Seaworthy + Coconut Table

I got this table at a garage sale last year for $4.  It was tucked away in a storage closet just waiting for its makeover.

To start, I sanded the top down.  I normally use Minwax Dark Walnut stain, but I didn't want this to be so dark. I read on 2 Little Superheroes that she stained wood with coconut oil.  I have some in the house (we use it for moisturizer) and decided to test it out.

I love the way it came out!  Coconut oil has so many benefits over stain:

• It was so easy to do.
• I just rubbed the oil on with a clean cloth--that's it!
• It dries way faster than stain.
• I did wait until the next day to seal it with Minwax Finishing Paste, but probably could have done it in just a few hours.
• It does not highlight flaws in the wood like stain does.
• Stain seems to settle in any imperfection (especially the swirl marks from a sander) and highlight them, the coconut oil did not.
• It is all natural and smells wonderful!
• No having to use rubber gloves or making sure I am in a well ventilated area.
• It brings out the natural color of the wood.
• Not every piece will be the same color since each wood has a different natural color.

I painted the body of the table with two coats of SW Seaworthy that I mixed into homemade chalk paint.

I distressed the edges with the sanding sponge and finished up with Minwax Finishing Paste.  

I am so happy with the way it came out.  The color of the wood paired so well with the paint color.  It made quick and easy work of this piece.  Coconut oil is definitely a technique worth trying out.  

Linking to:

Silver Pennies | DIY Showoff | I Should Be Mopping The Floor | Dwellings | Creative Home Expressions | Craft-O-Maniac | The Dedicated House | Homecoming | My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia | A Stroll Thru Life | Cozy Little House | Love Grows Wild | Table For 7 | Kammy's Korner | The Winthrop Chronicles | Not Just A Housewife | VMG206 | Elizabeth & Co. | The DIY Dreamer | Savvy Southern Style | Fluster Buster | Yellow Bliss Road | Polkadots On Parade | Real Housewives of Riverton | The Blissful Bee | Lamberts Lately | Start At Home | Sweet Haute | Shabby Creek Cottage | I Gotta Create | Living Well Spending Less | Domestic Superhero | Redoux | Craft Dictator | Living Better Together | Miss Mustard Seed | Liz Marie | The Shabby Nest | DIY Vintage Chic | The Dedicated House | VMG206

Featured by:
Elizabeth & Co.

Secondhand Scores #22

When I was a kid my parents went to garage sales all the time.  I admit I was totally embarrassed by it.  I never really bothered going regularly until after I had my son.  I realized I could get clothes and toys and things for him for pennies on the dollar and that is when my love for secondhand was born.

Garage sales are my favorite but I also go to flea markets, thrift stores and auctions.  I am always on the hunt for furniture to paint, stuff for myself, my house, my kids and unique items that I could put to future use.  I love the thrill of finding something that was once very expensive for as little money as possible.

In this series, I will share my scores to show you how much you could get for your hard earned money.  Some days I hit jackpots, some days I get nothing, but I always have fun.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

I scored lots of little things that make me happy this week!

In the housewares department I got:

• Two tier lazy Susan for $.50
• Brand new funbites for $3
• Brand new adjustable bakeware organizer bargained down from $4 to $3
• A bunch of towels and rags I use when I am painting for $2.50

• Scrabble for $1.  I have been searching all summer for the Scrabble so I can make the cutting board iPad stand.  I got the cutting board for free at the beginning of the summer.
• The Applique creation kit for $1.

• Five potion bottles for $2.  I am going to add Halloween labels to them--something like these.

• A solid brass buck for--get this--$.25!  I practically pushed someone out of the way the minute I saw it!  And that was before I knew it was $.25!
• It looks really big in the picture, but it is only about 3" tall.

• I picked up these four stools curbside on Sunday night.  

Finally, I upgraded a few cork boards that I have been picking up here and there.  

• For the one on the left I used a sack I got a few months ago. 
• For the one on the right I used plain burlap and stenciled it.

• For this board, I wove the burlap like this.

