When the kids are away, mommy will DIY

I know I'm not alone when I say I have cute projects that I'd love to do - pinned to some over crowded Pinterest boards. Well earlier this week my husband took the kiddos to visit his folks - and I actually got a few done! It took me less than a hour to do both and I'm pretty happy with the outcomes - although I did face a few bumps.

My first project was inspired by the lovely - but way too expensive to justify purchasing, Larkin 6-drawer dresser in Mint from the Land of Nod. I've been thinking about this dresser since last Christmas. I finally bought some Folk Art chalk paint in this lovely green "Irish" color from Zulily a few weeks ago.

It was a really fast project. That chalk paint is great - if you haven't used it before, it doesn't require any prepping of the furniture and it is super matte and vintage looking when it dries. Just beautiful. My picture of our dress above doesn't quite do it justice - because it hadn't dried all the way so the coloring looks a little uneven.

I also think I'd like new drawer handles to lighten it up a bit.

My second project was replacing the lamp shade in our closet. This was the post I found originally that inspired me. All you have to do is take a drum lamp shade and attach it to the mounted part of your old fixture with zip ties. I did have a few failed attempts - I bought the wrong kind of drum shade (has to have a "spider" fitter.) and then I couldn't get the zip ties to fit into the holes of the mount.

I ended up just connecting the screws to the spider fitter with the zip ties and it worked fine. I do like it better than the old covering that was in there - but this was a bit of a hassle considering how easy it seemed.

Anyways - not bad for a free hour around that house if I do say so myself.

Next up? Make my own sheepskin rug. Wanna know more of the projects, trips and goodies I dream about? Just follow me on Pinterest!