Desk Dilemma

I have finally started sanding Sprout's old fashioned desk. Hooray! Those of you who have been following our adventures for a while may remember that this was one of the presents we bought for her third birthday and I had grand plans to renovate it over the summer holidays - last year!

This was how the desk looked a couple of days ago....

and here she is now! Isn't she so much more beautiful now all that paint has been removed? 

There is still a little bit more sanding to do, but hopefully I'll finish that over the weekend.

Now comes the difficult part - what to do with the desk next? I am quite keen to continue experimenting with Annie Sloan's chalk paints (I used them for the Memory Boxes) and of course Sprout is very keen on a pink theme. She has approved two colours so far which luckily tie in with the curtains she already has in her room.

Annie Sloan Chalk Paints

Magic Tree Curtains at John Lewis

However having seen how beautiful the desk is underneath all that hideous paint, I am wondering whether it would be a shame to cover up the wood again. Perhaps just a layer or two of wax would be enough?

Let me know your thoughts and have a great weekend.

Sprout’s House

  xox

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Sprout's Play Shop Tutorial

Here's a really cheap and easy way to make a play shop for your little one.

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Sprout's Daddy and I purchased this set of shelves from eBay for about £15 - it was originally the top from a dresser.

The shelves came with these little pieces of wood that slotted into either side of the shelves to help them balance on the bottom half of a dresser.

We decided to turn the shelves upside down so that they would be more stable. Then we sanded and primed them using a gloss primer.

Once dry, Sprout's Daddy used an off cut of wood to add a top to the (upside down) shelves. He sawed off the ends of the shelf supports and used them to fill in the little gap underneath the new top. These were glued in place and then the off cut was glued and nailed to the top. The curly parts of the supports were glued to the front of shelves to hide the where we had attached the new top and make it look a bit prettier! All this was sanded and primed too.

The final job was to paint the shelves - I used Crown's Non Drip Gloss in Duck Egg Blue and gave it a couple of coats.

For the shop, we used a mixture of food packaging we had saved, some bits that Sprout's had received as presents and then we also bought a few bits and pieces too.

(In case you're interested, the grocery set (white rice, brown rice, sugar etc), food group baskets, till, scales, cupcakes and lollies are all from GLTC.)

Once everything was arranged on the shelves and Sprout officially opened the shop I decide that although the curly sections had prettied up the front it still looked a bit bare. So I made a simple banner.

Using Word, I chose a really simple font (easier to cut out!) and typed in the letters I wanted. I printed it out and cut out each letters. I chose some off cuts of fabric, drew around the letters and then cut them out. I glued each letter on to some ribbon and then stuck the ribbon to the shelves using mini glue dots from Hobbycraft.

Have you re-purposed a piece of furniture recently? Was it for you or for you children? Share your ideas in the comments.

Sprout’s House

  xox

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Ikea Hack ~ Sprout's New Kitchen

Are you on the look out for a play kitchen, but can't find what you're looking for? How about trying this simple Ikea hack?....

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*Not sure what an affiliate link is? – If you click on any of the links in this post and make a purchase I will earn a small percentage of what you have spent, however it will cost you no more than normal! Thanks for your support!*

As you may have gathered, Sprout is quite a girly girl! She will only wear skirts and dresses - the pinker the better. Trousers are a definite no-no in her world!! With this in mind, when Sprout's Daddy and I decided to buy her a play kitchen for her birthday we knew instantly what the number one search criteria would be - it had to be pink!

After having a good scout around, we chose the Ikea Duktig kitchen for a couple of reasons - firstly it was pretty reasonably priced at £65, second height wise it seemed to be one of the tallest with the option to make it 3 different heights and lastly it wasn't a sickly pale pink colour! The great thing about the Ikea play kitchen is that you can easily customise it to suit your child's tastes or just leave it as it is.

Equipment:
Ikea Duktig Kitchen
Rust-oleum Surface Primer
Rust-oleum Painter's Touch - Sprout chose Berry Pink!
sand paper
damp cloth
drop cloth
Time: 2-3 hours over 5 days

1. Decide which pieces of the kitchen you want to spray. 
2. Lightly sand each piece to provide a key for the primer.
3. Use a damp cloth to wipe the dust off each piece and allow to dry.
4. Set up your spraying area. I used a couple of pallets over a drop cloth - you will definitely need to be outside for this part.

5. Spray each section with surface primer and allow to dry. It is always best to start lightly and then re-spray if you need to. This will help to avoid drips!
6. Allow to cure for 24-48 hours.

7. Spray each section with your chosen colour. Allow to dry and re-coat until you have completely covered the each piece and built up a good depth of colour.
8. Allow to cure for 24-48 hours.
9. Build the kitchen! (I have to confess that this took me a good two hours to do! Although Ikea, provide an Allen/Hex key you will definitely need a Phillips screwdriver and a hammer too!!)

For her birthday, we also bought her the Ikea Duktig cookware set, utensil set and also a plate and bowl set to get her kitchen started! She was lucky enough to receive all the other bits and pieces from friends and family - Early Learning Centre eggs and tea set, GLTC cupcake decorating set and a Melissa and Doug cookie decorating set.

This is my first Ikea hack. Have you ever done an Ikea hack? For some amazing inspiration, have a look at this selection of boards from pinterest. Happy Hacking!!

Sprout’s House

  xox

Pssst....If you enjoyed my post, I'd be really grateful if you shared it using the PINK buttons below.

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Gorgeous Gold Glittery Mason Jars

Fancy jazzing up your table with a quick and easy centre piece? These gold glittery mason jars are perfect for bringing the WOW factor to any occasion.

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*Not sure what an affiliate link is? – If you click on any of the links in this post and make a purchase I will earn a small percentage of what you have spent, however it will cost you no more than normal! Thanks for your support!*

Way back in January, it was my sister’s 30th birthday and she asked me to organize her party. I decided on a gold theme with splashes of hot pink – here’s a look at the party bags if you missed that post.

Equipment:

a selection of glass jars - I used two sizes of mason jar and then a smaller hexagonal jam jar

gold spray paint

gold glitter

PVA glue
old paint brush

low tack masking tape

newspaper

rubber gloves

Time: 1-2 hours plus drying time

1. Remove all the lids and sticky labels. 

2. Wash the jars to remove dust and the sticky residue from the labels. Allow to air dry.

3. Set up the area where you are going to spray by laying out newspaper and covering anything that might get sprayed. I used an old paper bag lined with newspaper to create a little spraying station. (Ideally spray outside or with all your doors and windows open. The spray paint can be pretty potent stuff!!)

4. Lightly spray the jars. Allow to dry and then spray again until each jar is completely covered. You may have to repeat this cycle a few times.

5. Let the jars dry for at least 24 hours.

6. Decide how much of the jars your are going to cover in glitter and carefully mark in pencil. I decided to cover the bottom third of each jar with glitter.
6. Using your pencil marks as a guide, wrap masking tape around each jar above the mark.
7. Brush on PVA glue and sprinkle with glitter. I did one side at a time and then moved on to the next jar. Repeat until you have covered each section of the jars.
8. Leave the jars to dry and then carefully remove the masking tape. Touch up if you need to.
9. Add water and flowers to create your centre piece.

If you enjoyed my post, I'd be really grateful if you shared it using the PINK buttons below.

Sprout’s House

  xox

Linking up at ~
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It's So Very Cheri