Sunday, April 28, 2013

Sports Theme Redos

This desk was from the first auction I went to.  
My husband has been painting pieces here and there and wanted to paint the desk. He is a huge Giants fan and painted the door leading from our garage to our basement in Giants colors. 
That was his inspiration for these redos.  We live in PA, so he went with PA teams instead of the Giants.
Apparently Lowes has all sports team colors on file for you to get the colors mixed easy.  He used Eagles green, black and grey mixed into homemade chalk paint.
On the front drawer he added the team logo and it is actually a key chain that he got a local sports store and found the large sticker on the side at Wal Mart.  He did not distress (not his style) and waxed it with Minwax Finishing Paste.
He also painted a chair to match.  The chair was a roadside freebie.  We always have one or two laying around and it just makes it easier for a desk sell if you have a chair to match it.  

Right after he painted the desk, he chose to paint this small dresser that I got at the hoarder garage sale in the Phillies team colors.

This time he primed first and painted with latex paint without making into chalk paint.  I figured since he doesn't like to distress there is no point in using it as chalk paint.
The original knobs were floral so he replaced all but two with wood knobs he painted and then used the baseball knobs I got at the Salvation Army.  This dresser is really small, so he just used a small team sticker.  

These two pieces are going to make a little sports fan really happy!

Linking to:
I Heart Naptime
I Should Be Mopping The Floor
Dwellings
Craft-O-Maniac
Coastal Charm
Better With Age
Cozy Little House
Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Lolly Jane  
Today's Creative Blog
Kammy's Korner
PJH Designs
Elizabeth & Co.
Not Just A Housewife
DIY Dreamer
{Primp}
Savvy Southern Style
The Rustic Pig
If Its Not Baroque
Fluster Buster
Green Willow Pond
Southern Lovely
The Real Housewives of Riverton 
Not Done Growing
All Things With Purpose
I Gotta Create
Beyond The Picket Fence
Embracing Change
The Shabby Creek Cottage
The Crafty Blog Stalker
House of Hepworths
Domestic Superhero
Miss Mustard Seed
The Shabby Nest 
The Best Blog Recipes
Redoux
Finding Fabulous  
Crafty Scrappy Happy

Funky Junk Interiors
Six Sisters' Stuff

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Secondhand Scores #6

When I was a kid my parents went to garage sales all the time.  I admit I was totally embarrassed by it.  I never really bothered going regularly until after I had my son.  I realized I could get clothes and toys and things for him for pennies on the dollar and that is when my love for secondhand was born.

Garage sales are my favorite but I also go to flea markets, thrift stores and auctions.  I am always on the hunt for furniture to paint, stuff for myself, my house, my kids and unique items that I could put to future use.  I love the thrill of finding something that was once very expensive for as little money as possible.


In this series, I will share my scores to show you how much you could get for your hard earned money.  Some days I hit jackpots, some days I get nothing, but I always have fun.


$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Between a church sale and a few garage sales on Saturday and a trip to the Leesport Farmers Market Sunday Flea Market, I got these scores:
Top left: A large burlap lampshade for $1, the Little Mermaid movie poster for my daughter for $1, a set of three laminate shelves for $1.
Right: Rustic bucket, four bat wing handles and a roll of clear shelf paper were $1 total.  
Bottom left: A few yards of black & white hounds tooth fabric and pink & white gingham fabric for $.50 total, two ceramic knobs for $1, two brand new linen pillow shams for $2 and a bank money bag for $1. 

I have been seeing the money bags around a lot lately, but they are usually smaller or selling for more than $1.  I got it and made it into a small pillow for my bedroom since the red graphics pick up the red in my quilt.  I washed, ironed and stuffed it with some poly-fil and secured the top with safety pins and those cute buttons that were from my mom's stash of buttons.
My husband collects coins so I think it is cute to have.  It's kind of like a grain sack--maybe I started a new trend!  Maybe not...

Also on Sunday was the bi-monthly furniture auction.  This auction has been getting more and more people to attend as the weather gets nice, so I haven't been able to score too many pieces in my budget.  But since they fly through the auction in one hour, it's always worth going to.
I scored this mid century Lane cedar chest at the very end of the auction for $1.  It's in pretty rough shape, but I see it's potential!!  The top needs to be sanded and if the scratches didn't go too deep I will try to stain it.  The two holes (bullet? BB?) in the front don't go through to the cedar, I can just fill them in.  The inside is in perfect condition.  Ideas are swimming in my head as to what color to paint it and I can't wait to get started on it!


