Why I Don't Like Using Wax to Seal Furniture

An honest review: why I prefer to seal painted furniture with Poly instead of wax. A few years ago I got the bright idea to paint over our black/brown IKEA VEJMON  side table with an antique white chalk paint followed by clear wax .  As the famous Julia Roberts once said, "Big mistake, big, huge." I loved the brightness the white paint added to our living room, but after a few months it was already showing major wear and tear.  Needless to say, the table got a makeover this weekend and I was sure to seal it with poly instead of wax. Before I get to the makeover, let's compare the pros and cons of sealing painted furniture with wax or Polycrylic. ...

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Five Friday Finds: Stylish and Affordable Bar Carts

I wasn't planning on updating our dining room, but everything just kind of snowballed after I decided I wanted a new light fixture.  I shouldn't be surprised.  I've been updating and decorating our home long enough to know that one thing always leads to another.   The idea of simply replacing the light fixture lead to a new rug,   painting the vintage server,   replacing the wine cabinet and new art for the walls.     In my search for the perfect wine cabinet replacement I stumbled upon a few stylish and affordable wine carts that I wanted to share.  Can you guess which one I purchased??? ...

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Double Duty Decor: How to Effectively Hide Toy Clutter

Clever and stylish ways to effectively hide toy clutter! Building, creating and decorating is my thing , organizing is not.   Walk into my home on any given day and you are bound to find piles of papers, laundry in the living room, craft projects on the dining room table and toys that are not where they belong.  My home is small and it's no secret that I'm not the most motivated organizer.  I would much rather spend my evenings blogging and creating projects over doing laundry, putting away dishes and tidying up the house.  Unfortunately, this results in unnecessary stress so I'm working hard on keeping our living and dining rooms organized and toy free with double duty decor.  We keep a lot of toys in our basement , but most of them end up in our living room since that's where we spend most of our time.  Unfortunately, I lost the "no toys in the living room" battle years ago, so instead of fighting with the kids to take their toys to their ro...

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Modern Farmhouse Dining Room: Painted Vintage Server

While my husband was away enjoying a relaxing weekend trip with the guys I stayed home and cared for a very sick little girl.  I always tease my husband that he picks the best times to go away.  Granted, everyone was healthy when he left it never fails that I end up single parenting at the worst times. Friday night was going as any normal night would until I was awaken at 1:45am with the words I dread most, "Mom, I just threw up."  Let me just say, when you are not prepared to be sick you end up with a major mess on your hands.  Thankfully, I have great neighbors who kept our little guy occupied on Saturday while I cleaned carpets, washed sheets and cared for our sweet little girl.  When she finally was able to sleep you can bet I jumped at the chance to do a little painting project for the dining room.  You would think painting a piece of furniture would be pretty straight forward, but not when you're trying to pick the perfect gray.  I ended up grabbing e...

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$5 DIY: How to Make a Wood Bead Garland with Tassels

An easy tutorial for creating an inexpensive wood bead garland with tassels! Who doesn't love a quick, easy and affordable farmhouse craft project ?   A few years ago my grandmother was downsizing and I was lucky enough to receive a bunch of her unused craft supplies.  One of the many items I received was a huge assortment of wood craft beads. I'm talking large beads, small beads, round beads and everything in between.  Determined not to let them go to waste, I decided to make a simple DIY wood garland, but I didn't want to make just any wood garland.  I wanted to make something a little different, so I added simple jute tassels.  This is seriously the easiest craft project I have ever made.  You only need 3 supplies, it takes less than 10 minutes to make and the total cost is less than $5.00.  It doesn't get any easier or cheaper than that!  ...

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New Mudroom Rug: How to Pick the Perfect Rug

The best tips and tricks for picking the perfect rug for every room! I recently bought a new rug for our mudroom and I LOVE it!  It's bold, has lots of contrast and is the perfect statement piece for our mudroom.  Choosing the perfect rug isn't always easy and there's a lot to consider, so I'm breaking down a few of my favorite tips to help you pick the perfect rug for your spaces.   From choosing the right size rug to picking the perfect material, I'm sharing all my favorite tips and tricks to make the decision process easier.                   1. FIND THE RIGHT SIZE A rug too large will look more like wall to wall carpeting and may actually make your room look and feel smaller.  A rug too small may seem out of place and won't balance your space.  LIVING ROOM - the front third of furniture (sofa, chairs, etc.) should sit on top your rug. You do not want your rug floating in the middle of the room. DINING ROOM - make sure chairs s...

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How to make a photo clipboard with FREE printable

How is it February and time for another Monthly DIY challenge?   This month we all headed to the hardware store and picked up 1x2 lumber to create 11 DIY projects! I threw around the idea of creating a vase or candleholder but ultimately ended up making one of my favorite go-to projects. Memo boards and photo frames are easy to make and a staple for any decor style.   The best part is the wood is inexpensive and they are perfect for displaying your favorite artwork, quotes or pictures! ...

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How to make a captain mirror from a $1 burner cover

It's time for another Dollar Store DIY!  The first monday of every month I'll share a Dollar store item that I've altered and turned into stylish decor.  Last month, I transformed flimsy Dollar Tree mini drawers into the perfect  industrial farmhouse storage .  This month, my item of choice was a 10 inch metal burner cover!  I LOVE captain's mirrors and knew the minute I saw the burner covers that I could turn one into the perfect DIY mirror.  ...

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Five Finds Under $25!

Thank you all so much for your kind words regarding Monday's  IKEA hack  post.  I couldn't be happier with how it turned out and I'm so glad you all love it too! As much as I try to paint, tweak and update what I currently own, it's also nice to buy new things as well.  Every now and then I splurge, but for the most part I try to hold off for sales and search for a good deal.  Today, I'm sharing five finds under $25 that I hope you'll like as much as I do. ...

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