WEEKEND OF FUN! FOR ME ANYWAY:)

In all honesty, we really didn't do anything exciting this weekend.  Kids played with every available person and got out every possible outside toy…as they should!

I feel kinda bad though because hubby did a lot of work for me (or customers:) this weekend.

Made 2 queen size headboards out of old solid wood doors by cutting them down and added crown

These are going to be great!

Then we cut down this guy to make 2 matching nightstands, something I have a difficult time finding.

Patchwork was very necessary and am lucky that the middle top had the same detail on it as the side tops.  We (and by that I me "HE") cut them and other pieces of wood to fit.  We (and by that I me "I") will be patching up:)

And added feet to a few pieces!

These guys did turn out great!

THE FUN AND FUNKY DRESSER!

This was the probably the most stressful and challenging project I have taken on in a long time (next to the grainy oak kitchen cabinets:)) but the end result was worth it all!

I was so nervous about someone putting their faith into my hands to "do whatever you want…I know I will like it".  That makes me nervous!

This piece is for a sweet and spunky 4 year old and mom wanted a dresser to match his personality.  I didn't have much to go on except I knew she liked turquoise, red, vintage, different, funky and wanted to incorporate the number "4" and letters "E" and "P", if possible.

I knew when she chose these other coordinating pieces for her other sons room to be this bright fun green color, that she was open to ideas, so that helped:)

Honestly, this is how it sat for about a week and I just picked at it here and there. I was really struggling.  I had a ton a great ideas all up in my head but they needed to blend and I didn't want it to look like a  "Sesame Street" dresser but have a vintage, fun feel.

I toyed with the idea of using mirrors on 1 or some of the drawers and maybe dowels for texture.

The ruler I was using to cut lengths of twine, which I didn't use either,  caught my eye and decided it would be fun to use somewhere…it became our number "4".

I basically just walked thru the hardware dept. at Lowes, finding a few items but most of the pieces came from my leftovers and "junk drawers" in my workshop.

Everything was heavily distressed and glazed for the vintage feel.

 THE BEFORE

FROM NURSERY FURNITURE TO "BIG BOY" ROOM!

Although I tend to focus on buying mainly vintage, antique or older pieces it doesn't mean that "newer" pieces can't be transformed just as beautifully!

This set was your typical nursery furniture.  It was decent quality so my customers wanted to keep it and have it updated with a new finish.

I am so glad she agreed to add the new hardware because that really helped update it even more!

Amazing what a new finish (and a LOT of work:)) can do!

THE SECRETARY DESK FINALLY FINDS A HOME!

As one of my customers and now friends said to me when posting this on FB, "I was waiting to see the fate of the french provincial secretary!"And I have been too!

I rarely have a piece sitting around in my inventory for this long (almost a year).  Although everyone probably thought…"oh, that's cute", nobody was in the market for a big secretary desk.  Until my friend Katie came along!

She said she has been looking for a secretary for a while for her soon to be craft room. I am so glad I held onto this guy for her!

 She chose the pretty soft green shade called Recycled Glass by BM and we did the hardware in my favorite finish by Rustoleum called Champagne.

The inside was a bit tricky getting to with my spray gun but it turned out beautiful!

MCM CREDENZA UPDATE AND USING DECORATIVE ALUMINUM SHEETS

I was lovin this piece even before I did anything to it! In fact, I had it hidden in the corner in hopes that I might be able to use it for my upcoming kitchen/den renovation.  Unfortunately it was going to be to long for the space I have.  So, I had to let her go:(

 What I like most is that my customers loved the idea of integrating a sheet of this decorative aluminum, typically used for radiator covers, it can also be used in so many other ways!  I did a post last year about a few ways I have used it HERE .

They really like the "2 tone" look and we decided to strip and stain the drawers, door, base and feet as they were in excellent condition.  I ended up stripping the top too, just to get a perfect finish when spraying the lacquer.



Both Home Depot and Lowes carries this product.  I happened to purchase this from Home Depot.  It does come in 2 sized but naturally, I needed the larger, more expensive sheet.  the 3x3' is $30.

Either the gold or the silver would have looked great with this piece but my customers wanted the silver and this particular design…I think they made a wonderful choice:)

I was too lazy to go find the metal cutter so I used my scissors, which worked just fine, although I am sure I totally ruined them:)

We used the existing back panel that was behind the original wicker as the backing for the sheet.  I prefer to have a dark background for the aluminum so that you can see the detail.

DIY BUDGET OUTDOOR CURTAIN ROD MADE WITH PIPE

I wish SO BAD I had a before picture of this nasty, mold infested space!  It was an enclosed sunroom with 7 windows, all of which had leaked over the years.  I didn't really need another "indoor" space to hang out in or furnish, nor did our budget include new windows and making it weather tight. So, we decided to open it up and make it into a screened in porch (minus the screens for now:).

We ripped out all the windows, drywall and shag carpet. There was concrete under the carpet, which we did an acid stain on.  I would have loved to DIY that one but we were having a ton of concrete/patio work done and just had them do it for us.  My husband and I added Hardy Board to the interior and exterior and I stained tongue and groove boards for the ceiling. We still need to add screens and a screen door but to be honest, I am in no hurry!

Because we get sun afternoon from the West, I needed some outdoor curtains.  Not sure if you ever priced out curtain rods for anything over 6', but it is EXPENSIVE!!  That is when I decided to go the super cheap route and use galvanized pipe.  Because it is a 16 foot long wall, we need 2-8 footers with a union in the middle.  

4 large hooks and done!  

I found Ava digging up my only flower in the yard.  We have a TON of landscaping to do this spring and summer….I think I know who will be helping me with gardening this summer:)

LOVING THE "2 TONE" LOOK!

I have been getting a lot of requests lately for a "2 tone" look with is either 2 different colors but most likely, a combination of wood and paint.

I personally love that look myself and if a piece is capable of it, am happy to do it!  Here are a few pieces I have recently done….



 Natural wood front, sanded down with a coat of wax.

Drawers were stripped and stained with minwax dark walnut.  Then sealed with clear coat.

Drawers were sanded down to bare wood and given a coat of dark stain…didn't like it!  So then did a "white/grey wash" over top. Sealed with clear coat.

Box was not necessary able to be given the stained look we wanted so we did a dark brown laquer to give it the "2 tone" wood look.

Again, drawers stripped and stained in dark walnut.  Clear coats added.

Love the grain that shows thru on this guy!  You never really know exactly what will happen to the wood when you stain it.  We were pleasantly surprised:)

Stripped and stained with coats of clear, this antique dresser turned out beautiful!

TURNING A DRESSER INTO A MEDIA CENTER

I have turned a dresser into an entertainment center before, leaving the drawers in place but giving them the ability to flip down, a post you can see HERE.
This worked well but this time around I was thinking about keeping the top row totally open but wanted it to look finished inside, not like I just took out some drawers….

 This piece was a perfect candidate because I never really liked the waffle pattern on the top drawers.  I originally tried to convince myself that it was kinda cool and different, but in the end, they had to go!

 I began by removing the back so I could get to the inside.  The sheet of ply was cut and dry fitted to make sure it was going to work.  Because Marc did the cuts, not me, it fit perfectly:).

This was not actually installed until the very end so that I could prep and paint that separately as it would be more difficult to do it while installed.

Continued with the necessary prep work

Because this was plywood, the cut end, which was going to be visible from the front needed to be filled and sanded smooth

After it was all sprayed.  I glued and then pin nailed the board into place and replaced the back of the dresser.  I will be drilling a few holes in the back for cords as well.

I love how it turned out!