Linking to:
Southern Lovely
Housewives of Riverton
Not Done Growing
Mom On Timeout
I Gotta Create
All Things With Purpose
Beyond The Picket Fence
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Embracing Change
House of Hepworths
PJH Designs
Domestic Superhero
Miss Mustard Seed
The Shabby Nest
Lovely Crafty Home
Redoux
The Best Blog Recipes
Liz Marie
Simple Home Life 
Six Sisters' Stuff
Funky Junk 
Too Much Time On My Hands
Classy Clutter
Life on Lakeshore Drive
I Should Be Mopping The Floor
Dwellings
Craft-O-Maniac
Coastal Charm
Better With Age
Cozy Little House
Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Lolly Jane  
Today's Creative Blog
Kammy's Korner
PJH Designs
Elizabeth & Co.
Not Just A Housewife
DIY Dreamer
{Primp}
Savvy Southern Style
The Rustic Pig
If Its Not Baroque
Fluster Buster
Green Willow Pond
Bright Green Door

Featured by:
Cozy Little House

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Cream Dresser With Fun Plaid

I love little dressers!  They are such a great size and so easy to paint. 

It was in decent condition, the wood was just dried out.  I sanded the top with the palm sander and started with 100 grit and the varnish came right off.  I finished it with 220 to make it smooth.  

I had two colors of paint that I thought would be great for the dresser.  One was a pot of oops paint in a cream that I would compare the color to eggnog.  The other was a pot of Behr Ethiopia (the copy of ASCP Coco).


The body of the dresser would be the eggnog color and I decided I would paint a plaid pattern on the sides with the Ethiopia color.  I created the plaid pattern with Frog Tape.  It was time consuming, but I really wanted to try something I haven't done before.

After all was dry I distressed the entire dresser. 

I stained the top with one coat of Minwax dark walnut.  On top of the stain I used the dark wax "glaze" to deepen the color even more.

I changed all the hardware with these pulls that I got for free off craigslist.  They worked out great because they have the back plates to cover the original holes since they were not the same size.  But they were the wrong color. I painted them with black homemade chalk paint and then used Martha Stewart's Metallic Glaze in Black Coffee.  I think they came out just like oil rubbed bronze. 
I used AS clear wax on the entire dresser including the hardware and stained top.
And here is the plaid!  Doesn't it look great?  I wanted to try something new and I am so glad I did.

Linking to:
I Heart Naptime | Craft-O-Maniac | Life On Lakeshore Drive | Dwellings | Homemaker On A Dime | I Should be Mopping the Floor | Coastal Charm | Cozy Little House | My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia | Lolly Jane | Kammy's Korner | Kathe With An E | Elizabeth & Co. | Not Just a Housewife | TwelveOeight | Better With Age | If Its Not Baroque | The DIY Dreamer | Fluster Buster | Southern Lovely | Housewives of Riverton | Not Done Growing | Mom On Timeout | I Gotta Create | All Things With Purpose | Beyond The Picket Fence | The Shabby Creek Cottage | Embracing Change | House of Hepworth | PJH Designs | Domestic Superhero | Miss Mustard Seed | The Shabby Nest | Lovely Crafty Home | Redoux | The Best Blog Recipes | Liz Marie | Simple Home Life | Six Sisters' Stuff | Funky Junk | Too Much Time On My Hands | Classy Clutter | One Project Closer | Restoration Redoux

Featured by:
Cozy Little House
Crafty Scrappy Happy
I Should Be Mopping The Floor
Kammy's Korner

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Secondhand Scores #5

When I was a kid my parents went to garage sales all the time.  I admit I was totally embarrassed by it.  I never really bothered going regularly until after I had my son.  I realized I could get clothes and toys and things for him for pennies on the dollar and that is when my love for secondhand was born.

Garage sales are my favorite but I also go to flea markets, thrift stores and auctions.  I am always on the hunt for furniture to paint, stuff for myself, my house, my kids and unique items that I could put to future use.  I love the thrill of finding something that was once very expensive for as little money as possible.


In this series, I will share my scores to show you how much you could get for your hard earned money.  Some days I hit jackpots, some days I get nothing, but I always have fun.


$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

A quick trip the the Salvation Army and six garage sales between Friday and Saturday got me these scores:


Box of 12 sports knobs at the Salvation Army for $2.99.


A pair of brand new Birkenstock flip flops bargained down to $2.  The original price sticker from QVC Outlet store says $63.50!  Two plastic star platters to go with the plastic plates I got the other week for $.25 (marked down from $.50) and the rest of the items were in the FREE pile.  A bunch of cards/envelopes, some quilt batting, small pieces of fabric, the embroidery hoop that I will remove the fabric from and a bunch of canvas bags that I can use for when I shop at Aldi.



