Copycat Pottery Barn Buffet

 

 

This project began as an amazing find by my bestie, who just so happens to work at an apartment complex and is in a position to grab see all the 'stuff' people leave behind when they move!  She knew that I had been looking for something small to use as a buffet for my back porch transformation and when she saw THIS:

 

 

Well, she knew that it was just what I needed!

 

With her help, I initially sanded it down and painted it white, but I wasn't really happy about how it looked against the brick on the house.  It sort of just blended in and the cottage-style table I had refinished for the dining area was also white.  Ugh - boring!

 

Here's the only picture I can find of it in white, but you can get a feel for what I'm talking about.  At this point, I was also still trying to figure out what to do with the missing drawer front . . .

 

 

And then I spotted THIS beauty in the Pottery Barn catalog last summer and was inspired!

 

 

So . . . I stripped off the white on the top and stained it a dark walnut.  Then I painted a coat of ochre on the doors and sides before covering everything but the inset panels of the doors with a bright green.

 

 

I distressed the whole thing with my sander so that the various colors would show through and rubbed the whole piece down with the leftover stain, to give it a more aged/weathered appearance.

 

 

Just like my flag project, I was able to use paint samples (and already had the white), so this project cost me very little to complete.  Certainly much less than the $999 price tag on the PB inspiration piece!  Here they are side by side.  What do you think?!

 

 

I solved the drawer problem by removing the drawer altogether, painting the inside and using two wicker baskets on the inside instead!  They work great and I didn't lose any functionality of the space!  The baskets were about $7 each.

 

 

I did change the handles on the piece as well, which were regularly $5 each at Hobby Lobby, but since I waited for a sale - I got them both for $5 instead!

 

 

It's turned out to be such a cute and serviceable piece that I just love it!  And with 100 degree weather predicted this weekend, we'll be spending all our time out back (in the pool) enjoying it too!

 

Happy summering y'all!

 

Sharing this sassy project at some or all of these great parties: Under the Table and Dreaming, Totally Overflowing with Creativity, Three Mango Seeds, Classy Cutter, Serenity You, House of Hepworth, Skip to my Lou, LadyBug Blessings, Nap Time Creations, The Style Sisters, Polkadots on Parade, Rae Gun Ramblings,Costal Charm, Not Just a Housewife, Domestically Speaking, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Sumos Sweet Stuff, The Gunny Sack, Gingersnap Crafts, Southern Lovely, Lil Luna, Someday Crafts, The NY Melrose Family, The DIY Dreamer, The Blackberry Vine, Homeworks, The Rustic Pig, Cornerstone Confessions, Kathe with an E, House on the Way, PJH Desgin, Glued to my Crafts, The Crafty Blog Stalker, Seven Alive, Made in a Day, Live Laugh and Love, A Creative Place, Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson, Home and Gardens, It Happens In a Blink, I Gotta Create, Domestic Super Hero, All Pretty Things, Katie's Nesting Spot, 52 Mantels, Truly Lovely, Twinkle in the Eye, Happy Hour Projects, Six Sisters Stuff, Tutus and Tea Parties, Mop It Up Monday, Saturday Show and Tell, Moonlight and Mason Jars, The Scoop, Wow Us Wednesdays, Take-A-Look Tuesday

Stenciled Burlap Wall Art Tutorial

Back in the Spring, when I was 'Junkin' in Jammies', I practically stole acquired some great old frames that I had no idea what I would do with, but knew that I could not pass up!  One of them turned into a sassy little message board for my kitchen and a much larger one I set aside for a back porch art project.  And there it sat, through June, July and most of August, while the kids and I busied ourselves with all things summer!  Truth is, I knew I wanted to do something on burlap, but I was a little stumped about what I wanted it to say.  But with summer coming to an end and our back-to-school prep in full swing - it hit me!

Voila!

The PERFECT wall art for our favorite summertime destination:  our own backyard!

This project was quick, easy and fun to do - so here's how ya get 'er done!

Supplies:

Frame of your choice

(I chose plastic since it was going outdoors!)

Craft paint - pick your color

Small brush

Burlap

Thin piece of wood cut to fit

(You can have that done at your local home improvement store if

you can't slow Speed your husband down long enough to do it

and they'll do it for free!)

 Spray adhesive

Poster board

Craft knife

Paint pen (optional)

For the Frame:

Remove any inserts in the frame and cover your work area to paint.  This happens to be my dining room table - ha!

Using a small brush and craft paint, apply a small amount of paint to your brush and brush across frame.  I use recycled meat trays for easy, disposable paint trays.

This 'dry brush' technique allows some of the color underneath to show through.  This technique works well on frames with lots of molded detail.  I considered painting another color underneath first, but I liked the gold.

Let dry completely before inserting your art!

For the Insert:

Lay your burlap out with your wood that has been cut to fit on top and trim burlap close to the edges of the wood.  Spray wood with adhesive and then cover with burlap, working from the center out to smooth out any wrinkles as you go.  It took more adhesive than I thought it would . . .

For the Stencil:

This might be another 'ghetto graphics' tutorial, but it worked for me without a lot of headache (but a fair amount of hand-ache) by the time I was done.  There are plenty of other stenciling techniques out there, but this made the most sense to me for some reason.

First decide on your phrase and font style.

Then print them out on your computer using your word processing program.

Geesh - Looks like someone needs a pedi!

Anyhoo, once you like the size and layout, grab your poster board.

I simply affixed my lettering to the poster board with good old-fashioned Scotch tape.

