A Two-Toned Table!

For the life of me I cannot find my before picture.  Ack!  The worse part is that I knew I took one!  I love the shape of this table and the metal middle part just gives it some extra charm.

 

Here is my first after picture:

 

 

I painted this in Old White and Duck Egg Blue, topped with clear wax.  Then I added some great glass like knobs on the top drawer.  As I stood back taking pictures, I realized that all I could see was the wood inside.  Fail  (did you notice my other fail?  I just noticed I only put one knob back on on the door!)

 

I painted the inside Old White to make the metal doors really pop.

 

 

Now, after another redo:

 

 

Much better, huh?

 

I also wanted to share a quick project I did.  I'm really trying to fill my new space with more decorative items now, I've got the furniture.  I found a few great tutorials on how to make burlap wreaths.  I kind of combined them to suit my tastes and ended up with a fabulous looking wreath.  This one is a beige burlap with vintage-y black writing on it.  I also bought some orange burlap and made some for fall.  I hung it around this old window I found and just touched up with some Old White and a bunch o' sanding.  I think I"ll sell it as a set, plus it'll look great in my space!

 

 

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My bathroom is finally done! (well, kinda!)

Whew, lots o' work goin' on around here.

 

Months and months ago I saw this picture on Pinterest:

 

 

So pretty.  Don't ask me why but I love a neutral bathroom.  Surely, I could do something like this to our Master Bath, right?  We had the standard contractor bathroom.  Oakey cabinet for the vanity, salon style lightbar and that big ole mirror held in place by glue and plastic thingys.

 

 

 

Don't even get me started on these ugly curtains I hung years ago, what was I thinking?

 

 

I also had a cabinet hung over my potty that was OK, but it's much happier in Emma's bathroom now!

 

 

The first thing we did was take the light fixture and mirror down.  This was the scariest part of all.  First, most people with mirrors like this would normally just frame it out to try and update it because ripping a mirror off the wall that seems to be held on by glue just might cause some drywall damage.  I didn't care, I wanted that mirror GONE!  (It's also loving it's new home at St. Thomas More Academy in Middletown!)  Then, we were afraid of what we would find under the light fixture, a huge hole?  We got lucky, like should have played the lottery lucky.  (well, we did, but didn't win...)  The mirror came down with only minor damage to the wall that could be fixed with some spackle.  The light fixture had one small hole where our new light fit right in.

 

 

So, we painted the vanity cabinet black and added some silver knobs.  We put up two mirrors over each sink and a new updated light fixture.  We painted the walls a light beigy/tan color.  My husband thinks it's a bit too light of a color, but again, I gotta thing with neutral bathrooms.  Those crazy curtains came down and were replaced with faux wood wide slat blinds in white.  I found a great cabinet on clearance at Lowe's for a great price, so I splurged.  It has room for baskets in the bottom which has become the new home for my makeup.  Great way to keep it off the sink! 

 

The only thing left I'd like to do is find some color, maybe something to  hang on the walls or with new rugs.  I've had my eye out for a while now, but if I'm not gaga over something, I'm not buying it. 

 

Drumroll please...................................

 

 

 

 

 

And, again, because I can't stop looking at this picture and wondering why oh why we didn't do this YEARS ago?????

 

 

 

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Some exciting news and a new dresser!

Once again, I suck at being a blogger.  It's been a week since my last post, sorry everyone!  But, I have some exciting news that will mean more projects to share!

I'm so pleased to announce that as of September 1, 2012, I will be the newest vendor at Ginger & Spice Marketplace in Walkersville, Maryland!  They are having a great fall fair and I emailed them to get some information on being a vendor and the rest is history!  I can't lie, I'm a bit concerned about being able to keep up, but I'll never know until I try.  Try my best, right?  My husband has really geared up and will be helping me as well, so this will really be a team effort.  I'm so excited! 

Because of my exciting new venture, I feel like I am on high alert for great finds now.  So, a little over a week ago my husband and I were going out for a much needed dinner sans kid.  We decided to go to Hollow Creek in Middletown.  As we are driving over the mountain at 7:00 p.m., there is this big yard sale, BIG.  I spot a dresser, so what's any normal person do?  Of course,  make my husband turn around and go back so I can check it out.  I was in sad shape and she wanted too much money for it.  After pointing out the veneer issues and asking her if she has ever had to strip veneer, she became much more reasonable in her asking price!

Here are some before pics:

the drawers:

Here is the side with the veneer damage:

The other side was worse.  So, I soaked a towel in water and layed it on the side.  I made sure the towel wasn't dripping, but definately soaked through...

We (I say we because my husband is the one who stripped it off) let the towel soak there for about 2 hours.  I was very surprised how easily the veneer peeled off.  I've had some veneer horrors so I was very pleased with the success of this method.

I stripped and restained the top.  Then, after the stain dried, I topped with dark wax.  It's so rustic looking!