Linking to:
Real Housewives of Riverton
Not Done Growing  
Southern Lovely
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Embracing Change
Beyond The Picket Fence
Mom On Timeout
House of Hepworths
I Gotta Create
Domestic Superhero
The Shabby Nest
Redoux
Liz Marie
Six Sisters' Stuff
Funky Junk Interiors
Simple Home Life
Craft-O-Maniac
Homemaker On A Dime
Life On Lakeshore Drive
Classy Clutter
Dwellings
I Should be Mopping the Floor
Coastal Charm
Cozy Little House
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Lolly Jane 
Kammy's Korner
Kathe With An E
Elizabeth & Co.
Not Just a Housewife
TwelveOeight
Better With Age
If Its Not Baroque
The DIY Dreamer
Fluster Buster
Bright Green Door

Rustic Grey Dresser

For the two dressers I got at this auction, this was the one I got for free!  And funny enough it was in better condition than the one I paid for.

The top was already stripped, but the paint was chipping terribly on the rest and what the heck color is it?  Peach and darker peach?  

I know the chippy look is in, but this is not the right version of it! I knew I was going to have to distress the piece and whatever color I painted it would have to go with the peach since it would probably show up in the distressing.  


I Googled colors that are complimentary to peach and this was one of the photos that popped up.

Source
How perfect is that grey and peach combo?  I was totally inspired and found in my stash that I had a sample pot of Behr Stealth Jet color which is the match to ASCP Graphite.  Jackpot!
I thought it was too dark though and chose to do the first coat of paint in white and the second coat in the Stealth Jet in homemade chalk paint thinking the white would tone down the Stealth Jet.

The magic happened with the distressing!  Instead of the peach coming through the white did and highlighted all the layers of chipping paint and all the other textured details that were on the dresser.  The Stealth Jet color turned out to be the shade of grey that I wanted.  I can't even explain how happy I am with the results.


I stained the top with Minwax Dark Walnut, but there were issues with the top. There were six holes around the edge that were filled and stood out like a sore thumb.
I hated to paint the entire top to hide the holes, so I taped off a 2" strip around the edge--just enough to cover all the holes and did the same treatment of one coat white and the next coat in grey and distressed heavily.

It became a gorgeous added detail that I think brings so much to the overall look. I never would have done it if I didn't have to cover up the holes.  Now I am glad the holes were there!

I waxed the body and drawers with Minwax Finishing Paste and applied two coats of wipe on poly on the top.


I absolutely love the way it came out.  I chose to give the hardware a light coat of antique gold Rub 'n Buff after I soaked them in vinegar and cleaned them with a wire brush.  I think they look great with the grey!


The dresser is very big and it was hard to get a photo that really showed all the amazing texture and details.  I hope all the closeups really convey what it looks like.  It is my top favorite of anything I have painted.  I truly wished I could keep it just so I could keep staring at it.  Somebody must have felt the same way I did because it sold the same day I dropped it off at the consignment store--that has never happened before!

My almost 12 year old son asked me why I paint old furniture to look old again. How funny is that? I told him I made it better looking old furniture--he didn't get it.


Linking to:
Life On Lakeshore Drive
I Heart Naptime
I Should Be Mopping The Floor
Dwellings
Craft-O-Maniac
Homemaker On A Dime
LilyWhite Designs
Kammy's Korner
Lolly Jane  
Cozy Little House
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia 
Coastal Charm
Kathe With An E 
Elizabeth & Co.
The DIY Dreamer
If Its Not Baroque
Fluster Buster
Green Willow Pond
Rain on a Tin Roof 
The Real Housewives of Riverton
Not Done Growing 
{Primp}
Southern Lovely
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Embracing Change
Beyond The Picket Fence
Mom On Timeout
House of Hepworths
Domestic Superhero
Miss Mustard Seed
The Shabby Nest 
Redoux
Liz Marie
Six Sisters' Stuff
Funky Junk Interiors
Simple Home Life
Classy Clutter
One Project Closer
The Happy Housie
Restoration Redoux

Featured by:
Elizabeth & Co.
Redoux
Classy Clutter

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Secondhand Scores #4

When I was a kid my parents went to garage sales all the time.  I admit I was totally embarrassed by it.  I never really bothered going regularly until after I had my son.  I realized I could get clothes and toys and things for him for pennies on the dollar and that is when my love for secondhand was born.

