It should have been easy…..Blue Toile Bench

Our shop is having a Spring sale this weekend so I’ve been going full tilt getting things ready.  I’ve been sanding, painting, cleaning, ironing and running around like a crazy person. 

Today was stocking day and I wanted to squeeze in one more piece.  I chose a vanity bench.  Quick & easy project.    Apparently there is no such thing.

Removing old fabric can be much more time consuming than putting it back on.    Why does anyone put new fabric over old fabric?   It’s gross!


The first layer was put in place with masking tape!  That’s a new one on me.

Layer 2:   Thumbtacks.

Layer 3:  A few random nails.

Layer 4:     A disgusting-ly dirty fabric held in place by a ton of rusty old hand forged nails.  Why would anyone cover over something so gross?

So after removing the layers I was able to use only the frame and I cut new foam and fabric. 


And….voila!  Installed in the shop and ready to go home with someone.

Booth Foofing–A Curio

Tomorrow is the 1 year anniversary of our relocated shop.  It’s been a crazy year in this crazy business. 

What I sell varies from month to month.  Either I can’t keep up with furniture or I don’t sell any.  There is absolutely no rhyme or reason.  March was all about smalls.   Ransacked.

I had this lighted curio waiting in the wings for 3 or 4 weeks.

I needed to reclaim some space in my garage to work on projects so into the shop it went.   

See that chandelier?  It’s a true antique and had cloth wiring and…. I rewired it myself! 

Since I always forget to take pics when I’m done, I took a couple when I was working on the space.  Good thing.  I forgot to take pics when I was done!

Whitewashed Old Pine Trunk

I have to say my mind can be all over the place.   I typically have my project line-up floating around in my head as each new week rolls around.  This one wasn’t even on my radar.

A beat up old trunk with plenty of dings.

I could either try to sand out the dings or work with them.

I removed the hardware and soaked it in a solution of hot water, vinegar and salt.   I cannot believe the amount of yuck that comes off.  I figured since it’s metal it wouldn’t be too bad.    Au contraire.  I let them soak for at least 24 hours and the stuff that was floating around……well, just yuck.

I decided to whitewash this one.  Mixed up some paint and water and rubbed it on with a cloth.  The dings are even more visible and I’m kind of liking it.  (Plus, not sanding saved on a bunch of elbow grease!)

The wood soaked up the whitewash and it was a little on the blotchy side so I distressed it a bit.

The decorative corner pieces were nixed.  They didn’t “go” with the new finish.  I forgot to take a picture of the side handles but the got a rub down with silver Rub & Buff and were distressed to let a little of the original black color.   Then buffed with Johnson’s Paste Wax and within 24 hours it was “looking for love”  in the shop.
Linking up with:

 

CPR for a Little Hutch

This was a crazy piece to deal with! 
First of all it came to me by a circuitous route.  I spotted it back around December @ the SA.  I looked it over and felt that the price didn’t warrant the amount of work that I would have to put into.  So I walked away.  Fast forward about a month.  I was on a ‘scouting’ trip to the SA again and was talking to one of the employees about whether another piece would fit in my car.  It wouldn’t.  So he told me he had a piece in his truck that he had bought at the employee sale and thought that I might be interested in it.  Out to the parking lot we go.   It was the same piece I had pondered earlier.  So I bought it at a much reduced price.

It sat in my garage for another month or so (and was obviously  the victim of another spray painting project).


When I finally decided it was time to haul it out of storage and go to work, I questioned my sanity.   Not only were there veneer issues but the decorative wood appliques on the legs and top were cracked and missing.

I pondered just scraping it all off but thought I would try making a mold of one of the pieces that was intact because it really brought some charm to the piece.

Break out the Model Magic (I think that’s what it’s called.) I made a mold of one of the good pieces then peeled the mold off and let it dry for a few days.  (All the while giving serious consideration to making firewood out of this monster.)

I then put wood filler where appliques were missing and pressed on the mold and removed it right away.   I let it dry for a couple of hours. When dry, I then used a blade to shape it a little.


After much scraping, gluing, clamping, and molding, it was painted a made it’s way to the shop.   Although not perfect, the repairs turned out pretty good.  (Sorry no close-ups.  I guess I ran away from it as soon as I had the chance!)

Mirror, Mirror…….Worth the Effort?

I love vanities!  Waterfall, Deco, whateva!   I’ve recycled a few waterfall vanities with the big round mirror and I love them.    This was my first vanity with a tri-fold mirror.

As much as I love ‘em they always seem to always have veneer.  Veneer is the enemy.  (I am not quite sure why it was ever used because usually the wood underneath is at least as good if not better…..but you can’t change the past.)

This one was no different – not severe because I’ve seen worse but veneer can be a real bugger.

I’ll spare the lurid details but I fixed the veneer and then sanded, sanded, sanded.

Tada!  Totally re-foofed and ready for sale at The Stray Cat!

Quickie: Herb Bucket

 

Most of the time I take on projects that require daaaaays of TLC.  Prepping and priming and painting……..yada yada.  So it’s always fun when a quickie comes along!

 

Galvanized steel bucket.

 

Supplies.

 

Apply stencils and outline letters with a Sharpie.

Ready for paint.

 

Ready for some catnip for my kitties to roll around in.  Or a mix of kitchen staples….Cilantro, Basil, etc.  I may add casters so I can maximize sun exposure out on the deck.  Quick ‘n Easy works for me.

 

I originally intended to put it in the shop but I think I need it.

Repurposing: More Than Just a Suitcase

I have a thing for vintage suitcases.  The old hard-sided ones that show up at yard sales.    I buy them all the time.   The only deal breaker is if they have a smell.    I can’t begin to imagine what people think of me sniffing their cast-off suitcases but…..it is what it is.

Certain suitcases sell quickly while the more common ones linger.  I thought I would get a little creative with one of the ‘common’ ones.


This bench was sitting in my garage “topless” so…..  Suitcase meet bench.

I screwed the suitcase to the bench and tada!

A table with storage!