Little Stool

This little stool is one of those things I hesitated to bring home, but actually turned out to be a really fun  project.  It had been spray painted an icky copper color and the top was maple.  I painted the base with AS Old White.  I had intended to  upholster the top, but nothing I tried seemed quite right.  A trip to the potting shed turned up this old shipping crate lid from Hughes Brothers (I like those shipping numbers on the underside).  Ben trimmed it to fit and put it all together.  I added a little stenciling on the top side with some neat old brass stencils.

The "Before":

Knapp Joint Dresser

I finished this piece last summer right before Baby's arrival.  It sat in the dining room for a few months waiting to go to Liberty House.  I finally decided I liked it too much to let it go, so it was recently moved into the living room.

Before I go on . . .  a little furniture history.  I was able to identify the age of this piece because of the interesting joints used on the drawers.  From what I've read on line (and it must be true, right?), these are Knapp Joints (or Half Moons).  They were invented by Charles Knapp  and used on furniture made between 1880 - 1900.  Before then, dovetail joints were hand-cut (very labor intensive).  Later, machines were developed that allowed mechanized dovetail joints and the Knapp Joint machine was a thing of the past.  

Its new home in the living room.  By the way, this lamp took on a whole new life when I painted the lamp shade one night--very easy (and spontaneous of me)--black acrylic craft paint, about 3 minutes.

I love paint.

Here's what I did to the dresser:

After a good cleaning, I stripped the old finish off the top, used a little stain to even things out, and then rubbed in tung oil.  The rest got one light coat of Annie Sloan Old White.  The great original hardware went back on and it was done!

Can you see the half moon joints?  Can you see the green leaves behind the garage?  (sigh)

The "Before":

Old Desk turned File Cabinet

Sweet babe is 7 1/2 months old now and we are all enjoying her thoroughly!  She is very well loved!

I have started working on furniture again--still learning with each piece, but more confident with paint and tools--and more selective about what I want to put time into.  I'm also more comfortable sticking with the looks that I love rather than what I think will sell (i.e., more muted neutral colors, turquoise less often).  So the break has been good.

I've debated about starting to post again . . . the days seem so full and each post seemed to take longer than it should, but it is a good record for me of what I've done.  So I'll give it a go . . .

Here's my latest piece . . .

I bought this at Liberty House last Saturday.  It is one side of an old desk.  I'm kicking myself for not taking a "Before" photo--it had been wrapped on three sides in vinyl and when I pulled out the many tacks holding the vinyl, I discovered old batting glued to the wood.  There was a little groaning and buyer's remorse at this point, but my trusty 60 grit sandpaper eventually took it off.  I like the looks of raw wood, so I kept sanding to take the old finish partly off as well.  The sides got a light coat of Annie Sloan Old White.  The top is plywood, but looks great now with a coat of Annie Sloan Graphite and then waxed/buffed.  I plan to keep this to hold art/painting/sewing supplies, so decided to clean up the insides of the drawers with some Annie Sloan Versailles (can you tell what brand of paint I love?).

So that's that!  Now to clean out my studio enough to fit this in!

By the way, I just took a loaf of coconut bread out of the oven (lunch?).  The recipe is from Smitten Kitchen.  I am loving her new cookbook . . . another distraction from furniture painting!

I've been a little distracted . . .

Yes, it's been a while since I posted anything or thought about painting furniture or thought about anything besides this little girl . . .

Photo by her mommy

This is Sadie, our first grandchild, and we are totally in love.  

So I will get back to painting furniture again eventually, but for now . . .

Striped Aqua Dresser

Braving the 98 degree temperature, Ben cheerfully helped me move this dresser down to Liberty House today.  I did remember to take "before" shots, but forgot the "afters" this time!  Here's the one picture I got with my little flip phone.  I couldn't get a head-on shot, because my little room is too tiny!

I bought this dresser at a shed sale on a farm near Cordova a couple of months ago (I hauled home a Jeep-ful that day).  It was sound structurally, but definitely needed help in the pretty department.  Here are a couple of "before's"--bad paint job, mismatched cheap hardware, and in need of a good scrubbing.

I'm currently working on a tall dresser that I bought at a neighbor's garage sale last weekend (and very happy with how it's going), though by afternoon I just want to watch TV and drink iced tea.

Whitewashed Bench

As simple as it is, it took me a few months to decide what to do with this little bench.  I finally sanded off all the finish (varnish and stain), dry brushed on Old White, and then went with the striped red fabric for the seat.  I think it has a nice "beachy" look now.

I filled in for Joanie down at Liberty House on Friday (which was fun!).  It gave me time to get my little room clean and restocked.  I am happy to learn that the yellow and white striped RCA cabinet sold Saturday--and even got to see pictures of it in its new home! ( Thanks, Angel!)

I've been working on a dresser this weekend--using some Annie Sloan paint in Provence (a turquoise).  I kept trying out different finishes on it (wax, glaze, etc.)--not quite satisfied yet--so that means a lot of re-painting and layers building up.  Ben says that's why my pieces get so heavy . .  .

