Another morning project. I paid more than I usually do for a thrifted item, but this piece was in perfect condition.
This book stand is perfect for propping your phone, your iPad, the book you are reading, or an old fashioned cookbook.
I added the Dollar Tree stencil, using a light gray chalk paint. One trick for getting crisp lines with no bleeding is to use a clear sealer first. Let that dry and then paint over the stencil with your color of choice. The front is sealed with Wise Owl Salve.
We had an old and chippy shutter. Danny cut it in half and sanded most of the old paint off the front so that what was left was a combination of natural and some old white paint. The back was painted brown and chipping off so he removed the big chippy pieces but let it as is.
Then, we had this iron vase holder. I learned it was from Southern Living At Home. He centered it and screwed it to the shutter.
We also had a tall wide mouth canning jar and a Bedspring. I put faux flowers and foliage into the Bedspring with the wider part on top and then placed it in the jar with the narrow part at the bottom. The flowers fit snugly into the spring and will not blow or fall out and the spring fit perfectly into the jar.
Many parents are using a “calm-down corner” or another area of their home to help toddlers/preschoolers calm their emotions. The following article is a good explanation for creating a calming area for your children in your home.
With that in mind, I created a rustic/farmhouse style comfort chair for them to use as they explore the items stored in their calm-down area.
It is available for porch pickup or will be in one of my booths soon.
https://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/discipline/how-to-create-a-calm-down-corner-at-home/
I was inspired by another crafter to paint and stencil over burlap sooo…
I hot glued the burlap on the back side of the sign. Worked well but next time I think I will use Emer’s adhesive spray. You could turn the sign back around later and have a different sign so I might glue burlap on both sides next time and do a reverse stencil of some kind in the natural burlap for a different look.
Update: I did do the back, too, stenciling a farm cow. I now have 2 signs in one!
I used the natural frame. I dry brushed a bit of white paint over it and the beads for a little different look.
I then used scotch tape and taped the Christmas tree onto the burlap to help hold it and daubed white chalk paint all around the stencil and the burlap.
That’s it! How cute! You can hang on the wall or even on a tree. These would make cute stocking stuffers Zoe Christmas gifts. Great project to do with kids.
We had the same table and chairs for years before we started painting and now have gone through several. We are now getting ready to change again.
This round table with 2 leaves and chairs we painted with our Missouri Limestone Paint Company chalk-style paint in Trading Post, Old Tin Barn, Sour Green Apple, and Crepe Myrtle and a mix of grays. We gave this set to one son and his family.
My coffee bar I repainted in a new gray we haven’t released yet and are calling MO Gray Stone. This is going to our other son and his family to match their farmhouse dining room table.
The farmhouse set in our dining room now is too big for the space so we will be giving it a makeover in the near future.
If you like the look of this set and would like us to customize it for you, just contact me for details and pricing.
But that means, I will need to be looking for a smaller set. 😁
This all started with a Chalk Couture transfers. I have fallen in love with these! To describe Chalk Couture it’s kind of like screen printing with a washable chalk paste or permanent ink. With proper care, you can use them over and over. And… I have!
I have especially had fun with the “Wicked Chicken” transfer. I have used both the paste and ink.
I used the chalk paste on this one
This one was ink on glass. See my post on baking picture frame glass. I put this glass in a cold oven set for 170 degrees. I timed it for 45 ovens once tempwas reached, then left in oven until completely cooled.
This was ink on painters canvas. I heat set this with parchment paper and ironed on medium heat for 3 minutes.
So then, I was ready to try coffee mugs. I tried just one first. After allowing it to air dry for 24 hours (an important step) I put it in a cold over and preheat to 275 degrees. I then timed it, baking for 45 min. I turned off the oven and left it in there until it cooled completely. The next day, I put it through the dishwasher. It came out perfect! Yay!
I used ink on this mug
I was now ready to make some mugs to sell in one of my booths. I purchased dishwasher and oven proof mugs and got to work. First, I thoroughly washed them with soap and water and then cleaned with alcohol. Note: if you mess up, you have time to wash it off and start over. 😉
So cute!!!
But, they seemed kind of lonely so I decided they needed a coffee bar to go with them, but not just any coffee bar. I decided they needed a portable coffee bar that could be used anywhere!
I love repurposing and I just happened to have purchased a vintage metal bread box some time ago. It was the perfect thing! All it needed was some cleaning up and it was ready to be transformed.
The top was the perfect size to hold the four mugs. I also just happened to have four round wooden coasters. I painted them (including the cork) with one coat of the chalk-style paint we sell. Missouri Limestone Paint Company I then distressed them with some sandpaper. I did not seal them. They ended up with a great farmhouse look. I forgot to take a picture, though. You can see them under the mugs in the photos.
I then decided the inside needed a liner. Dollar Tree to the rescue! I happened to see a very cool vinyl placemat that would be perfect! I cut it to size and voila!
But, what’s a coffee bar without the fixings? I included an apothecary jar of ground coffee and a 46 year old vintage sugar and creamer set. How do I know it is 46 years old, you ask? I know because it is what is left from my wedding china and today, October 28, is our 46th anniversary! I sold the rest several years ago. Some people register for their china. In my family, I shopped at Kroger for weeks for my mother so I could collect this china during one of their promotions. 🤷🏼♀️
Then, imagine waking up early in the morning, making coffee ☕️ at your new coffee bar and then waiting for that first cup in the early dawn light and looking over and seeing the inside your coffee bar glowing in light that you turned on when making coffee. Yep! I found a small round light at Dollar Tree. The kind with an adhesive back and you press the center to turn it on and off.
The final perfect touch was adding the word “coffee” to the roll top. The Rae Dunn look has become very popular in creating farmhouse decor so I found a font called The Skinny and typed “coffee” in landscape font using Microsoft Word. I enlarged it to fit most of the paper. I printed it with a laser printer on water slide decal paper and cut around the word as close as possible, but leave a small bit of margin. If you’ve never used this as a transfer medium you have to try it. Wow! The transfer comes out perfectly and adheres well. It is amazing! You can clean when needed by wiping with a damp cloth. Here’s a YouTube video I watched when trying this for the first time.
Here is my finished vintage portable coffee bar! It is available for purchase at: Midwest Trading Post in Hermann, Missouri.
SharSum Paint 