The power and beauty of spray paint...

In preparing for the craft fair I have been collecting potential accessories to revamp. It always amazes me the way a coat or two of spray paint can transform a piece. So far I have several frames (I'm guessing around 20) like the ones shown below in varying sizes and detail completed. Of course this was the "before" shot. I'll have to show the "after" look in their finished ivory shabby glory but my friend has them right now so she can cut some glass for them. Then there are even more fun things like these clay pots just screaming for a makeover.

And some more frames...I should have just about every size and color by the time I'm through with these :)

even candlesticks (these were given to a friend for her birthday, although I would have loved to have kept them for myself ;)

And then there are little tables like this one I picked up for $2 from a neighbor with some antiques thrown together for a one of a kind look.

There truly is no end to my madness when it comes to a can of spray paint. What have you been painting lately?

$5 nightstand

I picked this up for $5 a few weeks back and finally got around to finishing it as a nightstand. First I had to rip off the old leather surface from the top and sand it down really good, then I primed and added a brown textured look and after that was dry I penciled in a design and hand painted over the top of it.

Once that was all dry I wiped a dark stain over the top and sanded a bit to give an even more textured/worn look. As always email me if you are interested in this piece at lemonsqueezing@gmail.com. It reminds me of faded blue jeans and would work great for a teenage girls room.

Hope you like :)

And then there was charm...

So, I picked this up after thinking about it all weekend (lucky for me it was still there) at a thrift this morning for $15. I really wanted to pay a little less but it was sturdy and in good shape for painting so I bought it. Then I gave it a good sand all over to scuff up the surface and a coat of spray primer followed by Krylons Bahama something ;) I'll have to look at the can again. Here it is drying outside.

Then of course, I had to do a little bit of distressing...it would look so cute with a cushion on it don't you think?

I think this piece would look so charming in a childs bedroom at the foot of the bed...here it is in my sons room (which is way too small for it, but you get the idea). I think I will save this one for the craft fair unless anyone wants it now :)

So, what do ya think? Charming, right? Hope you all have a great week!

(Just sold this one for $40)

Watching the paint dry...

Once again here is the "before" shot of my $15 yard sale buffet... After three layers of veneer had been stripped off and sanded (this part took forever)...

After a coat of primer, paint with a texturizing techinique, a little hand painting, stain, and some more sanding...oh and a spray coat of polyurethane :) Basically a ton of work!

I also ended up sanding the legs and edges a bit to give a lightly distressed finish and a good clean! Now I am just waiting for it all to dry! Total cost of this project: $15 (buffet) and lots of TIME! Yes, I ended up using paint and supplies I had on hand for this project. It was well worth the effort this time!

I'm linking this one up to http://www.domestically-speaking.blogspot.com/ for the "Power of Paint Party" and to http://missmustardseed.blogspot.com/ for the "Furniture Feature Friday party"...hope I'm not too late :) Have a great week everyone, I think I'll go to bed early tonight.

Ericka

Work, work, work...

Out with the old and in with the new, right? Here's what she looked like when I brought her home ($15 at a yard sale) Love the hardware on this one! I really love repurposing pieces for other uses and this would have looked great as a bathroom vanity or a kitchen island but instead I decided to stick with the buffet this time...only change it up a bit, of course :) I had no idea how time consuming scraping the veneer layers off would be...here it is after most of it was gone, then came the sanding.

My inspiration...a piece of scrap book paper.

I primed all the surfaces with spray primer after sanding them. Then did a wash with some blue paint and some sponging for a bit of a textured look, and of course some free handing of the floral print from the scrap paper.

Here it is after being painted and wiped over with some ebony stain for a more antique look.

This is where I am now...still have the cabinet doors left to free hand and stain and then the top surface to paint and poly. As for the rest of it, I think I will just use some Old English and shine it up as much as possible. Hopefully I will be able to finish it within the week. I really can't wait to get this one moved into my living space! More pics to come of the completed buffet! Hope you like...I think this may just be my favorite project to date!

Dining Redo

My friend Alyssa got these beautiful iron chairs and a matching table given to her by her grandmother. She recently bought a new home and wanted to finish the set to coordinate with her existing decor. Because she had never done this before she asked me to help and last saturday we got started on the first chair. I think it turned out fabulous! I love the new blue fabric she picked out and the fresh coat of brown paint. One down, 5 to go...oh and maybe a table too :) What do you think so far?

For Sale!

The thought of selling some of my work has crossed my mind a time or two but today as I bought this beaut at a local thrift I knew I had no place for it in my home. At the same time it had too much potential to pass it by so home it came with me :) Here's what it looked like when I got it home...its heavy and either pine or oak I believe...

I got to work doing the usual: sanding, priming, and painting, then a little scuffing again. I chose to use Krylons ivory satin finish again for that antique look.

Then I painted the coat hooks black (they were gold) and voila...there you have it. So...what a bout the middle you are asking? Well, here are my thoughts: there are so many possibilities with this and I didn't want to narrow them if someone wanted it customized so to speak. Some of my ideas are: hang vintage hats from the hooks and place it in an entry with a berry or twig wreathe hanging in the center cutout (perfect for an entry way), or I think it would look fabulous in a bathroom with towels hanging on either side with the words "BATH 10 Cents" painted in big black antique writing, or in a bedroom with the center handpainted in coordinating colors in a vintage floral or damask pattern, or even in a nursery with old or antique baby dresses layered on either hook with a small rod mounted in the center square displaying a quilt...like I said there are so many ways one could use this piece. So, with all that said if any of you are interested in purchasing this please let me know...for customization I will charge a little more but as is I am asking $65.00. If you want additional photos you can email me at lemonsqueezing@gmail.com :) (first come first serve, thanks guys!) Oh and just so you know it measures 27 inches by 63 inches.

$2 Shabby Chic Seat

I bought this old coffee table a few weeks ago at a local yard sale for $2.00! I have been wanting one of these to put on the end of my bed to use as a seat/bench so I was really excited at the initial cost although the piece overall was not that interesting to me at the time. After getting it home and placing it at the foot of my bed I began thinking of ways to make it more interesting. I knew paint would be in the plan but wanted to keep it a low cost project so using what paint I had on hand I came up with this result...

As you can see I used two paint colors instead of one in order to play up some of the details in the legs and trim around it, then gave it a good sand for that shabby look I so love!

And here it is now at the end of my bed with a shabby rag quilt resting on top...someday I would like to make a red orange cushion for this and some coordinating pillows as well but that is another project for another day :). Not bad for 2 bucks, eh? Love those yard sales!

Trying again...

Welll, it looks like I may be posting a few things here and there again afterall. I certainly don't plan to keep up as much as I used to but I am ready to give it a go again so to speak so here is one of the latest projects I have completed. It was a blow torched stained sofa from a thrift I found for $40 a while back. Sorry I don't have any "before" shots of this one but I ended up sanding the wood frame and painting it white in an exterior paint since it is going to be used outside on our covered patio. The cushions are in a red vinyl, which I kept for cost effectiveness and added some fun pillows to add some spunk. Total cost for this project was $50.00 and it is oh so cozy and comfortable :) Hope you enjoy!