Repurposing: From Thrift Store Drawer to Serving Tray

 

Mr. Chocolate laughed at me when we were talking about the need for a serving tray to bring things from the kitchen to the patio. We've been eating outside since the weather's been nice. The reason he laughed is I said "Oh I'll go to the Jimmy Carter store" (aka the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store store) and look for something I can use. He said "Well, I was thinking of Amazon, but OK". Pffffftttttt.

I was originally thinking I'd use a cabinet door but they were all beveled and I wanted something flat. Right next to those were other things salvaged from the cabinets and they had a couple of shallow drawers. I said to myself "Self, even better because it has sides so things won't slide off" and the lady nearby looked at me like "There there dear" since I said it to myself out loud. 

Supplies:

• Shallow Drawer
• Handles
• No Prep Acrylic Paint (Waverly) and Sealer
• Dollar Tree Wallpaper Sheets

This is the drawer I got for $5! And they threw in the handles for free when I said what I planned to make! I want to go back because I saw this very cool large ornate frame I hope is still there. 

It came with the slides on so I removed them and being a good Maker, set them aside until my brain comes up with something to do with them or I'll donate them back because you never know what people are looking for.

I painted the bottom black with Craft Smart multi surface paint. 

Then, I painted the rest with Waverly No-Prep Acrylic paint in Truffle. The drawer was already lined with contact paper which I left on until I was done painting.

The contact paper pulled up easily leaving clean lines for my own lining. 

You know those Dollar Tree Wallpaper sheets? Enter those. I tried to line up the patterns since I had to use more than one sheet and let's face it, stuff's going on top of it so yes, the little seam shows but who cares!

Here's the tray fully lined. 

I don't seal every project but this one I did. I used the corresponding Waverly sealer which goes on milky and dries clear. The recommendation is to let it dry for 24 hours which I did, then buffed with a soft lint free cloth.

I used E-6000  glue to attach the handles. I'm not intending to carry really heavy things on this so I think that'll suffice. 

And now, Mr. Chocolate is a believer! 

Valentine's or Anytime: Beaded Garland Tile Wall Art

 

Sharing another project made using a DT peel and stick tile. This is something I'll leave up year round in our bedroom.

Supplies:

• Dollar Tree Peel and Stick Tile
• Waverly White No Prep Paint
• Beaded Garland
• Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
• Embellishments

You already know the basics with these versatile tiles. I centered my heart template and cut out the shape, then painted it with white Waverly No Prep paint. 

I had this beaded garland from Walmart in my Christmas stuff but ended up not using it so I "de-strung" them and used the white beads, saving the others for future projects. 

I started at the center of the heart and glued beads around the heart. 

After getting all of the beads attached, time to embellish!

I had these heart locks in my stash that seemed perfect for this, so I grabbed them along with some bright silver self-adhesive "rhinestones" from DAISO, the Japanese dollar store. I loved DAISO when I was in the PNW, was thrilled when they opened up north in the Phoenix Metro area dnd beyond thrilled when we finally got one up in Tucson and we're getting another one! 

I attached one of the heart locks to the center of the tile using Diamond Glaze dimensional glue, then ran the metal rhinestones as shown.

To finish, I attached some black ribbon since I knew I was going to hang it, and made a coffee filter flower to top it off. 

But wait! If you follow any blogs or Makers who are in DT as much as I am you've likely seen some of their new additions to decor items. These were a no-brainer for me when I saw them and were perfect accents to this piece. 

It's rare that I don't alter or embellish my DT finds but this I left alone, placing one on either side of the heart and adding a coffee filter flower to the top. 

Sharing At

Creatively Crafty Linky Party #235

From Dollhouse to Gingerbread House

 

I originally picked these up to make a Haunted House but with my knee accident...Gingerbread House instead! 

Supplies:

• Plastic Dollhouse (Dollar Tree)
• White Glue
• Acrylic Craft Paint
• Puff Paint
• Waverly Chalk Paint (See NOTE)

This was the style of house I found and bought two since the can hook together to make them 3D. You could use just one to make a facade. I know there was another style but I've been unable to find anymore of these in the bajillion Dollar Trees I've scouted! 

NOTE: I just knew I had an all surface / no pimer required paint on hand. Didn't. So if you don't, this is what I did. But I would STRONGLY recommend using that kind and as you'll see later, there's one that works GREAT! 

My solution was to cover the houses with a coat of white glue to give the paint I did have something to adhere to. After that was dry, I used a white acrylic paint as a base coat. 

I then chose my "gingerbread" colors. I thought I'd use both shown here but ended up doing just the "Brownstone" Glitter paint.

I really like how the glitter catches the light. I ended up doing two coats on each half. 

Since I knew I was going to join the two halves, it bugged me that you'd be able to see the pink through the windows. When I went to get the Puff Paint at Walmart, I found they had 2oz bottles of Waverly Chalk No Prep Paint so I got a one in brown. Lemme tell you...I love this stuff and will be getting more! I used that on the inside to cover the pink.

Your imagination is once again your guide. I wanted a classic simple brown and white but you could go wild with Puff Paint colors. As mentioned, I found the Puff Paint at Walmart. Also, while each half has hinges that imply they snap together it's "meh" on that so I used hot glue to make sure they were really held together. 

I got White and Diamond. If you get the Diamond, use it over the white after it's dried unless you want a fairly transparent look. I then just freehanded designs with squiggles and dots because snow's not perfect right? Just follow your instincts. I let each side dry overnight so I wouldn't smudge. 

When I put this out, I'll scatter some epsom salt around the house and add a few bottlebrush trees. 

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Creatively Crafty Linky Party #225