TALL {table leg} Candlesticks

Sorry for the lack of posts lately!

My parents got me the whole Twilight series for Mother's Day.....needless to say, I've been doing a lot of reading!

I saw this picture from Pottery Barn a few months ago, and have been dying to have TALL candlesticks.
So lovely!

Then, I saw a post over at Impatienty Praying for Patience.  She turned newel posts (kind of like a banister) into tall candlesticks.  I knew I had to try this!

Supplies Needed:

• Unfinished wood Table Legs (found @ Lowe's.  Home Depot does not carry these)
•  Unfinished wood Circles (found @ Michael's) in these sizes:
• 4 in, 7 in, 10 in (2 of each)
• Wood Glue or Gorilla Glue
• Saw
• Spray paint  

I went to my local Lowe's, and found these beauties.

I loved how chunky they were, and the details were nice too.

I picked up some wood circles from Michael's:

I started by sawing off part of my table legs.  I thought they were a little too thick at the bottom

Next, using Gorilla Epoxy glue, I attached the legs to the 10" circles

While those were drying, I worked on the "top" of my candlesticks.

Take the 4 inch circle, and the 7 inch circle, and glue them together.
Like this:

Then, glue the "top circles" to the top of your candlestick, like this:
(turned them upside down; this will insure a better bond w/the glue)

Next, spray paint!

After a few light coats; Voila!

Some more shots:

I love them!

The BEST part?

Total Cost: $25 for each candlestick!

Linkin' up at these fab sites:
Domestically Speaking
Life in the Pitts
Blue Cricket Design
The Shabby Chic Cottage
Fireflies and Jelly Beans
Night Owl Crafting
Creations by Kara
Somewhat Simple 
A few of my Favorite Things
Fingerprints on the Fridge
Tidy Mom
Fun to Craft
Tatertots and Jello 
Funky Junk Interiors
Domestically Speaking 

Blog Swap: Making the World Cuter

Hi everyone! What a great blog to be swapping with today-Sarah is so super cute and I love all of her stylish stuff!
Let me introduce myself...my name is Tiffany, you can call me Tiff...I have 3 insanely cute kids that make my world cuter, and me and my adorable husband are expecting another little boy this fall. This picture cracks me up with my two boys being so darn serious! :)

I blog over here at Making the World Cuter. I am on a mission to make the world cuter, one kid, cupcake or crafty thing at a time! I hope you come over and say hi!I also love photography and have a little photography blog called Pumpernickel Buttons. I seem to getting lots of newborns lately, which is great for me to ease my baby hunger until my new little guy makes his appearance!
Here are a couple random things about me...

• My favorite food is the sandwich-yummy deli style sandwiches are the best, but I love just about anything between two pieces of bread!
  
• I'm a student right now, studying web design-but my true passion is photography and Photo Shop so I will probably get my bachelors in Photography when I'm done with this degree.
• If I wasn't pregnant I would be eating a spoonful of cookie dough while typing this, it really is a wonder that I don't weigh 1000 pounds.
  
• My favorite TV shows are Modern Family, Glee and Cougar Town. We watch all of our TV on Hulu because we don't have TV, and never have since we've been married. We have a couple TV's but they are just for movies-which we have more of than your local video store thanks to my hubbys addiction!
  

I love to do anything and everything creative, especially if I can do it with things I already have on hand. Here are a few of my favorite projects I have put together...

This wooden tiled mirror...
I like to do furniture makeovers, this glider is my favorite-it was so hideous before!
I generally do easy and cheap projects (and no I am not either of those things-just ask my hubby), like this burlap wreath with fabric scraps and salt dough buttons.

One of my favorite things to make are napkin rings, here are a couple I have made that I really like, and they were practically free! The first ones are made out of a tinfoil tube and the second out of felt.

This is one of my favorite projects-easy towel ponchos, I made this one for my boy while it was still winter, thus the footie jammies and the bed head! :) These are great as bath towels, but even better for the pool or the beach, with a pocket to keep their sunscreen, goggles or seashell treasures in all while keeping their hands free. LOVE these! I love meeting new blog friends and I have a linky party on Mondays as well, I really hope you come by for a visit!

Thanks for having me Sarah, it's been a real treat getting to know you a little better through this bloggy world! :)

-Tiff

Evolution of our Porch

I love our big, covered porch.  

It's one of my favorite places to sit and watch my munchkins play.

However, the patio furniture we had was kind of....boring. 

No pizzazz!

I mean, it was the cheapest set they had at Wal Mart....

So, a makeover was in order!  My favorite kind of project!

I decided to go bold on this re-do.  I was going to use.......Orange!

Do you love this fabric or what?!  Awesomeness!

It's called oilcloth.  It's totally waterproof, and can be wiped clean.  Perfect for outdoor furniture.  

Here are some online resources that sell oilcloth:

Mendel's Fabric

Oilcloth Addict

This stuff is seriously AWESOME!  I've seen lots of ideas out there for oilcloth: baby bibs, diaper bags, placemats, table cloths, etc.

