t last?  Or if the metal rusts out?  I can toss the whole thing at the end of the season.

Next up is a super simple makeover.  I just added ‘Fresh Roast’ to a vintage enamelware coffee pot.

Doesn’t that just seriously add a lot more character?  And so quick and easy to do.

Last is another really quick and easy update.  I added the word ‘CAFE’ to this straw dispenser.

As it turns out, not so easy to capture that word on a curved surface with a two dimensional photo, but you get the idea.

I used this transfer on one more really cute piece that I’ll be sharing with you guys next week, so be sure to stay tuned.

Thank you to Prima Marketing for sharing the Delicious Menu transfer with me.  If you’re wondering where to buy it, check out Prima’s ‘where to buy‘ page.

I just love quick and easy updates that take less than 30 minutes and turn something plain into something fabulous.

I purchased an old wood crate at a lunchtime garage sale a couple weeks back (oops, forgot to get a ‘before’ photo).  Then I dressed it up with a Prima Marketing transfer and some cup pulls from Hobby Lobby.

Once again I used part of the Everyday Farmhouse transfer set for the wording.

Then I added these fun, rusty looking cup pulls to the sides of the crate to use as handles.

This crate would be super cute filled up with potted flowers, or maybe just a bunch of vintage blue ball jars.

I’m continuing to get tons of use out of that one set of the Everyday Farmhouse transfers, but I am starting to run out!

I definitely need to get my hands on another set!  In the meantime, remember on Monday I mentioned that new summer release from Prima Marketing?  Well, they have another awesome set of wordy transfers in the new release too.  I’ll be sharing a few things with those words added to them next week, so be sure to stay tuned.

Remember when Prima Marketing came out with some knob transfers last year?  I fell in love with this one …

I don’t know what it is that I love so much about that design.  I think it’s the contrast between that big ol’ pig and the French writing, or maybe it’s just the graphic punch of black and white.

I still haven’t found the perfect piece of furniture for these knobs, but in the meantime I have found another use for this transfer.

I mentioned that I purchased some handmade vintage toys at the Bryn Mawr garage sales.  I’ve already shared the stinkin’ adorable elephant …

Well, the 2nd piece I’ve redone is this chunky truck.

Unfortunately, I neglected to take a ‘before’ photo, drat!  But the truck was previously painted in red and green with the black wheels.  And one of the sides on the trailer was broken.  So my handyman/neighbor Ken fixed the side, and then I painted them and the cab with Dixie Belle’s Drop Cloth, and the base of the trailer got a couple of coats of Dixie Belle’s Midnight Sky.  Once dry, I sanded to distress everything and added a coat of Dixie Belle’s flat sealer.

Then I added one of those fabulous pig transfers to each side of the cab.

Then, since that looked so cute, I added a few more transfers …

The Farm Fresh one is part of another knob transfer, while the ‘No 12’ on the front of the cab is a Tim Holtz transfer.

I also added some Tim Holtz rub-on numbers to the side of the trailer.

I thought this truck would be perfect to use on a shelf in a nursery with some books in the trailer.

But of course it was really just meant to be played with!

Monique, one of the owners of Reclaiming Beautiful (the shop where I sell on consignment in Stillwater), snatched the truck up as soon as I brought it in.  I just bet it’s destined for her adorable grandson.  Hopefully he’ll have lots of fun with it.

I’m heading out to some neighborhood garage sales tomorrow with my sister, so hopefully I’ll have some fun finds to share with you next week.  I’m also putting the finishing touches on a gorgeous spoon carved bed that I’ll be sharing soon.

And don’t forget, you have until midnight tonight to leave a comment on Monday’s post to be eligible to win the giveaway.  So if you haven’t already done that, you can use this link to get to that post and leave your comment.

 

Last week I told you guys that I picked up a set of vintage handmade wooden pull toys at the Byrn Mawr sales.  I only shared the horses and cart because the other pieces had already gone over to Ken’s workshop for some repairs.

The horses and cart are super adorable, but I think my favorite piece is the elephant.

That’s not a true ‘before’ because Ken had already made some repairs.  When I bought this, the elephant was broken off his platform.  Ken replaced the little wooden blocks holding him in place and re-attached him.

I really wasn’t fond of the muddy, dark colors that the elephant was painted in.  I wanted to lighten him up a bit.

I started by sanding him down lightly, cleaning off any dust and then painting him with a base coat of Dixie Belle’s Pink Champagne.  Although I planned to go with a chippy milk paint look ultimately, I knew I’d probably have some difficulty getting milk paint to stick over that shiny existing paint. I could have just added bonding agent to my milk paint, but I had the Dixie Belle paint handy so I started with that.

Next I mixed up some of Miss Mustard Seed’s Farmhouse White for the elephant’s body.

I used two coats of the Farmhouse White.  I would likely have needed a third coat had I not already given him that light base coat color with the Pink Champagne.

