Another Fabulous Craigslist Find

Well hi there! It's been a while. I was down in Arizona for five days visiting my family. Some of the cousins I saw, I hadn't seen in over 3 years! I made great memories and cannot wait till we can meet again. It was nice to soak up the sun, however, I was ready to come home. I could only take the 100 degree weather for so long. It feels good to be back and good to be writing.

As you all know I am a sucker for Craigslist. I surf the site daily...all day...everyday. You never know what you will find. I came across this dresser a few months back. She was listed for $30 bucks! A dresser? $30 bucks? Yes please!! When my husband and I went to pick it up it looked nothing like the picture. It had been sitting on the side of a house and was covered from top to bottom in cobwebs and all sorts of other critters. For a second I had to take a step back and decide if I wanted to take this monstrosity home. Then I remembered that I was getting a dresser for $30 bucks. We loaded it up and home we went.

I immediately went to work and started cleaning this baby up. I removed all the drawers and all the hardware. Then came the sanding, priming, and painting. I chose to brush paint this piece. It took several coats of primer and paint...and tons of patience.

I painted the hardware black using an oil based latex paint.

For the final step I used a wipe on polycrylic. It protects the piece from everyday use and leaves a wonderful sheen. And here she is all dressed up and looking fabulous. She sits in our bedroom and looks so pretty. What do ya'll think?

I just love all the detail...

Isn't she a beauty!...Genelle

Superhero Makeover

How is your Wednesday so far?? I hope heroic! Speaking of heroic! I've been talking with Cory about re-doing Drake's room into Super Hero's! As you can see in my pictures below...the theme is a little, well...chaotic! First, we had his room in all monkey/jungle theme, and it was cuuute...but now that he is a little older, his taste has definitely changed (and still changing)...and Second, that change became Spiderman, Cars, Iron Man, Iron Giant (Yes, he does exist) AND Toy Story! Being that I try and give my little man everything his sweet heart desires, I let Drake be his own interior designer for his room!...and now I'm over this inconsistent look! I want his room to look like a little boys room! Sooooo Cory and I have decided to transform his room into a Superhero theme! Take a look at what his room looks like now...

See all the Toy Story decals?? LOL...he loves them! The color on the walls is a pale green, which I loved at first...but being that we are changing his room...I'm still deciding on the new color!

 Can you see Jesse (from Toy Story)...yes I know...there's A LOT going on here!

I hate that lamp too!

After living here for 2 years now...his room his still bare...

How sad the wall looks, right?? So naked! Well that will soon change!

Using his changing table now as his shoe/toy holder...

See that 3 drawer next to the table, that's going bye bye!

See all those books?! Crazy thing is...those were all mine when I was little!

Hate that his closet is a little dis-organized...that's going to change too!

A small little corner spot to store some of his toys!

Ok so I know what your thinking...nothing matches! Yes! You are so right! That is why we have decided to make over Drake's room into a space where he can feel like a superhero himself! Keep in mind this is going to be a bit of a process but I'm super(hero) excited!! Hehe! :)

Now take a look at some of the stuff I have already bought...

I found these 2 vintage tin wall arts at the OC Swapmeet (<--Love that place)

So now that you took a tour of Drake's room, follow along to see the finished product! Can't wait to make this room look like a little boys room!

...Adriana

Miss Classy

Hello Wednesday! Hey guys! I am sooo excited to be sharing the reveal of The Stray Buffet! This is by far one of my favorite projects I have done!! When I found this piece, she was pretty beat...but with a little bit of TLC, I gave her a makeover! Take a look at the steps I took to beautify this buffet!

Before

Visit The Stray Buffet if you would like to see the steps I took before I painted. I decided on going with a simple semi-gloss white. I painted the entire buffet 1 coat of white, then I took a can of white semi-gloss spray paint and went to town! I have no clue why I didn't spray paint in the first place?! It makes it soooo much easier! Spray painting helps to get into the small areas where your brush can't reach.

After

 I bought this wood stainer at The Home Depot for $4

MINWAX-Ebony

After the paint dried, I took my can of stainer and an old t-shirt and started rubbing the creases and designs, then took the dry part of my t-shirt and wiped off the wet stainer. Repeat this process until you get the desired look.

I sprayed the finishings with Metallic Oil Rubbed Bronze

You can get this at either The Home Depot of Lowes- $7.98

I just love how the color of the hardware really ties in the vintage look I was going for!

After all the paint, staining and sanding was complete, I finished the job off with a protective clear coat.

  

Amazing what a difference???

Coming soon...a video tutorial on how to stain your furniture!

