Paint Party and a Giveaway!

Welcome to my First Paint Party!
This party is for anything and everything Paint, cause I LOVE IT!!!
In short I think everything should be painted!  

I am so excited to be hosting this, I search the web daily to be inspired by all of you and I know I am missing so much it will be great to see more of what everyone is up to!

To kick off this link party I am teaming up with Petticoats and Posies for a Giveaway.  
Isn't this Candy Box Necklace Beautiful, and the best part is you get to choose your own COLOR!!!




Click the Image to be directed to the Giveaway.

Please follow the rules for the link party, I promise to keep it short

1) Only paint projects, if it somehow involves paint you can link up

2) Link straight to your post not your blogs home page

3) Follow me somehow, Either on my blog or one of these below I am not picky

4) Link back to this party using my address or my button on the sidebar.  
                               If you don't link back I wont feature you.

5) Have fun, and THANK YOU for joining the fun!

It is GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!

It is such a privilege to team up with Brittney for this Giveaway.  She has so much style, AWESOME prices and I could go on for hours, but enough from me, here she is:

I'm Brittney, a stay-at-home mom, blogger, and owner of Petticoats and Posies, a new online boutique. My goal is to offer boutique fashions at a competitive price, because everyone deserves a little style! You can find my store at www.petticoatsandposies.com. You can also follow me on Facebook for updates on our latest products, plus exclusive sales and discounts: https://www.facebook.com/PetticoatsAndPosies. Happy shopping!

We are giving away this fun Candy Block Necklace, and the winner gets to choose their own color!

Use the Rafflecopter below to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Ugly Duckling, I mean Table

I picked this table up months ago and it just sat in my garage.  I couldn't get a vision for it.  I went back and forth until I decided I would make it MY outside table.  My helper sanded it all down for me and I started painting.  When painting something for outside it is better to paint it one solid color without distressing it so it can with stand the weather better.  

The further I got into this table the more I wanted to distress it and show off the beauty of the details.  

I re-upholstered all the old cushions in a neutral gray canvas and.....

I decided to make this an inside dining table!  Isn't it Beautiful??!!

Look at the details on this pedestal!

 I don't need another dining room table, so this table is up for grabs!  If you are interested see my Furniture for Sale Tab!

TTFn

Brooke

Link Party & Giveaway WINNER!

First off I am excited to announce my new link party every Thursday.  I scour the internet weekly to be inspired by all of YOUR amazing creations and I know I am not even scrapping the top of all the fun projects out there.  So, I am hoping you will join my every Thursday for a PAINT PARTY.  Why a paint party?  Well, I believe almost everything looks better in paint.  Notice I said almost, I admit somethings are beautiful left alone but those are few and far between in my book (wink wink)

AND finally what we have all been waiting for, the winner of the Grace Adele Giveaway....

and the winner is....

HEIDI PAGET!!

Congrats, please send me an email to claim your prize

brooke.n.larsen@gmail.com

Thank you to everyone for your support!

TTFN

Brooke

Bed's Up For Grabs!

I love when I find a true vintage bed that needs a little love!  

This bed was no exception of that.  Look at the beautiful lines and fun details!  She was calling out for some love and a new look.

I love to refinish old furniture:

1. it is usually solid wood and it built so well.  

2. it has so much character and charm

3. it is one of a kind

With some sanding and a new coat of paint this bed is a beauty and ready for a new home!

I didn't want to take away from the fun design of this bed.  I painted it a soft shabby pink and accented with a cream color.  It is slightly distressed and glazed to help bring out the beds own charm.

This is a full bed and it comes with rails. 

 It is for sale. for more info see my Furniture For Sale tab!

King Headboard

The credit has to go to my husband for finding this bed.  This beauty had been sitting in the classifieds for almost a month when he found the ad, and I am so glad he did!

I know she isn't very beautiful right now, but as always a little bit of paint can go a long ways!!

Here is the finished product!  She is so beautiful!  I love how all the details pop now.  

I painted this bed with Benjamin Moore's White Dove and then I used my stain glaze to antique it (tutorial here)  This is my favorite way to glaze right now, that may change in a month but for now we will ride the wave!

This bed is also for Sale and can be found in my Furniture For Sale tab!!

TTFN

Brooke

Sofia the First Birthday Party

I can't believe my baby is 2!  How is it time flies so fast when you don't want it to?  I had so much fun preparing for this party.  I love to make treats and eat WAY too many of them, so I don't make them often but every once in a while a girl has gotta splurge right?  I admit I had a taste or maybe two of EVERYTHING!!!

Our little "Boo" LOVES Sofia the First, we watch her shows at least twice a day, which calls for a PURPLISH-IOUS Sofia party.  My wonderful neighbor, Michelle, made the cake pops and Chocolate covered Marshmallows and helped me plan for this cute party.  Wow, I have talented neighbors!!

I dipped the Pretzels in purple chocolate.
I made the cupcakes and frosting. I found the toppers here
My other daughter and I made the sugar cookies and frosted them
The purple taffy is so good and I happened to find it at the grocery store.
I don't even know what brand it is, but man it is good!

Here is another look at the super cute marshmallow and cake pops Michelle makes.  She is AMAZING and spares no detail on them.  Every one is hand dipped and individually decorated.  I LOVE them!!!

I found this beauty at the Flea Market this weekend, isn't it beautiful, I have been searching for one of these!

 This party would not be complete without a candy thief!  

Shhh, we will let it slide since she is the birthday girl!

Happy Birthday BOO, We LOVE you!!

Brooke

Linking here
CRAFT
DIY Dreamer
Sugar Bee
DIY by Design

Homemade Chalk Paint & a Beautiful Desk!

I have had lots of questions about homemade chalk paint and I have to admit I have not personally tried it YET, it is on my TO DO list. 

 However my awesome neighbor and good friend put 2 recipes to the test.  

Calcium Carbonate 

Combine

2 Tablespoons Calcium Carbonate Powder

1 Tablespoon Water

Mix until Calcium is dissolved

Pour Carbonate mixture into 1 cup of Latex Paint

To make a Quart use 8 Tablespoons of Calcium Carbonate Powder and 4 Tablespoons of water to one quart of Latex Paint

Plaster of Paris

3 parts paint

1 part plaster of paris

water

Combine water with Plaster of Paris, adding a little bit at a time until you get a nice smooth consistency. Add more water to break down the powder.  Once the powder has dissolved in the water add to your paint and MIX

My biggest concern with creating your own chalk paint is getting the consistency right.  After my neighbor mixed up the paints she brought them over and we compared the consistency with some Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint I had on hand, both recipes were still a bit lumpy so she took them home and MIXED and MIXED until the paint was smooth-Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is about the consistency of Waffle/pancake batter!

Then my neighbor put both of the paints to test on a smaller project.  After she painted, antiqued and waxed, both paints preformed great and she didn't find a difference in quality!  

She ended up going with Plaster of Paris because it was cheaper to make.

And here is the finished Project, BEAUTIFUL!!

The 2 shelves on the desk are tables she painted and stacked.  Great for added storage!

She also ordered this awesome molding and ran it along a few areas to dress up the desk and the center knob is an old door knob.  

As I mentioned earlier making my own chalk paint has always been on my TO DO list, I do believe it just got moved up to HIGH PRIORITY!  I  have the perfect piece in mind.

Happy Weekend

Brooke