Red and Cream Dresser Makeover

Last time I bought paint, I went ahead and got a whole gallon of red paint. I am in love with painting furniture red, and it sets it apart and seems to sell better. So... Here is another red dresser from me! Here is the before.

 My original plan was the paint the drawers cream, and then do red stripes over them with silver handles. I painted the handles silver, and they looked awful. So, in my mind there can never be too much red, so I painted them red for fun. I decided to put the whole dresser together and see how it looked and decide about the stripes from there... once I put it together I was in love, and didn't touch it anymore! This is a basset dresser I got for a steal on craige's list. The drawers open amazing and I love the curved lines!

Wedding Cupcakes

If you read my blog at all, I am sure you wonder if I have a.d.d. or have an identity crisis! ha! I can't decide if I am a furniture restorer, baker, cook, or 31 consultant, and also throw in a stay at home mom with a part time at home administration job. Apparently I like to be busy?

 My husband and I are catering 3 weddings this summer. We are doing the dinner as well as the cupcake/wedding cake. Two of these weddings are on back to back weekends.... crazy? Yes.

I was lucky enough to be asked to do the cupcakes for a beautiful wedding last weekend. The couple were high school sweethearts, and one of my best friend's little brother was the groom. Sweet sweet couple. I made Red Velvet, Chocolate, Lemon and White cupcakes all with cream cheese frosting. 220 of them. It was a long, exhausting 2 day project, but I was happy to do it! Below are my beauties, and if you click on the types of cupcake I did that will take you to a link with the recipes!!!

I love spray paint!

Yard sale season is upon us and I am SOOOOO happy! I always miss it during the winter months, and only have craige's list to feed my junk obsession. Craige's is not the same as yard sales though, there is just something about stumbling on that find that is way under priced and snatching it up before someone else sees it! Here is one beauty I found, and the amazing powers of spray paint to transform! 

Amazing mirror right? I am sure a lot of people couldn't see past the gold, but when I saw it I immediately envisioned it in my daughter's bedroom! Also, I did a little trick on the mirror to not get paint on it.... I put saran wrap on it! It stuck to it perfectly and I just shoved it into the edges of the mirror as best I could. I did get a little bit of paint on the mirror, but a razor blade took it off perfectly. 

Happy Yard Saling!

ONE YEAR OLD!

I am in total shock that it has been a year since our lives were changed forever because of our baby girl Mia! It seems like just yesterday I got a phone call from the agency saying we had been picked for a baby already born and needed to be at the hospital in 2 hours!!! Wild Times.... 

She is the most amazing sweet little girl. She is getting quite the attitude and turning into such a goofball. She is in LOVE with her Daddy. She has him wrapped around her cute little finger, and I am sure there will be trouble with her in our future. She is so beautiful inside and out. She loves her big brother and he loves her. I am so beyond thankful that God chose us to be this precious little girl's parents, and so thankful to her birth mom for choosing life, and choosing us to take care of her precious girl. SO blessed with our kids! 

If you or anyone you know has questions about adoption or would like to ask questions, I am always open to share! E-mail me at michelledean24@hotmail.com

Dining Room Table Makeover

I haven't had any big projects lately, and I was ready to find one! So, last week we set out yard saling. There was nothing really good, but as we were passing by I saw a table out of the corner of my eye, so we decided to stop. The table was pretty beat up, but came with 6 chairs and 3 leaves! 

The chairs had pads on them, so they could be recovered, and I loved the lines of the chairs and the tables. After asking questions and seeing what else we liked at the yard sale, we ended up leaving spending $100... More than I would normally spend, but we also had them throw in a little rocking chair, and a camp chair and the table. The table can get up to 8 feet long! We are calling it our thanksgiving table!

 We think it might be a duncan phyfe.... I kinda hope it is just a reproduction since I painted it all up! Oh well. So there are the before pictures, and here the after!!!

Amazing what a little sanding, primer and paint can do! I think I will keep this table for a while! I have a tendency to change out my table every year or so, so we'll see how long this one lasts!

Construction Cake!

My sweet little boy turned 3 last week! I cannot believe 3 years has gone by... I wanted to make him a special cake for his birthday. My little guy is into all things daddy, and daddy is a construction worker, so a construction cake it was. I started searching on pinterest, because that is where all my inspiration comes from lately, and I found this tutorial. I was inspired by the inside of the cake looking like caution tape, so I thought I would give it a try!!! Let me just say, any time I need to work with a cake from now on instead of just chilling it, I am FREEZING IT. It worked out so much better, and it still tasted great!!!

Above are my frozen cakes after I cut the rings out and placed them together. I then put them back in the freezer to try and meld together. 

 My 3 year old's little cake

TADA! I cannot tell you how excited I was when we cut into it and it actually looked like caution tape! I am not a perfectionist or great at following directions, so considering that, I thought this turned out pretty awesome!

A piece of the cake! Check out the tutorial and her cake, it is so much easier than it looks!

