Dixie Belle Wooden Crock Redo

The rusty and neglected call to me. They must be repurposed to a life of tangible value yet again...
This is why I have a growing stash of other's castoffs.
Time for a Christmas Season DIY redo:

I loved this wooden crock when I first spied it at a tag sale.

I mixed some Swamp Mud and a bit of Gulf chalk paint.

I scraped it across a snowflake stencil I created last year. 

**Remember NOT to wash the Swamp Mud into your plumbing. Wipe off with paper towels and dispose in trash.

Using a chip brush I covered the outside of the crock and lid with Fluff chalk paint... 

No perfection required, very forgiving products.

I let it dry and painted another coat.

Using a fine grit sandpaper I sanded back to some of the Gulf color on the snowflakes and distressed back to the wood in other areas.

Taking a dab of the clear paste wax I rubbed it in all over the painted areas and then buffed with a soft, lint-free cloth.

Finally a thin coat of the gold glaze over the wax coat adds just a bit of shimmer; it floats the glaze color.

So easy peasy and yet looks like you spent hours on it. Fill with cookies or other treats to give as a hostess gift or display on your table with greenery in a tablescape.

Let us know what DIY you have created this season, we'd love to see it.
Ciao for now,
-Trish Alger

ReDo old ornaments like new!

We have a video that shows how you can make Americana, old world, rustic touches for recycled decorating.  

Most of all, remember....

The magic of Christmas is in the eyes of children

OK, let's see how to make these wonderful ornaments...We all have those old ornaments that are dingy or battered from use and being packed away.  Here is a great recycle to keep them rather than throwing them away.

Think about unusual colors and how they will stand out on your tree or your front door decor.   Plum crazy, Gulf, and many more funs colors are waiting!  

Thanks for viewing.

Making Dixie Belle Ornaments

You do not even need a brush!

Create personalized ornaments for the family and your friends.   Add sparkle with glitters or make it homey with buttons and ribbons.  

Order your paints and accessories for so many projects!

Do you GOO?

There are so many uses for Dixie Belle products

This video uses Goo and Shine to create a gorgeous luminary

ENJOY

Stay tuned for ornaments made with 

Dixie Belle too!

Thrift Store Silver Platter into a Chalk Board

Thanks for joining me and  DIY Design Studio.   I have for you a quick upcycle project. 

I bet we have all seen these pretty (yet tarnished) silver serving trays at the thrift and antique shops, right?  They make great upcycled pieces.  Today, with the help of Dixie Belle Chalk Paints, I turned one into a cute little chalkboard for my kitchen.  It is the perfect size for a little grocery list. 

And, here is what I did.

 

I started with my silver tray after giving a good cleaning. 

I did not sand the piece first. 

That is the great part of Dixie Belle, in most cases no sanding needed for your first step.  

 Next, I applied two coasts of Apricot.  Then, a light dry brushed coat of Dried Sage. 

Then, I added another coat of Apricot to "hide" the Dried Sage.

I then gave it a little sanding with this easy to hold sanding sponge.

This reveals the layers of color down to the silver.

 I then, sealed it with Satin Clear Coat Sealer. 

Then, came 2 coats of chalkboard paint in the center.  

 Yay, it is finally dry. 

With chalkboard paint it is recommended to let it dry for 24 hours

before "conditioning" it and writing on it.  Shhhh,

I didn't quite wait that long and it seems fine.

 Here we have the "conditioning" part. 

This is basically like seasoning your cast iron skillet or crepe pain. 

You take a piece of chalk and lay it on its side and just color in the entire chalkboard area. 

Then, wipe clean with a paper towel.

 I love how it brought out all that great etching in the silver.

 Oooh  Aaah....

 And, here you have it...a cute little chalkboard that will hang in my

kitchen where everyone can add to our ever growing grocery store list.

Thanks so much for joining me today.  I hope you are inspired to grab a great thrift store find and get upcycling with Diy Design Studio and Dixie Belle Paints.

~Stephanie

Here is a list of supplies used for this project;
Silver Tray
Dixie Belle Paints and Sealer
Chip Brush
Sanding Sponges
Paper towel
Chalkboard paint
Chalk

Countdown to Christmas has begun!!!!

