@refunkmyjunk
Helping you Refunk your furniture and home one piece at a time! Exclusive retailer for CeCe Caldwell's Chalk & Clay paints and Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint
- #pinned it and made it! Rolo inside of a marshmallow toasted in the fire pit! http://t.co/Dw0uNC1uLt http://t.co/V8XWnjGHYc
Sat 25th May 13 16:21 - Woo Hoo for @CeCeCaldwells on Twitter! Bout time!
Sat 25th May 13 01:55
 How to Paint A Mirror Frame {The Easy Way!} |
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 My $10.00 Garage Sale Easter Dress |
 5 Ways To Add Flair to your Furniture |
 Metallic Silver Dresser: Before & After |
 How To Mix Metallic Pigments in Wax |
 Featured in Design Oklahoma |
Free Printable Stencil {Honeycomb}
I have been searching high and low for a honeycomb shaped stencil since I posted about my obsession last week. After perusing all corners of the internet I came up empty handed. I took matters into my own hands and whipped up a printable stencil and painted my son’s toy box. I loved how easy this project was so I just have to share my free printable stencil with all of you!
First you need to print out the stencil on regular old printer paper and cut it out.
I traced the stencil onto an old file folder. This allowed me to have firmer paper when I outline it onto my furniture.
Then I cut it out.
I painted this toy box using a 4oz sample of CeCe Caldwell’s Chalk and Clay Paints in Santa Fe Turquoise with a smidge of Cottonwood Sienna to give it a vintage green hue.
I measured the middle of the toy box , using a leveler and a piece of chalk, I drew a line to keep me centered when I outlined my honeycomb pattern.
And then I started tracing. And tracing.
I have to give a shout out to my mint green nail polish. Yup. Minty fresh nails.
Here is the top of the toy box all traced up.
To paint over my chalk outline I used a small angled paintbrush. When painting small patterns I prefer angled brushes because I can move my brush in any direction and still get a crisp, clean line.
I chose Nantucket Spray for my honeycomb color. It has a soft hint of mint to it. Do I need to remind you that I lurve mint?
Once I had the top all painted I couldn’t resist standing back and admiring it.
More lovely honeycomb.
I also painted the bottom molding and the lip of the lid to give it some extra umph and sealed it with Durable Satin Finish to protect it from sticky toddler hands.
I am so happy with how this little project turned out! And in case you are wondering if all of that tracing is worth it, I timed myself, start to finish, on the entire project. It only took me 45 minutes to trace the whole toy box and then paint over the chalk outlines.
If you are wanting some honeycomb in your home you are in luck! You can download the free printable stencil here!
What are you planning on honeycombing? A wall? A painted rug? I would love for you to share your projects with me by posting a pic on my Facebook wall or send me a tweet on Twitter!
Have a great weekend and happy honeycombing!
Updating My Living Room Bookcases with a Shower Curtain {No Painting Required!}
These built-ins in my living room have been driving me cray cray for over a year. Something about them just didn’t feel quite like my style. After months and months of pondering I decided to jump in the DIY pond and do something about it! Here is an affordable, under $30.00 way to update your bookcases or built-ins with a shower curtain, no painting required. Yep, you heard me. A $20.00 Shower curtain.
This is the before shot. I capital L to the LOVE color and that is the last thing you get the drift of from this focal point in my living room. Welcome to neutral town.
Here is another before pic. Not horrible, but not me.
I read Young House Love: 243 Ways to Paint, Craft, Update & Show Your Home Some Love
Like this redo from The Chronicles of Home who used $2.00 Target wrapping paper to spruce up her bookcases.
After searching everywhere for the perfect wrapping paper I was discouraged. Until one random shopping trip to Target I found this Ikat Shower Curtain for $19.99.
It felt just like fabric but for a fraction of the cost. All I had to lose was $20.00 and a little bit of my time if it didn’t work out, so I went for it. I also bought 2 large pieces of foam board from Hobby Lobby at $7.99 (with my 40% coupon on my iPhone! Hollah!)
