Adventures in chalkboard paint!!!!

After finding this picture on Pinterest for making your own chalkboard paint I knew I had to try it!! 

(I could not find the original source but if you know it please let me know!) 

I read that it's best to add enough hot water to keep it from getting too thick I added about 1/4 cup and unsanded grout is what kind you will need even tho it doesn't say that in the photo. I used Rustoleums painters touch in flat black paint. 

It's super easy to use and I primed the items first with 2 coats of the black paint to make sure the underneath was fully coated. Then used the chalk paint as a topcoat. 

Check out some of my projects!! 

             A panel on my piano!

Looked like this before:

Kinda gross right?

Storage unit (kinda sofa table size) that was created from an old kitchen cabinet... I love it!! (Still need to add cool knobs)

And lastly....

Chalkboard ladder back dining chairs!!!!

They were distressed black and had this awful army green cushions. 

The only before I have... 

I actually used hot glue to recover with cause I was impatient and it's what I had.  

It worked well but ill post on that another time!!!

Matte polish trend obsession! My new secret!!

FIRST IN THE SERIES!!

52weeks of nails. 

In order to keep myself inspired to always have polish on my digits I am starting a series on different nail styles I'm wearing each week. At least one post a week!

Don't spend tons of money buying matte polish! Use a matte top coat that really works like I did instead!!

Matte black and gold glitter nails!

My inspiration! From Pinterest of course. 

Get the look! 

Two coats of OPI black - Onyx

One coat Essie matte finisher topcoat

Just the tips with Essie glitter- Beyond Cozy

I am sooooooooo pleased with how Essie's matte topcoat has performed!!! Now  I can have matte nails in any color want!! As you can see the OPI color has no shine left! 

I think Beyond Cozy has become my new favorite glitter polish as well!! Here it is on my toes :)

The picture does not even do it justice as to how glittery it is!!! The color is an awesome cool time gold that almost looks silver in some lights. Which is awesome to me because I alternate wearing silver and gold a lot and I won't have to worry about this polish clashing!!

I am hoping to get some nail studs to glue on from Etsy soon. I'm sure you will see that soon along with lots of matte and glitter. :)

Glitter stripe mason jar! DIY

How to make glittery mason jars like this for floating candles (or whatever you fancy)

SUPPLIES: 

Mason jar 

Blue painters tape

E6000 

Fine glitter in your color choice (mine is gold Martha Stewart glitter from the $1 section in target)

Glue wash (Elmer's glue with a little water in it)

1) taping off the mason jar

This is how I went about creating "stipes" on the mason jar with blue painters tape... I tried to create as even a ring as I could by placing a small piece of tape in between using it as a guide (see photo) I then removed the guide bits before gluing the photo is of the last guide tape I removed. 

Three very even rings!!!

2) slap on the glue baby

I then squirted E6000 around each ring on the glass and spread it out generously to the tape with a black foam brush. You have to be quick. This glue dries fast. There aren't a lot of pics because of that. 

3) 1st layer of glue

 This is the E6000 with the first layer of glue. It was really pretty at this stage but I wanted a thick layer of glitter. You could still see some thin spots. I let it dry for about fifteen minutes then took some glue wash (seen here in the bowl and what it looks like on the magnet:)

4) 2nd layer

Ipainted on a light layer over the glitter area.  And rolled it in glitter for a se

You can see the glitter is denser here. Yay! 

5) let it dry 

I left mine to dry over night but four hours or so should do the trick.  (Sorry I did not get a pic of this step)

6) carefully remove tape

My line did come out really straight I just had to slowly remove the tape so as not to rip the edges of the glitter. 

And ta-dah!!!!!

(Ps the jars behind them are actually pickle jars I made look like mercury glass)

I am really pleased with how this turned out and it looks awesome on my kitchen table!!

The black wardrobe argument! (Part 1)

So I've been having the age old first world problem of not being happy with the clothes in my closet and trying to figure out how to make my wardrobe more versatile. On top of that i dont have much storage space as our bedroom doesn't even have a closet and what space I have I share with my dh... So I have been evaluating my wardrobe and wardrobe needs. It came down to these points:

PROS:

Making use of space: with a new job coming soon I need a wardrobe that translates well between work and play. As a hair stylist my dress code will most likely be black/white ect. With such small space for storage having two separate wardrobes is just not an option. Having an almost monochromatic closet will mean I won't need as many clothes/shoes ect. and matching will be easier.  

Making outfits easier to put together: Let's be real I am lazy when it comes to getting dressed and a black closet would  make putting outfits together that much easier. I feel like I would actually have more options where now it seems like I have one top that only goes with one bottom and I have to have the same shoes in different colors so they match (i.e. I have black navy and brown flats). With black I could eliminate a lot and make room for more a few pops of color/fun detail pieces

Quality vs Quantity and Black is classic: I am so sick of shopping and finding trivial inexpensive things that I "just love" that I either quickly tire of, they go out of style or they fall apart. Or worse I have to go out and buy something else cause I have nothing to wear with it. (And that falls apart and so goes the vicious cycle!) Which is like the worst shopping mantra ever. So I have decided it is worth the effort to spend more on things that will last. The problem is spending more per item does not mean my shopping budget can grow too. I think the answer is black and black also classic and timeless so i feel i will be able to wear each article longer.  Because my goal is that each item matches everything else in my closet I may have fewer things but I will be wearing what I have a lot more AND be able to have more outfit options! I'm liking the less is more idea. :)

CONS:

Black could be boring: but coming from a from a former emo teen who still loves black. Not to mention I already have a lot of black in my closet. I gravitate towards it just always bought clothes with color cause I had this notion in my head that I had too much black in my closet and "needed" color. (Thanks mom) ;) Also black is sexy and sexy is never boring. Hey if it worked for Coco and Grace Coddington it could work for me. 

