Gun cabinet "repurpose."

I saw a picture online of a "repurposed" gun cabinet and thought...cruuuuuud! I see those ALL the time at auctions and they go for nothing. Dang! NOW I know what I could do with one!

Lo and behold, the very next week, I found one at an auction!

Structurally it was pretty sound. Just needed a little TLC!

First, I gave it a good cleaning...usually a dish detergent and water does the trick. I CAREFULLY removed the sliding glass doors, popped the back off, removed the gun rack shelf and hardware then I painted the entire piece with homemade chalk paint. A little "distressing" to give it that "farmhouse" vibe.

My go-to recipe for homemade chalk paint is 3 tablespoons of plaster of paris mixed well with 1 1/2 tablespoons of water...then add one cup of flat latex paint...mix well. I usually only mix up what I am going to need for a project since it really doesn't store well!

After I painted the entire cabinet, I added three shelves. I painted those with latex paint since I didn't "distress" them.

The new back is "paint stained" bead board. I used the same process to "stain" it as I used on THIS cabinet makeover. Water down any colored paint, brush it on the wood and immediately wipe it off.

I sealed the entire piece with a clear coat...again, I never wax! New cup pull hardware on the drawer and it is good to go!

Simple little makeover!

As you might notice, I rarely take time to "stage" a piece. More doing, less froo-frooing!

I just happen to have this little walnut clock laying around....

While I had some chalk paint mixed up I decided to give it a quick little makeover as well...similar to this wall clock.

This makeover produced all the "scrap" bead board I used on this little bee box shelf I feature here....

You may have noticed I actually did TWO posts this week. Truth is I had this one ready to go for next week and well...I wasn't paying attention. But that is okay because next week I will be in NEW YORK CITY!!!! Yippeeee...just a little mini vacation with my son Matt...seeing the sights and doing the "tourist" thing. So until week after next....

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Bee Box Shelf....

Sometimes things get "stored" in my garage and I spend a few years kicking them around.

My daughter started raising bees several years ago. She would occasionally bring home old "bee boxes" to paint.

One has been hanging out in my garage for...oh, I would say at LEAST two years. Waiting to be painted. Never happened.

In my quest to "organize" my mess of a garage I decided to purge a few things...but it is always hard for me to toss anything wood. One of my few "hoarding" tendencies.

An old bee box...scrap pieces of bead board from another project...old dresser drawer pieces...hum....what to do, what to do!?

Yep...a "bee box" shelf.

I used one side of an antique dresser drawer as the shelf and the scrap bead board for the back. A little glue...a few nails. I sanded the box and the shelf to clean them up a bit. (I could actually smell the honey!)After sanding and assembling I sprayed the entire piece with a clear coat just to seal the "chippy" paint.

Easy, peasy.

Not my style so of course it will be sold, but just a quick reminder that you can turn any old "scraps" into something pretty and functional with just a little imagination...this didn't take too much time or any expensive tools...just a saw to cut the shelf, a hammer and a little sand paper.

Next week I'll share the project that produced all the scrap bead board...another "repurposing" project!

Until then....

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MCM dresser makeover AGAIN!

I featured my personal dresser make over here!

I really love this dresser but as I mentioned in the original post, I have always regretted painting the drawer fronts. They have a little slant and as you can see in the linked post, they have a little "inlay" detail! Looking back, I wish I had stripped the drawer fronts, oiled them and just painted the cabinet and top....kind of like what I did with this dresser!

I guess I could have rolled up my sleeves and taken on the task of stripping the fronts...but honestly, you can't go back and easily undo what has been done...or can you?

If you find the exact same dresser, YES YOU CAN!!!

I happen to be driving down the street this past weekend and spotted a dresser and chest of drawers sitting out in a driveway. It just so happens they were the EXACT same style I have. I couldn't stop fast enough (annoying to the person behind me since I was hauling my 14' trailer) but was disappointed when told someone was coming to pick them up later that evening. I asked them to call me if they weren't picked up...that is when I found out they were GIVING them away...would I be willing to PAY for them? YOU BET YOUR BAZOOKA!!!! I couldn't get them in my truck fast enough. Do I feel a tad guilty that someone showed up later that evening to pick up their free furniture...only to find it gone...naaaaaa...okay just a tad.

So this is what the dresser looks like in it's original glory! A "Ward Furniture Manufacturing" dresser. It is identical to my blue one before I gave it a little makeover.

Hardly a scratch on it and the veneer was all intact and in good condition. I am always amazed when a 50 year old piece of furniture is in such amazing condition...I wish this 53 year old had faired as well!

I removed all the drawers and stripped the fronts using this process...never fails and a pretty quick process! Even though the finish was near perfect, old finishes "muddy" and "amber" over time and just removing the old finish really brings out the beauty of the piece!

