Refinished Kitchen Table and Chairs

Finally, my blog has a completed home project! 

(and lots to come)

I wasn't planning to refinish my table, because I was convinced I wanted a new one.  The chairs (see top pic) were so old, broken, and so very 70's.  Yes. And UGLY! 

But then I found a whole set of darling chairs, and I got so excited to refinish my table.  :)  They all just needed some paint and new upholstery.  But way cheaper than a new table.

Yes, this was the awful before photo.  How do you like the orange and gold tacked upholstery.

First, I gave it all two coats of white primer.

Then I gave it a coat of off-white satin paint.  Then I antiqued and sanded it around all the edges.

I recovered the chairs with some new fabric (which I love!).

When I got these chairs, they definitely had some dirty cushions, but that just made the make-over even more rewarding! ;)

 I love being able to choose a fabric that will accent the new colors in my dining room.  These cushions got a couple of coats of scotch guard.  I sprayed them outside, because it is not good to breathe it while being sprayed. Especially for my little ones!

I put a layer of glaze mixed with walnut stain all over the table and chairs, and wiped it down with cloths.  I liked it somewhat light but that it made the distressing and cracks stand out. 

 I think I never really appreciated the pedestal on my table, but with it painted and antiqued, I love its design.  This may be my favorite feature. :)

I'm still working on decor for the whole room since it used to be painted red, and now its tan and goldish-yellow.  I'm thinking of a pretty fall table-runner next, but I'm still so happy with the results so far. 

The entire project took less than $50.  Not bad, eh?

Next I'm making some shutters and new curtains. 

One project down...only about a nine hundred to go!

Made Over Denim Skirt

I've been wanting to do something with this skirt for a while.  It was so long and I haven't worn it for a while. I thought it might  be cuter if it were short and had some embellishments- something really feminine. I am not a seamstress at all and I used to think I would never sew!  I only sew a few things, but I can at least sew straight lines, so this skirt was do-able for me. :)

All the materials it took were some lace, fabric  (1/4 yard or less!), and thread.

I cut a 4 inch strip and gathered it a little.  Next time I think I'd go 5 inch.  Then I turned the skirt under to make a new hem and sewed the the ruffle on underneath like this:

Then I turned the skirt right side out and sewed on this cute lace.  I sewed two seams to keep it from rolling- on the top and bottom of the lace.

I sewed one long piece of lace from the back slit, around the skirt, and ended again at the back. I folded the lace under and reinforced the ends a bit with some back-stitching. 

I added some scroll lace just above the bottom edge.

I used a left over piece of fabric to make a rosette.

I folded under the raw edges and sewed them on my machine.

I measured and liked the rosette to sit about 4 1/2 to 5 inches from the side seam of the skirt.  I rolled some lace to layer inside the rosette as well.

Then I tacked them on with my machine.  No hand sewing required! :)

Made a little knot as well.  A button would be cute too. And I sewed on one more small strip of scroll lace to the side of the rosette. 

I wore it to church on Sunday, where we had a special occasion for my oldest son, who just turned 12.  It was nice to have a new skirt to wear for under a few dollars! ;)  And I had several people ask me where I bought it.  So, even with my limited sewing skills, I think it turned out okay!

Happy Day!

Black Bean Dip

I have to share this simple but delicious recipe.  I created it one night when I wanted chips and dip...but had no dip. 

This dip has so much flavor and is very healthy.  All of our party guests at the birthday party seemed to like it a lot as well.  It got eaten fast!  My kids love this dip! And I feel good about this kind of snack. :)

I recommend cooking your own beans on low until they are soft enough to puree (always soak them the night before if possible).  Then just blend the beans and other ingredients together and voila- finished! 

It is delicious with melted motzerrella cheese on top too.

Seven Seas Birthday Party!

Today, I am excited to share with all of you my latest labor of love!  My son, Chase, just turned seven years old.  He is always looking for an adventure and is absolutely obsessed with animals, sea creatures, and maps.  So, I thought that

The Seven Seas would be a perfect theme for his adventure-style birthday party.  It was a really fun party!