I ran home and measured each shelf of my built-ins so I would know what size to cut the foam board. Honestly, this was the worst part of the project. Not sure if you can understand the hieroglyphics of scratch notes below but I hope that helps you understand my system.
Then I laid the shower curtain out. Mainly just to admire how much I loved it.
I cut the shower curtain into slightly larger pieces of the foam board.
And then used a staple gun to sort of upholster the foam board. As you can see the back is not perfect.
Here is the front view.
Then I pressed them against the back of the shelf. Guess what? They are just sitting there, with nothing attaching it to the back of the shelf. They fit snugly so I don’t have to adhere it in any way.
Here is one side, fully showered curtained up.
I repurposed and painted most items so I could keep my project under my $30.00 budget. I also framed some of Axton’s artwork for a personal touch.
Here is the final product. I love how it lightens and brightens the room. It feels so much more modern and youthful and gives the white woodwork the pop of color it needed without the commitment of paint. If I get tired of the Ikat pattern I can just remove it, find another fabric, staple it on the existing foam board, and achieve a whole new look! Scroll on up to see the before picture.
We have gotten a lot of comments from house guest asking where we scored such amazing wallpaper to line our bookcase backs. When I tell them my secret method they never believe me. So I pull one down to show them. I can’t keep a good DIY to myself. It’s just not right.
So what do you think about this makeover? What non-traditional items have you repurposed into something new in your home? Share with me on Facebook, Twitter, or in Instagram! And feel free to Pin any images that inspired you today!
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5 Ways to Add Flair to Furniture {Furniture Painting Techniques}
Pssst… I have a secret to tell you. One of the best furniture painting techniques requires no furniture painting skill at all. It’s all about adding fun and funky adornments to your pieces of furniture to add originality to your work of art. Here are 5 easy ways and affordable ways to add flair to your furniture.
Monday I posted about transforming this end table in Emerald Isle. What I didn’t tell you was that I added a faux key hole to give it a vintage vibe.
I bought this set of keyholes at Hobby Lobby, in the scrapbooking section, with my 40% off coupon of course! The keyholes came with brads so I used them to nail the keyholes into the furniture. Poof! Now I have a unique keyhole to an otherwise boring table!
Over at Midwest Living they transformed this piece with wooden appliqués from a hardware store. You can find these at bix box stores or even at Hobby Lobby and Michaels. I love how they chose to paint the appliqués in a contrasting color.
Photo courtesy of Midwestliving.com
Becky at Infarrantly Creative used tin tiles from the hardware store to dress up her bathroom vanity. These can be purchased for around $4.00 each but give a high-end look.
Photo from infarrantlycreative.net
Soyouthinkyourcrafty.com used tacks to achieve a faux nail head effect. So West Elm on a Dollar Tree budget!
Photo Source: So You Think Your Crafty
Sawdust and Embryos used an overhead projector to transfer this image onto an old dresser. I use this projector but she points out local libraries will let you check them out for FREE!
Photo from Kristen Duke Photography
You can always Modge Podge paper onto a dresser to transform it like I demonstrated in this segment on FOX 25. So easy, affordable, and the options are endless!
What is your favorite way to fancy-up your furniture? Share your tips with us!
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My New Favorite Tool! {How to Wax Furniture & Video Tutorial}
I have a new favorite tool I just HAD to share with you all! A buffing brush that attaches to your drill to achieve a super smooth, lustrous, shine to your waxed furniture. If you have ever wondered how to buff furniture wax, this is the way to go! The lazy girl’s way to buff!
I always dread buffing, especially on large pieces. To help take any mystery out of this gadget I made a super quick, non-fancy, on the fly, video to demonstrate how to use it.
You definitely don’t HAVE to use a drill attachment brush for wax buffing. You can use a lint free cloth, wool skirts from the thrift store work great, old baby onesies, or t-shirts. This is what I use but do what works for you.
Not to shamelessly self promote, but I do carry them online here, in my retail stores, or I am sure you can find someone near you that carries these as well. I loved this drill brush attachment I HAD to share them with my customers because now I can’t live without it and I’m sure you won’t be able to either!
