One Month To Win It { Craft Competition }: July 2011

Monday, July 25, 2011

Vacation Time!!

One Month To Win It is going on a short hiatus!! We will be back soon with more fun!! Stay tuned for the next audition!!

Friday, July 22, 2011

WINNERS!

The winner of July's One Month To Win It is

Lisa from Pennington Point

with her Outdoor Furniture!

1st place Prizes:

$25 gift certificate to Melissa G Hollis

$25 Gift Certificate to Arcoiris Bundles of Joy

$25 gift certificate to Whachuneed Supply Co

2nd Place for July goes to
Amy from Our Dish
with her Time Table

2nd place Prizes:
Recycled Chenille Rabbit from Very Creative Creations (a $35 value)

3rd Place for July goes to
Susan from Homeroad
with her Fleur de Lis Table

3rd place Prizes

$25 gift certificate to Pretty Much Dana

Thanks to all our sponsors and contestants for Season 5!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Final 3: Furniture

We're down to the final 3!
This week the contestants were give the challenge: FURNITURE.

#1 Time Table

THE BEGINNING:

-Purchased very damaged, plain end table from Goodwill.
-Sanded down all the finish and gouges.

THE MIDDLE:

Crafted my own clock from a shadow box, a clock kit, and a few embellishments.
Cut a hole in the table, and mounted the shadow box flush to table's surface.
A few coats of paint...
Glued individual tiles to sides of table for added interest.

THE END:
Find a new home for this one-of-a-kind piece of furniture!!!

#2 Build Your Own Outdoor Furniture

I got tired of sitting on my empty deck watching the kids play in the water. So I made a new rule, "No swimming 'til I can afford the $4,000 Pottery Barn furniture set that I want." It seemed bit extreme, however, since that rule would mean the kids would never swim again. I decided to get creative.

I needed to take my poolside deck from....

I enlisted some kid helpers, hauled out the power tools, dug through the pile of old wood and got to work. It was blood, sweat and tears (OK, no blood or tears, but there was enough sweat to make up for it) but we did it. Leftover wood and paint, old metal pieces, some coffee bean burlap sacks, pillows I wasn't using, lots of hammering and sewing and voila!

Summer just got sweeter.

The only thing I had to buy was the outdoor fabric and foam for the cushions....everything else was junk I already owned.

Now I'm wandering around the house begging the kids to go swimming so I can sit out there.

It's better than my Pottery Barn inspiration because it fits my space exactly, I got just the style and colors I wanted and it cost 95% less!

If you need me, I'll be out by the pool.

#3 Fleur De Lis Table

One day, on the side of the road, I found the perfect table base

and picnic table top to make a great coffee table...

I attached the two pieces with some wood scraps and screws, then spray painted the entire table with a flat gray paint. On the top
I hand-painted a fleur de lis design in the center and a wreath encircling the edge.

I heavily distressed the top with sandpaper and a sander, then gave the whole table a coat of Polycrylic to protect the finish...

The perfect little table for my deck!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Furniture

This week the Final 3 are given the challenge: Furniture.

Here are a few projects from the judges.

Kalleen @ Second Street

Dining Chair Makeover

Jessica @ Running With Scissors

Toy Box to Storage Bench

Sideboard Refinish

Craft Table Out of a Closet Door

Angie @ Country Chic Cottage

Nightstand Makeover

Footstool Makeover

Just wanted to share this kitchen table Tone from Blessed, by Tone made too.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Week 3 Results

WINNER:

Again this week,
Amy @ Our Dish had the most votes
with her Chess Set

Unfortunately, our three projects to go home this week were:

Tone @ Bless, by Tone
with her table and stool

Camille @ Creative Pursuits
with her Funky Starburst Mirror

and Maggie @ Midwestern {Sewing} Girl
with her Bronze Starburst Mirror

Making the Final Three

Amy with her Chess Set

Susan @ Homeroad
with her Shell Boxes and

Lisa @ Pennington Point

with her Nature Inspired Tablescape

Come back Sunday to see the final three's last challenge!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Week 3: Natural Projects

This week the contestants were given the challenge to create a project using naturally found supplies, meaning things not man-made.

#1 Funky Starburst Mirror

Starburst mirrors are everywhere these days, but it seems they're always either very shiny or very "rustic." I wanted to take some natural materials and turn them into a funkier starburst.

Starting with long bamboo sticks, I cut them to size and attached them to the back of a round mirror with glue, taping the mirror in sections on the back so the bamboo was evenly spaced. Then use paper and more tape to cover the mirror for painting.

A few coats of raspberry pink paint later and this is one funky starburst!

#2 Table and Stool

For my naturals week I have made a table and a stool - perfect for early mornings in the garden. This project was almost like icing on the cake for me - I got to cut down all the little trees growing on the mountain behind my house - cleaning up my garden, while getting material to use for this project. I cut the trees into same length sticks - tied them HARD together and there you have it - a table and a stool.

I used a zinc tray as the top to my table - it just looks so nice and vintage.

I wanted my stool to be comfortable and was thinking of sewing a circled pillow for it, but then, since the theme is naturals - I used wool and felted it - it's supposed to be an apple tree - but the pattern is a little hard to spot. At least it is now soft to sit on. I love how this turned out - hope you like it also.

#3 Sticks and Stones Chess Set

From king to pawn, every aspect of this full-size chess set was inspired by nature.

Would you have guessed that all 32 chess pieces were hand-crafted from items off the forest floor? They are not just decorative, they are sturdy and functional. Each has a look that remains true to its natural origins yet is easily distinguishable and ready for play!

Look closely at the game board and you will see nature's beauty once again. The light and dark squares are created from my own photographs of clouds and tree bark, cut to size and repeated in the checkerboard pattern.

This is a conversation piece that no cabin or nature lover should be without!

#4 Bronze Starburst Mirror
Yay!!! I'm so happy to be here for Week 3 of One Month To Win It!
I have to admit...this week's challenge was especially challenging for me. I threw around a few ideas and decided on something that I have wanted to make for a while...a starburst mirror. Here's my version...

I started with just a few basic (and very inexpensive items)...a styrofoam circle, some spray paint, some wood craft sticks, some wood dowel caps, a small circular mirror, 2 long pieces of dried grass and some dried flowers...
I broke the tips of the craft sticks off because I wanted my mirror to look a little rougher...not as perfect as perfectly round tips would have looked. Then I used my hot glue gun and glued 2 layers of craft sticks all the way around the styrofoam circle...I spray painted the sticks and then added the mirror on top.

I took out all of the dowel caps and spray painted them the same color (Rust-Oleum's Hammered Bronze) as the sticks and then glued them around the mirror.

Finally, I twisted the grass into a circle, wired it into place and glued the dried flowers along the side of the mirror. A super-easy & super-fast project...and I love it.