mint & peonies.

So, unlike last summer which was full of constant baking and crafting and making, this summer, so far, has been full of adventures, books, bike rides and coffee dates.  Namely, things that I'm not really used to blogging about.  But I missed you guys so I thought I would try and mix it up and see what happens!

When I moved out in January my dad gave me this sweet little vintage cabinet for our living room.  I really wanted to refinish/re-paint it right away, but seeing as how there was 6 feet of snow on the ground and and I didn't really want to cover my hardwood floors in mint paint it got moved in as-is.  I finally got around to re-painting it today, and I am so so glad I did it.  It looks so much better, a little mint paint can fix anything!  I love the curves along the bottom and how the front hinges down to open up.  It's the perfect size to display pretty blooms, sweet dishes and lovely little bottles of perfume!

 Do you have any chipped, unfinished or sad looking pieces of furniture lying around that need a little love?  Make it your summer project!  It can give a completely new life to an object that's been sitting in your basement forever and make you love it all over again.

To re-paint my cabinet I sanded all the surfaces just enough to rough up the surface a bit, wiped it all down with a damp cloth to remove the sawdust, let it dry, applied one coat of primer and two coats of paint, letting dry sufficiently between each coat.  From start to finish it only took 2 and a half hours. It was a sweet way to spend my morning in my sunny backyard.

You cannot believe how happy I am to have summer and the warm weather here!  I am so excited for all the fun things the next two months hold! xo, T.

d.i.y:. painted glasses.

So kitchen items are my favourite things ever.  Nothing makes me happier than getting to use my vintage seafoam green mixer or finding more vintage plates to add to my collection.  So far I have a pretty good stash of things for when I move out, dishes, mixing bowls, small kitchen appliances and measuring cups are all covered.

The only things missing on my list are cutlery and glasses.  I have been in search for the perfect vintage juice glasses for a very long time and although I still refuse to give up on this goal I decided that maybe it would be fun to paint my own glasses.  I used mason jars as my glass of choice because they're inexpensive and sweet looking, but you can use any kind of plain glass of your liking!  I really love how they turned out!

Things you need:
_glasses.  i used 500ml mason jars.
_paint brush.
_glass paint.  i used martha stewart all surface paint from michaels.  it is apparently dishwasher safe on glass, but i have yet to see.

steps:
1_choose your designs and practice drawing them out a few times.  i suggest not picking anything too complicated since you are going to be free-handing it on a curved surface.  i chose to do three with the word "drink"  and some little flowers and three with a pattern of leaves.
2_clean glasses with rubbing alcohol or window cleaner to remove oil/grease, let dry then start painting.  go slow and take your time.  if your jar has a pattern on it i suggest sticking only to the smooth portion to make it a bit easier.  embrace the fact that this is your own personal set of glasses and that they won't be perfect and that each one will be a little different.
3_to get a more opaque design i suggest doing multiple coats, letting the paint dry in between.  i did two coats.
4_continue painting all of your lovely glasses with as many designs as you like.  try using the back end of your paint brush to create cleaner looking polka dots.
5_you have a lovely set of new glasses! let dry according to manufacturers directions.  for this paint it has to cure for 21 days before being washed or filled with liquid.  apparently they are dishwasher safe, but i will let you know how that goes when i have the chance to try it.

When your glasses are finally cured use them to enjoy your favourite drink, like raspberry lemonade, or lemonade + cucumber +gin.  I'm really into lemon right now.

Now all I need is a cute little apartment, and maybe some cutlery.

Have a beautiful week! xo, T.