Painted kitchen counter tops

You girls guessed right! I am working on my kitchen counter tops!

This has been the scariest but most rewarding project ever. See my boring island? It doesn't look like this anymore! It looks more like this....



So, what do you think? Doesn't it look wonderful? I love how it turned out. They will look much better once I paint the cabinets.

I sold a few of my creations and was able to do this project with that money. Yeah! Hopefully I can sell more things so I can buy materials to paint the cabinets! Cross fingers!

Really, I only spent about $30 to do this project. Thanks to coupons! That was the greatest part of it! I can't afford thousands even hundreds of dollars to change my counter tops so I decided I would paint them.

I came across this post and she totally inspired me to do it. That same day before I read the post, I went to Home Depot asking for advice on which paint to use, how to do it etc.. I really didn't know what to do. I was scared! So I came back home disappointed because no one really helped me. They had never heard such thing of painting counter tops, but I knew you could do it.

My prayers were answered when I came home and the first thing I see when I log in is that post. Its funny how things work out!

I just wanted to know what kind of paint to use and what kind of coat for protection. Sara from Whimsies & Whatnots did a splatter effect with the paint. It turned out beautiful. I did a different effect only using the faux painting sponge. Both ways look beautiful!

I used:

Faux painting sponge
Variety of acrylic paints (depends on colors you want)
Paper plates
Brush (if you want splatter effect)
Paper towels to clean your hands (might get kind of messy)

1. First thing I did was to clean the island counter top really good. I cleaned mine with warm water and soap.
2. Next, I needed to see all the colors. I was only going to choose 3 colors for the counter top. I did this by putting paint on a paper plate and writing the color name. Doing this will be much easier to decide on colors.


3. After you decide what colors to use, using the sponge I started to paint the counter top. I painted lightly and I had to make sure not too have to much paint. I first used Burnt Sienna and let it dry. Then on top I used Burnt Umber and let it dry. At the very end I painted antique gold to give it a final touch. There were some spots that came out too dark and you couldnt see the original color of the counter top. There is a solution! I mixed white paint with a light brick color and painted over the dark spots. Problem solved!

4. After its completely dry, (dries quick) comes the most nervous, terryfing step; Envirotex Lite. I was so nervous to do this step so my husband helped me. After we were done, I thought its really not that hard. You just need to make sure to read the directions carefully and follow them exactly. We used a foam brush to spread the varnish. We used a propane torch to get rid of bubbles, but Sara used lighters.

It does take time to paint and get the effect you want. Overall, its an easy project but takes a good couple of hours to complete. I promise if you try it, you will love results.

Here is my husband using the propane torch.

Make sure you tape off everything because it will be messy. Envirotex Lite is Hi Gloss you could even see the reflections. I accidentally poured a lot of varnish in this corner. Can you tell? ha ha.. For it to be the first time, I did good! :)



So $30 for this project is not bad at all! I am working on the rest of my counter tops today and hopefully I can finish them in a couple of days. Pictures coming soon!

Information:
I bought the Envirotex Lite at Hobby Lobby with a 40% coupon. They are originally about $30 a box of 32 oz. and I will be needing 3 more. So if you have the coupons use them! Each 32 oz box will cover 8 sq. ft.

I cant wait to see my kitchen completed!

Well thanks for stopping by and hopefully this will help. If you have any questions just send me an email!
Have a great Saturday!

Monogram Storage Boxes

Remember this post about these inexpensive and cute boxes I made?
Also, these really cute magnets?

Well Megan and her sisters @ 4 sisters different hobbies decided to try these projects during a craft night they had. They turned out wonderful! The couldn't buy the same boxes I bought at Walmart, but they used shoe boxes instead! Creative! Great job girls! I love how the boxes and magnets turned out!

Here are the newest boxes I made using the same techniques but with larger boxes. The first box I made for a teacher I worked with, Mrs. Flanagan. She teaches half day kindergarten. She is a great teacher and she is so nice. I was so comfortable being around her it seemed I had known her for the longest time! Even though I have only known her for 2 weeks. I also made her a cute matching round magnet for her classroom. Hope she likes them!

This "S" box was a custom order for a baby's room. I love the way they turned out! I think they are perfect to hold small photo albums but really they can be used to hold anything. I will be making 3 more boxes to decorate my new shelf in my craft room!

