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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Dining Buffet Redo


I had been wanting to redo a dining buffet for quite some time and one December day, thanks to Craigslist, I found this beauty for a great price AND in fantastic condition - score!  I always knew I wanted to go black on the exterior - simple, yet elegant - but the possibilities on what to do on the inside were endless!  I spent quite a few nights tossing ideas back and forth with the hubby (bless his heart!). I thought, why don't I just start and I'll figure it out as I go, which by the way is soooo against my norm!

I had also just taken an advanced techniques class from The Rustic Duchess (if you ever have wanted to learn how to paint furniture, definitely check her classes out - super fun!).  In the class, we worked with glacage, which is an embossing creme that you use to stencil designs right on to your piece.  Then when you paint over it, it looks as if it was always part of the original piece.  Love it!
I started off by painting the drawers and doors black.  I like to paint drawers and doors first so that when I get the main piece finished up, I can immediately start putting everything back together. Instant gratification. :)
I also knew that I wanted to try lining the drawers with paper.  After doing a little research, I decided to line the drawers with a soft grey design using Krylon Spray Adhesive.  This process was super easy!  Just cut, spray and line.  The adhesive is very forgiving, making it easy to adjust the paper as needed. 
I thought I would seal it with Modge Podge, but unfortunately that back fired.  Luckily, I only tried it out on one of the drawers, but you can see how wrinkled everything became.  
After doing even more research, I decided that not sealing the paper would be the route I'd go so that if someone wanted to remove it and or switch it out - they could easily do so.  Next time, I think I'll try lining with fabric!

With the drawers and doors painted, it was time to make a call on the inside.
Considering I already had grey in my paint stash, the decision on color was a simple one.
And for a bit of a surprise, I decided to paint stripes on the shelf and the inside of the doors.
After the inside was finished, it was time to tackle the body.
And then I finished up with a little distressing - my favorite part!


Viola - just as I had envisioned!





I have my heart set on doing a coffee table next, just got to find the right piece.  At least I already know the color - red!!!

-Ashley



Wednesday, January 22, 2014

When You Can't Find It, Make It

I hate it when you have something in mind for your home and you cannot find it anywhere!  Every now and then, some of those things are fairly easy to make and in all reality, probably costs much less too - win, win!

There were two things that I really wanted to add to my Valentine's Day decor, a door sign and flower balls.  After searching high and low, I came up empty handed.  So I packed up my little one and headed to Hobby Lobby.

For my door sign, I found the following materials.


And created this cutie. :)


What I'm even more excited about, however and what I want to share with you today are my flower balls! :)  These are SOOOOO easy to do, just takes a bit of patience.  Here is what you'll need:

  • Hot Glue Gun
  • Foam Ball
  • Bunch of Flowers

Even though roses are THE flower for Valentine's Day, I LOVE hydrangeas and felt these would better compliment my decor.  And Hobby Lobby had them in exactly the colors I wanted!

To start, pluck off all the flowers from your bunch while your hot glue gun warms up.

Once you have your pile of flowers, take one, place a small amount of glue on the bottom and stick it into the foam ball. That's it - easy peasy!

 








Fluff out your flowers as you continue placing them.  This will take up more surface space and save on flowers. However, if you do end up with a small bald spot on the bottom, like I did, don't worry - just place it on top of a candle holder and no one will know the difference. :)


As we get closer to Valentine's Day, I'll be sure to give a small home tour of my decor!


-Ashley






Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Fun Toddler Activity for VDay!

Thank you Pinterest for yet another winning idea!  As I prepare to be a SAHM, I figure a lot of arts and crafts are in my future.  And this one is as easy as can be!  SAHM or not, if you've got 10 minutes, you can do this too.

Here is a list of materials you'll need:

  • blank canvas
  • painters tape
  • craft knife
  • finger paint

To prep, start by taping the word LOVE onto your canvas.  It won't look pretty, but that's where the knife comes in - you'll trim off the areas necessary.





The best place to let my little guy go to town is right in the middle of the kitchen floor.  I taped down some scrap paper, but will definitely be buying a drop cloth that we can reuse in the future.



To start him off, I squirted a little bit of finger paint right on to the canvas, letting him create from there. It worked great, however, he was only sooort of getting it, so I tried to show him what to do. Stepping back to give him another try, I realized that during my demonstration I basically covered/erased the work he had already done.  Noooooo!!!  I had to think of another way for him to personalize his piece of art and quick! Then I had it - handprints and footprints!

I love, love, love how it turned out. :)


Now every time he sees his painting on display, he smiles from ear to ear, points and yells - "PAINTING!!".  It melts my heart. :)

-Ashley

Friday, January 10, 2014

Love, Love, Love

Is it just me or does your home also look completely bare now that all the Christmas decor has been boxed up and put away?

Luckily, home decor for Valentines Day is already stocked up in most stores!  I haven't been able to check out the stores yet, but intend to very soon.  In the meantime, I have been pinning some inspiration for Distress To Impress (or DTI as I often refer to it) and wanted to share those with you!  The last two photos are pieces I already have in the works!

Beadboard and Letters:



Wood Blocks - I <3 U:


Glitter Canvas - 14:
Source: Lolly Jane


Subway Art Wood Sign:
Created By Distress To Impress

XO LOVE XO Banner:
Created By Distress To Impress

-Ashley



Friday, January 3, 2014

New Year, New Blog

Alright, let's get started. :)  I have a lot planned for 2014 and this blog is one of them.  

I am a soon-to-be stay at home mama that loves getting creative!  Last April, I took my first furniture painting class and completely fell in love.  After running out of my own pieces to paint, I decided I wanted to start flipping pieces to sell.  I was hooked.  Wanting to share my passion with others, I started a Facebook page - Distress To Impress.  I credit my husband for the ingenious name.  My creative interests expanded even more last fall when I started making wood signs and other home decor, such as re-purposed frames, burlap banners and chalkboards.

So back to this blog.  I plan to use this outlet as a place to share inspirations, how-to's, furniture transformations and more!  Annnnd you may see a post or two about my transition into being a SAHM.

Like I said, there is a lot planned for 2014! :)

-Ashley