Inexpensive and easy curb appeal

My sister and her husband have decided to sell their house and upgrade.  They have lived in their home for several years and have just outgrown it with their kids.  I've spent a few days at her place these past few weeks trying to help her make some simple improvements that will help them to sell it faster.  As a huge fan of HGTV's Designed to Sell, this kind of challenge was right up my alley. 

When I first pulled up to the house I knew that regardless of what she had on the agenda for us that day, I was going to try and help her spice up her curb appeal.  After all, if you don't like what you see on the outside of home why on earth waste your time even looking inside? (Or at least that's what the majority of folks think... and I can't blame them)

So, here are a few shots of what my sister's house looked like when I pulled up.

As you can see, the house is screaming for some color.  The front door hadn't really ever been painted but had what looked like an attempted first coat from back in the day that still showed brush marks and was just so wrong in color (or lack thereof).  It just looked dirty and dingy. The doormat was old and faded, the railing was chipping and completely the wrong color.

Another big problem to me was the chipping paint on their front door and garage door trim.  It needed some TLC in a big way.

Also, the trim paint around the garage was a different shade of brown than the trim around the front door and the rest of the home. 

My sister and I decided on a new color for the front door that would give this house a much needed "pop" and ran off to Home Depot.  After coming home and realizing we had left our purchased items at the store (yes, this is what happens when two tired mommy's try to go to a hardware store with 3 very little children), we headed back for the goods and quickly got to work.

Amidst the chaos of trying to keep the kids away from the paint, razor blades and electric sander, I didn't take any pictures in the process.  Forgive me please.  Just try your best to imagine what a pregnant lady on a bar stool painting a wide open door looked like while three kids chased each other inside (and outside) of the house as it began to snow. But, I can tell you what we did. 

My sister started scraping away the chippy pieces of paint from the door trim with a metal putty knife and I followed her with an electric sander to smooth down any rough areas.  Then, we cleaned the door really well and removed the doorknob.  With the door still on it's hinges and wide open I began cutting in carefully with a paintbrush around all of the edges and on the door panel recesses that the roller would not be able to reach.  We chose Behr's Ultra exterior paint and primer in one to save the hassle of having to prime the door first.  Then, I rolled the paint onto the door while my sister brushed on the new and fresh paint on the door trim.

By the time I left that evening, the door had received its second coat of paint and was still drying before the hardware could go back on.  Since a new door handle wasn't in the budget, she took the old and dated brass one off and hit it with a few coats of black spray paint. 

The next day, my mom went out and together they finished the other items on our agenda.  She repeated the same process around the garage door with the trim, and together they spray painted the dingy looking railing black. 

With a new wreath, doormat, and a few accessories here is my sister's fabulous front porch now.

***note- we also added a cute mustard yellow and white polka dot ribbon to the wreath for more lively color.  You can't tell in this pic, but her doormat has some darling red poppies with yellow accents so it works fabulously together. ***

Here's how the house looks from the street now. A bit more inviting, right?

In case you have forgotten what it looked like before, let me remind you.

And here she is now!

Isn't it amazing how much a little paint and some TLC can change things?  My sister's only regret?  Wishing she would have done this all sooner...

Total cost for this transformation: $116

$36 for 2 quarts of paint, red for the door and brown for the trim

$80 for wreath, doormat, and lantern

already on hand- black spray paint and all other supplies

My dear friends remember that your home is your castle and should be a place that is welcoming, inviting, and makes you feel peaceful.  You don't have to break the bank to create a place that you will love.  Go for it!  Make the change today...

~PW

Easy and Affordable DIY Table Transformation

Some of you may remember this table I shared a while back here that I found at my local DI for $15. Although it was missing it's leaf, it was in otherwise great condition for a refurb and all solid wood.

Using the same methods I shared with you HERE and HERE for sanding off the previous stain and finishes, I stripped the wood down bare on top and then wiped on several coats of Minwax Wood Finish Stain in Dark Walnut. 

After the stain had dried, I applied a few coats of Annie Sloan Soft Dark Wax.

I've had a few readers ask how to apply this stain on pieces like this where the grain meets together in the center without creating streaky lines.  Truthfully, I just use a rag and word with the grain in quarter sections at a time trying to "stay inside the lines" like I did with my first dining room table.

It takes a bit of practice and doesn't always look perfect but it looks good enough for me!  I haven't had much success in working against the grain or in perfectly straight lines that don't follow the wood.  If you've found it to work better for you another way, do share!

I've also found that even when I try to sand the tabletop down as evenly as possible, and pre-treat it with wood conditioner to prevent uneven color, sometimes the wood just takes differently.  That happened in this case and while I was so frustrated at first I eventually decided to just go with it and am so happy with the end result.  It gave it a more rustic and natural un-factory like finish.

