What is it?.......FABULOUS

Let's play a game of what is it?  It's made of wood and has a metal rod in the middle.

Any guesses?

Awwww come on, it's no fun if you don't play.......

Did ya figure it out?  How about what I'm going to turn it into.  Feeling talented?

I will give you a hint...I am using fabric and a pool noodle.  I also painted it red. 

So are you confused?  Good. welcome to my state of mind. :) heheheh I love to share.

Well it use to be one of these. 

I had hopes of organization when I bought it but the wooden things broke easily.  Then again my family is not dainty or gentle on wooden objects.  After a majority of the wooden rods had broken off.  I put it out of it's misery and broke off the rest.  It hid in shame until I found it the other day and decided to bring it back to life.  A can of red paint and some fabric and a pool noodle and BAM!  Do you see it? 

No?  Well let me make it a little more clearer.  Think teenage daughter with lots of headbands all over the floor.  Easily stepped on and broken accessories on the floor.

(Oh excuse the thread it was left over from another project.)

So without further delay introducing my new creation (drum roll please)

HEADBAND HOLDER PARIS STYLE!!!!

TADA!!!!! 

why yes, I did mess up on the fabric and put them in different directions (hangs head in shame)

I have just saved me a ton of money in protecting the headbands and the cost was nothing.  It was all stuff I had lying around.

I do have a confession, I still have not installed sink in downstairs bath.  I am hoping to do that this week.  Please  hold me accountable and kick my butt if I don't have pics up within a week.  Thanks <3

Chandi redoux part one

A friend of my daughters, who is quite impassioned with all things French, came to the house, a while back.  Found out I had remade the chandelier in my daughter's room and, my daughter who is generous enough to volunteer my time, planned a project for me.

I was to make her a smaller one, with antique french features.  It needed to be gold.

It's soooooooo much easier to do white, or black, or red, or hot pink.  Oooooh hot pink sounds like fun.

Off to the ReStore to hopefully find something cheap.  I found this for 2 dollars.

Yeah, I know it's not tooo pretty but, that is why it was only 2 dollars.  The fact it was dirty was why they gave me a huge discount.

So after I removed the outer glass thingy, I had this simple and small chandi with horrible lights.  Good thing the lights are the easiest part. 

I had been hunting for crystals to hang but those things are like a dollar a piece (cheapest I could find)

I was at the ReStor again and happened upon these for like a dollar!!!!  They are plastic but at this point who cares. 

I do cruise the ReStore often looking for freebies.  Things that are chipped or missing pieces.  Then I take them apart and use the pieces.  This is my stash, I'm going to use the chain for the added support, since I am converting this to plug in and not hard wire. 

Hard wire, rewire, convert?!?!?!! sounds too complicated?  Nah, it really isn't.  They sell the kits for less than ten bucks.  Once you're use to it, then you can just buy what you need.  So you unscrew the top and you will find the gold wire  (two parts) is attached to a bunch of other wires.  Don't worry we are only switching the gold wire for another wire.  The other stuff stays the same.  So unwrap the electric tape and unscrew the wire nuts (the orange cappy things).  Untwist the wires to get the gold wire out or the wire that is sticking out of the top of light fixture. 

There are two main colors black and white.  NEVER mix the two.

See the little gold wire?  That's the one we are removing. 

Ok, I have misplaced my replacement wire so until I form a search and rescue team to get my back in case I get lost in my mess of an art center.  I have moved on to painting.  Screw the top back on and proceed to paint.  There is this stuff that you can buff on metal to change it's color, it's called Rub'n Buff.  I had planned on using it to get the gold look I was after but then I was rummaging in my supplies and found this.

Not even sure where I got it, but it's like powdered gold.  Then when added to gold paint you get this.

It looked like real liquid gold.  I was excited. 

I brushed it on, one coat at a time and was tickled with the results.  I then sprayed a thin coat of lacquer over it a few times. 

So much better than the brass.  Oh I did take some steel wool and sanded the shine off a bit but, be careful if you sand too much, you start making it shiny again.  So sand enough to rough it up, so the paint can stick to it.

I let it dry for a few days to really set.  Then I got sick :( booo........ so this is a part one.

Hopefully by next week I will have this completed.  This will be my fifth rewire, remix light fixture and it just keeps getting easier.  Got something butt ugly? I say make it beautiful or just plain fun.

These are my other transformations if ya wanna check it out.http://craftingoccurs.blogspot.com/2009/09/back-to-school-paris-style.html

http://craftingoccurs.blogspot.com/2010/08/freecycle-cooooooool-style-daddio.html

http://craftingoccurs.blogspot.com/2010/06/ugly-chandelier-to-wow.html

I saw it and painted it RED

Years ago I was at a garage sale and bought up a bunch of older frames of varying size.  They have hung around my house until I started this blog.  Now I am always finding ideas to utilize them.

This one has a 15" x 30" opening.

So I spray painted it red and found this awesome black and white fabric I found at Wal-Mart for 2 dollars a yard.  (can you say whoo to the hoo?)

Doesn't that look fabulous?

I am soooooo loving the look.

I wish it was a chair. 

Oh, I haven't told you what I am making, have I?  So sorry got so excited that I remembered to take a before shot.  Ok I am making a necklace holder thingy for my daughter's Paris themed room.

So I cut a piece of foam core and covered it in the fabric of awshumness and held it fast with duct tape.

I then stapled  it to the frame and screwed some cup hooks to the front.  Now since I was too lazy to use wood, I had to come up with a way to secure the hooks.  So I braved my evil hot glue gun and put a generous amount on the pointy end of the hooks.  Let cool and voila' you got a cool looking organized.......

As I examined my handy work I saw that the staples came through a little.  No worries I just simple hot glued on some red beads I had left over from a Christmas project.  

I think it came out pretty awesome!!  I love it and had a hard time giving it to my daughter.

Yes truly a masterpiece or reuse.  The total cost of project was the fabric, everything else I had lying around.

So yay for garage sales, and inspiration. :)

See the beads, it made it even better.

YAY! for mistakes to get you to reinvent your original idea.



Back to school Paris style

Well not really but I have finished my daughter's room in time for going back to school. She wanted a Paris style room. I started collecting things a couple of years ago so I could afford to do this. Decorating is expensive and I am all about making things affordable. I also love finding treasure along the way and coming up with ideas to reuse things. First off we found a porcelain french doll and she loved the red, white, and black theme. I also found some beautiful prints with a Paris theme at a thrift store for a couple of dollars. That just set the stage and from there we spent a year yard sale and thrift store hopping. We found a waterfall (when I say we I mean me and my daughter) vanity that was a little beat up but with a few coats of paint it brought a modern feel to the room. The chandelier was a dollar that I painted and rewired. That alone made it so much better but I had to add some bling. Christmas clearance was where I found the fake crystals and pearls. Then another clearance brought the silk shades. All together I think I spent under 20 dollars. I re purposed her bed and dresser with new knobs and comforter and fabric. The chair was thrown away but I reupholstered and added new legs. I also have a bookshelf in here but it is for use not really show. Her door was so abused I just covered it with a piece of fabric to add texture. If I had more money I would of done so much more as it is I spent under 200 for the whole room.