If you have tried any of my projects, please let me know! I would love to post about it! Thanks!

Pom-Poms and a recipe!

Doesn't this look yummy! Its a new recipe I tried today that I found at $5 dollar dinners. Erin is great at keeping meals for up to 4 people for under $5. You should check her blog out! You can click on the recipe below and see for yourself how easy it is. Try it!

Have you ever tried to make these large pom-poms? I have and its fun! If you have a party coming up and need decoration ideas, you have to try these! They look beautiful! You could decide what size to make them.

Here is a picture of 4 pom-poms I made for Mother's Day Dinner. I did not have time to decorate for the dinner party I had for my mom and sister, but I had to have the pom-poms. They actually looked really cute! I found this great tutorial with pictures that shows you how to make them. They are very easy to make! You can also mix colors of tissue paper to give a colorful look to the pom-poms.

Pom-Poms

Here is one of the dishes I made. Everything turned out delicious. This is the first time I cook by myself for so many people. My mom is the one that always helps me, but this time I had to do it by myself. I cooked Shrimp & Garlic Pasta (it was delicious), Shrimp cocktail, Crab Salad and Crab Rice Cake. We had a great time and everyone loved the food! Hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day!

Naturally Home Decor

Remember this post?
Well I know I needed to create something else using the same items to give it that natural home decor.
I bought this beautiful tall vase at a yard sale for $1. Yeah I know, too plain right? Well not anymore!

Here are the items I used. I had a roll of jute cord, leftover coffee beans and lima beans from last project and my glue gun.

I did not plan my design before hand. I just started gluing and everything came together.
First, I glued the end of the jute cord and started wrapping around the glass vase. I kind of gave it that V shape in the front.

I had about 1 1/2in of jute cord glued, when I started gluing lima beans around. From here, you can do anything you want! You can add 2 layers of lima beans, 3 layers etc... Its up to you! Be creative! I only glued 2 layers of lima beans, then one layer of jute cord and one layer of coffee beans.

Here is a close up of the final project. Doesn't it look beautiful? I love the colors and texture!

I placed the "not so plain glass vase" in my entry table and added a few extra decorations.

So.. what do you think? Lovely isn't it! Its a very simple project, but you do need a lot of patience! It takes some time gluing bean by bean! I promise you will love final results. I dare you to try this! Very simple, inexpensive and so cute!

Teacher Appreciation Week Gift Idea

May 4th - May 8th is Teacher Appreciation Week. Here is a little gift idea I made for one of my brothers teacher. Who wouldn't want a funky name art plaque? I surely would, but I made one for myself!
They are really simple to make. Buy any unfinished wooden plaque. Paint with color of choice. Cut 2.5 in paper circles. (Circle size will vary depending on name)
After paint dries, decoupage circles.
Paint the name on and embellish! Be creative! Have fun! I think this plaque came out cute. Hope the teacher likes it!

Now if you dont feel like making one then buy one made! I will have them on sale all next week for only $15 + shipping! Its worth it! Let me know if you would like one. I can make them any colors any name! Send me an email if interested!

What other teacher appreciation gift ideas do you have? Please share! Thanks!

Really..... $1 floor lamp???

You are not going to believe this! I went to Kirkland's earlier today looking for a floor lamp for the seating area in our room. Remember I told you I didn't want the T.V in our room and instead I wanted a seating area? Well its coming a long great! The floor lamps are beautiful at Kirkland's but the prices are not right for me at these moments. I was hoping to find a good deal, but the deal was not there. I was a little disappointed but I knew I would find something quick.

Oh boy oh boy... did it come quick! I took a trip to the Goodwill store and look what I found! This not so beautiful lamp with a lot of potential. I immediately thought " I could paint it, and cover the lamp shade with a pretty fabric etc... In matter of seconds I had everything planned out how I wanted it. So I check the price, and guess what.... the price was right! It was originally $7.99 / Week 14 tag. Today all week 14 tags were .99 cents! I quickly put it in the shopping cart. My husband was laughing at how funny it looked "driving" a shopping cart with a 5 1/2 tall lamp! ha.. I laughed at myself too!

I also found this pretty fabric (1 1/2 yd) for 1.99. It is beautiful!