The legs on this piece have so much detailing.  I decided to paint it black because there still are some imperfections and the black seems to let them fade away. 

I very lightly distressed it and waxed the whole piece in dark wax.  I left the same drawer pulls and kept them the same color, they really go well with the distressed parts and the stained top.  Here is the final outcome:

This will be put in my new space at Ginger & Spice as soon as I move in!!  WooHoo!

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Some great new chairs!

I found these chairs at my local Goodwill almost by mistake. I was leaving and feeling low because I didn't see anything I wanted that was a decent price.  I saw some things I was interested in, but the prices these days are just way too high on some things.  These were shoved in the back of a few dressers and mixed with other chairs:

They have a great shape and for their age, were in great structural condition.  They were very dated though.  I could tell the fabric had been replaced before but it was still just blah.

Then, I was at JoAnn Fabrics for a few things and stumbled upon their remnant bin, which is already a great discounted rate from the regular price, but was marked another 50% off.  So, I got this fabulous gray/yellow Ikat fabric that normally would have cost me a FORTUNE!

Since I already had about 50 shades of gray...(sorry, I just had to!) from my living room painting job, I grabbed a light shade of gray.  I whipped up my homemade version of Chalk Paint, which is just the paint, add a bit o' water and unsanded grout.  Two coats and the chairs were fully covered.  I distressed lightly, then topped with wax. 

I just loved the way they turned out:

And, since I've been sharing bits and pieces of my home improvements with you, I want to share a great mirror I found.  Again, another Goodwill salvation!  I've been looking everywhere to find a mirror the right size for this space.  I knew I wanted to paint it coral to bring it a POP of color and to match my two new throw pillows.  I was even willing to pay decent money!  Well, more than cheap ole me usually spends.  But, alas, I saw this for $7 and couldn't resist.  I headed to Lowes and picked up a small sample size of coral, whipped up my homemade chalk paint again, and my mirror was done!

A bit different for my usual taste, but I like it and it's staying there for a while.  It really goes well with the pillows, see:

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A Beautiful new China Cabinet and another SNEAK!

I've been on the search for a China Cabinet that I could use to house my new acquisition of china.  It's not new china, just new to me.  It was my mothers, a long, long, long time ago.  (Sorry Mom!)  My sister then had the china for years, but just moved out of State and gave it to me.  It's been sitting in my storage room for a while...gotta figure out what to do with it, right?!

So, I have been eyeing this beauty at Goodwill for about a month.  It was one of those items that was priced incredibly high.  Don't know why they do that, but the people who price furniture vary greatly.  I can get a great piece for dirt cheap and a so-so one will catch my interest and it's priced like almost new.  I happened to catch it again on the 50% off day, but even with 50% off, it was still too much.  So, I took my chances and went back towards the end of week.  I wanted to have more bargaining power!  So, I got my 50% off plus another $25 off and took it home that day!

I suppose you can see what drew me to this.  The lines are great, although incredibly dated.  Those X's in the middle were just, hmmmm, well U-G-L-Y.  While trying to remove them I broke the glass.  The middle section didn't open anyway, just the outside doors.  So, I thought some chicken wire would make it a bit more casual even though my husband had finally thought I'd lost my mind.

I found the awesome yellow in the mistint section at Lowe's for $3, plus it was a primer/paint in one.  Double score!  Then, I used the rest of my can of ASCP Pure White on the outside.  I actually really liked the pulls on this so I kept them and spray painted them a great silver color.  It's the first time I've used that color for pulls and I love it!

So, here is the close up of the inside with the china...

Isn't this china beautiful?  It just POPS with that yellow behind it!

Hopefully, in this pic you can see the wire:

Look at these pulls accented with silver:

Here is the bottom half:

Again, I just love the silver drawer pulls against the Pure White.  Check out this top drawer.  Now, if I only had more than one set of silverware!!

Here she is in all her glory!

My husband didn't know I had planned on keeping this.  He does like it but doesn't want to carry it upstairs either.  This is one piece, it doesn't come apart, and it's H-E-A-V-Y.  So, I listed it for too much money and if it sells, I guess it sells and if it doesn't by the time I paint my kitchen, it's coming upstairs!

Here is another sneak peek of a serious home improvement project I have going on...

BEFORE:  light laminate flooring, light oak bannisters and rails, neutral beige paint, you know just plain!  (excuse the numerous paint samples on the wall, it took forever to find gray.  just gray.  not blue!)

AFTER:  new darker REAL hardwood floors, painted bannisters and rails and my find of the century....gray walls!

There are big changes going on around here!

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A PINKY dresser--and a sneak peek!

When I was pregnant with Emma, I knew deep down that my husband really wanted a boy, although he wouldn't admit it.  I think he had an adjustment to make when we found out she was a girl.  Not in a bad way, he was happy to be having a healthy baby, but in that "man" sense, you know?  Part of that adjustment was his objection to anything pink.  Her nursery was done in beautiful lavendars and shades of green.  It was pretty, really pretty.  But, no pink.  But, when I saw this dresser/hutch combo, it screamed PINK!

