SunflowerHugs: 2013

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Mod Podge Graphic Transfer

I finally tried the Mod Podge graphic transfer technique! I would not say it was a difficult technique, it just requires a little patience.

I chose to do it on this little table I got last year for $4. I started by stripping the top and then staining it with AS dark wax. I then painted the whole thing with a coat of SW base paint of white mixed into homemade chalk paint. Next I painted just the body with an oops paint that looked like AS Louis Blue. I left the drawer white so I could add the graphic.

I used this hotel sign from The Graphics Fairy. I went by Creative Carmella's tutorial to add the graphic with Mod Podge.

I LOVE the way it came out! The glass knob was the icing on the cake. I definitely think it is something I will try again.

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Army Green Dresser

I got this dresser for $3 from a thrift store that was closing down. Structurally it was in good condition, but those stickers gave me a hard time.

I used a hair dryer to soften the stickers and got them off with a plastic scraper. I had to hold the hair dryer about an inch away from the stickers to get it to work. I then used rubbing alcohol to remove the residue.

Then, after much consideration, I chose to paint it in an oops paint that I have had for a while. I have an entire gallon of it and it looks pretty scary in the can so I never used it before.

See what I mean? I took a chance and painted it with two coats mixed into homemade chalk paint. Turns out the color is pretty amazing!

I distressed it with a medium grit sanding sponge and it brought out so much dimension to the paint. It is very subtle in the photos, but it is there and it is awesome!

And because I always distress, I left the imperfections of the dresser instead of filling with wood putty for two reasons. 1) I think it adds character, it is not meant to be perfect. 2) I would not have been able to make a perfect repair anyway.

I think the color came out exactly like army green! I painted the red stripe and numbers to add to the theme.

The hardware was crazy dirty and painted with red nail polish. The way I clean all hardware is by soaking it in ammonia. Susan from Uniquely Yours...Or Mine recommended it and it has wonderful results!

I put the hardware in an glass jar and then fill enough ammonia to cover the hardware and let it soak overnight. Make sure to put a cover on because it stinks! I took them out and the nail polish just rinsed off with water (it will also melt paint off).

I then polished them with a scrubby sponge to remove the tarnish and they come out so shiny and happy! Some hardware doesn't come out that shiny. In those cases I either spray paint it or use Rub n' Buff.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

5' Long French Country Coffee Table

I lucked out and scored this huge coffee table with two end tables for $10 total at a garage sale in July!

The top had a small damage spot in the middle so I stripped it with Citristrip. There was just a thin coat of varnish that melted right off.

I painted over the horrible yellow and gold paint with two coats of homemade chalk paint in white. After it dried, there was some bleed through so I painted a third coat in SW Essential Grey. I didn't mix it into chalk paint since there was already two coats as a base.

To bring out all the detail in the table, I used Martha Stewart metallic glaze in Black Coffee--I love this glaze! I used a foam brush to push it into all the lines and then wiped it away with a wet rag.

The table had such amazing details that would have been lost if I did not glaze it.

I actually painted and glazed the entire table upside down. It looked so different to me once I turned it over! I sealed the paint and glaze with Minwax Wipe-On Poly. It is much better to use this when there is a lot of detail as it would have been too hard to buff out wax.

For the top, after I stripped the old finish, I didn't want to stain this incredible wood. I just put a coat of coconut oil to brighten it up and then sealed it with both Minwax Wipe-On Poly and Finishing Paste. I added the finishing paste because the wipe-on poly looked streaky to me. After I buffed it, the top was perfect!

I was really happy with how it came out.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Mid Century Modern Makeover

I got this table as part of the free furniture haul in August.

I have been seeing so many nice mid century modern makeovers that are white and wood tone and this was going to be perfect for it.

I started by sanding the drawers and stripping the legs. I used Citrisolve for the legs and it did a great job, but I didn't know how to get it off round legs with a flat scraper. I pretty much made a giant mess and used a whole bunch of things I am sure were not meant to remove the stripper, but it worked!

I painted the body of the table and handles with three coats of SW paint in their base white mixed into DIY chalk paint.

I coated the drawers and legs with Annie Sloan dark wax mixed with paint thinner and I love the color they became!

I didn't distress because I knew it wouldn't go with this look.

Although I did line the drawers with this funkadelic penguin fabric I got over the summer. I love this crazy fabric and just thought it would be a fun surprise to find.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Pretty Green Storage Bench

My husband is at it again! First he painted a chest and dresser and then he painted sports theme pieces. This time he painted this Pier One storage bench.

It already had a distressed look, but then it had some damaged areas and needed to be tightened up.