Next I mixed up some of Miss Mustard Seed’s Shutter Grey for the elephant’s cart.  However, after I painted it on I felt like it was too dark.  I wanted to keep the whole look really pale. So I mixed the remainder of my Farmhouse White in with the Shutter Grey to make it a bit lighter.  I’d say this is about a half and half mix.

As you can see, I got some great chipping.  Just enough to look authentic.

Finally, I added part of a grain sack stencil to the elephant’s body.

Once that was dry, I sanded the elephant to add some distressing and then gave him a topcoat of clear wax.

I’ve left out the most amazing part of this elephant.  When you pull him along by his string, there is a mechanism attached to the front set of wheels that makes his head go up and down.  Seriously, it is the most stinkin’ adorable thing I’ve ever seen.

I’m tempted to keep this piece just to stage future pieces of furniture, but in the end I will most likely take him to Reclaiming Beautiful (the shop where I sell on consignment in Stillwater).

 I think he might just be too darn cute to keep in a cupboard somewhere.  What do you think?

I know, I know.  I share a lot of painted suitcases.  I probably sound like a broken record.  I really enjoy painting them though.  It’s probably the traveler in me.

I have found that certain styles of suitcases will not sell ‘as is’, but usually sell well painted.  This is one of them.

It’s rather blah.  It’s also a bit on the cheap side with a plastic handle rather than leather.

But a little Dixie Belle paint in Caviar and one of Prima Marketing’s new gold Somewhere in France transfers give it an entirely new look.

It was just a happy coincidence that the transfer fit the suitcase perfectly.  And FYI, this is another of the transfers from the yet to be released Spring 2019 line.  They should be hitting retailers in mid-April or so.

There are 3 designs included in the Somewhere in France set …

As you can see, I’ve used the top section on this suitcase.

I used just the bottom two lines of the bottom section on the toolbox that I shared last week.

And again, as on the toolbox, the gold looks amazing over black.

 I took the suitcase in to Reclaiming Beautiful (the shop where I sell on consignment in Stillwater, MN) on Wednesday evening, so if any of you locals are in need of a fabulous painted suitcase be sure to head to Stillwater!

Thank you to Dixie Belle Paint Co and Prima Marketing for providing the materials used for my painted suitcase.

I was surfing around on Instagram the other day and I saw a post by @deerrunvintage of a hankie drawer that she re-purposed by adding little legs to it.  I thought it was a great idea, and I just happened to have an orphaned hankie drawer in my workshop so I decided to give it a try.

But first, what is a hankie drawer?

It’s a small drawer, or in this case more of a hinged box, that sits on the top of a dresser.  They were meant to hold handkerchiefs (hence the name) or gloves.

I often remove them from dressers when I restyle them because I feel like a flat top is more versatile than one with hankie drawers on it.  For example, you can now use the piece to hold your wide screen TV, or use it as a buffet in the dining room.  Plus, who actually uses hankies anymore?

In the case of the above dresser, they didn’t even look like they belonged on top of that piece.  So when I painted it last March I took them off.

You can just barely see it in the photo above, but this pair of hankie drawers were connected to each other by a trim board that went all the way across the dresser.  So after I removed them, I had Ken cut the trim board off …

Next I purchased some parts from my local craft store to turn into little legs for the drawer.

I glued two different pieces together to make this …

And then I glued these to the bottom of my hankie drawer.

Next I painted it inside and out with Miss Mustard Seeds milk paint in Apron Strings.  It took three coats to get good coverage over the original dark finish.  I have to say, this color always seems to lean more towards pink in other people’s photos, while for me it always looks very coral.  Once the paint was dry, I added a section of Prima Marketing’s Overflowing Love transfer to the top of the box.

Once I had that in place I decided the box needed just a little something else on the front.  So I pulled out some of Prima Marketing’s Modeling Material and the Etruscan Accents mold.

I glued the mold in place before the modeling material was set up.  Once it dries it becomes very brittle and hard.  But when it’s fresh out of the mold you can curve it to fit your piece.  In this case the front of the box is a bit curved, so I gently pressed the mold into place while it was still pliable.  This mold was much easier to work with than the little bees I used on the cake plates I shared Monday with their tiny little legs.

Once it hardened up (probably about an hour or so later), I painted it as well.

Once that was dry, I sanded the box to distress it and then added a couple of coats of The Real Milk Paint Co’s Dead Flat Finishing Cream.

I lined the inside with some pretty scrapbook paper.

As you can see I got quite a bit more chipping on the inside of the box than I did on the outside.  I suspect that’s because the original finish was more protected (ie. less worn away) on the inside than it was on the outside.  So that original finish resisted the milk paint more.

To be honest, I’m not sure whether or not the feet were worth the effort.

Not that they required a ton of effort, just an added $10 or so in expense plus some glue.

I don’t know, maybe they do elevate the box just a bit in more ways than one.  What do you think?

A while back I shared a quick and easy craft project using unfinished wooden chargers (or plates) from Prima Marketing …

You can do so many different things with these plates and they are an easy, quick project to have fun with.

Here’s how the plates look when you buy them.

