A Quick Facelift

When my husband and I moved from a condo to our house we brought with us some barstools. Initially, I was going to leave them at the old place but I decided to take them with us and give them a facelift. The barstools originally looked simlar to the one pictured on the left: wicker seat and blonde wood. This look does not go with the design in our new house, so my husband and I got to work!

First, we removed the seat from the chair and sanded the wood. Then we primed and spray painted everything satin black. Next, my husband padded the seat with foam and covered it with fabric that coordinated with the window valances I made. The seat was reattached to the base and that was it. We really like the result.

A Simple Accessory

I was accessorizing some bookshelves and needed a couple additional items. Instead of going out and buying something new, I made this vase. I took an old pickle jar and painted the inside of it with craft paint and basically that was it!

Here is what it looks like inside my bookcase paired with a couple other items.

Accessorizing on the Cheap

We are getting ready to add built-ins in our office so I've kept my eyes out for options to accessorize them. 

I found these (ugly) canisters at Salvation Army a few weeks ago for 99 cents each. I really liked the shape and since they are wood, I knew I could easily do something with them. 

This was a pretty easy project. I removed the handles from the canisters, and lightly sanded everything. I knew I wanted yellow and white chevron stripes so instead of using paint, I decided to try decoupage. To prep the surface, I primed and painted the edges of the canisters and lids since I knew the paper wouldn't cover every inch. After finding printable chevron paper online, I printed it and cut the paper to fit on each side of the canisters and lids. I used Mod Podge to glue the paper onto the surface of the boxes. Then I put two coats of Mod Podge over the paper, closely following the directions on the bottle and waiting 15 minutes between coats. Finally, instead of using the old wooden handles/knobs, I installed glass knobs to the lids. 

I love how they turned out!

Striped Stairs and more...

Our back door entry and stairs going into our basement were pretty dingy and depressing. We had old paint, dark moldings, and paneling on the walls; and ugly flooring on the stairs.

So, we did a face-lift to brighten things up and make our entryway more appealing. I saw many pins on Pinterest of stripes on stairs and was very inspired. So, after removing the paneling, repairing the drywall, removing the linoleum flooring on the stairs, and painting the walls, we conquered the stripes. We love how they turned out!

I also found this black (partial) light fixture (below on the left) at a flea market for only $8. My husband combined it with the light fixture pictured below (right) to make it complete. 

 Last, I painted the fixture gloss turquoise. I love how it turned out.

For the walls, I took this old coat hanger and repainted it. See the end result in the picture below.

Over the stairs, I pulled together a bunch of miscellaneous frames and mirrors and painted them to coordinate with the light fixture. I also made the paper wall medallions I saw on Better Homes & Gardens website.

Last, I painted the door with this quatrefoil template I found online. First, I taped off a rectangle on the door to paint the orange. Then, I used the template I found online to make a stencil. When I was ready to trace the image on the door, I used a paint marker to trace the image. Then I went over the traced image with a small detail brush a couple times. It's another fun detail I really like.

Valentine Door Decor

A couple years ago I made wall art out of  faux tin back splash panels I purchased at a home improvement store. 

Basically, I made frames out of scrap wood and glued the panels to the frames.

You can see them on the wall in one of my previous posts and in the picture below. 

I ended up not liking them that much and only had them hanging on the wall for a little while. So, ever since, I've tried to come up with something to do with the tin panel art. 

After some thought, I bought paper mache letters from the local craft store, painted them to my liking and glued them to the back splash panel. I braided 3 different ribbons together to make a hanger and used a staple gun to attach it to the back of the frame. Now I have this cute/vibrant door decor!

Something old (and broken) is new again!

I picked up this old broken window from the garbage a couple years ago. It has been wrapped in a blanket in my attic all this time. Recently, I came up with this idea to fill space on my bare family room wall. Here's what I did. You can't tell from the photo, but the glass is missing in three of the openings. In order to create symmetry, I moved one of the panes so I had them where I wanted them. Next, I took some extra fabric from my family room curtains and cut it to fit inside the window squares. To get the fabric to stick, I used spray fabric starch. I layed the window face-down, placed the fabric on the window and soaked it with the starch. Once the fabric dried, it stuck to the glass. Originally, I thought the fabric would be enough but it wasn't. So, after completing my previous project with the initials in my master bedroom, I decided to use the wooden letters to add additional interest. Finally, I added the felt flower I made to round out the arrangement.

Initial Decor

This project was pretty simple. The wooden letters pictured were used as decorations for my wedding. Recently, I hung them on the wall in my master bedroom but they looked too plain. So, I took two old picture frames, removed the glass and added bright-colored paper in the opening. Then I planned to glue the letters to the paper. However, I ran into a little issue.

If you look back at the before and after pictures, you will notice the letters are different.  I ended up having to use new letters because the ones I originally had were a little too large for the frame opening.  In the end it worked out nicely. I really like how the framed initials turned out and I found another use for the original letters! So, now I'm off to write the blog post that shows what I did with them.

An Old Table Gets a Modern Update

This end table was a curbside find that my parents picked up. I really love the lines but it was in pretty bad shape when I got it. As you can see the leather top was a mess and the edges were pretty rough. So, I decided to give it some love by cleaning it up and painting it. Here are two "before" pictures:

First, I decided to remove the leather top. I wasn't sure how difficult this was going to be but, to my surprise, it was pretty easy. After my online research I decided that using my steamer was going to be my best bet. So, I pulled out the steamer and with only a bit of patience and a putty knife the leather top came off without much effort...and in one piece!

After a bunch of sanding, some patching with wood putty and spackle, primer and spray paint I have a nice modern table. I chose to use the same hardware because I like the design and actually love the patina on it from years of use.

