Happy Halloween!

Thought I'd share a little bit of Halloween with you! Wishing you and your little goblins a fun, safe and spooky night!

College Apartment Furniture Rescue

I love rescuing unloved and unwanted furniture.  Sometimes I find furniture at estate sales, garage sales, flea markets, Goodwill, Craigslist or, my personal favorite, on the side of the road.  But this is an embarrassing story....I had to rescue furniture from my son 's college apartment! This set was originally our table and chairs but we didn't have room for them after we remodeled our kitchen, so we were happy to have them go off to college with our son.

However, this is what the table and chairs looked like when they came home from last summer. The paint was peeling on the table, the chairs were all banged up (fortunately, the rush seats were still in good condition) and they just looked terrible in general.

I guess in hindsight lending my kitchen table and Ethan Allen chairs to my son and his three football player roommates probably wasn't the best idea.

So I stripped the table of the old yellowing polyurethane, paint and grime. And then I sanded it to a smooth finish and primed the table with water-based primer. But, as sometimes occurs with oak and mahogany finishes, I was still experiencing some bleed-through in areas, and so I had to spot spray those areas with Zinsser clear shellac. Once the bleed-through was tackled, I painted the table in Annie Sloan Pure White in two coats (three on the top) and waxed the base and pedestal. I opted to seal the top of the table in General Finishes Satin Polyurethane because I've found that this finish holds up better on table surfaces than wax.

I painted the chairs in Annie Sloan Emperor's Red and sealed them with clear wax, replaced the rush seats and they were as good as new!

I normally don't like to separate dining room sets when I sell them because I'm afraid I'll get stuck with a table without chairs, and vice versa. Fortunately, I received two independent inquiries on the same day for the table and then just for the chairs. The table went to a lovely young couple just setting up their first home.

The chairs went to a local interior designer for her client. I loved meeting her and her client and we found that we share the same passion for incorporating vintage and antique pieces in modern decor. She was gracious enough to share the "after" picture of the chairs in the new space.

Janeane Pittman Interior Design

She is an interior designer based here in Southern California and provides interior design services as well as online design consultation. Her website is Janeane Pittman Interior Design - give her a visit and check out her portfolio, blog and her new Etsy shop!

So that's my embarrassing story of how I had to rescue furniture from my son's college apartment. I'm happy I was able to send the furniture off to two new great homes! Just not sure my son and his roommates will be getting any more of my furniture for a while, though!

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by!

I'm Sharing at:

Silver Pennies Sundays, Amaze Me Monday, Metamorphosis Monday, Be Inspired,
Inspire Me Tuesday, The Scoop, Wow Us Wednesdays, Twirl & Take a Bow,
Furniture Feature Friday

"Blue-tiful" Blue Dresser

I've kind of fallen in love with vintage French Provincial pieces. But they are really popular here in Southern California and are hard to find at reasonable prices. So when I spotted this highboy at a garage sale, I knew it had to come home with me.

Here's the before...

I usually go over furniture before I buy it to see if there are any major structural defects to know what I'm getting myself into and if I think I can fix it. With lessons from my dad, I can now repair loose dovetail joints and drawer tracks, peel and patch veneer, as well as a host of other problems that can sometimes happen with antique and vintage furniture.

This dresser, however, had a problem that stumped me. It was wobbly - which I initially thought was because the legs weren't even. But on closer inspection, the legs were level and weren't causing the the dresser to sway from side to side when I put pressure on it. I even turned it upside down and tightened all of the screws on the inside structure, but it was still swaying. I was stumped and once again had to call in my dad to rescue me and my "junky furniture", as he affectionately calls it!

He immediately saw the problem to the "shimmying" - as he referred to it. There was a problem with how it was originally built! On each inside corner there was a triangular block of wood that acted as a stabilizer. But one corner didn't have the block in the right place! It must have been swaying its entire life! So we removed that piece, placed it in the right place flush with both corners and with a lot of glue (don't worry, I cleaned up all this glue before it had a chance to dry) and an overnight clamp, and she was as good as new! Well actually, better than new!

The separation on the front was the result of the incorrectly positioned block!

After a very thorough sanding she was ready for her beauty treatment! I used General Finishes Persian Blue and then sealed it with their topcoat. I kept the original hardware and spray painted it black and then sealed that as well.

Here she is all ready for her new home! I love, love, love this color blue! It's such a soft, subtle blue....

I lightly sanded between coats to achieve this smooth finish...

No more wobbles or separation!

Didn't she turn out gorgeous?

So that was the happy ending to my "swaying" dresser. Have you ever had any furniture that you were stumped at fixing? Call my dad! You may have to feed him lunch, though! (He likes turkey on whole wheat, lettuce and tomatoes.)

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

I'm Sharing at:

Anything Blue Friday, DIY Sunday Showcase, Silver Pennies Sundays, Amaze Me Monday, Metamorphosis Monday, Inspire Me Tuesday, The Scoop, Be Inspired, Wow Us Wednesdays, Furniture Feature Friday, Be You Tiful

An Old Secretary With a Modern Twist

Secretary desks are one of my favorite pieces of furniture to repurpose and reimagine. They're so versatile - you can put them in a living room, family room, kitchen, bedroom - even a bathroom!

