If you're crafty and you know it...

So this weekend, my entire house has been sick - ugh!  So, I took a break from refinishing furniture, but I could not resist a little bit of organizing...  what a weirdo, huh?!?

So, I tackled a cabinet that we purchased a long time ago.  It has made the rounds in our house, and has temporarily been in every room except the bathrooms.  Today, it made its way to the master bedroom.

See, I am a crafty girl, but what used to be my craft closet has been taken over by Barbies and Zhu Zhu Pets.  So, I had moved all my craft supplies out to a cabinet in the garage.  But, my creativity felt stifled by the absence of paint stained brushes and sewing projects...  So, I decided to turn this confused computer armoire into a craft station...

It now has a handy little area for my sewing machine, thread and other supplies (thanks to my *awesome* hubby who moved the thread holders from a Craigslist sewing cabinet to this one.  We plan to make that sewing cabinet into a computer station for the kids, but more on that later...)

And, it is emberassingly strange how excited I am to have all my paints finally in the same place!  They now reside snugly in one of the drawers...

Also, the shelves on top give lots of storage space for antique pricing guides, how to books, and baskets full of crafting supplies.  My brushes are the most important things to have near-instant access to.

And what would a new arrangement be without a little something quirky... This pig is an ADORED gift from my oldest sister and the perfect place for needles, rulers, and pins that otherwise would be *everywhere*!

Now, if I only had the energy left to go craft something... Oh well, there is always tomorrow...

Seeing the Diamond in the Rough...

So Craigslist can be a scary, scary place that can be overwhelming to navigate.  At times, Craigslist is a treasure trove of amazing deals on vintage, one-of-a-kind items.  Other times, it is a whole bunch of garage sale rejects that get my germ radar to humming just by looking at their pictures.

However, a few weeks ago, I saw this listing for a vanity & bed frame, and it caught my interest.  However, the seller wanted too much, and the weather was funky, so I ignored the listing.  However, a week later the listing was still in the back of my mind and available.

 However, when we got there it had this *hideous* brown finish that frightened me.  What I thought was creamy white furniture that just needed a tune up (wipedown and handle change) now needed a major overhaul.  It looked more like this:

I think I physically gagged when I got out of the truck.  However, there was potential.  The furniture was old... It was even built with biscuit joints and wood peg construction and was sporting some FABULOUS antique casters on the bed frame, so I bit the bullet and brought it home.

I got to work with my Oh-So handy sander... I have spent so much time with this one tool that I might have to will it to someone when I die :)  Let me know if you're interested...

As soon as some of the finish left, the potential was so overwhelming...

Here is the finished product.  Drumroll please...

We were going for this lovely creamy but still a little rustic finish.

The vintage glass knobs were a Ebay find.  Love them!

So now I am off to redo an entire room to find room for my newest find... That is, if I can stay away from Craigslist long enough... *sigh*

I've had enough...

I am the child of a "junking" mother... I spent a large amount of my childhood making steeples with my hands in antique stores so that I would not dare break some priceless heirloom.

The result of this upbringing is an adult who *covets* vintage furniture and NATURAL wood.  But, I had to draw the line in my kitchen... It was wood toned floor, wood toned table and chairs, wood toned island.  Brown, brown, and yes, you guessed it... More brown!

To break up some of the brown, I decided to apply my favorite shade of turquoise to my bar stools. 

I forgot to take the before picture, but you can tell in this picture what I was working with...

See, the barstools were fine before.  But... They just did not fit our style - which we have lovingly coined "Redneck Chic".  Not contemporary, not country, not shabby chic.  A little bit of all of the above.  Kinda like Pottery Barn with a deer hanging on the wall :)

So to transform the stools, I first gave them a good sanding with a high grit sand paper, and then dry brushed them with that dark, gorgeous turqoise paint. 

I loved the weathered and worn finish that gave, and had a hard time moving on from this point.  But, knowing that these stools are the favorite perch of my two angels, I then applied two coats of satin poly-eurathane. 

Poly always has a way of deepening the color of a paint job, and here, it definitely did just that.  So the final product was this... So happy with the splash of color in my kitchen now!

Does anyone else have a piece of furniture that is getting under their skin?  Have paintbrush, will travel...

Snowed in...

In the past few days, we have had a serious winter storm in North Texas.  We have had cancelled school, cancelled work, and little to no opportunity to get out of the house.  

Anyone who knows me well, knows that being trapped in my house for four days with nothing but a paintbrush for entertainment is a dangerous, dangerous thing.  So I started out by refinishing this table that I found on Craig's List for $40.  (Yes, I said FORTY dollars!)

When we picked it up, it looked just plain awful... it was several different finishes, drawing on the top, and a mysterious red substance that we are going to pretend was *GUM*.  Any suggestions that it was anything else will be ignored!

So we cleared out the garage, and started sanding.  And then we sanded.  And then sanded some more...

Afterwards, we applied a a unique mix of walnut and oak stain and varnish until we ended up with something we both loved.  I have to say it was worth the sore back and fingertips!

*LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the detail on the side*

Well worth the $40, don't you think?!?