Makeover Monday: The Red Credenza

Makeover Monday (Tuesday Edition):

The Great Credenza Makeover of 2012

Last Thursday, on my daily trip around Craigslist, I found this beautiful 1960’s style credenza living in the garage of the nicest seller in the history of Craigslist for $25 bucks! 

The drawers and the sliding doors turned out to be the only real wood on it.  The rest of it, as far as I can tell, is made of cement mixed with whatever the heaviest thing on earth is.  Seriously, this thing weighs a ton.  Luckily my wonderful (and hilarious!) friend Zach was nice enough to throw on some sweat pants and go pick it up with me.  Thanks Zach!  (Sorry you had to wear sweat pants to class.)

We got it in the house as far as the living room where it had to stay because Zach had to go to class (in sweats) and, as I may have mentioned, this thing weighs at least 300lbs (and I can only bench press 275) so I can’t move it alone.  Living room it is.  I began to unscrew the legs…there were 7.  Interesting.  

While it was flipped over I realized that the entire thing was 3 separate pieces connected by 2 brackets and the common top.  I unscrewed the brackets and top, had it quickly inspected by Fonzie and the pieces came right apart.  I love it so much as one piece but at 8′ long I have nowhere the entire unit would even fit. 

Plus, now that they’re separate I can actually move the pieces all by my lonesome.  Holler!

I sanded everything- doors, drawers, legs, etc.

And primed them with Zinsser.  This was my first time using Zinsser and I love it!  It dried really fast and covered everything.

I painted the outer parts of the credenza (here after 1 coat) with Rustoleum ‘Gloss Sunrise Red’.  I chose the Rustoleum because I wanted a high shine and I loved this perfect color red.  The inside was painted flat ‘Olivewood’ grey.

Now for the doors.  I decided not to prime the doors, just sand them mostly because I didn’t want to tape around that little metal handle bit.  Also cause I just didn’t think they needed it. 

I put the doors in the credenza where they’ll eventually live and traced the line where they overlap.

Next I laid my doors on the amazing decorative paper I’m using to cover them and cut around their outline using an X-acto knife.  Using the line we drew on the second door I allowed for a little bit of overlap so that the image would appear as one piece when the doors are closed. 

Once you’re happy with your paper placement Mod Podge it into place.  Cover the entire surface with Mod Podge, lay your paper down and smooth out any air bubbles.  Be sure to work quick, this stuff dries fast.  When it’s in place, cover the entire surface with Mod Podge.  (It’s a good idea to use M.P. Hard Coat for this project.)

At first the glue will be cloudy but never fear, it will dry to a beautifully clear finish in no time.  I chose a matte finish and also decided to cover the second set of doors with a 2nd paper option because I just couldn’t pick one.

I put the top back on, screwed on the legs and slid the doors in and the results are a sophisticated yet playful piece of furniture that I absolutely adore.  I cannot wait to fill it with carp…I mean crap. 

***TIP from my Mom***
Instead of wasting time cleaning paintbrushes that you’re just going to use again for the second coat, wrap them in plastic wrap or a grocery bag and pop ’em in the freezer until you’re ready for the next coat of paint.  This way you only have to wash your brushes once at the end of the project which will help seriously reduce the desire to just abandon the project halfway through because washing paint rollers is such a gigantic paint in the a**.  Thanks Lady!

Rockin’ Out for Shelby

I painted these colorful rocks to my lil’ cousin Shelby’s 2nd birthday last weekend.  They’re a great way to teach kiddos to spell their name which, coincidentally, is every child’s favorite word.  These rocks were a huge hit with the grown ups but Shelby had her eye on something else…

My nephew Pete made Shelby a pet rock and blew my silly little alphabet rocks out of the water.  

I was trumped by googly eyes.  I shoulda seen it coming.

To make them we used acrylic paint on smooth river rocks and sealed them with a high shine acrylic sealer.  You can make your own or contact me and I’ll make some for you & you can just take credit for them.  It’s a win/win.     

QUICK & EASY St. Patrick’s Day Centerpiece

Here’s a quick & easy idea for a festive St. Patrick’s Day or Spring Centerpiece that you can make for under $10!

To make this you’ll need:

• 3- 1/2 pint mason jars (lids not necessary)
• a small tray (optional)
• matte white spray paint or white primer
• a handful of 1″ rocks
• 1 clover plant
• potting soil

Remove lids from mason jars and put on a paintable surface, mouth-side down. 

