Quick and Easy Mason Jar Revamp

My husband loves to keep the powdered coffee creamer and sugar on the kitchen counter.  I can't think of anything that annoys me more.  Maybe it's because he keeps the brown sugar in an old Country Crock container, which, believe it or not, does nothing to enhance my sweet kitchen decor.

Hubs is an all-day coffee drinker, so no matter how often I put the U-G-L-Y containers in the pantry, they always find themselves back on the counter.  It's an endless battle. 

Today, as I organized my studio (aka: the room I share with Hubs that houses both of our desks, my sewing table, and is constantly bombarded with kids and dogs), I noticed two unused mason jars and I got an idea!  I hot glued some left over fabric from yesterday's dish towels onto the lids, glued the lid into the band and voila! Fab new creamer and sugar containers (and I don't have to worry about ants crawling in like traditional sugar jars).

These lovelies can stay on the counter as forever as far as I'm concerned!

Notice the red counter top and green tile backsplash. *sigh*

Linking to:

Dish Towels By Necessity

I was inspired today.  First by some cute shops on Strawberry Street in The Fan here in Richmond, and second by sheer necessity.  My new (to me) kitchen is, how do I put this nicely? Vintage-ish? None of my existing dish towels could come close to matching the fantabulous RED laminate counter tops and simply gorgeous forest green bath tile back splash.  So, I dug through my stash of fabrics and came up with this:

Just the thing to funkify my unique kitchen.

Linking to:

Revamped Desk in Aubusson

I realize it is not cool to just post the "after" pictures without the "before," BUT...

I left the thingy that takes the pictures from my camera and puts them on my computer in Florida! So until my dad mails it back to me, my project documentation is stuck on my camera. I guess that's why they make camera phones. :)

I was too excited with the outcome - I had to share! This is my first Annie Sloan Chalk Paint experience and I have to tell you to believe every single word of the hype! This stuff is a miracle potion for impatient/non-perfectionist types like me. 

I used Aubusson Blue and the clear wax. I pinky promise I will share the before pictures as well as the process when I have my camera thingy back.

For a beat-up desk I picked up at thrift, I think she turned out to be quite a beaute!

Cottage-Style Dresser Chalk Paint Makeover

My original chalk painted dresser was intended for use in my new Richmond bedroom.  My daughter loved it so much that we went out in search of something similar for her room. In our very first stop at our local Goodwill, she and I came across this cottage-style dresser.  Not the French-Provincial we'd had in mind, but for $15, this was a deal we could not pass up!

The drawers were bigger than the French dresser, so I decided that I would keep this one for me and my daughter could have the first one she had been admiring.


Since I had chosen the paint color based on my bedroom, I decided this new dresser would also be Annie Sloan's Paris Gray.  And, as luck would have it, I still had plenty paint left from the quart I had purchased.

 

The drawers drying in the sun.

Waxing the paint after it dried. The color darkens slightly after waxing.

Sanding a little after waxing brings a nice texture from the brush strokes.

The knobs I purchased at Hobby Lobby were a little too long,
so I enlisted Hubs to trim them.

I did just a little distressing along the leaf pattern.

Here is the finished product!

The knobs I purchased at Hobby Lobby.

I chose one with a leaf pattern to match the dresser's original detail.

...and mixed it up with a flower ceramic knob.

Kind of digging it, if I do say so myself!

Have you used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint?  What tips do you have for our readers?




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We've Been Featured + A Visit With Robyn Story

We are thrilled to announce our latest feature!  Our Annie Sloan Chalk Painted Dresser was featured at DIY By Design's "Swing Into Spring Party" this week.



Speaking of Annie Sloan Chalk Paints...

We were having our very last "Tampa Bay" based AquaSeventy6 "business brunch" yesterday morning (Autumn is in town from Nashville, and Yvette will be relocating to Richmond, VA next week) when we decided to check out our local Annie Sloan Stockist, Robyn Story Designs and Boutique.

Besides all of the amazing finds at Robyn Story Designs, the customer service (by Robyn herself) could not be beat.  Robyn's Annie Sloan Paint room took our breath away.  She had pieces painted in countless Annie Sloan colors and techniques.  We almost cried when we entered her workshop studio and saw pieces being transformed right in front of our eyes.  OK, so we (Yvette) are being a little melodramatic today.  It's our dream, what can we say??

We each left with a bag full of goodies and couldn't be happier with our experience at Robyn Story Designs and Boutique.


Autumn, Robyn and Yvette

Christmas in May?

It must be Christmas in May because I am on a roll with the gift making!



A sweet friend of mine has started taking yoga and so of course, I had to make her a yoga bag! I heart yoga so much and dream of the day when I can get there more often. Until then I am happy to create these handy bags to keep a yoga mat snug.



Although this friend (OK fine! It's Holly!) could make one of these herself, I still wanted her to have something special from me. She is one of the most giving and thoughtful people I know and she deserves 100 yoga bags!

When I get back from vacation I will be making some more of these yoga bags and listing them in the shop ($20). Use the email button on the side if you are interested in one and want to see some fabrics for a custom order.

Two Gifts and Preview

I love a good parade. On Saturday, the rodeo parade came right in front of our house! (Would have been nice if I took a picture.) It was the perfect way to kick-off my weekend. The weather was dreary all weekend, which was the perfect excuse to catch-up on some gifts and an order.


I had an image of this wall hanging in my mind for a while. As you know, my Aqua Seventy6 partner in crime, Yvette, has a daughter who is preparing to decorate her new bedroom. I wanted to make her something special because "J" is one remarkable young lady! I chose the latin "Alis Volat Propiis" which means, "She flies with her own wings." Perfect for this amazing gal!



This week is the last day of school for my boys. I needed some gifts for their teacher - and one that would not break the bank. I decided to shrink down the pattern for my camera case and make a little lipstick pouch. Of course, I bought a few cute glosses to toss inside  - cause girlfriend likes a good shellacked kisser! I hope they enjoy!

I love making things for other people. I truly do think of them the whole time I am working and try my hardest to send the love! My dear friend, Heather, contacted me with an order and somehow when it was all said and done I had talked her into buying 4 items!

This is what she originally wanted: a summer bag that could travel to the pool, the beach, folk dance festivals and dock watch. That brown fabric on the sides are some serious deep pockets! And as you can see, this bag is so big it can even fit a T-Rex quite comfortably!

Heather couldn't resist the Fun Floral Apron and added that to her order as well. I just couldn't let her get that apron without letting me whip up two adorable coordinating mini-aprons for her two little minis! Her daughters are going to look so cute in these!



Truth be told, both of the girls' aprons are different but I had to leave something to the imagination. SO Heather, you will just have to hold your horses and wait to see what the other apron looks like upon arrival!

PS- Big shout out to my little Easton for modeling! My boy can rock a floral print.