Anyway, using the old seat covers as a pattern, I made new covers for all the cushions, complete with white piping on the edges.
(I wish I could give step by step instructions, but it was a "figure it out as you go" project!)


Here's how it turned out:

Some close ups:

Here's my two side chairs:

I almost forgot to mention that I painted my chairs.  Primer first, then a few layers of textured black spray paint.

It turns out looking like this:

      

         Before:                                                       

                                    

     After:

         













Before: 

          After:

Before:

After:

Now I can go relax on my brightened up back porch!

Linking Up at:

Poppies at Play
Mustard Seed Creations
Shabby Nest
Finding Fabulous
Tidy Mom
Remodelaholic
KoJo Designs
Tatertots and Jello
Funky Junk Interiors
Making the World Cuter
Under the Table and Dreaming
 Between Naps on the Porch
The Girl Creative
Sumo's Sweet Stuff
Made by You Monday
A Soft Place to Land
Todays Creative Blog
Domestically Speaking

Antiquing a Mirror {all by yourself!}

I love stuff that is worn and weathered. I think antique mirrors are so fun. They can be hard to find, and pricey.  I loooove these from Anthropologie:

So neat, right?  They are only $695.00.  Yes, you read that right!

I was inspired by these in Ballard Designs:

I love the jute around the edges, and the leather strap.  Would look great in my house.

Well, today I would loooove to show you how to make the Ballard Designs mirrors, with an antique twist. 

Supplies Needed:

Mirror{s} (my mirrors are 18")

Jute or Twine

Paint Stripper

Muriatic Acid

Vinyl tubing

Gorrilla Tape (or duck tape)

Black Paint (brush on or spray paint)

Neoprene Gloves

Face Mask

Glue Gun
Disc Hangers

WHERE to find your supplies:

• Mirror{S}-most craft stores only sell mirrors up to 10".  I ordered mine online, and found a large selection for a low price.  (18" for $6.99 each)

• Jute or Twine-can be found at any craft store

• Paint Stripper-head to your local home improvement store

• Muriatic Acid-this is actually a pool cleaning chemical, and can be found at any home improvement store in the pool section ($6 for a gallon).  Or if you know anyone with a pool or access to a high school chem lab, it could be free!

• Vinyl Tubing-can be bought by the foot at your home improvement store.  It is in the plumbing section ($1.20 per foot)

• Gloves/Face Mask-you WILL need these! ($4 for both @ Lowe's)

• Glue Gun-you should already have one of these :)

 A precaution: Muriatic Acid is the same thing as hydrochloric acid.  It is perfectly safe to use if YOU are careful.  Never ever use this around children or pets.  Wear gloves, a mask, goggles, and shoes!  This stuff can dissolve rocks.  It is dangerous if not used properly!  BE CAUTIOUS!

FYI: A little about the anatomoy of a mirror.  It is glass (or plastic) with a reflective film, and then paint on top of that film to protect it from scratching.

Steps to an AWESOME antiqued mirror

 

    1.  Liberally apply paint stripper to the back of the mirror, and let it sit for 
         10 mins.  
    2.  Wipe off the paint stripper, and most of the paint should come off; rub
         or scrape hard if needed!

   3.  Wipe off mirror with a dry towel.
   4.  Fill a spray bottle with Muriatic acid, and lightly spray where you want the
        acid to EAT THROUGH the reflective coating.
 

    5.  Watch your mirror; the acid works fast.  Wipe off any excess acid as 
        soon as you get the results you want. (the blue arrows show the dark 
        spots where the acid ate through the reflective coating)

    6.  Scratch up your mirror some with something sharp.  I found that scratch 
         marks added a nice touch to the "acid burns"

    7.  Wipe the mirror down thoroughly with a wet towel.  This will prevent the
         acid from continuing to eat the reflective coating.

    8.  Allow the mirror to air dry for 10 mins or so. 

    9.  Spray paint or brush paint the back of your mirror black.

  10.  After the paint dries, enjoy your Antiqued Mirror!

Steps to a Ballard Designs {knock off} Frame!

Measure vinyl tubing to fit around mirror (this will be your "frame")

Tape ends together securely using Gorilla Tape

 

Watch your munchkin run away with your project........

Being wrapping "frame" with jute or twine.

Hot glue jute/twine every so often for stability.

Glue your "frame" on top of your antiqued mirror (I used Gorilla Glue)

I cut up one of my husband's old belts to use for the strap (looooovin the look of this leather!)

Add a leather strap to hang (to really "knock off" BD!)

I found that the leather strap didn't quite hold the weight.

That's where Disc Hangers come in!

I peeled off the paper backing and put the adhesive side on my mirror.

I used the disc hanger to actually hang the mirror.  The leather strap is more for looks than function.  Call me crazy :D


Hang up and ENJOY!

Ballard Designs Mirror: $139.00
Anthropologie Antiqued Mirrors: $695.00

My {antiqued & awesome} Mirror: $15.50

Linking up at these parties

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