My little construction workers.

My latest endeavor... 31!

So, as if my life isn't busy enough with 2 kids, a part time job and a crazy life in general, I decided to add something else to my life! I have been hearing about this company called 31 for a while, but I had NO idea what it was, until I finally got invited to a party... and out of obligation... went to the party. Usually I will go to these "parties" and find the cheapest thing in the catalog and order it just so I can contribute and help out the hostess and the seller. I was pleasantly surprised at this party when I discovered that my normal very small limit of $20 or so, got me an actual decent bag! Looking through the catalog more, I realized I wanted everything, but I refrained! Instead, I asked questions about selling it for myself and was shocked to find out how much the gal who was selling it made, after only selling it for a year and a half!! AND... she gets lots of free bags!

"The name Thirty-One comes from the verses of Proverbs 31. These words may be thousands of years old, but I am constantly amazed by how today's modern woman can relate to them. The Proverbs 31 woman is dearly loved and respected by her family, yet she is an individual in her own right. She manages the home and property with kindness and integrity. Her savvy business skills are partly brought about by her desire to serve others, to do good deeds and prosper."

So. I jumped on the band wagon and signed up. I am REALLY excited about it and looking forward to contributing more to my household and also to be able to get some of these bags that I wanted so much, but didn't have money in the budget for. 

The main reason I decided to sell 31, is because I really will not feel bad inviting people to a 31 party. If people, like myself, feel obligated to buy something at parties, they can spend 10-20 dollars and get a great product! Or, they can spend more! There is something for everyone and you don't have to spend $100 to get the deals or get great stuff. 

My sister in law was very sweet to be my first person to book a party! Her party is next weekend and I am SO excited! I really love all the products and especially the mission statement of this company. Feel free to check out the catalog on my website and if you see something you can't live without, place an order! My favorite so far is the thermalized tote. It goes with me everywhere and carries all the kid's snacks or lunch. And, it is only $15! Also if you are in the Idaho area, and want to book a party, the average hostess earns $90 in free stuff and several hostess exclusive items at a fantastic price! 

www.mythirtyone.com/michelledean

If anyone read all of this, THANKS!

Baby Girl Puff Dress

I am finally in the sewing mood again, and decided it was time to make my baby girl a dress. I went to Jo-Ann fabrics on one of their pattern sale days (because there is no way I would ever pay $15 for a pattern) and I got this Simplicity Pattern 3854 for 99 cents.

I LOVED the puffy little dress, but I hated the little pants.......... After studying the pattern for a while I started to cut out the pieces and make the dress. I am not big on perfection, so I even had my Grandma help me figure out the puffy portion, and it was so much easier than I thought! Here is my adorable baby girl and my final product. 

 

Is she not adorable????????? I ended up also making a similar dress in a different color for my friend's newborn baby! If you are not going to make the ugly pants to go under it, make sure you cut the skirt portion longer than the pattern says. On the first dress I didn't, and my husband said it was almost too short for her to wear :) protective daddy even though she is only 10 months old! I added the little yellow ribbon and I had the sweater since it is still cold here! I am thinking of also doing a variation of this dress for Easter. If you think it is cute, buy the pattern and do it! IT IS SO EASY! The second dress took me less than an hour. 

 

GUEST POST! By Inspired By Grace

This is a post from a great new blogger who has great tips on interior design, fashion and diy projects! Go check her out at:

http://inspiredbygracen.blogspot.com/

Spring into Fashion

Normally I will blog about interior design and DIY BUT since today is just too nice of a day to ignore I decided to take a closer look at the clothing trends that will be appearing.  After all I will be shopping soon, and thought it might be nice to know what to look for, here is what I found:

Fashion houses are offering a return to fabrics with comfort in mind. There are several hot colors to watch for in the spring and summer collections. These colors range from the classic look of black and white to soft pastels like orchids, pale daffodil yellows and tropical limes. One other prominent color for spring and summer is flame red parlayed with bright white in an almost nautical theme.

Clothing Designs - Spring 2012

A return of 70's styles updated for today is something to key an eye open for. Fabrics in fashion collections tend toward linen, lightweight cottons and a faux-fabric known as "peach skin". Pattern designs include many tops, dresses and jackets with draping added.

 From Forever 21                                                                   From H&M

Ensemble Patterns To Compliment All Size Ranges

Patterns for spring and summer offer styles and cuts that can be worn in a broad size range to compliment any figure. Business wear has changed radically over the past few decades and the trend leans toward suits in black, navy, white and pastel colors that brighten the business look. Accessories like simple pieces of jewelry, scarves or fabric flowers in contrasting colors complete the business suit. Many of these suits can be worn for after six dinners since the fabrics offer comfort as well as fashion.