I had previously refinished a tall Queen Anne secretary in black milk paint (The Secretary That Caused a Traffic Jam), so I wanted to change things up a little bit on the next one. This secretary was in excellent condition, and just had a few spots that needed to be filled and sanded before painting. My vision for this piece was to add a funky fabric in the back for a little pop of color and the body painted in French Linen by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.

There was a lot of disassembling that I had to do to achieve this vision. I had to take the back board off, the mahogany insert out, and the upper doors off. I wanted the lattice to be painted on the reverse side as well, so I carefully popped the molding off, pulled out the lattice and painted both sides. I have to say this was such an easier way to paint the lattice. It sure beat taping off each diamond, and then having to painstakingly scrape any residual paint off the glass when I was done!

The fabric backing was really easy to do. First I primed the back piece because my fabric had a white background and I didn't want a shadow from the mahogany finish. And then I measured and leveled the design so it was straight, and sprayed the back with fabric adhesive spray. And very quickly (it sets up really fast), used a ruler to smooth out the fabric and eliminate any air bubbles.

After it was all put back together, she was a stunner!

I love the curved front of these drawers! I painted the existing hardware the same color because I wanted the fabric to be the focal point.

I left the original mahogany insert alone - it was gorgeous and I liked the contrast of the paint and wood finish.

The fabric covered the entire back of the unit. Don't you just love how it peeks through the slots? I also painted the entire inside of the desk in French Linen in case the future owner would want to take out the insert.

Love the lines at the top and the finial!

A close up of the fabric backing. So pretty!

I cried a little bit when I sold her....but it went to a really good home. I gave the leftover fabric to my client in case she wanted to make a coordinating pillow. I'm working on a china cabinet with similar lines right now and I'm sure I'll cry when this one is sold, too!

Have a fantastic week and thanks for stopping by!

I'm Sharing at:

DIY Sunday Showcase, Silver Pennies Sundays, Amaze Me Monday, Metamorphosis Monday, Inspire Me Tuesday, The Scoop, Wow Us Wednesday, Be Inspired, Before and After Wednesday, Furniture Feature Friday, Re-Loved Fridays

Apple Harvest Dresser

I picked up this cute little unfinished oak dresser six months ago and it's been in one of my boy's rooms. When he left to return to college last month, I stole it from his room and "girlied" it up!

It was in really great condition when I bought it, which made me initially reluctant to paint it. But I'm really not a fan of unpainted oak furniture.

So out came my trusty can of ASCP Old White and in the course of a few days, in a garage with triple digit heat and the exterior of my house being painted (shabby chic is not a good look for a house), I transformed this beauty. I lightly distressed it and then sealed it with a clear wax.

I've been feeling so inspired by all the wonderful fall decorations out there in Blogland, I took a stab at "fallifying" this dresser in an apple harvest theme. But it doesn't feel like fall here, it's still so hot!

This dresser is currently for sale in my Etsy shop.

Isn't that green milk jug cute? Estate sale score from a local California dairy that is still in business!

Thanks for stopping by and I always appreciate your kind words and encouragement!





I'm sharing at:

Silver Pennies Sundays
DIY Sunday Showcase
Amaze Me Monday
Make It Monday
Metamorphosis Monday
Boogie Board Cottage
Inspire Me Tuesday
The Scoop
Twirl & Take a Bow
Elizabeth & Co. - Be Inspired
Wow Us Wednesdays
Before & After Wednesday
Furniture Feature Friday
Re-Loved Fridays
Fabulous Friday Party

Chic Black and White Dresser

I had been waiting for the perfect piece in which to try out white General Finishes milk paint. I found this sweet little vintage dresser that was one step away from the dump and was screaming (at least to me) for a makeover!

The drawer guides were a mess - every single wooden track needed to be reattached. Here's a shot of the repair process after I had already prepped and sanded. Who needs diamonds and flowers? This gal needs more clamps!

My vision for this dresser was to give it a sleek appearance. The handles were adorable and all I did was spray paint them in Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze and seal them. I primed this dresser twice only because I wanted to avoid multiple coats of white paint. After THREE coats of GF Snow White paint, it finally covered. It's hard to describe what happened, but after the second coat, magic happened! It no longer had a flat, matte appearance but took on a beautiful, shiny sheen!

I lined the drawers with adorable paper to tie in with the black and white theme...

...and lightly sanded between coats on the top to remove obvious brush strokes. Then I coated the top with General Finishes Satin Top Coat for protection. I was really pleased with the results...I have a pet peeve about running my hands over furniture and not feeling a smooth appearance.

I won't kid you - this took a lot of work to get this finish! The best part was that it went to a great new home who appreciated all of the hard work that went into this piece.

So that was my experiment with General Finishes milk paint. Would I use it again? Absolutely (and I have)! Although it took more coats of paint to perfect the finish, the results were definitely worth the labor of love.

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a fabulous week!




I'm sharing at:

DIY Sunday Showcase
Silver Pennies Sundays
DIY Showoff
Amaze Me Monday
Make It Monday
Inspire Me Monday
Metamorphosis Monday
Boogie Board Cottage
Inspire Me Tuesday
The Scoop
Elizabeth & Co. - Be Inspired
Twirl & Take a Bow
Wow Us Wednesday
Before & After Wednesday
Furniture Feature Friday
Re-Loved Fridays
Fabulous Friday Party