Cheery Striped RCA Cabinet

As I headed out to church last Sunday (in white pants), my mom called to say there was some furniture  with free signs down the street from me.  Unable to resist, I hopped in the Jeep and found this old RCA Victor Victrola cabinet (model 3-HS-6)!  I loaded it myself (some how keeping white pants clean) and still made it to church before announcements were done!

Ben helped with repairs and clean up.  I sanded the vaneer off the top and refinished the very pretty wood underneath.  Then I primed and painted the base off white.  I originally was going to add black stripes, but when I got the yellow painter's tape on, I liked the white/yellow combination so went with yellow paint.  The inside got white paint and we (Ben) put a new piece on the back.  The original hardware just needed a little polishing.

Here it is at Liberty House:

Here's what I hauled home:

New items at Liberty House

Sounds like the 4th was a busy time down at Liberty House (in spite of the heat)!  I managed to bash my little toe on a piece of furniture (me?? extra furniture around here??), so didn't do much walking about town--but here's how things were looking in my little room at Liberty House.

I found this old waterfall desk beside a dumpster a few weeks ago.  It was covered with contact paper and the drawers were full of little plywood dividers.  I didn't even take a before shot because it didn't seem to hold a lot of promise, but I just love how it turned out.  I used stripper and sanded like crazy on the top and drawers and the wood was amazing!  The rest of the base I painted with Annie Sloan Old White.  The hardware is the original, but I sanded it down to the silver--much better.

I did this little desk at the same time and pretty much the same way.  The cute little lamp is from Rachel (thanks!).

Some other things . . .

Stay cool!      

Little Nightstand

Lots of projects going lately, including this sweet little nightstand.

Here's the "before" shot:

I gave this one a really "clean" look, no distressing.  The graduated color on the drawer fronts was fun to do.  I changed out most of the things in my room at Liberty House today, so hope to post photos of some of those things in the next few days.  I don't have room there right now for this little nightstand, so  if you are interested, let me know!

Radio Cabinet Redo & Annie Sloan Paint

Just took this old radio cabinet down to Liberty House.  I think it would be really pretty in a bathroom to hold towels or as a little wardrobe for children's clothes or a cool bar or to stack books in . . .

It was my first big project with the Annie Sloan paint and I am a convert!  It is so much fun and easier to use than regular paint, dries quickly, and distresses beautifully.  I used Old White and Duck Egg Blue on this.  It's pricey, but seems to go a long ways--plus you don't have to sand or prime.  I just wish we had a dealer nearby--thanks to Hobbin for hauling it back from Colorado for me!

The paint really highlights the pretty details . . .

I put the original on/off switch back on (just for fun):

I did remember to take a "Before" picture--here it is after I took out the front panel and some other odds and ends.  That front panel is going to be something interesting someday.

Grain Sacks

I was the winning bid on a box of really dirty old grain sacks recently.  It took about a week to work my way through the stack--shaking out plenty of dirt and grainy bits, soaking, washing, and drying them.  I had to really want 'em which I do.  So here's my lovely pile . . .

And some projects that I've used them on . . .

New Cottonwood Sign

Just finished this sign and kind of love it.  I use manila tags on most of the things I sell, so seemed like a good idea for a sign.  The guys at the lumberyard have a good "scrap" pile and are good enough to cut pieces to size.  When I got home from there, I decided to use my algebra skills to make the proportions the same as the actual tag (I was very proud).  Ben cut it down further (after I did the math) along with the corners and the hole.  We found a manila file folder (that had our wedding pictures in it!) and used it for the "reinforcement" part.  I made a stencil for the letters, added some clothesline rope, and done!

There is nothing like a patient husband . . .

I've been very busy with a lot of new projects--it helps to have auctions and garage sales providing furniture now that summer is here.  Ben continues to have the patience of Job.  He not only hauls the stuff home for me, but does repairs as needed.   And he never complains about my messes in the dining room or extra furniture sitting around the house.  Here's what the table looked like the other day . . . I was on a painting frenzy (or some kind of frenzy).

New Vanity at Liberty House

Pat sold my old oak cupboard on Friday (at Liberty House), though we were a little sad to see it go.  We'd had it for a long time and it had even traveled to NYC and back with Julie.  But it was time!  So I have been busy moving a few recently finished projects into my little room, including this vanity/desk.

Super Moon

Ran outside at bedtime last night and got this photo of the "Super Moon".  Amazing!

London Tube Chair

Just finished this little project!  I am kicking myself for not taking a "before" shot--it was painted with some really ugly designs, but I loved all the curves and detail and knew it had potential.  The seat was the time-consuming part.  I enlarged the names of some London Tube stops with the little projector, traced over them, traced them onto clear plastic which I then cut out to make a stencil (yes, time-consuming).  Then I stenciled them onto black cotton duck fabric.

Unless I decide to keep it, this will be headed down to Liberty House.  I'll be posting photos of some other recently finished projects soon (though I'm still have troubling uploading photos!).

Thanks to Hobbin for sending this chair my way!

Spring!

Some pretty sights around here.

                                                            Bradford pear blossoms . . .

Current chair project . . .

Best:  Growing belly, just finished booties . . .