FACE LIFT

Oh honey.  Who did your work?  Veneer is like the furniture 80's version of a bad botched botox job, am I right or am I right?  I mean I think I'm pretty spot on.  By a raise of hands who actually sees veneer and is like "Oh baby I wanna get witcha and take yo pictcha"?  Nobody that's who.  So when me and the hubs were on the hunt and spotted this furniture version of Joan Rivers, we decided to open our hearts and our tool box and give this bad boy a facelift.  First we popped, peeled and scraped that veneer right off.  The tricky part was the leftover glue on the wood.  That was a pain.  We actually couldn't get it all off no matter how much we sanded and no matter how low the grit on the paper was.  But we filed it down so it was pretty smooth.  Next we sanded it.  The top of the dresser was GORGEOUS, once we started sanding the old nasty paint off.

              THE STRUGGLE IS REAL

Okay I just found out, as I was blogging that this MARVELOUS piece of furniture was custom built and the glass piece on top was filled with the lady's grandbabies pictures.  How do I know this?  My dear friend saw this on facebook and messaged me asking where I bought this piece from.  When I told her she proceeded to tell me all about this piece and how it was specially built for her grandma in Hickory, NC in 1968.  So then of course I felt terrible about calling it Joan Rivers, but she said that I could so I kept it in the opening line.  It was a good lesson though.  If you're going to make fun of furniture on social media make sure it's not your friend's grandma's specialty piece.  A lesson I doubt I'll ever have to face again, but I digress.  LOOK again at that wood.  It is so beautiful I can't even stand it.  It's like a zebra.

We used mixwax dark walnut (surprise) it is my favorite and looks good on every single piece. Then covered it with polyurethane and brought out such a beautiful warmth to the top.  I mean just look at that.  Is it not unreal?  The color is a Sherwin Williams sample color and I thought it was emerald green, but when we got home it looked more like Kelly green or a lily pad color, but I still really liked it. I thought about drilling holes and putting gold knobs on the drawers but I decided to leave it as is.

I sure hope it finds a great home after all the hard work that went into this statement piece, but also because knowing the history of it makes it that much more special.

Aging with beauty

This BROYHILL thrift store table, was OVER the HILL.  Probably late 80's early 90's and boring.  Nicely built but blah.  Solid wood but same old same.  Meaning pretty much every single middle class person has had this in their home, their best friends home or their grandmas home... Why?  Because they were beautifully made and solid wood.  There wasn't and isn't anything wrong with this table, other than what I just stated.  

  They're everywhere.  I, myself have redone quite a few of these Broyhill bad boys.  Decorating has come a long way in the sense that it's much more unique than it used to be.  Our parents generation and beyond worked really hard and put their hard earned money into things that were meant to last, like homes, furniture and their children.  Those tables, like those houses were well built and solid, but they were also ALL THE SAME!  So new generations that admire and are humbled by past generations ideals and work ethic pay homage by not chucking that stuff but reimagining it.  We shouldn't keep it just to keep it if it's not "speaking to your style or personality" just to please parents.  If they want us to have it then they should let us also LOVE it.  Here is how I LOVE IT!

After sanding and sanding and then sanding we stained the table top and leaf with minwax dark walnut.  Iooked GAWGEOUS.  We sanded and sanded and sanded the 6 chairs until our hearts content.  Then i got to painting.  And I must say I painted, and painted and painted.  Much more than normal.  I think that because we sanded so much the wood was extremely thirsty and just kept soaking up all of the paint.  So after many many coats and strokes of paint we were happy, then onto reupholstering those beautiful formal chairs. Again they're beautiful, but so formal that most homes can't quite cosmetically accommodate the look and quality of our homes' decorations nowadays. After all the sanding, staining, painting, reupholstering we still had the AGING WITH BEAUTY part to do, which means a little bit more sanding and then finally the makeup... ie: the waxing.  An important part of any beauty regimen is WAXING. I began to wax, and wax and wax. This table was a labor of labor.  Seriously it was hard work but it paid off because it went to a beautiful family of 5 that I just know will enjoy it and let it live on for years to come!

