A Mod Podge Paint Chip Box

Do you collect paint chips like I do?  I don't know what it is about those little pieces of painted paper that make me want to hold on to them - I guess it is the decorating possibilities they represent!  

Anyways, normally my paint chips are scattered around the house because I have been too lazy to find a place to keep them never designated a place to keep them.  Today this is changing!  I used Mod Podge to transform a little vintage suitcase into a paint chip box!

I was so excited to start this project that I dove right in and completely forgot to take a good "before" picture! 

You can see the green suitcase in this picture - it's kind of ratty looking but I think it was just well loved in a previous life. I added black paint around the edges of the opening to make a border around the scrapbook paper, which I added later.

By the way, for this project I am using black craft paint, Mod Podge, Krylon Preserve It, and an assortment of brushes, cutters and other tools (aka my pancake spatula).

After finishing the black border I painted the entire bottom of the case black and began "Mod Podging" (is that a word??) the scrapbook paper in place.  I used the spatula to smooth out the bubbles before it dried.

Once the paper was in place on the top I added the flower, which is really three flowers and a center glued together with Mod Podge, and the little label that says "Paint Chips".  Because I printed the label on my ink jet printer I first gave it a good coat of Preserve It to make sure the ink didn't run after the Mod Podge went on.  In this picture the final coat of Mod Podge is still wet.

The inside of the case definitely needed an update!

So I painted the side walls back and added more scrapbook paper and a top coat of Mod Podge.  Then it was off to sit in front of the fan because I am not the most patient person.

After the front and inside of the case was finished I used my Mod Podge to add more scrapbook paper to the back.

And now my paint chips have a home of their very own!

I am linking this project up to the CSI Project's Mod Podge Challenge, and to Todays Creative Blog's link party, to Someday Crafts: Whatever Goes Wednesday to We're Organized Wednesday at Organize and Decorate Everything and to Paisley Passion's Thrilling Thursday. Go on over and see all the creative projects that have been entered! 

I'm a closet blogger!

Centsational Girl is having a fun link party called "Where do you blog?". Well, I just couldn't resist linking up!  You see, I am a closet blogger - that's right, I blog in my closet turned home office!  

My office is in our Family Heritage guest bedroom, I posted about this room the other day and you can read about it here if you missed it.

 Below are a few pics of my little blogging room home office closet:

So, where do you blog?  Head on over to Centsational Girl's site and check out the party!

80's Kitchen Update + a question for you...

Update September 3 2010:  This post was featured on Remodelaholic!  Go here to check it out.  Thanks Remodelholic!!

This is a "before" shot of my kitchen - can you hear it screaming for an update??? (please excuse all the junk sitting around - I really should have cleaned!!)

When I built this house in 1987 I was so very proud to have solid oak kitchen cabinets.  Boy, did I learn to hate them!  Not that there is anything really wrong with oak, it is a nice wood with lots of grain and it was very popular in the 80s. 

So, not being brave enough to take on painting oak myself, I hired a professional.

 And this is what it looks like today.  Big change, huh?  Let me show you around...

Cabinets were painted BM Navajo White then slightly distressed and glazed with min-wax provincial stain mixed with a glazing medium. We updated all the hardware to oil rubbed bronze and replaced the old green laminate counter tops with granite.

Anyways, this is my new microwave hood - we love the dimension it adds to the cabinets! I think the coloring in some of these pictures is off because the cabinets are more creamy white than yellow.

Do you see the feet underneath the cabinets?  We think they add some character.  Also you will notice the old scalloped thingy over the windows has been replaced with this straight one.

We had this cabinet built and used the granite remnant from where they cut out our sink.  (By the way those two pics hanging to the right of the cabinet - I painted those myself!) I love the little feet on this cabinet - see close up below. 

Aren't they so cute!!

That's our pantry to the left of the dining room door.  We wanted it to look more like furniture so we had a furniture type molding added to the bottom.

This is a close up of the pantry molding.

The side of our pantry and some of the cabinets were very plain so our cabinet maker/painter guy added these bead board end caps. He also added a bead board back splash for us.

I took this pic from the sink area so you can see our breakfast nook. By the way we painted the kitchen BM Decatur Buff - a color I will most definitely  use again.  I also updated the rug to one with more of my most favorite color red.

By the way, this is the original island - can you believe it?  We added a new spalted maple top, corbels, new drawer pulls and the cabinet painter guy painted it black with copper glazing. I could have kissed him!!!  Take another look at the before below.  I really didn't think the "before" island was so ugly until it was updated and I looked back at this pic! I love that the top is longer now so I can pull up a bar stool (if I ever get one!).

We also had this little drop down door added beneath the stove.  When we replaced the stove several years ago it left a space at the bottom. Now I can use it to store trays!  Yippee - more storage space!

