Before I bundle up and head outside to put the rest of the tulips in the ground this Saturday morning, I wanted to share a quick ornament tutorial!
Yesterday, Bugs and I made fun, memorable ornaments for the tree. I thought they would be fun to share because they are so easy to make, budget-friendly, and adorable! These are perfect if you need a last-minute gift idea for the grandparents or your significant other. You can easily customize them, too! I plan to make a gingerbread version soon and decorate them.They add so much glam to the tree with the gold shimmer. You can customize them with different paint colors, add jewels, sparkles, different shapes, colorful strings, and fun beads. 

You can watch my video here to see how I made these! 

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE FLOUR ORNAMENTS

4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Cup Salt
1 Cup Warm Water
Decorations

HOW TO MAKE FLOUR ORNAMENTS

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. 

Pour the water in, and mix with your hands until a dough ball is formed. You may need to add more water if it’s too crumbly and dry, or more flour if it’s too sticky. 

The dough will feel like grainy play dough. 

I rolled the dough out between parchment paper to keep it from sticking. Press a hand, foot, paw, or cookie cutter into the dough. And then, you can cut it with a pizza cutter or cake scraper. 

Since the dough is super salty, wash off your pet’s paw or baby’s hand and foot so it doesn’t irritate.  Keep the dough about 1/4 in thick.

I used sugar cookie cutouts with the leftover dough to make pretty ornaments.
 Bake for 2 hours on a baking sheet at 250 degrees. They will feel hard as a rock when you take them out of the oven. If they have any soft spots, keep them in the oven longer. The flour will not rise, so you can cram them as closely as needed. 
Once they cool down, you can paint them and decorate them with yarn, beads, and anything you like! It would be fun to take your kids to the craft store so they can pick out what decorations they want to add to the ornaments. If found the mini bulbs at Target for $3 for the entire box.

You can get an indention stamp to write things in the dough. I used a sharpie and wrote the dates and names on the backs of the ornaments.

I used metallic gold paint and gold sparkles, and I LOVE how they turned out. I have a lot of gold tones on my tree this year. 
 The paw prints make me so happy. I can’t believe Tux let me do his paw. I put his next to his photo

Adding sparkles is a must because they shimmer with the lights. I think hot gluing jewels on there would be cute too. I have many ideas for the next time I make these, which will probably be soon because I need to make some for all the grandparents. I only spent $5 making these since I had everything but the bulbs and string in the house. I could have used yarn I already had, but I fell in love with the green twine at World Market.

The baby’s foot and handprint are something I’m going to cherish forever, especially since it’s his first Christmas. 

I hope you enjoyed this quick and easy tutorial for homemade ornaments! If you make these, I’d love to see your posts, so do not forget to tag me! xo 

Questions for you!

1. Do you like making homemade gifts during Christmas?
2. What is your favorite ornament on your tree?
3. What colors would you make these?

I went into Target yesterday to pick up some things for the 4th of July. Of course, I had to stop by the dollar spot. You know how Target runs are; you go in for one thing and leave with everything but that thing. When I saw these adorable wicker picnic baskets in the dollar spot, I just had to have them. I thought they would be adorable for welcome bags or a mini picnic. I am a sucker for anything picnic-themed or anything that involves a basket. If I found these before my wedding, I would have used them for my welcome bags (I will blog those soon!)These were so inexpensive to make and absolutely adorable! I hope Target continues to sell these affordable baskets so I can gift them during the holidays. I may need to go back to Target and buy them all. Even if you didn’t plan to make a gift package, these little baskets are so cute to fill up with a few sandwiches, chips, and sparkling water to take to the park or beach!

These little gift packages were made with everything at Target. You don’t have to run around a ton of stores to find all the goodies! I had so much fun filling them up. I tried to pick out items that had a lot of colors but also things people actually eat. 

What to place inside a picnic-themed gift package!

Hillshire Small Plates – They are perfect because they have the meat, cheese, and crackers! You don’t have to do any of the hard work, they’re cheaper than buying all the ingredients, and they fit perfectly in the basket! I chose two for each basket. You can find them near the cheese section.

