A Little Secret

I usually don't share the original price of furniture when I plan to upcycle it. I feel like it's okay for me to share the price if it is something I bought for myself.   I don't want to devalue my beautiful product by showing it's original price.

Today, and today only, I will share some of the "business" side of my furniture refinishing. I do all of my buying from thrift stores or raigslist. Yards sales are an awesome way to find great furniture, but I struggle to get out the door early Saturday morning. Who doesn't have breakfast, chores, and a dog walk to fit in in those early hours?

My general rule of thumb is to stay around the $50 range for larger items like armoires and dressers. If I can find something decent  for lower, I'm all about that! My cheapest dresser purchase to this day was $20. I will occasionally spend $100 on something if it is huge and going to be amazing. Side tables and smaller items I expect to pay $10-$15.

Here's  a dresser I just finished.  I'll walk you through the cost breakdown and how I determine my
pricing. This is a smaller dresser a purchased at a thrift store for $35. I was drawn to it because of it's vintage hardware with original patina. I'm a sucker for this hardware, I purchase anything with it. Similar vintage hardware costs about $11 a piece so I figured I got my money's worth just out of hardware.

This particular dresser is not real solid wood, except for the drawer fronts. It's also small, right there I know it will need to be priced on the lower end.

I wanted to use this ballet slipper pink "oops" paint I purchased on a whim for $5.00. That means I'm not using my usual chalk paint that requires no priming or sanding. Because this dresser isn't wood, I know I'll need a primer that sticks to any glossy surfaces and doesn't require sanding. Yes, they make that, make sure to read your label. I use the "bulls eye" primer, approx $7- 9, it can be found at Lowes in the paint section.

Since I was working with latex paint I have the advantage of using  my air compressor spray gun. It saves me a lot of time and gives a smooth finish with latex paint. I primed and then, true to it's label, the paint stuck right on my no-wood glossy surface.

I applied painters tape and added stripes with some A.S.C.P Old Ochre that I already had on hand for my own project. I used my dark wax to give it an aged look, I already had dark wax so those count as free.

I lined each drawer with some shabby chic angel self adhesive drawer liner that I purchased at the dollar store. $1.

This adorable dresser will be for sale on my shop page, Etsy, and Las Vegas Craigslist for $150. I like to price reasonable, I don't like to hold on to pieces very long. I also think everyone should be able to afford a unique piece in their home.

Total cost= $50

My profit= $100

Hours to finish dresser: 3-4ish counting paint drying time

As you can see, I'm not going to be a millionaire anytime soon. I enjoy what I do. I love to see the changes I can make in something.

Cottage Chic Nightstands

This week feels like I just can't get anything right. I must be off my game or something after vacation. I have been working on two nightstand for what feel like months since I took a break right in the middle of doing them. These nightstand came from one of the hotel casinos here in Vegas. I'm sure back in their day they were awesome but now they're saying 'tacky Vegas' look. I was fortunate to be asked to give them a new look. The top has been painted black and then silver leafed. If you have questions about silver leafing visit my tutorial here. The body of the nightstands were painted Old White and dark waxed. They were lightly distressed. I applied resin appliques to add a little something to the plain doors. Unfortunately the appliques were a little smaller than needed, so I will be applying larger ones. We'll see what its like to remove an applique, wish me luck.

I have some good news and bad news. I wasn't able to get a cheap enough shipping quote for my last armoire that I custom painted. It took about 3 weeks to get the quote to a price my client needed, and by then it was too late :( The good news is it is for sale!! Yay! Be sure to check out my shop page if you're in need of an already painted and finished armoire. Also, check back on Thursday, I'll be showing off a beautiful pink dresser that I'm painting for a new baby girl.

Linking back to...
kammyskorner.blogspot.com
savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com
fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com
romantichome.blogspot.com
missmustardseed.com
www.funkyjunkinteriors.net

70's Armoire Restyle

We're here in Disneyland having the time of our lives. I have been so dedicated to my Thursday posts that I took a minute to do it. J/K I wrote this earlier this week and am sending it in on Thursday. You thought I needed a life for a second didn't you?

It seems every morning when I go to check my Etsy messages, they are always asking if I have another square armoire with drawers inside. I've learned if I come across one, just buy it. This week I worked on a really neat 70's style armoire. The cool twisting trim on the sides and huge hardware caught my eye. For some reason I just kept picturing some colorful Moroccan feel.

