Vintage Vanity Makeover

Old furniture is nice.

 Especially when it belonged to your grandmother. Grandma's furniture is better quality, more unique and holds a special place in our heart.

It's not as special when the veneer is falling off and you want your little girl to use that piece of furniture. My client Britt wanted to keep her grandmothers vanity but it needed a new look.

I was only going to remove veneer from the sides but I decided to remove all of the veneer. The veneer came off easily and in long sheets so it wasn't too hard of a job.

**It's hard to take a straight-on shot with a mirror and not expose yourself**

 

 I lightly distressed the edges

I adore the detail on the sides of the mirror and the curves.

For those who do not already know, here is an tip for painting appliques (all the purple pieces on this piece). They pop right off! GENTLY pry them off. I've used flat head screwdrivers, picks, butter knives......these are not the best ways to remove fragile pieces of wood but I'm impatient.  Please be patient because these pieces are delicate and will break.

You can use a little wood glue & finishing nails to put them back on or an air nailer.

Removing those pieces makes for crisp painting lines when you are painting two different colors. 

Hopefully, this piece will be passed on throughout the years!

Linking: 

MMS

Dresser in Navajo White & Giveaway Winner

Last year I posted this empire dresser on Craigslist. A sweet lady named Sara bought it and asked if I could paint another dresser she bought. 

She wasn't sure if I could do anything with it because veneer was missing and the top was pretty rough. 

Little did she know, I know my way around a piece of furniture with missing veneer. If you wanna see my past experience with removing veneer click here, here, and here. I need to update you guys on my technique to get it all off !!

Before I took this picture I started to remove the veneer on the middle drawer.

Before

After

Looking at these pictures I realize I need to repaint my wall and scrape paint off the floor. 

We kept the original hardware and didn't do anything to it. It was so pretty! 

The color is Navajo White by Behr and the top was re-stained with dark walnut by Minwax. This color was the perfect cream. This is going on my "Favorite White's" list.

I lightly distressed the legs and around the edges of the drawers. 

Now to announce the winner of the $50 Visa Gift Card Giveaway!!

The winner is Michele Moede. 

Michele check your email for all the info.

The winner was randomly selected by Rafflecopter.

Congrats Michele!!

linking up:
the 36th ave
mms
be inspired
coastal charm
start at home
savvy southern style 

Keeping it in the Family....Dresser Makeover

Hi everyone....hope you are enjoying your weekend!

I have been finishing up all of my custom orders so I can relax for about 3 weeks before baby comes. 

This dresser is a custom piece I did for Beth. Actually, it is for her little girl who is getting a big girl room. This dresser has been in her family for decades and she wanted to update it for her little girl. 

source 

If you are interested in these prints you can find them on Etsy.

 The flowers in our flower bed's are starting to bloom.

If you follow me on facebook, you saw the original pulls Beth chose. 

I found them at World Market and they were super cute. Cute doesn't always equal good quality or functional. For one, they sat way to close to the drawer to pull open. Second, I put all the blue bubble pulls on to make sure the drawers worked properly and when I went to open a drawer the whole glass ball broke off the stem. 

They went back the next day!

 I stuck to what I know and went to Hobby Lobby. I took a poll on the Picked & Painted Facebook page to get input from followers. (you should follow along on Facebook)!

It was a close tie between #2 and #4. In the end, Beth had the last say and she picked the blue and white resin knob. 

Here are all the details:

I had to remove the veneer on the bottom two drawers and the top. We were hoping to stain the top but there was wood damage under the veneer so it had to be painted. 

I used Swiss Coffee by Behr and sealed with wax. 

The pulls are from Hobby Lobby

You can find the art here.

linking up to:
blissful and domestic 

suburbs mama

one more time
too much time
be different act normal
tator tots and jello
old red barn 

Barn Wood Coffee Table & Living Room Makeover: Part 1

I live in a world of brown.
My couch is brown, my floor & walls are brown, the chair & ottoman are brown, my TV stand is brown....you get the idea. I need white with pops of color in my life and I have decided it should start in my living room.

The first thing we decided to work on was the coffee table. Yes, the top is brown but I made up for it with other things in the room.