Pistachios – Every charcuterie-style picnic needs some nuts.

Dark Chocolate – Because it goes with everything.

Sour Candies – Not only is the packaging cute (I’m a sucker for packaging), but I happen to think sour candy is the best when paired with rosé.

Sparkling Water – The water is the perfect item to add to the bottom of the basket to push up the rest of the snacks. It adds more volume, plus hydration is important.

Utensils- Paper plates, cute napkins, and a champagne glass.

Wine – I went with rosé for summer, but I would change the wine selection based on the season.

Hair scarf – I absolutely loved this little scarf from Target! It decorated the basket up big time. Plus, you can wear it in your hair instead of throwing away ribbon.

 I’m already planning on making another themed picnic basket with these!
I added a cute zinnia from my garden to dress it up even more.

Questions for you!

1. What would you pack in these picnic baskets?
2. What gift theme should I do next?

Our porch has gotten a complete makeover. From the concrete color, brick color, removal of the railings, furniture, rugs, and more! I absolutely love this $14.99 wreath from Homegoods. I plan to leave it up on my door most of the year! I wanted to give it a little Easter makeover without ruining it completely and making it an Easter-only wreath. The good thing about hot glue is that it peels right off when you need it to. Once Easter is over, I’ll peel these right off. Or if you want to use it again next year, just store it!  The best thing about Hobby Lobby is that the holiday decor is ALWAYS 50% off. I picked up some cute cloth eggs and twine carrots for the wreath. I wanted to keep it simple because the carrots added enough color. They have all kinds of Easter decor for wreaths. If you like colorful speckled eggs, they have a bunch!  Before you start gluing the pieces, lay them out on the wreath to make sure they are where you want them. It’s easier to style them before gluing them on.  I added about a dime-sized glue drop on each to make it easier for later removal. Let the wreath dry for about 30-minutes, and then you can hang it up!  

I love how it turned out, and it only took about ten minutes to make.

Questions for you!

1. What do you like to decorate during the spring?
2. Are any of your perennials coming up yet?
3. Do you change out your front door wreath several times a year?

With this project, I’ve learned that I’m not that great at stenciling, but if I can do it, anyone can! I’m excited to share this DIY doormat stenciling project with you all finally. It’s been a few months since finishing, but I needed to make sure it held up before sharing the tutorial. I’m happy to report that it’s stayed strong, and not a chip of paint has left the concrete. I love how it turned out, and I can’t wait to paint a fall one in a few months. 
You may be wondering why in the world I would paint the concrete, but I have a good reason. When we get rainstorms, for some reason, the rain likes to hit directly onto my front door, splashing all over the doormat. When I have rugs or those straw mats, they get destroyed and stain the concrete. I was tired of buying many doormats and decided to paint one. I had someone ask me where people are supposed to wipe their shoes if I don’t have a doormat, well, my mom always taught me to take the shoes off and leave them outside But if you’re in the same boat as me, but need a place to wipe the shoes, try using a shoe-wiping rug in the entryway of your home. You will need:
Small paint roller
Stencil Brush
Exterior Paint (concrete paint is preferred)
Chalk
Measuring Tape
Paint Tray
Stencil (I used Royal Stencils)
Touchup Brush
Tape/Heavy objects to hold down the stencil
Step One:
The first thing I did was measure out the area I wanted to have the mat. Our brick area is a bit crooked (ugh) so it does look slanted. After measuring the area, I traced the layout with chalk.

Step two:
After tracing the area, I used a roller to paint the doormat base black. For my fall mat, I’m going to do the white first to make it more dramatic. Luckily, it only needed one coat, and it dried within fifteen minutes. 

I used my leftover paint from the door. It’s called Dark Kettle Black by Valspar.
Step three:
Once the paint dried, I placed the stencil in the bottom corner to start the first round of painting. I used the wood pieces and tape to keep the stencil in place.
Step four:
I used the stencil brush to dab the white paint over the stencil. It’s important to use less paint to prevent bleeding, but if you do the black layer first, you may need a few coats of the white.

Step five:
Remove the stencil carefully and wash it off. I used the hose outside to wash off the paint and let it sit in the sun for a bit to dry off.

