before & after

We’ve been extra busy lately, which means our blog has been neglected.

Opps!

Here are a few Before and After photos of a few recent pieces … enjoy!

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1,000 fans contest {WINNERS!!}

First we want to say

“thank you”

to everyone who participated in our 1,000 Fans Contest.  We appreciate all of our fans, everyone who entered the contest & all those who participated and cast their votes.

We had such a close race that we named to first place winners!

Aleah submitted this chest of drawers & we decided to refinish in our Show White for her daughter’s bedroom.

We love how it turned out and adore Ella’s room!

The white picket fence is so sweet.

Tracy entered this beautiful heirloom given to her by her Nannie. It has great sentimental value and she wanted to refinish it for her new photography studio in Fort Worth.

We love the color combo of the black contrasting the pale yellow!

The details of the original hardware are beautiful!

Enjoy Tracy!

Bow Holder

We have seen so many cute bow holders on Pinterest lately and I, Emily, threw a bow themed baby shower for a friend and made one for her to use in her nursery.  It was so simple to make!  I hope this tutorial helps and you will make one for yourself or as a present for someone else.  Who wouldn't love a bow holder?!

Supplies needed:

-Frame

-Spray Paint

-Ribbon

-Staple Gun

-Cup Hooks (optional!  These are to hold the headbands since those don't attach to the bow holder.  You can screw these into the very bottom of the frame if the frame allows.  Or you can screw this into the wall.  The headbands basically weight nothing so you don't need anything heavy duty!)

I found my frame that I used at Goodwill.  It took me a few trips to two different ones to find the right frame because I wanted a certain size and look.  But, if you aren't picky then you should be able to find it quick.  I forgot to take a picture of the frame before, but here is another frame I got at Goodwill that would work just fine for this project. :)

You might be wondering why I said spray paint instead of regular paint.  Well, let me explain.  You don't want plain gold cup hooks on your wall because they won't match.  These hooks will eithergo directly underneath your bow holder or attach to it, so you will want it the same color.  Painting those hooks would be quite the task, but spraying them is a BREEZE!  Spray one side, let them dry, flip them over, and spray the other side.  Done.

You will need to take the glass, art, etc... out of your frame so all that remains is just the frame itself.  If your frame has already been painted you will need to do one quick coat of primer (use spray primer).  Spray two coats of paint onto your frames.  If you still see uneven spots then you will need to do a 3rd coat, but most frames should be good to go at 2 coats.

*No idea why the color is so off on the hook picture... I am not a professional photographer, obviously!*

You will now cut your ribbon the length or width of your frame (ask yourself if you want the frame to hang vertically or horizontally).  Make sure that you make them spaced out enough so that you can get the bows on and off easily.  Once you have it measured out all you have to do is staple the ribbon on both ends.  Make sure that the ribbon is nice and tight.  I sweet talked my husband into helping me do this.  And, I didn't want to wake Emma up so we put cardboard down on his Mustang and stapled in the garage.  What a sweet guy!  Thanks Jeremy!

One last step to go.  Are you attaching the hooks into the frame?  If so, you will do this now.  We did not because we needed it hook free for the shower, but Stefanie can decide what she wants to do with the hooks.  

Now you are DONE!  You can always use different colored ribbon, but when you think about it, the ribbon will not be shown too much because it will be covered by pretty bows. 

Here is the bow holder out for the baby shower.  We used it for an activity we named the Blessing Bows and it turned out super cute!  Can't wait to see it up with the hooks in Stefanie's nursery!

Hopefully that helps.  Stay tuned for a how to on making a chalkboard!

{kelly}

If you follow us on Facebook you may remember Kelly and her fabulous coffee table we worked together on.

Kelly is the principal designer & owner of Design Life and we love working with her. Two minds are always better than one and we end up with some pretty fabulous pieces when we collaborate.

She recently moved and needed a desk for her home office. Kelly found this beauty on Craigslist and emailed me a photo. I said YES buy it and knew we could turn it into something wonderful.

And wonderful, it is.

Kelly selected our Antiqued Green and we suggested a dark stained top. This would combination would be beautiful and functional, providing a more durable surface for heavy use.

We are working on an antique desk chair for Kelly so stay tuned for photos!