Use your DIXIE BELLE PAINTS to create your gift giving Christmas Ornaments.  I had these tiny star boxes in my stash that were just waiting for the perfect project.  I have turned them into little sea vignettes....

 

Using both the box and lids create twice as many little vignettes!

 

 

The little star boxes were painted with DIXIE BELLE Sea Glass Chalk Paint! 

 

Some of them have Washi Tape wrapped around the outside.

 

Small burlap squares make the perfect background.  

 

Dew Drops add a bit of sparkle!

 

Use tacky glue to attach embellishments

 

This box lid I left the back unpainted.

 

Others are painted inside and out!

 

Finally attach a twine hanger (to be added) 

 

Enjoy creating your own little ornaments...

 

These could be used all year round!

 

 

New fantastic items to inspire you

What sparks your imagination?  


Is it color?

Is it style?

Is it plain to pizzazz possibilities?

We found some fab items that fit the bill for all reasons.

Another Brick in this Wall Stencil 

Wood appliques for cigar boxes, painted furniture, decorative add-ons to any project, book, journal or gift.  Simply glue one and PAINT or STAIN or GLAZE.

Make sure to stop by and see  new stock items and find how you can create with paint, glazes, and waxes.

Create your own absolutely one of a kind pieces.

Same piece of furniture sanded and cleaned. Add Dixie Belle Paint, Swamp Mud texture and Stencil for an amazing makeover.



Here is another idea for you....ceiling tile embossed wallpaper applied  and painted.  AMAZING results!   

YOU're the redo Star & your furnishings can be truly AMAZING.

Thanks for visiting us. 

reDIY of a DIY--flea market find blanket chest

I love flea market finds!  I'm a complete sucker for the 75% off booths, which is where this blanket chest originated.

You can tell from the tape measure that it's a pretty good size, and it's been painted with a crackle finish. 

Ask me how much it cost.

It was $3.75!!!  

Admit it.  You would have bought it for $3.75, too, right?

Anyway I want it to be red, so get out the chalk paint . . . 

It's just a coat of red, with a creme wax coating, but the crackles and the blue beneath make it look like I really worked on it.  Kind of like stealing the effect from someone else's DIY efforts, so a thank you to the original blue painter person!  I suppose the lesson here is, don't be afraid of a previous DIY.  If you don't like previous DIY, just reDIY it.

We've been hunting for a chair for this spot, but until then, this $3.75 find has lots of storage and is sturdy enough to use as a bench.  (It's currently full of blankets and the daughter's coloring books/colored pencil stash.)

Spooky Altered Bottle

I am in love with the entire DIY scene! I have scads of empty glass bottles in my garage just waiting for an opportunity like this:

Dixie Belle Chalk paint is perfect for covering glass bottles. A little Grunge Glaze and some embellishments are all it takes.

Ciao for now,
-Trish Alger

Fun and Funky Lamp Redo

Welcome DIY'ers!   

Today I am transforming a tired old lamp using Dixie Belle Paints. Join me in this quick tutorial and learn how you can give new life to an out dated old lamp. 

I began with a very beautiful lamp.  It was actually one of my favorite pieces when my house was decorated in the Old World Tuscan look.  I unfortunately, forgot to click a quick pic before I started painting.  The lamp was originally dark, gold guilded and very old Mediterranean style.  It holds a special place for me so when it no longer matched my current design trend I thought let's just make it fit as I just could not stand parting with it.  So, here you see it with the base coat of Dixie Belle Chalk Paint in Gulf,  still very pretty, but not quite what I was after as it was a little vibrant for what I was going for. 

 Next, I began sanding it using these amazing sanding sponges

   

 I then added a coat of Grunge Glaze. I painted it on using these great chip brushes and wiped away the excess with paper towel.  I cannot even tell you the difference the Grunge Glaze made...no need to clear coat, wait, what? Skip a step? Yes, that is what I said. If you desire the added protection of a clear coat, however, then please use this satin clear coat sealer. You will not be sorry.

   

   

I am so very pleased with this Dixie Belle redo.   

I can't wait to get my hands on the next one! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Steph S. for DIY Design Studios