J's Vintage Airplane Rocker

When I was pregnant with J, I found this cute little airplane rocker on Craigslist for $10! I bought it with the intention of doing something with it but never got around to it. Two years later, I stumbled across a wood piece someone painted in Miss Mustard Seed's "Tricycle" milk paint on Pinterest and fell in love! I've never used milk paint before and thought this would be the perfect piece to test it out on. Miss Mustard Seed did not disappoint!

What you'll need:

• Miss Mustard Seed milk paint in "Tricycle"
• Solo cup to mix water and paint in
• Paint brush
• Rustoleum wood stain in "Dark Walnut"
• Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Wax
• Cheesecloth





I did not want a thick layer of paint on this rocker. I love to see the grain of the wood so I diluted the mixture about 1 part paint to 3 parts water. I tested it out on the bottom of the rocker until I got the consistency I wanted.

It was really simple to apply. Just brush on like any other paint. Once it was dry, I applied a thin layer of her furniture wax and lightly buffed with the cheesecloth. I love the luster it gives the finish.

I don't care for heavily distressed finishes, so I just lightly sanded the edges after waxing to give it a more vintage feel.

For the bottom I just used plain old Rustoleum to stain it. I see now that there are some milk paint stains available which I would love to try it out!

Pretty simple afternoon project!

DIY Bathroom Mirror Makeover

Every time my husband leaves town, I tend pick a project to keep me busy and attempt to tackle it while he's away. I was wasting some time on Pinterest, like usual, and saw this seemingly simple tutorial on updating your builder grade mirrors by adding moulding on the "Full of Great Ideas" blog . The link to her tutorial is here. With my list of supplies, I headed to Lowe's and was beyond lucky to have an extremely helpful man assist me while I was trying to gather all the supplies I needed. I showed him the photo of what I was trying to do and he started pulling boards and trim, laying them out so I could decide what combination I liked best. I gave him my mirror dimensions and he cut ALL the boards for me—SCORE! He even made sure I had the right type of mirror adhesive. This is the first time I've ever gone to the hardware store with a project in mind, and not had the person helping me look at me like I was a crazy lady. He said his wife uses Pinterest—he gets it. 

This is what you'll need:

• 1" x 3.5" MDF board

• 1" x 6" MDF board

• Quarter round trim

• Decorative moulding of your choice

• Wood glue (Gorilla Glue)

• Mirror Adhesive & Caulking Gun (Loctite PL 520 Mirror Adhesive)

• Wood Caulking (DAP Alex Fast Dry in White)

• Clamps

• Level 

Once I had all the board measurements figured out, I brought them home and laid them out on the floor. Here is a guide:

Start by wood gluing your quarter round on top of your 1 x 3.5, and also to your 1 x 6. Use painters tape to secure the two pieces and form a tight bond while they're drying. Use wood glue sparingly. It expands, so you don't want a mess leaking out the edges. 

Do the same with your decorative moulding. I had to use clamps to hold mine together because it kept wanting to slide off the top.  Here is a close up to explain a little better...  

Bad photo, but you get the idea. I also kicked my moulding up about a 1/2" to make the top of the mirror a hair taller.

Some of the trim pieces taped together after gluing. I was doing two mirrors at once which is why there is an extra piece.

Once your trim pieces are dry, starting from the bottom, apply mirror adhesive generously to the back of your base piece. Press onto mirror and use your level to make sure it's even. You can apply directly over the mirror brackets. I used the backsplash as a guide and them made little adjustments with the level. Next, apply the side pieces using the level and walls as your guide. Finally, attach the top piece and you're done! I went back and sealed all the joints with some wood caulk just to finish it out. 

I love it! I was so happy with the way it turned out, that I did two more of our bathrooms! The cost for each mirror was approximately $30 with wood to spare. It's amazing how a little paint and some trim can totally transform a room!

Paint: Valspar Woodlawn Colonial Gray

Towel: World Market

Hardware: Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze Spray paint