Step six:
Repeat the pattern until the first layer is fully covered. The stencil comes with smaller stencils to help fill areas you may not be able to line up perfectly (which I was so bad at.) It was always after I finished painting when I noticed where I made a mistake. I know the second time around will be better!

Step seven:
Use a fine touch-up paintbrush to correct the lines and cover up any bleeding. It is not going to be perfect, but it’ll look good enough to where people will think it’s an actual tile rug. I’ve had so many people ask me where I bought it!
Step Eight:
This is the fun part! Decide where you want to add designs and letters to your mat. I used cheerios to play around and see where I should place my lettering. It took me a few tries to line it up. 

Use a medium-sized paintbrush to fill in the letters and design.

The final job wasn’t perfect, but I look forward to doing it again. I think it’ll be easier the next time. I am really happy with how it looks. It looks like I’m going to have to make a new wreath this month too.
Whenever the front porch is messy after a storm, I use the blower to dust it off and the hose to powerwash it. It’s so nice not having to work around the rug.

The stencil also looks cool as a backdrop if you wanted to add a rug on top. I thought about doing this during Christmas time. We won’t get much rain in December, and it may look cute on top. 
I still need to decorate and choose a porch swing for the other half of my porch, but we hang out in the backyard most of the time.  
This week, we are working on the office makeover! I can’t wait for you all to see it.   
I hope you all enjoyed this fun little tutorial and if you stencil anything around your house, make sure to tag me so I can see photos! 

Questions for you!

1. What saying should I stencil for my fall doormat?
2. Does your doormat ever get ruined by the rain?
3. If you have a doormat, what does it say right now?

There’s no better feeling than completing a project around the house. We have about a billion more to go, but our back patio was high on the priority list since it’s summer and it’s where we spend a lot of our time. It’s the first spot I go to in the morning while the dogs run around to play, and I love sitting out there with my candles at night while reading a book with tea. 

The concrete was a dull color, and I’m still not a big fan of the red brick on our house, so we decided to add a pop of color to the patio and turn the brick white. I’m glad we did it because it turned out to be exactly how I imagined it. At first, we were going to tile it (and still might in the future), but painting it was less expensive. 

I have had a lot of questions about the paint we used and how we did the patio, so I’m hoping to cover it all in this blog post.

This painting job only took a few hours to complete and 24-hours to dry. It made a significant difference since the patio was lacking a lot of character.
You will need:

We used 1 gallon of the Autumn Fog Paint and about a half-gallon of the blanched pine on the brick. We used the Valspar brand, which can be found at Lowes. Since we used the Porch Latex paint, matching the colors to Autumn Fog is a bit trickier since the Latex paint isn’t meant to be changed. They will, of course, do it for you, but it may not be exactly what the card looks like. I know ours was a lot lighter, but I didn’t mind it. First step: 
We sprayed down the patio to get any dirt or oils up. 

Step two:
We used the leaf blower to clear any leftover dust or dirt on the patio. Step three:
We used the long roller to do the first coat. You’ll want to make sure you go with the grain. We didn’t tape off the edges since we were going to paint those white. 

We let the paint dry for about 45 minutes and then went back over it again with a second coat.
Step four:
After the second coat was completely dry, we taped off the bottom and painted the foundation. Whoever did the foundation just slopped it on there, which made it harder for us to paint over the concrete chunks. This took several coats.  
Step five:
Painting the brick was the last step, and I was so excited to see the red brick go. I think the white makes everything brighter and clean looking on the back patio. I do love red brick, but it was just not growing on me with this house. This fall, we will be doing the rest of the brick around the home. 

The brick took two coats, but it was a lot easier than I expected it to be to paint. It’s been a couple of months, and all of the back patio paint has held up wonderfully.
Step six:
We removed all the painter’s tape the next morning and touched up a few spots that we missed or got a little crooked on.
I am so in love with how my little back patio turned out. I’m sitting out here right now, having coffee and writing this blog post. The boys are chasing birds that land on the fence, and just a few minutes ago, a family of deer ran across the woods. Behind me, the pale pink roses I planted back in April are blooming and reaching as tall as the window. The first thing I do each morning is to grab my coffee and walk around the yard checking on each plant. I’m officially that crazy plant lady.
The planters filled with petunias and verbenas are beverage tins from Walmart. I filled them with potting soil and added a mixture of flowers. This fall, when the petunias are done blooming, I am going to add mums to the pots. They are the Better Homes & Gardens brand from Walmart, and they’ve held up well outdoors. There’s no rust from tin cans, and they are light enough to transfer. The best part is that they are under $10.

