Chair Combo

I'm sure you've heard the saying "Fashionably late"?  Well that's what this post is about....being fashionably late at getting a job done.  Like, two years late.  Dan's grandma commissioned me back in 2010 (before we were even engaged) to redo two chairs of hers she had picked up at garage sales over the years.  She didn't care what I did to them or what they looked like, she just wanted me to "do whatever it is I do to them". 

Right on, Mima!

So what did I do?  I trucked them all the way home from Rochester, NY and promptly put them in the basement to collect dust and forgot about them.  Fast forward to July 2012.  While searching through the basement for a "quick" project idea to pass the time, I spotted the chairs.  Oh boy, how embarassing!  They kept getting pushed to the back of the pile.  Knowing we would be in Rochester the following weekend for a wedding, I decided to give 'em a go.

Here's #1:

Simplistic, easy, nothing a little bit of paint wouldn't cheer up.  But once I unearthed it from the dungeon of furniture, I noticed a slight problem....

There was a big 'ol crack right down the middle of the seat.

Bummer!

Determined not to let that stop me from finishing it, I set out on another path.  My mom used to have an old wooden chair in her garden with a hole cut in it for a potted plant.  Kind of country-esque, chappy chic-y I suppose.  Without getting too technical (because it's pretty self explanatory), I will try to categorize some pictures of the process.

Started by marking out a hole that would allow the plastic pot to sit inside.

Drilled two holes on either side of the chair to insert the jigsaw

Holes drilled for inserting the jigsaw

Using the jigsaw to cut out the circle



Inserting the plastic pot to make sure it fits



See, pretty easy to follow along?  And yes, I did employ the help of Dan the Man - it's his grandma after all!  One tip though: we made sure that the circle fit the base of the pot, but that the lip of the pot didn't slip through.

Just a quick coat of paint and it was good to go!  I chose lime green because her front door is bright green and I thought it would compliment it well. :)

Here's #2:

I envisioned it to go in her kitchen which is decked out in black and red (she has a red sink, for goodness sake. How cool is that??). I decided to do something fun with the seat of this one.  The chair itself was already full of chippy goodness, so I kept right along with that.

I was able to use up some Behr samples in the basement from painting the kitchen!

I rough brushed the red on, letting the old color show through

Using painters tape, I made a grid and painted the black coat on

Once dry, I removed the tape and Voila!



I love the way the seat turned out!  I also love that the red shows through the black and it looks just as roughed up as before.  My intention wasn't to make it look brand new, rather old and worn and full of life.

Here ya go, Mima.....better late than never?? 





Heavenly Headboard How-To

Well it only took me 8 years to post some pics of the headboard I made for a client.  And yes, I made myself one in the process, but I was too lazy to clean our bedroom to take photos....so you'll have to wait on that one.  I'm also going to try my hand at another How-To tutorial because I searched high and low for one to use to give me ideas on where to start.  There are TONS out there, but none that really show the "best" way in my opinion.

Materials:
-4'x8' sheet of  1/2" MDF board (Home Depot)
-4'x8' sheet of 1" housing insulation (Home Depot)
-Polyfil low-loft quilt batting - 2 twin size packages (Jo-Ann Fabrics)
-Liquid Nails construction adhesive (Home Depot)
-Nail head trim (Jo-Ann Fabrics)

So here is a premise of what to expect.  I wanted to use nailheads as trim around the border of the headboard.  The comforter on the bed had a pinstrip that I wanted to emulate.  The idea behind the shape was to mimick the shape of the dresser-top mirror in the room.  I took measurements of the mirror beforehand and using some mad mathematical skills I was able to keep the proportions appropriate for the headboard.

Drawing the shape on the MDF is pretty self explanatory using a straight edge and a tape measure.  The trick is the second layer.  Allow me to show you....

See the border?  I used a second layer of MDF just along the edge about 4 inches wide.  The purpose?  Well, the nailheads need something to be nailed into.  If I ran the foam all the way to the edge, the nails wouldn't hold.  Make sense?

I chose foam housing insulation because it is cheap and lightweight.  A lot of tutorials I found said to use high density foam padding from the craft store.   Even on a good day, Jo-Ann's sells it for around $20-$30 a yard.  That. Is. Ridiculous.  I needed something in the center to provide thickness but that wouldn't make it too heavy to hang on the wall.  Housing insulation.

I need to note that there are several different kinds.  I chose one that was pretty firm, considering it might get bumped and would need to resist crushing.  Either way though, I think any of them would work.

So I cut the insulation with a utility knife to fit inside the hollow area.  Using Liquid Nails construction adhesive, I attached it to the MDF.

