Louise strikes again!

My "free to me" partner in crime, Wendy (she is the Louise to my Thelma) texted me one morning to tell me she was GUARDING a free desk on the side of the road and I needed to get there ASAP. Greg, who blessedly is always down for a hilarious curb find, and I jumped in the truck and found her parked immediately in front of a home essentially blocking all comers from taking an old warped waterfall desk and mirror.

That, my friends, is love.

I am peeved that I didn't take a before shot cause that thing was SHOT. Glue, sanding and a few brad nails later, the body was in better shape. I started with a pickling stain to lighten the stank but thought the inlay dressers were kinda pretty so I left them. The inlay between the column was done, as in DUN so I applied some Aubusson Blue ASCP. Progress shot:

What's a junk find without a little humour?

A little dark wax, lots of elbow grease and this is starting to look like something I would actually wheel inside (lovely brass casters yo).

Back to trying to finish off the livingroom....did I mention Greg painted the whole room white last week? Now......what to do about that mirror?

Muahahahahahahahahahahaha

Free. My favourite F word.

So after finishing my mermaid spa out of the master bath, I was still lacking artwork for the far wall. How does one find specific mermaid inspired art....for no money?

Enter my girl Louise (I am her Thelma), my garage-sailing babe. She was given 4 weird canvas art pieces of shoes at a garage sale by a man who just wanted these 12x12 canvases gone from his life. Yup, shoes. I mean, I like shoes but I do not want art of shoes. Each to their own.

Weird right? Weirder is it was a set of 2. Times 2. Doubles of shoes. Weird.

I had mermaid stencils, cause what Mermaid doesn't? So I set to work covering the canvases in ASCP 'Versailles". Broke out the stencils and used the same chalk paint in Aubusson Blue (leftovers from the dining table and chairs). Finished these babies off with a bit of white pickling stain to soften the colours and VOILA.

mermaid art yo :) fo free.....fo sure!

From SPAZ to Spaaaaaaaaaaah with only $80

So here is the thing. I am a cheap Scot. No, really. Cheap.

I like a bargain but mostly I don't buy anything because even fabulous bargains have that horrible part of the process where I actually have to lift my wallet out of my purse. If you opened my change purse the Queen would squint from not seeing the light of day in weeks ;)

When I decide to "redux" a room, I always challenge myself to do it as cheaply as possible with the biggest TADA for every dollar.

I feel like I hit this one out of the park, yo!

Here is where we started.

10 year old paint job in BM's Straw Hat, fabulous green laminate and some quite decent cherry-ish builders cabinetry. Not HORRIBLE but not awesome. Not "rustic modern beach cottage"...like my inspiration shot.

So, like all cheap, albeit inspired, Scots....I started planning. The plan started with reusing all my former paint and transformation materials and we got to the point where the green counters were now black ala Rustoleum's Countertop Transformations and the cabinetry was going Old White (ASCP).

Greg busted out and completed painting the whole room BM's Cloud White, which is now going to be the Casa's signature colour (listen for the Steel Magnolias drawl there y'all) and then it stopped.

Like a needle on the record. Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech.

I had the inspiration, I knew what I wanted but how is a girl like me, a.k.a CHEAP, going to achieve that look for NO MONEY? So far, I was in it to win it at $75.

So, I started shopping the house for my accessories, hoping I was only going to have to incur the cost of the paneling for that wood look I wanted behind the sink. I found an old tin Spongebob tub at the Salvation Army ($2) that I painted up and distressed, I printed out a sailor/ mermaid pic for the frame I wanted to use, knew I was going to finally hang our brass door knocker and I located the spa rug and slat.

The shower curtain was reversible to a nicer, softer colour so....I almost had it. I found more shells, a few nautical IKEA lanterns I had bought years ago and a cool stainless basket for the mags I like to have nearby. Switch out the garbage can with the one from the downstairs loo, bring in the $3 table I distressed a few weeks ago and BAM. I am good, right?

Yes, grasshopper....but what about the paneling?

Cue the light tinkling of bells in the background, cause I think this is where someone's (me) Guardian Angel finally came in from having her smoke outside and realized I needed a hand. Friday night, out at a friends for bevvies and I see this ripped up building leaning against his shed. Apparently this is an old hottub enclosure that is about to be firewood....being nosey I go take a gander. As I approach the pile of crud.....I smell it. No, not that. I smell CEDAR. Yards of tongue and groove red cedar slatting jammed into the framing of this pile of walls leaning, waiting for their demise on the bonfire.

