Piano face lift : Part I

My Grandmother left my cousin Rachel her old piano after she passed. This piece has definitely seen a lot in its days. Children growing up right around it; then grandchildren. It has scars, stories, and a life of its own that it has lived. I was enlisted in giving this piece a face lift since it has seen its better days as far as the looks department goes. I was chosen since as they say, I'm the "crafty" one in the family and seem to get the most joy out of these sorts of projects.

So, I have decided to share my process and journey with you as I go along. This will be a project that will last me awhile indeed. Hopefully I can truly bring a new life to this for my cousin.

To begin, you will need to gather your supplies. I purchased all of these at Lowes or you can use your local hardware store you like best.

• Stripper.
• I like Citristrip since it's not as harsh and low VOCs which means less fumes.
• Mineral Spirits.
• Chemical resistant gloves.
• Flat scraper.
• Stripping pads.
• Drop Cloth if you don't want a mess all over your floor.
• Trust me, there will be a huge mess.
• Eye wear.
• You could possibly splash or fling the products or the stain/paint your stripping into your eye.
• Natural bristle brush.
• Metal pan to pour your stripper into, or whatever your instructions tell you to use.
• Mask if using a stripping agent with high VOCs.

This is Bat Country

So anyone at all who knows me knows that I absolutely love Halloween.

I am like the creepy Halloween lady in my neighborhood...I could run a haunted house in my own home during this time of year.

Anyways, I found this picture on Pinterest awhile back and have been craving for October to come along so that I can recreate this at my own house.

My inspiration.

Corkboard Facelift

I decided to give an old corkboard I had laying around a little makeover.

I had all the items I needed laying around but if you have to go out and buy this project will probably cost you $30-$40 depending on the board and stencil you buy.

This started as a simple corkboard you can buy at Walmart or Target (or just about anywhere).

I think this one was a RoseArt. See....pretty plain jane.

Now, you will need to pick a design. Just go buy a stencil for whatever design you want.

Fun Take on a Picture Frame

I actually did these frames as a birthday present for a friend. You could get creative on what you use for the frame...a block of wood, old cabinet door, etc. I actually have a lot of old wood samples from a furniture company from my work that I used.

What you'll need:
Whatever you are going to use for the main part of the frame
(Cabinet door, block of wood, be creative)
Picture
Accessories to add on
(Metal pieces, appliques, etc.)
Glue

So on these wood samples, one had a lot of texture and the other a lot of wax which makes it kind of hard to glue anything on. I had to use a paint stripper to remove the finish from the raised panel in the center.

(If you are going to do this step have a clean surface that nothing can possibly be ruined if it drips our spills.)

Wear thick rubber gloves, if the stripper gets on your skin it will burn extremely bad. Pour the stripper into something you don't care about: an old bowl our cup. I  used an old coffee pot I bought at the thrift store for a dollar for this very purpose. Use a paint brush and brush on the stripper. Let sit for about 30 mins. Use a paint scraper to scrape off the paint or finish. It may take a few applications to remove everything. Feel free to leave some for a rustic, antique look. When done clean with a damp cloth and let dry completely. I would use an old rag just in case it ruins it.

(Sorry I didn't get a picture of this)

DIY T-Shirt Scarves

So...if you are anything like me, you are always looking for new and cute scarves.

Well, if you really are anything like me, you hate paying for them. I am on a bit of a stricter budget,

so any money I can save is great.

I have several bags of old clothes that I keep meaning

to donate but as of right now,

they are dust collectors in my closet.

So, I went rummaging through them to find ones that I liked the fabrics of.

You are going to need:

Old T-Shirt

(The wider it is the longer your strands will be...The longer it is the more strands you will have)

Scissors

First thing you will need to do is lay your shirt out flat.

Hand Painted Shoes

So I had seen an adorable pair of hand painted Toms on Pinterest. Of course I had to make these but I didn't care to pay $50/pair just to draw all over them. I found these on The Breast Cancer Site for $20/pair. Each pair I bought had a pair donated through Soles4Souls and I helped fund mammograms for women with Breast Cancer. So it was truly a win win.

What you'll need:

A pair of canvas shoes

(I got just plain white so they were easy to color on top of)

Fabric markers...I used the Tulip brand found at Walmart

(You can use fabric paint as well but that'll be much more tedious and time consuming. The fabric markers are permant, washable and easy to use.)

Imagination!!!

DIY Shrug

This is a fun way to revamp an old shirt that was destined for the trash or Goodwill and recreate it into something new and fun. The purple shirt was a gift from a friend that never quite fit right. I loved the color and the beading and really didn't want to give it away so this was a perfect solution. My other shirt was an inexpensive shirt from Walmart that always looked a little frumpy on.

I originally found this on Wobiso's blog.

What you are going to need is:

An old shirt  (Make sure that it fits you before you start. If it is pretty small, it will be too small when you are done.)

Scissors

Ribbon  (Or whatever you want to use for the tie. You can even use the bottom of another shirt.)

Sewing Machine

Sewing Pins

Safety Pin  (This will be used to pull the ribbon through.)

Wedding Card Keeper

So I needed a creative little gift to give one of my best friends growing up for  her wedding. Yes I will also get the traditional pots or pans but I am a crafty person and jsut crave making something special for people.

So, I decided on a card holder for her to put all of her wedding cards in.

You will need:

Cardboard or Model board

At least 3 different kinds of paper

Glue

Ruler or Measuring board (you can see in my photos)

Scissors or an X-Acto knife

Ribbon or Lace

2 Brads

Metal Ring that opens

Any kind of details you want to add

*I found all these at Hobby Lobby 

but you can go to any kind of craft & hobby store

 Typically, if you are making this for yourself, then use your cards to measure out how big to make it, since I am making it for someone, I tried to find one of the largest cards I had and used that. You will want to make it about a 1/4" bigger on each side.