Pinspiration – Black, White, & Green Quilt

 

My favorite color is green and when I saw this quilt from Film in the Fridge I knew I would have to make one for myself. I amped up the green color and only used green in the solid stripes. The finished size is 68x49 and is perfect for watching tv on the couch.

 

Antique School Desks with Chalkboard Tops

A couple summers ago I got these two antique school desks at a garage sale and started working on sanding down the top, but the weather got cold and I never finished them. This time when I pulled them out of the basement I set out to finish them! I bought chalkboard spray paint at Hobby Lobby (using a 40% off coupon), for the legs I used black gloss paint, and to seal the wood I used leftover polyurethane from another project.

Using a fine grit sand paper I took what sealer was left off the desk top and seat. As you can see these were definitely desks used by children. One has more wear and tear than the other but I think it shows the history of the desk. After taping off the top of the desk I applied a few thin layers of the chalkboard paint. I was concerned how the chalkboard would do on some of the deeper grooves, but after sanding they weren’t quite as deep.

After using a wire brush to removed any loose particles from the rusty areas I then applied Rust-Oleum’s Gloss Protective Enamel. I think it looks great and will prevent any more damage to the beautiful scroll work.

I applied two coats of poly to seal up the wood and love that I got a darker finish without having to stain it. I’m so happy with the way the desks turned out! Now I just need to find small metal cups to put in the ink well holes to hold chalk. Anyone have any ideas?

Pinspiration - DIY Tablet Holder

 

I use my HP Tablet a lot in the kitchen when trying out new recipes (from Pinterest of course) and can never find the right place to set it up. After finding a tutorial on Mamie Jane’s I decided to make one myself. I like the cutting board idea for the kitchen but I also want to use it in my craft room, so when I came upon this chipboard plaque ($3.99 & 40% off) at Hobby Lobby I thought it would be a perfect substitute.

 

I used scrap wood I found in the garage to make the stand and ledge. To assemble I used wood glue and small finishing nails. Originally I had painted the plaque Valspar’s La Fonda Ortiz Gold and then used Valspar’s Perfect Storm to make a chevron pattern, but it turned out to sloppy, so I painted the entire thing Perfect Storm. I wanted some contrasting color so I left the ledge Gold. After assembling, I painted the stand and touched up spots that needed it.

 

I like the way it looks and think it will do the job, but I think that if I were to make it again I would look for a plaque that could be flush with the stand. Because if its shape, the point is longer than the curved edges and therefore can’t add support to the stand.  Using a cutting board would definitely make it more stable. Maybe I’ll check Goodwill for a cutting board and make another holder to keep in the kitchen and leave this one in the craft room.