Vintage Secretary

Two weeks ago I made a visit to Frankie's Garage to pick up a buffet (which I'm super excited to get working on) and sweet ol' Frankie asked me if I'd be interested in this secretary.  

Now, she's not much to look at, I'll admit.  She had a terrible stain wash job and some ugly pulls and poor Frankie could not figure out why she wouldn't sell.  I took pity on the poor thing and decided I would use her as an experiment. 

I've been working on this set of 4 tables all week, which I love how they turned out, but I was ready to do something different.  I left the last table for tomorrow and decided today I was going to fix this little secretary up.  

You know how I feel about Sausha from Sweet Pickens (if you don't, I just love her).  A while back she did a few pieces with napkins and, of course, I was intrigued.  I get tired of seeing the same fabric and scrapbook paper so I thought napkins were an unexplored territory of mine.  I jumped on the net and found a few different packages.  When they arrived I wasn't as thrilled with them as I thought, but since I already paid for them I thought I might as well go ahead and see what I could do with them. 

 BEFORE

I wanted a soft color for the body of this piece so it wouldn't be too much with the floral print I chose. It's a soft gray/green and it's not matchy matchy with the napkins, which at first freaked me out (yes, I still struggle with matchy/matchy) but grew on me as this project progressed. 

 AFTER

 I used Modge Podge to adhere them to the drawer fronts and when that was dry sanded the bejeebers out of them to really rough them up.  The drawer fronts were bare wood underneath, so the wood ended up showing in places (which is what I wanted).  I then gave them another coat of MP and then glazed them (General Finishes Van Dyke Brown) and then sealed them with a good coat of poly. 

 I added the wood applique and then glazed the entire thing to age the paint. 

I'm a perfectionist so glazing freaks me out, too.  But, I just tell myself to go with it and everything turns out ok (after a few repaints because I don't like heavy glaze). 

 She's got a cute little bottom, too. :)

 Here's a little tip....don't forget the drawers.  Nothing is worse than seeing a cute piece and opening up the drawer to find it's nasty inside.  If they're in good shape, great.  If not, then either paint them or line them.  Nobody wants to put their clothes or treasures in a yucky drawer (plus painting them can help get rid of funky odors, too!).

 I love these pulls and think they hold their own with this bolder print on the drawers.

 I included this pic to show you the texture of the napkins.  I like a smooth finish, I cannot lie.  But, texture is fun, too, and I really like how it adds a vintage feel to this piece. 

This secretary took me out of my comfort zone and I'm so glad I did a little something different with it.  I can totally see it in a little girls room, in a bathroom, or in an entryway/hallway.  So fun! 

Oak Tables in Tuscan Red

These oak tables are a custom order from a good friend of mine.  She said they were old and outdated and needed some help!  We all have a piece of outdated oak in our home somewhere.  I can't tell you how many people I talk to that say they were just going to throw them away.  

STOP
 right there if you are one of them.  I promise you can "fix" them with a little paint and stain and they will be magazine worthy again! psst...at only a fraction of the cost of buying new! 

 BEFORE

This is one of four.  You can see the other three lurking in the top left corner. ;)

She wasn't exactly sure what she wanted so we talked about the colors in her home, I gave her a few options (with the one I hoped she'd pick, lol), and she decided on Tuscan Red (the one I hoped she'd pick, yea!).  

 AFTER

I've played with reds a lot over the last 3 years and just have never found one I was completely in love with until I met Tuscan Red from General Finishes.  It's not too orange, it's not too blue, and it has great depth.  It's very versatile and looks amazing with a wide variety of other colors. 

I have to give a shout out to General Finishes here, too, because their products are simply amazing.  I've used a LOT of paint over the past few years, and, honestly, GF is my favorite.  The coverage is incredible, the colors are yummy, and the finish is silky smooth.  I promise you won't be disappointed if you give them a try.  

 I updated the hardware with these simple antique silver pulls instead of using the big wooden knobs that were original to the piece. They make a huge difference (just changing out the hardware on a piece of furniture and can totally change the look and feel of it).

 Oak is kind of a bugger to stain dark, but this is another reason I love GF Java Gel.  Two coats and she's a beauty again (bye bye 80's). 

Moral of the story?  Don't give up on those 80's oak pieces just yet!  A few hours and a few products and you can have yourself a brand new piece of furniture! 

Roll Top in Renfrew Blue (Fusion Mineral Paint)

Thank goodness for classifieds on FB!  I've been sick for the last month (and, it's progressively gotten worse instead of better) so haven't been in the mood to do any kind of furniture picking BUT my local classifieds page on FB makes it pretty easy, and for that I'm so grateful!  