"OMG! BILL! CAN I HAVE SOME OF THIS?"

Bless my husband down to his wee boxers, he and I were up and pry barring, removing screws and hauling 3 piles of slats the next morning. I think he may have woken up to me sitting on him, clapping with glee to get going at 8am....and not the way he probably would have liked that to have worked out LOLOLOL

So, Dharma busted out her old friend Chomper. Because these slats were pretty rotted at some ends. You can see that.

Chop, saw, chop, saw, measure, chop, saw, measure, screw, chop, measure, saw, chop.

C'est FINIS! I have never liked one of my redux more than I like this one. $80, I did it myself, I got someone else to do the painting on the walls and I reused all my own beachy stuff I have hoarded around my house forever. The room feels like it grew 3 sizes that day (Grinch shout out).

I am verra proud of this lass, she did her Scots Grandad proud.

C'mon you knew there was going to be a mermaid somewhere!

Thanks for diving in!

Showing off at:

Seeking Lavendar Lane

A Stroll Thru Life

A Bowl Full of Lemons

Vintage Inspiration Party @BlissRanch

Wow us Wednesdays @SavvySouthernStyle

Flaunt it Friday @ChiconaShoestring

Eau de toilet....

I started working on the very first room I ever painted in the Casa over 10 years ago now. How I ever got ready in the morning in a YELLOW main bathroom I will never understand. Maybe I have been jaundiced for years and couldn't tell?

The original room was Benjamin Moore's "Straw Hat", which do not get me wrong is a beautiful shade of warm yellowy green, but maybe not what I would pick now as a hue I'd like to reflect first thing in the mirror....ya know?

The cabinets were the warm cherry-ish that is throughout the builder's special and the counters were the same spectacular green laminate with a scroll design that became the bane of my existence in the kitchen. BANE! Thankfully those were replaced 2 years ago now.

So as it happened, I had 5 days off over the long weekend and I said to myself...."SELF, you are worthy of a new bathroom makeover!". But then my other self (am I the only one who has a few me's in there??) said...OK ShopperJo, you got $200 buckeroonies.

So here is the breakdown so far:

I rejuvinated (which means I busted out the leftover Rustoleum Transformations Kit from the kitchen, where I originally tried to cheap out on new counters) the countertop in the black stone finish. Used my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White and clear wax on the vanity drawers and doors. This is an in progress type post so here is an in progress type picture, LOL.

So far, free to me and only incurred the cost of repetetive motion on my tennis elbow.

Greg is painting the walls and most of the trim BM's (pun intended...teehee....I am 6) Cloud White as I speak. That was 50 dollars....But I have big plans for that blank, square wall behind the sink!

Here is my inspiration from Me and My DIY.

Like Arnold, I'll be back.

Turnin' the tables

I was very busy this very rainy weekend. After purchasing and having a shed built within the last 2 weeks, the garage at Casa Dharma has finally realized it's glorious purpose.

My Workshop LOL!!! 










Seriously though, I have room to paint, turn up my tunes, create....and give me two solid days of rain and create I did. I put all my new workshop skills that I learned at my Annie Sloan Chalk Paint class to the test.

I started with a plant stand Q and I had rescued from the Salvation Army this spring. You have to love my model lololol

ASCP in Old White and clear waxed for protection. The relief work
on this piece makes it!

Then a pair of $3/each beauties picked up a local thrift shop....

ASCP in Aubusson Blue, top coated in Old White, clear waxed,
distressed and finished in dark wax.

ASCP in French Linen (grey), clear waxed, distressed and
finished in dark wax.

This little grasshopper is getting her learning on - WAX on and WAX off.

Partying at Funky Junk Interiors

The table that took 8 months?

No....it didn't. I've just been a bad blogger. Like, really bad. Bite my lip and hope for a spanking bad, Mr. Grey?

So to make up for it, I took on a mother of a project. No, really this dining suite came from my mother :) Here it is all granny'd up for Thanksgiving. Old Country Roses china and everything.

....and here it is all modern and funkified. Dharma-style. I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint for the very first time. We now have a distributor here in Niagara! Simply White  with their full ASCP line and lovely staff were a great help. I am planning on taking a workshop there with the lovely owner, Brenda, mid-June.

Tada!!!!

I used Versailles on the chairs which is a taupey sage, and Aubusson Blue on the table. Very Le Francais....no? I will keep you in the loop as to whether all the paint falls off given how much my menthings use this table daily :)

Nice to SEE you, thanks for coming in and seeing if I was still breathing.

