Head over to Sunflower Hugs to see how she re-vamped these 4 tables (hint: they are all awesome).

{Sunflower Hugs}

You will not believe the gorgeous find Penny scored at a yard sale for $10!!

{Penny’s Vintage Home}

I love this house number idea at DIY With Grant & Kiley!

{DIY With Grant & Kiley}

Do you guys compost? I’ve been thinking about it, but the pre-made bins are so expensive. Check out this DIY version at Dude, Sustainable!

{Dude, Sustainable}

Now it’s time to share your projects from this week! Let’s get ‘er going. Remember to take a look around at some of the other projects, we come here to be inspired!

Spring is here at last!

I love love love outdoor entertaining, which is why I've been working really hard on the landscaping/gardening this year despite the weather set backs. A few weeks ago I started tackling the patio, dusting off winter if you will. That included removing our old fire pit (which was rusting and looking awful). I had plans to build something new, maybe a raised fire wall type thing but that would be several months if not years down the road  (you know, along with a sweet outdoor kitchen and brick oven…)

But then I got an email from TIKI to see if I wanted to try one of their TIKI Brand Fire Sculptures. Fire-pit-less and  a TIKI fan already, I couldn't believe my luck! Of course I said yes, and they sent one along. Fortunately after weeks of rain, I got some good weather to set it up!

Keep in mind the area is still a work in progress But I tried my best to get things looking pretty decent so you can see how cool this product really is! 

It's light but sturdy- we get a lot of wind and haven't had a problem with it blowing out or blowing over…but I can move it inside to store it with no problem at all! Also it's SO much less smokey than our old firepit. My contacts will thank me.

It's smaller in footprint but taller, so it actually fits my space perfectly. We have more walking room, but it still anchors that corner nicely. Oh, and these can also use the bug repellent oil, OFF! Torch Fuel. I'll definitely be putting that in when the weather gets hot and the mosquitos come to town. 

I tried to take a few pictures as the sun went down, but it's really hard to capture how much light this actually puts off (again the reason I like to have it at the corner of the patio!)

I can't wait to have people over this summer and really use it! As my friend and neighbor Amy commented, "It's super posh." She also mumbled something about being too good for a regular ol' fire pit now {snickers}. 

Since it is hard to photograph, I took a little video for you Check it out HERE

Are you looking for some illumination for your patio/backyard this summer? TIKI Brand Fire Sculptures and TIKI Brand Flame & Solar Torches are available exculsively at Home Depot! Seriously head over and check out the new product offering, they have a lot of new styles that will fit in with any decor (I mean, I love a classic bamboo TIKI, but we don't exactly live at the beach). For more inspiration, you can check out  TIKI Brand on Facebook. A lot of us will be sharing photos and videos over there!

Do any of you have one of these? What do you love about it?

Let’s take a look at the top viewed links from last time:

You all went crazy for this living room makeover at The Turquoise House, and I can see why! I love the before, but the after is even more stunning. Simple, but powerful!!

{The Turquoise House}

Check out this awesome list of 5 Things NOT to buy at My Snippets of Inspiration. These are great tips to save money and time!

{My Snippets of Inspiration}

Believe & Inspire shared some pretty desk organizers, and let’s be honest, who couldn’t use more organization in their lives?

{Believe & Inspire}

Head over to Peanut Life Adventures for a quick 1 hour bread recipe!

{Peanut Life Adventures}

And now it’s time for this week’s party!

Here’s the best before picture I could get…it’s really hard to tell, but this looks most definitely blue in person. I’ve had other people over to look to make sure I wasn’t imagining it! I was still experimenting when I stopped, which left this not-so-sweet gradient effect. Ombre is not cool on the plank wall.

So I got out a bunch of stain colors, some brown, grey, reddish, and black, and I started going to town. My goal was to create that weathered wood look, not necessarily a beachy white-wash. Sooo…I tried a few things, and I think it’s getting better. I haven’t done the whole wall yet (sorry about the shadow), but here’s a peek.

I think the layers create a more interesting look, versus just a flat white-wash. I wanted the wood to look like each piece had maybe seen different conditions and age, so I’ll be working more on that this week. But at least most of the wall is a uniform shade now, and it doesn’t look blue in person I like the softness of this over the older dark stain, since I’m planning to re-paint and re-decorate in there. I actually SOLD my beloved Union Jack Dresser. Again, sorry about the lighting!