On another note, I just drove back from Dallas with my paint BFF Donna from Doozie’s Corner to do a sneak peek at some new products from CeCe Caldwell’s Paints. Here are some hints: Glaze & Aging Dust! All Green and GORGEOUS!
We had such a fun time meeting new retailers and catching up with old friends! All I have is an Instagram pic, but that will have to do!
(Me, Jo Ann the CeCe Southwest Distributor, CeCe, and Donna)
But enough about that. I hope this helps you in your wax buffing! What’s your favorite way to buff your waxed furniture? Am I missing out on some top secret buffing tricks? Share ‘em here!
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How I Mix Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint
One of the most intimidating things about attempting Milk Paint for the first time is the fact you have to mix it yourself. I feel ya. I purchased several bags from a local woodworking store a couple of years ago and I never used it. Although I would consider myself an “advanced” furniture painter the whole mixing thing really made me nervous. Don’t let that nervousness hold you back. Here is how I mix Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint and I hope it helps you get over your fear too.
Miss Mustard Seed has really done a wonderful job of teaching her customers how to use her product through her video tutorials (which you can find here.) She recommends using a blender or hand mixing your milk paint in a cup. Here are a couple of problems I have experienced with both methods.
1. Mixing paint in a blender requires that I have to clean the blender. I am way to lazy efficient with my time to do such a thing. 2. I have hand mixed milk paint in a cup many times, but my little hands can never get the paint perfectly smooth like a blender can.
Both methods of mixing milk paint are great. Do what works for you. But, my little secret to mixing silky smooth, lump free, milk paint is A MASON JAR. Yes, for $2.00 you too can mix the perfect batch of Milk Paint!
Start out by measuring how much Milk Paint you need. In this case I was painting 4 dresser drawers and a small chair so I measured 1/4 cup of Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint in Kitchen Scale (one of my personal favorites).
Then per the directions I add warm water. The directions state to mix 1 part Milk Paint to 1 1/2 part water. I like to start out by mixing equal parts milk paint and warm water. So here I am mixing in 1/4 cup of warm water. I also prefer my paint to be a little thicker, but once I mix it up, if it seems too thick, I eyeball a little more warm water into my mason jar to thin it out.
Yes, it can look a little gritty and scary at first. Put the lid on and move to the next step before you chicken out.
Now, you shake that mason jar for a minute or two. I also tell myself, whilst doing my milk paint shaking, that this activity also benefits my arm flab.
Now, you are ready to paint. See the smooth perfection?
Like a baby’s bottom I tell ya.
I also like this method because any Milk Paint leftovers must be stored, covered, in your refrigerator for 7-9 days for it to last once mixed. Now, I can just screw the lid back on the mason jar and resume my projects the next day.
Here is a quick peek at the dresser I worked on today. I can’t wait to show you the transformation!
So, be honest: am I the only one who was nervous to mix Milk Paint?
UPDATE: If you want to see the reveal of this dresser you can click HERE!
If you want to try Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint out for yourself you can shop in-person at one of our retail locations, browse our online store, or locate a retailer near you!
I am sharing this Milk Paint Tip & Trick at:
Tipjunkie.com
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DIY Furniture Painting Video
The Oh SO Fabulous Debi Beard is at it again with a fabulous furniture painting video on how to DIY with CeCe Caldwell’s Chalk + Clay Paints without using sandpaper!
Hint: I NEVER use sandpaper when distressing with CeCe Caldwell’s Paints and this is my #1 FAVORITE reason (among many other reasons) why I love this paint so much! I can paint indoors and not worry about all of the dusty aftermath that sanding entails!
And, in case you didn’t know Debi was recently a finalist for the upcoming season of HGTV’s Design Star. In this video she shares her personal journey in going for her dream. I love a gal who goes for her dream, don’t you?
Can you believe she used to be shy? You can go HERE to vote for Debi’s YouTube channel! She is really inspiring me to think about what obstacles I can overcome in 2013. What about you?
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My New Camera {Getting to Manual Mode on my new Nikon D5100}
Happy Day After Christmas to ya! Did you survive? I received a new Nikon D5100 and I can’t wait to tell you all about my plans to take it off of Automatic and get fancy with Manual!