Over at Flaunt it Friday for fun!

A round for the whole bar!

....or a new bedroom for everyone? I pick new digs for each of the boys. Mostly for selfish reasons though. :) The upstairs of our backsplit was changed when we blew out a wall and connected two small bedrooms to create the Master. The old master bedroom was given to the youngest at the time.

With the eldest off at University, his bedroom with its adjoining bathroom has been handed down. The college-boy gets the basement lol. Actually he has some pretty sweet digs down there. Do not pity him.

So we had a redux for the downstairs room. We went from this:

To a fresh new navy, cream and lime palette for this guy...

We have been busy upstairs too. Remember that old master bedroom that the kid just got evicted from? Wait until you see what happened in there!

The best part about this project? Only $80 in paint. The rest of the room was shopped from the house. Go me!!

So….from one crazy project to another!

I am closing in on the living room becoming the awesome Gamer’s Paradise I want it to be. I finally got my new rug from Overstock.com and it it great. Almost dog hair resistant. Almost.

The IKEA Poang chairs are awesome for gaming and I enjoy watching the guys pull them all over the house. NOT!
Started a new project tonight, but still playing with the details….more to come courtesy of Cutting Edge Stencils. I know, I know….I am never happy with the master bedroom

Had an early 43rd birthday night out with my girls this weekend. A nice snuggly Saturday with the menthings… ordering Chinese food instead of cooking and lazing around all day Sunday while starting the new painting project.
My ladies (partners in crime).

Next up….finish stencilling and start decorating for Christmas. OY VEY!

Countertops and Dust Rhinos

 

After a week of 80 degree days all week, we got a yuk weekend of drizzle, clouds and cold temperatures. Sounds like a drag, right? No way! How do you create your own fun at home with the DH? You paint your kitchen counters. You KNOW he was excited. 

You may remember the green countertops bane of my existence that are on every vanity and kitchen surface in my home. Well, I’ve been here for almost 7 years and it is time to banish the Leprechaun from Casa Dharma. Don’t you just love the scroll design on the green? Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh.

I also had been drooling over the tutorial from Jenna at SAS Interiors. Her tips came in mighty handy!! Her product kit and mine differ because we have a different option up here in Canada but the tips and tricks were priceless. Here is my kit, the Countertop Refinishing Kit. The one Jenna used was a Countertop Transformations Kit. That kit costs $249 CAD.So when I saw a deal on at my local Home Hardware from $199 to $149 CAD, I said “Self, get thee to HH.” This kit is enough to cover 50 sq ft. My kitchen counters measured 43 sq ft. Here is where you hope the manufacturer
is not pulling your chain!

I chose to use the black finish to match the almost-stainless appliances and my new greige hoodfan. Here is
where we started on Saturday at 9 a.m.

No one could have prepared me for the ICK-Factor during the removal of my appliances. Um, note to self. Do that more than once every couple years, yo! Bunnies, meet dust-rhinos.

There is a major investment of time and inconvenience involved in this project. I don’t suggest this one for anyone with little patience or little kids. Kidding….but not about the patience part. Oy vey. There are a lot of steps, mucho drying time stops and starts and it is picky-picky. However, that being said, if I can do it. You can do it.

First up, clean, tape, protect cabinets and sinks etc.  Then onto scuff/sand your surface area.

Then it is on to the base coat. Dry. Second base coat. Dry. Now 3pm.

Then it is time to put on your stonecoat finish. This is messy and does not look so hot. Hang in there.

Second coat on at 7pm. That’s looking better, right?

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnddddddddddddddd…………………….now we dry. Overnight.

Wake up at 8:10 a.m. and stumble downstairs. Thank all that is holy for a man who makes coffee in the morning. Get yourself together, Dharma and start sanding the surface of your new stonecoated countertops, cause that sounds fun on a Sunday before noon, right? Right? This was my idea. Sand.

The stone flecks in the paint are exposed and they range in colour and size. The effect is pretty realistic really. I was a bit surprised how good it looked.

Now the fun part. Clear coat, dry, clear coat and leave it alone for 24 hours. Order Chinese food

We decided to put the appliances back before the end of the day. Here is a bit of a sneak peek. We have paint touchups and silicone to complete tomorrow. Then back to reloading my kitchen with crap.

A reminder of our Before and After:

And I’m dust rhino free to boot, I won’t have to clean under the appliances for another 4 years.