Homemade Liquid Water Color Paint for Kids

I don't know about all of you, but we tend to go through our markers really fast. Either they dry out from all the coloring or lids get left off. Usually they get thrown in the trash, but here is a way to recycle and reuse them for a fun new craft! 

My boys have been really into painting lately, so this was perfect free craft to do with them. There are also a couple different ways you can use the paints. 

Fireplace Makeover

Here it is...the fireplace before in its awful messy condition and finally looking finished! The before picture is the condition it was in when we bought the home. Just want to make it clear, that is not my mess. :) We debated different options for remodeling the fireplace, like stucco, eliminating the bench, drywall, and others. However, we decided we wanted to keep it inexpensive so we stuck with mostly paint to update it. We (and by "we" I mean my wonderful brother-in-law) drywalled over the brick above mantel. We also drywalled over the brick to the right of the fireplace. The beams were removed from the ceiling in the family room to help the room feel open and the ceiling higher. That left us with holes in the brick above the mantel (shown below). This is what led us to the decision of drywalling over the top portion. We still need to place an outlet cover on and do some final paint touch ups, but for the most part it is done! My friend Alexis, with Design by Lexi,  did a great job staging it for me.

 Here is the fireplace in the in between stages, and my little helper.

We painted the fireplace brick in Benjamin Moore's Anchor Gray.

We painted the mantel and the tile on the bench in Benjamin Moore's White Dove.

Our wall color is Benjamin Moore Gray Owl.

Dresser Revamp

So here she is...my first chalk paint project! I am really happy with how the dresser turned out, and loved using the chalk paint. I painted the dresser with the Paris Grey chalk paint and then painted the hardware with the old white. I distressed the dresser on some of the edges and used a clear wax to seal it. I love all of the little details of the dressers drawers and edging along the bottom! Now that I finished it I am kind of tempted to keep it...but I don't really have a place for it. So... the dresser will be available for purchase this weekend at the Vintage Market in Scottsdale!