Kitchen Nook for the Newly Weds

Hi Everyone!

 I hope you are all having a wonderful, creative, summer. We just visited our home country, South Africa, in April and May, and I came back all enthusiastic to do STUFF!!

But first, I need to catch up on showing some older projects that got "Left Behind".

About a year ago, when my son and his new wife were getting ready to move into their own place, I saw these cute chairs at Savers, for $5 each. They reminded me of a bentwood chair, but were metal (of course...geez, wouldn't it be a bargain if it was a real bentwood chair...).

This picture was taken after I had already spray painted the frame. It was a bad paint job with beige paint before. The plastic cover screamed "family with small children!" , and somehow I did not think it would fly with my two newly weds. They are very young, and still have a lot of adventures planned before parenthood "cramps their style". 

Luckily I had this sweet fabric that I got a while before that. I intended to add splashes of yellow, grey and aqua to my living room at one point, but somehow never got around to it.

Covering the seats was an easy job, thanks to my handy dandy staple gun.

Pretty, isn't it?

I bet you spotted the turquoise piece of table in the pic, right? How could I not make the table turquoise? It was perfect!! 

I bought this table at  Goodwill years ago.

     It began its new life in my home with a pretty red, distressed coat. In the early years I never painted with a brush, always spray painted. Now it's just the opposite. But, all this to say, this table was spray painted red and glazed with black. If I could find out how to add a link with my iPad, I would link you to that post, but, until I learn how, you will just have to either believe me or go look for it on my blog. ( sorry!!)

I loved it just like that for many years, but now it was time for a change yet again.

I painted it with paint I already had on hand. It came in handy, since we were also moving, and I wanted to get rid of some of my open paint containers.

Of course it also got some very light distressing and a smudge of charcoal glaze.

...and there it is! A fresh, sweet breakfast nook for the newly weds! ( the fourth chair was late, and could unfortunately not make it in time for the picture.. ;). )

Spot the chaos of moving boxes in the background.

I'm very happy how this little set turned out. So bright and cheerful, don't you think? 

Well, hopefully this inspired you into some action, if you needed a little kick in the bee hind! 

                                        Cheers!!

                                        

                                      Suzanne.....

                              

Faux Pewter Desk

 Hi Girls! (Guys, Dudes, Peeps, Friends, Ladies, and Gentlemen)

I know I promised I would post about another French desk next..but you know better than to believe me by now, right? I also said I was going to stop saying the F word on occasion, drink less wine, eat less, and work out more. Bwhahahaha!
Although, I did join CrossFit and am going three times a week, and it turns out I love it! Who knew I was such a masochist ? LOL
One of these days I will be posting pictures of me in my bikini showing off my muscles...
Don't worry! Just kidding! (maybe..)

This is yet another desk, and I am using my standard before picture, because, well, they all look like this more or less...
And yes, I totally planned it this way. I did not forget the before picture...

 

I have been drooling over these kinds of pieces at Worldmarket..

So, I decided to combine the two effects and ended up with this:

I had some trouble with getting the wood part exactly like I envisioned, and I settled for this look, which almost looks like rusted metal to me.

I know, the more professional furniture transformers out there would have practised on a small piece until they got it right, but as our own dear Miss Sweet Brown so

 aptly put it : " Ain't Nobody got Time for That!"   LOL.

 For the drawers and top I used the last of the textured wallpaper that bought about 8 years ago at Lowes. What a great buy that was!  I really hope I can find some more somewhere. It has the look of ceiling tile, don't you think?

 Of course it was white when I put it on, and I  primed and sprayed it with Rustoleum Metallic Silver after the glue had dried.

Then I painted on some charcoal tinted glaze, and wiped it off with a dry rag. ( I'm guessing son no 2 won't be wearing his "holy" underpants again..lol)

 

 It really gives the impression of pewter, don't you think?

 

 The knobs are from Hobby Lobby. At less 50% they were almost as cheap as buying a mish mash at Habitat Restore.

For the middle drawer,  I used an old pull I got off another piece and just painted it to match.

 

 

Of course I sealed it all with a couple layers of MinWax Policrylic.

 

I have to admit that I am really pleased with the end result...

Won't mind keeping it for myself...

 

Ok! Let me hear those comments!

Love

Suzanne

xoxo



Silver Buffet

Happy New Year Everyone!
May 2013 be a wonderful year for you all. I am confident that this will be the year of goals reached, dreams come true, and resolutions kept...  
{well, two out of three won't be bad, would it? ;-) }

Just look at this cool piece I bought easily a year ago on Craigslist. I think it would have looked very nice just like this, but unfortunately the veneer was chipping in places. So, I did not have to debate with myself very long whether to paint or not to paint. Pshhh! As if ......