Always funeral bound looking? Well then I will be prepared lol not mention wanting to channel my inner bad ass while still looking classy I think it will hardly look like funeral material. 

Those were really the only two cons I had   I think I'm gonna make the plunge and start cleaning out my closet. 

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Monochrome wardrobe a yay or nay?

To end thing here are some of my own black outfits:

This shirt has tiny skull studs that I loveee

My hair has gotten so long since then!

This one was black and red for valentines day but you get the idea lol

New shopping mantra: 

Less is more and black is best. Will it match everything? Is it comfortable versatile and well made?

Do you have one? If so I'd love to know what it was

****if you would like to see my sources for images you can find them one my Pinterest board 'that girls got style' username MAGPIE1090 

STAY TUNED FOR MORE INSTALLMENTS IN THIS SERIES AS I BEGIN TO EVOLVE MY STYLE AND REVAMP MY CLOSET!!!

Beautiful Sparkly Glitter Magnets

Beautiful right?!?!

And so easy and fun. I was actually surprised at how little mess these made and the finished product doesn't shed any glitter. Which my glitter disliking hubby happy. 

Here's the original tutorial I used: http://deloop-deloop.blogspot.ca/2013/02/365-days-of-pinterest-day-15-dit.html?m=1

Here's how we do:

What you need

Assorted glitter (I bought $.99 little tubes from Joann's and still have 3/4 left)

Clear glass floral gems (found in the floral department get the big ones and the opaque ones won't work they must be clear)

Strong magnets

E6000 glue (a must for getting things to stick it's so worth the $4 the mother of all glues)

Craft Glue

Water

My sister and I started out with plates and put the glitter on them in little piles. We then used a small foam craft brush and painted some of the E6000 on the back. (I had a plate for the glue and brush too cause some glue kept leaking out the tube) Dip as you wish into the glitter we made solid and multi colored ones. 

Let them dry for an hour or so. 

Make a glue wash with craft glue and water to make a paint like consistency. Paint liberally on top of the glitter taking care not to rub bits off. 

It was late when we made these so we let them dry overnight but I'm sure it would only take a few hours to dry. 

These are some of them drying!

Once they are fully dry use your E600 to glue magnets on the back and Voila! 

More glitter DIY projects in the near future. 

I got you Glaze.. Dah dah. Dah dah.

I hope that you do not think I speak of doughnuts. Sadly you would be mistaken

Though I love them...

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Another. 

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Time...            *drools*

Where was I? Oh yes glaze as in furniture glazing such as in this case graywashing!! It is a lovely little technique that both revamps and ages the look of a piece in this case my bathroom vanity. 

I did not take a before photo. It was all too awful. If you knew you would thank me! All 70s and used to be white but not so much anymore and chipping and GOLD trim. So. Bad. 

Nevermind I take that back here it is in all it's before glory. Please forgive me?

I'm sorry lets look away now...

Here it is in it's white loveliness. MUCH BETTER!! But I wanted more! I used  Rustoleums painters touch paint in white. It is the best paint and will cover anything without sanding. I did not even prime this. It did take five coats to cover all the awful. 

Here is my vanity in all it's wonderfully finished glory!!! The wonderful post I found on Pinterest for inspiration can be found here 

http://www.kfddesigns.com/2011/08/graywashing-table.html?m=1

It had some some great tips on making a wash. I mix 2 parts glaze (behrs brand glaze) to 1part white P.T paint then I added enough black paint to get the grey I wanted lightly painted on and wiped off with a damp rag until I got the look I wanted!! Easy and fun! I hope you like the results!!! I sure do. 

I will do house tour as the rooms get finished <3

P. S.  I even spray painted the bottom pulls using krylon looking glass spray. This stuff is amazing but more in that later.... 

Ahhhhhhhh the quintessential 1st post

So I'm gonna start this off a little old school....

WHO: I am quite simply Maggie. A married  lady who's not so old in body but a very "old soul" indeed. I have a wonderful dh and a precious fur baby "Lord Scrufflesworth" (his nicknames are even longer thanks to dh). I love three things spending time with my family, making people more beautiful with my wizard hairstyling skills, and trying to fill my home with glitter while still maintaining adult appearances. :) Oh and did I mention I'm nothing close to being rich. SOMEDAY!

WHAT: besides the obvious I am starting this adventure because of Pinterest. Yes you read that right. I decided not to define things any further than a "lifestyle blog" this means the will be lots of DIY, some good food porn, plenty of hair and beauty love, OOTD posts when I'm feeling pretty proud of my dressing skills, drooling over French home loveliness, and a good sprinkling of glitter. (By that I mean lots of glitter)

WHEN: right now in fact. This blog isn't going to write itself. Though that would be fantabulous!

WHERE: In the heart of Dixieland's big blue beautiful mountains  

WHY: I am a recent beauty school graduate in between jobs, with a lot of time on her hands, stuck in a Walmart and hand me down filled home, and again no money so DIY was the way to go. I decide my adventures in "Pinterestland" weren't turning out half bad so I thought why not share! My Instagram friends seemed to like them :D 

Instaname: Magpie1090

My Motto "If I can't afford to pay for someone else's work then do I will do it myself"

Hugs, Maggie & Scruffy