Drop Leaf Coffee Table

I'm a sucker for drop leaf tables. So when I came across this coffee table last summer I had to have it. It's very functional, and rather primitive. The wood is slightly warped and there are dents and gouges everywhere...I love that!



I decided to paint it "Aubusson Blue" by Annie Sloan. I waxed it with her clear wax and a bit of the dark wax around the edges. It was really good for me to practice this as I am so new to waxing furniture... I love the soft shiny finish.



I think my kids are really going to enjoy playing around this table. Especially when I find a nice soft shaggy rug to put under it... haven't found an affordable one of those...yet.



I love scrabble....



And here's a peek into our home. Mark is an American history buff, and when I saw Jan Patek's pattern for a quilt called "Flags of the American Revolution" I decided to make it for him. Even though I had never quilted anything before... It took me about three months to do, and I did it in a rather unconventional manner, but it's DONE. Woo-Hoo! And it's very "us." If that makes sense.....

Antique Drop Leaf Table

O.K. Here's a little background... My love for painting furniture and upcycling discarded treasures began with my mother-in-law, Tee Andrew. She passed away in October of 2009 of breast cancer. She was an AMAZING artist and maker. She was driven by a desire to make things beautiful. Some day I want to do a post on her and my father-in-laws home. It will amaze you. But, this is a table that Tee gave to us. It was one of her garage sale finds. She painted it, and had it in her home for years. And as she was always collecting new (old) things, and she changed the rooms of her home around on what seemed to be a weekly basis, this table found it's new home with us. Years went by...The top was beginning to show some wear, and paint was peeling and chipping off in places. So Mark suggested that I sand the top and stain it...



Just look at those legs! Beautiful!



I was too lazy to sand the bottom of the table top, so it remains creamy white. But isn't the top gorgeous!




I'm sorry if it sounds like I want to make out with my furniture... I just love it... what can I say?



This one is definately a keeper. We're too attached...


Linking to:
Miss Mustard Seed

Merry Christmas and a Happy Trestle Desk!

I've really been trying to do LESS this year for Christmas. It's so easy for me to get caught up in the shopping, the gifts, the decorating.... and especially with my new addiction to pinterest - I'm overloaded with ideas of things to do and make...and I want to do them ALL! That's why the Christmas message from Dieter F. Uchtdorf hit me especially hard this Christmas season, and I decided to do LESS. Here is my favorite part....

"The more commercialized and busy the Christmas season becomes, the easier it is for the sublime message of the Savior’s life to get lost along the way. If we notice that planning for parties and scrambling for presents begins to detract from the peaceable message of Jesus Christ and distances us from the gospel He preached, let us take a step back, slow down a little, and reconsider what matters most.

Christmas is a time for remembering the Son of God and renewing our determination to take upon us His name. It is a time to reassess our lives and examine our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Let this be a time of remembrance, of gratitude, and a time of forgiveness. Let it be a time to ponder the Atonement of Jesus Christ and its meaning for each of us personally. Let it especially be a time of renewal and recommitment to live by the word of God and to obey His commandments. By doing this, we honor Him far more than we ever could with lights, gifts, or parties."

I love that.

Aaaaand, I painted a desk.

This is an awesome Kling Colonial Trestle Desk that I bought YEARS ago, always intending to paint it. Here is the "before" photo...




And here is the "after."



I always thought it would be fun in RED, lightly distressed and glazed. I stained the wedges that go into the tennons of the trestle legs. They are one of my favorite things about the desk, and I wanted them to stand out.



I lined the drawers with fabric, and I gave the hardware coats of primer and oil-rubbed bronze spray paint.



And it's done just in time for Christmas! I don't know about the rest of the world, but here in Idaho, we could use some snow! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!



SOLD

Chest on Chest Dresser Redo

I'm sad to say I don't have a before photo of this little dresser. Just imagine purple and green with "precious moments" decals... but it had a very cute shape and lots of potential. I've wanted to use paintable wallpaper on a project for a while and with the panels on the sides, this was the perfect thing! I think it worked....




So, after sanding, applying the wallpaper, painting, sanding again, staining, putting on a top coat, and drilling new holes for oil rubbed bronze cup pulls, she's a whole new dresser!

And it's FOR SALE!
$125.00 SOLD


linked to
http://missmustardseed.com/

The Adventures Continue....

This is what Mark talked me into buying last week at an estate sale. Can you believe it? Never did I imagine that particular sentence coming out of my mouth. Mark is a minimalist at heart, and I think he inwardly cringes each time I head out the door to a garage sale...wondering what I'll come home to clutter up the garage with next. BUT, this time he saw more potential than I did in this little dresser set. It was very sturdy and well made with dove tail drawer connections. The drawers were clean and deep, and you don't see that very often. "I'd like to see what you can do with it," is what he said. So, feeling all kinds of encouragement, I went home and started sanding...




And......this is the end result. Not quite END, because I still need to sand and stain the mirror that goes on the long short guy, but I couldn't wait to get these pictures up. I'm quite amazed at the transformation.





I really liked the original hardware. It was very UNIQUE, just the wrong color, so I primed and painted it with oil-rubbed bronze spray paint.




I was surprised at how easy the original finish sanded off...and it turned out so beautiful with just a stain on top. I almost wish I had just stained the whole thing, but there's NO WAY I'm sanding it all again! The blue grey is a nice contrast anyway. I'm just loving grey lately!




And this set is for sale!
I will sell them separately or together.

Tall four drawer dresser $140.00 SOLD
Six drawer dresser $160.00 SOLD

Fun and Frolic

I couldn't wait to get my kids to bed tonight so I could blog about this fun transformation! I was late to an incredible estate sale, and as I went through the main floor of the house all the good stuff was gone or SOLD, but as I wandered down into the basement I saw this old dresser. It was missing the top drawer, (hence the reason it was still available,) and it was this horrible rose color....but can't you see the possibilities? I did. And those chubby little feet just spoke to me...so home it came.



It spent a wild and crazy two days as a green dresser...(my mom would call it "@*!# brindle green.") It was an experiment with mistint paint that I regreted. But you can see in this picture the box that we (by "we" I mean my husband:) made to form a shelf where the top drawer would have been.



And THIS is the finished dresser slash media console! Looks sharp, huh? "We" cut a hole in the back for cords to dvd or blue ray players to go through, and upgraded the pulls. I love the gray and black. Gives it a sharp masculine feel.



I left all the imperfections, nicks and gouges, that were in it to begin with. I like the character they bring. And it makes it "kid friendly" right?




Mark even likes it, so I can consider it a success! Tell me what YOU think!
And this one is FOR SALE!
$150.00 SOLD

Turquoise Dresser Before and After....

I bought this dresser from a dear friend of mine when she was moving into an assisted living home. It was old but in great shape and it was in desperate need of some color.



So out came the turquoise! (My personal favorite.)



When I sanded it, I really liked the contrast of the wood and the turquoise so I decided to leave the handles as they were. I love the contrast!



FUN! FUN! FUN!