Of course if I think about it, a bright Moroccan look would never go in my home. Maybe not yours either. I was asked to paint this piece French Linen and Pure White, but I had never used these colors together and was hesitant. I was used to the French Linen looking a little green after the dark wax. I looked at some other ladies' amazing work with these colors online and I was sold. I was so excited to use them together! I used dark wax to age the piece and added some distressing by hand as always. The inside has been painted white and has no dark wax. I love the inside to look so clean and fresh. It just brightens my day.

Linking back to... 

missmustardseed.com

romantichome.blogspot.com

funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com

fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com 
savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com
primitiveandproper.blogspot.com
kammyskorner.blogspot.com
www.bystephanielynn.com

Some Wine With That?

This week I had the opportunity to paint an already beautiful wine cabinet. The cabinet has beautiful carving and detail. I painted it in Paris Grey mixed with a touch of Aubusson Blue and graphite to darken it up a bit, then gave it a heavy dose of dark waxing to dirty it up.

Here is the (small, sorry) picture that my client sent me of what she wanted the finished product to look like. What do you think, is it close?

When the piece was dropped off my helpful husband wasn't home to move it. I guess I'm not as strong as I think or I had too much lotion on that day, because I couldn't move it for the life of me. I ended up knocking on a neighbor's door and asking him to move it into the house for me :) The things I do for furniture. I'm an incredibly shy person so this was like a milestone in my life. I'm sure my mom is reading this and is in disbelief.

In the next few days I'll be finishing up a piano makeover and a shabby French provincial dresser, so I'll be sharing those with you guys also.



Linking back to...

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funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com
missmustardseed.com
www.iheartnaptime.net
www.bystephanielynn.com
kammyskorner.blogspot.com
savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com
primitiveandproper.blogspot.com
linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Nightmares

It has been a rough few weeks here in our home. Both my husband and daughter have been sick and I can hardly keep up with things. Well, about a month and half ago I started painted this dresser for a client who found me on Etsy. She had seen one of my sold armoire/dressers and wanted one similar, but with different colors. After much deliberation and changing her mind a few times, she decided on Coco with a Paris Grey wash. I have never used the Coco myself so I referred her to the Annie Sloan website to get an idea of the color. I painted the first coat and sent her a picture.

We both thought the Coco looked much lighter than what we anticipated. Back to square one. Do you pick a different base coat color or add some graphite to darken it up a bit? We decided on darkening the Coco, I then applied the Paris Gray wash.

Too light. Then I applied the dark wax...

Still too light. I planned on being able to have this done for her in a week but it was taking much longer. I ended up having to leave mid project and run to a wedding out of town for a week.

She had a whole week to decide on where she wanted to go from there. She decided on Coco with just dark wax over the top- a beautiful neutral that will go well in her home. The dark waxing brings out the carving just right. I was so happy with the outcome and thrilled to be done after a month of working on it.

When using Etsy, I always go through Uship with items that are very heavy and are going far. I've had great luck with it and the prices are the lowest I can find. My favorite part is they pick it up at your home and drop it off at the new owners.

No such luck this time. The shipper said he'd be here in a day to pick it up, but he didn't call or show. We called, him he said the next day, and this went on and on for days. He never answered when we would call. I stayed home for 3 days expecting him each afternoon to pick it but no such luck. I finally had enough and ended up canceling my shipping bid and picking up another Uship bidder. Instead of this beautiful piece being on its way to Boston to a new home, it is sitting in my living room looking out of place. My client has been amazing and very understanding. Just a few days and this bad boy will be places I've never been so lucky to visit.

Linking back to...
linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com
kammyskorner.blogspot.com
threemangoseeds.blogspot.com
fadedcharmcottage.blogspot.com
primitiveandproper.blogspot.com
www.bluecricketdesign.net
savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com
www.theshabbycreekcottage.com
southernlovely.blogspot.com
missmustardseed.com
romantichome.blogspot.com
funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com
tatertotsandjello.com
www.iheartnaptime.net
www.bystephanielynn.com

Spring Break

Today I am writing from one of my favorite places on earth... the home I grew up in. My husband is off of school for the week so we came to Utah for a wedding and to visit with friends and family. One thing I love about Utah is, one day it will be a blizzard with record high snow and two days later 65 degrees and sunny. I was in desperate need of fresh air and some adult conversation. I'm happy to report I have had both. Every morning I get to go out on a long walk with my three favorite dogs down the river and through the fields and trees. Nothing is more therapeutic than a walk with my boys. I bought movie tickets with my mom and sister for Hunger Games on Saturday, I can't remember the last movie I went to. My daughter is having the time of her life playing with all her cousins. She's getting some much-needed kid time.


