projects

The months of August and September have been crazy busy for me! I thought for sure that when the kids were back to school that I would have SO MUCH TIME to get all of my housework, work-work, volunteer-work, and DIY fun-work done that I would be literally searching for something to do…WRONG!

Housework has been on hold, work-work has picked up, and volunteer-work comes in almost daily. This means that DIY fun-work gets squeezed in at all hours of the night while everyone is in bed and I am desperately trying to catch up with my “Mom-only” guilty pleasure shows (Mistresses, Devious Maids, Real Housewives of Miami…)

Here’s my latest midnight project:

My Easy DIY Vintage Sewing Cabinet Makeover

My daughter has been asking for her own desk since school started, but she doesn’t have a lot of space in her bedroom. As I was searching for a small table I could transform into a desk, I came across this vintage sewing cabinet at my local thrift.

These are a fairly common item at garage sales and thrift shops. In fact, there were two different ones for sale on the day I found her. Yep, it’s a her….

She was marked at $35 because she came with a working sewing machine installed, still a pretty good deal, but I really just wanted the cabinet. The tag showed that it was the 7th day since she had been put out for sale, so I asked the manager and he brought the price down to $20, machine and all.

This girl weighed a good 40 lbs, so even if I wanted to just tuck away the machine, I knew it would just be way too cumbersome to keep installed. I unscrewed the bolts and set the massively heavy machine aside for my upcoming charity yard sale.

As part of my search for a desk, I had come across a new (to me, at least) line of chalk paints at a local home goods consignment shop and I decided to try some out.

I fell in LOVE with this coral color called Gypsy by Vintage Market & Design Furniture Paint. I coordinated it with some Annie Sloan Provence, used the Annie Sloan clear wax and left the hardware with its existing patina. Not much work, but boy, what an update!

My daughter LOVES it, and it fits right into the little corner of her bedroom. I’m still debating whether to hang a basket in the hole where the sewing machine was or to cover the hole completely with a thin piece of board, but for now she can do her homework in the comfort of her own room.

Adorable, right?? Now on to search for the perfect chair!

Click here to see the amazing sites where this and my other projects are linked!

Other\ fun parties:
Saavy Southern Style

My ‘lil guy just turned 4! He chose the theme for his party: Heroes v Villains. It was so much fun!

One of his requests was that all party goers be able to make a cape and a mask. My response? “Perfect!”

The capes were so simple and fun to make I couldn’t help but share. So here you go.

Start with a paper grocery bag. Open it up completely and start cutting at the side seam.

Continue to cut across the bottom and all the way around to the other side seam.

Cut a semi-circle in the middle of the bottom flap (this is where the cape will fit around the child’s neck)

Next, open the edges of the circle where they are glued together and trim the ends so they are even.

Then, gently peal off the handle and your cape is almost done.

Finally, punch holes at the sides of the neck and tie ribbon through the holes.

Now the kids are free to decorate and get creative!

One of my favorite little crafters, hard at work!

These were so much fun and totally FREE to make. And you know us Aqua gals adore a bargain.

Fit for a Superhero and a great Halloween craft as well!
I know what you’re thinking, “I can do that.” Know what? You can. And you should. Because we also discovered that if you turn it around to your front it makes an awesome adult-sized bib for eatin’ lots of BBQ!