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Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Beach House Coffee Table

Everywhere I go, it's nautical this and seashell that and I so so wish I had a beach house to decorate!!  It's torture I tell you! :)

Well, when I inherited this small coffee table from a friend, I unintentionally went beachy with it.  Unintentionally, you ask?  It all started out with me wanting to go outside of my perfectionist comfort zone and give dry brushing a try.  It is a very imperfect technique and it's hard for me to let go control, ha.
 
First up was one layer of grey using Maison Blanche Franciscan Grey.

Next, I dry brushed on a layer of General Finishes Antique White.  I intentionally went a little heavy with the dry brushing because I wanted a bit more coverage.
Then I went to town with my distressing - waaay more than I usually do.  And finally finished it off with a grain sack design.
At this point, I wasn't loving it.  In fact, all along the way I wasn't sold, but was committed to seeing my initial vision through.  I sent my friend a picture of the table at this stage and she mentioned how it looked beachy.  YES!  Exactly!!!  The moment she said that I knew exactly what this piece needed to make it a finished product.  I used my Silhouette to cut out a simple anchor graphic and stenciled that on top in Navy.  And then I did even more distressing.  I was starting to fall in love.


As a final touch, I added a wicker basket to the shelf and called it a day.  So cute, right?! 
 
 
 
Now I REALLY wish I had a beach house so this cutie could go right in it. :)
-Ashley

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Shadow Box Turned Jewelry Display

I love seeing all the creative ways to store and display jewelry.  So when an old shadow box was offered to me, I decided to create my own.  This would be specifically for my earrings, which were currently all thrown together in a box. 

The shadow box started out like this...
I found the cutest fabric at Hobby Lobby (of course!?).  I measured the inside of the box, then cut the fabric to size.
I then secured the fabric with hot glue.
To help hide any uneven cuts, I used this gold trim.
I had no idea trim like this even existed!  I think it's so so pretty and want to put it on everything, ha.
A little Windex on the glass and a couple nails in the wall and this pretty lady was ready to hang!

Getting ready in the morning just got a little more exciting. :)
-Ashley