Meet Buttercup.

I'd like you all to meet Buttercup.

(pic from my Instagram)

One day strolling through Ikea, chatting on the phone with Ian, I walked from the Lighting Department into the Art Department to find Buttercup. She was had a bright yellow "last chance" sticker that was calling my name. I can't explain why I loved her some much, but Buttercup was coming home with me! There was just one little thing that I couldn't get past...the green background.

I've seen a few cow paintings online and on other blogs; and all of them have a lighter background. So that gave me an idea...

Time for a makeover!

Step One: Light sanding (I am not sure if this was completely necessary, but it happened anyway.)

Step Two: Paint. It took two coats of FolkArt Enamel in Hydrangea to cover to green. I used enamel for the gloss and because I wanted some texture out of the finish. 

Step Three: Cover the edge. Buttercup was glued to a board with an unfinished edge. I thought about a frame; most likely that would have cost more than the $9.99 I paid for the picture. In my craft supplies, I found some washi tape in a brown color (think kraft paper), and it made the perfect edge.

Step Four: Show off Buttercup's now look. You can now find Buttercup hanging in the second bedroom  in jussst the right spot be seen from the kitchen and front hall.

See?! All she needed was a little makeover.

Buttercup might be my very favorite Ikea hack. It's she lovely?

Table Number Redo

Happy Wednesday, Everyone! I am fresh off a week in California helping my parents pack up the house to move back East. It was hard to leave LA but I am glad I returned to Spring like weather.

Before my trip to California, I revamped the table numbers from our wedding with the intention of displaying them in the Condo. My original idea for the table numbers was to gather old sliver plates, paint the centers with chalkboard paint and write the number and menu on them. After many, many trips to thrift shops my plan changed a bit....most of the plates I found were smaller; we ended up painting only the numbers in the center. No chalkboard paint and no menus. It worked out for the better.

Here an example of what the plates looked like...

(excuse the photos; I took them with my iPhone)

The paint on the plates for a year and a half. I wasn't sure if I would be able to get it off easily. One day, I was in Home Depot, rooming the aisles, and decided it was time to look for something that would do the trick. Having done no research, I based my purchase on the labels and price. I left the store with Motsenbocker's Lift Off. The label said it would remove old, latex based paint, is biodegradable and cleans all surfaces. Works for me!

When I got home, I sprayed each plate, liberally with Motsenbocker's. After sitting for about 10-15 minutes, I tested the paint to see if it was loose; in some cases I could see that the paint was starting to bubble. 

I used a plastic putty knife to scrap the paint off...

After the paint was scraped I gave each plate a rinse. So easy! The process didn't take too long so in about 30 minutes, I had all 15 plates cleaned.

Once all the plates were clean I had to decide 1) where I wanted to put them and 2) how many to use. There were a couple of options in the dining room but I ended up hanging five plates above the fireplace. We have a three-sided fireplace that divides the Living and Dining rooms. Our ceilings are about 10 feet high so the fireplace wall needed something.

Here is how it turned out...

(still an iPhone pic)

To hanging them I used plate hangers from Jo-Ann's and 3M picture hangers. I did not polish the plates because I know that they will tarnish hanging on the wall and I love the look! 

You can still see the numbers on a few of the plates; which is a nice reminder that we used these at our wedding.

How have you re purposed items used at your wedding or special event?