TIP! When you remove drawers from a chest or dresser, make sure you label each drawer (I mark them on the underside with a pencil!)

The drawers may look identical, but truth is they may not fit properly in a different place...age and wear can make drawers "stick" if they aren't put back where they were originally!

I gave the cabinet a little KSTP treatment...Kilz, sand, tack and paint! I applied 4 coats of tung oil finish to the drawer fronts and legs...sanding (with 0000 steel wool) and tack between each coat.

I. LOVE. WALNUT. AND I. LOVE. MID CENTURY!

And now I. LOVE. THIS. DRESSER!

I didn't "dislike" the original dresser, but again, I did regret that I didn't restore the drawer fronts. Now...perfect!

As much as I would love to keep the matching chest, it will be sold. Can't keep every piece and since these aren't "valuable" MCM pieces, I don't feel too bad letting it go!

Painting dressers today so until next week....

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A new bed frame!

The last time I shared my master bedroom I had just finished the laminate flooring!

In this post I shared the "before and after" of my bedroom furniture.....

The bed was just so big and heavy and dark! Painting helped a bit, but it was still pretty big and "scrolly"...and I was just never really fond of it. For the record, I was madly in love with the entire set when I paid a fortune for it 16 years ago...but not so much these days.

It is no secret that in my OWN home, I have been slow to embrace the "country" style in large scale...mostly because I am afraid it will be a "passing fad." Not as bad as the chevron and burlap "fad" of 2014, but I worry enough about it that I am not going to start dragging my prized furniture to the garage and slathering it in chalk paint. (And for the record, it is another reason I am a HUGE advocate of sealing chalk paint with poly rather than wax...when the fad fades, you can easily repaint the pieces without having to strip the wax! And yes, you will have to strip the wax!)

What I have done is be very selective about incorporating the style into my home decor with a few pieces that I won't be too torn up about when the "fad" fades and I have to restyle them or dispose of them.

To me, that is the secret to decorating. Incorporate the latest trends in less expensive ways...decorative pillows and curtains, wall decor, small furniture, wall paint.

It is one reason I have not jumped on the painted white cabinet train...it is a HUGE undertaking...both financially and physically, and when the trend fizzles in a few years, there are going to be a lot of people not so happy with a kitchen filled with expensive painted cabinets. (For the record, I am NOT opposed to painting some kitchen cabinets...just not mine...yet!)

"But white cabinets never go out of style" you say. Well I say you obviously don't remember "honey oak" or "cherry furniture." EVERYTHING goes out of style. So be selective and proceed with caution when shelling out big bucks and Herculian effort to follow the trends! Do what you love, but think very carefully before taking on a massive Pinterest project!

Sooooo...back to the big, heavy and still too "dark" bed frame.

Since I have not been "in love" with this piece of furniture for many years, and since I have made an effort to TRY to fall in love with it again, and failed, it is time to make a change.

And here is how I did it....

Now, before you think "OMG, she bought an expensive country style bed frame," let me tell you how I did a little horse trading to get this piece without breaking the bank.

First, I bought an entire bed room set at an auction. I didn't take pictures of the bed frame, but this is the matching dresser and nightstand...

Honey oak...EEEECKKK! My least favorite wood and color. And it is certainly "not my style." But stay with me!

So it came with a mattress and boxsprings...I didn't need them so the auctioneer resold those for me...deduction number one. Then I sold my old bed frame...deduction number two. At this point, I am at "break even." The dresser and bedside tables are getting a makeover and will be sold. The frame got a little makeover for my room.

This is how I justify incorporating the latest trend in my bedroom...it didn't cost me anything but a little time and paint.

Am I madly in love with it? Umm...not really but I like that I have incorporated the latest trend with little expense and effort.

I like that it is not as big and dark and hulking as my other bed frame...simpler, smaller, different.

I do LOVE the fact that when the "country faze" finally fizzles, I will not beat myself up for disposing of an expensive piece of "trendy" furniture!

Adding elements of the current "decor craze" doesn't always entail making a big financial commitment.

Case in point....

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A few little projects....

I finally finished MOST of the projects piled in my garage...so what do I do? I go buy more!!!

Now you can barely walk through the mess. So in the next few weeks, I will have LOTS of projects to share!

This week I thought I would share a few little projects I finished up...and promptly sold. But they are good examples of taking something pretty much worthless and easily turning them into something worth having in your home...trash to treasures!

I have shared this little project in a previous post! I thought they were so cute I have been on the lookout for tripods ever since...tough to find but I did manage to score a few at auctions.

They are super simple to make and cute as a bug's ear!

I bought this little "whatever" for a song and decided to turn it into a little tv table....

The top was a "formica" kinda thing and not really worth salvaging. I had a wood top from an old table I found at the apartments, so I cut it down to fit, attached it, and then gave the entire piece a little KTSP treatment....super cute and perfect for a flat screen tv!