There may be another project in line for this table in the future. Since I didn't replace the leather top I am still contemplating what to do with the top. I do think I could just leave it as is. There is a small dip between the area on the top where the leather was and the rest of the top but I don't see it as being an issue. I have considered buying a piece of glass to put on top and maybe putting some pretty paper under it. We will see. I'm sure at some point I will be looking for a small project to do and this will satisfy my urge. :) If and when this happens I will share the result at that time.

Finally, here is a side-by-side before and after picture:

Thrift Store Find Turns Chic

I found these candle wall sconces at my local Salvation Army. I wasn't keen on the gold/cream paint but knew they would look really cool painted glossy black or a bright color.

Because of the intricate detail, I didn't want to sand them. So, I used a "liquid sandpaper" product (ie: Klean-Strip Easy Liquid Sander Deglosser) I purchased at a home improvement store. I simply applied the deglosser using a rag and circular motions. Next, I primed and painted the sconces. As usual, I used spray paint because I think it's the easiest way to paint objects...and you never get brush strokes.

Jewelry hanger made from old closet door

In a previous post, I showed how I made a headboard from the bottom half of these louvered closet doors (left). This project shows what I did with the top half of the doors.

During the headboard project, my husband and I cut the doors in half (right) and removed the louvers. Then, prior to installing chicken wire in the opening, I primed and painted the frame. Next the chicken wire was cut and secured into place with scrap molding I had laying around the house. Finally, I filled the small holes from the nails we used to install the moldings, lightly sanded it and put a final coat of paint on the project.

And the result...a jewelry holder/display:

Guest blogger...Carolyn

A special thanks to a follower/friend for today's blog post. When Carolyn shared with me her great re-purpose project, I just had to share it! I just love seeing what wonderful creativity people have when it comes to re-purposing furniture! Here is what she said:


Tammy,

I thought you might like to see what we did with an old hutch we had.  We made a hanging bookshelf for our foyer.  I needed something for the space, it couldn't be deeper than 12 inches and I couldn't find anything in the furniture stores that I liked.  The picture of the hutch is a similar version of what we used. 

Old Dresser Gets a Fresh Look

This dresser goes with a funiture set my parents bought me when I was a child. I put it to good use for about 25 years before my dad made me a new set. As you can probably tell from the picture, it stayed in wonderful condition over the years - which is why I have kept it so long. It even went through a quick makeover when I was in my early teens -- my parents gave it a fresh coat of paint and new hardware.

When I bought my first home and moved out of my parents' house I left it behind because I didn't have room for it. About a year and a half ago, I moved into my new home and my parents were happy that I'd finally have room for it at my place. Because of the history, and since there is really nothing wrong with it, I wanted to put it to good use - but not before giving it a makeover!

First, I removed the hardware, sanded, primed and painted it the color of oil-rubbed bronze. 

Next, I sanded the dresser. I wanted the edges to look worn from years of use, so I really focused on removing the paint on most of the edges. At this point, I realized how light in color the pine wood was and wanted to give the edges a treatment that would make them pop. So, I rubbed stain on the edges - now they have an antique look and really stand out.

Last, I decided to add an interesting detail to the drawer fronts. I found fabric at a craft store that coordinated with my spare bedroom decor, cut it to fit the drawer fronts, and used Mod Podge to glue the fabric to the furniture. To do this, I painted the Mod Podge on the drawer fronts and placed the fabric over it. After it dried completely, I put another coat over the top of the fabric to give it a little shine and to ensure it would stay in place. (Tip: if you use this technique and want a shiny look, proceed with another 4-5 coats of Mod Podge). For this project, I liked the texture after only one coat.

Next, I replaced the hardware and the job was complete!

Tiny Bird Gets a Facelift

I received this ceramic bird from a fellow treasure hunter and just love the shape. However, the color wasn't my style. So, I updated it according to my preference. First, I sanded it. Then I applied two coats of Zissner's 1-2-3 Primer. The product is great when the surface you are painting is glossy/slippery (for example my husband and I have painted plastic crown moldings and ceramic tile with it. It is great and passes the "scratch test").

Low-Cost Redo

Before

Redecorating does not have to be expensive. My laundry room re-do took very little more than fresh paint...and had quite an impact! First, the wallpaper was removed. From the photo, it appears there is only a border...that's what my husband and I originally thought. Once we started removing it we realized there was wallpaper on all the walls...it was just disguised by paint. What a disappointment, now we knew the job would take at least an extra day to remove the wallpaper. (We didn't want to just paint over it because when you paint wallpaper the seams are likely to show.) So, we moved forward full speed ahead knowing that removing the wallpaper was going to be twice as difficult. Thank goodness for the wonderful inventions of the steamer and the piranha (a tool you use to score the wall, allowing water/steam to get under the wallpaper, loosening it so you can scrape it off) -- these tools made the job a little less laborious.

Once we conquered the wallpaper, we painted the doors and moldings. Finally, it was time to paint the walls! I chose to use leftover green and turquiose paint from my master bedroom and family room. I wanted to do something fun since doing laundry isn't typically something we look forward to. I figured the bright colors and stripes would do just that.  Since the room is relatively small, I decided to do two walls in stripes and the others solid. This saved quite a bit of time and helped break things up a bit.

After

Another money-saving and environmentally conscious feature is the shelf over the washer/dryer. Since we had just replaced all the doors in our house we had a plain closet door just sitting around. I thought it was the perfect option for a shelf. I painted it white and purchased the brackets and rod at a home-improvement store. Now we have a place to hang laundry to dry and a shelf to display baskets and accessories!

Lastly, I accessorized with my mini washboard (shown in the "after" photo above), 3 decorative heat vent covers, and curtains. I  picked up the washboard several years ago at an antique store; found the vent covers recently at an antique sale; and made the cafe curtains from fabric I purchased at a craft store.