The “Free” Waterfall Chest of Drawers

Have you ever surfed the “free” category on Craigslist?  Well don’t.  It’s addicting! 

The siren call of getting something for nothing can be hard to overcome.  I know, because I spent several weeks checking it obsessively for something wonderful.

The hard part is, if you’re not willing to get in the car and go someplace RIGHT NOW, you’re going to miss out on the wonderful stuff.

And mostly, the wonderful stuff…really isn’t.

As my mother said, “If it sounds too good to be true…it probably is!”

But here’s my story!

This is the end result of a pretty little waterfall dresser I picked up FOR FREE! 

When the ad popped up, I excitedly e-mailed the owner, only to find that it had already been spoken for.  <sigh>  Much to my delight, the freeloader before me prior interested party was a no-show, and I was next on the list!

This is what it looked like when I got it.

Not bad, right?  There were a few chips and dings, and the finish was old and faded, but all the drawers and hardware were there…I picked it up without looking a gift horse in the mouth!

When I got it home, the hidden problems became apparent.  A couple of the drawers were pretty much held together with spit and baling wire, and I think all the drawer guides, slides, and whatsits were missing.

But the exterior was really in such good condition that I couldn’t bring myself to paint it!  So instead, I sanded off the old finish coat and used General Finishes Gel Stain to bring the wood back to life.

Look at this detail!

The problem was that fixing the drawers to work properly was really beyond me.  I could cobble them back together so contents didn’t fall out the cracks, but I really didn’t have a clue how to construct new wood slides and guides.

So this was a piece I chose NOT to take with me to the barn sale.  It did go to a new home via Craigslist yesterday, but of course I had to be completely honest about the condition of the drawers.  I felt bad that I couldn’t really restore it to full usefulness and beauty.

But hey…it cured me of cruising the “free” category on Craigslist…at least for a little while!

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Another Clock Table

My love affair with clocks is not over!

  My first clock coffee table has been one of my most popular projects, and I also made a clock patio table here.  But this new one…may just be my favorite!

When I came across this little solid wood piece at Goodwill, it had to come home with me. 

You can see that while the finish is mostly in good shape, there were a few places where it had definitely seen better days!

Thank goodness it didn’t matter for what I had in mind for it! 

I painted it with a homemade chalk paint mixture, and then came the fun part…

I raided my paint stash for all the greys, browns, whites, and creams I had…and I didn’t care whether I was working with latex or acrylic!  I just wanted layers and layers of color.

I created my graphics with my Silhouette, and painted those on with black latex paint.

Then I went to town with distressing it and making it look “old.”

This was a piece I took with me to the barn sale, but I brought it home.  Maybe everyone doesn’t love clocks as much as I do, or maybe round coffee tables are harder to work with!

Whatever the reason…I don’t mind hanging on to it for a little while longer…but it is on Craigslist if you’re in the Seattle area!

 

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Linking up here:

The Inspiration Exchange	Elizabeth & Co.
Primitive & Proper	Thrifty Décor Chick
Friday Remodelaholic	The Scoop!
Funky Junk’s Saturday Night Special	The DIY Show Off Miss Mustard Seed
Beyond the Picket Fence	Coastal Charm
Knick of Time	Domestically Speaking
Perfectly Imperfect	No Minimalist Here
Common Ground	My Repurposed Life
From My Front Porch to Yours	A Little Knick Knack

All that Stuff in The Barn!

I had to pop in just for a moment on this busy, busy morning…

As you know, last week I participated in “The Barn” Vintage Market hosted by Ruffles & Rust in Snohomish, Washington.  It was my first-ever market in Washington, and only the fourth one I’ve ever participated in!  It was by far the busiest, and what fun!

The first 90 minutes of the show were crazy.  I think they said about 800 people came through, and I think at least 650 of them were in that first hour and half!

I came home with less than half of the stuff I went with.  I basically sold out of all my “smalls,” and even though I have several big pieces left, I’m OK with that—just means I’ll have some things to list on Craigslist!

Here’s a peek of what I brought!

The “No 7” breadboard, the covered basket, the little aqua chalkboard, the French box, the black secretary…all sold.  I brought home the little black rocking chair; I think it needs to be a brighter color.  But then…the little aqua table was PLENTY bright, and I brought it home too, although it was oohed and aahed over by a ton of people!

I took one of my Farmhouse tables, and although it didn’t sell, I had inquiries for two custom tables.  The white benches on either side sold, plus I think everything on the table except the long green bench in the back!  I sold the little red compass nightstand and the checkerboard coffee table.  I did not sell the pink dresser on the left, but I was never that crazy about it.  It’s probably due for a re-re-do.

The tall shelf on the right is one I built, and it sold right away!  I think I had it priced too low    I sold the little aqua organizer, but not much else from this corner.  Go figure!

Here’s a closer look at the little rocking chair…this one sold fast.  It had the cutest little drawer under the seat!

This is a lousy picture of a little table and two chairs that I took, but I wish I had had several of them!  On the right side is a little gray storage bench that also went quickly.

I was able to spread out “across the aisle,” and that was a lifesaver because I had SO MUCH STUFF!  The little aqua upholstered bench went to someone who was just going to re-upholster it!  The base was originally part of an Ethan Allen coffee table.  I removed the top—it was long and awkward—and cut a new top out of OSB to make a bench out of it.

I took another one of my French Chocolate coffee tables, but it didn’t sell.  Peeking out underneath is the cutest “First Aid” box I finished, inspired by this one from Home Road (I’ll have to see if I can find a better picture of it later).  I was SO sad to see it go!

