Recycled Picture Frame

This summer we started replacing the picket fence in the front yard.  We were left with a pile of picket fence panels that were....um, perfectly aged?  I thought to myself, "What to do, what to do, with all those panels?"  Then the idea hit me!  I could make distressed picture frames!

We had purchased a few painting from a local artist, David Boyd, Jr.  I have mentioned him before in one of my posts, and if you have not had the chance to check out his work, you should.  You can view his work on his blog, Compelled To Paint.

We watched a few videos on youtube.com and then just winged it.  I hope to make more in the future.  I do like them as is, but I also plan to sand and paint a few in different colors.  The hardest part about the project is removing the pickets from the panel, and finding pickets that are not warped.

Whatcha think?

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Our Southern Nest

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint- My Turn To Jump On The Bandwagon

I know by now that all of you have heard of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I first heard about it from Miss Mustard Seed a while back. I had been dying to try it ever since I read her post. Then many other blogs started writing about it as well. I just knew I had to try it but I didn't want to order online. I wanted to see the colors in person, but I didn't have a retailer in my area....or so I thought.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered a store in my area that sold Annie Sloan Chalk Paint while I was at Scott's Antique Market in Atlanta. Color Me French is Georgia's only stockist of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. They are located in Twist On Main in Senoia, Georgia. They offer workshops where you can learn about all the beautiful things you can create with this paint.

So the first thing I needed to do was decide what I was going to paint. I decided I would paint the little nook in our kitchen. As you can see, it is not very attractive. The formica table top totally clashed with our granite and the pew that was repurposed into bench seating was not that attractive. However, the boys love eating here because they feel like they are eating at McDonald's. This is not quite the look I wanted in the kitchen.

Please ignore the dog food bag in the background.

 

Now that I decided on what to paint, I hopped in my car and headed to Twist on Main. The ladies where very helpful and knowledgeable when answering my questions about the application of the paint. There were also different pieces painted throughout the store that I used as a reference when deciding which colors to purchase. I absolutely loved all the color choices and had a difficult time deciding what colors to go with. I finally decided to use Cream as my table top and Duck Egg Blue for the benches. Then I used the dark wax to glaze the benches.

I started painting the table top first. On the first coat, I used a brush to apply the paint and I had visible brush marks. I knew I would have to do another coat and I wanted an even coverage. The second coat gave me 100% coverage and I was satisfied. I did sand lightly after the second coat dried before applying clear wax to the table top.

 

For the benches, I did use a brush and had to apply two coats. I knew I would be distressing the benches so I didn't mind brush strokes this time. Let me just tell you how easy it was to distress the benches using this paint. It is a dream!!! I remember all of the times I had to use tons of elbow grease and/or an electric sander to create a distressed look. This paint is an answer to my prayers. All I had to do was lightly sand where I wanted to wood to show through, and in no time at all I had a finished project. After I sanded the benches, I clear wax to them before applying the dark wax. The ladies recommended doing this step so it would be easier to apply the dark wax. If I had skipped this step, the paint would have soaked up the dark wax making it harder to work with.

 

 

 

 

 

I have already started another project using this paint and have three more on the to do list. If you have not tried chalk paint yet (and I am sure most of you have), you should try it. And if you are in the Senoia area go check out Color Me French in Twist On Main! They will take good care of you.

Also, check out the video from the blog, Perfectly Imperfect. She gives you some really great tips about how to apply the wax.

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Our Southern Nest

Getting Ready For The Beach

We are counting down the days until we head to the beautiful beaches of South Walton.  I can't wait to put my toes in the sand and watch my little ones play in the waves.  While I was browsing through Etsy, I found the cutest beach bags from Lucy Jane Studio.  As a mother of three, I can appreciate a stylish beach bag that is large enough to hold four towels and various water toys.  The bonus for me was the reasonable price!

I think this is a great choice for a mom of 3 boys!

I love the handles on this bag.

Very Nautical

Love the pop of turquoise!

After you visit Lucy's Etsy shop, you should visit her blog.  You can read it here.

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Our Southern Nest

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

Today Mac and I went to an Easter Egg hunt that was hosted by our church's youth group.  Mac had a wonderful time and found tons of eggs. 

Whenever I see the Easter bunny and I always remember what our son, Owen, asked me when he was 4.  He said, "Mommy, when the Easter bunny comes to our house will he come in my room?"  I replied, "I don't think so honey."  He said, "Good, because the Easter bunny really freaks me out Mommy."  I thought to myself, you know he is right.  It would be scary for a giganic rabbit to enter your house while you were sleeping.  Thanks goodness he brings goodies or Owen would be setting traps for the Easter bunny.

Here are a few pictures from our egg hunt.  The big boys were busy playing baseball so it was just Mac and me.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend.

Below is Mac with Owen.  He is no longer afraid of the Easter bunny and can't wait to see what he leaves for him tomorrow.

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Our Southern Nest

Hollywood Comes A-Knocking Again

Our town has been busy the past few weeks.  A movie starring Shia Labeouf just finished filming and a Disney movie has just begun.  The house in the picture above is where the Disney movie will be filmed.  If you click on the link below, you can read the article from the local newspaper.  It mostly tells about road closures and traffic detours.  Oh, the price we pay for fame! :)
Filming begins on Greenville Street - The Times-Herald

Happy Mardi Gras

Happy Mardi Gras Everyone!  If you do not live in a town that celebrates Mardi Gras, you, like me, might be dying to say "Throw me something mister".  Or that could be just me. :)  Any who, I decided to browse Etsy this morning to get my "mardi gras" fix. 

Lesse bon temps rouler!

Rebecca Plotnick Photography

Briole

Amy Giacomelli

BostonCharm

Dan Shan

Rebecca Plotnick Photography

And if you would like to start your very own Mardi Gras parade in your hometown, you can buy a lovely crawfish float at this Etsy seller's shop.  Just be sure to invite me!!!

Buy your own Mardi Gras float here

Etsy Finds

I love blogs!  I love bloggers even more!  They are always sharing their latest ideas or their best finds.  I was recently reading a post from Bryn Alexandra.  She found these amazing pillow covers on Etsy.  They are made from hand block print fabric, and I have not stopped thinking about them since I read the post.  The name of the shop on Etsy.com is Giardino.  The designer uses stamps to create wonderful designs on linen fabric.  I thought I would share a few of my favorites from her shop.  I also found a few other pillows from different designers and thought I would share those as well.  You can find their stores by clicking the names under the pillows.

Giardino

Giardino

Giardino

Giardino

Giardino



Helkatdesign



Helkatdesign

Homesweet

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Our Southern Nest