From Armoire to Craft/sewing/work Station

Hello Again!

Remember me? Won't blame you if you don't.

Things have been C.R.A.Z.Y. here, to say the least! I have one son getting married, another going to senior prom and graduating, and a 38 hour flight to South Africa, for a long overdue vacation with my sisters, all taking place the last two weeks of May! Oi ! In between trying to get organized for the above mentioned events, I have also tried to get a few projects done. All of which have resulted in Yours Truly being very behind in all things domestic!

 Suffice to say that I am just a teeeensy bit stressed out right about now. Not to mention the fact that I am about to be  " Mother of the Groom"! O my goodness, that even sounds wrong! Wasn't it yesterday that I was the bride? What do I wear, by the way? All the "Mother of the Groom-ish" outfits reminds me of the Queen-mother, for some reason. I am not ready to look like the Queen-mother!

Anywoo...enough of that.

This is my latest project:

BEFORE...                                                                   AFTER                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                           

Armoire bought on Craigslist

Transformed into Craft Station

The front doors were Modge Podged with fabric I had , and two small chalk boards

above serve to write inspiring words, messages, etc. on.

The side ...is the result of many, many attempts,  "colorful language",and time spent coloring .

This was one of the less successful attempts....

Yes, I ran out of painter's tape, and used red duct tape...

The inside is what I am the most proud of:

I replaced the back with peg board, that I painted black,

and put hooks, a rod for gift wrap or ribbon, and baskets up.

An empty coffee container and tuna can, decoupaged in the same pattern, serve as fun "hold alls".

The inside of one door was painted in chalk board paint, for messages and reminders, and the inside of the other door has a cork board for pictures, etc.

The outside is home made black chalk paint.

Did you notice the knobs? I modged podged the two bottom ones with the same fabric, and replaced the top ones with the black squirlies..

Do you think this will make some woman happy?

 I hope so!

I'm selling it on Craigslist.

I am joining these parties....

French Label Dresser

Hi! Hello! And Happy New Year to All! I hope everyone had a wonderful festive season, and that all the new years resolutions are still in tact..

I'm just going to skip right ahead and show you my latest project...

I found this beauty at my local Goodwill....is it just me, or is she beautiful ?

If I wasn't such a paint freak, I probably would have liked her just as she was....or maybe not...

Anyway, there is a stamp on that says Italian Marquee by Kent Coffey.

So, in the wake of all the nice French lettering and labels, etc I have been seeing on blogs lately, I just had to go visit The Graphics Fairy to find a nice french label or something to put on this dame.

This is what I came up with.

This is my third piece I have done with homemade chalk paint, and I LOVE it! 

I use 1/3 plaster of paris and 2/3 paint...and it works wonderfully! No sanding or priming...really!

The finish is a little course, and if you want a smooth finish, you would probably have to sand with fine sandpaper between coats as well as after, but I liked the look, since it was supposed to look worn and a little chipped.

So, after two coats of homemade chalk paint, I had to wait for night time, so I could use my new handy dandy little Tracer art projector.

I printed a small, (5"x5") copy of the label on Graphic Fairie's blog, put it under the projector, and started tracing the lines with a sharpie. I went over it afterwards with a paint pen, but apparently you don't even have to do that...the sharpie will stay put.

Once the ink dried, I applied a brown tinted glaze, and wiped off, to get the above effect.

Then a little sanding and distressing. 

I used the original hardware, because I liked it, and just sprayed with Oil Rubbed bronze.

 With the hardware on, I thought that painting the top black would look much nicer, and I think I was right! Don't you agree? As a finishing coat I applied two layers of Minwax Finishing Wax..just the clear. It gives the piece a nice, satin sheen.

I'm very happy with how this turned out, and can't wait to use my little Tracer again! What will it be next? 

The child bench, the bulky dresser, or the telephone table?  Hmmm.....Stay tuned! 

Love,

Suzanne

Linking up to these and other parties:

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Frenchy Armoire

Hi Again..

Remember the "before" picture I showed you in my previous post? A "Preview of Coming Attractions" of sorts? Of course you do, you clever so-and so.

But just in case you wanted to see it again, here it is...

The lock was broken, and the doors would not stay closed.That was fixed easily enough by a trip to Ace Hardware. I did not worry about the lock. Just pried it off and filled the hole with wood filler.

I decided to try the Glidden 2 in 1 Paint and Primer , in black. After usinng the Cabinet Transformations kit in my previous post , I wondered how a regular deglosser off the shelf would work instead of sanding.

I think it worked fine ,  but I don't think I will do it again. I still feel a light sanding is better.

So, after two coats of black paint, a black glaze and  some sanding to distress, this is what it looks like.

 I really liked the french writing I have been seeing on quite a few blogs now, and wanted to incorporate it in this project.The door panels were so narrow, I couldn't do a decent design on them, plus , wouldn't it have looked funny to have it repeated four times?

 I remembered that I still had wall paper with french writing on.

I think it worked great..

  I also sanded and glazed the paper a little bit, to give it an older look.

Did you notice thehandles? I bought them a year back at the Habitat Restore.

One last look:

Before..             

After

Hope you like it, too!