Chalk Paint...A Fad here to stay...

I will admit before a few months ago I had never heard of chalk paint, well..chalkboard paint that you write on but I honestly thought it was silly. When I did my first flip piece many moons ago I used "oops paint", a staple at my house. I saw a color and bought it. It's $5 for a gallon at Lowes or $1for a quart. I  had seen a piece someone's "pinned" and it said it used chalk paint...well I was intrigued, especially by this Annie Sloan person. Thinking I could run to the nearest retailer to get it. When I found out the price I choked a bit.  What!!  $40 for a quart, then something called a wax, and more wax, hold on here... Im just painting an old dresser not making a Picasso. 

What is so special about this dang paint ( keeping this blog G rated). So I talked to my daughter and she said she had found a recipe for chalk paint. So I got on Pinterest and began searching..I never knew how many varieties of chalk paint there were. It's like going to Ben and Jerry's and trying to find the perfect ice cream. Right!  So I chose one ..

1 TBLS of Unsanded Grout

Water

1 Cup of latex paint. I use Valspar paint plus primer.  Any color.. Yes. ANY color

Now..mix the grout and the water to a consistency of pancake batter..must be smooth (a whisk works great). When that's done add the paint. Don't freak out if its watery..(it's supposed to be..I learned the hard way) 

$$$$$Money Saving Tip$$$$$$. Get the sample size it's less than $3 people! 

There you have it. Not only a simple economic chalk paint receptive (that works) but i gave you my secret.  

No need to sand unless you've got some serious water stains ..  

Next blog...into the thick of it ..

01 02 12

This is the start of something new..

Over the past several weeks, I haven't had much of a chance to fix up the hood, as I've been busy helping fix up your hood. Back in March after we watched an episode of Flea Market Flip on HGTV, my girls said "Mom you could so win this" (because we do this stuff here all the time). Well unfortunately FMF is only located in LA and NY.  So a few days later I started searching on Craigslist for something to flip.  I found a very VERY old vanity from the 1800's, I picked her up for a steal of a deal.  I also picked up a dining set that weekend as well. We worked diligently on both projects, and finally got them done and listed after about a week.  The dining set sold within a couple of days and the vanity after a week. I signed up for a booth at a local Artisan sale, as well as a few more. I didn't know what I was getting into, I just knew I really loved flipping furniture and creating vintage beauty. When I sold those pieces, I turned around and bought more..I'm like ok..this is fun.  Revived was born. Craigslist was slow to sell as I kept seeing things I wanted but had to wait for inventory to sell. Patience is not one of my strong suits.  Until one day I met Emiley.  She texted me and said...I LOVE your stuff, when can I come by?   I opened up the mud room and she picked out several things. Come to find out she has a shop...how cool, and such a blessing. Then we had our first show..a sell out, really?  Ok.  I got to buy more stuff!  My garage is bursting at the seams getting ready for the next show and stage in all of this, I don't know the future, all I know is I have such a passion for doing this. The best part is I get to work with my best friend, my husband. We work so well together.. I also get the support and help of my biggest fans, my kids. Thank you Katelynne, McKenna, Jensen and Gillian for giving me that boost I need.  i will keep this blog going, but will be transitioning to the Vintage Visionaries blog to allow you to see our creations and provide you tips and support for your vintage visions..

Revived FB Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Revived/425236160902620

Emiley's Haute Cottage Page: https://www.facebook.com/EmileysHauteCottage

01 02 12

A bit o' whimsy...

Several weeks ago I purchased a genuine cow hide for my bedroom. I wanted to have a fun anchor in our room (you can see on the 3/19/13 post) i purchased it from a woman who had cleaned her grandfathers home and found the hide in a trunk. It has that lovely old smell.  However, between the shedding dogs and some time shedding hide, I had second thoughts bout my anchor piece in my room.  Never fear.. It will have a use. I had purchased an ottoman at Walmart over Christmas for $25 its been in my living room. I wasn't in love with it but it served a purpose. A few days ago I had a vision. Why don't I cover the hide over the ottoman!  Since the hide was old there were some of the seams that were coming undone so I couldn't use as a rug any longer. Well.. It took very little time. Some heavy duty staples, a tack hammer and scissors. We measured and cut.  Right now it's in my living room but I think it may return to the foot of my bed. I want to add some studs and rough up the base..but for now, I love it!

