Vintage Console Table

This was a custom piece.  It looks so basic, pretty outdated, and a little rough around the edges. 

I constantly have this debate with myself about continuing to refinish furniture or just to move on and do something else (I love politics!).  Sometimes I am so overwhelmed by all the projects I have that the stress seems to outweigh any benefit I get from painting.  But, I still can't see a piece of furniture like this and not think it could look so much better and make someone happy!  And, that, my friends, is why I am still painting!  

 Before

The top is pretty rough and has some pretty deep water stains. The veneer is chipped off the front piece, and it's just looking a little drab.  

This piece is actually all cherry veneer. The finish on it hid all the grain. 

This is what the top looked like when I sanded it down.  I know, right?!  I'm not sure if the top is cherry, too, because I've never seen a grain like this in a cherry piece, but it sure did feel and act like cherry when I stained it. 

I was a little sad because my client wanted a dark top and I was afraid the dark stain would hide a lot of the grain.  It did, but it is still a beautiful piece of wood!

 After

She said her kitchen was pretty neutral and we decided a little color would be nice.  She showed me an inspiration picture and we went from there.  I love how this table has so much more character and presence now.  I don't think you would walk by it and not notice it. 

 Can I tell you a little secret?  These side angles are always my favorite.  I've done about 500 pieces of furniture in my day and a smooth finish still makes me want to reach out and touch it.  I always run my hands over it because I just love how it feels under my fingertips! 

The grain isn't as pronounced as it was before, but it is still gorgeous.  I used to freak out if there were any marks in the wood after I stained the top (you usually can't see a lot of things in wood until you get the stain and clear coat on).  But, now I just embrace those small imperfections and tell myself this piece of furniture is not new.  It has a history and a story to tell.  I don't want to erase all of that with my orbital. ;)  Anyhow, when you're working with veneer you can't sand too deep or you'll go right through and that makes me cry.  I don't like to cry. 

I love these antique brass knobs. I'm always amazed what a difference hardware makes! 

Antique Dresser with Mirror

This dresser is part of the set my husband found for me.  I absolutely love it but went back and forth on what I wanted to do with it.  

I wanted to try something a little different with it, but couldn't decide what.  It sat in the garage for a few weeks and I finally knew it had to be 

GREEN!. 

I don't know why, because green isn't normally a color I gravitate toward.  In fact, I've done very few pieces in green (I like bluey greens!).  So, I went for it and I tried something different with the drawers.  After staring at it for a little while I knew I didn't like it and something was just off, so I did a FB poll and you all agreed with me.  So, I tweaked it a little and was so much happier with it.  BTW, "tweaking it" was a huge pain in the you know what!

BEFORE

AFTER

I love the soft white  (it's not as bright in person) against this sweet olive color (I realized I like greens with a little yellow in them). It feels classic and vintage to me.  One thing I also realized, while doing the FB poll, was realizing that we all have different ideas of what looks good and what "floats our boat", so to say.  At first, this used to bother me.  I wanted everyone to like what I did!  But, obviously, my rational mind took over and told me that is NEVER possible.  There will never be a piece that everyone loves.  I'm glad we're all different!  

I really like this classic looking pattern to break up the green.  Some suggested to paint the whole piece green, but I felt like it was too much color on such a large piece.  I added the scroll, the wished I hadn't (but, it was stuck there for good), the painted it green (instead of white), and glazed, and now I love it. 

It's got great little detail work on the corners so I highlighted them in the same soft white as the drawers. 

I still love these knobs and feel like they were meant for this piece!

This top is just to die for.  Seriously, one of the prettiest I've seen!  

I love the cup holders on the mirror!  Such a great detail!

All the insides are solid cherry and in beautiful condition (what a horrible pic! lol).

You know I love these knobs, too! ;)

I really like "alligator skin" on a piece of distressed furniture.  I love the texture it give so rubbed through the paint on all the part that had bumpy "skin".  The veneer was damaged on the bottom of the drawer, but it was still tight so I left it as is and distressed it.  I love little things like that that add character to a piece.

Antique Empire

It's no secret I have a ginormously. gargantuan, huge, make the universe look small little thing for furniture. Five years ago I wouldn't have given an antique a second look, other than to say it was ugly.  But now!  They make my heart go pitter patter and my brain start racing!  And, I must say, I think I like a pretty Empire style piece as much as anything.  There's just something about those subtle curves and chunky feet.  LoVe, lOvE, looooove them!

I recently met this fabulous lady (she really is just fabulous!).  She loves antiques, too, and we blah blah blah about them when we get together.  Well, she's sweet enough to keep an eye out for me when she's at home on her computer or when she's out and about, and.....in her own home!  She needed to sell this beauty to make room for another piece and I was so thrilled when she said I could have first dibs.  What  a sweetheart! 

I'm not sure why it is so but most Empire's I see are made out of tiger oak. I don't need to remind you how I feel about oak, in general, and usually tiger oak (which is actually just quarter sawn oak, not some freaking exotic wood) is no exception.  

But, when I started sanding down these drawers the pattern in the grain was so beautiful that I decided to leave them natural.  You're welcome all you paint haters! ;)

 BEFORE

 AFTER

The best thing about making over these pieces is that they are so dark before and lightening them up really gives them a whole new life. Look at those drawers just pop against the paint. Wowza!

 I give God all the credit for this one.  His handy work cannot be beat!

 I love lining the drawers, what a sweet surprise when you open them up!

 The grain on the top wasn't as nice as the drawers and I didn't want the top competing with the drawers, so I decided to paint it. I almost never do that!

One thing I love about painting furniture is all the texture it brings out.  You know I like smooth paint, but I also love all the little bumps, scales, and imperfections that come with an older piece.  Painting and distressing enhances all those things. 

 Both of these are still my favorite hardware.  I could just sit and stare at the knobs with the metal overlay.  I like how the middles are dark to tie in with the dark wood, but the outer edge is light to tie in with the drawers.  They just bring the entire piece together. 

These are some of those subtle curves I love, and those feet....

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! 

Bookcase in GF Basil

This is the final bookcase from the set of 3 I finished this week.

  

Roxanne from The Rustic Shed was nice enough to let me do what I wanted with this one.  The first was finished in Linen from General Finishes, the second in stock black from Sherwin Williams, and this one is done in Basil and Linen from GF.  

I've never been able to do the same piece of furniture 3 different ways before and had so much fun with it!  I  normally try to picture a piece in several colors before deciding and doing these made those visions come to life!

 Before

*This one actually did not have the drawers in the bottom.  I believe it was probably the middle piece in the set as they were all attached at one time. 

 After

I do believe this is my favorite one of all three.  It's a little less formal and so my style. :)

 I decided to pick out the details in Linen and then distress to let the Basil peek through. 

 Normally I don't like "buttons" on furniture, but I did like these.  Thought they just added a little something. 

And here it is from beginning to end...to end...to end!