Please check out my ‘Before and Afters’ located at the tab ABOVE. Thanks!
17 Sunday Feb 2013
Posted in General Stuff
Fabulous Fireplace Makeover
12 Monday Nov 2012
Posted in General Stuff
I paint a lot of furniture and want it to look nice when I advertise it. Well, my problem was that I paint a lot of white furniture and my wall was pale yellow. See my dilemma? So, me being me, I only had time to paint a portion of my ‘furniture wall’. That was about 4 months ago.
I started feeling a little guilty about it the other night and decided to finish the room. I finished that one wall and stopped there. Really? No, I persevered and eventually finished the entire room in Ben Moore’s “Mt. Rushmore Rock”. Love that color!
So, could I ever be happy with just painting a room? Of course not.
I have hated, yes, hated the brick on our fireplace since we moved in here 15 years ago. It was not a priority and I wasn’t sure how I was going to change it. Well, today I knew! Whitewash. Yes! A little white paint and a lot of water. This shows you the ugliness I have lived with and how the whitewash started out.
I loved it immediately because it was so easy!! I’m sure I was supposed to clean the brick with something and use a stiff brush to get rid of all the loose brick ‘crumbles’. Didn’t do it. Nope, had the whole thing done in a maximum of 15 minutes. Really!
Yes, I could have cleaned up the mess before taking the picture…
It looks much better in person. Much.
So….I could not leave it like that because I have never liked the white whiteness of the mantle. Yep, glazed it.
I love it! With my pretty new walls and a makeover of the fireplace. I am very happy with it.
I bet I’ll leave it this way for a few months. At least!!
Now what can I do with that awful black fireplace screen? Hmmmmm.
Is This the Desk?
31 Friday Aug 2012
Posted in General Stuff
I have an obsession for finding the perfect desk for myself. My perfect desk would be french provincial, of course! With LOTS of storage, I have a lot of mess to hide. I like the desk I have now….(ha, I don’t have a picture of it!). But it isn’t big enough, either. A few weeks ago I found this little FP curvy desk. I knew it was not big enough but so cute! I couldn’t stand it, I had to buy it.
It was in great shape for a desk from the 1920s…sellers will say anything! That desk is from the 50s or later. Another thing they said was to go to WalMart and get a ‘skeleton key’….which I did! They do not have skeleton keys, which I knew. Repeat…Sellers WILL say anything.
So, a little creamy white paint and stain on top. It still isn’t big enough but I love it! I put a crazy price on it so when it doesn’t sell, she’s all mine!
Love this fabulous desk!
Before/After
17 Tuesday Jul 2012
Posted in Fabulously Before and After
Before
And after…
Fabulous Stripper
10 Tuesday Jul 2012
Posted in General Stuff
Not THAT kind! THIS kind…a
I actually found a “safer” (not safe? but safer…) way to strip paint. I bought this adorable hutch and could see right away that it had only been painted over, not prepped the way I like to do. And, that if I was going to sell it, it had to be right. I do not like to sand paint…I’ve seen the articles about the people who sand lead based paint and now have no brain cells…and worse! And I hate to strip. Here is the south, it’s about 100+ degrees and stripping is not any fun to begin with. So, I found the Zinsser Safer Paint and Finish Remover and thought I would give it a try. It doesn’t dry out. The bottle says so! And it’s true. I left it on in the heat for over an hour and it was still goey and pretty easy to work with. I applied a 2nd coat and left it overnight…still goey the next day.
Now, I do have a long way to go. And I am not a patient person….I really should be working on these funny little furry things all over the bottom, ugh!!
Don’t Be So Hasty!
03 Sunday Jun 2012
Posted in General Stuff
So, I was all set to start sanding away at that awful mess of a table….and chairs. I could see right away that I would be sanding for hours (and hours) as somehow that paint for the stripes got put on there pretty thick. Extremely thick.