Now we are ready for the quilt batting.  You don't need alot to make it look padded.  I actually put two layers in the center, but left the edges with just one, again so that the nail head trim would attach correctly.

I chose low-loft because it was slightly less expensive than high or medium and would work just the same.  Using my pneumatic stapler, I wrapped it around and stapled it to the back.

Ok, so the next step involves the fabric, which was pure white ultra suede and terrified me.  I was so afraid that I would get it dirty.  So I took things inside and cleared out the living room to work on the floor where it was clean.  Because it was heavy, oddly shaped, and I was by myself trying to wrangle it around, I went without taking pictures.  But I think you can get the gist.  I laid the fabric out face down, laid the headboard on top face down, and made sure the fabric was pulled tight.  Starting on one side, I shot a few staples right in the middle. Moving to the opposite side, I did the same thing. Once all four sides had a few staples in the middle, I started over again. Just make sure to alternate back and forth so you get a good stretch.



Last and final step is the nailhead trim.  It comes on a roll with coordinating nail heads that get put in every five nails.  No, you don't have to attach each nail individually.  Whoever thought up this stuff was a genius. 

This fabric is what I used for my own headboard - stay tuned for that one!

Make sure to use a rubber mallet, rather than a hammer to make sure the nail heads don't get scratched.  Start at one end and work your way around.  The trim actually bends very easily for curves and corners.

All that's left is hanging it.  Other websites mentioned adding legs to the overall headboard and attach those to the bed frame.  That sounded like a lot of extra and unnecessary work.  I decided instead to hang it on the wall, just like a picture frame.  I used to work at a custom frame shop, so I had all the materials on hand.  But any hardware store will sell a picture framing kit.  I used two D-ring hangers, one on each side 10" down from the top.  Proper picture hooks are designed to hold anywhere from 50 to 100 pounds each, so weight wasn't an issue.  Other than that brief info, you are on your own as far as hanging goes.

Finished product:

Side note:  Notice the stencil on the wall?  I helped my client come up with this idea.  She purchased the stencil online and I suggested she have her painter paint the wall in satin finish and the stencil in high gloss (both of the same paint color).  It turned out awesome!  Perfectly subtle for the decor in the room, but it really pops when the light hits it.

And that's all folks.  I hope this helps anyone out there looking to create your own headboard.  It wasn't complicated and only required a little ingenuity with the house insulation and picture hanging hardware.  Good luck :)

Roadside Dresser

Back in December (yea, it's been that long) I wrote a quick post about a dresser I had found by the side of the road.  It was gorgeous, like all discarded dressers that I find.  But more importantly, someone had done All. The. Hard. Work. For. Me.  A huuuge thanks to whoever decided that refinishing this dresser was just too much work and left it for me to find.

This is what it looked like the night I took it home.  Pre-stripped and sanded, knobs and screws in a plastic bag inside one of the drawers.  It was fate, I assure you.



I'm not sure how I ended up not getting any "in-progress" photos.  Possibly because it spanned over the course of six months and sat lonely in the garage for most of that time.  Either way, I gave it new stain, new varnish, and vintage glass knobs picked up at a salvage store for $8 total.

Not bad for a roadside find, eh??

It sat like this for a loooong time, waiting for a new home (we have ZERO room for it, or else I would have hoarded it for myself).  But my mother-in-law graciously accepted it when I told her it was taking up space.

I snapped this picture quick while visiting in New York this past weekend.  She uses it in her spare room for all her jewelry and extra clothes.  Right at home :)

And guess what??  Tonight is garbage night and I've already staked out something good down the street :)

Mirror, Mirror on the Mantel

Pinterest has been blowing up lately about mercury glass/mirrors/reflective jars/etc. all made using this fancy shmancy spray paint.  It's made by Krylon and called Looking Glass.  I searched all over for the blasted stuff (Walmart has a huge Krylon section, but no stores within 50 miles carried it), and finally found it at a Hobby Lobby in the area.

Don't let the pretty pictures and easy tutorials online fool you.  Most blogs I visited referred to it as "cheap" mirror in a can.  Lemmi tell ya....stuff ain't cheap.  I bought two cans to the tune of $12 a piece.  And they aren't even normal sized spray paint cans!  But I had high hopes and I'm always doing the thrifty thing, so it felt good to splurge a little.

I wasn't really sure what purpose the end result would serve, but I was itching to see how well this stuff really worked.  I started with a garage sale find - a 6 pane window purchased for 3 smackaroos.

The tutorials and the can itself all said to make sure you spray the back side of the glass to get the best results.  So i chose the nicest side of the window and flipped er over.

