The truth is that anyone can do it. Refinishing furniture is not something you need expertise in. When we bought our new house I was on the prowl for great pieces of furniture that I could refinish. We just didn’t have the money for brand new stuff.

The actual bench is a darker more black color, but I can’t seem to catch the color correctly in a picture.

I found this bench at an auction and I got it for $25. It was the wrong color finish, but made from really amazing wood. The DIY girl that I am went into overdrive. By the time I got that bench into my dad’s car I already knew what color stain I wanted to use.

In every furniture refinish you have to have very few items to make it work. Here are the basics:

• two different grades of sand paper. You need one to strip the old finish and one to smooth the wood after stripping
• paint thinner
• gloves (make sure they are gloves that can withstand thinner otherwise they will disintegrate)
• rags
• paint brush
• stain color
• polyurethane

The paint thinner is needed to clean the wood and paint brush(es). It is always really important to clean the wood for both sanding and after sanding for staining.

Staining should be done in layers. In other words don’t put too much on the first coat. Staining should be done in coats much like you would painting. In doing it in coats you are layering in order to reach the desired color. It’s important in staining to wipe each layer off so that it soaks in quite quickly.

Make sure to follow the directions on the stain as to how long to wait to dry. Once you’ve reached the desired color allow it to dry at least 24 hours and then put the polyurethane coat on so that you get the high gloss finish you desire. You may have to do 2 coats of polyurethane.

Tip: if you do not find the color stain you’d like you can mix colors to get your desired shade. Do not settle. The above color in my bench was actually a mix of an ebony stain and a cherry wood stain. I mixed until I got the color above.

Do you have a DIY project or tips on doing DIY projects to share? Make sure to link-up below.

Looking for a really easy, inexpensive but great last minute gift? If you are, you need to pay attention because I will have you covered!

The first thing you need is a recipe, and this could be anything. The easiest thing for me is a cookie recipe because it has dry and wet ingredients. Obviously, you are only going to put the dry ingredients that will get mixed together at once. I am going to walk you through a recipe that is easy and you can make 3 or 4 gifts out of one bag of each ingredient!
 
Powder Puff Cookie Mix
 

Step one: Gather your ingredients. To make this you need a jar (I use the big ones that I can get for cheap at my local craft store), all purpose flour, powder sugar, walnuts. To decorate/jazz up your jar, fabric, ribbon, scissors, recipe card, hole punch. (Insert Step One picture)
 
Step two: Mix 1/2 cup powder sugar and 2 1/3 cups all purpose flour into a bowl. Once you have that mixed, pour it into your glass jar. (insert step two picture)
 
Step three: Get a shot glass (or something similar) to press the flour/sugar mixture down. This removes extra air and makes room for your walnuts. (insert step three picture)
 
Step four: Add 1 cup of chopped walnuts. Or whatever nuts you’d prefer to have in a cookie- it’s up to you. (insert step 4 picture). 
 
Step five: Now you need to write the recipe down, so the receiver knows what to do with it. I do this on the computer since it’s easier. Here’s the recipe:
 
Cream 3/4 cup shortening and 1/4 cup softened butter together; stir in 2 tsps vanilla extract. Blend in cookie mix. Shape dough into one inch balls and arrange on greased baking sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes; cool slightly. Place one cup powdered sugar in a small bowl; roll cookies in sugar while warm. Makes 4 dozen.
 
Once you have that typed up and printed off, you can adhere it to some scrapbook paper (I used a Christmas print paper), punch a hole in it, and tie around the jar. 
 
And that’s it! See how easy these really are? You can do these for any occassion and with almost any recipe. If you look online or at your local library, there are a lot of cookbooks geared towards gifts in a jar, but I’ve used recipes I make because it’s easier for me. These make perfect gifts for co-workers, neighbors, people who love to eat or bake, and are GREAT to have on hand for last minute gifts. I always keep a few empty jars on hand throughout the year because they also make great gifts for a hostess!

Several weeks ago I shared with you my horrible disarray that is the top of my dresser.  I found a way to organize my jewelry by making a necklace holder.  The next step in this project was my out of control make-up.