What do you all think??...Adriana

A Lamp Gone Wrong...

Well hello there! Here we are in the second week of April. Can you believe it? Geez this year is gonna fly by, I just know it. I promised myself that 2012 would be the year of organization and order in my home. Ever heard the expression "two steps forward one step back"? Yep, that's me. But I'm working on it. In fact I finally sat myself down this weekend and made a list of all the unfinished projects I have lying around the house. There are too many to count. I made a deal with myself that I would not begin another project until the unfinished ones are completed. So starting today I am going to work on my list...checking off one item at a time!

Included on the list is a pair of lamps I attempted to paint. Understand that not all the projects I begin end in success. Sometimes I get impatient and try to do a half fast job....which NEVER works in my favor. For example, waiting 10 minutes for the primer to dry instead on the recommended 2-3 hours...or, well, you know the story.

I bet you know where this is going. I had been hanging on to a pair of lamps for some time. There was nothing wrong with them, they just weren't the look I was going for anymore. I am trying to move away from the dark heavy look that was oh-so-popular just a few years back. 

I found a half full can of spray paint and thought a quick coat will give these lamps new life. Unfortunately, I didn't have any spray paint for the shade. No problem. Nothing a quick coat of brush on paint won't fix. 

Here is the shade before....simple, not horrible, but bland.

And here she is after. Why I didn't drive my tush to the store for a $4 dollar can of spray paint still baffles me?

The shade must have taken (what seemed like) 200 coats. The end result was a crusty hard finish that looked spotty when lit. It was awful!! Certainly nothing I would ever display in my home. I wasted time, paint, and money.

And the lamp? Haha. Who needs to prime? Not me! A half can will be enough! Not!! (Notice Chum Lee from Pawn Stars in the background? My hubs favorite show!)

As you can see this very sad lamp will be getting a proper makeover manana, which means I will have to fork out the extra dough and buy a new shade since I butchered the last one. Hopefully my second attempt will be much better. We shall see...Genelle

Great Balls of Jute

Hey there. One day closer to the weekend. Did you catch DWTS (Dancing with the Stars) last night? I wasn't really into the show before but I love Melissa Gilbert. I know she isn't the best dancer but I can't help but love her. To me it's like watching an older Laura Ingels dance in the millennium. I <3 Little House on the Prairie!

A few weeks ago, after watching the rain pour and pour and pour, I became bored...very bored. That's the Pacific Northwest for ya!! It was time for a project. Nothing too crazy, messy, or involving paint, since it would have to be done inside. I perused the internet until I came across a fab find, Jute Balls. I decided to give them a whirl and headed down to the DollarTree for supplies. This project literally cost me under 7 bucks!

What you'll need:
Jute or twine $1.00
Fabric glue (Do not use craft glue. Trust me) $3.97 (Walmart)
Balloons (Round works best) $1.00
Foil or plastic wrap Free!!
Total $ 7 bucks including tax

To begin:
Blow up your balloons to various sizes. Cut long pieces of jute. I like to wrap the jute around the balloon before I cut just to make sure I have a long enough piece. In a bowl pour the glue over the cut jute. Be careful when you mix the two together. I ended up getting the jute all tangled which made it harder to wrap the balloons.

Remove the soaked jute and string your fingers to remove any excess glue. Now your ready to wrap the balloon. Wrap in every which way alternating patterns until the balloon is covered to your liking.

Place the balloons on the foil and let them dry. After a few hours turn the balloons so they dry evenly. I let mine dry overnight.

After the jute is completely dry and hard to the touch take a needle and pop the balloon and remove through one of the holes.

And there you go. How easy is that. I plopped these babies into my gorgeous white pedestal bowl on my table. Whatcha think?? ...Genelle

BIG RED

Finally Friday!! Woohoo!! What plans do you have?? I'm thinking its time to do some Spring Cleaning at home!! Possibly some new projects in mind too! We will just have to see!

  

To sweeten the pot I am an adding an extra post today! This piece has quite an interesting story behind it...Well...I came across this beaut on Craigslist (thank goodness for you!). The owner was selling it for 30 bucks! Not bad right?!

Of course I had to have it! And of course this piece had to be in tim-buck-too!

After much debating with my ever so cooperative fiance...lol...he decided to tag a long for the ride and see what all the fuss was about! We arrived in Moreno Valley, not too bad from the 91730 location?! I saw her and immediately fell in love! She had a couple of dings but nothing too severe, managed to buy her for $25!

Just take a look at her before! Love the details and hardware!

Now it was time for a makeover! 