 I saw a coffee table makeover from City Farmhouse and knew that was the look I wanted. She used an Ikea coffee table and stained and aged wooded boards to give it a worn farmhouse look. 

source

I loved the look but I didn't want to spend $40 on lumber and I didn't want to take the time to age wood.

My husband and I were in the city one day and saw a pile of old barn wood. We fit as much as we could in our van and started brainstorming what we would do with it. 

We talked about building a patio table.

We talked about making a bench for our entry way. 

It was such a great find that I didn't want to use it until we knew for sure what we wanted to do with it.

A light bulb came on and the old barn wood is now the top of our coffee table.

I bought this coffee table at Goodwill for $7. Over a two year period I painted it a pretty greenish blue, then a light gray and then turquoise. I hated the turquoise!
I painted the table white and had my hubby add the barn wood to the top.

The boards are tongue and groove boards so they fit like a puzzle.
My husband cut the boards so they over-lapped the edge of the table, fit the pieces together and screwed them in place.

As I mentioned brown has taken over my house. I've said it before.....it looks like Mr. Potato Head threw-up all over my living room (and probably other areas too).
Yes, there is still brown in this space but this is only part 1 of this living room transformation.

this table was also a light gray and I put a quick coat of yellow to brighten it up.

I really wanted a custom slipcover for my brown couch but I can't sew and I didn't want to pay $400 plus to have someone make one.

Overall, I like the slipcover. It takes looking at pictures to see how you didn't tuck all of the fabric. Oh well!
I have been sleeping on the couch lately (all pregnancy related) and there is hardly a wrinkle when I get up. That fact alone makes me love this slipcover.

Want to know where everything came from?
I found the yellow pillows at World Market for $12.99 each
The woven tray is from World Market $19.99
Slipcover from Target $99
Rug is from Target  (bought 2 years ago)
The black and white photos were taken by Dan's grandfather so they are very special to us.
The other pieces on the gallery wall are pieces I collected and stored for doing this project and the 4 small colored prints are from a trip we took to D.C.


We have started looking at wall colors so that will be included in part 2.
We have a one-sided vaulted ceiling and a large open room so I'm a little worried about how to blend the rooms together without it all being one color. Suggestions?

What projects are you working on?
Has brown taken over your house....or are you a fan of brown?
I would love to hear about it! Leave a comment here or on my facebook page (click here).





linking up to:
alderberry hill
the scoop
elizabeth & co
a bowl full of lemons
finding home
one more time 
my girlish whims
savvy southern style
diy by design
primp
southern lovely
someday crafts
the 36th ave
mms
frugalicius friday
5 days...5 ways
city farmhouse - inspiration exchange 
under the table and dreaming

Two Toned Star Dresser

Happy weekend, even though it is almost over. I have a very quick before and after. I found this dresser on Craigslist last year and had it in my inventory for a while. A lady named Marta saw it and wanted to use it as a TV stand.

BEFORE

I snapped this picture before we loaded it up for delivery. Marta found pulls at Lowe's which were on clearance and in limited quantity.  Thankfully, she was able to find enough for this dresser but we had to wait to add the hardware until we delivered so I don't have many after pictures.

AFTER

She decided to keep all of the drawers and house her electronics on the top or on another table next to the TV stand. We didn't center anything for these pictures....it was just a quick after shot.

 I love how the hardware matches the dresser perfectly. I also like her choice of knobs.....it's so modern and different.

I have to share the picture of her kitty Mattie (he really wanted to be included).

Custom Dresser for Emma

Sweet Emma is getting a room makeover and her mom was looking for a dresser to customize for her. 

Emma's sister recently got a new dresser and a blog post all of her own so I couldn't leave Emma out!

BEFORE

  

AFTER

 

The color looks white in the photos but it's more off white in person. 

The color is Romano by Valspar

The pulls are from Hobby Lobby

The original piece had chipping paint (most likely lead paint) and it needed to be removed. 

I loved the chippy look but I doubt it was safe so it had to go.

After it was all sanded and cleaned up....I painted, distressed the edges, and waxed with Johnson's paste wax. 

This is such a cute dresser and I hope Emma loves it in her new room!

linking up to:
cozy little house
elizabeth & co.
my uncommon slice of suburbia
THE SCOOP 

savvy southern style
domestically speaking
my girlish whims
embracing change
from my front porch to yours
mod vintage life
the 36th ave
redoux interiors
tater tots and jello