I decided to make something that is neat and easily cleaned.  Most importantly is that I need my make-up to be hidden.

I bought a bolt and nail holder at The Home Depot.

I also bought a 5 pack of fat quarters at JoAnn’s.  I picked fabrics that I thought would coordinate well with my new necklace holder since they would be near each other.  All I needed was my spray adhesive, fabric scissors and tailor’s chalk.

I began measuring the fabric so I could cover the fronts of each drawer.  I didn’t want to be able to see what was in each drawer from the front.

Once all was measured out I glued the fronts of each of the drawers with a piece of fabric.

The next step was taking all of the make-up that I had and organize it in each drawer.  I  wanted to keep like products together.  It’s funny what old lipsticks you hold on to for no reason at all.

After I was done I put labels on each drawer using my Brother label maker.  (Of course I have a label maker.)

There you have it.  All of my make-up is now cleverly concealed in a pretty easy to access place.  The total cost of this project was $30.

Stay tuned though the final reveal of my dresser is coming very soon…

This is the dresser right after I sanded it.  I used a round sander and I literally sanded it in 15 mins.

These are the drawers even before I sanded them.

After priming.

This blue is the same blue on the boys’ walls.

The finished product!  I used the no VOC paints at Lowe’s, the handles are from Home Depot and the vinyl decal is from Single Stone Studios.

The boys are really loving the dresser and I’m really happy with the way it came out.    Now I need to get another dresser…

Supplies:

Glitter: (P K Glitz)
Art Acetate (P K Glitz)
2 Large Chipboard Rings (P K Glitz)
Sticky Tape: 3/8” (P K Glitz)
Goat Hair brush
3-D Crystal Lacquer (Sakura)
4” circle single sided patterned paper
Gold Pen (Krylon)
3 – 4 inches of ribbon

1.Kill the outside and inside edges of the chipboard circles with a colored pen.

2.Pleat 3/8” Sticky Tape around one side of each of the two chipboard circles.

3. When the Sticky Tape is around the circle, press down on the sides to secure.
Optional: Use a brayer to roll over the top to smooth down the Sticky Tape and secure.

4. Remove a portion of the Sticky Tape cover and pour Gilded Ivory over the circle. Brush off excess. Note: Make sure both circles are completely covered before moving on to the next step.

5. On the white side of your circle, place a narrow bead of lacquer along outside edge.

6. Center the acetate on the circle. Cut away excess acetate.

7. Put a line of lacquer around the backside of one of the circles.

8.Lay the circle over the top of the acetate.

9. Turn over and add press down to make sure the acetate is attached to the circle.

10. Add a small dot of glue to the backside of the second circle.

11.Attach the loop of ribbon to the glue. Add a line of glue around the circle before continuing to the next step.

12. With the loop at the top, place your finished acetate on to the last circle.

13. Add clothespins to hold the circle together until it is completely dry. If you don’t have clothespins you may want to place it under a book. This should only take about 10 minutes to dry – depending on the humidity.

Here’s a .pdf version of the directions for you to print (available for 1 month only).

Thank you to Tammy for the beautiful tutorial.  I hope you are able to make this beautiful ornament for your tree.

First I wanted to start with organizing my jewelry.  If you look at the picture above you will see that whole left side with containers.  Those all house jewelry.  I should say it’s my fun jewelry.  Stuff that matters is elsewhere.  I wanted to make something myself that I was sure would take a day.  Fast forward two months later and here I am.

It starts with the board.  You can use any piece of wood.  Plywood will do.  I just called my dad and told him the approximate size I needed.  He had some extra and brought it over.  Free is good people, check anyone you know in some sort of construction and I’m sure they’ll have a small piece you can use.

I sanded it first with a 220 to get splinters and rough edges down.  Then I used a super fine 400 to get the wood very smooth.  After I was done sanding I used a rag with a little paint thinner to clean off all of the sanded wood particles.

I primed then painted the wood.  I put one coat of the Martha Stewart paint on the back, but two coats on the front.

