Ladybugs, Ladybugs, and more Ladybugs

Robin T Crafty has been so crafty lately, I haven't had much time for posting everything that's been going on. I wanted to go ahead and post pictures of my wall art winner so that all can see.  Oh my goodness, this job was so much fun.  The homeowners had given me a key to get in their house while they were gone on vacation to Disney World.  They wanted me to do kind of a  "while you were out" thing with their daughter's room.

The day I arrived, it was one of the hottest days of the summer, and guess what was waiting for me outside.  Oh yeah, a swimming pool, and boy was it calling my name.

I got all set up in Olivia's bedroom and decided that once I got all the vines and ladybugs on the wall, I could take a swim break and come back to do the second layer of paint.  Good motivation.  FYI...I did have permission to swim.  Nice folks.

So here are the results of my labors (and recreation):

The before picture.  Olivia had so many ladybugs, I wasn't sure she would even notice some more crawling around her room.

The tree outside kind of added to the whole nature-y vine thing going on.

I felt sorry for the other windows in the room, so I decided to let some of the ladybugs fly across the room to see what was going on over there too.

Thanks to the Mosses for letting me invade their home for a day and allowing me this fun opportunity.  What a great day I had!

Be crafty,

Robin T

Tonight I am announcing the winner of my first wall art contest.  All contestants had to do was like my Facebook page and post an idea for some cool wall art.  Watch the video below to see who the winner is this time.  Maybe you will be the winner of my next contest.

Robin T Crafty

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Robin-T-Crafty/282709853400

Laundry Room Makeover

Laundry room a little more organized.

Finally.  My laundry room has been building up dust and collecting stuff for over 4 years now.  It feels so good to purge out the things that don't belong in there and organize the things that do.  I get frustrated at the unrealistic pictures I see in organizing magazines and such.  I mean, I like things labeled to certain extent.  I like everything in its place.  But, I am not going to take all the labels off my products and spray paint them all the same color so that it looks more uniform.  I am happy with my laundry room transformation.  The process went something like this:

The stuff before.

The stuff piled on the kitchen table and overflowing to the chairs.  How do we let this junk build up like this?

A good paint job (by Robin T Painter) using "oops" paint from The Home Depot and a few labeled containers later,  I feel the serenity settling in.

Labels using some card stock scrapbook paper and circles printed on the computer.  

Happy laundering!

Spray Painting Cabinets - Can It Be Done?

The answer is yes, but don't just dive in there without reading up first.  I have always preferred the look of cabinets that have been sprayed as opposed to rolled on paint or painted with a brush. I don't have access to a big shop with plenty of ventilation and fancy spray guns and whatnot, so I wanted to experiment and see if I could get by with spray painting some cabinets with simple spray paint.

The task is complete and you can see my step-by-step directions below.

Before:

 and after:

What you will need:

spray paint (about 2 cans for a project this size...buy one can per door to be safe)

mineral spirits

old rags

newspaper or plastic 

sandpaper

sander (optional)

screwdriver

new hardware (optional)

painter's tape

Step 1  

Remove all drawer, hinges, knobs, and doors.

  

Step 2  

THE IMPORTANT PART:  Tape off.  This is the tricky part.  When you are taping off to spray paint, you need to make sure that everything in the room is covered up.  I did not do this very well and paid for it later.  Spray paint has a tendency to float in the air and settle on every flat object in the room.  It is also recommended that you spray paint in a well-ventilated area.  So, turn on a fan or open a window or both.

The toilet, floor, EVERYTHING should be covered completely, unlike the pictures shown here.

Step 3

Give all drawers, doors and cabinets a good sanding.  Yes, sanding is necessary.  You will be happier with the results in the long run, so don't skip this step even though it is tempting.  I have used liquid sandpaper before, but I prefer to just go for it with the old fashioned sandpaper.  Using the liquid sandpaper felt like just as much work to me.

 I prefer to use an electric sander of some sort.  Here is the one I use:  

Step 4

Before spray painting, clean everything off with a damp cloth and allow to dry.  Spray paint, following the can instructions.  Never stay in one place too long or you will have paint drips, and this will be hard to undo.  If you have never spray painted before, you might want to practice with a cheap can of spray paint on a piece of scrap wood.

Step 5

Allow everything to dry for several hours and check to make sure everything has good coverage.  Unlike water-based paint, spray paint is oil-based and takes longer to dry.  Do a second coat if necessary.  Allow to dry completely.  

Step 6

Remove all tape and plastic/newspaper.  If there are any places on the wall, floor, etc. where there were gaps and paint escaped, you can clean it off with mineral spirits, but do this quickly  so that it will not ruin any surfaces underneath the paint. Wipe clean with a dry cloth.

OOPS!

The finished room with new hardware.  I decided to distress my cabinets by sanding lightly all the lifted areas of the doors and drawers.  This is an option instead of putting on a second coat of paint.  

So, spray painting cabinets CAN be done, but is time consuming and a little labor intensive. Totally worth it though, I think.

Cabinet Door Turned Chalkboard

My latest project was an easy one, finished in less than an hour.  My husband, firefighter and handyman, had this old cabinet door leftover from a handyman job.  I couldn't resist doing something with it.

Get ready for a face-lift, old door.

First, I removed the old hinges and handle.   Next, I filled in the screw holes with putty.  After that, I sanded the whole thing down.  I wiped it down with a damp cloth and allowed it to set a few minutes in the sun.  I rolled two coats of chalkboard paint in the middle section and finished it off with white trim paint on the outer section and sides. 

All Done!

I recently used it at a storybook baby shower.

   

Hooded Towel

My friend, Laura, is expecting twins:  one boy, one girl.  When my son was born, almost ten years ago, my sister made him one of these hooded towels, and he still uses it at age nine.  It has proven to be a lasting gift that has gotten a lot of use.  I prefer the hooded towels made out of these thick towels because the ones that most companies make for babies usually do not soak up as much water, and are just kind of a wet mess after use.  These, in contrast, are so snuggly.

Here's how to make them:

1.  You will need a regular sized bath towel, one wash cloth, matching thread, and a sewing machine.

2.  Cut the tags out of the wash cloth.  The wash cloth will be the hood of the final product.

3.  Fold the wash cloth in half, inside out.  Measure with your pointer finger on the folded edge.  This is where you will start sewing.

4.  Sew from that point, all the way to the corner, forming a triangle.

5.  Fold the triangle away from the front of the hood and sew it down along the edges.

6.  Do the same thing to the other side of the hood/wash cloth.

7.  Turn the hood right side out.

8.  Fold the towel in half.

9.  The center is on top of the red and yellow pin located in the middle shown here.  Fold about a pointer finger's distance to meet the inside, center of the towel.  Pin the towel in place and do the same thing to the other side.

10.  Lay the completed wash cloth/hood on top of the center where pins are located, making sure to center as well.    The front of the hood should be on top as shown.

11.  Sew all layers together, except for the front of the hood.

12.  I like to finish the inside with a needle and thread to keep all the layers from showing, plus it will give the hood and towel connection some extra strength for durability.

See how much prettier that is now!

My son modeling the finished product. 

Thanks Laura for having twins so I could have the privilege of making these towels.  Fun stuff.

http://www.cafepress.com/DreamQuartet