DIY Weathered Chevron Canvas {with tutorial}

This Weathered Chevron Canvas has been my little side project for a while now. If you follow my Instagram Feed, you know my recent quest to find out if I could weather canvas. And the verdict is in. YES, YES and YES. Canvas can be weathered {by hand}. You can all breathe a sigh of relief...I know you've been on pins and needles waiting to know. Well, at least my mom has been. 

This was actually a fairly simple project...just needs some considerable drying time between each step. Annnnnd...it only cost me $6 total. 

I often purchase canvases at my Goodwill. Then I just paint over them and do my own thang. Canvases at art stores can be quite pricey...why spend that much when a coat of white paint can make an old one new again? The above was what this looked like when I #PoppedSomeTags {yes, sadly, I kind of like that song...only because it's about my favorite pastime. I don't love the language. But I do like that he bought a broken keyboard. And I did invent that hashtag back in April. It's a thing now. At least, in my mind it is}.

I digress. 

After coating it with just one coat of white acrylic paint, I measured out and lightly penciled lines across it. There was no rhythm to this. I totally stink at any mathematical equation, so I'm not much help there. But I own a crazy awesome art ruler from the one year I was an art major in 1996. It's the one thing I took away from that year that I still use. And it helped me measure these out and space them to work well for the pattern I wanted. 

I used a double width of painters' tape to create my chevron. Then I smoothed my tape out like crazy.  

In order to prevent that annoying seepage, I used my fail-proof trick that I've shown you before. I went back over my tape with more of my white base coat to seal the tape down. Works like a charm. Every. Single. Time. 

{Let's not talk about the fact that I slightly messed up the pattern a bit on this edge in the above photo...I sanded it out later and weathered it up as best I could. Weathering covers a multitude of sins.}

All sealed up. 

After letting the "sealing" paint dry overnight, I used my black acrylic paint on the top to paint the actual chevron on. I accidentally used my gloss kind of acrylic here...it was what I reached for and, honestly, didn't even realize I had it. But, I'm actually pretty okay with the results. The different textures are kind of interesting.

 Peeling the layers is my FAVE.

After peeling all of the tape, I did the thing I thought I couldn't. I sanded canvas, y'all. And it flippin' worked. Like a boss, it did. 

The only regret is not sanding even more. I just took off a bit of paint here and there. And roughed up the edges quite a bit.  

To give it more of an aged look, I brushed some stain all over the canvas and let it sit for ten minutes or so.

Then I wiped it off, just to give it a slightly dirtied up look. 

It's easiest to keep using the same paper towel and wadding and re-wadding it. Once it's nice and soft and somewhat stain-soaked, it's really easy to work the stain around with.  

Super happy with the way it turned out. 

Details, details. 

I'm about to redo the hallway where my kids' bedrooms are located and plan to put this up in there, along with a gallery wall {that's been a long time coming} on the opposite wall.

What are your favorite things to makeover from thrift stores?

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and at Coastal Charm and Savvy Southern Style

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Salt and Pepper Shakers Makeover #upcycle

Thanks to Goodwill, I got a new set of salt and pepper shakers for a little over $2. With a can of paint and a little love, I'm excited to have these cuties on my dinner table now. Super easy upcycle.

I'll start out by letting you know that our old set of S&P shakers were from my college years. And I was in college in the nineties. So...it was time. Plus, every time you actually shook the old shakers, a little bit of their metallic finish came off as well...right into our food. Yum.

Both pieces for $1.99. Woot, woot! They actually had about five sets of these. Kind of kicking myself for not scooping up all of them. How cute would these {the finished version} have been down my table at a dinner party? Darn it.

I bought this Rustoleum paint since it had primer already in it. Two birds. One stone.

Spray painting in a box is the easiest way to keep the ground {and your car} free from overspray.

After they were completely dry, I brought them into my craft room, errr, messy office, to polka. Dot, that is. I don't really have an actual craft room/space. I craft right here at my desk. If I could actually get my rear in gear and organize this entire room that my family graciously gave me to use entirely by myself for work, I may put together a fun craft space {in my head, I've designed it like five times, repainted twice and moved the furniture a dozen times. It's all good}. But, that is a few projects down the list...or maybe even on page two. I digress. 

Polka dots...

I brought out the fancy tools for this. You know, the end of a new pencil eraser. It was your basic dip into a puddle of paint and dot onto the surface technique. Zero skill actually required here.  

Then I brought them back out to the box to seal with this Valspar sealer {leftover from the ORB projects}. 

Ready to shake it up, baby. 

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and at Coastal Charm and Savvy Southern Style

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Goodwill Lamp Makeover #brassytosassy

As I showed you last week, we've been working in my youngest son's room to transform it into a Star Wars spectacle of sorts. The board and batten came together wonderfully...you can see the post on that here. I'm currently working on all of the details of the room. Lighting is top on my list...his previous lamps were from the boys' nursery and were covered in stars, moons and baby items.

About a month ago, I found a sassy brassy at Goodwill for $4.99.
I loooooove redoing lamps like these. I showed you the ones in my entryway here.

I did need to rough it up a bit to give it a bit of "tooth" to hold onto the paint.

Steel wool was a bit too rough and would leave too much of a mark that paint wouldn't be able to cover. So, I used the scouring side of a sponge to do the job. All I did was rub it with the scouring pad while the pad was still dry. 

Not quite as shiny...ready for paint.

This was the perfect paint for this lamp! I probably could have avoided the scouring step since this paint was intended for metal use, but I tend to be an over-doer on things like this.

I just use light and consistent sprays over and over. It took several layers to get it covered. But this way I avoided drips and got really even coverage.

Then I had one heck of a haul from Goodwill one day last week! Seriously...amazing! Not only did I find that birdcage for my fireplace that day, I stumbled onto this brand new Target drum-shade...only $7.93. Bringing my grand total for this lamp to less than $13 {I had the paint on hand...my stash of spray paint is completely unhealthy for any sane person}.

Loving how it looks in the room {red is going to be my accent color in here}.
That printable was from his Star Wars party last year.
I previously downloaded it from My Sister's Suitcase.

I can't wait to show you more progress as we move forward with more Star Wars craziness!

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Series: Back to School on a Budget, Part One

Oh my...my first vlog is....errrr, interesting. 

Love the look on my face...not!

PART ONE: 
Before you hit the stores, take an in-depth inventory of what you already have.
{To read part two of the series, click here.}

ORB Paint on a Goodwill Lamp

I have serious lamp issues, y'all. This is the third transformation of this lamp, which I originally found at Goodwill a year ago. I *think* it's finally done. 

Where she originally started.

First transformation. Okay...but nothing spectacular. 

Second transformation, still not 100% on what I truly felt about this makeover. It involved foil, Mod Podge & stain. And was messy. In all its finished glory, it just looked dirty. I realized it needed a change when a recent guest exclaimed, "Oh no, what happened to your lamp?" I did. I happened to my lamp.

So I turned to my new BFF, Oil Rubbed Bronze (ORB) Spray Paint. And it's companion...sealer.

I painted it with nice thin layers. You can still see the texture of the foil. I really like that. Unless of course someone stops by and says, "Oh no, what happened to your lamp?" Yes, I have a nagging need for approval. It's beyond annoying, friends. 

And here she is. New shade and all. (Snagged this shade along with its black counterpart on clearance at Tar-jay). I recently saw another blogger who grabbed the same shade on clearance. And proceeded to cover it since she hated the design. I don't hate it. But, if enough of you tell me you do, I may get a complex. Serious need to people please. It's pathetic.

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