A Quick Hello!

Just popping by to say hi!  I've been working on a pair of side tables that will match the desk and hutch I recently refinished and hope to have them finished this week (and that's a BIG "I hope"  Here's a quick sneak peek "before" pic of one!

So why have I sort of disappeared over the past two weeks?  Well, I've actually taken on my biggest project EVER.  I'm helping renovate my sister and brother-in-laws townhouse!  We're two weeks in and starting to see a sliver of light at the end of the tunnel!  We've obviously still got a ways to go and I'm spending as much of my free time on that as I can, so I don't have much to post here at the moment.  I promise to post all details and amazing before and afters when it's all finished! :)

Here's a quick peek at what has been happening (and proof as to why you do NOT paint latex over oil paint - something I guess the previous owner wasn't aware of).  

EEK! Lots of scraping and prep work before the "pretty" can start to happen.


Thanks for stopping by!

French Provincial 6 Drawer Dresser

I picked up this little 6 drawer dresser a couple years ago, slapped on a coat of white paint and stuck it in my daughters room.  Here's a pic from the original online ad with its gold accents and covered in paint splatters and cobwebs.

My daughter was in desperate need of some storage space and so I didn’t bother finishing the dresser.  Like the little desk I recently refinished, it was certainly showing some wear.  Although I hadn’t planned to sell the dresser, I decided to refinish it after receiving a message from someone asking if I had a dresser she could buy from me.   (I have another one already lined up so my daughter won’t go without her storage space! ;)        

After wrapping each drawer and taping off the inside of the dresser (a lot of work, but something I've started to take the time to do!) I sanded the dresser down and resprayed it in a crisp white.  After some light distressing, I finished it with a glossy clear coat.

Crazy as it sounds, unwrapping freshing painted pieces feels like Christmas morning to me!

The original hardware got a fresh update in glossy white as well.

Again with the curvy legs! LOVE them!

I decided to line each of the drawers in the same black and white vinyl as my last desk makeover.  I feel it finishes off the drawers perfectly.

I hope this little dresser will work well in its new home.

Thanks for popping by!

Sugar and Spice

It’s another desk makeover!  This is the last desk for awhile...at least, I don’t think I have another one buried in my garage right now.

I picked up this cutie last summer and finally dragged it into my garage to work on it. I forgot to take a full before pic, so I contacted the seller I’d purchased it from and she gave me permission to use the original picture she’d sent me.  

It was solid, but needed a bit of a face lift.   

The paint along the top had started to lift and chip away so I decided to spend the time stripping it down with the intention to stain it.  I just love the look of a two-tone piece!  

After spending a fair amount of time stripping away all the paint, I was disappointed to find the wood had some serious discoloration.   

I’m not sure if it had been painted over that way, or if something had somehow gotten under the paint.  After some serious sanding, I was happy to find it was just surface staining and I could continue with my idea of staining it.  I chose to use my favorite chestnut color, English Chestnut by Minwax.  I love the rich deep color.    

First coat

 

Second coat

 After two coats of stain, I finished it with five coats of glossy polyurethane.  

To update the look of the hutch, I chose to remove the two doors.  I found the design slightly odd with the open shelf above them.   

Both the hutch and the body of the desk received coats of primer, crisp white paint and were followed with a glossy clear coat.

I decided I wanted to try something different than my usual “paint everything white” treatment like so many of my furniture pieces usually do.  My inspiration was this gorgeous buffet refinished by Marian, aka Miss Mustard Seed.   

I chose to paint the desk drawers in the same soft blue/green color I used on this little desk chair makeover.  The original hardware was updated with oil rubbed bronze paint.

I'm such a sucker for furniture with curvy little legs!!!

I thought it was only fair to freshen up the inside of the drawers as well with a simple black and white vinyl.

I left the very back of the hutch until last.  I debated whether to just paint it white, the same blue/green as the drawers, or to go with something completely different and add some colorful fabric.  The fabric choice won.  I had this beautiful piece in my fabric stash and it worked perfectly with the painted drawers.   

I cut a new ¼” plywood backing and adhered the fabric.  Once the edges were trimmed, it was attached to the back of the hutch.

I am absolutely thrilled with the way this makeover turned out.  I knew I was taking a chance straying from my usual solid white paint, but I felt this desk could handle it.  I love the way the fabric picks up on the white and blue/green paint colors as well as the glossy wood top.

 

This beauty will soon available in my shop and ready for a new home.

Thanks for stopping by!