“Well, wait a minute here, maybe these messy stripes have their place after all! Yeah, I could distress and glaze them and they will be fabulous.” Absolutely! Funny how the prospect of hours of sanding on a piece that will not bring in much $$ can turn into the most fabulous piece with just a little glaze. Viola`!
Same table. Different Perspective. Fabulous.
Tea Party anyone?
For Sale. $90.
Not So Fabulous Stripes
26 Saturday May 2012
Posted in General Stuff
Tags
Don’t believe everything you read. Take me for instance, I had recently painted large stripes in my little half bath. I taped and taped and taped, my stripes were not perfect, but with a little touching up it was not too bad. Good enough!
(I would have shown you the fabulous mirror frame I made, but instead you get to see the little one’s potty seat hanging on the toilet.) See, pretty perfect stripes.
So when I decided I wanted to add stripes to the hot pink kiddie table and chairs I recently painted, I went to the blogs. Blog, blog, blog, they all tell how to paint perfect stripes. Any idiot can do it! hehe I followed the directions to a “T”. Paint your base color (already done), tape your lines and paint the base color on top of that to seal the tape (did that), let if dry fully. That means go to bed. Got up this a.m. and rather quickly slapped on my stripe color, a lighter shade of hot pink. This time, I was told, do not let it dry completely. That means run get showered and come down stairs to carefully peel off the tape. AUGHHH!! This shot may have you thinking, “not bad.”…
You see a few things wrong but easily fixed.
Now let’s look at the close-up.
(Makes my stomach hurt to look at it.) Good news! I don’t even like the 2 colors. I’m starting over!! This time it will be fabulous! And I’m using just my old steady hand for the straight lines. Just like they say, don’t believe everything you read.
Fabulous HVLP
22 Tuesday May 2012
Posted in General Stuff
I have had it sitting at my house for almost 2 weeks. I wouldn’t look at it and didn’t even open the box because I knew what was in it. A paint sprayer. A paint sprayer? What possessed me?? A paint sprayer? I’m messy enough all by myself, thank you. My friend kept asking me,”have you tried it? when are you going to try it?” I was afraid. Seriously, afraid. As I am used to these sorts of accidents, I could just see the sprayer flying out of my hand covering everything in sight (that includes me) in the hot pink I was going to paint a kiddie table and chairs.
It has just come to the point where I am painting all the time. I do love it!! Believe me, I wouldn’t put this much time into something I don’t enjoy. I seriously love it. I also got a cortisone shot in my wrist due to the excessive painting and am sporting one of these cool things…
Oh, wrinkly fingers and horrible manicure. What do you expect, I paint all the time! Yes, as you can see, I covered my new brace in cling wrap. Nice touch, huh? Ha! I will keep it nice and clean for about 2 weeks then it will be covered in dust and every color of paint in the rainbow. That’s just me.
So, for some reason today turned out to be the day of the test drive. I had already read the directions yesterday, many times. I looked at the sprayer and it did not look that complicated. Really? I talked to Mr. Wright, evidently he has some expertise in this area as he was able to give me a few pointers. And off I went. First, I put down my new 20 X 30 tarp I scored off CL. It smells putrid. Awful!! I tried to make a wind break with some fabulous chairs I’m working on. That was a little difficult, 20 X 30 is much bigger than I had imagined. I mixed a little bit of water in with my paint as per the directions and off I went.
From the first pass with my HomeRight Command Max HVLP Sprayer I was loving it.
Oh my gosh, this is going to save me so much time!! Well, that was not actually the case, I think I’ll need to do some touch up tomorrow. But! No brush strokes. Awesome. I really do not like to see my brush strokes and use really expensive paint (most of the time) to avoid that. But, of course no brush strokes with the fabulous sprayer. Clean up? Not bad! Not any worse than a paintbrush or roller. (New rule….all painting equipment must be cleaned outside from now on. NO exceptions!) So, until further notice, this is the way to go. I’m loving it!!
Oh, the 20 X 30 tarp? I have a feeling I’ll be cutting it up into much more manageable pieces. When I bought it used it was in a neat little bundle. I don’t think it will ever be bundle size again.