A few extra notes:
The dining table was a Home Goods find, and it’s the Martha Stewart brand. 
The chairs with the cushions are from Lowes, and they are the most comfortable things. 
The blue pillows are from Tommy Bahama
The padded stool is from Hobby Lobby
The Rug is from Marshals
The Black fan is from Kichler
The Door is Painted Dark Kettle Black from Valspar. 
I hope you all enjoyed this backyard patio makeover! I need to get more of our projects up on the blog

I finally figured out what I’m going to do with my office space, so stay tuned for that!  See you in the next blog!

UPDATE:

We painted the patio again!!!

Questions for you!

1. What was the last home project you completed?
2. Would you like to see the office makeover in a YouTube video in addition to a blog post?

Good morning, everyone.

I just got back from my trail walk, something I’ve been trying to incorporate into my daily routine. So far, I’m on day five of four-mile trail walks. It’s always the weekend that put a stopper in my good habits It looks like it’s about to rain today, which will be nice since the grass around here is still fighting for its greenery. Before I dive into the next planting project, I thought I’d take a few hours this morning to write about the potato crate garden I created. I shared a photo on Instagram, and the requests for a blog post on the tutorial were high, so I hope you all enjoy and get inspired to turn something you find at an antique store into a garden bed.

A few weeks ago, I took a trip to the Depot at Gibson Mill to look for a few items for the guest bedroom. There is a little spot in the Gibson Mill called the “The Gilded Cottage,” and I am in love with it. I usually spend a while in this section and always leave with some new goodies. This time, I found several ceramic pots that look like woven baskets. I also picked up a picnic basket that has two spots for wine. I thought it would be so cute to take to the beach, a summer lawn concert, or down by the river for a picnic. I was excited when I found an old potato crate for $10! I knew right away I was going to turn it into a mini garden. 
I picked out a few pots of vegetables to go into my garden at Lowes on my way home from Gibson Mill. I’m always an ignorer of “spacing” rules when it comes to planting, and so far, I haven’t had issues yet. I picked out some dwarf tomato plants, romaine lettuce, butter lettuce, spinach, jalapenos, and a few other plants that I planted in separate pots. Most of my lettuce plants went into the crate. I picked up a few packets of seeds to throw into the crate as well. For the soil, I used the Harvest Organics all-purpose planting soil. You can use potting soil if you’d like, but I’ve never had issues using the in-ground soil in my pots. We have super humid weather in the south, and the man at Lowes said that sometimes in-ground soil helps with the plants drying out. I guess only time will tell.  
I picked up chives, spinach, carrots, and broccoli seeds to plant as well. I threw the chives in with the crate vegetables but added the others to separate pots. I’ll have to do an update on those soon. The carrots are already sprouting, which is so awesome. 
When you’re working with a crate, you can’t just throw in the dirt. Otherwise, it’ll fall out of the edges. I used some landscaping fabric we had lying around the house and taped it to the sides before adding in the dirt. It held up well, and all of the soil has stayed in the crate nicely. 
I filled my garden up with soil and then planted in the lettuce, jalapeno plant, dill, mini cucumber plant, and dwarf tomatoes. I also threw in some chive seeds. 
I’m keeping them in direct sunlight. 

Since our backyard is fenced, I won’t have to worry about any deer coming in for a snack. You may want to wrap yours with a wire if deer are an issue in your area. It’s been two weeks, and so far, there haven’t been any bunny tracks Although, I don’t think I’d be mad if I saw a bunny eating my lettuce. They’re just too darn cute. 
After a week, the chive sprouts have begun to come up! 
I was surprised at how big, and full everything was after only a few days.
It’s always fun to check in on the garden every morning. People keep sending me the meme of baby Yoda checking on plants, and that’s me! I make my coffee, let the dogs out, and walk around the house clipping, deadheading, and taking photos.

