diy idea | Tin Foil Furniture Makeover

You have to see it to believe it! This gal silver 'foiled' her nightstand in the truest sense...with regular old household aluminum foil!!!

So impressed with the results...

Read her step by step process here.

diy | Lace Topped Table

If you haven't see it already Country Living magazine did a feature in their current issue all about decorating with lace and doilies in unique ways. These were three of my favorites...

Well I took a little inspiration from them and did a little lace emellishment of my own.

It was so simple! I'd previously painted this little side table red so I gave the top a couple coats of a matte off white paint on the top. After it was close enough to dry completley driedI taped the corners of a square paper doily to the top with painters tape. I then dry brushed and dabbed some red gloss paint over the open spaces in the doily, let it dry then did it again.

A little touch up was necesssary but overall it came out pretty darn cute don't ya think?

my space | Union Jack Dresser

Do you remember I was starting a redo of my bathroom?

Well I did start in on it with some paint and purging then much to my dismay I discovered a gap in my shower surround (which may have to be totally replaced) and the pipe under my sink decided to come loose causing water damage to my vanity not to mention the need to replace the pipes! Uggh! So much for a simple facelift! Sooooo....onto something a little less burdensome until my handyman father is able to assist.

#2 on the list...my Bedroom!!! I'm in the purge the old and search for inspiration stage at this point so here's hoping no serious issues pop up to deter this project. Fingers crossed...

Anyway, I have two red antique pieces (one I just scored a week ago and will share soon!) I love and want to use plus I was thinking about maybe painting my headboard a deep midnight blue.

Besides that I had no real direction so when I stumbled upon this amazing dresser over at Miss Mustard Seed I immediatley knew what my inspiration would be...

Is that beautiful or what?!? I am in love with this dresser! And the most exciting thing it that I have one almost this exact shape with a mirror on top that needs refinishing.

Now back to looking for inspiration...

via country living

via bhg

diy idea | Faux Grandfather Clock

I saw this fabulous faux 'grandmother' clock in the most recent issue of Country Living and the thought crossed my mind that it would be something you could easily recreate with some ingenuity.

Well Lindy over at Cottage Hill didn't waste time dreaming about how that could be done. She got out her creative skills and went to work designing this lovely version!

How cool is that? I'm impressed!

Head on over to her blog to see her inspiration and also more pics and a tutorial on how you can create your own.

Or stop by Pier 1 and  pick up their version for only $99.95!

diy idea | Valentine Gift Countdown

Why not make a countdown calendar for your loved one this Valentines Day? That's what Jenn over at Red Berry Barn does for her hubby. Isn't it adorable?

So the idea doesn't quite work for a single gal (ie me) but I can substitue in friends and family just to have the excuse of making one of these boards for myself!

Anyway, head on over to the Red Berry Barn blog where you can find out how to make one of these for your home. So cute!

Dual Purpose Dining Table

I never look at things in a conventional way so when deciding on the right desk to desk to put in my new office I dug out an antique dining table that had been sitting in the garage since last summer. My dad actually picked this table up at a garage sale for me for $15...bargain hunting obviously runs in the family. I loved it but didn't have a use for it at the time.

After a couple quick coats of pinkish paint (my own mixture of mistinted paints...I love those!!!) it was ready for use. However, it was a bit smaller then I wanted but luckily I had hung on to a large piece of glass I found at Pottery Barn during their annual University Village Sidewalk Sale for a mere $5. (The U Village sale is a must visit... I haven't been able to find the 2009 dates yet but it is typically in mid-late June) Actually, if you want to get technical the glass was free as it also came with 2 other pieces intended for side tables that I sold at a past garage sale for $5. Anyway, the glass was the perfect fit and I now have a new desk for less then $25!!! That includes the piece of wrapping paper I placed under the glass for another pop of color.

The best part of this desk (table) is that it has four extra leaves and even another set of legs for the center which make for a super long table just perfect for the occasional large gathering...got to love dual purpose pieces!!!

How to Make a Corkboard...the Hard Way

As I started to mull around ideas for decorating my new home studio I was reminded of a couple yards of fabric that I've been hoarding in wait for the perfect project and decided this was the time to use it.

I love florals and this fabric was very complimentary to my much loved chandelier that had been previously installed.

After much debate about what to use my fabric on I decided on a corkboard. I've seen a number of DIY articles about covering a pre-made cork board (like here and here) and figured that would be a great tool for keeping me organized. I couldn't be content with simply covering a premade board though as I had my heart set on using an ornate 2 x 4 frame that I had picked up at an estate sale for $5.00.

I searched high and low for a roll of cork or even squares of cork...seriously where does one find these? I've seen them used on DIY shows before but after trying Lowes, WalMart, Walgreens and even the dollar store I came up empty handed. I finally recieved a tip from my sis-in-law that led me to the office supply section at Fred Meyer where I found a roll exactly 2 x 4 which was perfect!

I wish I would have taken more pictures of the process but I will do my best to explain it well. I started out by spray painting my frame a choclate brown ($1 brown spray paint from walmart) then where there used to be a strip of ribbon I decopauged some gingham paper.

I set that aside to dry then cut out a piece of backer board the size of the opening of my frame and attached the cork to it with spray adhesive. Sadly I think the cork I bought was a bit too old as it was quite brittle and cracked a few times but in the end it didn't matter as I cut out a piece of my floral fabric a little larger then my backer board, spread it out over the corkboard/backer board, wrapped it around the edges and attached it with hot glue on the back. Nope it's not pretty...but no one was supposed to see it ;0)

I wanted a little more embellishment so I crisscrossed vintage binding over the board at measured out intervals, pulled them taut and secured them with small thumbtacks.

I then secured the corkboard into the frame with a strong wood glue and a little hot glue to keep it in place until it dried. Lastly I added a couple picture frame hooks on the back and now it's ready to install!!!

P.S. One mistake I made in the process was using a backerboard that was so stiff that thumbtacks would not penetrate the surface easily. I ended up using sewing needles instead and much to my suprise they hold things really well and honestly I think they are kind of a cute twist on the average thumbtack. Anyway, if I were to do it again I would actually suggest using a couple sheets of cardboard or foamboard instead of the backer that I used.

Happy Creating!