We are still in our jammies and I have taken a grand total of 2 naps today! Even our 2 year old slept in until 9:30am this morning! He played and played until he could play no mo! I would love to have some adorable new photos from Christmas to show you, but I still have to install the software for my new camera onto my computer. So instead of flaunting my Pinterest Perfect family (that’s dry sarcasm at it’s best.. We are hardly Pinterest Perfect around here! We ate on paper plates and drank out of plastic cups if it makes you feel any better!)
I have actually had my new camera for over a week now; I purchased it from Bedford Camera in OKC. I was waffleing between the Canon Rebel T3i 
So I have been patiently waiting since the Haven Conference in June to take advantage of Christmas Sales.
After talking to the salesman at Bedford and doing plenty of online research, I settled on the Nikon D5100
I then ran home, plugged it in, and let it sit there for a week.
I just stared at it.
How the heck was I going to figure this darn thing out?
I know I took a class at Haven, but I can’t remember half of what I learned. So I dug through my blog conference folder and found a flyer for Shoot Fly Shoot’s Online Photography 101 class! It is a $69.00 investment and so far it seems well worth the money. I am about half way through their course and I am already feeling so much more confident.
Once I install the Nikon software onto my computer I will have to show you some of my photog moves from Christmas day!I can’t wait for my photography to get better, which also equals my blog gets better!
Have you taken a photography course? What words of wisdom do you have for me as a DSLR virgin?
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Surviving the AOTH Madness & A Sweet Video
I am busy preparing for Affair of the Heart this weekend. I am pretty much freaking out. Affair of the Heart (AOTH) is one of the largest craft shows in the area with 50,000+ people in attendance. I have A LOT of paint in my possession. I know it will all sell. But still. My little budding business is blossoming into a flower. And maybe, who knows, by next year I will be a bouquet. It’s not making me rich, but I get to do what I love, and work on something that is my own. So it’s worth it. And exciting.
So while I’m slacking on my blog this week (to allow myself to be laser focused on Affair of the Heart stuff) I am going to share some fun tutorials and guest posts with you.
This guy, Beach Bum Livin is pretty darn funny. And I actually have lots of dudes for customers, so here’s to you, men who love to paint too!
What do you think about his Vermont Slate and Simply White dry brushing? Love!
Are you going to the Affair this weekend? If so, stop on by our booth in the Cox Building. We are sharing our space with Southern Charm Designs this year and will be demoing both CeCe Caldwell’s and Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paints! A fun time in my book!
Make a Chalkboard any Color with CeCe Caldwell Paint {Chalkboard Tutorial}
Did you know that you can make a chalkboard with CeCe Caldwell Paints? If you use Vermont Slate, your chalkboard will look more traditional, but if you are feeling fun and funky, you can use any of the 33 colors we carry to create the perfect chalkboard!
Here is a great CeCe tutorial on how to create your own original chalkboard with Debi Beard, one of the California Retailers!
Happy Painting!
Vintage Number Tutorial + Before & After
I just took this corner cabinet down to The Feathered Nest and I have gotten lots o’ compliments on the vintage numbers painted on the front drawer. So in proper Refunk My Junk style, here is a quick and easy tutorial to show you how it’s done.
The cabinet was given to me by a friend who was moving. I love it when I get free furniture! Thanks Josh!
Here is the finished product painted in Destin Gulf Green and Simply White. Notice those vintage inspired numbers? Let’s dive in and see how it’s done. It’s soooo complicated! Not really. Let me show you!
All I did was print out the image I wanted onto regular old printer paper. Then I took my transfer paper… See image of what tracing paper I use? I should have taken the wrapper off… Sorry for the glaring photo.
You can get this at any craft store. It’s pretty inexpensive and can be reused over and over.
I then traced my image onto the drawer.
I then filled in the number with black craft paint. Easy. Done. Fancy lookin’.
Let’s review the B&A again?
Before:
After:
Really the options are endless with tracing paper. What project will you trace and fancy up and old project this weekend?