At this point I bring in an expert: my dad.  He brought over his circular saw, nail gun and compressor.  I have to tell you I have such a love for power tools.  I told my dad for my 40th birthday I want my own nail gun and compressor. 

Then I my dad took the molding and had to measure and measure again to cut the molding.  My dad measured it and thought said it was 21″.  So we cut it.  It was way too short.  Measured again and he said look it’s 21″, what’s going on?  My measuring tape was tiny and the numbers are small I’ll give him that, but it was 2′, not 21″.  Yes, we had to go to the store after that because that cut made it so we didn’t have enough for all four sides.  I swear to you my dad so rarely makes these mistakes so I will stand by the eye sight excuse.

Once we had all four sides cut at a 45 degree angles we had to glue it down with the Gorilla glue.  Then nail the molding to the wood.  We did it right away, there’s no need to wait for the glue to dry. 

Once all the sides were nailed on I had to fill in the wholes with wood putty, then sand the molding where the putty was before painting it white.

Once the paint dried on the molding I turned it over and put on the claw picture hanger for hanging it on my wall like a painting

I was finally now ready to put the hooks on.  I decided to use the Command hooks because I wanted to be able to reposition them if I needed to.  I made sure to stagger them all over the wood in order to hold different length necklaces.  Keep in mind that if you decide to do something like this not to put any hooks much lower then 8″ from the bottom.  Otherwise even your short necklaces will hang over the bottom molding too far.

My final project came out exactly as I envisioned it and I’m really happy to have a place to hang the necklaces and get rid of all of those various plastic bins.  Believe me I could think of many other places to use them.

I really wanted it to look like a painting so that although it’s holding jewelry it would have some pizzazz.  This is just the beginning so you can get an idea of my intention for project organize dresser.  Stay tuned for more projects to get that dresser looking the way it should and get all of my stuff organized.  Believe me this is not the end.

Halloween is right around the corner and if you’re like me- you have kids who want to bring treats to their classrooms. And while it’s fine to use a generic treat bag….why not show off a bit? Everyone wants to be “that mom” who looks like she spends a lot of time on fabulous favors when in reality…you only spent an hour?

These favors are my favorites for two reason: 1. They are easy. I can do these while watching Jersey Shore (don’t judge) and they require very little brain activity. 2. They require me to eat my most favorite thing…French fries.

That’s right! You need a French fry box for this craft! And I bet if you asked your local fast food restaurant for a box they’ll give you one if you really don’t want to eat the fries. What’s also awesome about these is that you can do a multitude of sizes…depending on the size of your fry box. I’m using a box from my local Wendy’s. When selecting a box look for one you can take apart easily…

 1 fry box to use as a template

1 – 12×12 piece of paper (my box was a “medium” size so I was able to get two boxes out of one sheet

Adhesive

Candy and goodies to put into bag

Optional

Ribbon, embellishments, clear tape

Take your fry box apart and trace that onto a piece of heavy cardstock (or use a cereal box). This isn’t really necessary, but I have re-used my template a lot so if you think you might want to do that then do this step. Cut your template out. You’ll notice on mine I drew the lines (using my ruler) where the folds are. This will make your life easier later.

Then you’ll want to trace your template on the BACK of your paper. You can use cardstock but in my case I’m using a Halloween theme paper.  

Step Two:

Cut your patterns out as closely to the line as you can.

Now you are going to fold your sides in. What worked easiest for me is if I scored the edges. In my case I put my ruler on the line and used a bone folder to make a dented line in my page—you could use the back of the butter knife. That just makes it easier to fold the paper but not necessary.

When it comes to folding the bottom- you have to play around a little bit to get it to look the way you want. Make sure your folds are the way you want BEFORE you put adhesive on.

Fold your box up so you can see where you need to put adhesive. Once you do that you can also use clear tape on the outside to make it sturdier. I do this just because I make these ahead of time and sometimes regular adhesive can be a stinker and will come undone. The clear tape reinforces it—and it’s clear so you won’t see it.