Linking to:
Polkadots On Parade
Real Housewives of Riverton
The Blissful Bee
Saving 4 Six
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Lamberts Lately
Sweet Haute
I Gotta Create
Living Well, Spending Less
Domestic Superhero
Finding Fabulous
Liz Marie
Redoux
Shabby Nest
Crafty Scrappy Happy
Obsessive And Creative
DIY Vintage Chic
Today's Creative Blog
VMG206
Silver Pennies
DIY Showoff
I Should Be Mopping The Floor
Dwellings
Creative Home Expressions
Craft-O-Maniac
A Living Space
Rain On A Tin Roof
The Dedicated House
Homecoming
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
A Stroll Thru Life
Cozy Little House
Love Grows Wild
Table For 7
Kammy's Korner
The Winthrop Chronicles
Not Just A Housewife
VMG206
Elizabeth & Co.
The DIY Dreamer
Savvy Southern Style
Fluster Buster
Yellow Bliss Road
The Thrifty Groove

I Big Puffy Heart Overhead Projectors

I have finally put some of my secondhand scores to use. It is a project that has me so inspired to come up with more to do!

Back in June I scored an overhead projector off of craigslist for $30.

Doesn't it kind of look like Johnny 5
from the movie Short Circuit?

I'll admit it has been sitting since just waiting to be used.  I finally used it and I am IN LOVE!

It has to do with this large framed artwork I got just the other week for $1.50.

It is not a canvas painting--it is a print on hardboard. Here's how I made it into a chalkboard with an added touch...

Step 1: Separate the frame from the artwork.

Step 2: Paint the frame with two coats of paint color of your choice mixed into homemade chalk paint, once dry distress with sanding sponge.

Step 3: Paint two coats of homemade chalk paint in black right over the daisy picture.  

Step 4: Once dry, season the chalkboard with a big piece of white sidewalk chalk.  It made quick work and I only needed to use one piece of chalk.  

Step 5: Wipe the board down and then put it back into the frame. 

Step 6: Download this awesome menu font from The Graphics Fairy and have it printed on transparency paper at Staples for $.99 (plus tax).  

Step 7: Set the projector up and project the image onto the chalkboard to the desired size and area.

Step 8: Be totally surprised at just how easy and quick it was to trace the word! I loved every second of it. If I made a mistake I just wet my finger and wiped off the chalk--no biggie!  

Step 9: After tracing the word, color in the thicker parts. I was done in 15 minutes.

Here it is!

I really can't believe I did that or how easy it really was. In my mind I thought this was much harder to do. It is a chalkboard and it doesn't need to be perfect so I just went for it and I love it!

I can't wait to use the projector on more projects!

Linking to:
Silver Pennies
DIY Showoff
Creative Home Expressions
I Should Be Mopping The Floor
Dwellings
Craft-O-Maniac
Rain On A Tin Roof
Home Coming
The Dedicated House
Graphics Fairy
Coastal Charm
Cozy Little House
Love Grows Wild
Table For 7
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Kathe With An E
Elizabeth & Co.
Not Just A Housewife
Kammy's Korner
VMG206
The Winthrop Chronicles
Savvy Southern Style
Fluster Buster
Yellow Bliss Road
The DIY Dreamer
Polkadots On Parade
Real Housewives of Riverton
The Blissful Bee
Saving 4 Six
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Lamberts Lately
Sweet Haute
I Gotta Create
Living Well, Spending Less
Start At Home
Domestic Superhero
Finding Fabulous
Liz Marie
Redoux
Shabby Nest
Crafty Scrappy Happy
Obsessive And Creative
DIY Vintage Chic
Today's Creative Blog
Funky Junk Interiors
The Happy Housie

Featured by:
Silver Pennies
Creative Home Expressions
The Winthrop Chronicles
VMG206

Secondhand Scores #21

When I was a kid my parents went to garage sales all the time.  I admit I was totally embarrassed by it.  I never really bothered going regularly until after I had my son.  I realized I could get clothes and toys and things for him for pennies on the dollar and that is when my love for secondhand was born.

Garage sales are my favorite but I also go to flea markets, thrift stores and auctions.  I am always on the hunt for furniture to paint, stuff for myself, my house, my kids and unique items that I could put to future use.  I love the thrill of finding something that was once very expensive for as little money as possible.

In this series, I will share my scores to show you how much you could get for your hard earned money.  Some days I hit jackpots, some days I get nothing, but I always have fun.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

No furniture this week, but I did get lots of pretty cool stuff.