Also, I have found that in nearly every piece I've stained that the lip below the main surface top always stains much much darker than the top.  Usually, the lip is made of MDF or similar so it absorbs the stain differently than the solid wood like maple, oak or alder does.  It doesn't bother me that it appears darker, but if it's not your thing then you may want to consider choosing a few shades lighter for the lip, or opt to paint the whole top instead of stain it.

Then, the easiest part was slabbing on a few coats of cream colored Behr Paint and Primer in One that I have on hand from one of my oops paint $5/gallon purchases.  After that dried, I glazed the nooks and crannies with a combo of Valspar's Antiquing Glaze and my Ralph Lauren Faux techniquing glaze in a cocoa color.  Lastly, I finished the apron and legs off with a few coats of poly spray for protection.  You know how I love the contrast of a dark wooden top with creamy white legs.  Sexaaaaay.

Then, I quickly beautified these cute little chairs that I recently bought from my friend's younger bro for super cheap.  Haven't all of you had a set like these in your house growing up at one point?  I know I sure did. 

Since the wood matched pretty closely to the tabletop I had just stained, I opted to keep a part of the chair in it's original finish.  I taped up the back dowels and spray painted the rest of the chair with Krylon Dual's Paint and Primer in One in cream.  (I started to paint one chair with a roller and brush using the same Behr paint I used for the table but with all the little spindles and legs, it was taking FOREVER so spray paint became my new best friend for the day).  After a few hits of sandpaper to the high points and some of my glaze concoction to the nooks and crannies, the chairs turned out like this:

Not quite like the ones you grew up with anymore, right?

So, here is how this cute little dining family of a table and 4 chairs looks together.

You don't have to have a lot of money or even a lot of talent to make a great looking dining room set.  This whole set cost me a whopping $35.  Yes, $35!  You can do it too peeps! 

I'm sharing this makeover with my friends here:  Go check them out for more inspiration!

XO

~PW

Simple gift idea- DIY Christmas Pillow

I just finished a Christmas pillow that I just finished for a friend.  I love the way that it turned out.  My inspiration came from this fabulous Pottery Barn pillow that I stumbled upon through pinterest.  With a price tag way above my budget I decided to try and make my own version. 

I thought for about 2 minutes about cutting out a billion little felt leaves and hand stitching them on but then I remembered I am not an idiot and didn't want to spend 5 hours doing that.  *** Note to my sensitive readers- I don't think you are an idiot if you choose to go that route.  I'm a very impatient person and I would likely end up pulling my hair out and throwing a tantrum if I started a tedious project like this, so I personally would have been an idiot if I made that choice.  If you're patient enough to handle that kind of a project, my hat goes off to you.  :)  ***SOOOOO here's what I came up with instead to add a little flair and joy of my own.

Turned out pretty cute, right?  Best part about it?  My version cost about 1/10 of the PB price.

Here's what I did:

Following the same steps I shared with you in a previous post HERE, I quickly stitched an envelope pillow case out of bleached drop cloth, then using a cricuit machine, I cut out the word "joy"  on freezer paper and spray painted the stencil onto my pillow using a metallic silver paint (I prefer Rustoleum).

Last, but not least I picked up this darling rosette lace at Joann for about $5/ yard (cheaper with their 40% or 50% off coupon) and placed the lace where I wanted it creating a wreath and securing it in place with pins.  Then, I hand stitched from the back side between every rosette to secure the lace in place, and viola!  After about 30 min total, my pillow was finished and darling. 

Here she is in me living room.  I love Christmas decor that is subtle and still festive without red and green screaming in your face. 

I also made these holiday pillows for the seasonal front porch bench.

I intended to string a row of jingle bells below the "Believe" but just haven't gotten around to it yet.  Maybe I'll get off my lazy toosh and get to that.  Probably not...

Last but not least, I have to give a shout out to my new friend Ashley. She is a new reader who is also the lucky new owner of my latest Chevron chair.  I got to meet her in person last night and she was adorning me with compliments and praise left and right.  I didn't feel at all worthy for it, but she made me remember why I blog.  Thank you Ashley and all who continue to read and support this silly passion of mine.

XO

Penny Wenny

Freezer Paper and Spray Paint Zipper Free Pillows

Yep yep you read it right... in this post I will show you how to make very adorable and very inexpensive pillow covers using freezer paper and spray paint for your pattern or print.

Here are three that are currently adorning my front porch for the Halloween/ fall season.

