antique dresser redo

Are you ready for a sad story? I saw this online and loved it (it has a mirror that goes with it).  The lady who was selling it said she had stripped it which is why I assumed it looked the way it did.  That was fine-less work for me, right?  So, I had Craig pick it up for me.  It was late when he got home, so we put it in the garage and I didn't look too closely at it.  The next day we took it to his shop and I realized, in the light of day, how rough it was.  I mean it was REALLY rough!  I thought surely stripping it wouldn't do that to it.  After working on it for a few days I realized they had stripped it by sand blasting it!!  I usually don't give advice because I stink at it, but here's some advice--DON"T STRIP AN ANTIQUE BY SAND BLASTING IT!!!  please  :) 

Before

After

I call this French Blue --yes, I made it up ;).  It's hard to tell if it's blue or gray and that's what I like about it!

So, even after some serious sanding the drawers were still pretty rough (you can see the grooves in the wood)--but I think they tell part of her story now.  Check out the keyholes--love that!

I was going to keep the original hardware until I realized it wasn't the original hardware and then I thought--why should I keep it if it's ugly and it's not the original? After all this poor thing has been through I thought she at least deserved some pretty pulls--so that's what she got! 

The top was just as bad as the rest of it.  Sanding just wasn't going to do the job and I knew I wanted to stain it so it had to look good.  Bless Craig's heart--he took the grinder to it.  DIY'ers:  this is not recommended!  It took some heavy sanding after that, but I think it turned out great.  I also love that you can see where they nailed the top down.  That's old school! :)

Just goes to show something beat up and worn out can still be made beautiful!

SOLD

Side note: I still have the mirror, but it was really rough and because it was so ornate could not be sanded. I painted it, but didn't like the way it turned out, so now I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it. :(

Side table redo

This little antique side table was practically a cast off--nothing a little wood glue and paint couldn't fix! I love all the pretty little details--they are literally all over the piece and, yes, I sanded them all! :) Lots of pics on this one.

Before

After

details on the front and back

details on the legs

Considering how rough and dry (she was showing her age!) the top was I thought it turned out nice. 

details on side

seriously love these! 

rub through on top

SOLD

color = tricorn black SW

Antique Chalkboard

This is a real slate chalkboard--it weighs a ton (ok, maybe not THAT much).  It's in great shape (it's sturdy--great for little ones!) and even has the little chalk tray--so cute!  Wish I knew how old it is.... He has a big brother coming--it's a gem (can't wait to post)!

Before

 After

(this color is almost gone, so I don't think there will be too many more redo's with it--I still love it though!)

SOLD

An old window frame, our nation, and a little about me

A few years ago I was exploring our basement (we've lived in this house for 10 yrs and the basement still scares me!).  There is a "backroom" that I just don't go in where the previous owners stored the original window frames to the house.  There was a whole stack of them! I knew I wanted to do something with them, but wasn't quite sure what.  After a lot of thinking I finally decided to do a collage for Craig's birthday.  He's always been very patriotic and his birthday is on the 4th of July, so I thought this was very appropriate! :)  The original frame was white (it was really rough), so I sanded it down to the bare wood, primed it in white, painted red, then dry brushed in black (after I hit it a few times with a hammer).  You'll have to forgive me--it was really hard to take pictures because of the glass.....

This is Craig's little brother with his beautiful new daughter right after he returned from oversees.  Craig and I love this picture.  It's such a tender moment. 

I know this is mostly a furniture blog, but it's also a place for me to share a little about me, and this is part of me. :)  I'm so grateful for Craig and his love for this country and his tender heart towards our veterans.  I'm so grateful for this great nation we are privileged to live in--I believe it has been blessed by the Lord to be an ensign to the world.  I often wonder how I was fortunate enough to be born in this time and place.  I can't express enough gratitude to those who have served their country, shed blood and tears, and sacrificed so much.

Dresser redo

I liked this little dresser because it was tall and slim and I really liked the bottom drawer--is that wierd? :)  She was pretty run-of-the-mill....

Before

 After

I might have mentioned that I love black and white together--simple and classic (does it remind you of  this?)  She is so sweet!  I can see this in any room in the house.

 The knobs are the originals painted black--the drawer pulls are new and painted black. 

 I loved the bottom edge--just needed a little distressing to make it pop.

Here's the bottom drawer.  Just adds a little somethin'.

Such a pretty little thing! :)

SOLD

curio cabinet

I have a thing for pine. I don't know why, but there's just something about it that grabs me. It's soft, casual, and it looks great natural. A friend asked me if I would paint this adorable curio cabinet and my first internal reaction was, "no way!", but I already knew it would look great in black. I love how it turned out, and I still know what she really is underneath! ;)

Before

After

I didn't want to distress too much, so just a little on the edges.  I like that it's subtle. 

color = Tricorn black SW

cute step stool

A friend asked me to paint a cute little step stool she had, but it turned out to be unpaintable because of what it was made out of.  I felt bad and then remembered that my 11 year old son had made a step stool in Scouts and it was just sitting in his closet, unused.  So, I asked her if it would be ok if I exchanged with her, and she agreed. :)  This one was just unfinished pine before.  I love red, but a little can go a long way, so I thought this would be the perfect little thing to try it out on.  So cute!

Side note: Cade wants everyone to know that he is a master craftsman and his work is worth millions. ;)

color = Heartthrob SW

Shelf

A friend saw this on Etsy and liked it, so I made a few changes and ran with it. Thought it turned out cute. 

  

Jeana was nice enough to show me the shelf with her cute stuff--love it. :) 

Thanks to my amazing hubby for being willing to help me with my "crafty crap"!  He still doesn't trust me with the pinner. lol

vintage accent table

Can we say 70's? right down to the gold trim around the top.  Yikes!  I'm sure she was a beauty in her day, but time had taken it's toll!  It was practically a give away, so I thought what the heck, if I don't like it I'm not out much!

Before

After

After After :)

So, after doing this shelf  I loved it so much that I knew I had to do the same thing to the side table I just finished.  I know this picture's not so great, but I love how it toned down the paint and made it feel more aged.  So much better.

Here's how:  just paint stain on with a cheap brush and wipe off with an old rag.  So easy!  And, yes, my kitchen is my workshop today! 

Bought a new drawer pull, but then changed my mind.  I actually loved the original painted white.

These were actually why I brought it home! I could envision it a little roughed up.  Love them!

ummm...hello gorgeous!  This shot was just for me---I do have a bit of a flower fetish ;)

FOR SALE