Looks good!  Now cut through the letters and the poster board using your craft knife.

I did this on a self-healing cutting mat, but if you don't have that, make sure you put something underneath so you don't ruin your surface while cutting!

Make sure you save the 'insides' on your letters for stenciling!

Does anyone else have to work in these conditions?!

Once you've completed your stencil, remove the paper and lay it out over the burlap covered insert and start to paint!

After seeing the positive ravings about Sharpie paint pens, I decided to buy (invest) in a package of them and let me just say - "I'm hooked!" 

They really do work great and made this job easy-peasy without having to worry

about bleed through since my stencil wasn't vinyl, etc.  Yay!!

Almost finished!!

Paint might have done a 'darker' job, but I'm certain it wouldn't have been as clean.

Now, just insert your burlap-covered, fabulously-embellished , one-of-a-kind wall art

into your beautiful 'new' frame and along with the last taste of summer . . .

ENJOY!!

Sharing this sassy project at Mop it Up Mondays, Debbie Doo's Newbie Party, Wow Us Wednesdays, Cowgirl Up, Whimsy Wednesdays, Show and Share, Overflowing with Creativity

Center(piece) of Attention!

Yay!  It's Sunday and no one has to be anywhere tomorrow!!  School is not quite out here (uugh) and I am soooo ready for summer to start!!!  After a busy week planning and executing THE BEST father-daughter dance EVER in the history of girl scouts (more on this later - hee, hee), I am plum tuckered out and haven't felt like doing much of anything other than spend time with my little buddy.   Sheep has headed off with Speed for a weekend at the track, so Snacks and I have been playing at the park, swimming at the pool and just hanging out.  I've missed him this week, which makes me wonder what I'm going to do come August when he heads off to pre-school (sniff).  He's growing so fast!  We are having some friends over tomorrow though, so I'm trying to get motivated to spruce up this house that has been neglected during the chaos as well!

So, here's a quick and pretty centerpiece for your summer table!  I actually made these for the first time 9 years ago (WOW!!) for the reception tables at my wedding because they are easy and inexpensive and can last all summer with the right flowers!  If I can dig up a picture of them, I will add it later!

You will need:

1 large plastic flower pot bottom (this one is about 12" in diameter at the top)
1 small flower pot bottom (this one is about 4" in diameter across the top)
1 hurricane glass with opening the same or smaller than the small flower pot bottom
Potting soil - I use Miracle Grow Moisture Control for this project specifically
Small, compact flowers (I used petunias at the wedding, but they get leggy quickly and require lots of water.  Dianthus work well but my favorites now are Moss Roses because they are a succulent of sorts and don't require as much water)

OK, this is super simple!  Place your small flower pot bottom upside down inside your large flower pot bottom.  Place your hurricane glass on top of the small, inverted bottom so it rests on top of your small bottom.  Depending on what size everything is, it may also completely encompass your small bottom, resting instead slightly inside your large bottom (I am having serious trouble writing this right now without giggling.  Can someone, anyone tell me what these things are really called?  Please, leave me a comment already!)  Anyhoo, place potting soil inside your large bottom, around your small, inverted bottom with the glass.  Add your flowers and a candle and you're done!

Just a couple of tips!  First, make sure you use plastic to protect your table from moisture.  It's also cheaper!  Second, depending on how things come together, you may find that your candle doesn't sit evenly in the glass.  In that case, just empty a bunch of those tiny rocks into the glass (you know, the kind your toddler wags home from the park) to nestle the candle into it.  This is obviously a very shallow planter, so it does require frequent watering.  Hence the use of moisture control soil AND succulents to make it more carefree.  I mean who wants a bunch of hassle in the summer?!

Follow these simple steps and your large (or small) flowered bottom will be the center of attention at your table this summer too - ha!

Sharing this sassy centerpiece at It's Overflowing, Cowgirl Up!, Savvy Southern Style, The NY Melrose Family, Made in a Day, Mop It Up Mondays, Sweet Talkin' Sunday

Another Friday Find!

Happy Friday Y'all!

I just wanted to share a couple of pics from another fabulous Friday find!  I picked up these great, wooden chairs for my porch over Spring Break (along with a couple of other projects - toddler not included!), but wasn't sure what my plans for them were until I found 'The Table' for my porch in Round Top. 

Since I had refinished the table with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in a mix of Old White and Pure White, I decided to simply use the same mixture on the chairs.  The truth is, it was the thought of sanding and prepping six chairs for painting that forced my hand with the ASCP, and because I decided to go with a mixture of whites, there was more than enough for both the table and chairs . . . and perhaps a few other projects as well.  Yay!!

I'm so excited at how my porch is shaping up, and can't wait to share my other projects with you too!  I still need to distress the chairs to echo the finish on the table, and I have ideas on seat covers too, but I think they look FABULOUS already!  Don't you?

And here's a little painting tip I stole borrowed from the kitchen:

Use plastic wrap to keep your paint fresh between coats!

Simply push the plastic wrap down onto the surface of the paint so that no air is trapped between the paint and the plastic wrap.

This keeps films off pudding or whipped cream and keeps your paint from drying out as well!  I was able to do this and store my ASCP inside for several days without pouring it back into a tin or having it get goopy!

Blogapaloosa starts in TWO DAYS!!

Sharing this sassy project at Debbie Doos, Cowgirl Up!, It's Overflowing, Nifty Thrifty Things, It's So Veri Cheri, I Heart Naptime, Sumo's Sweet Stuff,  I Should be Mopping the Floors, Brassy Apple,