I decided I wanted an "imperfect" mirror finish (equivalent to mercury-ish glass) and something that appeared older rather than fresh and clear.  Ever see an old mirror that has marks and smudges?  Yea, that's what I did....intentionally. 

Tutorials were saying to splash the glass with water droplets before spraying.  So that's what I did.  Then I applied several light coats of paint, making sure to work from one side all the way to the other without stopping.

One can later, I had a silvery finish on the back side of the glass.  I wasn't impressed until I flipped it over, but we'll get to that.  I did notice that the water droplets left marks a lot like leopard spots.  They weren't as random as I would have liked.  So while the paint was still wet, I took my finger and smudged the water around a bit to smear it and make it less perfect.  Then I started with the second can and sprayed some more.

See the water droplets?  It was really weird how the paint just covered over them but they stayed wet for awhile.

Once the paint was completely dry (it didn't take long in 90 degree heat), I decided to do another step that no one else seemed to do.

I used some leftover black spray paint and painted another layer over top the silver.

My theory, which proved to be correct, was that once the water droplets dried, the silver paint would flake away and leave clear areas.  So the black paint sprayed on the back would make those clear areas appear dark from the front.  Which would ultimately add to the "old/vintage/antique" effect.  You follow?  Not yet?  Keep reading...

Side note:  My parents recently gave me a box of old blue tinted mason jars that they unearthed from their attic.  Add those to the ones I just bought at the flea market and the ones I already owned, and I had quite the mini collection going.  Fast forward to this project where I had no idea what to do with it when it was done and....

I decided to redo the fireplace mantel with softer colors for summer.  In comes the new "mirror".

The paint actually worked really really well.  See the dark imperfect marks on the mirror?  In person, you would find it hard to tell it wasn't 50 years old.

I also did a little dry-brush paint effect on the window frame itself.  My "go to" colors are always blue and green in our living room, so I paired those two with black.

The reflection, though slightly muddled by the antique-ing, would actually work great as a real mirror.  I was admittedly impressed with how well it worked (almost $25 later, it better look good!). 

I love fillin' up a mantel....the thing just looks so boring when it's empty!

It ended up being a successful project and something I would do again if the right piece presented itself.

Craftswoman Tool Chest

For the longest time, Dan and I have both been wanting one of those fancy, free-standing, rolling Craftsman tool chests.  However, neither one of us are willing to cough up $400+ for one, no matter how cool they are.  But nevertheless, every time we are in Sears, we pass them by with longing in our eyes (Note: did you know they make a PINK one now??! Whaaaa??).  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized they don't really hold that much - nothing big at least.  He has the small metal chest he fixed up for his basement man cave for all the little things (nails, screws, small tools, tape, glue, misc.) but he was using an old bookcase to house the drill, nail gun, drill bits, socket set, saws, etc.  Stuff that came in big boxes and wouldn't fit in the standard rolling tool chest.  I decided to not only remedy this situation, but also finally give us the Craftsman tool chest we've been coveting.

So the hunt was on to find a dresser.  I knew it couldn't be just any old dresser, either.  Not like the ones I usually find by the side of the road.  This one had to be specific.  I searched some local thrift stores and came home with this beauty:

The price tag was a little more than I would normally spend (considering I usually get them for free), but I justified it by knowing I found something that would work perfectly!

Can you visualize it yet??

With Dan being out of the country for work this past week, I decided to make it a surprise for when he gets home. 

I started by sanding the whole thing down to give the paint something to stick to.  This is a shot of the top of the dresser after about 10 minutes - it was sooo easy!  Sanding is by far my least favorite part of a project and I only wish they all went this well.

After sanding it all down, I applied 2 coats of Rustoleum Sunrise Red oil-based paint.  A little messier than latex paint, but it gave it a nice, crisp, shiny finish (the goal was to make it look more like metal than wood).

I debated on the color of the drawers.  Red or black??

I decided on black because I liked the contrast and didn't want to overdo it with the red.

Finished product:

Pretty good, huh?  I lucked out with the handles.  The existing ones were already perfect for what I needed, so all I did was spray paint them silver.

I cut off the legs and added rolling casters.

I added black industrial handles to each side to make it easier to move around.

I purchased a roll of ribbed vinyl floor runner from Home Depot and used it to line each drawer.


And because it looked so darn cool, I posed it with some of Dan's antique tools he has in the garage.

There's even going to be a special tool surprise for him inside :)

Total cost was around $75 (remember I spent quite a bit on the dresser itself, but that's because it didn't need ANY modifications!) which is a fraction of the cost of buying a "real" one at the store.  Plus, this can hold all the bigger stuff that these chests don't usually fit.  Overall, I'd say it's a sweet deal, and a sweet surprise!!