The front porch still needs some more sprucing up but that's a'comin shortly with some punkins and corn stalks my friends...

So, here's what you'll need:

- A bleached canvas drop cloth (read my post HERE on how to prepare the drop cloth if you haven't already read it)
- Freezer paper (wax or parchment paper won't work... I tried and it failed miserably)
- a sharp razor blade or exacto knife
- spray paint in the color(s) of your choice

Here's how it's done:

First, you need to create your envelope pillow cover.  Please proceed into this next section with caution.  When I sew, I typically just wing things.  I didn't follow an exact template or cut each piece the same every time.  Using another pillow cover as my guide, I cut a piece of drop cloth to be the width of the pillow I was covering plus approx. 2 inches by the length of the pillow x 2.5.  Sooooo, if the pillow you are covering is 20" x 20", your fabric needs to be 22" wide x 50" long... make sense?

Hem each short end of your fabric under. 

I prefer to quickly sew mine, but you can also use stitch witchery if you prefer.  With this product, you cut the stitch witchery to the length of the area you wish to seam together, and then iron the two folds together.

Honestly, it took me longer and didn't look as nice with the stitch witchery.  I'll let you decide, my friends. :)

So at this point you should have two hemmed edges (on the shorter ends of your fabric). Lay the fabric down, right side up facing you (so that the hemmed edges are facing the ground).  Fold one side over approx 1/3" of the width of your final pillow.  For a 20" pillow for example, I folded one side in about 7".

 Next, fold the second side over the top of your first fold to equal the desired length of your pillow (20" in my case). 

see my cute new birthday present peeping out???

 Place a few quick pins in place, and stitch each side so that your final width is the width of your pillow.  If you added 2 inches to your original calculation, sew in 1" on each side.

If you're feeling really wild, you can even surge the edges at this point.  :)  It was 2 am for me and I was too tired so one quick stitch worked just dandy for me.

Fold the pillow cover inside out and viola!  You should have a nice little envelope cover that doesn't require any zipper, buttons, or ties.

Now, onto the fun part.  Using freezer paper, I created my own stencils by tracing images/ other fabric prints and then used a sharp razor blade to cut out the parts I wanted colored.

I traced the chevron pattern from my curtains for one, a black crow from THIS Tag Halloween doormat, and then some leaf stencils for the last one.  If you have a cricuit or similar machine, this would be a FABULOUS time to whip it out and save yourself a lot of time.

Next, place the freezer paper carefully on your pillow cover where you want the images to be placed, shiny side down.   With your iron on medium to high heat (mine is old and ghetto so the hottest temp is perfect), iron the paper onto your fabric, paying careful attention to the cutout sections making sure that the freezer paper sticks well.  If you are lazy here, your paint will bleed through.  Trust me on this one.  I learned the hard way. :)

Finally, cover all of the exposed parts of your fabric that you don't want painted and lightly spray paint over your stencils.  My paint never bled through the fabric, but you may want to put a piece of cardboard or thick cardstock inside the cover to prevent the paint from bleeding through the back side.  Remember not to over saturate the painted area.  It will not appear to be a very deep color when painted onto the nubby canvas material, but it will pop plenty once you remove the stencil. 

the color I used for the rust orange is called Cinnamon by Rustoleum.  I loved it

Allow the paint to dry for at least 10 minutes, then remove your stencil and once again, VIOLA!

I was skeptical at first with the idea of spray paint on pillows but I can assure you that they look and feel fabulous.  It isn't scratchy, and the paint doesn't rub off at all.  The canvas material is already nubby and natural feeling, so it works perfectly.  You can also use this to create indoor pillows with some fun geometrical shapes or text.  I created this cute little turquoise pillow and my & pillow using the same technique.

Kind of fun, right?  To care for these pillow covers, turn them inside out before putting them on a gentle cycle in the washing machine, and then allow them to air dry.  I'm not so sure how well an iron would work with the paint, so I plan to avoid it all together.

Do you spy my new curtains in the background???  As you can see, I went with my first fabric choice and am SO glad I did.  I will do a separate post on them soon.  With my curtains sewn and my new rug that my sweets gave me for my bday, my family room is finally starting to feel like my style.  I can't wait for it all to be finished.

Also, to end on a sappy note I just have to share the very best part about my birthday this year.  My darling hubby told me (sincerely) that he married me because I make him a better person.  It wasn't a compliment I was seeking for, and he wasn't expecting anything in return (wink wink); he genuinely meant it.  Man, I love that man.

thanks for reading, my friends...

XO

~One-year-older-but-not-much-wiser- Penny Wenny

I'm sharing this tute with the following fabulous parties.  Check them out!



Freckled Laundy