I made the invitations tri-fold style and tied them with rope. No envelopes needed!  I absolutely love this paper from

Three Bugs In A Rug!

It was so perfect for Chase's theme.  Such cute paper! 

Here is a glimpse of all sides of the invitation.  When you open the top flap, there are all the details of  the party.  In the middle, there is a poem I wrote about a Seven Seas Adventure.

Here are the words to the poem: 

Ahoy Mateys!

Seven years to Celebrate,

Since Chase became our young first mate.

Seven Seas are calling him now

His sights are set toward the bow

The days spent at Port six cruised by way too fast

But new adventures await as he raises his sail to the mast

Chase invites you to join the crew as his vessel sets sail

Exploring depths of the ocean where sea creatures dwell

We'll dive right in to games and cake

Wear a swimsuit and sunscreen so you don't bake

The day is Monday August 15th from 2-4 o'clock

(Modern day time)

Make sure you do naut get land locked and get left behind!

Having you on board will be sure to please

We'll see you at the Seven Seas!

Some party decorations to welcome Chase's friends:

A party store made up these darling balloons of a fish and an octopus.  We loved them!

(And there were tears shed by my two youngest when they finally popped a few days later.)

I thought it would be fun to use our chalkboard to copy a fish market sale.

I loved making this banner so much! I again used

3 Bugs In a Rug  paper and used skewers behind the paper to make sailboats as part of his name display.  This was my favorite party project!

My kids and I made newspaper sailboat hats for all the party guests.

Easy-Peasy!

(and cheap!)

The crew had to find their sailor hats in Davy Jone's Locker.  Then all of the other decorations for the table mostly came from things I had around the house or we made together as a family for this party.

I wanted to put a banner on the front of the table and then I thought of the idea as making it as Shark teeth.  The tablecloth is made of old map tissue paper.  We put a couple of fish in some fish bowls and added around any marine life toys we could find.  Again, I let my kids help do this! 

The party games were fun, and didn't cost anything!

The joy of playing in the water in the summer-time! :)

Dribble-Dribble Dunk! was a big hit! It is just like duck-duck goose, except the players take a pitcher of water around the circle and dribble a drop down each person's neck and until they dunk someone! The giggles were so great with this game!

After Chase's friends went home, we had dinner with our family that evening.  All of the food was named after one of the Seven Seas. We had octopus of the Black Sea, Caspian Sea with traveling Swedish fish, Persian Gulf Shrimp, Pirate Ships of the Indian Ocean, Sea Shells off the Adriatic Sea, Chicken of the Red Sea, and Ocean Water from the Mediterranean. 

I tried to make some grilled chicken and pineapple to look like a fish.  It was very, very simple; and so yummy too!

My birthday boy loved it, so that's what makes me happy! :)

Cupcakes were super-simple. Blue frosting with gummy sharks and fish.  There wasn't time for anything fancier. ;)

How fun it is to be 7! :)

Seven Seas Birthday Banner

I posted my son's Seven Seas Birthday Party on Oopsey Daisy, but  I wanted to show this banner in better detail. I just love the colors in this paper.
S.S. CHASE 7 

The Under the Seas paper is from 3 bugs in a rug. The only exception is the blue/white striped paper for the letters, which actually came from their Bake Me a Cake line.  But I loved how bright and beachy it looks.  I used the Base Camp cartridge to cut out the letters on my cricut.  I used the Accent Essentials cartridge for my cricut to cut out the circles and suns.  I lightly painted chopsticks and cut them down for the sail boats.  The miniature banner flags are an element with the Under the Sea scrapbook paper. I tied them with rope (about $2.50 for large spool @ Hobby Lobby).  I could get 3 pennants cut out of each 12x12 sheet of paper.  I could have gotten 4, but I wanted all the stripes vertical.

This was a super fun banner to create.  These banners are fairly easy and quick to make and sure add a special, personal touch to the birthday.  :)