 

 

 

Mismatched.com

This REMIX should be named mismatched.com because they really come from 2 different worlds.  One is a small wooden kitchen table, meant for a nook or sun room.  The chairs are metal and look like they could be sitting outside of a metal looking camper... see what I mean?

But with this table being so tiny these chairs were PERFECT for them to become a great match.  A match made in my garage.  The chairs were dainty enough to go with a dinette and this table had chalk paint on the top so we had to sand the crap out of it to get it back to a blank slate.

I had leftover fabric from one of my chair redo's. SCORE!  I love when I get to reuse a fabric.  I feel so thrifty and economic.  I decided since it was a dinette set to go a little funky with the colors and design.  Hoping for an apartment or condo type place for this beaut.... and that's exactly what I got.  A gal purchased this who moves quite a bit and lives Downtown Charleston and has limited spaced.  A perfect match.

The fabric came from Jo-Ann's and the paint is the Annie Sloan knock of that Lowes sells.  So since I brought it up I'm going to rate it.  NOT WORTH IT.  Great colors, but WAY overpriced and it didn't save me any time at all.  In fact I probably did more layers of paint than usual.  I don't particularly care for chalk paint anyways but I really won't be buying it again.

BlazeRate

Have you ever been on a vacation and googled, or yelped or binged a place to eat?  Well I have and what about buying a new vacuum, or swing set, or gaming device or whatever and before you purchase the item you read the reviews.  Before you stay at a hotel you see the reviews.  But I've often thought to myself.  Most people MOST, only leave reviews when they're ticked, disappointed, or all out for revenge.  That goes for suitcases, cars, restaurants, hotels, etc... we all read reviews.  But if you're a business owner check your company's online presence and you may be surprised about the lack of reviews you have.  No reviews are almost as bad as negative reviews.  This is a new company hitting the online world that will help you not only have more reviews, but also to have online positive presence.  Check out www.blazerate.com

When life mimicks art!.... or PINTEREST

So I have 3 armoires just camping out in my garage, so I thought to myself hmmm maybe I should do something with 1 of these.  So I did a little pinteresting and found something I thought would look great.  Here is my inspiration.

Pretty huh! I thought so. So I mimicked it.  They say that mimickery is the highest form of flattery. This color has been quite the theme for me lately, but it's so bold, masculine, yet neutral.  I'm just basically obsessed with it. The buyers seem to be as well. And the bloggers who made the first one from EMILYCLARK.COM

Here is my version.

I'll be the first to admit the first one looks better, but in my defense the pictures were taken in poor lighting with a camera phone.  So although it's not quite as sharp I still really love it.

 

Never give up on an ugly duck!

 

Never give up on an UGLY DUCK, that's what I always say!  Okay I just made that up but perhaps I should start saying it more often.  I bought this lovely piece from a guy who had a whole junk yard of treasured troves, what's a trove?  I'll look it up

trove

trōv/

noun

noun: trove; plural noun: troves

1. a store of valuable or delightful things.

   "the museum's trove of antique treasure"

 

So apparently I used it correctly.  I purchased this but had no way to get it home.  Keep in mind this fella was about 6ft2 and 250lbs and 50 years old.  He offered to follow me home and deliver it for me.  So.... being impulsive and impatient I said, not reluctantly whatsoever, SURE!  Then my youngest rolled down the window and hollers to the guy. "Hey wanna come over and play xbox wif me?"

Later I realized that this was not a very safe idea, but it's been quite a while and he hasn't come back to kill me so I think I'm in the clear.  This actually sat in my garage for quite some time awaiting my attention which I couldn't find time to give it.  Then after one very long day I pulled into the garage and one of my boys swings open the car door with all his might and cracked the beveled window.  It was okay though, because after I whimpered and moaned about it, I realized it was a fiber glass anyways and wasn't very slightly.  So I just popped it out and guess what, CHICKEN BUTT... Nope, but close CHICKEN WIRE. Yes chicken wire.  Made this look uhmazin' if I do say so myself.