From H & M

Hats, Shoes And Gloves - The Perfect Spring And Summer Accessories

Other additions to the spring and summer wardrobe this season are hats, colorful shoes and gloves. Nothing adds charm to a gauzy floral spring dress than a wide-brimmed hat and wrist-length white gloves. This is the feminine look that is hot for late spring and early summer. Navy and lime with touches of white, strawberry pink, pale lime and hints of orchid or coral and pomegranate work well in a simple sheath in an A-line styled pattern. Add a floral scarf in a coordinating color and the ensemble is upscale "fashionista". 

 Both from Forever 21

Fabrics That Speak The Language Of Fashion

In many high fashion collections for 2012 for spring and summer, fabrics play a significant role. Fabrics are lightweight. Yet, they don't compromise on variation. Look for crepe and chiffon fabrics to offer a crinkled or embossed texture. Cotton fabrics will have a certain shimmer to catch the eye and linens will be offered in stylishly woven textures. These fabrics speak the language of spring and summer fashion for 2012.

 From Victoria's Secret

Enjoy:)

~Grace~

 

http://inspiredbygracen.blogspot.com/

The work of Love BARN DRESSER

Oh man... This dresser truly was a work of love! This dresser had been sitting in my husbands parent's barn for about 30 years or more. I am a tad obsessed with dressers, so my husband pointed it out to me, and we asked his parents if we could have it and they said YES! Here is the dresser in it's raw state... in the barn.

 Thankfully it was not missing a drawer, it was just on the ground. My husband called me as he was tranferring this dresser home and said that it didn't smell very good. I figured it couldn't be that bad, it just needed to air out some.................. I was terribly wrong. 

First, my husband walks in the house and this overwhelming smell engulfs the entire living room! I asked him why he smelled so bad, and he said, the dresser. Again, I didn't believe it could be THAT bad. So, I went out to take a whiff of the dresser myself, and I could smell it from ten feet away! 

I wish I could describe the smell.... so I will try. Dead mice, cow poop, old barn, dead flies and anything else that smells horrible all combined into one. 

I LOVED this dresser, so I was convinced it was not a lost cause. The first thing we did to take the smell away was to douse it in bleach. My sweet husband wiped down ever nook and cranny of the dresser, and we narrowed down the worst smelling part of the dresser to be the top middle. The drawers were not too bad, just the top was HORRIBLE. The bleach helped a little bit, but the smell was already burned into our nostrils, and so we could still smell it. 

The next thing he did was to sand the top of the dresser, the worst smelling part. This helped a little bit more, but the we could still smell it. I figured a fresh coat of paint would do the trick. The paint helped a lot, but because of the smell being burned into our memory, we could still pick up on it. Originally, this dresser was going to go in our bedroom. Even though the smell on the dresser was mostly gone, I didn't want the memory of that smell being in my bedroom everyday!!! So.... this dresser got sold. It really ended up only having a faint smell that you had to really try and pick up on, so I don't feel bad about selling it! Here is the after.

 Again, I am obsessed with the red, but at least I left the stencil off of this one!

Dresser BEFORE and AFTER

Here is another great craige's list find. I think we paid 20 for this dresser, and it was missing a drawer, but came with all the hardware. My trusty husband made a drawer for the dresser that works out pretty good! Here is the before. 

 And the after paint with some beautiful red paint and my trusty stencil I tend to use on EVERYTHING... I know.. I need a new stencil. I LOVE this dresser. Red is my color lately and this paint is amazing. I ended up springing for a gallon of paint, and I got the home depot brand, Behr paint. It is the paint with the primer and paint all in one. It is a little bit more expensive but very worth it. This only took two coats and it looks great!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Latest Furniture REDOS

 Have I mentioned lately that I love Craige's List? This beautiful Drexel buffet I got for FREEEEEE. The cabinet doors were there, just not on it. It was a horrible purple color. I painted it two different shades of gray and made it beautiful! The chair below I got from goodwill for $10 dollars. It was SO comfortable and a rocking chair too!

BEFORE

 AFTER

 BEFORE

 AFTER

Dr Seuss Play Room

We have lived in our current house for almost 4 years. Our bonus room has never really been decorated, and has been the man room/craft room/dump room forever. So with the kids getting bigger, I decided it was time to make it into a functional room!!! Here is the before picture...

 Above is when we first moved in and it was the man room... Lovely dead bear on the wall. It is actually a pretty big room, so I split it up. The half by the window is the "play room" and the other half is craft area and office. 

 I decided to go with a Dr. Seuss theme! So, I borrowed my dad's projector and projected the pictures onto the wall, and traced them with a paint pen. Similar to what I did for the construction room. 

 I painted cat in the hat, Thing 1 and Thing 2 and my husband made me the growth chart out of some old barn wood!

 My awesome book shelves are.............................. vinyl rain gutters!!! They were less then 10 dollars at home depot! My husband cut them for me and screwed them into the wall, they work PERFECT!

This is also some cute board screwed to the wall with clips glued to them. Then I cut some vinyl for my kid's masterpieces! 

The kids LOVE the play room! My husband completed the room by making me this awesome toy box!