I saw this cute roll top and couldn't pass it up.  Seriously, it is the sweetest little thing!  It's got the cutest little cubbies and legs. 

This is the worst I've had spring fever...EVER.  So, I decided in lieu of impending warmer weather, flip flops, and sunshine I was going to do something fun with it!  

Fusion Mineral Paint recently got a hold of me and asked if I would like to try their products  (be sure to check out their gorgeous website!).   Really?  Do you think it is even possible for me to turn down new paint?  And, free paint at that?!  No way hose, so I picked out a few colors and waited for my box to come in the mail.  It came and it was BULGING.  I'm dead serious.  The top had to be taped down to keep it from popping open!  I couldn't believe how many awesome colors they sent me to try out!  I was doing my happy dance in the living room. ;)  

I chose Renfrew Blue and Ceramic for this cutie and decided to layer them because the springy green scared me a bit. It's actually a beautiful vintage green, but beautiful vintage green is out of my comfort zone, so I took baby steps. 

BEFORE

I have resigned myself to the fact that I will never have a magazine worthy garage, so you will just have to deal with looking at the crap like I do. :)  But, do you see what I mean?  Isn't she just adorable??

 AFTER

The color is not quite this bright and I am in love with it.  It's rich and vibrant and perfect for a pop of color.  

I also loved working with the paint.  It's an acrylic so it doesn't dry as fast as a chalk or milk paint but that allows it to level out so nicely and it has a nice, smooth consistency.  It has a pretty satin finish and does not need a topcoat if not distressed.  So, you can save yourself a step!

 This pic is truer to the color than the others. 

Broyhill Dresser

I believe this was another tag on FB.  I'm always so grateful somebody thinks of me when they see an ugly piece of furniture. ;)  I actually get that a lot...."I was thinking about you the other day...." Lol!  

It's a Broyhill, so it's a nice piece in great condition, but, once again, just so heavy and dated looking.  I was going to do it in red but it pre-sold and my client and I decided a charcoal gray would look beautiful in her guest bedroom. 

BEFORE

AFTER

Even though it's still dark, it looks so much more modern.  I wanted the drawers to have a little dimension, so I painted the first coat in a medium gray and then feather the charcoal gray in almost to the middle of each section.  I've never done it before and it made me a little nervous, but I realized the worst thing that could happen is I would just have to paint over it. :)

I like the effect. 

I chose to stay with the original pulls and sprayed them a pewter color.  

Thought it would be fun to do something sparkly down the front so I used these antique pewter knobs and love how it brings something a little different and unexpected to the piece. 

Smooth as glass. :)

These are the tulips DH gave me after my no good rotten day yesterday.  He's very thoughtful.  I love that about him.  I also adore this cage clock I got a few weeks ago.  Unfortunately I haven't found a place in my house for it yet so it's still sitting on my bedroom dresser. ;/

Pine Dresser/Hutch

This dresser and hutch was on my local classifieds page.  I must admit, the only reason I bought it is because I have nothing left and I was a little desperate to do something of my own.  It. Was. Ugly.  Yep, the kind of ugly only a furniture refinisher could love. Sorry big dresser.

Of course, that night I was up half the night thinking about what I wanted to do with it.  I had these pulls from Hobby Lobby on my brain and knew I wanted to work the piece around the pulls, so that's what I did! :)

I always love a soft white and a soft turquoise together and I knew I could make it work on this hutch. 

I had to sand the bejeebers out of it because it was so banged up.  I'm talking massive, deep scratches on the top and dents and dings everywhere (it is pine, so....)

 Before

The pulls were so outdated and just added to the heavy look of this piece.

 Before

I also knew the gold scrolling on the mirror had to go so my little brain was working on that, too.

 After

It's like a breath of fresh air!  It really is a large piece, but now it doesn't feel so overwhelming. 

 I love the turquoise and the mirror was just not working with it, so I decided a fun way to repurpose the space would be to add a cork board. Now it's perfect for notes, pictures, or even to hang jewelry.

 It's got this cute little cubby, too!  The more I look at it the more I love it!

 I wish I had taken a before of the top.  It was so bad.  I actually didn't think it was going to be salvageable, but with a lot of sanding it turned out beautifully!

 So cute! :)

 I absolutely love these knobs and pulls and was so excited to use both of them on the same piece!  I already told you how strange I am. ;)