The Ultimate Compliment

Over the weekend I had some friends over for a craft day, and one person walked in and said, "It looks like Pinterest exploded in here!" I considered it a huge compliment, especially coming from a fellow crafter. 

Then of course the ultimate compliment is this stamp of approval from the queen of the house:

Doughbox Side Table Makeover

The second piece of furniture I worked on refinishing over the past few weeks was the doughbox inspired end table I got at a school rummage sale.

After removing the hinges and other hardware, I sanded the old chipping finish of the wood and wiped it down with a wet rag. 

I chose a blue-gray paint for this piece because I couldn't decide where I wanted to put it in my apartment. The gray will go nicely in either room. I wanted to try a lace stencil technique on the top of the piece, so I painted the top surface in a lighter blue color to be the base behind the stencil.

I picked up this lace panel from a thift store and was so excited to try it out. I taped it down and used  a foam paint roller to go over it with the main gray color. Unfortunately, it was not a success. The paint completely soaked through the lace and the fabric got stuck to the surface. I wound up having to scrape off what I could and resand the surface again. Very frustrating! Spray paint would have likely worked better.

My back up plan for if this didn't work was to use a stencil I had from a previous project. I repainted the top with gray paint and stenciled over it with the light blue paint.

I finished off the project with a clear glaze and reattached the hardware, which I had previously spray painted matte black. I'm really pleased with how it turned out!

August Craft Shows!

I've been hard at work getting ready for the two craft shows I'm doing this month. I'll be selling my upcycled sweater cat and small dog beds, and my new catnip toys from upcycled baby socks! The first event is Saturday, August 16th in Sparta from 10am until 5pm. 

It's more than a craft show. It's an all-day fair for families that to raise money for pediatric brain cancer research. This cause strikes a chord with me because a few years back, I co-organized a bake sale to raise money for a little girl in my hometown who was suffering with an incurable brain cancer.  Here is another way for us to support these children and our community, and I hope they have a huge turn out. For more information please check out their website: www.pediatricride.com.

The second craft show is Saturday, August 23rd. This is being held at the Meyersville Grange in Gillette from 12pm to 5pm during their annual Peach Festival. Come take a look at what the vendors have to offer and enjoy some delicious peaches and cream. 

I'm hoping to do well at these shows! I'll be happy to thin down my inventory, although I know someone else who won't be pleased by that:

Telephone Table Makeover!

This blog has been a long time coming!! If you recall, a few months ago I spotted this diamond in the rough curbside:

It's been living in my parents' garage while I decided what I wanted to do with it. Over the past few weeks I've been spending a few hours each weekend sanding and painting, and here is the progression. I am so proud of this piece because I did every step of it myself!

I chose this fabric remnant for the cushion and then selected a bold paint color. 

I started off by removing the seat cushion and taking off the old vinyl. I had shown a photo of the piece to one of the owners at a local antique store, and he told me it looked to be 1940's, but that vinyl wasn't made until the 50's. He said to check and see if there was original fabric underneath, which would confirm that it's a 40's piece. Well, I was super excited to find that there WAS fabric under the vinyl, and I thought it was awesome to see that it was originally fastened with nails rather than the staples used on the vinyl. 

Although I see why it was recovered. 

Despite it's appearance, I decided to recover it without removing the original fabric first, because I just love that it exists from 70 years ago. 

Using a paint scraper, sandpaper, and elbow grease, I sanded the surfaces until they were smooth. 

If I ever own a home with a garage I can use as a workspace, I'm going to invest in some tools. Like a power sander. 

I used a paint and primer in one to paint the wood, and it still needed three coats to cover the black. 

The color is Behr Enchanting Ginger in eggshell finish. 

I let the paint fully dry by bringing it inside the air conditioned house instead of the humid garage, and then the following weekend I finished it with a clear gloss made by Rustoleum. It's supposed to be chip proof, so we will see! And it's also super shiny. 

In the meantime I recovered the cushion with some quilt batting and my fabric, after an annoying delay due to having the wrong staples to fit in the staple gun.  I'm excited that basically just from watching the amount of DIY shows that I do, I know the proper technique for basic reupholstery. 

The gloss required 48 hours to fully set before using the piece, so I impatiently waited a few days before going back to attach the cushion. Once it was finished, my parents loved it so much they were joking around about how wonderful it would look in their entryway. But alas, my dad helped me load it into my car so I could bring it to it's rightful place. There was a lot of rearranging done before I was happy with the placement, because I really wanted it to be a focal point in my living room. 

Here is the completed project!!

And what telephone table would be complete without a retro rotary phone?! Right now it's just decoration, but I'm going to see if it will work! 

I am in love with this finished makeover. In addition to being proud of doing all the work myself, I'm also proud of the total investment amount! 

Cast off furniture piece: Free

Inspiration fabric remnant: $2.00

Paint and gloss (gloss was also used on another piece of furniture so I'm only counting half the cost): about $17.00

So for less than $20 I have a beautiful, custom piece for my home. And don't forget an extra $10 for that retro phone from an antiques garage sale! 

Before and after, one more time!