Although it was so far out of date, it was in great condition.  Plus, it has a working light right under those three drawers.

The first thing I did was use wood filler to fill in the holes left by the pulls on those top three drawers.  They seemed so small for a pull and I thought they would look better with some glass knobs. 

I mixed some ASCP Pure White with red to come up with a bright pink.  I knew I wanted to do the body in pink and the drawers in white, but after doing so, it just looked odd and blocky.  So, I took some white and traced around where the gold inset had been.  Then, I used the pink to outline those three top drawers. 

I was going to use glass pulls for the drawers as well, but these pulls are a weird size and since the drawers were already painted I wasn't about to start over.  I didn't want them real pink and I didn't want them real white either so I just used kind of a loose mixture of both, then distressed them and I think they turned out really cute!

Here is the dresser part.  I hope you can see some of the white detailing.  Once again, I got out a teeny tiny brush and did it by hand.

And here is this great hutch:

Aren't those pink glass knobs great?  I've had those for a few months, they were just waiting for the right place to be!  Here is a close up of the pretty decorative piece on top, you can also see some more of the white detailing:

As you can see, I did some light distressing on this also.  I thought it toned down the pink a bit and gave a more whimsy appearance.  So, here she is in all her glory:

I couldn't get a good picture with the light in the hutch on, it was too much glare, but it looks even prettier with that light on!

How perfect would a piece like this be in a nursery?  Look at ALL.THAT.STORAGE!  The best thing is, with a little change of knobs and staging, this can really grow with a little girl. 

Onto my sneak peek.......

After months of working out finances and thinking we may move soon, we realize it's just not in the near future for us.  Like many homeowners today, we are upside down in our mortgage.  Now, I'm not going to complain, we are only upside down by a little bit.  I have one neighbor who is upside down by around $125,000.  I would be seriously sick to my stomach.  But, at this time, I just cannot justify shelling out $15,000 or so at settlement to sell a house we've lived in for 8 years, especially a nice one, in a fairly nice neighborhood, in a GREAT location.  So, we are staying put and finally doing things that we've wanted to do around here for a while.  We are starting with our master bath, our contractor grade, plain, ugly (but big!) master bath.  So, here is a peek at my first job that I tackled with my trusty paintbrush:

This....

is now this...

Stay tuned for the rest, along with a new paint I found that I used on these cabinets!

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A tale of two sideboards

I found two, yes two, sideboards within about a week or so of each other.  One was a bit more ornate than the other, but basically same style.  I posted about the first one here.  Because that was a set and more ornate, I chose a stained top and ASCP Old White.  Very simple yet classy.  The other one just needed more, or I needed more.  I've had a real problem lately with being creative.  For this piece I remember something I read on Miss Mustard Seed.  She talked about creativity and realizing that while you redo furniture to sell, being creative instead of being safe, means you'll enjoy it much more and so will your customers.  I've really tried to remember that.  So, I was left with what to do with this:

This piece was also bigger, a real beast.  It needed to be lightened up to be tamed!

I really love the color yellow.  But, kinda like the color gray can be too blue or too green, yellow can be too beige, too bright, or just plain WAY too yellow.  I've really been into mixing my ASCP colors lately.  Thank goodness for the sample pots!  So, this particular sideboard was a mixture of ASCP Old White and Arles.  My husband actually stopped me and said he thought I should play it safe and just do white or off white.  But, I decided to do it with what I thought was pretty and not what would appeal to the masses. 

I started with the top.  I really do still just L-O-V-E a nice dark stained top.  Instead of stripping, I just got out the orbital sander because I knew the top, although in fab condition, was veneer and wouldn't take too long to sand off the original stain.  And, I was right.  It sanded fairly easily.  I wanted this really rustic looking, so I dragged out the chains, hammer, screwdriver and really dinged the whole top up.  After the stain goes on, it settles in those grooves and crevices and looks SOOOOOO nice!

I then got out my mixture of ASCP and painted the body of it.  I then grabbed my orbital sander again and gave it a quick sanding to really, really, really distress it.  (Did I mention REALLY distressed?)

Once again, my photography skills are seriously lacking, although I'm trying.  You can't really see the yellowishness (I just made up a new word!) of this, but it's not as creamy beige as the picture depicts.  Look at that gorgeous top:

I used Rustleoum Dark Walnut stain and then topped it with the Annie Sloan dark wax.  I then topped the body of it with the clear wax, then went over all the detail in dark wax, so it really popped out and almost looked two-toned in color.

Isn't that detailing great?  It went along the top and the bottom.  And, as a bonus, the drawer pulls and door knobs were perfect, I didn't have to do anything to them except clean 'em up a bit.

Again, I really wish you could see the yellow in this piece, it's just so happy!  What great colors have you all mixed up lately??

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