Success! and other things...

Well,I listed the little blue tables for sale and they sold within 48 hours - I am so excited! Now that I have finished my next project, they are being listed for sale as well. I completed the twin headboards, and they look too cute!

They started life as really ugly, 70's-era brown boys headboards.

I had to sand them down pretty good to get rid of the horrid finish. I then applied primer. I use Kilz because it covers any stubborn spots, and also hides any odor, if, for instance, I score something from a smoker's home. The paint I used was Valspar spray paint and primer in one.

The color I believe is sage green. It sprays on nicely, and the satin paint leaves a nice, shiny finish. The best thing about this spray paint is that the final coat of wax can be very minimal. The final product is cute as hell!

I have them listed in my Etsy store, along with some vintage glass pieces I have been meaning to sell, but never got around to doing so.

Next project? A lamp I found at the DAV store for a steal! Here's a sneak peek of what it looks like:

More later...

New things coming around the bend...

Well, if all goes well in the next couple months, I will be a bona-fide business owner. I have decided to follow my bliss and go into business for myself. I gave notice at my current job, and I am aiming to eventually have either a brick-and-mortar location, or have a thriving online storefront in which to sell my up-cycled furniture, etc...

More to come...

Boring side tables now made adorable!

I have these two little side tables we bought for super-cheap some years ago, and originally they sat in my office, holding up a lamp and some knick-knacks. They were brown, totally nondescript, and boring. I haven't actually used them in years - they have been sitting downstairs in our laundry/storage room collecting dust.

Here's what they looked like several years ago - even tarting one up using vibrant colors on it didn't help.

Well, I decided to make a project of them a few weeks ago, and I finally decided they needed to be painted. I lightly sanded the tables down, cleaned them up, primed, and then painted. The results are pretty awesome.

 

I am going to sell them so someone else can enjoy them, so I chose a vibrant turquoise blue color. It took no time at all to transform them, but I will have to wait until tomorrow to add the wax coating to protect the paint job.

Next in line - the twin headboards. Can't wait to see how they turn out!

Quick & Easy weekend DIY project...

My youngest son, who is now 17, had one remaining item from a bedroom set purchased for him when he was about 10 - a dresser. An ugly, blue and wood-toned dresser that is made purely of particle board. Over the years, we have had to replace his bed (he is over 6ft tall) and his desk (to accommodate a computer and space for homework). All the kiddo's new furniture is black. The only holdover was the dresser.

Ugly, huh? (except our Brewster - he is the cutest doggie ever).
Now when I say this dresser has seen better days, believe it. It is a tad wobbly (but overall pretty solid still) from being moved around so much over the years, and there are spots where the finish is worn through to the particle board. So, rather than sand the dresser (which I would normally do, except as it is older particle board I did not want to damage the wood in any way) I scrubbed this bad boy down with a bit of dish soap in a bucket of warm water. I then got to use my new paint sprayer to apply the primer. All I can say is WOW - it took less that five minutes to prime the dresser and all the drawers.

I have to say, I was not prepared for the over-spray. It was a good thing we had a tarp to put under it.
I primed it yesterday afternoon with the help of the hubby, who also wanted to try out the sprayer.

I waited until today to paint, but I did not use the sprayer. I had just enough black paint to finish the dresser off, but I would have run out had I used the sprayer, so I used a roller instead. The paint is also older, and had gotten quite a bit thicker that when we had initially bought it. As a result, some parts of the surface have little bubbles on them, which I am not happy with, but which my son neither noticed nor cared about when I told him. He was too stoked that his dresser would finally match the rest of his furniture. I also finished off the paint job with a coat of Minwax Paste Finishing Wax.

I replaced the knobs with shiny silver ones I found on eBay for $.99 each. With really cheap shipping, my out of pocket cost was less than $15.00 for the dresser. And it looks pretty darn good.