Last night, I cut up some butter lettuce and romaine for my salad! It’s fun to be able to eat something from your backyard!  

I hope you all have a fantastic day. I’m heading out to do a fun DIY 4th of July flower pot. I’ll make sure to capture step by step photos just in case!

Questions for you!

1. Do you have a raised garden bed in your yard?
2. What is your favorite vegetable to grow?

Do It Yourself: Lemon Citrus Wreath for a Summer Door  

Last Monday, I spent the morning browsing the internet for a lemon wreath. I think they’re so refreshing and the perfect touch for a summer door. I was taken back at the price tags that went up to $300. I won’t pay anything over $50 for a wreath, especially if it’s only going to be on my front door for a few months. I decided that I was going to just make my own. Plus, making wreaths is such fun. There’s nothing more satisfying than displaying something you made yourself in your home. I’m going to be making a 4th of July wreath next week, so stay tuned for that one!

I filmed the tutorial as well since it’s sometimes easier to SEE than reading. If you’re anything like me, I’m a “watch and do” type of person.
All you need to make this wreath:
– Lemon Leaf Garland
– Twig Wreath
– Ribbon
– Faux Lemons
– Floral Accents
– Scissors / Wire Cutters
– Hot Glue Sticks
– Hot Glue Gun
– Floral Wire

I purchased all the items at Hobby Lobby. Right now, ALL of their summer and garden decor is on sale, plus they have the 40% coupon online (always.)

My door gets really hot in the afternoons because of the sun, so I made sure to attach all of the items (minus the lemons) with the floral wire. Some of the little floral accents can be tucked into the twig wreath without glue, which makes the process way faster.  I didn’t want the hot glue to melt and my wreath to fall apart.  This wreath took about 25-minutes to make! 
Fun fact: I’ve never been good at making bows that go on wreaths, so I assemble it all by glue! I cut the pieces to make them look like a bow. I showed you the process in the video, but it’s definitely a good hack if you’re like me and can’t tie a bow!

I loved how it turned out! I think it could be cute with little oranges, too! Maybe I’ll try that next year. If you want a little bit more color, you can try adding faux lavender accents. I was so close to doing it but chickened out.
The lemon wreath is also a cute budget-friendly gift idea!
I hope you enjoy the video tutorial and get inspired to make your own wreath! If you do, don’t forget to tag me in your photos! I love seeing your creations.

Questions for you!

1. Have you ever made your own wreath before?
2. What is your favorite holiday to decorate for?

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite tasks was going out to my mom’s patio garden and picking herbs for her. She’d grow basil, mint, and parsley for homemade meals, which always made this picky-eater more excited about dinner time. And sometimes my friends and I would steal the herbs and make love potions, I mean, what little girl didn’t do that?

I decided to make a litter herb garden for myself, and not to make love-potions (I think mine worked) but to spice up a few meals and save money on those pricey packaged herbs from the grocery store. When we move, I’ll be planting my herbs in a raised garden bed, but when you live in a townhome, it’s a lot easier to plant herbs in pots for easy access. I loved how my potted herbs turned out, and I hope it inspires you to plant a few of your own!
You don’t have to plant your herbs in fancy painted pots, but I loved the way they looked back when I was going for a more farmhouse feel with my decor. I believe I saw a similar herb pot at Target at the time and refused to pay full-price. I mean, what would Joanna Gaines do? (well, she’s rich so probably would have just purchased it.) I headed to Hobby Lobby to pick up paints, Home Depot for the herbs, pots, and soil, and got to work! You can visit a local nursery for your herbs, but mine didn’t have any organic selection, so I opted for the Home Depot.

If you want a quick and simple project, you can skip painting the pots.

I bought a selection of pots for my herbs, and they were pretty inexpensive.