 

 

Pottery Barn desk turned Pottery Barn inspired desk

 

Has anyone else noticed that if you buy anything on Etsy.com or Jane.com or any other outlets the sellers always and I mean ALWAYS say "Anthropology inspired" or "Kate Spade inspired" etc.

So this is an ACTUAL Pottery Barn desk but it's boring and dull and lost an interest it once held in a room.  So we thought we would go and get some inspiration from some of it's cousins, see this desk probably used to be the cool, confident older cousin that occasionally showed up to family functions and when it did everyone would swoon, but then after a while and everyone else got their own identity and rooms to fill with delight this one just couldn't get out of the glory days.  So I talked to a few of it's family members and we decided it was time to go on to bigger and better things and that it was okay to change and evolve.  So here it is, This original Pottery Barn desk reinspired!  Whatya think?  I think it's ready for the family reunion!

 

 

 

Greek Key lime pie, I mean Greek key design

Short story here.  12$ for this pair of office looking chairs.  I thought they could be more of a patio look so I went Jo'anne's and purchased this glorious fabric with the Greek Key design. I think it was actually called Ladybug Key design, which makes little sense to me.  You know what else makes little sense... is when you work your rear off trying to make sure your remix is perfect and then the buyer shows up and says... this is going to be a great project piece for me, I'm going to redo the fabric!!! OH, YAY, WAIT WHAT???? That was the majority of my cost lady?  Oh well, I made money on it but wowzas whata waste of my efforts.

Goodwill to ME!!!

yAy and HoRRay for Goodwill I say.  Some people say there is no  goodwill on earth today but I don't know why because there are at least 10 in the tri city area.  So I found these and I paid 2.22 per chair. Yes, that is truth.  My husband who NEVER sees my vision EVER argued with me and thought this was going to be a lame purchase.. Well I hate to prove him wrong, wait no I don't I LOVE TO so that's EXACTLY what transpired... The chairs are actually quite IKATCHING!  Get it, the IKAT fabric.  eye catching, IKATCHING.  So they obviously caught my eye and then I told them that .  The make and design of this chair is actually quite modern and trendy I just updated it and painted the wood black. 

 

I bought a pair and sold them for 125$ to a gal moving to Germany and she was shipping her furniture.  Whatya think hubby said when I made it rain with that??? THAT'S RIGHT NOTHING!

Feast your eyes!

This table is fit for a feast wouldn't you say?  No you wouldn't because nobody ever leaves a comment, that's okay I don't need words of affirmation, I see the clicks of people who look and it's okay if a cat has your tongue.
I found this table on a facebook swap site and decided I would like to purchase it.... this is how it looked before

I sucked at getting a good before.  I mean you can't even see the chairs.  How lame of me, and lazy of me too.  Oh well after clicking this picture I stopped being lazy.  I started working my arse off on this amazing FREE table.  Yes I said free. How was it free you ask?  Well I saw this like I said on a facebook swap site.  I was going to pay 100$ for it and had my husband running off to pick it up, when the seller messages me and says that her husband broke 2 of the legs while moving it.  So she was just going to pitch it... WHAAAA?  No I'll still buy it, I was just going to offer her less.  She said, no way Jose I'm not selling this broken thing to anyone, but if you want it for free you're welcome to it.  Umm sure, I can do that. I'll take one for the team. This is what she was potentially chucking

 So gratefully I redid this FREE table.  I sent her a picture of the finished product so that she could see that there is always potential and to tell her thank you!

 Gorgeous style of table.  It's more of a really wide rectangle whereas a lot of these tables are very traditional rectangles this is much wider.  It has a leaf that make the measurements 84 inches long.  Oh my gosh I just love this table.  I don't even want to sell it, but if I kept everything I love I would have a buttload of empty chairs and tables stacked pretty high in my house.