• $2 for the embroidered art on the left. I love the frame--it looks like old barn wood.  
• The framed daisy art is at least three feet tall! I bargained it down from $3 to $1.50. 
• Both are going to be chalkboards.

• The two deer heads are plastic and were $.50 total.
• I am going to mount them on wood plaques that I got at garage sales last year.  I may cover them with gold Rub 'n Buff or something awesome like that.  
• The three taxidermy deer hooves were $1 each.    
• I am on the fence about them...I mean if you can mount the head of a deer, why not the hooves?  But they are a little bit on the creepy side.  

• All this amazing fabric was $1!!  A quilter was getting rid of her excess stash and I was able to fill a bag for $1.  
• Do you see that funkadelic penguin fabric?  I could not pass that up!

• The birdhouse picture was $.50.
• I will change out the picture for a photo.
• The cork board was $1. 
• I plan to cover it in burlap and try to do something with the frame. 

• Wood jewelry box was $1.  

• Six pairs of the most high waisted 80's looking jeans (pleats and all) for FREE!
• I am going to hack all of them up and make this amazing blue jean table cloth.
• Mary Kay Andrews book for $.25.  Love her!
• My son needed an alarm clock so he can get himself up for school and he wanted me to run to the store to get one.  I told him to just wait, I know I'll find one at a garage sale.  It took a few weeks, but I scored this one for $1.

• Last, but not least, my husband found these lanterns on some one's curb.  
• The hooks are totally rusted, but nothing a little cleaning and spray paint can't fix.

Linking to:

Polkadots On Parade
Real Housewives of Riverton
The Happy Housie
Sweet Haute
I Gotta Create
House of Hepworths
Lamberts Lately
Shabby Creek Cottage
Liz Marie  
The Shabby Nest 
Finding Fabulous
Living Well, Spending Less
DIY Vintage Chic
Rain On A Tin Roof
A Living Space
Table For 7
The Winthrop Chronicles

A Painter's House Is Never Painted

I started painting furniture over a year ago now and I had yet to paint a piece for my own house!  How crazy is that?  Until now...

We have made quite a few changes in my daughter's room since removing her crib.  One of the things I did was paint her dresser.

My BFF gave me this dresser more than six years ago.  It used to be her daughter's.  It is pretty old, but very sturdy.  It looks like it has at least ten coats of white paint on it.  

It started out in my bedroom, but eventually I was able to give it to my daughter.  The two top drawers had huge brass knobs on them.  When I gave it to her, I replaced them with the clear plastic knobs I got at Target.  I added all the tchotkes and stickers to cover up flaws in the dresser that, at the time, I didn't know how to fix.

Now I know better and it is fixed!  I gave my daughter the choice of color and she picked a yellow oops paint.

I wiped the whole thing down with deglosser (because the existing paint was very slick) and then painted it with two coats of homemade chalk paint.

I chose to paint the dresser with the dragonfly decals because I couldn't get them to come off without breaking.

They are actually plastic mirrors and the paint stuck to them without a problem.

I finished the dresser by distressing lightly with a sanding sponge and Minwax Finishing Paste.  I didn't change the handles, but I am thinking to eventually spray them white.  

I can't believe it took me so long to paint a piece for my house.  It only took a Sunday afternoon to make the transformation and make my daughter super happy (looks like the dresser is smiling too)!

Linking to:
VMG206
DIY Showoff
Twigg Studio
Silver Pennies
I Should Be Mopping The Floor
Craft-O-Maniac
Dwellings
Homemaker On A Dime
Rain On A Tin Roof
Homecoming
Coastal Charm
The Dedicated House
Cozy Little House
Table For Seven
Kammy's Korner
Love Grows Wild
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
A Stroll Through Life
Kathe With An E
The Winthrop Chronicles
Not Just A Housewife
VMG206
Elizabeth & Co.
Savvy Southern Style
DIY Dreamer
Fluster Buster
Green Willow Pond
Yellow Bliss Road
Polkadots on Parade
Real Housewives of Riverton
The Happy Housie
Sweet Haute
I Gotta Create
House of Hepworths
Lamberts Lately
Shabby Creek Cottage
Miss Mustard Seed
Liz Marie  
The Shabby Nest 
Finding Fabulous
Living Well, Spending Less
The Grant Life
DIY Vintage Chic
Start At Home
Too Much Time On My Hands

Featured by:
BeBetsy