See what I mean? I just realized our den is 30 X 18…..that tarp is about the size of this room??? Oh yeah, I’m cutting that thing up tomorrow!
A Fabulous Score!
19 Saturday May 2012
Posted in General Stuff
Ever go junkin’? I love it. Most of the time. It can be one of my favorite past times. Unfortunately, for about the last 20 some trips I have come home empty-handed. Empty. What a waste of time! (I am not a good time waster.) My last good haul was last Spring. Really? Yup, May, 2011. I remember that because Mr. Wright went with me. We bought so much furniture we had to make 4 trips. He seems to think that happens every time. Sadly, no.
Today? Score!
Check it out. An awesome bench, tea cart, vanity stool, arm chair, coffee table, dining room table with leaf, and display cabinet. Holy Smokes! I was on fire today….F.I.R.E. And how much did all this cost? $76.00. You heard me, $76.
Fabulous!
Funny story about the tall vase in the middle of my stash. The seller told me it was left over from an estate sale she’d had. A family heirloom. Oh, a family heirloom! I love those! Somehow I paid $1 for the family heirloom. When I got home I almost dropped the vase. What was on the bottom?
Oh, a family heirloom from Marshalls, $12.99. Family heirloom? Think not.
It was still an awesome day!!
I better get out the sander. Looks like I might be busy for awhile.
Just a Sad Day
05 Saturday May 2012
Posted in General Stuff
We lost my nephew 10 years ago today to a driver that fell asleep at the wheel. I knew that the 10th anniversary would be hard, I was not prepared for it to feel like that first year without him.
I do have wonderful memories of my only nephew! Kyle was just a little mischievous and really good with computers. That was not a good combination. Many times after he left my house I would call him back to fix what he had done to the computer to make it unusable. He thought that was hilarious. He had a little sparkle in his eye to let you know he was always thinking of his next little joke.
I’m sure the boy who killed him is having a tough day today, too. It could have happened to anyone. He only fell asleep for a second but that is all it took to take Kyle away from us. An only son, an only grandson, an only nephew, brother, cousin, best friend. Gone when a driver fell asleep at the wheel.
Our family now has the Kyle Kiihnl Foundation as a way to honor Kyle while educating drivers of the dangers of driving sleepy. This week we will give 2300 drowsy driving information cards to graduating high school seniors. Our sincerest hope is that they will take 1 minute and read what to do when feeling sleepy behind the wheel. 1 minute. So many lives could be saved.
Please take a minute to talk to the drivers in your house, your loved ones. Tell them that drowsy driving is very serious, so serious it mimics drunk driving. Tell them to pull over and take a short nap if they ever feel like they’re falling asleep. It could save a life. A life like Kyle’s, a 17 year old junior in high school, the love of my life.
Fabulous Gossip Bench
18 Wednesday Apr 2012
Posted in General Stuff
Tags
Do you know what a Gossip Bench is? I remember seeing one at Granny’s house growing up. They had a ‘party line’ out in her neck of the woods. Party Line? Everyone around there shared the same phone line! Can you imagine! Ha. So, while one person was on the phone everyone else had to wait. I think when they were wanting to call someone they kept picking up the phone to see if the line was free. I can see how that would get a bit annoying! Just a little bit. So this is the little gossip bench I purchased recently.
And this is how it looks now in my house…
Pretty fabulous. I think it’s a keeper….I do that TOO much!
SOLD
Not Ready for Pinterest!!
16 Monday Apr 2012
Posted in General Stuff
So how would you like your pantry to look like this????
And that is not the worst it has ever looked! You can see that I had begun the task of replacing many containers with the fancy fancy canisters. They break! Who knew? So, a few weeks later I made the commitment to wrap this little project up. I took out those nasty wire shelves crammed in on both sides and replaced them with wooden shelves. And finally I got most of the junk off the floor and off the top shelf. Ahhhh…
Wa-la!! Good enough for me.