  Just look at those pretty legs.  Who says the 80's had ugly furniture?  Well they kind of did.  I just watched Back to the Future with my kiddos today and the "future" house at the end had hideous furniture.  But so long as the skeleton is nice it can always be revived into something better.

 

I mean just look at this.  Holy schmoly.  It makes me want to cook a feast and then invite the finest of guests over for a feast, but lets be honest I have 3 boys and they tear things apart simply by breathing near it, so it's better off in a new home.

PAINT COLOR= Cobalt cannon by Valspar from Lowes
I used Annie sloan clear wax followed by dark wax
The fabulous fabric is from Hobby Lobby

Who has not either owned one of these dressers or had a friend who's brother had this dresser? If you were born in the late 70's or 80's you know this dresser.  It's solid, it's masculine it's sturdy and well made.  It's also boring, blah and easily turns into exactly what this dresser turned into.... An invisible wasteland for all things to gravitate to and get stuck there indefinitely, until or unless someone magically gives you this heavy piece for free so that you can turn it into something new and cool.  Hopefully that's what I've accomplished with this piece.

I kind of hate the color that the flash changed the paint to, because it's a little off. The second picture  is more true to the actual new color.

A little bit of burlap goes "along" way

I scored this sweet table at my local Goodwill.  I only paid 40$ for the table, a leaf and 4 solid chairs.  I did a little research, (pinterest so obviously serious business) and came up with an idea for something a little different. Different for me at least.  I used a blueish paint and then annie sloan wax on top of that after sanding pieces and edges off the table.  I then went on the search for something a little different when it came to fabric. I found this comfy burlapy quilty sort of fabric.  Im in love with it and it was worth the extra time and research to make it happen.  Whatcha think?

Buffet/tv console/dresser

Or ALL of the above.  So I found this piece at a local thrift store.  It's actually the bottom half of a china hutch.  I brought the whole thing home but decided fixing the top of the hutch wasn't really worth it, so I just worked on the bottom half. It was such a pretty piece and very sturdy and in pretty good shape, so all I really had to do was get my remix on, and so I did.

I love the little shell design on each door.  I knew that with the right paint color and sanding job this piece could have a whole new life, purpose and fit in a totally different kind of home.

So I'm pretty slack because my phone has been dropped like 99 times and the lense has these splotches on it but I'm too lazy (and cheap) to replace it or use my real camera.  So hopefully you can still see the masterpiece

Check out these killer knobs from World Market, my absolute favorite place to purchase knobs.

 

From the roadside to the inside

So my good friend Derrek text me and said "yo mama I picked up a solid wood table for you on the side of the road" Nope, he isn't Italian in case you were wondering.  Sounds a little something like Joey Tribiani would say.  He's actually southern, but anyways I love when my good friends love me enough to pick crap up off the side of the road.. I bet your friends don't do that for you. You should probably get better friends but I digress.  I'll be honest when I first brought this home I thought..... YUCK! No wonder why someone threw it out and left it for the vultures to take.  It was in some pretty rough shape.  Moldy looking spots and dirt upon dirt upon dirt.

See what I mean.

But when I finally got my wand out (the sander) and by me I mean my husband and began sanding the beauty underneath came shining through.  This piece was really in great condition, just a little sanding and painting and staining were in order.  It was very solid and therefore easy to work with.  I decided to paint the legs a fun aqua color and just stain and seal the top.

It was perfect square 30x30 and was perfect for it's new home.  A sweet grandma purchased this piece not 5 minutes after I posted it.  She watched her grandkids and had previously had a cheapy plastic kid table for them which was promptly destroyed.  Try destroying this beaut I say, it won't be so easy.  After all it withstood the severe conditions of being outside in the humid south for who knows how long before being rescued and remixed.