Turquoise Teardrop Earring GIVEAWAY!

It is time for Creations by Bonnybee's first giveaway! I am introducing a new style of earring to my store, Bonnybee Designs, and to promote this I would like to give away a pair of these adorable earrings. I have several pairs for sale currently and many more to come. For these earrings, I hand paint different filigrees then distress the peice to give it that "antique-y" look. Pictured below are the pair of earrings you can win!

Here is how you can win:

- First you must visit my etsy store, Bonnybee Designs, and look around. Once doing this return to this blog post and comment below on your favorite item.

- After this you can also get another entry in the giveaway by becoming a "follower" (see button on right hand side of page) of Creations by Bonnybee. Write a comment below saying you are a follower.

- You can also share this giveaway via facebook, twitter or a blog of your own, but please paste the link in a comment below.

Make a seperate comment for each entry (5 max per person). This giveaway will end Sunday, October 3rd at midnight. After this a winner will be chosen at random. I do this by using a random number picker and choose that number comment on this post so make sure to make a comment for each entry.

Thanks for stopping by and I look forward to giving the lucky winner a free pair of these wonderful new handmade earrings!


*Bonnybee

PROJECT: Pink Nursery Gifts

This past weekend I attended my first ever baby shower. I wanted to bring a super gift and I am very excited about this sweet baby girl because the expectant mother is my boyfriend's sister. A few weeks ago she gave me a tour of the nursery. It is coming along great and is adorably decorated in pink and brown. I noticed that there was a TV table next to her glider so me being currently obsessed with refinishing furniture, I offered to make a cute table to go there. She was thrilled about the idea.

So last week I decided to redo a piece of furniture and a few other goodies to add to their nursery as presents for the upcoming baby shower. Below are the items I found to work on.


The main piece is a nightstand I found at Big Lots. Normally I buy used pieces I find at estate sales or on craigslist but I got this brand new piece at a great price because it was the last of its kind and a floor model so it was marked 50% off. I also got the manager to give me an additional 20% off because it was pretty scratched up (this did not bother me since I was going to refinish it). I liked the idea of getting a new piece so it was in great shape structurally and hopefully would last a long time. I thought it could be a table beside their glider now, and later, when the crib is replaced with a bed, it could be used as a night stand.

At Hobby Lobby I found a wooden "G" (first initial of the baby girl) and a pretty picture frame on sale for 50% off so each only cost a few dollars. To give them something special I primed and painted each with Krylon spray paint in Ballet Slipper Pink. The wooden "G" has these great ridges so I antiqued them a little with some sandpaper. For the picture frame I decided to use the antiquing medium mentioned in my last blog post to add definition. Both items were finished off with a few light coats of polyurethane. Here are some pics of the new pink nursery decorations.




Next came the big task -- the nightstand. I sanded it down, primed it and painted it with the same Ballet Slipper Pink spray paint. This was my first time using spray paint on furniture. I normally use brush on paint but I have heard so many great things about certain types of spray paint that I wanted to give it a try. I found it very handy to get inside the lower open cabinet, and the finished look was very smooth and even (no brush strokes). It took me two cans each of primer and paint to get the job done. I am going to have to try several more projects to decide whether I will settle on being a spray paint or brush on paint girl. Below is the night stand after all the paint.


I loved the cute little round feet but wanted to add some other touches to make the nightstand extra cutsie. I replaced the boring wooden knob with a faceted acrylic one (also purchased at Hobby Lobby where they have a great selection of fun knobs). I also stenciled a curly detail on the top corner in brown. This was my first stencil experince so I used stencil paint (I wasn't sure if brown acrylic paint I had laying around would do the job) and followed package instructions. Once everything was dry, I added a few coats of poly to protect the stencil design and table top from wear. I was pretty satisfied with the final product. Take a look and let me know what you think!




My boyfriend's sister really liked the gifts and I really enjoyed making them. I am so excited for their family and can not wait for little Baby G to arrive! I also look forward to future baby showers and nursery decoration endeavors if I have any friends that will let me stray from the registry and exercise my crafty side. Thanks for stopping by and I invite you to leave some comments below.

Make sure to check back very soon because next time Creations by Bonnybee will be hosting its first of many giveaways!

*Bonnybee

PROJECT: Shabby Chic Frames

Whenever I see inexpensive wooden picture frames at the store I always make sure to load up because I love displaying pictures in hand decorated frames. So for this group of frames (one mirror and three different picture frames). I decided to try my hand at painting and distressing them for that "shabby chic" look. I also attached cutsie ribbons to each frame so they can be hung on the wall.