Because my box is white on the inside I wanted to put a little something extra in the back so I made this bookmark with a play dough recipe.  I typed it on my computer and printed it out then glued it to a piece of cardstock. If you want the Word template for this bookmark you can email me at slinkies_r_us@hotmail.com . You could use the play dough recipe, a sugar cookie recipe, or just make a bookmark with the child’s name on it.

 To finish my boxes off I tied some ribbon around them and used my stamp to make a quick embellishment. I have done these for birthday parties in the past so I might cut a piece of a paper and write “thanks for coming!” and glue that on. They would be a cute teacher gift for the holidays or end of year- you could put some chocolate and a gift card in there- how cute would that be?

How on gods green earth have I never seen Crafty Bitch by Andrea?  I mean the name alone is something I can get on board with.  Then I saw her Back-To-Cool Labels – Part II.  I have to label everything for the boys because once they get to school they have this wonderful tendency to forget everything they brought (they get that from their father).  This idea is so genious and easy.  Thank you Andrea for giving me another way to label my kids stuff.

Do you have boys or girls who are Star Wars fanatics?  Mine are!  If you do, you HAVE to check out this DIY Millennium Falcon.  Even if you have no intention of making it the sheer genius by Paulbo of FangleTronics is worth looking at.  Paulbo I send you a Bravo from my boys who will be seeing this when they get home from school tonight.

I am an avid reader and yet never have a bookmark. I use random pieces of paper.  It’s the weirdest thing.  I buy them and then they are gone.  Why?  I saw Quick Project – bookmark on A Little Hut by Patricia and it was so cute and super easy.  I need to find time and just make them already.  I need a bookmark already.

Ashley Campbell posted on PetaPixel the cutest easiest photo holder out of wooden thread spools.  Please believe me that when you see this tutorial you will say to yourself that you can do that.  Even those who do not feel crafty at all can do this fantastically cute simple photo holder.  Let’s be honest who doesn’t need another cute photo holder?

I’m in the midst of making a jewelry holder (I will be sharing as soon as it’s done) so of course when I saw Chris Gardner’s How To: Make a Jewelry Organizer From a Second Hand Table on Curbly I was intrigued.  I love a project that upcycles, and frankly this extremely easy upcycle is a fantastic idea.  Not only that it really is beautiful.

I don’t really know why I clicked on the DIY: Tissue Number Birthday Sign on Hostess With The Mostess, but as soon as I did I knew that I was going to make this for my daughter’s 2nd birthday in February.  Yes, I am already planning her birthday.  It looks like it will take some time for me to make, but it’s so stinkin’ adorable I’m going to have to start doing it in December.

I’m a lover of chalkboard paint and fabric.  Kristin St. Clair of Martha Stewart’s The Crafts Dept posted Chalkboard Flag Banner and I love the idea.  You’ll never have to buy another holiday banner.  You can just reuse this one for everything.  It’s super cute and will look so original at any party.

One of my crafting gurus is Kathe Holden of Just Something I Made has rocked my world yet again with the Cigar Box Tape Dispenser.  First let’s discuss the fact that I never knew about Japanese Paper Tape.  I mean this stuff is right up my alley and I didn’t even know it existed.  Kathe came up with a great way to keep your tape well organized.  It really amazes me every time I see one of her tutorials what a true artist she is.

I’m always a sucker for memory boards of all kinds.  When I find another one I think I’m going to finally get down to making one as I always promised myself I would do.  Jamielyn of I Heart Naptime made a Dressed Up Magnet Board.  She is a kindred spirit in that she frequents Lowe’s and Home Depot.  As most crafters don’t want to admit going to those stores aren’t as bad as we want our husbands to believe they are.  I’ve had a magnet board for 1.4 years that I haven’t put up yet.  I should really use it and follow Jamielyn’s instructions.

Amy of Modge Podge Rocks truly rocks herself.  Her amazing I Like Things That Hold Stuff.  Like The Kids’ Safari Tote is such a cute way to store kids stuff in a little tote.  Her end product is so cute it makes me think this would make a great addition to the boys’ playroom.  I think I’ll add it to my never ending list of craft projects I need to conquer.