What would make it perfect??? A small chandelier in a rustic iron finish!! That gonna happen? Uhhh, doubt it! Mr. Rright and I both smile everytime we open the pantry. Sometimes, it just doesn’t take much!!
Fabulous!
Fabulous End Table/Night Stand
15 Sunday Apr 2012
Posted in End Tables, General Stuff
This night stand had some years on it…about 65!! We’ve all seen this style before and I’ll admit I was a little bit afraid of that leather insert in the middle. Leather?? Would my Kilz work on leather?? Especially leather that had had wood polish applied a time or 2 a week for 65 years? Yipes! I thought about replacing the insert with a piece of plywood but decided that would never work. So, Kilz it was. It worked! The insert didn’t even feel like leather anymore. My client (and friend!) wanted to go with an iridescent ice blue. Fabulous choice!!
Before:
After:
I used the original hardware, I usually don’t, but this was beautiful after a few hours of Brasso.
Got impressed with myself and my stenciilng…it really gave the piece a classy “Victorian” look.
Great curves on this fabulous night stand.
SOLD
Fabulous Sisters
31 Saturday Mar 2012
Posted in General Stuff
When I envisioned my blog it had lots to do with furniture refinishing and that’s it. I did not want to include any personal info that I read on many other blogs. It’s perfectly fine for everyone else but I am a bit private….just a little. But, I had such a fabulous day today that I have to write about it. When I started college, like many other freshmen, I did not know anyone at the university. No one. It was pretty lonely and scary the first few months. (I also got mono and missed a good part of my 1st semester but that’s another story!) So, my 2nd semester I went thru sorority rush and pledged Pi Phi. What a gift that was! I realized that again today as we had a Pi Phi reunion and I remembered how much I love those girls. I hadn’t seen many of them in a very, very long time but I felt so close to each one of them today. It was a fabulous reunion, I heard so many touching stories, joys and tragedies. I wished we had all kept in touch more but jobs, families, responsibilities are just a reality. So, to Adrien, Susan, Alice, Blandy, Mary, Libby, Marcie, Kathie, Carla, Linda, and Kathy I loved spending time with you today and I love you all! You are Fabulous!!
Fabulous French Provincial
22 Thursday Mar 2012
Posted in Dining Tables, General Stuff
This fabulous oval solid wood dining table with leaf and chairs were actually sitting under a covered front porch when I found them. The owner didn’t have room for them inside, so out to the porch they went! The curvy apron and 6 Queen Anne legs have been painted an antique white. The tabletop had a dark glaze applied to it while the apron and legs have a lighter glaze. It contrasts nicely with the black chairs and damask seats.
OOPS! Those are not the right chairs! Those are the Harp Back Chairs that go with a different table. Oh, well! Here’s the fabulous french provincial chairs. (forgive the background!)
I wish I hadn’t sold these…they are fabulous!
Hello!
13 Tuesday Mar 2012
Posted in General Stuff
I am so excited that my friend Annette made this fabulous blog for my furniture! She is awesome and extremely patient!! I am looking forward to showing anyone that passes by the furniture I take from forgotten to fabulous. Well, in my humble opinion anyway! I have read millions of blogs in the past few years and never thought that I would write one, but here I am! WooHoo!!
Fabulous Coffee Table
13 Tuesday Mar 2012
Posted in Coffee Tables
Why??? Sure, this end table had seen better days, but did the owners Have To drip hot pink crayon on it?? Insult to injury. Anyway, with a little scraping, a few bad words, and lots of love, this baby went from forgotten to fabulous. The original owners would not recognize it now and the new owner assured me she would take very good care of this beauty!
SOLD
Fabulous End Table
11 Sunday Mar 2012
Posted in End Tables, Fabulously Before and After, For Sale
Leftover from the 60s this beautiful hexagonal end table has 2 elegantly carved doors with fabulously unique hardware. While many times I replace the original hardware, this hardware was a keeper. A pewter finish on the sides of the piece and the black tabletop make for an interestingly fabulous combination. This beautiful piece is also functional with a huge amount of storage.
SOLD