Here you can see a peek of a little table made from a vintage treadle sewing machine base.  I love the look of the graphic on top!  I added a shelf beneath after seeing this one from Full Circle Creations.

Although I took my beloved card catalog, it didn’t sell…I wasn’t willing to just give it away!  I sold everything else on or around it though.  In fact, the Milk and Cream lazy susan was my first sale!

I really had a great time doing this sale, and it was made possible by wonderful help from a dear friend, a sister, a daughter, and a son.  THANK YOU to them all.

Now this morning I need to get off the computer and ready to take my family ON VACATION!  I’m super excited to take a BREAK from the garage and just concentrate on my husband and kids for a few days. 

See you next week!

 

Today I…

Today I…

• Cleaned the garage
• Went to Lowe’s and bought $150 worth of wood.
• Built a table.
• Dis-assembled and then re-glued and re-assembled a bench base.
• Cut a new top for a different bench (a new life for an old coffee table).
• Went to Costco.
• Built the sides for a 6-foot shelf.
• Cooked dinner for guests.
• Sanded and stained the table I built this morning.
• Sanded and gel-stained the base for bench #2.
• Re-upholstered the top for bench #1.
• Cut foam and batting for bench #2.

Someone please tell me…why do I do this to myself??

5 more days until…

Chevron Bench

I have been feeling left behind.

I hadn’t painted a chevron pattern on anything!

I can now happily affirm that I have jumped on the bandwagon with this little bench!

It started out life as a plain little pine bench, picked up at a garage sale.  After a light sanding, I painted it with yellow left over from the office project (SW Bee’s Wax). 

I used wide painter’s tape to mark off a chevron pattern, and then painted over the top with some homemade chalk paint.  Then of course—I had to beat if up a bit!

I think it’s a fun little piece!  It will be going with me to The Barn sale hosted by Ruffles & Rust on Saturday!

Stool 17

One week from today I will be setting up for The Barn Vintage Market!  I have been working like crazy to get pieces ready.  As my garage empties out…my dining room is filling up!

I love to take little “accent” pieces with me to these sales—small items that can sit in a corner, but don’t cost too much or take up too much real estate in a home. 

This little stool was picked up at an estate sale.  It was  perfect candidate for trying out a MMS Milk Paint sample I ordered earlier this summer.  I used two coats (and that used pretty much every drop), and followed it up with dark wax. 

The jury is out on milk paint for me—I like the finish just fine, but I’m not crazy about the cost or the runny-ness.  I do love the MMS wax!  I have a few other samples to use on other projects.

I actually put something down before painting on the kitchen table!  That’s a big deal for me!

Naturally I had to “embellish” the top a little.  This led to a long discussion over what number would be the “prettiest” to use.  My daughter thinks I’m nuts, but what else is new??

What about you…do you think some numbers are prettier than others?

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The Inspiration Exchange	Elizabeth & Co.
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Knick of Time	Domestically Speaking
Perfectly Imperfect	No Minimalist Here
Common Ground	My Repurposed Life
From My Front Porch to Yours	A Little Knick Knack

For the Birds: a dining set

My dining room has been “full” for a little while again, and it has been so nice!  A friend of mine was moving and didn’t want to take her dining set with her…and I just happened to be willing to take it off her hands!

The sad part is that I canNOT find my “before” pictures.  I remember taking them…really I do!  But they are not to be found, either on my phone or my camera.

Suffice it to say that the finish on the top of the table was utterly shot, one of the chairs had a large hole in the caning, and the seat cushions were stained and dog-hairy.

This version, I think, is much better!

I will admit it took me a looonnnggg time to finish this project!  I got the table top stained and the body and chairs painted, and then they sat…and sat…and sat.  It was WEEKS before I replaced the caning (using my tried-true kitchen tools, as shown here)  put the poly on the top and glazed and distressed everything else.

I don’t know why I waited so long!

I love the pretty legs on this piece.

And I really love the seat fabric!  I ordered it from Fabric. com here (it’s called Richloom Birdwatcher Meadow).  I am such a sucker for birds, and I think the whole dining set re-do was just an excuse to use this fabric!  If you love the fabric like I do…they have a couple other color options.  I chose to go with the more “neutral” one, but my heart was really pulled toward the Meadow colorway. 

You can see my Milk & Cream lazy susan made an appearance on the newly finished table…it’s always fun to put a few new things together!

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Linking up here:

The Inspiration Exchange	Elizabeth & Co.
Primitive & Proper	Thrifty Décor Chick
Friday Remodelaholic	The Scoop!
Funky Junk’s Saturday Night Special	The DIY Show Off Miss Mustard Seed
Beyond the Picket Fence	Coastal Charm
Knick of Time	Domestically Speaking
Perfectly Imperfect	No Minimalist Here
Common Ground	My Repurposed Life
From My Front Porch to Yours	A Little Knick Knack

Milk & Cream

With The Barn sale less than three weeks away, panic has finally set in.  I’ve been working like crazy on the stacks and stacks of projects in my garage—usually working at least a little bit on five or more projects a day for the last four days!  That means there is lots of stuff that is nearing completion, but not quite there yet.

However, I thought I’d check in and show how I used this cute graphic from Angie of Knick of Time Interiors.  I picked up an IKEA lazy susan (this one) at an estate sale a few weeks ago, and I thought it needed a little more personality.

It was such a simple project!  I use Vaseline to create the chippy effect, and in the end, I thought it looked a little cow-ish, which seemed appropriate.

One down…72 to go!!