OAK TABLE REFINISHED
(September 2014)
Finally finished the dinning room table. Still need to do the Chairs, but this is a start.
Project took a lot, and a lot and a lot of Sanding!  I used a poly & stain in one. I first used a wood conditioner then applied three coats of Poly & Stain in One. The base is an antique white, I sanded the edges and then applied a Kona stain as a 'glaze'.

Same Dresser, Different Look

I love the look of the french style dresser but after awhile the new look and color didn't grow on me... so I changed it again...

Original

1st redone in 2012... Pomegranite color with Bronze rolled glaze

Current July 2014- w/ EMBER (orange) stain on the pine... turned out great. The drawers I covered in burlap. and I kept the original handles but painted them a bronze to match the darker rust on the bed frame. 

Guest Bedroom Overhaul

Orange set the tone...

We wanted a change in the Guest Bedroom from the shabby chic look... so we went with a little industrial. 

We like older rustic/vintage looking furniture so we based the theme around an old rusty bed frame that was in good shape.  We simply left the rust and added a few coats of Poly and she cleaned up nice. 

Before...

AFTER...

VINTAGE FOOT STOOL

May 2014

A weekend in April we went to help out my husband's grandparents with yard maintenance etc. Low and behold they had an ol' foot stool in there shed that they did not want. I said "pick me, pick me, I would love it" :)  so I had a new project. Nothing that an afternoon couldn't fix. Something about a project just gets my blood a pump'n

Here's the Before and the after...

The wood was rather soft so I had to hand sand it first to get the varnish off. Then I painted it with some colors I had laying around the house so I didn't have to spend much.  I started with a base of a Pearl Cream- took two coats to get it covered completely. Once it was dry I added a coat of Crackle Finish, let it dry then finished it off with one coat of Pomegranate. Lastly, this is an OUTDOOR foot stool, so I added two coats of sealer (waterproof, uv resistant). 

The frame was ok, I added some wood filler in a few cracks and stabilized some of the corner pockets with with wood glue to ensure it wasn't going anywhere once a foot was put on it. 

The Fabric was from Joann's (50% off outdoor fabrics.. woo hoo!!!)... AND 50% of the foam... it was perfect because the foam was the exact length I needed. I just cut it for the width.  I grabbed the nifty little staple gun and started pulling tight. I did one side but left the corners, then I cut the remainder of the fabric and stapled the other side. The corners are a little difficult, but I enjoy a messy look so I didn't spend too much time on them. However if you are a stickler for a good clean upholstery corner, youtube it up. You'll find a tone of videos to help you out. 

Once the frame was dry, I put the 6 screws back in and voila... a new outdoor Spring/Summer (and fall in my eyes) foot stool. Now onto the next project.. ;)-

Total Cost: $13 (Fabric 6.50, Foam 6.50)

WINE RACK

Our Friends made this special wine rack for us... we weren't quite sure where to put it or the color, so I held on to it until we could figure out the exact color and location for it. Here's a before and after- they are quite the craftsman. They did an awesome job. All I did was change the color :)- 

Thank you to our dear friends for creating such a wonderful gift. We love it! 

Reclaimed Barn-wood Wine Holder

My husband actually did this piece. We had some old barn-wood from a family members farm and we collected some pieces awhile back... We both really enjoy the natural look of older barn-wood. We embrace its rustic nature... 

After...

Before....

                                

He added some brackets and it's ready for hanging.  He first sanded it down just a little to get rid of some of the splintering wood etc, them he used steel wool to get some of the shine out and bring out it's natural darker grey color. 

Cost- $1.75 for the brackets

GARDEN BENCH

(March 2014)

This was a tag team effort between my hubby and I.  We like to do certain projects together and this one turned out great! 

I think the yellow pillows make it... what do you think?

BEFORE:

AFTER...

Process- we bought new boards for the bottom half- stained them with Kona and Red Mahogany and then put about 4 coats of outdoor sealer on them...
As for the top piece, as much as I wanted to cut a new piece of wood, we did not have a jigsaw, so to save some money from buying a new toy, we sanded it and reused it. Here's the kicker, this particular piece is made of three separate pieces so when we took it all apart, it fell into three piece.  Time and patience and a lot of wood glue, wood fill and clamps, we were able to reuse the top piece. We matched the stain as best we could, but it's a different wood species so it didn't all soak in the same way... another 4 coats of sealer...

The wrought iron outline is HEAVY, we really wanted it to pop in the sun in our garden, so we painted it with Rustoleum Metallic outdoor navy blue... it has a shimmer to it and we love it!

We put new hardware on since the old pieces were rusty.

Short Story: the bench was left at a rental property we are at and the landlord didn't want it, so we said we'll use it and waalaaa... good as new.

Total Cost: wood, spray paint, sealer and new nuts, bolts and washers- $30
Pillows were extra... I splurged on amazon for the mildew & mold resistant, fade resistant, all weather outdoor pillows $32... Not bad.