What I bought:
*Organic Herbs
*Strawberry Plant
*Tomato Plant
*Natures Care Organic Garden Soil
*Paints (Purchase a non-toxic paint! I regret not doing this)
*Stencils
*Sharpie Markers

It was so cute because the little girls next door spent almost all afternoon helping me paint these pots. They were so interested in what I was doing, and it reminded me of myself when I was younger. Since I put the plants on my back porch, I told them they could cut pieces off anytime they wanted since they were such great helpers.

I painted the pots outside in my front yard and let them dry a few hours, I sprayed them down with the hose, and let them dry again. 
When you purchase your herbs, make sure to keep the information card and transfer it to the herb’s new pot. The cards will help you identify the herb, and it’ll have the proper instructions for taking care of it. When it comes to watering (which doesn’t seem to be my strong suit), it’s pretty simple. If the soil feels dry to touch, it usually needs water. Basil does better when watered more frequently, but plants like lavender do much better with a dryer soil, and that’s why you should keep the info card in the pot until you have it memorized.

I put all of my herbs outside on my patio. For the herbs that needed full sun, I put them along the edge of my deck, and for the ones that needed partial sun, I placed them in the second row with my fence, giving them a bit more shade.
Growing Preferences for Herbs:

Basil – Full Sun, does well in moist soil

Mint – Full to Part Sun

Parsley – Part Sun

Thyme – Full Sun

Rosemary – Full Sun

Catnip – Full to Part Sun

Chives – Full to Part Sun

Lavender – Full Sun, grows better in dry soil

Sage – Full Sun

Oregano – Full Sun

Lemon Balm – Full to Part Sun

Potting Soil: I used Organic Miracle-Gro Nature’s Care Garden Soil.

After planting the soil and herbs into the pots, I made a cup of coffee and started stenciling. I learned quickly that a Sharpie marker was much easier than stenciling with paint.
The best part is if you mess up, you can just paint right over the marker. I may have done this once or twice.

Sticking the plant identification card into the soil after potting will help you when it comes to stenciling the right pot. Even if you don’t plan on labeling or painting the pots, you should still hold onto that card.
It was so exciting when my very first strawberry grew! It was so tiny, but the best reward. 
They turned out so cute! This could also be a great gift idea for someone as a housewarming gift.
There’s nothing better than growing your herbs and produce. I cannot wait to fill my raised garden beds with fresh herbs, berries, and vegetables! My dad is the king of vegetable gardens, so I’ll be using his expertise!
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial If you have any fun gardening projects you’ve done recently, make sure to tag me in them! I love all things garden lately.

Questions for you!

1. What was the last thing you planted?
2. Do you have an herb garden?
3. What is your FAVORITE herb?

You can get a real one or a fake one! I am going to use the fake ones the next time I paint the plaid because I want to be able to use them next year. I don’t want to put myself through the painting process again (even though it’s simple.) I bought paper mache pumpkins at Hobby Lobby that I’ll use to paint the rest of the plaid pumpkins. 
The first thing you’ll want to do is spray paint the pumpkin white, or use chalk paint/acrylic paint. You can leave the stem natural, or paint it a color! I’ve seen some people paint it gold.

When the white paint has dried, use gray paint to run lines down the pumpkin. You can make them any size you want.

Use the same gray paint to run lines around the pumpkin like a checkerboard.

Wherever the lines cross is where you’ll make a black square! This will give you the plaid detail. 
I finished my pumpkin off with a burlap bow that I bought at Hobby Lobby! Even though my painting job is questionable, I love how it turned out. 
The next project I did was my easy fall plank sign!

I found this plank board at Hobby Lobby for $12.99, bought paint markers, and wrote my favorite fall things down the boards! There was nothing to it, but I love how it looks. It’s super subtle, but adds a fun touch to my porch! Now, I’ll need to work on making a Christmas one.
Another little project I did recently was this knock-off of Kirkland’s monogrammed pumpkin! I was shopping at Kirkland’s and loved this pumpkin, but didn’t want to pay $40 for it. I decided to paint a paper mache pumpkin orange, paint on a letter, and add the bow! Now, mine isn’t as nice as the one from Kirkland’s, but I’ll take a $6 knockoff! I also did a quick make-shift garland for the fireplace with these gingham leaves, fabric pumpkins, and twine! I bought all of those materials from Hobby Lobby for under $8!

