Saturday, May 28, 2011

#3, but not without some laughs

So, number three is done, but it was not the easiest project to date. It wasn't the project itself giving me all the trouble. It was the lovely North Idaho weather. I sanded this project last week and have been waiting for the rain to stop to finish it. I have a shop I could work in but haven't cleared it out enough yet so that the girls can be in there with me and stay out of trouble. So at the moment I am using the front porch. The UNCOVERED front porch.  I thought I saw a break in the weather so decided to get to work. I first painted the bottom and decided the clouds looked safe enough to stain the top. As I was staining I started feeling little tiny drops. OH No! Not on the stain you don't. Luckily my grandpa was there so we quickly moved it under my umbrella. Then I started feeling more drops and realized that the umbrella was a thick, woven net! Definatly not rain proof! So luckily there was a tarp over the hot tub cover and we quickly grabbed it and threw it over the umbrella. So, it was a funny site, but it got the job done.
Here is my garage-saling-on-my-lunch-break find before:




During the crisis:)



And after:

Finally one to display in my living room. I just love it. I stained the top twice with some stain I already had. I painted and roughes up the bottom and added this glass knob I have been waiting to use!       



We haven't had a coffee table in years, so I'm loving it. Now if I could just keep the kids off of it:)

Thursday, May 26, 2011

2 down, 28 to go.

My dad had left this nightstand for me to borrow, so I just had to paint it! I was waiting to go to some garage sales, so I thought I'd try this out in the meantime. Here is the before:

And after:


I am not in love with the handle, but it was 50 cents at the local 'Habitat for Humanity' store! Cant beat that! Im finding that with some of these older pieces, its really hard to find the right size handles/pulls. I guess when you live in a little North Idaho town, thats what you get. My only option is Home Depot. Now, dont get me wrong, I love me some home depot. They are so helpful, friendly, and knowledgable about EVERYTHING, but this bargain shopper needs some more options. So, here is the (almost) after. I still have to figure out the top piece. He had a tile that I am not at all crazy about in it. Im thinking either a different tile or a piece of wood Ill match to it. It took a lot of muscle to get this puppy done, since I painted a little too thick. I learned a few lessons with this piece. Mainly, dont work in the dark. Its the only time I have during the week, but a big no-no, The paint job wasn't so great and the sanding was shabby. Not shabby chic, just shabby bad.  Also, try to pick out hardware before painting in case new holes need to be made and old ones closed.  If anyone knows how to add, say, 10 hours onto the day, please let me know .Until some more free time comes around.............

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Barbie, the vanity

My great grandma (Nana) owned a beauty school and salon in the 60's. My grandma recently passed this vanity from the salon down to me. Im always weary to paint pieces with sentimental value, but someone had already crossed that bridge for me on this one. It had been painted a weird green(which Im sure was all the rage in the 60's), and then an antique brown over that. I decided to paint it for my girls room and here was the result: Before:

And after:

 This one I sanded by hand! I'm not going to lie, I wanted to die. There were so many nooks and crannies, the whole area over the mirror, the dowels, the old, cracked top.....it was not so fun. And so, again, if my husband is reading, pleeeease can I have a nice sander for my birthday? hehe.
I also bought a black ottoman and made a cover for it and matching pillows for their beds. I wanted a stool or older style chair, but my girls are so young they needed something more sturdy. They are more excited about the pillows than the vanity or stool, but Im quite fond of it. Im thinking of this peice as one we will always hold onto and I will change it as they get older. Im already wanting to mature it a little, but I guess Ill give it a few more years.
I spend so much time with some of these pieces I start to think of names that match their look or story. My daughters always want pink, so I tried use pink, but not go overboard. These shades remind me of the barbie clothes I used to have when I was little, so Ive decided to call her just that, Barbie.

Monday, May 23, 2011

#1 of 30 Done!!!

The girls rocker is done and I looove it. I did fail to mention in my first blog that I am also a huge bargain shopper. I refuse to pay full price if I know I can get a better deal with just a little researching. I got this rocker at a garage sale for $5. I had to buy a can of ‘cottage white” paint for $13, but it will last me for many projects. Also the can of poly that I can reuse. I also had to order a applique which was about $3. I used a tiny bit of wood glue to repair the chair and used sandpaper I already had. So with a total cost of under $10 I think my first shabby chic-ing project turned out adorable and the girls love it! Here it was before:

And here she is now: (Ive named her Stella)




This weekend I hit a few garage sales and got 2 coffee tables and a nightstand. I obviously dont need 2 coffee tables, and am pretty much furnitured up in my own house, so let the selling begin! I also have a chair from work to redo for my boss. We have hid it up in the storage room for 2 years and have been calling it the "pee chair". Don't worry, when I finish it I will tell the story. I finally saved it from its 'looming dumpster doom' and decided to repaint and upholster it. I am nervous about my first upholstery job, so am kind of avoiding it at the moment while I shop for a fabric bargain.

I also found these really cool Readers Digest books at an Estate sale this weekend. They were only selling them by the box. So I now have like 50, but for $3 you cant beat it. Im glad now because I am finding so many places to put them. Heres a few with really great covers I put in my room:
I hoped to get more furniture done, but my daughter needed to dress up for Lost in the 50's this weekend. So I will show off my not-so-impressive-if-you-saw-it-up-close sewing skills. She loved it and was impressed with me, so thats all that matters.



#2 here we come!

Monday, May 16, 2011

I should blog that!

I’ve decided to finally start a blog. I have been littering my facebook with my furniture makeovers for too long. They deserve more than that. Lately, furniture fills my dreams and thoughts. I cant drive down the street without looking for a "Garage sale" sign or searching at all the thrift stores for unfound treasures.
 Anyone who knows me knows that I kind of like to talk. Ok, I really, really like to talk. A lot. So, maybe, I’m not making any promises, but just; maybe this will be a good outlet for me. Then I can give my mouth and everyone else’s ears a little rest. I will warn you though that if you are annoyed, by grammar errors, run on sentences or punctuation nightmares, you may want to sign off now. I’m a little out of practice, a lot short on time and not really too concerned with my writing. I just want to share my pieces, maybe someday sell some and have a little fun.
Last summer my dad found this hideous hutch at the dump and asked me if I wanted to try to 'update' it. I had no idea what I was doing and still am learning, but LOVE doing it. Here it is the before and after: (yes, a handle broke off :)





After this piece, I am hooked. Ive done a few since and now that the sun is shining I am back to it.  I have decided that I will complete 30 peices before I turn 30. Hence, the 30before30 title.
This weekend I got my first project at a garage sale for $5. My girls are so excited for me to finish it for their room. Here it is yesterday. Last night I sanded it and put some wood glue to tighten it up a little. Hopefully tonight I can start to paint it.....enjoy!




Linked up to :
Primp your stuff Wednesday Linky party,
Domestically Speaking Power of paint party,
and
Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Get together



Woo Hoo!!

 
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