 Spray entire outside of jar with paint, it will probably need between 2-3 coats.

 Do the same to the tray, my tray needed 2 coats of paint, it has 1 coat in the picture.  (Tray was $3.99 at craft store)

Add 6-9 rocks per jar, enough to fill about 1/4 of the jar.  This is to create a place for the water to drain from the soil.  Add 2″ of potting soil.

Separate clover into 3 sections and add 1 section to each jar, press firmly around base to secure plant into the jar.  Arrange the jars on the tray and you’ve now made a beautiful, fast & easy St. Patrick’s Day centerpiece!  This would also look adorable with herbs, small flowers or succulents.  

 May the road rise to meet you, may you never be burned by your glue gun and until we meet again, may all your crafts be prosperous!

Nothing to Wear for St. Patrick’s Day??

Oh no!  You waited until the last possible second to figure out what you’re going to wear for St. Patrick’s Day?!?  ME TOO!!  Here are 2 quick options that you can throw together in either 20 minutes or in under 10 minutes.

**NOTE: These projects will probably require a quick trip to a craft store after work but never fear, Michael’s is open until 9:00pm tonight so you should be all set.**

20 MINUTE OPTION: Light-up Shamrock Shirt

First- gather your supplies.  

You’ll need:

• a t-shirt (preferrably green)
• green pipe cleaners (about 17 stems)
• battery powered light set (I used 2 sets)
• glue gun
• X-acto knife

  Begin forming a shamrock by bending 2 pipe cleaners together for the outside of the shamrock and secure with hot glue to t-shirt.

 (a piece of cardboard inside of the shirt creates a stiff work surface (that’s what she said) and keeps the glue from going through to the back.)

 Add a second and a third loop inside of the outer outline to fill it in a little and make it fancy.

 Glue both of those loops to t-shirt with hot glue.  Repeat 3 more times to create a 4-Leaf Clover.

 Next, cut a series of small holes (as many holes as lights) along the inner rim of the outside of the shamrock’s border.  These holes are for the lights to poke through so they don’t need to be very big.  Just a tiny slit.

 Poke the lights through the holes and secure with hot glue.  Hold for about 10 seconds to let it set.

 I only had enough lights to put 4 lights on each leaf.

And now you’re done and you have a perfectly boring looking t-shirt with a not-so-great Shamrock hot glued on it.  Great.  Thanks a lot Mom.  BUT WAIT!!  Add a couple of AA batteries and VIOLA!  YOU’RE THE LIFE OF THE PARTY!!

And you did it all in under 20 minutes!

Next…

UNDER 10 MINUTES: Mini Top Hat Headband


For this project you’ll need:

• a headband
• a mini top hat (or a green bow or a cardboard clover, etc…)
• green pipe cleaner x1
• glue gun

 I found this ridiculously miniature (and equally adorable) top hat at A.C.Moore yesterday on sale for $.50!  If you can’t find a mini top hat just look around for something else green and if you can’t find anything, cut a clover out of cardboard and color it green with a marker and go to step 2.)

 Step 2.  Remove wire.

Step 3:  This step is optional- I didn’t like the green ribbon my hat had so I replaced it with a sparkly green pipe cleaner.

Step 4:  Now, flip the hat over, add 2 dollops of hot glue to the brim and place your headband onto the hot glue wherever you want the hat positioned.

Step 5:  Flip the head band back over and you have a brand new mini top hat headband.

 Well aren’t you adorable.  Now go out and show off how crafty you are.

Here’s to a long life and a merry one.
A quick death and an easy one.
A pretty girl and an honest one.
A cold pint– and another one!




‘Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!’

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Make Me: St. Patrick’s Day Rainbow Cupcakes

It is said that every Leprechaun has a pot of gold, hidden deep in the Irish countryside.  The most popular hiding place for this pot of gold is, of course, at the end of a rainbow.

These delicious little rainbows do not have pots of gold at the end of them but they do have icing on top of them and they are, thankfully, far less ellusive than real rainbows.   They’d be a perfect addition to any St. Patrick’s day celebration.

Here’s how to make them. 

First, collect your supplies, you’ll need:

-yellow cake batter
-food coloring
-paper baking cups
-icing

Begin by preparing your cake batter according to your recipe. 

Next, seperate the cake batter evenly into 6 containers.

Then dye each cup of batter a different color of the rainbow.  I like to use Wilton gel food coloring, it makes beautiful, rich colors.  I would highly recommend using them instead of the liquid food coloring from the grocery store. 