01 02 12

Lighting up the room..

It had occurred to me(and my followers were curious as well) that I hadn't blogged in awhile. Boy, you guys are right. I definitely have been working up a storm..
As most of us crafters we have fallen in love with Pinterest, I get a lot of my ideas from other Pinners and I'm sure they get their ideas from me. A few months ago a pin popped up for a pendant lamp from a wind turbine. I was intrigued. My husband...not convinced yet. It took me awhile to find one, as they don't use them on houses much anymore. When I visited our local ReStore, one afternoon, I found her, just sitting on a shelf. I picked her up and took her home. I have to admit when I opened up the box there was a lot more to dissect than I thought. But we ventured on, removing the inside and cutting a small hole in the top for the pendant. I always shop the clearance lights at Lowes and I found the kit on clearance for the same price as the boxed version. I asked the lighting guy about the price. He lowered it to $10! Whoo hoo! SOLD! We went home and put her together. Using a Rustoleum Black Hammerd Paint (Oops paint sección, yes at Lowes $3.50) we purty her up.. I can say I love to look at her at night.

$18 Wind Turbine
$10 Pendant Kit
$ 4 Paint

01 02 12

Fun with Decoupage.

Recently I've been working with Modge Podge. I first learned about this sticky glue when I was home with the girls watching The Rosie O'Donnell Show wayyy back in the 90's. She was a crafting menace. Since I've been reviving furniture and finally making a business out of it, I decided to create a few pieces with decoupage. Modge Podge works on "most" paper (I say most because I used a transparent paper and it was a disaster) I use craft paper - it's cheap, usually a $1 or less, and there are tons of choices. You can get craft paper at any craft store, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, JO ANN, etc.. It is also great on newspaper (that's another blog). When using Modge Podge be quick and patient. Put the glue on the portion of the piece your working with, as well as on the back of the paper. Gently put the glued paper on the project piece and press into place, push out any bubbles, and make sure you glue the seams. Its a lot like wallpaper. In this piece, a sofa table, I wanted to bring a sense of uniqueness to it. So at the advisement of my 16 year old, I used a a music sheet and decoupaged the drawer, after I had glazed the whole piece I also glazed the drawer, it toned down the whites so it could blend in with the whole piece. Viola! A new sofa table.

01 02 12

Creation Station

When we moved in two months ago today I was so excited to have a mud room. I was going to keep coats and shoes and books in a space outside the normal living space. However....I got the entertainment center (my first post), then the lamp, the mirror, AND then we decided to start REVIVED (our home furnishings venture) and my mud room became my studio. The previous owner is an art teacher and in the basement were several work stations. We had to move them to make J's room so i thought they will be perfect for my space. Eric got one for his workshop and I kept one for my studio, repurposing at its finest. How appripo since that's what we love doing.

So once he's done sanding, hammering, adjusting and sawing, it comes to my station for beautification. I have a collection of oops paint from Lowes (remember $5 a gallon. I look every time I go), spray paint, lots of brushes, chalkboard stuff, hammers, screwdrivers, a butter knife for flat head screws, fabric, and the list goes on. I also have inspiration surrounding me a painting from my grandfather, as well as paintings from my aunt. Who better to inspire me than those who have been inspired themselves. My space allows me to forget about the STUFF and "static" that I think and worry about.

I can say that between my husbands craftsmanship and my passion, our creations are full of love. Here's a pic of my space. To the left is a holding area of projects Im "thinking" on what to do with. It's definitely not organized, and its usually a "hot mess" most days, as you can see in the pics but its fun. In fact everyone needs a space just to be you.