Look for big changes in the coming weeks!

Today it’s Sesame Kale and Cabbage Salad

Adapted from HERE (click through for the method- it’s important!) My notes are in bold

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar (or unsweetened rice wine vinegar if not grain free)
• 1 Tablespoons real maple syrup (preferably grade B) (raw honey also works!)
• 1 Tablespoon gluten free soy sauce (or coconut aminos for a soy free alternative)
• 1 clove of garlic, finely minced (actually I leave this out…too lazy to mince!)

For the Salad:

• 1 small bunch lacinato kale (also known as Tuscan kale) (or any kale really)
• 1 small head (or half of a larger head) of Napa cabbage, shredded (or red cabbage!)
• 1 baby bok choy, thinly sliced (I leave this out)
• 4 carrots, shaved into long strips with a peeler
• 2 Tablespoons hemp seeds (or toasted sesame seeds) (I use sesame)
• Freshly ground pepper to taste

Of course I had to do this right before my mom’s visit, so when it went horribly wrong I just closed the door after she left- leaving my experiment out of sight and out of mind.

Admittedly I’ve never white-washed before, but I read a few tutorials and thought I knew what I was doing. But the walls look BLUE! I don’t know if I need to put more paint on, or use a different white, or what. But they most definitely have a light blue tint. I painted on top of a dark walnut like stain thinking I’d end up with a nice grey wash. Err….not so much. Anyone have any expert advice? I mean I’m not opposed to going to full-on paint if necessary (the backup plan), but I’d kinda like the grey/rustic/wood look to show through. Here’s what I painted over:

I can’t get a good shot of what it looks like now because the lighting in there is bad…it’s not really capturing the true color. But after 2 coats of watered down Sherwin Williams “Creamy,” it looks definitely blue-ish. I’m planning to re-paint in there anyways, but I’d love to save my rustic wood plank look!!

Wow I am so glad to know that I am apparently not the only toilet paper obsessed person out there Thank you to everyone who entered and the winner is…

Susan C!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please email me at lovelycraftyhome@gmail.com to claim your prize!

In other news, I know it’s been a bit slow on the projects around here, my time and monetary resources have been tied up in other places. But the good part is that some of that is going to a bit of freshening up on the site- including (finally!) an integrated Pinterest button as well as a project/tutorial gallery that actually works And I was just alerted to the fact that many of you view my website from a mobile-ish device, so the new layout is promising to be mobile friendly.

My mom came to town a couple of weeks ago, and now I’m jetting off to Boston for a dear friend’s wedding later this week. So it’s been kind of hard to get into projects of a substantial nature in between all of this. I’ve also been working heavily on the yard/garden during the apparently rare Spring like weather that emerges from the never ending Winter.  And I’m sure you don’t want weekly updates with seedling pictures. Unfortunately that’s a time sensitive project, which has become a spare time hog.

But I do believe my Encore countertop kit came yesterday I can’t wait to get started on that. In any case, thanks for bearing with me during the lull.

So, let’s see what you’ve been up to.

I’m sure if you’ve been trolling Pinterest at all, you’ve seen the tutorials for faux mercury glass involving spray bottles and Looking Glass spray paint. So when I finally decided (after what, 2 years?) to paint the lamp next to the couch, I knew I had to give that process a go. The only problem? The lamp isn’t glass.

Yeah, ok…minor details. I figured maybe I could try it anyway, I mean I really had nothing to lose.

I couldn’t find the Looking Glass paint, so I bought the shiniest Chrome I could find. I’m sure there is a reason you’re supposed to use mirror paint, but you know I was trying to do this like rightnow. I believe you can get the paint on Amazon, if you are a patient person who plans. Alas I am not.

After cleaning the lamp and taping up the important parts, I began the method of spritzing on water, painting, then dabbing. At first I thought it might work, but then I realized that because I didn’t have the clear glass underneath, I wasn’t getting the right look. It just looked like a shiny metal lamp.

I brought it inside, and it was just really too bright and “new” looking for the space. When all else fails, paint and re-paint. I got some dark brown and black craft paint from my stash, along with some gray metallics (from my hutch paint job). Armed with a sponge brush and a crumpled plastic grocery bag, I painted and dabbed my way from chrome-tastic to nicely aged.

I’m not sure I still like the shade, but I’m living with it for now. I LOVE the base though Now all I need is some new upholstery on that couch!