Globe Lamp

I needed one more gift for the husband.  I was wondering our local thrift store and scored this globe for $3.99.  It was only the globe, the stand was long gone.  It took some effort to pry the two pieces apart, but with patience they came apart.  I purchased the accent beads at Hobby Lobby.  The lamp was something I already had, actually I bought it 13 years ago for $.99.  I sprayed it a light cream.  Voila, easy Christmas gift!

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Sort of a Fire Place

In our house, we do not have a fire place.  It is a bummer, especially now that little E knows what Santa Clause is, and Christmas is coming!  Last year, my friend at Sew Homegrown made an amazing Faux Fireplace (See it here!).  I was inspired to create a place to hang stockings in our home.  I did not want to spend much, so I went shopping in my own home. 

Before:

Not bad, but not "fireplacey" (that's a word . . .)

After:

Still not a "fireplace" but I feel like it it a great place to hang stockings this Christmas!  The wooden shelf hung in my parent's house for a long time, and my mom gave it to me several years ago.  I could not come up with a use for it until now.

The stained glass was a gift from my husband several years ago, and the candlesticks were from a local garage sale.  The plate was a wedding gift I have not displayed yet, and the cement balls were from a long closed junk store on the Southside.  My new favorite is this:

Last week, I went to Hartselle, AL, and was drawn into a 70% off everything going out of business sale!!!  This beautiful crewelwork was $16!  It is dated 1931.

The blue vases are featured in an earlier post (Vases Before and After).  I think they add a good punch of color.

Oh, we added a dog, Miss Pickles, last week also . . . .you can see her basket next to the dresser!

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Vases Before and After

I found these beauties at the local thrift store for $1.39.  They were originally $1.39 each, but they were 50% off.  What a deal!  (But wow, they are bad!)   There is some damage, the flower is missing off the boy vase and the arm is missing off the girl vase.

  

 

One coat of primer, and they are already looking better!!!

 

I am pretty happy with these.  I had this turquoise blue at home already, and went with it.  I have big plans for these in my living room!  Stay tuned!

Repairing Veneer on a Painted Piece

You may remember this disaster.  The veneer clearly got wet sometime in the past and had bubbled up.  So, time to fix it!

  

 

Thanks Pinterest!  I cannot find the link now, but I saw another blog that suggested using veneer edging for repair.  I used a box cutter to cut out all of the area that was no longer attached to the wood below, it was fairly easy.  The Lowes near me did not carry iron on veneer edging, so I purchased this from Amazon.com.  The color of the veneer does not matter, because I am painting over it.  I went with a lighter color, just in case.

 

I just measure on the spot, and only used half of the veneer.  It very easily glued down with the iron.  The box cutter easily cut it.  Luckily, this veneer was the same depth as the original veneer, and only needed one layer.   It did shrink a tiny amount once it dried, and you can see the seems.  That is okay because:

I puttied in all the cracks anyways!  Next, I will sand the entire piece again, and onto primer.

I plan to paint it a bright white, with a blue off center stripe (thanks Classy Clutter for the paint idea).  I found some awesome patina brass drawer pulls at the Decatur Habitat for Humanity (ReStore) for $1 each.  This piece had no pulls when I found it.  Here is what it looked like when I found it: Oh So Dirty Dresser.

Thanks for stopping by!  Leave a comment if you have any creative ideas for this chest!

Oh So Dirty Dresser Before

 Here is the new project!  I want to replace the bad (however, free) 1980s dresser in out bedroom.  I picked up this beauty at the Gardendale Flea Market in the &Whatnot booth (&Whatnot FB).

The main structure appears to be a basic cheap plywood dresser.  At some point someone added the details, they are solid wood.  At least this is my guess, because it really does not make sense.  I have never seen a cheap dresser with curved detail. 

The top is in BAD shape:

I am going to cut a section of the veneer out, and hopefully use my Pinterest skills to repair it . . .

Any ideas on color?  Design?  Out room has pale blue walls, dark furniture, and an embroidered leaf print white bedspread.  Maybe I will paint a graphic leaf on it, who knows!  Ideas welcome!

Child's Hutch Before

 

This is my new project in all of her hideously dirty glory.   I saw her online at the Decatur, Alabama Habitat for Humanity Re-Store (https://www.facebook.com/DecaturReStore?fref=ts).  My wonderful parents picked her up for me.  They were told that a man brought in the hutch and said it was his sister (or mothers, not sure) and was at least 60 years old.  It was handmade for the woman as a child. It is child sized, and less than three feet tall.  It is made primarily from plywood. 

There is a chance it was in a barn for 50 years, considering all of the funk on it. There was a dirt dauber nest and at least three spider egg sacks (no spiders, thank God).

 Above is just one swipe down the side . . .

I used warm water mixed with a small amount of Murphy's Oil Soap to clean it up.  It took four changes of water, and an assistant to get it finished.

(Don't worry, she was supervized with this bucket of water the whole time.)
After a cleaning:

I plan to replace the hinges and paint the piece.  I am undecided if I will keep it or sell it to a good home!  If anyone is interested in this piece, please e-mail me.  I can customize the color and design for you. 

Wall Bust Before and After

I am trying to work on new before/after projects.  I found this gem at America's Thrift Store in Fultondale, Alabama.

 

Yeah, that is velvet, and terrible.   I ripped the velvet off (it was marked on the back with 1976 and "given to my grand daughter 2011," looks like grand daughter dumped this beauty.)

I washed it with dawn in the sink (after ripping the lovely smelling velvet off), and let it dry.  I coated it with one coat of white Valspar primer spray paint.  When it was dry, I applied two coats of glossy white spray paint.  AND . . . 

 

100% better, and less than $12.00.