Questions for you!

1. What is your favorite color of mums?
2. Have you done any DIY this fall?
3. Do you like carving pumpkins?

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I used to blog a lot on Saturday mornings, and I miss it. I woke up around 4:45 this morning because I was super excited to finish my blog post and video for this coffee table I just refurbished. Decorating and fixing up furniture is one of my favorite things to do, and I’ve decided to start sharing more of that on the blog.


Today, I’m sharing my whole process for whitewashing and distressing the coffee table I found on the Facebook marketplace. I’ve been on the lookout for a whitewashed coffee table to match some of the other furniture in my living room for the past month. The ones I loved were outrageously priced, and when I came across an older coffee table on the Facebook marketplace, I knew it had so much potential. I love how it turned out, and the photos do not do it justice. Now, I need to find a fluffy white rug for the living room, and I’ll be set for a cozier Fall. Instead of spending the $500+ on a new coffee table, this enter project cost me around $80 (the coffee table was $40, and the supplies were around $40). There were many supplies left over, so I’ll be able to use them for the next furniture project I tackle. 
I filmed the entire process on my YouTube channel so make sure to check that out for all the details!

For this project, I used:

*Gloves to protect your hands from the stain!
*Protective Eyewear and a Dust Mask
*Decorative Finish Wax
*White Chalk Paint
*Sun Bleached
*Staining Pads
*Cleaner
*Paint Brush (i ended up using a chalk paint sand brush instead of the one pictured)
*Sander with 120 paper
HOW TO WHITEWASH AND DISTRESS YOUR FURNITURE

STEP ONE:
The first thing you want to do is clean your furniture. You’d be surprised what a few dirt marks can do to paint. I thought the furniture was spotless until I took the time to wipe it down. Those small dirt marks can cause paint chips or uneven paint lines.

STEP TWO:
Sand the areas where you’d like to whitewash! I sanded the top of the coffee table and the sides!

STEP THREE:
Clean the sand shavings off the table, and sweep the area around you. You don’t want those sand shavings sticking to your paint.

STEP FOUR:
Flip the table upside down and work on the legs first! I added two coats of white linen chalk paint. Then, I flipped the table back over and covered all the spots I missed with the chalk paint.

STEP FIVE:
Add the stain to the top of the table. Let it dry for about twenty minutes, and do another coat. Do not add too much stain because you’ll be finishing it off with white paint, but you also want the wood patterns to show.

STEP SIX:
Add distressing marks to the legs of the table with your stain cloths. If you add too much stain, use wax to remove it. This came in handy for sure!

STEP SEVEN:
Mix a little water and chalk paint together and add thin brushstrokes to the top of the stain. (the video helps explain this step better!) You’ll continue to add the white paint until you get the tint of whitewash you’re going for.

STEP EIGHT:
Use a fresh pad/cloth to add the wax to the table. Don’t rub too hard because it could potentially bring the stain back up. If you’re looking for a chippy distressed look, then that’ll be the route for you. I didn’t want the chippy look, so I gently added the wax to the coffee table.

STEP NINE:
I let the wax dry for about an hour (it only takes 20-minutes), and then I buffed it out with a towel. You’ll want to be able to run your hands down the table without feeling any tackiness, and that’s how you’ll know you did a great buffing job. If you want a thicker finish, you can also do another round of wax and buffing, but I think one did the trick. After using wax, I don’t think I’ll ever use polyurethane again. I loved the finished look.

STEP TEN:
Wipe down your table one last time, and put it in your living room!

I have a few more Fall Diy crafts I’ll be filming and sharing soon, so I hope you’re in the fall spirit by then! You can also expect a Fall decor home tour. Oh, and that “news” I was talking about? Well, I’ll be sharing it, MONDAY!

I hope you all have the best weekend. Kyle and I will see Alladin the Musical at the Theater tonight, and I can’t wait! Eeek!

Questions for you!
1. Have you ever refurbished an old piece of furniture?
2. Should I go with a fluffy cream rug or a patterned one?
3. Leave me a comment over on Youtube telling me what I should refurbish next!! (kitchen table? nightstands?..)

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