How to cover lampshade:

I measured the lampshade and cut the fabric according to size.
I used spray adhesive (it works great)
I adhered the fabric to the lampshade and smoothed it out as much as I could. The fabric is kind of wrinkly!
I hot glued the fabric to the top and bottom of the lampshade.. and shazammm.. I had a beautiful elegant lampshade.

Its very simple! You should try it!

I took the lamp outside and gave it a little makeover with spray paint! I love spray paint! I choose "Espresso" color. Its like a rich chocolate color.

The middle part of the lamp started bubbling and I did not like how it was turning out as it dried. So I cut a long strip of the same fabric as the lampshade and glued it down.

Here is a close up of the lampshade. Isn't it beautiful? I love it!

Here is the final piece! So.. what do you think? Its amazing that spray paint and fabric can do so much! It looks like a brand new lamp!

I am still not done with the seating area but I just couldn't wait to show you how great it is looking.
Thanks for visiting! You are more than welcome to leave comments!
Thanks!

Unique Candle Holder

I absolutely love candle holders! Especially pillar candle holders. I have many around the house and they look lovely.

I found this website where they sell beautiful home decor. I love it! The problem is, its a little expensive. Would you pay $150 - $400 for a set of candle holders? I don't know about you but I certainly cant!

I tried a little experiment of making my own candle holder and guess what? I loved it! Scroll down to read more. :)

So here is the candle holder I made. I wanted to use items I had at home, but too bad for me I couldn't find anything. I had to go to the store and buy some items. By looking at the picture, can you guess what its made out of? Could you?

Call me crazy but I made this out of coffee beans, Lima beans, Styrofoam and a thick plastic plate! It turned out so cute! I have all ready placed it on my entry way table and dining table to see how it looks; it looks fabulous! You really cant even tell what its made out of! It looks just as great as an expensive store bought candle holder. I am thinking of making some more candle holders (different heights) to decorate my entryway table! Pictures coming soon!

Mmmm.. wake up and smell the coffee! It really does smell great! Hazelnut.. yummy!

Testing, testing... 1 , 2... haha.. just giving myself an idea of how great they will look on my dining table.

Testing on my entryway table.

Here is a close up of the candle holder. If you want a unique handmade decor, you gotta try this! I dare you to try it! So simple, inexpensive and beautiful! Please share pictures if you decide to try this! :)
Take Care!
Martha

I'm back..

Whew.. those were the longest 3 days ever! Food poisoning, awful! I was 3 days in bed! Thanks to all of you who prayed for me, and that left me sweet comments to get better! I really appreciate it! I'm back to my old self! My mom and brother were so sweet, they came on Thursday to take care of me. What would you do without family? I love them so much. My mom was worried, she brought me medicine, chicken soup ( it was delicious) and Gatorade's. They stayed with me mostly all day Thursday. My brother was so sweet, he got a wet towel to put on my forehead for the fever. He was sitting right next to me. Later on, my sister came to visit. I love my family!

So today, we took our 1 year anniversary pictures in Scottsdale, AZ. It was really fun! Lydene, our photographer was great! We will get to see our pictures in about a week. I cant wait to see them! Lydene was really fun and had great ideas! Thanks Lydene!

Lydene's Blog

So I decided to go with a puffy hair look for the pictures. To my luck, it was so windy my hair was super puffy! I like the look though! I kept telling Lydene, I feel like a model with a big fan blowing my hair! ha.. I had two different outfits. One formal and the other more casual. Pictures coming soon!

Saturday was the first night I went out after being in bed for so long. We went to Dave & Buster's with our family. Oh.. we had the greatest time! My cousin Sara and her boyfriend came from Tucson to visit and they had a great time also. I was just like a kid in a candy store! I was playing , looking around just having the greatest time ever. There I am in the middle!

Here are some of the custom orders I sent out a while ago. I never posted pictures. I think they came out really cute!

This is a project I tried today. I bought 3 paper mache eggs and I decoupaged them using paper from an old novel. I am still not done with them. I want to add some embellishment. I will post pictures soon!

I finally made the laundry detergent! :) It took me so long to make because I couldn't find Washing Soda. I bought it yesterday at Frys. Pink laundry detergent! Isn't this cool? I used a pink bar soap. Wish me luck with this detergent!

Thats all for tonight. Thanks again for your prayers!
Take Care!