Simple, Swanky Memo Board

I needed a cute place for reminders and such, so I decided to make my own memo board using an old wooden frame I already had.

The supplies you will need: picture frame, 1 foam board, cork roll, spray glue, fabric of your choice

The first step is to find a cute frame that suits your style and the size you want your memo board to be. I found an ugly picture a while back for $15 at a local consignment shop but the frame was amazing. It was originally just a boring wood color so I jazzed it up with some gold metallic spray paint.

Next, I cut the foam board, cork roll, and fabric to fit the picture frame. I bought the foam board for $1 at Dollar Tree. The cork roll was bought at Michael's for about $4 and the fabric I found online.

I then sprayed the foam board with spray glue and attached the pre-cut cork and let it dry for about 30 minutes. Then I spray glued the cork and attached my fabric and again let it dry for a bit.

Of course the next step is to put the foam/fabric/cork board back into your frame. To secure the board to the frame, I hammered small nails into the frame itself.

Easy as pie.

Shiny, Pretty Things

Who doesn't love the glam factor of mirrored furniture? Just one piece can add a sophisticated elegance to any room. The downfall is that it can be quite pricey...even at big box stores. It's also not very practical for people who tend to move a lot like we do in the military.

So, another alternative to mirrored furniture is silver leafed furniture, also known as gilded furniture.

I decided to try this technique when we were in need of an entertainment console for the living room. I didn't want to spend a ton of money and I wasn't thrilled with the selection of consoles at our local furniture stores. So, who do I turn to for help? Craig and his list of course! That's when I found this little one for $60 in need of some TLC.

I chose to gild with aluminum because it was cheaper and shinier than silver leaf. A box of 500 sheets cost around $50 but is more than enough to do about 2 large dressers.

I removed the hardware, sanded the dresser, and applied the size (glue) using a small paint brush. Then it was time to burnish (apply) the aluminum leaf sheets to the dresser.

It was a very tedious, time consuming project but well worth the effort. Of course I had to choose a very large piece of furniture for my first gilding project. It took about 20 hours over a 5 day period to finish the gilding. I then applied 2 coats of polyurethane to protect the finish and replaced the hardware to give it a more contemporary, streamlined look.

And here is the finished product:

Drab to Fab Campaign Dresser

I've been obsessed with campaign furniture lately. There's just something about the clean lines and brass hardware that make my heart flutter. So, after countless weeks of searching Craigslist, I finally struck gold. I found not one, but two campaign dressers for $40. Score! Of course when the hubs and I picked them up, he gave me the crazy "why are you buying these" look. They were pretty nasty looking and had definitely seen better days, but all I could see was potential.

Here is the inspiration from Lonny magazine that got me started on my search.

Here are the not so great before shots.

Check out that grimy hardware!

I used trusty Bar Keeper's Friend to scrub off the layers of filth. Worked like a charm.

So, after 1 coat of oil-based primer, 3 coats of semi-gloss latex paint, and 2 coats of clear gloss poly, I got this:

Hardware shot:

Now, where to put these beauties?