Garage sales are my favorite but I also go to flea markets, thrift stores and auctions.  I am always on the hunt for furniture to paint, stuff for myself, my house, my kids and unique items that I could put to future use.  I love the thrill of finding something that was once very expensive for as little money as possible.


In this series, I will share my scores to show you how much you could get for your hard earned money.  Some days I hit jackpots, some days I get nothing, but I always have fun.


$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Sunday was the first Sunday Flea Market of the year at Leesport Farmers Market.  I LOVE this flea market.  It is held the first and third Sunday of the month.  There are some dealers, but most vendors are regular people who pay $10 for a space to sell their personal items.  I have gotten some amazing stuff at this flea market.  

Just walking the rows and seeing what people had for sale is fun.  Of course it is even better when I find some cool things.

I got these two pieces of fabric art for $3.

Then I found six of those bat wing handles for $1.  Not my favorite handles, but you can't beat the price and I can always use hardware.  I also got a set of bobbins for $1 and a book of PA Dutch stencils for $.50.  The score of the day was a bag of ten brand new pull cup handles for $5.


That afternoon was the bi-monthly furniture auction.  There was a lot of furniture and even more people.  The good weather must be bringing them out.  This auction took over an hour and I only got two small night stands for $1 each. There was mostly newer furniture so my choices were limited.

I got one at the beginning of the auction and one at the end and once I put them in my car I noticed they have a lot of similarities besides both being white, so I am going to paint them to match.


Linking to:
The Real Housewives of Riverton
Southern Lovely
Fluster Buster
Embracing Change
Mom On Timeout
Beyond The Picket Fence  
I Gotta Create 
House of Hepworths
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Domestic Superhero
Miss Mustard Seed
The Shabby Nest 
Lovely Crafty Home
Funky Junk Interiors
Redoux  
Finding Fabulous
Life On Lakeshore Drive
I Heart Naptime
I Should Be Mopping The Floors
Dwellings
Craft-O-Maniac
Homemaker On A Dime
LilyWhite Designs
Kammy's Korner
Lolly Jane  
Cozy Little House
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia  
Coastal Charm
Kathe With An E 
Elizabeth & Co.
The DIY Dreamer
If Its Not Baroque
Fluster Buster
Green Willow Pond
{Primp}
Bright Green Door

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Girly Vanity

I got this vanity last summer at a garage sale for $2.  The top was in pretty bad condition with stains and spilled candle wax.  It has wood legs, but the rest is press board.
I brought it home and stashed it in my closet of shame with the rest of pieces I collected over last summer.  

Fast forward almost a year later and I found that Wal Mart is now selling Disney paint.  They have some specialty finishes and one of them is All That Glitters.  It is a clear glaze with glitter that you can apply to any paint.  It was one of those things that I just had to try out.

And guess what was the perfect piece to test it out on?  The vanity!  I decided to paint the vanity with a soft periwinkle that I got an oops sample pot of for $.50.
I mixed it into homemade chalk paint and painted two coats but did not distress (not sure distressing would go with glitter).  After it was dry I applied the glitter glaze with a chip brush.  It is easy to use as it is milky white while wet so you know where you already painted, but dries clear.

It is pretty cool, although I thought there would be a lot more glitter.  It dries super fast so I gave a few areas an extra coat if I didn't see enough.

I painted the vanity on a Friday night and that Saturday morning was when I went to the hoarder garage sale and scored a bench that had legs that matched the vanity perfectly!
I gave the same treatment to the bench and used cream canvas material that I had in my stash for the seat cover.   
The color is so sweet and the cream canvas complements it so nicely.
The glitter is very subtle and you need to move around to see it when it catches the light, but I think it is such a cool effect.
For a final touch I added a piece of a Cinderella wallpaper border that fit the drawer perfectly.  

Linking to:
Life On Lakeshore Drive
I Heart Naptime 
Lovely Crafty Home
Craft-O-Maniac
I Should Be Mopping The Floor
Homemaker on a Dime
Coastal Charm
Dwellings
Cozy Little House
Lolly Jane
My Uncommon Slice Of Suburbia
Kathe With An E
Kammy's Korner 
Today's Creative Blog
Elizabeth & Co.
Not Just A Housewife
The DIY Dreamer
{Primp}
The Real Housewives of Riverton
Southern Lovely
Fluster Buster
Embracing Change
Mom On Timeout
Beyond The Picket Fence 
House of Hepworth
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Domestic Superhero
Miss Mustard Seed
The Shabby Nest 
Lovely Crafty Home
Funky Junk Interiors
Six Sister's Stuff  
Redoux
Finding Fabulous 
Restoration Redoux