They come in three sizes, 10″, 12″ and 14″ and they are basically a blank canvas for getting creative.  Once finished you could use them as chargers, display them in a china cabinet or maybe just hang them on the wall.  They are light enough that you could easily do that with some 3M Command Strips.

Prima Marketing had sent me 3 of each size, so in addition to the ones I already shared, I’ve now finished up the rest of them.

First off, I made this coordinating set of three.

I painted them with Dixie Belle paint in Dropcloth.  Then I used 4 different Prima Marketing transfers.  French Ceramics (on the top plate shown above), French Ceramics II (on the bottom plate) and Floral Lover (the gingham on the middle plate, and why this is called Floral Lover is beyond me because the set consists of the gingham pattern and a striped pattern, no florals in sight).

To dress up the gingham plate a little bit more I also added one of Prima’s French Pots IV transfers over the gingham transfer.  Yes, you can layer transfers like this.  Just be sure that your first transfer is well adhered before adding the second one by lightly burnishing it with a clean, dry cloth.

After the transfers were in place I sanded lightly to distress them a bit and then sealed the plates with The Real Milk Paint Co’s Dead Flat Finishing Cream.  I think this set would be perfect to hang on the wall.

Next, I tried something just a tad different with a couple of the plates.  I turned them into cake plates by adding some wood pedestals that I picked up at my local craft store for about $6 each (or in my case, I took my sister with me and we each had a 40% off coupon, so they were $3.60 each).

I used Elmer’s Wood Glue to attach the pedestals.  Once that was dry, I mixed up some Miss Mustard Seeds milk paint in Curio, which is a deep brown.  I don’t know that I would ever choose to paint something in this color and leave it that way, but Curio works great as a base color.  Especially over unfinished wood.  Unlike chalk paint or acrylic paint (Fusion or General Finishes), milk paint soaks into unfinished wood rather than sitting on the surface.  That makes it perfect to use as a stain too.

In my case, I just wanted a layer underneath my final color so that when I distressed these you wouldn’t see fresh new wood under the paint.

Once the Curio was dry, I sanded the plates lightly and then I added just a little beeswax to the edges to encourage my next coat of paint to distress just down to the darker layer.  Then I painted them with Miss Mustard Seeds milk paint in Linen, my favorite warm white shade.  It took several coats to get good coverage with the white over the dark brown.

In hindsight, I’m not sure it was worth taking all of this effort.  I didn’t get much chipping.  I did distress down to the Curio layer around the edges though, so maybe it added some depth.

After sanding the plates, I added the same two transfers that I used on my original pair of plates, Simplicity (which is the toile pattern) and Never Ending Story.  Once again I sealed them with The Real Milk Paint Co’s Dead Flat Finishing Cream.

But instead of stopping there I decided to have a little fun with a some new products that Prima Marketing sent my way, Modeling Material and a mold called Regal Findings.

I made a couple molds of the little bees (see them there in the middle row?) and added them to the bases of my cake stands.

I glued them on with wood glue before the molds had hardened which allowed me to form them to the curve of the base.  Once they hardened, I painted them with the Linen milk paint, allowed that to dry, topcoated it with the RMP Co’s Finishing Cream, allowed that to dry, then added a little Miss Mustard Seeds Antiquing wax to give them some definition.

I’m still practicing with the molds.  These tiny ones are a bit trickier than the larger designs.  Especially those fragile little bee legs.  As you can see, this bee lost a leg.

But after I get a little better at it, I plan to share a tutorial post on using the Modeling Material and the molds, so stay tuned for that.

Meanwhile, although I’m not a baker and never have need for a cake stand, these also work well to provide varying layers of height to a display.

Funny side bar story, I never even knew these vintage opera glasses of mine say “PARIS” on them.

It wasn’t until I was editing the photos for this post that I noticed that!  Cool, huh?

Anyway, these were just a few ideas of the ways you can use the wooden plates. I’ve got one more set of them that I’ll be sharing later in the week so be sure to check back!

Special thanks to Prima Marketing, Miss Mustard Seeds Milk Paint, Dixie Belle Paint and The Real Milk Paint Co for providing products used on these projects.

I can’t believe it was over two years ago that I shared this newel post …

It seriously boggles my mind to realize it wasn’t just a few months ago, but when I went in search of that original post about the post I found it in January 2017!

That’s not at all the point of today’s blog post, but I just had to say that out loud.  Time really does fly.

So, apparently I painted this post two years ago.  It ended up with a fabulously chippy patina.  I just had it leaning in the corner of a room as a sort of architectural salvage decor piece.  Sometimes it was in the piano room, and sometimes the living room.

While I was stenciling the piano last weekend I saw it and thought it could use a stencil or two as well.

I started with this ‘antiques’ stencil at the bottom.

Then I used the same stencil that I used on the little Mariner’s chair that I painted a couple of weeks ago to do two more sides of the base.

Finally, I added a portion of another stencil to the top.

I think the post has just a little more character now and it looks great just hanging out next to the cupboard that holds the ‘good junk’.

What do you think?