It’s time for a wrap-up of the projects that caught my eye on the interwebs in the past week:

Problem:  Ugly baby gate.  Solution:  Red paint.  Result:  Still a baby gate, but now at least it has some panache.  Yes, I just said a baby gate has panache.  I must be crazy.  Nonetheless, I commend Natalie from Johnny in a Dress for being creative with a boring, but necessary, object.



Since I have a biology degree, I have a fondness for beakers.  That must be why this cake made me chuckle.  Jamie at The Sugar Shack made it for her son’s scientist-themed birthday.  Fun!



How funky are these baby Converse made from fondant by Bella Before and After?



I’m sure you’ve seen the factory cart coffee tables in catalogs.  Lauren and Pat from Our Hiding Place used Ana White’s plans, with some changes, to build their own.  Nice!



By the way, if you haven’t heard of Ana White, you’re missing out.  She designs and builds furniture, and shares the plans FOR FREE on her website.  Sometimes she comes up with plans to knock off popular retail designs (like Pottery Barn).  And sometimes she comes up with her own ideas.  Tons of people across the interwebs have been using Ana’s plans to build their own furniture instead of buying retail.  Seriously, Ana is amazing.  You have to check out her site.  Oh, and she’s beautiful to boot.  Men must drool upon mention of her name.  I mean a beautiful woman wielding power tools?  It’s just not fair for the rest of us.

Here’s a fun way to leave messages in your kids’ lunches when they go back to school, courtesy of Laura at Come Together Kids.



What I appreciate about this next project is that it supplied me with ideas that are different from the normal dresser re-do.  First, rather than using regular knobs, you can just tie some rope into a knot for a country-style pull.  Second, you can add casters to a piece of furniture to make it more mobile, to give it an industrial look, or just to raise it up off the floor.  Most people don’t realize that you don’t have to settle by using furniture as-is, but can make improvements with simple changes.  Thank you to Mia at Jilly & Mia for that reminder!



This next project is quite a metamorphosis by Carrie at Lovely etc.  On the left, uh-gly clocks from (I’m guessing) the ‘70s.  On the right, lovely mirrors that are very on-trend.  Much better.  I really like the one in teal, and would spray paint the others in bold colors too if they were for my house.



Karen at Heritage Home Creations uses this perfect blue-gray color on many of her refinished pieces, including this desk.  Isn’t it lovely?  It has the same pulls as the dresser I painted for our bedroom.



Lastly, I saw this makeover by Freddy & Petunia over at Centsational Girl.  It might be a bit much for an indoors, but it works great on a deck!  I could see this treatment being used on a porch as well.



I hope these Metamorphosis Monday posts give you some inspiration too.  If you’d like to see more details or photos, click on the links provided, or on the photos.  Which project do you like best this week?