Now begin layering batter into your prepared muffin tin purple first. 

Then do the same with the blue…

And the green…

Slap on some yellow…

Add a dollop of orange…

And finally top it off with a spoonful of red.

Bake cupcakes according to recipe.

Remove from oven and let cool. 

Once cooled, the outside of the cupcake will look like this.  Meh, nothin’ special.

But crack ‘er open and you have a vibrant and delicious rainbow surprise!

My 4 year old nephew actually told me that his cupcake was “too beautiful to eat.” 

And then I died of acute cute overload.

You can also play around with the layering to make other cool creations-

Happy baking!

                                                      dry erase board by yours truly

Christmas in March?

In light of the unseasonal weather we’ve had lately,

it seems only fitting that I would recieve this

unseasonable order for a Christmas ornament in March. 

Click here to order your own.

Click here to see more ornaments. 

Happy Christmas in March!

Make Me: Upcycled Wrapping Paper Covered Light Switch

Due to a lackluster showing this winter from the Snow Gods my Spring Fever has kicked in earlier than normal this year.  The fact that the sun is shining and there is no snow on the ground makes me want to sweep the porch, get out the plastic flamingos and fill every pot I own with flowers.  Problem is, even though the sun is technically shining, it’s still only about 40 degrees outside.  Brrr.  That’s a little cold for flowers.  So, while I wait for the weather to warm up outside, I decided to bring my Spring Fever inside this weekend and make this green leaf  upcycled wrapping paper covered light switch.

For this project you will need:

• a light switch cover
• matte mod podge
• a paintbrush
• some leftover wrapping paper and/or tissue paper
• the cutest miniature screwdriver I ever saw

To start, pick a light switch cover that needs a pick-me-up.  

Look at this guy, he’s completely let himself go.  

Remove it from the wall with a tiny little screwdriver that is so cute!   

A-hem, or just use a regular screwdriver.  Wash the cover to get rid of oily fingerprints and dust.


Lay your cover on top of your chosen paper- I chose this wrapping paper that I’ve been hoarding saving for the perfect project since rescuing it from a present I received a couple years ago.  

Cut around the cover leaving about 1/4″extra on all sides. 

Wrapping paper works very well for this project because it is soft and bendable but remains sturdy even when wet with glue.  Card stock is too stiff for this project and tissue paper can be difficult as it tears easily.

Cover the entire surface of the light plate with Mod Podge and lay the paper over the top, paint a layer of Mod Podge on the surface of the paper as well, smoothing out any air bubbles as you go.  

Once dry, about 20 minutes, flip the cover face down on your surface, cut the corners with an X-acto knife and glue the paper around the corners like you’re wrapping a present.  

Add Mod Podge to both sides of the paper to make it pliable and secure the paper to the light plate.  

Cut an ‘X’ into the backside of the paper where the light switch goes (this is much easier if the paper is completely dry if it is still wet, wait for it to dry or you may rip the paper), add Mod Podge to both sides of the ‘X’d paper and glue down. 

Allow to dry, about 15-20 minutes, if desired add another coat of Mod Podge to the entire front of the light switch to ensure it’s fully sealed and you’re done.  


Grab your adorable little screw driver and put him back on the wall.  

                                                       
Muuuuch better.


Now there’s nothing left to do but sit back and wait for Spring.  Only four days until Daylight Savings-  We’re almost there!!

Lord of the Window Painting

 For March’s window I painted traditional Irish Step Dancers on the window in the EU.  Well, the important half of Irish Step Dancers anyway- the dance-around-all-fast-and-high-kick part.  Step dancing, according to Wikipedia, is “Irish dancing, popularised in 1994 by the world-famous show Riverdance, is notable for its rapid leg and foot movements, body and arms being kept largely stationary.”

Now, I’ve never actually tried Irish Step Dancing myself nor have I so much as attended an Irish Step Dancing show.   That being said, my connection to step dancing runs deep.   Deeper than the River Shannon herself, some say.  You see, I am featured four times in the Harvard College Irish Step Dancers promotional youtube video from March 2011.  

I know, I know, it’s impressive but somehow I’ve managed to not let the fame get to me. 

You can see my work below at seconds:
39, 1:11, 1:20 & 1:29
-at 1:11 my delivery of the word ‘egg’ still makes me emotional to this day.  

Visit the Harvard College Irish Step Dancers facebook page for show information and more videos.