Dresser Before and After

I so wish I could take credit for this furniture transformation.  This past week I have been selling furniture online for a friend.  I posted a dresser and a woman named Liz snatched it up right away.  As a hobby and side gig she refinished old furniture.  She picked up the dresser Sunday afternoon and by Tuesday morning she sent me a picture of the after.

 

IT.  IS.  BEAUTIFUL.

 

 

RIGHT?!? 

 

I can't even believe how beautiful it turned out and how quickly she works!  Seriously impressive.  I knew you guys would be interested in a little furniture inspiration. 

 

It appears that she sanded the top and gave it a coat of beautiful stain to bring out those beautiful wood tones.  (The scroll part in the pic is actually another piece of furniture and isn't part of the dresser.) The brassy hardware all got a coat of paint.  The dresser itself was painted in white with a glaze over top.  I want it back now!!

 

If you're local to the Birmingham area you can sometimes find Liz's pieces posted on Facebook at Mountain Brook Trading and Resale 280.

 

Do you guys refinish furniture?  I'm really wanting to get into it.  What are your favorite techniques?  What do you use to paint - chalk paint, spray paint, glaze, stain?  I'd love to hear your tips and tricks!  Also feel free to link any before and afters you have in the comments.  I LOVE before and afters!

 

 

**UPDATE:  Liz shared with me her color selections in case you want to recreate the look.  It was a custom mix cream , and glazed with an aged bronze glaze. Hardware was painted in hammered bronze

DIY Books I Totally Want

I've had my eye on a few DIY books lately. Here are a few that I've been window shopping:


{You can click on the pictures or the links to take you to Amazon where you can read full descriptions, reviews.}


1.  Young House Love: 243 Ways to Paint, Craft, Update & Show Your Home Some Love by John and Sherry Peterisk.  I've been following their blog for a little under a year now and I love nearly everything they do.  I look forward to their daily posts with anticipation.  This is the ultimate DIY couple.  I have learned so much about my own personal style and how to make things happen around my house that I never knew was even possible.  If the book is anything like their blog I know I'm gonna' love it.  

2.  Fabrics A to Z The Essential Guide to Choosing and Using Fabrics for Sewing by Dana Williard.  I know basically nothing about fabric.  I know what looks pretty and that's about it.  I sew with what I have on hand and it's mostly plain ol' cotton.  I inherited lots of great vintage fabrics and I know nothing about them.  I feel like this book is essential for me to improve as a seamstress and designer.

3.  Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts.  Three words; Martha Stewart Encyclopedia.  Enough said.

4.  The Handbuilt Home by Ana White.  I first discovered Ana White's blog when it was just brand new and I was hooked from the start.  She is a super hot mom who builds furniture knock offs of really expensive name brand things.  Oh but that's not all, she give you the plans to make them yourself.  It couldn't be easier.  I've built quite a few things and I got the building bug and I can't remember a time that I was more inspired to learn a new craft.  I'm not sure what her first book has in store but I know I want to build everything in it.

5.  Martha Stewart Cookies. I think we can agree that the title says it all.

6.  Famous Frocks by Sarah Alm.  This is a book that is all about iconic dresses from movies.  The book shows you how to make the dresses and even includes patterns to make 20 dresses.  I have wanted to try this book out for a while.  I have never tried a pattern book but the thought makes me a little giddy.

7. The BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook by Nora Abousteit.  I think this book is another essential for me to get if I want to improve my sewing skills.  Everything I know I taught myself or picked up along the way watching others.  I really have no idea how things are supposed to be done and I feel like if I did I would have the skill and confidence to make so much more.  It looks like this book also comes in Kindle form which could be helpful at the sewing table.



Do any of you have any of these books?  What do you think of them?   Any other DIY book advice?  I'd love to hear what inspires you and makes you want to get creative.

Ombre Ambiance

So if you've been following along these past few weeks you may be saying to yourself, "Where is Alicia's post about voting for So You Think You're Crafty this week?"

Well, I'm here to tell you... sad day... it's over.
Done-zo. Ka-putz.  I was voted off the island.  Whatever you call it, I was eliminated.

I'm left scratching my head on where I went so wrong this week.  I had no idea I had such a fail on my hands.  I really loved my project but to each her own I guess.  My mom suspects that it could be that the ombre dying of the table cloth didn't translate as well on camera.  It's entirely possible.  I guess I just have to chalk it up to the fact that I had fierce competition and someone had to go last week so why not me?  I'm sad to leave the competition and had a great time.  I'll enjoy following along and cheering on my fellow competitors.

The theme was ombre so I gussied up some of the things that were just blah and tried to give them a little wow factor.  Here's my entry but come back tomorrow and the next day for tutorials on the paint technique I used as well as the rubber dipped vases.