Well, I haven't slacked off on my work too much while on vacation. I promised my mom for her birthday I would paint a few of her ancient pieces of furniture that are desperately ready for a new look. My dad thinks my style of furniture looks like it was dragged behind a truck, but I think even he likes the new look for his dresser :) J/K he is very supportive of me and helps me with my furniture needs all the time.



So here she is before. My parents told me that they bought her from an Estate Sale in Illinois when they were first married. They still use this to hold the T.V. in their bedroom.

I painted the dresser with my mom's choice of color. She is planning on repainting her room and giving it a much lighter and brighter look, so she chose Duck Egg Blue. You can't ever go wrong with that. The whole piece is covered in dark wax and lightly distressed (lightly for my dad). It has been finished off with faux crystal knobs.




I didn't have any of my usual tools from home and just planned on using my dads. He had this awesome buffer that just slipped onto his drill and worked amazing. Waxing and buffing is by far my least favorite part and it made buffing quick and breezy. It's less than 24 hours later and I've already bought one for myself.

I will be here for a few more days and will be painting an old marriage hope chest for my mom as well. I should be able to show you that on Sunday, so be sure to check it out. Here is a sneak peek at the before picture.




Linking back to...
missmustardseed.com
romantichome.blogspot.com
tatertotsandjello.com
funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com
www.iheartnaptime.net
www.bystephanielynn.com
www.skiptomylou.org
kammyskorner.blogspot.com
primitiveandproper.blogspot.com
savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com
southernlovely.blogspot.com
www.theshabbycreekcottage.com

The Ugly Duckling

For some reason these old armoire-like dressers have been in high demand. I can see the convenience of something looking like an armoire but having drawers inside. I guess I'm just not a huge fan of the very blocky shape, but despite that, I have had several people who wanted me to find one for them. I scoured Craigslist constantly and found a few. I will be showing you just one of them today.
This beast of a dresser reminds me of the ugly duckling. It was hideous. I am so grateful for my client being able to see past the ugly picture of the dresser I sent her in an e mail, and see the potential it could have. I thought for sure I'd scare her away and she'd think I was crazy for even suggested this particular dresser.

It had some crazy huge flower knobs that just weren't doing it for me. It was also the heaviest piece of furniture I have yet to come across. Just one drawer had to be like 30 lbs. It clearly had been left in the sun in someone's yard for awhile because the wood was so dry. The old poly was peeling and I had to sand down the peeling top.

I outlined the piece in Old White and was planning on doing the rest in Aubusson Blue chalk paint, but I was running low on that particular color at the moment. I thought I'd call up my stockist and have it shipped since we don't have any stockists here in Vegas. While I was waiting for it to ship I was just going to do all the white painting first. I ran into a BIG problem though- everyone at the paint shop was out of town for an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint convention and wouldn't be able to get it to me in time. AHH! It seems that things never go the way I plan so I always plan for change :) I ran to lowes and had my Aubusson Blue color-matched perfectly. My plan B was DIY chalk paint. I have tried this once before, it works well enough. I just add a little bit of plaster of paris powder and water to my latex paint. Then it becomes like chalk paint in that it will stick to any surface without sanding and priming beforehand. I don't think it has the same luxurious feel as real chalk paint and it is much harder to distress. But hey, it gets the job done.

I had first painted the white and then when it dried I taped off the white to paint the blue. When I ripped the tape off it pulled some of the paint off with it. Normally, I would have been opposed to this and painted over it again, but since the wood was so dry it peeled the white paint off it just the right way. It looked awesome, like it had aged and ripened to the perfect amount of "peeling chippiness."

I also found all the deep grooves from being so rough were just accentuated beautifully by the dark wax.

It turned out pretty cool and unique. It's not my usual style but it's fun to think out of the box at times. Oh and be sure to check back in on Monday because I will be posting a tutorial for a beautiful French Provincial nightstand that I silver-leafed today. See you then!


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staceyembracingchange.blogspot.com
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www.bystephanielynn.com
linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com
www.serendipityandspice.com
www.skiptomylou.org
kammyskorner.blogspot.com
www.domestically-speaking.com
www.bluecricketdesign.net
savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com
southernlovely.blogspot.com
www.theshabbycreekcottage.com

Media Cabinet Reveal

I was really excited when my sweet sister-in-law told me she was looking for something to hold her TV. She is currently using a small coffee table in her new beautiful home, and the best news was she said she'd drive down to pick it up. My brother and sister-in-law moved to Wyoming a few years ago and we have yet to make it to each other's houses. That was the best deal I've made in a long time.

