A Door I Adore

 

I’ve been deep in the throes of home renovation for the past year.  We are doing it on a budget and I have been fortunate enough to have someone who has been in the renovation business for 30+ years who is willing to squeeze me in when there are lulls in his regular business for a much better rate.  Works for me and works for him.  It takes some planning and patience but that’s OK.

 

One of our our latest projects was replacing the old hollow core doors with solid wood.  I intended to replace them with vintage doors but that only happened with 2 of the doors – the rest were bought new.  That’s just how it worked out. 

 

So…..

This crappy old hollow core door to the attic went from this….

 

 

This is what it looked like mid-way through the process….

 

Broken glass, yucky paint, not pretty.

The original hardware did not align with the existing hardware so we had to make some adjustments.  We had to close up the old hardware cut-outs to make new ones that aligned.  We filled the space with a chunk of wood and then used auto body filler (one brand is Bondo).  This stuff dries quickly and is a dream to sand.

I decided to replace the glass with two panes of plexiglass with a piece of lace curtain in between.

Love it!

 

I was also blessed to receive 8 sets of 1940’s crystal door knobs from a friend as a Christmas gift.  They have a story behind them.  Her father was building a house in the 1940’s and midway during the construction the house burned down so they were never used.  She kept the knobs for all these years and when she knew what I had planned, she surprised me with this gift.  A very special gift from a very special friend.   Thank you Betsy!

Beautiful Blue!

 

 

I have been experimenting with Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint and I must say, I like it!

 

I chose to strip only the top of this one and not the ‘body’.  I love the look.

I did the same treatment on this. 

True Confessions of a Lamp Lover

 

I have a fetish.  For lamps!  Lighting is so key to setting the feel in a room because it creates so much ambiance.  I even have a routine for when certain lamps are turned on in my house.  

 

Like furniture, old lamps can be recycled too.  The old ones are usually quite nice and solid, and heavy !  Like this one.

 

This is a big one!  For reference, that the covered BBQ in the background!

Nice lines.   Ugly finish. Nothing a little spray paint can’t handle!

 

Maybe a little sump’in else?

 

Silver Guilder’s Paste maybe?

The old shade seemed a little off scale.

 

How about a hand-tyed rag shade?

 

Despite the shadow in the pic, I like it!

From Yucky to Meh….Not too bad

 

When it comes to furniture I am all about curves.  I love ‘em!  I am not a fan of mid-century modern nor Eastlake.  That’s not to say that they aren’t nice but hard lines are not for me.

 

There is one ‘style’ (and I hesitate to use that word because it certainly is ‘stylish’) is 70’s chunky pine with a dark stain.  Like this…

 

Uh-uh-uh-ugly!  I would never have picked this up but it was dropped off in my driveway.  Free is good.  As I pondered how I would get rid of it, I thought that since it couldn’t look worse than it already did, I would play with it.  Out with the grey paint….

A little distressing.

A little better.

Add some appliques?

Hmmmmm……. I thought this one couldn’t be rescued but it’s not tooooo bad!

Beautiful Flow Blue

 

I am breaking away from my standard whites to play with Miss Mustard Seed’s milk paint. 

Last summer I ordered the retailer starter kit and anxiously awaited it’s arrival.    Unfortunately for me, 2 days before it arrived I fell and sprained my ankle.  I was completely out of commission for 3 months.   Then along came winter, yada, yada……   So now I’m ‘playing’!

 

I can be a little color shy so I started out with a small piece.

 

So here I go again with no real before.  I had already sanded the top when I thought to get a picture.  I don’t know about anyone else but sometimes I get myself in a tizzy when choosing colors – it’s very annoying.  It’s not like I’m paint the Sistine chapel or anything.  Jeez. 

 

 

I opted to stain the top (dark walnut) and paint the rest in MMS Flow Blue.

What a gorgeous color!

Finished it up with some Hemp Oil.

 

Here it is installed in the shop.    The photo isn’t very good because the sun ‘got in the way’ but………

Spiffing Up a Silver Tray

 

I love silver.   I would pick it up whenever I came across it and have accumulated a few boxes.  Well, now it’s time to give it a little love.

 

So I pulled out this lovely, ornate tray and gave it a spray of white.  Then sanded the raised parts.  (Of course, no “Befores”, I’m working on that.)

 

I applied a graphic using the wax paper transfer method which can be a bit challenging.  Very slippy, slidey.    When I tried to apply the image the first time, I smeared it.   I quickly wiped it off and tried again.  Success.  I then let it sit for two days thinking it would ‘set’.  Not so.  It was still wet.  What now?  I had some Mod Podge spray sealant so I applied several very, very light coats.  (If you use this, make sure you use it outside.  It is the most toxic smelling stuff ever.  Effective but smelly.)

 

I used a final coat of clear spray and voila!

Weekend Finds

 

Since I seem to repeatedly lose or forget to take before pictures, I’m trying a new approach.  I’ll take pics of the items when I find them.  Then I’ll have a record.   Which may also serve as a way of guilting me in to dealing with things in a more timely manner.

 

A quick, last minute jaunt into thriftland on Saturday yielded these…

 

Matching deco side tables (probably part of an old vanity)

 

…..and a sweet little bench.  Love the detailing!    They’re usually pretty plain.

With the weather starting to cool, I hope to at very least deal with their ‘issues’ (like lifting veneer) soon.  Let’s see how I make out.