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MY DIY | Thrifted Dining Table Chairs Makeover

I did some major antiquing a few weekends ago, and high on my list was dining room chairs for a Barnhouse project with my amazing longtime sponsor, Krylon^® Brand.

I did not know exactly the shape I was looking for, but knew that I wanted to paint them with this SUPER pretty Krylon^® Italian Olive color. I stopped at 5 different thrift stores, picking up different chairs along the way (each were only $6), thinking that I would use 4 mismatched chair and just spray-paint them all the same color. Then, on my last stop, I found 4 matching ones for $30, score!! They were that awful orange wood, and I didn’t love all the detail, but thought they might look more modern painted the beautiful deep green. They honestly turned out even better than I thought they would!!!

I started by sanding the topcoat with my mouse sander to rough up the topcoat, then sprayed on about 5 light coats of Krylon^® ColorMaster™ Paint + Primer – 25% More in Satin Italian Olive, letting them dry in between each coat. Don’t worry about it being patchy the first couple coats, the key is light layers to build up the color and keep it from dripping. The color looked SO rich when it was done. The satin finish has some sheen, and I really wanted a matte finish that almost looked like chalk paint, so I tried the Krylon^® Matte Finish Clear. I was super impressed with how flat the color looked after it dried! What do you all think?! All I have left to do is find a larger oval table to replace the game table I painted with chalkboard paint, and I’ll be ready to host a dinner party! (more…)

MY DIY | Marble Tile Tray with Brass Handles

Happy New Year All! I am back after the holiday break and so excited for all the home projects I have planned in 2019. But first, I have to revist one the MOST FUN events I went to in 2018, Man vs. Glue. I’ve use Krazy Glue for years creating DIY projects, so when they asked me to come out to NYC to watch The World Strongest Man, Hafthor Björnsson (aka The Mountian on Game of Thrones) lift all sort of things held together with just a couple drops of Krazy Glue, I said “Heck ya!!”. The event did not disapoint, Hafthor is hilarious, and ridiculously strong, he lifted a bench holding three people (check out the photo of us after the break!) When I got back home I decided to create a couple trays to do some heavy lifting at my new house. First up, I used the left over tile that I LOVE from the master bathroom to make a little tray for my toiletries by gluing on handles with just a couple drops of Krazy Glue. Then I attached a set of handles to a marble cheeseboard to make a little serving tray. I was so impressed I can actually pick it up becuase the board is super heavy! (more…)

MY DIY | Minimalist Live Edge Electric Fireplace

This may be my favorite projects yet!! When I was dreaming up the design for the living room in the Barnhouse renovation, I KNEW I wanted a fireplace on the back wall because it’s the first thing you see when you walk into the house, plus I wanted to make the room feel super cozy. I am still waiting on the furniture, but wanted to snap some photos because so many followed along with the process on ISPYDIY Instagram (check out the fireplace highlight) and have already started building your own!

The basics: A few things before you start! The project took about 5 days to complete working on it for around 2 hours each day. The materials cost approximately $150 and the fireplace insert was $300. We went with an electric insert because we wanted a shallow profile, this insert is only 8in deep. I would not recommend this tutorial if you are using a gas insert. Our electrician installed a 3 prong outlet on the floor to plug in the electric fireplace, check the requirements on the insert you pick. We hid all the cords within the wall, and they can be accessed by pulling out the insert. And we scored The Frame 55″ TV by Samsung on Black Friday (totally worth the money it looks like art when the TV is off!), which lays flat to the wall and looks like art when it is off. There is a components box that we hid behind the TV, and we just have Netfix and Hulu so there is no cable box. Ok, here we go! (more…)