Here are the supplies I started out with and the project supervisor, my dog Wrigley, looking on.


For this first frame I sanded down the glossy finish on the frame and painted on several coats of light blue acrylic paint. After letting it dry overnight, I distressed the frame with some fine grit sandpaper. I sprayed on a few light coats of polyurethane to protect it, then attached a cute brown and white polka dot ribbon for hanging.


For this inexpensive unfinished mirror from IKEA, I painted it with the same color as the Refinished Toy Chest and same as before I distressed it, coated it with polyurethane, and added a ribbon for hanging.




This next frame was originally painted black and I sanded it down leaving some black paint and letting the light wood show. I painted the frame with red acrylic paint and after it dried I distressed it so that the black paint and light wood layers both came through. Finally I finished it off with some more polyurethane and another ribbon.

For the final frame I decided to try out some antiquing medium I bought in the paint section at the craft store. First I painted the frame entirely with cream acrylic paint. Once dry I applied the antiquing medium according to the directions. I mixed it in a 1:1 ratio with brown acrylic paint, applied it to the frame with a foam brush (particularly focusing on the details of the frame) and wiped it off. I think the effect was pretty nifty and am excited to use this technique to accent details on future painting projects.


Do you have any favorite picture frame refinishing projects you've done? What techniques do you use? Please leave any comments you might have below. Also I have already had a request for one of the items featured for my blog so I wanted to say that I am willing to sell all of the projects I make (I don't have room for all of them!) So if you are interested please please contact me.

Thanks for stopping by and happy crafting!

*Bonnybee

PROJECT: Monster Hoodie

I saw this awesomely fun hoodie on bustedtees.com a long time ago and immediately thought it should go on my DIY list. Recently a friend of mine decided he would totally rock this hipster garment, so I made him one.

Here are the hoodies from Busted Tees which inspired this project:



Threadbanger is a site I love which has fun DIY projects. They have a monster hoodie tutorial which uses fabric glue instead of sewing for those who don't sew. I myself always like to sew everything to make the garment as secure as possible.

The project is super simple. I started off with an old hoodie, some felt, thread, and a sewing machine.

Next I cut the eyes and teeth out of my felt. I left a half inch of felt on the end of the teeth to join them together and to give myself something to sew (or glue if you choose) to the inside of the hood.


Then I sewed those pieces to the hood of the jacket.


And Voila! You are finished. Below are pictures of my friend Albert enjoying his new monster hoodie.




Thanks for visiting! Come back soon to see my next project.

*Bonnybee



I have linked this post to the following blogs. Check them out to see some other crafters!

SALE at Bonnybee Designs!

If you haven't checked out my etsy store, selling jewelry by Bonnybee Designs (all handmade by yours truly), now is the time! Half of the items in my store have been put on sale to make room for new creations. Click the button on the right of my blog to visit my store or follow the link below to see items on SALE!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/bonnybeedesigns?section_id=7331839

PROJECT: Refinished Toy Chest

This week I took a beat up toy chest that has been in my house since I can remember, and refinished it with light minty green paint and a worn in look. Here is the finished product! Look below for pictures showing the entire process.


Below is what I started with. When I was very young I remember this chest storing gloves and hats by the door in the living room. Later it held my toys, and during middle school I decided to adorn it with an assortment of (apparently very hard to remove) stickers. Once this sticker collage no longer matched my room's decor, the chest was moved into the garage to store materials in my pottery studio.


After rescuing it from its corner of spiderwebs, I prepped the piece by removing the hardware and sanding it with a heavy grit sandpaper.

Next came primer. I used an interior oil based primer by KILZ, as advised to me by an experienced furniture painter working in the Home Depot paint department.

Below are two more shots of the finished product. I applied two coats of Behr interior paint in the color, April Mist. After drying for a few days I then distressed the edges of the piece with a fine sanding block.




I am very pleased with the results. In general I love the look of painted furniture that is lightly distressed and I think this minty green chest would make a great addition in a living room, entryway, kid's room or playroom. I have heard many different strategies regarding repainting furniture. These vary slightly on details such as what kind of primer one uses, does one use spray paint or brush on, and does one prefer a clear protective coating to be applied on top of the paint, etc.. I plan on trying different strategies for future furniture restorations and hope you will check back to see more projects like this one! Do you have any stories or tips about repainting your own old furniture? Please leave a comment and share!

*Bonnybee