How To: Mosaic Planter

As it gets warmer, we all naturally want to start fixing up our yards and patios.  I love all the beautiful planters I see in the stores, but I don't love the price!  All you need is a little creativity, plus a few inspiring pictures to get you motivated, and you can come up with some amazing planters for your patio at a fraction of the price. 

Today I want to share this really neat tutorial from Centsational Girl, a planter with a beautiful mosaic tile finish.  A lot of people are scared to death of tile, and I used to be too - but once you try it the first time, you'll be hooked. It's so easy, and the outcome is so impressive that you'll want to tile everything! Plus, the hardware stores carry these sheets of tile (I'm sure you've seen) which lets you place 100 or so tiles in one step. Talk about a time saver! The possibilities with tiling are endless, but today let's hone in one style. Take a look:

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School of Restoration: Chiseled Chair

Welcome to another session in the School of Restoration! As many of you know, I guest post over at the Divine Minimalist. I just wrapped up a tutorial on one of my favorite techniques.  It's easy, fun, and gives any piece of wood furniture a unique hand chiseled look.  I debated calling it faceted, (another love of mine!) but we'll do a whole piece on that soon.  This chiseled look gives the effect of something being hand carved, and it's especially distinct when you paint your piece first.  The contrast really highlights our edges and draws your eye to them.  This is a total weekend project, too. Take a look at our side by side:

 Materials:

• Wooden Furniture (visible grain & knots are especially nice)
• Paint - I used "Cilantro", non-shiny finishes are best.
• Paint Brushes - I like synthetic.
  
• Drop Cloth / Old Sheets
  
• Orbital Sander + Pads: Coarse & Fine
  
• Protection: Gloves, Goggles & Mask. Safety first!
  
• Minwax Polycrylic - Satin

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Party Time: Jello

This weekend I am going to a "1960's beach party" themed party (whatever will I wear!?), and while dreaming up what retro food to bring, jello immediately came to mind.  So for today's Party Time, I'm going to focus on the delightful & mysterious creations of Jello.  More importantly, the Jello Shot. Here's what I'm about to tackle today:

So cool! Plus, instead of trying to squeeze the jello out of some soggy paper cup, we can just take a slice, on a plate, and actually get some of this in our mouth.  Why has this not always been the case?? I've always liked jello shots at parties, but let's face it - it's not a clean experience.  All these, can of course, be made without alcohol.  Jello for all!

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How To: Aged Wood

This tutorial comes at a perfect time, I have quite a few orders of string art tablets to do, and they've all requested aged wood! I came across this really neat (and easy!) technique, that involves very few materials.  Need your project to look like it's 20+ years old? Break out the vinegar:

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Spotlight: Built In Cooler

I have been meaning to share this for a while now, and with Memorial Day weekend coming up, full of parties and beautiful weather, this is the perfect time to share.  Remember the succulent tables? Well take a look at these:

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DIY: Painted Vases

I've seen a few really neat vase tutorials around the ol' internet lately, and thought what better timing than Mother's Day to share these tutorials with you? Gift idea alert!  I can't wait to try these out soon.  I found three especially interesting tutorials, and thought I should share.  First up, these easy and wonderful enamel painted vases:

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Spotlight: Catnip Alley Studio

I was browsing around etsy the other night, and these beautiful paintings caught my eye.  I'm in love with the bold colors, and all the modern geometric shapes!  Dayna Stedry, of Catnip Alley Studio has some amazing geometric paintings that would look fantastic in any home, especially mid century modern ones!  These bright & colorful pieces are eye catching and have a special place on my wish list.  I've gathered a few of my favorites, the picture itself is a link to that item in her shop, so get your clicking finger ready.  See them all after the break...

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And a Table on the Side...

A good friend was nice enough to score this cute table for me recently (Thanks Kate!).  It had some cosmetic errors, but we instantly started toying around with different ideas. A lot of things came to mind, and in the end I let the furniture be the boss.  Sadly I don't have a before picture, and I could have sworn I took one.. will I ever learn?

 

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How To: Vertical Garden

I keep seeing this Home Depot commercial where in about 30 seconds, you see this lady build a vertical planter box, fill it, plant it, and hang it... Well it goes by so fast you can barely see what or how she did it, and I've been searching for it. I finally found it and thought I should share, though I wish this project was as fast as hers! When you watch the video it's a little overwhelming, but they have printable instructions that really brings it down to a manageable speed.

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Spotlight & How-to: Wood Accent Wall

I've always been a big fan of accent walls.  Usually it's a light colored room and one or two bold accent walls. I think we are all pretty familiar with that idea, but now I think we are ready to incorporate another element here: Texture! There are tons of choices for textured walls, ranging from stone to molded resin.  Today I just want to focus on wood.  It's versatile, attainable & affordable, and can be made to fit so many different styles.   It adds a real focal point to a room, adding more texture, value and structure to an otherwise smooth wall. Plus you can still hang your artwork on it! Double Points.  First I'll show you some really cool examples I pulled up, then I'll share the most amazing tutorial in the world.  Here we go:

The one above appears to be clean, aged slats.  While the one below has a more eclectic and recycled look.

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The Tables Have Turned

Remember that huge dining set I did for a customer a few months back? Here's the link and a reminder pic:

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School of Restoration: Dining Chair Re-Upholstery

Just finished up another tutorial in the School of Restoration on The Divine Minimalist.  Head over and check it out, or browse a copy right here. Enjoy!

For today's tutorial, I decided to cover the revival and reupholster of old, old chairs.  Chairs are a dime-a-dozen in the thrift store & garage sale world, but 99.9% of them are severely out of date.  After all, Spring is here & we need some fresh chairs for all the guests we're about to have over, right? Right! Now as a heads up, this tutorial will be a little longer than our usual because of the steps involved.  So refill that coffee cup, put the phone on silent, and get ready to give these nasty old chairs a complete 180°!  Take a motivational sneak peak:

Materials:

• Sturdy cushioned chairs with a wooden seat under the pad. 
• Orbital sander or sand paper
• Medium to Fine sanding pads or paper
• Steel wool - Fine
• Drill or Screwdriver
• Pliers
• Staple gun & plenty of staples
• Fabric Scissors
• Box Cutter
• Mask
• Gloves
• Primer
• Spray Paint in your color choice
• Upholstery foam & batting (if replacing)
• Upholstery fabric in your pattern choice (I used 2.5 yards for 4 seats)
• Optional: Air compressor, paint gun, air blaster, paint pyramids, clear coat

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