01 02 12

Easter Traditions..

I don't remember how old I was when my mom made a bunny out of two cake pans, but I had to have been young. Every year we did a bunny cake. I thinks that's where I started loving coconut, she just piled it on. My dad isn't a fan of coconut so I often wondered in my later years if it was intentional so she could have more to herself. My grandmother made them too. She went all out and actually tinted her coconut sometimes. I love making them but my dedication hasn't been yearly., especially since the girls have gotten older. When my sister asked me to make the cake for Easter dinner this year I took the challenge. The girls wanted to help so.. I allowed them. Jensen made the cakes. I even tricked her with a white vale recepie but she caught it and discarded the yolks. She did a great job. Then came decorating.. Lets face it. My kids know I'm a control freak but.. I allowed them to help. I iced and they decorated. A word to the wise. Twizzlers chocolate is not worth it. Find the black.. More appetizing. A quick tip..(and I'm sure you all have done this). No pastry bag? Use a gallon storage bag, cut the tip and put you're decorating tip in. Happy Easter!! Enjoy you're family, he died for us so we could have days like this. The Hoods

01 02 12

Bargain basement find..

I love a good deal, and as I have stated before I don't buy anything full price... Well, scratch that, my beloved West Elm Owl lamp was purchased at full price (I was in a rare mood that day). Most retailers, whether it be Ikea or Pottery Barn, or even Anthropologie have a sale area, and I know where they are. Target end caps are my favorite hideout as well.. There are even websites that have "unofficial" discount schedules (here's one: http://faithfulprovisions.com/2012/06/12/how-to-shop-clearance-items-at-target-targets-markdown-schedule/)
When we made our yearly trip up to Ikea a few weeks ago (no I have to drive to Ikea too) I couldn't wait to get to the end of the blue line and see the discount area! There is always tons of stuff. From dented furniture to pre-owned duvets and curtains to mattresses stacked high. There is always fun stuff to dig through. Since I gained a breakfast nook in our new house I had a space to fill.. I really wasn't looking for a table but there it was... A small round table that looked liked Charlie Brown's Christmas tree, that just wanted to be loved...AND it was only $29! Yeah it had some issues but it wasn't anything some putty couldn't fix. I haven't decided if I will leave it black or paint it, but for now here's the before and after.

01 02 12

Memories in design..

I've (we've) lived in Indiana MOST of my life. I was married here (twice ;)), all 4 girls were born here and most of my family lives in Indiana. In 2005 Eric and I embarked on a family adventure and decided on transferring to Texas. We started out living near Houston. I loved the hustle and bustle of city life! I was a kid in a candy store. So many shopping opportunities and things to do! (Going from 250k people to over 4 Million) and the weather...warm 10 months out of the year, and mild the other 2, we fell in love! We missed our family a lot, but oh how we loved Texas. My in laws showed us what the meaning of real southern hospitality and taught us about real Texas cuisine. I learned about flea markets and discovered my love of buying and selling via Craigslist! We also rekindled our faith, and found a church that changed our lives. 18 months after moving to Houston, the job crash started to happen, and we moved North to College Station, an exciting college town commonly known as "Aggieland" During those two years we fell in love with Texas even more..we discovered blue bonnets, Blue Bell Ice cream, BBQ, Aggie football and Longhorns! Also during this time we took in a very special houseguest, my dad. So all of our memories became that more special. It all changed when the job crash came to Central Texas we all lost our jobs... But we weren't leaving just yet. Jobs were plentiful in Houston and in Dallas - we both found work within a couple weeks and we moved North yet again, to Dallas. Big D.. By far my favorite place out of the three. So much to do..the Farmers Market where I became obsessed with everything fresh, Cowboy Stadium, the Stockyards where I could walk with the Longhorns, Mockingbird Place, Uptown and Delaney Plaza. I was in my element. We did something every weekend (even trying to find where "W" lived as well as Mark Cuban) it was a whirlwind year.. But home and family called my name and we knew we had to go back to Indiana. I was happy to be closer to our family, but I missed "home". Enter the design portion (sorry for bring long winded) I love "upcycling" repurposing things and giving things new life. Everything in our master is used, nothing is new. From the crisp white duvet I bought on EBay to the antique cowhide on the floor. The headboard is made out of old cedar fence panels. The feature wall is all things Texas..prints from a local Dallas photographer, my old truck plate, and the piece de la resistance..a photo my dad took at one of our old hangouts in College Station. It's crisp, rustic and Texas, and I love it! My husband calls it Texas throwback... I called it comfortable.. I hope you like it..

