Making Old Things New

I am absolutely in love with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Wax! I have gone on a painting spree in my house, making all of my old worn out furniture look new and fresh! Annie Sloan paint is so great because it is extremely low odor, so you can paint right inside your house. It also requires no sanding! You just paint the furniture with one or two coats, then wipe on clear wax with a cloth. If you want a more antiqued look, you then take a cloth and wipe on the dark wax in the areas you want to look worn and weathered. It also goes a LONG way! I painted all 6 dining room chairs, two coats, with one can of paint! I'll be able to do multiple projects with my other cans.

My first project was this small, old hutch that we've had since we got married. Although, I liked it the way it was, it had some scratches and paint splotches that needed to be covered. For this project, I used Annie Sloan Emperor's Silk, which is a red paint. Then, I waxed it with clear and then a light coat of dark wax.

 That project was so easy, I decided to take on a little bit larger, more detailed task! I had seen in a magazine a kitchen table with mustard chairs. I loved it!! So, for my next project I used Annie Sloan Arles with clear wax and a little more dark wax than used on the hutch. I think they turned out great!!

By the last chair, I was literally scraping the sides of the can!! But, I made it work!!

 Next, I went even bolder with color and painted our coffee table using Annie Sloan Florence.  I waxed it with clear and dark wax also! This is probably my favorite piece yet! I think I might paint my new front door this color!!

I bought these two chairs online and thought they were red. When I picked them up, they were PINK! Although cute, they did not match any of my decor! So, I took some of my left over Emperor's Silk and repainted these chairs red! Even though it was just a small change they look so much better!

 These will definitely not be my last projects with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint!!

Our Little Chick Turned One

Wow! This year has flown by! We had Lila's first birthday party last night! For her party, we did a shabby chic bird theme! It was a very simple little party, but turned out so cute! I love the term shabby chic, because I'm not a perfectionist. If I call something shabby chic, that means it can be a little messy, a little imperfect!!

 Sabra Elmer made the cake and I am in love! This is one of my favorite cakes she has EVER made! (Please ignore the smushed corners, I made the mistake of putting Hannah in charge of it in the car!)

 Tweet One! 

 I took fabric scraps and hot glued them to ribbon, then hot glued that to her high chair! (Hot glue is my best friend, for real!) I loved the way it turned out!! 

 We had the party at my mom's house. I told her it was bird themed, so when I got there to decorate, her table was all set with birds and bird houses!! (She's awesome!)

 Cake time!! This was so cute! I'm sure everyone thinks their baby is the cutest cake eater, but mine really was!! She was such a little ham! The more we laughed, the crazier she got!!

Duck Hunting Party

Ty's birthday party this weekend was a huge success!! It was so fun to decorate for this party! Brett didn't even mind pitching in a little! It was held at The Hunting Lodge, which was the absolute perfect place to have  a duck hunting theme party!

On the porch, we had to have waders hanging like it was after a big hunt. And, of course, a duck pond with floating decoys!

The food table featured a burlap backdrop with custom sign and bunting. 

 We had finger foods since the party was in the afternoon. Shotgun shells in shell belts (pigs in a blanket), duck jambalaya (thanks Grammy!), cheese and quackers, grilled duck (thanks Brett!), duck bills (Pringles), duck feed (Chex Mix), and duck calls (Bugles).

For drinks we had Swamp Water, Sunrise Orange Soda, and Sweet Tea (Had to get a Duck Dynasty reference in somewhere!) 

 Sabra Elmer made the most precious cake!! So we had Cake and Mud (chocolate ice cream)!

 The table was decorated with burlap ribbon, mason jars filled with shotgun shells and actual rice from our farm, a Winchester shotgun shell box, and a wood duck.

 Can you find the lucky duck? The boys really enjoyed this game! They each got to sign their hunting license, then they got to hunt for their limit of two ducks! I had hidden decoys with money taped to the bottom around the yard, so they each got to find two and see how much money was on the bottom! The boys also got to shoot a Nerf type shotgun at a duck target and take a duck calling clinic from Ty (that didn't really work out as planned! Ha! It was a little loud!!)

 The party favors were mason jars filled with Chex Mix and a tag labeling it Duck Feed! They also got a duck target and duck call to take home!

These precious mini chocolate bars wrapped in custom labels!

Ty even got to open his presents right in front of a roaring fire! Ahhhh! It was perfect!

And, of course, what kind of party would it be without a game of football!!

Cake: Sabra Elmer

Printables: Lauren Haddox Designs