I was also really excited because she was looking to have it painted in warm colors. I used to love warm cozy colors like red, black, brown, and cream. I still do love them but since moving to Las Vegas my style has changed. Why, you may ask? Well, my front living room is full of these beautiful warm reds, golds, and natural browns but when it's summer and 115 degrees... I see those colors and just cringe. Everything is so hot and bland out here, I want to bathe in ocean blues and clean whites when I walk into my home. Now you see why I am in need of a living room makeover.

Anyway, back to to the media cabinet. I painted it in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Graphite and Versailles. I did some heavy dark waxing to darken it and add some depth. I also did some light distressing to let the original cherry wood show through. I took the original hardware off and put on some hardware from an old armoire I had finished previously. I spray painted the hardware with some bronze Rustoleum and called it done. My sister-in-law loves it. I definitely need to return the favor and get my butt to Wyoming to see it at her new place. I think I'll wait until August though when I'm craving some cool weather and greenery :)





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primitiveandproper.blogspot.com
www.domestically-speaking.com
www.bluecricketdesign.net
savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com
www.theshabbycreekcottage.com

A Bumpy Start

These past few weeks have been busy ones. I have been working quickly so I can finish all my pieces on time for customers. I had a local customer call me to have one of my dressers for sale custom painted. She had seen the Old White and Paris Grey antique hutch I painted about a month ago and loved it. She wanted the dresser to be similar but she was going to be using this dresser to hold her T.V. I love when people use furniture for something other than it was intended for. She gave me free reign to paint my own interpretation of the hutch as a dresser. I had a lot of fun but also some unexpected bumps in the road.

The sheen on this dresser beforehand was amazingly shiny. I don't know what was on it but it was slick. I cleaned it off as usual with Simple Green since it wasn't too filthy or grimy. I used my air compressor paint gun to paint the base coat of Old White. It just wasn't sticking the way ASCP usually does, it looked like the paint was separating in some places and when it dried it would flake off in huge chunks. I like the peeled paint look, but it wasn't the "look" I wanted for this piece. I thought maybe I should break out the brush, maybe it would stick better or at least it wouldn't blow off the dry cracked paint. I ended up having to sand down the peeling spots so when I painted over it it would be a smooth surface. The brush seemed to make all the difference. Bump one, conquered.

The second bump in the road was the hardware. I don't know what it is but for some reason every time I plan on using original hardware, one breaks in half. I had some cute knobs that I bought at Michaels that I just have been dying to put on something. I thought I might be able to pull off the non-matching hardware. I thought it worked out nicely with the light blue and black songbird.

Once I saw all of this together, the last and final bump presented itself. I don't always have a clear picture of what exactly I am going to do, it just comes a little step at a time. After I saw the hardware on, I felt like we needed to tie in some more black. I was envisioning a beautiful stained ebony top. I love a good stained top. I would sand every top and stain it if it was up to me. It's just so much more durable and I love beautiful wood. I proceeded to sand down the top that I just painted (Argh... money in paint down the drain, I really need to have a clear picture before I paint). What was under the paint and crazy shiny layer of poly? Composite wood. That's right, really smooth composite wood. I decided I'd break out the ASCP graphite and do the next best thing: paint the top.

So there you go. I added some clear and dark wax for protection and patina. I put on several coats of polyurethane on the top for protection and called it beautiful. I also talked my customer through a little tip or two about painting with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint since she is planning on painting one of her own dressers. ASCP is so easy to use, anyone can do it. I can't wait to see how hers turns out. Good Luck!



Here's my cute daughter. You can't see it but she's taking a picture of the dresser too. She loves to get out her camera and do a little photo shoot of her own.

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southernlovely.blogspot.com

Louis Blue Buffet

Happy Presidents Day! I hope everyone was able to have a nice three day weekend. I took a little time off from furniture this morning to get out and go on a much needed hike. I had a great time with great girls and my dog. Now that I'm back and refreshed I'm ready to show you what I've been working on.

A local customer here in Vegas is looking for a few pieces of upcycled furniture for her home. We went through some craigslist ads and found this one-of-a-kind art deco style buffet. She chose a sweet Louis Blue Annie Sloan Chalk paint. She wants to do her kitchen in a vintage type feel so I went ahead and hand distressed it, followed by clear wax, and some dark wax for added age and patina. I then added some new hardware for the final touch. Beautiful. I hope she loves it.

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