Wow! The power of a pressure washer!

Today - may be very boring for some - or for all ... but for some reason I LOVED watching my husband pressure wash our patio this weekend! As I mentioned last week, we're considering trying to sell our house soon. So, we're doing all the little things that one does when they want someone to buy their house; decluttering, sprucing up the landscaping, cleaning windows, touching up paint... and pressure washing! Check out this transformation! The lower right square is the completed one (duh). I love this before and after. The stuff on the patio wasn't just loose dirt or anything it was stained, discolored - way more than we even realized. Anyone wanting to do something to get a lot of bang for their buck - try this out. This was one rented from Home Depot for a few hours and it worked great.

This isn't pretty like the other stuff you'll find here... but it is a metamorphasis! ;) Check out a bunch of other cool projects at Between Naps on the Porch!

Transformation Thursday

Also! Click the side icon to view more DIY projects on ASPTL!


The transformation that I'm showing off this Thursday is actually an item that has been transformed before. This sad little chest was once painted a mint green (oh the horror) and then we stripped it down and had been using it in it's natural state (oh the horror) for several years now. It's been a toy chest and a coffee table and right now functions as both:

The pictures made me very sure of my decision to paint this little chest. The wood is not pretty... I was used to the way it looked, but seeing it in the photo made me realize that this baby needed something.

Part of my transformation also included this tray and this rug. The tray I already transformed once before. It also has a matching partner... but it didn't work with my new chest. The rug was in our living room before but I had moved it out. I decided to try something new with it. Here are the before pictures of those two items:

The picture below shows how I taped off an area around the edges. Did you know you can paint a rug? I was pretty sure you could... but I wouldn't have tried it on a rug that I would be upset if it didn't work out. This I originally bought at Big Lots! I can't remember how much I paid... but it was very dirt cheap reasonable.

I actually used a paint brush and black paint from a can for most of it and then finished off with a spay paint can.

So, put it all together... black paint from a can, trim color that matches the walls, a little red spray paint, and some chalkboard spray paint... and best of all - it all came from my house. I didn't buy anything new for this transformation. This little nook of the room looks much better! Yay.

Look how cute the rug border is!

The tray actually needs some touching up... but I wanted to go ahead and post the pictures... so just ignore that part!

Head the the Shabby Chic Cottage for some more great projects!

The Transformation of our little stool

This little stool has been in the family for a long time. I can remember it at my grandparent's house years ago - it was just one of those things that was always there just sitting in the living room, so when she offered it up for grabs... I grabbed it! However, the fabric it was covered with had seen better days and lately the trim started falling off and little upholstery tacks had been coming loose. Luckily, none of these tacks ended up in any little feet around here - but I was afraid it was just a matter of time.

My re-doing of the stool was done with what I had on hand and it is definitely a more casual look, which works with our home. The top is a fabric that I had from some old curtains - and the trim is a pretty little print I bought at the beginning of the summer and hadn't used for anything yet. I like how it turned out - and I didn't even get out the spray paint. I just couldn't paint the little guy - I was afraid it would look too different - and fade the memories I have of it in my grandparent's house.




And because nothing "just sits" around this house - it is placed directly below the chore board so that my son can reach the chalk to mark off his accomplishments. ;)


Check out more cool Transformations at The Shabby Chic Cottage!