01 02 12

A New Light Pt 1

I've been working on our room for a couple weeks now, actually it's been in the works for a couple of months. I'm shooting for a rustic chic, or Eric calls it our "Texas" throwback. But that reveal is for another day, hopefully some time soon... But, one of the things I was looking at is lamps. For some unknown reason I have a plethora of lamps... Since my color palette is light, the couple I had just didn't fit. Plus we have the smaller (not sure how that happens) of the 3 upper rooms, so I had to find something less bulky. I visited a local shoppe and found this gem, in the back, on the sale table. The lines were current to today's style but the color was very 80's. however in true Sara fashion I knew I could make it look like I wanted. On my weekly trek to Lowes I picked up my supplies, a can of Valspar paint plus primer spray paint and a drum shade. That's it, $16 for both. I got home, prepped my outdoor space for painting. Final product ..

01 02 12

Like Mother, like Daughter..

Over the last few years of buying, selling furniture, recycling and up cycling stuff I think my girls have gotten the decorating bug. So, while I'm working on a few projects (of course to be blogged soon) McKenna got anxious and wanted her room painted. Since we had just done her room in the old house, she was not on the top of updates list. So I said I would provide the materials, and she can do and recruit a few friends too. She wasn't sure what to paint it, but I had a stash to choose from. I have a habit of picking up "oops paint" at Lowes (sometimes at the depot but not daily like Lowes - GREAT $$ saving tip), its $5 a gallon, and if you want a quart most times they are $2.50. I had picked up two gallons of oops Valspar a few weeks back, one a light grey and the other a darker. She tested a few strips in her room and made a decision. She recruited her sisters for help... For a first timer she did a great job! I may also note that her headboard is an old closet door that we painted and she stenciled and wrote on.

01 02 12

King of the Hill

Although there are no DIY tips in this blog, it's definitely 'Hood' worthy. The home we purchased is in a neat neighborhood with larger homes, big yards and in our case an even larger driveway. We're at the front of the neighborhood and our home sits above (or it seems anyway) everyone else on a hill. We've had many comments on our winding driveway. It's a beautiful setting. That was until today.... For the first time since we moved back from Texas (3 years now...ugh :)) we had the largest snow fall, 11", from what we measured. So picturesque, and serene. The trees covered, and the ground glistened. The dogs were in their heyday, and all I wanted was a true SNOW DAY. The kids were off but alas a snowy trek to work. We don't yet own a tractor, or even a snow blower, just a shovel. Since we opted to at least sleep in, we chose not to shovel, my husband just did what he likes to do and "make it work". This entailed taking Stella (my Yukon Denali) down the driveway and back up, marking a path to assist all who go forth. Well, going down the driveway went great, it was getting UP the driveway (for him) that proved difficult. When I got home I wanted to make sure he got into the garage ok ( as the kids did do some shoveling earlier). I started a path and was doing pretty well until I saw him start up the drive, then back down the drive, then off and revving to get up again. Yep. He was stuck. He came, stole my shovel, and I went in to do what I do best, cook. Enjoy the pics .. (Yes a few may be fuzzy)

