I love going to auctions and bidding on broken things, because I know those are the things that not many others will bid on, so I can get a good deal. Last month, I bought a pair of antique caned chairs at an auction. It appears that someone started the job of recaning them, but never finished. I thought about trying to learn to cane them myself, but I knew the chances of that happening anytime in the near future {Read More}
Big Blue Finds a Home – {my weekend getaway}
January 20, 2014 by 4 Comments
If you remember last year about this time, I brought home a huge antique shop counter, which I called, Big Blue. Big Blue got a gray makeover during the summer, but I didn’t have anywhere to put it, because it wouldn’t even fit through the doors in my house, so it’s been in my garage ever since. I would love to someday own a brick and mortar shop, but not knowing if that would ever happen, I decided to list {Read More}
French Script Desk Makeover with Chalk Paint
October 14, 2013 by 15 Comments
If you’ve ever made a DIY version of chalk-style paint, or have been curious to try it, today’s post is for you. If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you know I love chalk paint. It is hands-down, my favorite paint to work with. It dries quickly, distresses beautifully, is much easier to clean up than other paints, and it doesn’t stink up your whole house when you paint indoors. Last year, I discovered I {Read More}
French Script Sewing Bench Makeover & Flying Dust
October 10, 2013 by 22 Comments
Yesterday, I shared with you an 1872 French letter written in a lovely script. Today, I’m going to share what I did with the PNG version of this letter. During the summer, I hit a great yard sale that had lots of my favorite kinds of finds, which included an old sewing machine in a stand and included this little bench seat. The seat lifts off the chair and it was filled with sewing notions – a bonus! It has {Read More}
Antique Store Counter – {Big Blue Goes Gray}
August 8, 2013 by 28 Comments
No, I’m not operating a roadside farmer’s market… Do you remember “Big Blue” that I showed you back in early March? The poor guy has been sitting in my driveway next to my house ever since then. I knew if I didn’t work on him soon, before I knew it, summer would be over and the weather would get too cold to paint him outdoors, so I knew I better tackle the project while the weather is nice. Here he {Read More}
Grain Sack Bar Stool – Before and After
August 1, 2013 by 15 Comments
It was half-price day at our local thrift store, and my husband spotted this slat back stool and brought it home for me. I love this style of stool, but I didn’t love the vinyl seat cushion or the chrome foot rest bar, so a makeover was definitely in order. Thankfully, the cushion was still in good condition, so it was going to be a quick and easy project to recover it…or so I thought. I painted the base solid {Read More}
She’s Got Legs…{She Knows How to Use Them!} My New Cable Spool Table
July 24, 2013 by 36 Comments
If you weren’t born before the late 70’s, you won’t “get” the title of my post, but I’m sure those of you who were, know it was based on the 1983 Z Z Top song “Legs”. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself – I was a high schooler in the 80’s and the title perfectly fit today’s project. How to Make a Farmhouse Style Cable Spool Table A year or so ago, I brought home an antique Duncan Phyfe table table {Read More}
Grain Sack Wicker Sofa … Before, During & After
July 17, 2013 by 76 Comments
There is something really rewarding about tackling a project you’ve never attempted before, and this antique sofa was definitely a first for me. Let me preface this post by saying that my grandfather was a professional upholsterer…I am not. My mother is a retired professional drapery seamstress…I am not. I have marginal sewing skills and no upholstery skills, other than recovering a few chair seat cushions. I’m not a restorer of antique furniture. I’m more of a “try to make it {Read More}
Homemade Chalk Style Paint Pie Safe
May 15, 2013 by 15 Comments
Last year we bought an old RV. It needs some work to get it running well, but we hope to do a little traveling in it. I’m also hoping to make it look pretty – as if I need another remodeling project. Inside the RV was this little pine cabinet. It was cute, but bland. It reminds me of a pie safe. I whipped up a batch of homemade chalk style paint. I used turquoise on the outside and bright {Read More}
Masculine Milk Paint Makeover
May 13, 2013 by 13 Comments
For the last several months, I’ve been on the lookout for an old dresser, desk, or cabinet, or anything similar that is about hip high. Don’t ask me why I didn’t take a careful look around my own home, because I had the very thing I needed already – it was just buried under other junk in my outbuilding. Let that be a lesson to me, to shop my own shed first, before shopping elsewhere. I bought this old desk {Read More}
