Stump Side Table Inspiration

Mar 14, 2013 by Gina Mueller

Mom and Dad had to cut down a large tree last spring, I was feeling ambitious that day and  made them save part of the trunk so I could make a stump side table.  3 seasons have passed and I still have no side table to show off.  The 1 year mark is quickly approaching so I need to start making moves! So  I have turned to the internet for inspirations… as I do for most things.

I found this natural stump on the  The Nesting Game.  The stump looks naked- i love it.   Although, I would need a much taller and slimmer  stump to make this one work

Wheels would be fun. Especially because tree stumps weigh a ton!  This would make them easier to move around.

I think this is the one I am leaning toward making.  Not only does 17 Apart have great instructions, but i think this is the size my stump would be if I cut it in half and thats what ill need to do if  i want to make 2 bed side tables.

There is always the option of painting the stump like they did at Wind Mil Deco 

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All That Glitters

Aug 13, 2012 by Gina Mueller

I have been planning this project for 6 months after watching my favorite design show, “Home By the Novogratz”.  In one of the episodes artists Camomile Hixon designed some amazing glitter art pieces that made me drool!  I instantly knew her word art was something i had to recreate-  the hardest part was committing to a word!  I wanted a playful word that would make me smile when I looked at it.  I decided on the word “WILD!” because a) life is always better when its a little wild and b) Wild One by Those Darlin’s was one of Lindsay and my favorite songs in college.

Materials

• Canvas, I used Artists Loft 24×48 inches
• Glitter paint, I used 3 bottles of Martha Stuart glitter paint in antique silver
• Background paint, I used 1 bottle of Martha Stuart pearl paint  in mother of pearl
• 2 Paint Brushes
• Paper
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Scissors

Directions

First paint the canvas any color of your choice.  Next, create stencils for your word, my letteres were 10 inches in height and the  font I used was Arial Black in size 500, after printing the letters I doubled their size– I guess that makes it size 1,000. Trace stencil with a dull pencil on the painted canvas.  Fill outline in with glitter paint- this may take several layers depending on how much glitter you are looking for.

Paint Background, I used 1 bottle of Martha Stuart pearl paint  in mother of pearl and a small brush for a horizontal stripe effect.

Print out letters and create a large word stencil.  I used Arial Black in size 500, after printing the letters I doubled their size– I guess that makes it size 1,000, they ended up being 10 inches in height.

Lay stencils on the dry canvas, use a ruler to make sure you have everything centered.  There was 7 inches above and below and about 3 inches on the sides.

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Thrifty Artwork

Feb 26, 2012 by Lindsay

My roommates and I were lucky to find a huge, amazing apartment in Chicago. However, along with the large size came lots of blank walls. Big pieces of artwork are typically very expensive (and out of our price range!) so I was thrilled to come across this frame at my favorite thrift store for only $5. To fill the frame, I headed to Jo-Ann’s and picked up some fabric and gold paint. By re-painting the frame gold and adding patterned fabric as the artwork, I was able to create a thrifty piece of art for our living room and add some decoration to the walls.

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A Post-it Note Christmas Tree

Dec 17, 2011 by Gina Mueller

Getting ready for the holidays around here.

Merry Christmas! (post-it style)

Extremely easy and inexpensive DIY for the holidays.  All you need are green post-it notes, ribbon and sparkly paper to recreate this tree.

Materials

• Assorted green post-it notes
• Ribbon
• Glitter paper
• Tape

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A Lovely Mirror

Oct 4, 2011 by Gina Mueller

Over the weekend I painted this boring brown mirror to a lovely shade of green.  The best part about painting a mirror is you dont have to tape it off and you can be messy.   Any access paint that ends up on the mirror can be easily scrapped off!

I lightly sanded and wipped down the mirror to make a good surface for the paint to stick.  Then laid out magazine pages to avoid a mess.

The paint I used was a Premium Decor High Gloss Waterborne Acrylic Enamel Indoor/Outdoor in the color Barberry.

When painting do not be afraid to get paint on the mirror.  You can take out the blade in an exacto knife and use it to scrape off the paint on the mirror.

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