Christmas Plaques Great Teacher Gifts!!

Every year I come up with a Christmas craft gift that is cheap to make and easy to do.I usually make a tone of whatever craft it is and use them for my teacher ,coach,close friends and good neighbor gifts.This year I managed to only spend $5 per gift!!!

This is how you do it….

First go to your local hardware store and buy some planks of wood.
I bought mine from Rona. Depending on how many you want to make the larger the piece the cheaper.It worked out to $3.75 per wood piece for me.

Buy some Minwax Stain in your preferred shade.I like it dark so I went with Dark walnut.
Use gloves and a rag to rub on the stain.Do this in a well ventilated area(garage)wear a mask if you got one.

After the stain is dry.Dry brush on your colour of choice.I chose off white.My Christmas word is “JOY”I painted it on free hand after the base coat was dry.

After all the layers are dry.Take a sanding block with a coarse paper and sand away some of the paint revealing the bottom stain.This will give your piece a natural weathered look.**Remember to go with the grain**

After your piece is sanded to perfection you can go back and touch up some areas with the stain you started with.Also you can add a hanger on the back for hanging if you want to be fancy..

These same steps can be used to create a number of decor signs,have fun and be creative!

And that is how you make an eye catching inexpensive teacher gift that everyone will be talking about…

My daughter goes to the Environmental School so I have first dibs………lol

Happy Painting

Tonya

Ikea Revamp

Everyone at one time or another has bought Ikea toy storage.I am guilty of this as well,not a big fan of the pine or press board but it does serve its purpose for all those little toys and nick nacks.

My kids are now a little older 4 and 7 so there is not many toys hanging around ,the toys that they do have are hidden in dressers .I am a big fan of using interesting dressers for storage other then clothes.

A few days ago I was picking up a Craigs List find and at the side of the road was one of the Ikea toy storage units with two clear bins for FREE.Being super thrifty I threw it in the back of my van not knowing what I was going to use it for, meanwhile the kids were hiding in disbelief that I was picking up garbage.

After it sat in my garage for a few days I finally got inspired to revamp this piece.I sprayed the knotty pine with a “pastel turquoise” and lightly distressed the edges.then I added some chalk board paint on the front of the bins as labels.

And here it sits on my front porch as storage for the kids helmets and protective gear….unfortunately since my garage is my spray booth i have to think of creative places to hide the kids outdoor equipment so it doesn’t get over spray on it.

Happy Painting!

Tonya

Ikea Revamp

Hand Painted Furniture in its New Beach Home

Recently I had a customer purchase some furniture for her brand new beach condo in Kelowna.

She went for a Beach inspired decor so of course most of the pieces are turquoise and white or accented with turquoise.The end result turned out fabulous,Great decorating Jenn!

Here are some pictures of the condo …….

Thank You for the great pictures Jenn.Have a wonderful summer making memories with your family.

Tonya

Fun and Easy Patio Furniture

Now that the nice weather is here it was time for a new look to my old patio furniture.My patio furniture consist of a few new pieces purchased from Canadian Tire years back and a few “new to me pieces”purchased from garage sales over the years.Last year I just threw them all together for a mix match look but this year with my new found love for everything turquoise I wanted go go for a more summer beach theme.

Taking two older pieces a wood coffee table and end table I painted them white with a distressed stripped pattern on the top.These pieces can be found at many garage sales or thrift shops for less the $10 a piece.Use whatever colors you like for a unique and personal space.Finishing them with a varnish will weather proof the wood and keep the paint looking bright.

Here’s a few pictures of the before and after to inspire all those DIY girls

Before…just getting ready to paint some color

After

A $5 Bird house cabinet from the thrift store painted in a turquoise wash to match my tables.

A rusted tray to bring in some vintage $20 HomeSense

A close up of the distressing and my had to have starfish jar from HomeSense $12.99

A $2 wood tray from the Bibles For Mission store changed into a chalk board.

Well that was my quick and easy make over…eventually I will add some colored pillows when I come across some good deals but for now I am loving the splash of color and the weathered look.With a little work and some great paint colors its easy to transform any space.

Happy Painting!

Tonya