So, once again here is the before and after shots. 

I love to wake up in the morning and stroll into the kitchen for a cup of joe!

We still have some work to do - I would love to add recessed lighting and replace that ugly fluorescent fixture with a hanging one. 

Now a question for you - would you add a window treatments???  I sometimes think with all the hard surfaces a little soft fabric might make it more homey.  My husband disagrees.  What do you think?  I really appreciate your feedback!

Update:  Some of you have asked for additional pics of the cabinet feet and the cabinet insides.  So, here you go and thanks for the questions and comments!  (By the way, please forgive my messy floor and disorganized spices!!)

This is a close up of the feet, which are glued in place.  We had to cut off about an inch from the back of the feet so they would fit underneath the cabinets and molding.  (What a dirty floor - it really wasn't expecting a close-up today!)

The feet stick out about a half inch or so in front of the cabinet molding - not the top part of the feet, just the big curvy part.  I really like this look!

This is the inside of my dish cabinet and below is the inside of my spice cabinet. 

We didn't have the insides of our cabinets painted - I just didn't see any reason to paint in there and if I had of I would have had to empty all the cabinets and I am way too lazy for that!  It really doesn't bother me at all - it is a gentle reminder of just how far the kitchen has come!

I am linking this before and after to:




and to

Guest Bedroom Tour

So a few days ago I posted a sneak peek of our Family Heritage guest bedroom/office.  (If you missed it you can find it here.) I finally got off my lazy rear end around to doing a little cleaning in there so I can finally take you on a tour.   This is truly one of my most favorite rooms in our house!

This pic was taken from the door looking across the bed.  In this room the headboard, dressing table and chest of drawers belonged to my grandmother on my mother's side.  I bought the night stand at a little antique store about a year ago and while it is not exactly the same it is the same style and I think works well in the room. The plaid blanket is from my father-in-law's childhood days and he was willing to contribute it to the room.

On the other side of the bed I have this old typewriter table from my grandmother on my daddy's side.  When she passed away it was being used in her kitchen as extra counter space.  Don't you just love the aged look to it?  I hate to admit it but I really have not ever cleaned it up much.  I like it just like it is!  I love, love, love the little red metal chair!  It was a bargain at $29 at Marshalls!

Underneath the typing table I keep this great coloring book from Anthropologie and some crayons.  I like my guest of all ages to have fun and I admit I have colored a few of the cool pages myself!  (Seriously, it is NOT your average coloring book - check it out!).

My mother and daddy made the shadow box on the bottom to display some of my baby things.  I love the fact that they used fabric from one of my old prom dresses for the backdrop!  Can't believe I was ever that small!  The shadow box on the top I bought at Hobby Lobby and put in a few of my husband's baby things.  I love the way they look together, even though they really don't match.

Next to the chest is a photograph display spindle purchased from Pottery Barn several years ago.  I love to change out the pics!

The cubby hanging over the chest hold all kinds of family treasures - an old fishing reel that belonged to my hubby's grandfather, his daddy's fishing license from 1950, a little clay bird on a nest with eggs my husband made when he was a child, old letters from his granddaddy to his grandmother before they wed,  photographs and even a baseball signed by his great uncle Rip Sewell who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates.  

I found these cool postcard racks at Pottery Barn a few years ago and think they are just perfect to hold old family letters!  The silhouettes are from the 60's and were given to me by my mother-in-law - there is one of my husband and each of his three brothers.

My husband's grandfather was a dentist and the chair in the corner was from his waiting room.  There is old chewing gum stuck under the seat which I find hilarious! (Can't you just imagine waiting to see the dentist and sticking your gum under your chair when your name is called!).  The doll was given to me by my husband's great aunt Elaine, who passed away at 88 yrs old in June of this year. She loved to play dolls as a child and this was her favorite one.

When I was a little girl I loved to sit at my grandmother's dressing table and put on her powder.  Now I can sit at it anytime I want!  Her powder box is still front and center! The stool is an old singer sewing stool that I recovered in my most favorite color - red!

And last but not least here is my home office - built right into the closet. I took one of the red pillows from the bed (well, really from Pottery Barn) to the paint store and had them match the paint for the closet.  (Did i mention that red is my most favorite color yet?). The closet is not a big one but it functions well as my office.  My dad helped me with the desk top. He found an old pocket door at the Habitat re-store and attached it to some wood cleats he screwed into the studs.  In this office I have my computer, my ink jet printer, my laser printer, a scanner (stored underneath the desk top) and lots of storage boxes on shelves.  Best part is I can shut the door and no one can see my mess!

You can see the desk and shelves a little better in this pic.

Below are just a few extra pics of the details in the room:

So that is our family heritage guest bedroom/office.  I hope you liked the tour and feel inspired to gather your family treasures and create your own special space for them!