Ikea Kitchen Island Cart

This is a cart that I purchased from Ikea and use their own stain in green.  I also added a towel bar on the side, but it is actually a drawer handle that they sell as a set of two. Clever!  It is very functional, because I can always roll it out of the way when we have a large dinner party.  The top is a butcher block, but I applied a couple of coats of mineral oil for a nice deep color and not to mention it protects the wood. Not bad for under $70.

Incredible Finds!

These are some things I've been able to find on the side of the road or in Flea Markets.  Some of them I've modified to make them a little Shabby Chic.

Here is a Rooster Pot Rack that I found on the side of the road last week.  It looks so vintage and farm like.  I love it!  I found a metal tag on it that says, "MEXICO" and all the weld marks definitely indicate handmade.  It will soon replace my old wall pot rack and hang in the middle of my island.

How to make an adorable Owl Pillow.

More pictures and instructions coming soon...

How to make a colorful step stool.

Here is a project that is simple and your little ones will love it.

Supplies:

• 4 wooden legs (I bought these at Home Depot)
• 4 leg brackets (also located in Home Depot or your local hardware store)
• 1 wood plaque or board (I got mine from Hobby Lobby)
• Decorative paper (I used a piece from my scrapbooking books)
• Decoupage glue
• Acrylic paint (4 different colors)
• Sandpaper
• Polyurethane

First, sand both the plaque and legs. Paint the legs. I used four different colors, but you can use any color combination that matches your decor. Place the decorative paper over the plaque and cut it to the shape of the plaque. You might want to use a round or square plaque or board for your first stool. Apply decoupage to the top of the plaque or board and then apply to the bottom of paper. Adhere the paper and smooth it with a foam brush or roller.  After the decoupage has dried about an hour sand the edges very carefully and the excess paper will sand off the edges of the plaque or board making a perfect cut around the edges. Now you can start applying the polyurethane on both the legs and top of plaque or board. You can apply as many coats of Polyurethane as you want. I did 2 coats.  Let it dry and enjoy with your little one.