DIY extravaganza

Life has been so interesting as of late it seems like when it rains it pours and all that I can say is that I am so thankful for the times that it pours. Those dry spells are not fun, especially when it comes to your finances. I think the best thing for me to do was keep a positive outlook and believe that something will sprout up, beyond my expectations.

I have become what I have always wanted to be an artist. I am not starving but have been before, and think that when it comes down to it if I had to I would to be able to do what I ultimately love...which is everyday that I get to wake up and create and not just create, but create whatever inspires me.

I have had a few moments as of late where things feel as if I am finally doing what I was meant to do all along. I am not searching for a place to inspire me to create, and looking to leave to find somewhere to fill that creative void. I am finding it right here, in my home. A place I thought I was so different from what I wanted to be, but in reality was everything I needed, to bring out the best of who I am supposed to be.

I have been creating a lot lately and doing a lot of thrifting, garage sale-ing, etc. I look for objects that the normal eye would not see as beautiful and seek to restore them to a beauty that is relevant to today, and adds value to something that would have been seen as outdated and irrelevant.

Here are some of my photos of my recent work, I hope you find these things as fun and intriguing, as I have felt when creating them. This is only the tip of the iceberg and there are definitely more to come in the near distant future.

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My sister and I have been finding a lot of places that have literally been giving away stuff for free, so we look at the items and see what inspires us and go from there. The chair below was missing a joint and so not easily fixable but definitely perfect for a planter to sit on outside. I would define it as, shabby chic. (This is a decorating reference I never thought I would be a part of but I really do love it!)

before

after

I am not sure if you remember this stool that I bought that I was going to reupholster, but here is the before pic. I found it at a estate sale for a bargain and knew that all it needed was a little life.

before

after

I love the way the stool turned out because of how much more modern it now looks! I want to keep it but there is no room for it. So this is definitely an item I will be selling in the near distant future.

Did I mention that I may have taken a fancy to decoupage? I know...I know..I am becoming far more mature then my years for what crafting projects I have taken on. Remember those children's journals that are being sold on my etsy shop? Well I thought it would be a wonderful idea to decoupage the lampshades in the pages since, I wanted to use them for another project and this what I came up with. I think my favorite part is when they light up you can see the overlapping of the pages which to me is such a cool addition.

This little gem is an owl candle holder, it was original a very sad brown and black but with a little help from my friends at Krylon. The color I chose to spray paint this little owl is called, Ocean Blue and by far my favorite little gem.

The last thing I am going to show you, is my favorite furniture pieces. I used doilies and lace panels to create the effect shown below. These tables were really troublesome for awhile only because I learned that you should not paint when it is below 40 degrees and in our garage there is no installation so it feels as if you are outside.

So a lot of these items my sister and I will be selling at what we would call a showcase sale. A sale for us to showcase our work in person and let you all know what it is exactly that we are doing.

That's all for now...TTFN! :)