I primed...and primed...and primed

This is the not-so-fun part...but I do recommend using a good primer if you don't want to sand.

Yes, it is extremely important to prime any piece you are exposing to weather or use...

you want your paint to stick and look gorg!

I spray painted the hardware using Rustoleum Metallic finish in Oil Rubbed Bronze. After 4 coats of paint I waited a full day for the paint to dry, then I used Minwax Polycrylic to protect the finished product!

And Voila! This piece found its home in my kitchen/living room area! The pop of color was exactly what I needed to brighten my room!...Adriana

The Stray Buffet

Well HELLO there! Happy Hump Day to you all! I was contemplating whether or not to post my project or brides on a budget...but I made the decision of posting about my lovely stray I found in San Dimas! (Stray: word I like to use to describe not so taken care of furniture, left for trash)

I love how some of my co-workers help me to rescue these pieces off the streets! Haha! Unfortunately, I do not have an open bed truck to just pick up these pieces whenever I please...I gotta call my step-pops for that! Yes, I also love him for being so generous and supportive of helping me out, even if it's located in tim-buck-too!

AnyHOO! So one of my co-workers saw this piece on the streets of San Dimas, in front of someone's house. I showed up to the rescue! Once I got there, the guy came out of his house and said it didn't fit in his room. So you just throw it away??? Geeze! It had a couple of minor dents in the front, but nothing too severe. How much did I pay? Absolutely NOTHING! Here she is:

First thing I did was remove all the harware and drawers and then I primed. I used Valspar Multi-Purpose Primer...this stuff works great! You can either sand or prime...in this case I did some sanding just on top BECAUSE there was some heavy blotches that I needed to smooth out. 

For the primer, I used a rolling pin and a sponge for the detailed areas.

I just love the details...Don't you??? Today I'm going to try and finish painting...I am still on the fence about what color to use...but I'm leaning toward one color...guess you will just have to stay tuned...Adriana

The Dining Table

After moving up North, my husband and I sold ALL our furniture...yes I said ALL. We needed to fill our home from top to bottom...The lawn chairs in our living room weren't cutting it anymore

...ENTER CraigsList. 

This is my favorite online one-stop-shop. You can find everything on CraigsList...I mean everything!

Since we needed so much I wanted to make sure each piece had a story...I didn't want to "fill" our home with just anything. 

After searching and searching, I came across a table on CraigsList, with 4 chairs and all, a deal I couldn't pass up.

I know she isn't much to look at now but keep reading...

I knew this table would be a ton of work but the bones were good and the table and chairs were solid. The table had been painted (not very well) hence all the chips and scratches. I began by stripping the old paint...this took some time folks. Thank goodness I had a second set of hands, compliments of my husband. 

Warning...this is messy and VERY time consuming but well worth it. Make sure you work in a well ventilated area as the fumes are toxic. 

After stripping the paint I sanded with a 220 fine grit sand paper to smooth out any rough edges. The sanding helps to make a smooth clean surface for your paint and primer to adhere to.   

It was impossible to get every ounce of paint removed but the surface was clean and ready for paint. I chose to spray prime using Kilz primer.  

After I finished priming (sorry no picture) I spray painted the table using Krylon in Ivory. This spray paint is a gloss protective enamel which provides a more durable surface. Since this was a dining table, I knew it would get tons of use and wipe downs.  Here is the table after several LIGHT coats of paint.

I decided that I wanted to distress the table and give it some character. I sanded the corners and areas of the table that would get normal wear and tear. Some areas were sanded down to the original wood while other areas were sanded down to previous paint. You can't mess this part up... after all the goal is to make the table look distressed and worn. After "beating up" my table I took Minwax stain in Dark Walnut and stained all the sanded edges. Staining the raw edges actually protects and seals theses areas. 

Here's how you stain: Simply take a old cloth, in my case an old t-shirt, and wipe down the sanded area until you get the color you want...the more you add the darker the stain. 

Make sure to apply the stain in light coats as it tends to get tacky if too much is applied. After staining I took my fine grit paper and lightly sanded over areas where the stain seemed too dark. See folks you cannot mess this up. Think of your sandpaper as a giant eraser. :) Here is the finished product. I decided to sand on the surface as well...at first by accident but then decided I loved the extra character it added.

 Sorry for the pictures...my camera isn't the greatest at taking close ups. 

I finished the table by using a wipe-on poly to seal and protect the surface. Make sure to let the surface dry and cure for at least 24 hours. 

SOOO...What do you think? P.S. the chairs are another post :)...Genelle