I'm pretty sure I have the wrong drawers in the wrong spots, but the kiddo will put them back correctly when the dresser makes it's way back down to his basement bedroom.

Overall, this re-do took less that three hours total to complete. Not too bad a result for a really bad dresser.

Shopping Surprises...

Went shopping yesterday with the hubby. My goal was to get fabric for the chair project I am working on, find paint for the chair, the two twin headboards, the desk, the phone stand/side tables and my son's dresser, which will be going from blue and wood tones to black (pics to come). I also wanted to pick up a paint sprayer and a nail gun.

It turned out to be a fruitful day :-)

Fabric was found at JoAnn fabric. I had no idea fabric was getting so darn expensive. Next time I shop for fabric, I am shopping around first. The fabric I found was 40% off, so I am pleased with the price. And it is gorgeous.

The chairs are going to be painted white. I am also going to have to replace the pad - it is squashed down and in pretty bad shape. What's really bad is that pad is so expensive I about had a heart attack. It was $32.99/yard for 2" thick foam chair padding at JoAnn Fabric. Luckily, I found foam padding at Walmart at about a quarter of the cost. I can't stress enough when you are on a budget, compare prices! We are hitting a couple thrift stores in the very near future to see what they have available as well.

Unfortunately, Porter Cable does not manufacture paint sprayers (sad face) - so we compared prices and weighed options against what we are looking to accomplish, and we went with a Wagner sprayer.

I will be testing out this bad boy today when I start re-finishing my son's dresser. I will also be applying the primer to the twin headboards and the little phone stands/side tables. I bought spray paint for the little tables, and I can't wait to see how they turn out!

We also scored a nail gun/air compressor combo at Lowes by Campbell Hausfeld. The price on the Porter Cable set was too cost-prohibitive, so we did not go with their product (sad face again). 

I will update as soon as my son's dresser is done. In addition to painting it black (that's a great song, too!) I totally lucked out finding some awesome silver knobs on eBay. Can't wait to show you!

Nightstand - check!

The first nightstand is complete. It looks pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. I used a total of  three layers of stain to get the desired shade I was going for. I used Minwax Polyshades in Bombay Mahogany.

I love the color, and the stain goes on pretty evenly, even when I am dripping all over the place. It is very important to read and follow the directions on the can when you are using any stain. The results will be fantastic. I opted to use a clean lint-free rag to apply the stain - brushes, stain and me do not mix - I always leave brush strokes, no matter how hard I try not to.

Once I let the final coat dry, I coated the entire nightstand with Minwax Paste Finishing Wax. It is easy to use - just take a clean, lint-free cloth (for me it was cut-up old t-shirts) and coat the piece you are working on in a thin layer. Let sit for 10-15 minutes, then buff out with a clean cloth or a buffer (if you have one - I do not).

I picked wax as opposed to any kind of polyurethane coating because I wanted to keep it simple, and I have already used this product on a dresser I made over into my kitchen island. The final feel is satiny-smooth, and it protects the stain (or paint) from chipping with use. I really love Minwax products - they are affordable, and very easy to use - even for a beginner like me. You can check out their stuff here.

The final product, with the newly-polished brass handles, looks awesome!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I didn't think I would like the finished product, but I was wrong. The nightstands were a pain in the rear due to so many inside corners, but the dressers and the headboard, foot board and mirror will be a piece of cake after this. It's not perfect, but I think the little imperfections here and there add to the character.

I will check back in once I have started working on my next project.

More to come!

Score!

I can't believe the bargain I found today. I scored two barrel chairs for $20 for the pair.

Yes, $20 for the pair.

And they are in pretty darn good condition too.

I am going to re-do these beauties with a fresh coat of paint and some new fabric for the seats.
I am going to shop for fabric first. That will help me to decide what color to paint them.

These chairs represent what will hopefully be the beginning of my own business. My first official purchase for Affordable Treasures.

Aren't they cool? Man, I love Craigslist!