I decided to try some version of the currently popular silver/metallic/mirror furniture. Only I wanted to do the cheapest version possible, of course.  That's why I used spray paint again for the first time in a long, long while. Also because of the many small grooves on the two bottom drawers.

I primed with Krylon grey primer,

and sprayed with Metallic Silver.

It was very shiny....

After this I applied a little bit of charcoal glaze. You can see the difference in the picture above. The bottom drawer has not been glazed yet.

Can you guess how I got this "stencil" effect above?

I really thought that I was the clever brain behind this technique, 

but alas, of course some other clever brain apparently thought of the same thing, because I saw it on Pinterest afterwards...

In case you have not seen this before, it is spray paint over a lace tablecloth.

 Isn't it awesome?

I really liked the hardware, and even debated to leave them bronze, but decided to spray paint them black instead.

Here is the final result...

I like it, but decided to try the silver leaf next time.

I think it would have looked really nice with the very shiny surface it gives you.

But, since my offset point is Craigslist, I try to always stay within a certain price bracket.

A sweet young couple bought it a week later. I saw the couch and chair they got on Craigslist on the same day, and I'm sure it is going to look awesome in their new home.

That's it, for now, but "tune in" to see my "Breakfast at Tiffany's" dresser soon!
Happy Thrifting!

Joining:

  

Ugly Light Fitting Repurposed

You all know and have seen these old ugly lights at Goodwill...they are a dime a dozen everywhere.
I bought two a veeeery long time ago, thinking I could make cool chandeliers out of them...

This was the one after my (unsuccessful attempt).

It used to be one of those copper colored lights with the glass shades.

I turned the "arms" up, sprayed it ORB, and added little black shades.

Somehow it still did not do it for me, so back in the closet it went, for about another year. 

When I saw what this very clever gal from Dreaming in Color did with her old light fitting, I just had to try it, too.

With the help of some blue spray paint, Gorilla Glue, and my grandmother's little desert plates, I transformed it into this....

The little bowl on the top is not glued on, so that it can either be used to hold mints, or teaspoons, or it can be removed to just use the plate underneath.

 And here it is with some yummy Baklava snacks...

The fake pearls just add a touch of whimsy.

Hope you like it!

Happy Haunting!

Joining all these parties

Tween Room Reveal

The Room has been done for a while now, but I am so busy packing, that I have not had a chance to show it to you.
    In case you missed it.....I am busy packing ...
Off to the beach in two days! LALALALALA!

I know, it doesn't take a whole lot to get me exited. But I can't wait!
The Princess and I are going to take the day tomorrow to celebrate the end of the schoolyear, as well as our homeschooling journey. (For now)
She is going to attend a wonderful charter school that just opened up a branch near us.
 But, more about that in another post. (Or not...)

Now, on to the room...

 The pink paint is Silk Ribbon by Behr Premium Plus.

That is the one with the paint and primer in one. We left the top lime green like in the old room, because I was lazy, and I thought it would look OK.

 The bedding is just from Walmart, and not exactly what I was looking for, but close enough and in my price range.

Do you remember the black Bureau from this post?

 The Eiffel Tower Vinyl is from Hobbie Lobby, and the posters came from my bathroom.

You know what that means, right? I see a bathroom makeover in my future...

This little shelf I've had forever...it has been in almost every room in the house now.

The little purses I've collected a few years back...also from my bathroom.

This stunning little black metal table was one of my very first Goodwill buys, a long, long time ago.

I have never really had a place for it, but now it has found its home. Isn't it pretty? I did not even do anything to it. 

 The opposite wall with hat hooks, and frame transformed into blackboard (from my laundry room)

Notice the empty window. I have sprayed the rod and rings silver, but am waiting for the right thriftstore find in window coverings.

You can read about the corner cabinet here and the vanity here

 The big black hooks with her jewelry on, were earlier Goodwill finds that we "shopped the house" for.

 The mirror was a donation by a friend, and used to look like this...

I sprayed it with ORB and rubbed it with silver.

One more wall to go...

The chicken wire hat, shoes and purse was a gift from a friend, who was cleaning house and getting rid of stuff in her garage. (yeah me!)

 The pink shoe I got at a flea market in South Africa when I visited back home a couple years back.

It was rusted metal, but I sprayed it gloss hot pink.

And lastly, the chandelier....

 It used to look like this....

Sorry about the overload of pictures, but I hope you get the idea.

So, basically the only things I bought especially for the new room, were the pink paint and the bedding.

What do you think?

"Grown up" enough for a wanna be Teen?

   Thanks for looking!

                                                                                                

Joining:

Motivated Monday

Please look at my "Parties" Page to see all the parties I join weekly.