Using items I already had at home, I created a nice little ombre table scape.  Except for the bowls & forks, I made everything you see here, including the table.  But we can just focus on the ombre.  For the ombre theme I dyed some vintage fabric that I sewed into a table cloth and accented with some rubber dipped mini vases.  I spray painted a Chinese lantern left over from my wedding in two tones of blue and also painted the handles of my salad tongs to match. 

I used several shades of blue to create a nice, tranquil vibe.  Perfect for enjoying my beautiful backyard.

Thank you to all who supported me in this competition and continue to support me through this blog.  You guys make me feel like a winner!  {I fully recognize the cheesiness of that last statement but it's true.}

The good news is, now that I'm out I have lots more time to dedicate to The Creative Vault and re-opening my shop for the first time in 3 years.  That should be fun.  

Oh yeah... and I may have a fun Harry Potter Week in store too so stay tuned!

Antique Week: Clocks and Books

From the looks of a lot of the pins I see on Pinterest there is a big fan base for all things books.  Here are some more to add to the drool pile. 

There were so many on my parents shelves to choose from but these were my favorites of the day:

The Practical Guide To Health by Frederick M. Rossiter, B.S., M.D.,  1913

{From top to bottom}

Jean Valjean from Victor Hugo's Les Miserables edited by Sara E. Wiltse, 1898

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, 1944

The Rains Came A Novel of Modern India by Louis Bromfield, 1937

The Last of the Mohicans by J. Fenimore Cooper, 1897

The Prince and The Pauper by Mark Twain, 1882

The American Dictionary of the English Language by Noah Webster, 1849

Just look at this beautifully stamped leather cover!

 

An enjoyable excerpt from The Practical Guide to Heath, "Children who are indulged and who are allowed to satisfy the senses simply because it gratifies them, are early taught to live for the mere pleasure of life.  They are not taught to say, No, to the appetite.  Later in life the habit is foxed, and they become a prey to every passion and storm of the soul."

How's that for a medical book!  I'm certain Dr. Rossiter is shaking his head at my parenting skills.  A good reminder for us all, I think.

Love books but how about another picture of the insides of a beautiful clock? 

Sigh...

Jean Bean Bag Surprise

My husband and I got married just before our senior year of college.  We were poor.  So so poor.  We were living on love and prayer.  Not a bad way to live actually but it means you don't have a ton of stuff.

To solve a seating issue, I decided to make a bean bag chair.  It's pretty massive.  I used old jeans cut small squares and sewed those into 6 large squares.  The bag is actually one big cube.  At one of the big seams I used the zippers from the jeans for an opening.  Into the opening I shoved an old down comforter I wasn't using and cut up my mattress pad from sleeping on those crappy college room beds all those years for the stuffing.  Free, comfy seating.  It was great.

Here it is  -

(It's seen much better days.  You can tell it's had many years of use.) 

 

 You can imagine my shock when I heard it giggling the other day.  What in the world?!?

 "Suh-pies!"

 This thing is so old it grew a kid! 

John thinks it's time to sew up the holes.  I think it's time to say good bye and buy some actual furniture.  Maggie thinks it's perfect just the way it is.

Simple Rustic Console Table

I love building stuff.

Have you guys met Ana White yet?  Well I haven't officially met her but I'm in love with her SITE.  She's a homemaker from Alaska who builds furniture and then shares simple easy to do plans with you for FREE.  You heard me, I said the F word.  Check out her site but be prepared for your life to change.  Forever.

I became a fan of her site a long time ago and was one of her first followers.  It's been awesome to see it grow.  Pretty much I have all of her plans on my to-do list.

 

Recently I used her plans to make the Simple Rustic Console Table.  I had 5 (count 'em, 5!) junk areas in and around my kitchen/dining area.  I was feeling sad because my house was constantly messy.  Shoes were strewn all over the floor.  Bills, paperwork, coupons, magazines and toys everywhere.  Good luck trying to find your keys in the heap.  This wonderful table took me less than 2 hours to make (including paint), cost me about $40 (including baskets, they were on clearance after Easter, score!) and has made me happy ever since.  I can see my floor again.  And my dining room table.

Laying out my boards to see what it should look like.  I adjusted the plans to make mine about 5 inches shorter than the original plans.  I have Lowes cut all my wood for me.  All I have to do is tell them where.  It's great!

Built and ready for paint.

All the instruction I needed to complete the whole thing.  It really is easier than it looks.  Ana has nice printout instructions but I don't have a printer and I work better off my caveman drawings anyway.

All done!  Doesn't it just fit perfectly here?

Did I mention I love building stuff?

_________________________