"B" is for Birthday

A birthday present for the neighbor boy next door.

I made the personalized trug, click here to see the how-to post.

And then filled the trug with a sticker book of Bryce's favorite movie:

image via Dorling Kindersley


And a kid sized backpack I made personalized with a 'B':

Had I found Cars fabric I definitely would have used it.

For the how-to on the backpack click here.

Bryce's backpack is similar to the ones I previously made for our cousins:

With the exception that his has a magnetic purse closure:

Of course a snap would do the trick but the magnetic closure is SO much easier for kids.

We wrapped the sticker book, added the backpack and gathered it all up together with cellophane and ribbons.

Can't wait to see what Bryce puts in his trug!

Happy Birthday neighbor.

I'm linking up to:

Nifty Thrifty @ Coastal Charm

Tuesday Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Tutorials & Tips Tuesday @ Home Stories A to Z

Good Life @ A Beach Cottage

Delightfully Inspiring @ Delightful Order

Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage

Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple

Share Awesomeness Thur @ The 36th Avenue

Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring

Tickled Pink @ 504 Main

Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest

Feathered Nest @ French Country Cottage

Whatcha Got Weekend @ Lolly Jane

SAS @ Funky Junk

Lovely Crafty Weekend @ Lovely Crafty Home

Weekend Wrap Up @ Tatertots & Jello

Sundae Scoop @ I Heart Naptime

Sister Sunday @ Sisters of the Wild West

Sunday Showcase Party @ Under the Table & Dreaming

Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative

DIY Project Parade @ The DIY Showoff

Made by You Mondays @ Skip to My Lou

Making the World Cuter @ Making the World Cuter

"S" is for Secretary

A secretary makeover.

Another Freecycle find, love folks who want to give me their furniture!

You can bet this piece wasn't this pretty before.

Here it is:

Brown, a little beat up, but otherwise solid wood and in good shape.

You can see once upon a time there was a top piece, would've loved to have that!

And after some elbow grease:

Definitely worth the time and effort.

Here's how I did it:

1. Remove hardware and sand with 120 grit:

2. Prime.

3. Paint two coats off white satin finish.

4. Distress 220 grit by hand.

5. For the interior cubbies up top I used two coats BM Harbor Haze matte, one coat satin poly.

6. The knobs are from Target, $4 per knob.

Three kids in tow and I wasn't about to make a special stop at Anthropologie for some 'cool' knobs.

These will do.

PS - They're acrylic, not glass, but you wouldn't know by looking.

6. For the drop down hardware I simply used steel wool to clean it.

Nail the pieces onto scrap wood through the screw holes and using the steel wool scrub, keep scrubbing.

Hardware before:

Lots of years of wear on there:

And after, the steel wool 'sands' off all the gunk:

Total cost for makeover: $32 and lots of sanding!

I lined the little drawers up top with a toile fabric:

One last side by side:

Thanks Jen for your great piece, it has found a perfect spot in our home.

I'm linking up to:

Whatcha Got Weekend @ Lolly Jane

SAS @ Funky Junk, Lovely Crafty Weekend @ Lovely Crafty Home

Weekend Wrap Up @ Tatertots & Jello, Sundae Scoop @ I Heart Naptime

Sister Sunday @ Sisters of the Wild West

Sunday Showcase Party @ Under the Table & Dreaming

Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative, DIY Project Parade @ The DIY Showoff

Made by You Mondays @ Skip to My Lou

Making the World Cuter @ Making the World Cuter

Nifty Thrifty @ Coastal Charm

Tuesday Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Tutorials & Tips Tuesday @ Home Stories A to Z

Before & After Party @ Thrifty Decor Chic

Good Life @ A Beach Cottage

POWW @ Primitive & Proper

Delightfully Inspiring @ Delightful Order

Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Creek Cottage

Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple

Share Awesomeness Thur @ The 36th Avenue

All Things Furniture @ Perfectly Imperfect

Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring

Tickled Pink @ 504 Main

Remodelaholics Anonymous @ Remodelaholic

Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed

Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest

SAS @ Just a Girl

"S" is for Sea

Sea & Sand, Sun & Surf painted signs.

Thanks Pottery Barn for the inspiration.

A take off of Food & Friends sign I made from here.

These signs are going to a one day fair I'm in at the beach.

Lots more beach themed items to come.

I'm linking up to:

http://delightfulorder.blogspot.com/, The 36th Avenue.

http://www.somewhatsimple.com/

http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/
http://www.504main.com/

http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/
http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/

http://www.remodelaholic.com/

http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/, http://justagirlblog.com/,

Whatcha Got Weekend @ Lolly Jane

SAS @ Funky Junk

Lovely Crafty Weekend @ Lovely Crafty Home

Sundae Scoop @ I Heart Naptime

Sister Sunday @ Sisters of the Wild West

Sunday Showcase Party @ Under the Table & Dreaming

Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative

DIY Project Parade @ The DIY Showoff

Made by You Mondays @ Skip to My Lou

Making the World Cuter @ Making the World Cuter

Nifty Thrifty @ Coastal Charm

Tuesday Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Tutorials & Tips Tuesday @ Home Stories A to Z

Good Life @ A Beach Cottage

"S" is for Stamps

Painted stamp art.

Inspired by these stamps:

 
image from USPS

I'm giving full credit to Jose Ortega, the illustrator who created the design for these Love stamps.

In the words of the USPS,  "award-winning illustrator José Ortega created an abstract garden of bright flowers, a butterfly, a strawberry, and doves, interlaced with vines that run from one stamp to another. Each prominent element of the design is in the shape of a heart."

  I simply did my own version on some reclaimed cabinet door pieces.

 

Detail image:

I just hope the US Postal Service doesn't come after me!

I bought the stamps because the design was so beautiful, thank you Jose.

My version:

Here's how I did it:
1. Filled holes and sanded cabinet door fronts.
Painted one coat BM wedgewood grey.

2. Draw design with pencil using stamps as inspiration:

3.  Paint with acrylics, layer up the colors.

4. Sand to distress, seal with poly.

These lovelies don't have a home yet but the wheels are spinning.

I'm linking up to:

http://delightfulorder.blogspot.com/, The 36th Avenue.

http://www.somewhatsimple.com/

http://www.abeachcottage.com/

http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/
http://www.504main.com/

http://chiconashoestringdecorating.blogspot.com/

http://www.remodelaholic.com/

http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Whatcha Got Weekend @ Lolly Jane

SAS @ Funky Junk

Lovely Crafty Weekend @ Lovely Crafty Home

Sister Sunday @ Sisters of the Wild West

Sunday Showcase Party @ Under the Table & Dreaming

Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative

DIY Project Parade @ The DIY Showoff

Made by You Mondays @ Skip to My Lou

Making the World Cuter @ Making the World Cuter

Nifty Thrifty @ Coastal Charm

Tuesday Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Tutorials & Tips Tuesday @ Home Stories A to Z