01 02 12

Family Room

Wow! I am one blessed woman! My husband says after looking at so many types of flooring. "You pick it and Ill lay it". I had so many different kinds I wanted, but when it came down to it, it was about the bottom dollar. We had to do the dining room as its attached to the family room, so that is almost 500 sq ft. We knew we wanted hardwood, with dogs and teenagers its a no brainer. I also knew I wanted a darker, more rustic looking floor, so my focus was hickory. I am a HUGE Lowes fanatic but I had acquired a 10% off coupon from "the Depot" so being the cheap skate I am, I decided to find one there. Eric found one he loved but it was 2.49 per sq ft. I found one that was scraped and thick and wonderful buzz...3.29 sq ft. Nope. Ok. I went further down the line and found something called Kingston Peak Hickory... I looked, pondered, and then took it home. I thought about it more and kept asking Eric. Well.. After the 10th time he's like. "Whatever you want, just do it". So we went, grabbed our 21 boxes and underlayment and went home. My hubby has Fridays off and with the kids gone he decided to take on the task.

1. Removed carpet & padding
2. Remove tack strip
3. Make sure there are no staples, nails, etc still down.
4. Sweep all the debris and dust
5. Ready for the underlayment. There are different types for different floors so make sure you get the right one.
6. Ready to install the laminate. Make sure you have he proper tools, saw, hammer or mallet, wood block (Eric just made one) and last but not least, the infamous "super shoe" (basically any tennis shoe that will help those stubborn ends into place)

It took him about 6 hours. When I got home. I couldn't believe the difference. Night and day!!!

01 02 12

Coffee Bar

Do you have a space that needs love and attention, that you have no idea what to do with? Well we do. In our kitchen the previous owners had built a lighted counter area with glass blocks. It's pretty cool, especially when you light it up, but its not overly functional. However it did have a MUCH needed outlet (we have two outlets in our kitchen, and my Kitchenaide must have power..remember old house...) So..I immediately thought coffee bar, right? How fun to dress up with some glass canisters and my cow creamer.. I ran to our local TJ Maxx (we are not blessed with a Home Goods, which saddens me) and picked out a couple cute glass containers. One for the pods and one for bulk coffee (4.59 for both) its always good to mix and match your heights Now, I just needed a tray.. That I had, in fact, I had a couple, but the wood one won out. (Seagrass one was too bulky and I could see my little cow falling to his death). It needed a bit more color, so I just threw some lovely spring flowers in a old pitcher and that did it. It didn't take me too long to throw it together. Takes more time cleaning up grinds daily...grr... It's a great way to use weird spaces! Take a look... Oh... My kids are infatuated with the old rotary dialed phones which you can see in the pic.

01 02 12

Southern Crosses

We've been in our home for 3 weeks and I still have trinkets and accessories yet to put out (as you can see by he pics) I guess between the winter blahs, work and trying to find my design mojo I've been in a funk. So after watching 3 hours of HGTV on Sunday AM (giving the kids until 10 until the hammer started swinging) I decided to work on the infamous cross wall. I struggled on where to put it, as its always a conversation piece when people come into our home. So I debated and decided on the dining room. A wonderfully bright space in morning as well as the afternoon with a huge picture window that looks over the back yard. The wall can be seen from the family room as well as the kitchen, it also will provide all that exit and enter a sense of peace for the day.
My cross collection came by accident. About 5 years ago when we lived in "Aggieland", I had visited the home of a neighbor, when she showed me her kitchen there was a massive wall of crosses, It was so neat, and I couldn't stop commenting about it. When our neighbor moved that fall she brought over a small box. Inside were 6 crosses from her collection, and thats where it began and its grown to 26, purchasing 1-2 each time we moved (and unfortunately it was a lot between College Station and Fort Wayne) Although I don't remember which cross was from each home, I do remember the ones that were given to me as we'll as my husbands Grandmothers that we got when she passed. Now that we finally have a home that we can grow into, I hope that our collection becomes one I can grow by collection vs. moving. Oh, by the way..just ignore the mess..we're still under construction...

01 02 12