He painted it with two coats of Behr Outback green mixed into homemade chalk paint, lightly distressed and waxed with Minwax Finishing Paste.

It is such a light and happy color green. Didn't he do a great job?

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Secondhand Scores #24

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.

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The past few weeks there have only been a handful of garage sales.

Small framed art for $.50

To be turned into a chalkboard

Box of rubber gloves for $4

To use when staining and waxing furniture

Twig pumpkin for $.25
Practically brand new LL Bean Boat and Tote bag for $.50

I LOVE these bags and have only found one other in the past in much worse condition

Wood sign for $.10

I will paint over it to make a more updated sign

Two knife blocks and knives for $1
Pfaltzgraff sugar and creamer set for $2

I am using the sugar pot to store salt by my stove

Brayer $.25
Bag of five Rit dyes $1.50
Mounted sword for $3

I got this for my son to hang in his room--he really wants to take it off the mount and use it though!

Poinsettia shower curtain hooks $.25
Alarm clock $1.50
Wood wall art was free

I plan to paint over this to either make a sign or a chalkboard

I have painted a bunch of the artwork, that I have gotten at the garage sales this summer, to make chalkboards. I usually do a few at at time while I have the black paint out.

I added the chalk art (done with the help of my overhead projector) to hopefully help sell them faster. **The Laundry one is the artwork I got at the top of this post.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Black & White Desk

It really is amazing what a little paint can do. This desk looked like it had been completely neglected for years.

But two coats of black on the top and two coats of white on the body (both in homemade chalk paint), lightly distressed, waxed with Minwax Finishing Paste and look at what it became!

Oil rubbed bronze spray paint for the pulls and glass knob for the center drawer completes the makeover.

I just love painted (and painting) furniture!

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Pressboard Dresser

One of my neighbors stopped by when I was painting furniture in my garage. He said he had an old dresser to offer to me. He did mention it was pressboard and I tried to politely decline, but he really wanted to give it to me.

He and his son walked it over a few days later. I was actually surprised it was in French Provincial style. The hardware was really nice! Upon closer inspection though, the top and one side had a lot of the telltale pressboard bubbling.

I didn't want to get rid of the dresser because it was structurally in good condition (it also weighed a ton), but I was stumped as to how to hide the bubbling. I decided to try to distract the eye from the bubbling with some kind of painting technique.

First I painted it with two coats of SW paint in their base white mixed into homemade chalk paint. I then took a small container and poured in a little bit of SW Seaworthy and added a lot of water to it (about a 3 to 1 ratio of water to paint).

I then used a 4" wide chip brush to add the watered down paint across one of the drawers. I wiped left to right, then up and down, then left and right again. Not sure if that was necessary, but I liked the result and repeated it on all drawers and the body of the dresser.

Here's how it came out.

I think it kind of looks like a denim treatment--or maybe linen? Or is more like a white washed look? Either way I really like how it came out. I also switched out the hardware for ones I spray painted a bright white.

There was an extra handle in the middle of the top drawer and since I didn't know I was going to change the hardware before I started painting, I didn't fill the holes. I used little wood appliques I got from Michaels. I painted them white and glued them on with Aleene's Tacky glue to cover the holes.

I distressed the edges and finished it with Minwax Finishing Paste. You can still see the bubbling (although not in the photos I took), but it didn't look too bad--it gave a little character.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Easy Bench Makeover

Sometimes I like a challenge, but sometimes I just want an easy and quick project for instant gratification. I knew this bench would be it!

I once read that a pillow sham is the perfect size piece of fabric to recover a chair seat, so last summer I picked up three of these shams at GoodWill for a few dollars.

They are Martha Stewart Living brand and are a nice heavyweight fabric. It was also just the right size for this bench.

I started by removing the blue and white fabric from the bench seat to find this underneath--

A chenille rug!! And that was it, no padding or anything else. Thankfully I had some batting that I was able to layer to give the seat some cushion.

Then I took apart the sham. I cut off the back layer of fabric as well as the piping to be able to free the top of the fabric. I stapled it to the seat top as you would any seat cover.

I almost threw away the piping, but realized it was long enough to go around the seat--I just stapled it around the edges. It was so easy and added a nice finished touch to the seat.

Not sure if you can tell, but the bench used to have cross bars--only one was left. I used a hand saw and cut it off then sanded and filled the holes with wood filler. I painted the base with three coats of DIY chalk paint in Valspar Hotel Churchill Vanilla, distressed the paint and then screwed the seat back onto the base.

Voila! There it is, instant gratification with a wonderfully transformed bench.

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