French Yellow Night Stands

It's back, friends... My motivation has returned!  Something about this second trimester of pregnancy has finally brought some of my normal Penny Wenny go go go attitude back.  I couldn't be happier.  I was so annoyed with my lack of interest or desire to work on any projects.  On a side note however, I have also been extremely busy with my real job at the dance studio.  I coach two competition teams there, and we are currently preparing for our upcoming competitions so I'm in crunch mode.  I can't wait to show you the finalized pieces after they have competed... these kids are gonna knock your socks off.

Anyway, please forgive me for my lack of exciting projects over the past few months and bear with me over the unexpected upcoming months.  While I do feel ambitious this week I can't promise I'll feel the same way next week.  Fair enough?

One of the best things about having your friends know that you "do furniture" is that they always call you before they dump off their trash to the DI or Goodwill.  My sweet neighbor gave me two little nightstands a while back and I finally did something with them this week.

They started as an average set of nightstands that looked dated and ready for new life.  I loved their curvy frenchy looking little legs. Typically, I love to highlight dark wooden tops but these are not super high quality and are made of MDF on the top with a super laquered faux-wood grain finish.

So shiny I could almost see myself in it.  :)  I didn't want to spend a lot of money on these, and really just wanted to use products I had on hand so that I could do the project that day when I woke up feeling surprisingly motivated.

I started by priming these babies with Kilz.  I often skip this step if I am using a paint and primer in one, but since the tops were so shiny, I really wanted to ensure a well primed surface for my paint to adhere to.

As a reminder, when working with spray paint you always want to do several light overlapping coats.  Do not try to cover the full surface in one coat or you will end with a big drippy mess.   Also, Kilz leaves a gritty texture so I like to lightly go over the dried surfaces with a fine sanders block to smooth it back out before painting.

Here's where the fun began.  I wanted to go for a color I don't usually do like my standard creams and grays.  I picked up a sunny yellow paint I had aquired in my collection from the oops section at Home Depot for $1.  I didn't want these to be childlike though, and felt that the yellow was way too bright.  I rounded up a brown I had also picked up for $1 from the oops section, and mixed a small amount of brown paint with the yellow in a plastic cup until I had a  nice mustardy yellow.

just in case you didn't believe me on the price...

I brushed on two coats of paint, right over the hardware also.

After the paint dried I lightly sanded over the high points bringing out some of the white from the primer and dark brown from the original wooden finish.

I also sanded lightly over the hardware to expose some of the original brass.

They turned out pretty cute, right?

The total cost for me was $8;  $6 for Kilz, and $2 for my oops paint (which I barely even dented so technically it was around $0.20).  Let me remind you of what my $8 did.

Before:

After:

It doesn't take a lot of $ to make fabulous pieces for your home.  Go for it friends!

~PW

Inexpensive and easy curb appeal

My sister and her husband have decided to sell their house and upgrade.  They have lived in their home for several years and have just outgrown it with their kids.  I've spent a few days at her place these past few weeks trying to help her make some simple improvements that will help them to sell it faster.  As a huge fan of HGTV's Designed to Sell, this kind of challenge was right up my alley. 

When I first pulled up to the house I knew that regardless of what she had on the agenda for us that day, I was going to try and help her spice up her curb appeal.  After all, if you don't like what you see on the outside of home why on earth waste your time even looking inside? (Or at least that's what the majority of folks think... and I can't blame them)

So, here are a few shots of what my sister's house looked like when I pulled up.

As you can see, the house is screaming for some color.  The front door hadn't really ever been painted but had what looked like an attempted first coat from back in the day that still showed brush marks and was just so wrong in color (or lack thereof).  It just looked dirty and dingy. The doormat was old and faded, the railing was chipping and completely the wrong color.

Another big problem to me was the chipping paint on their front door and garage door trim.  It needed some TLC in a big way.

Also, the trim paint around the garage was a different shade of brown than the trim around the front door and the rest of the home. 

My sister and I decided on a new color for the front door that would give this house a much needed "pop" and ran off to Home Depot.  After coming home and realizing we had left our purchased items at the store (yes, this is what happens when two tired mommy's try to go to a hardware store with 3 very little children), we headed back for the goods and quickly got to work.

Amidst the chaos of trying to keep the kids away from the paint, razor blades and electric sander, I didn't take any pictures in the process.  Forgive me please.  Just try your best to imagine what a pregnant lady on a bar stool painting a wide open door looked like while three kids chased each other inside (and outside) of the house as it began to snow. But, I can tell you what we did. 

My sister started scraping away the chippy pieces of paint from the door trim with a metal putty knife and I followed her with an electric sander to smooth down any rough areas.  Then, we cleaned the door really well and removed the doorknob.  With the door still on it's hinges and wide open I began cutting in carefully with a paintbrush around all of the edges and on the door panel recesses that the roller would not be able to reach.  We chose Behr's Ultra exterior paint and primer in one to save the hassle of having to prime the door first.  Then, I rolled the paint onto the door while my sister brushed on the new and fresh paint on the door trim.

By the time I left that evening, the door had received its second coat of paint and was still drying before the hardware could go back on.  Since a new door handle wasn't in the budget, she took the old and dated brass one off and hit it with a few coats of black spray paint. 

The next day, my mom went out and together they finished the other items on our agenda.  She repeated the same process around the garage door with the trim, and together they spray painted the dingy looking railing black. 

With a new wreath, doormat, and a few accessories here is my sister's fabulous front porch now.

***note- we also added a cute mustard yellow and white polka dot ribbon to the wreath for more lively color.  You can't tell in this pic, but her doormat has some darling red poppies with yellow accents so it works fabulously together. ***

Here's how the house looks from the street now. A bit more inviting, right?

In case you have forgotten what it looked like before, let me remind you.

And here she is now!

Isn't it amazing how much a little paint and some TLC can change things?  My sister's only regret?  Wishing she would have done this all sooner...

Total cost for this transformation: $116

$36 for 2 quarts of paint, red for the door and brown for the trim

$80 for wreath, doormat, and lantern

already on hand- black spray paint and all other supplies

My dear friends remember that your home is your castle and should be a place that is welcoming, inviting, and makes you feel peaceful.  You don't have to break the bank to create a place that you will love.  Go for it!  Make the change today...

~PW

Darling little birdie chair

My sister in law found these darling little pink chairs at the DI for $15 a piece.

Chair on the right is the before

She asked me to paint the legs for her with some light distressing.  I used some of my leftover light gray sample paint I picked up at Home Depot for my Master Bedroom, and then dry brushed over it with the paint that was a shade lighter.

After a quick sanding over the high points, the cute little legs looked like this:

My sister had one of these chairs upholstered in a darling little birdie print.

and it now resides in her music/ reading room.

Doesn't it go perfectly in there?

Try to see past the ugliness of some pieces as-is, and start to look at their potential.  Who would have thought a chair like this would turn out so beautiful?

It's amazing what a little paint and fabric can do. 

~PW

How to Transform a Dining Room Set

Hey there, friends.  Thank you so much for all your kind words on the dining room set I recently transformed.  It was such a gratifying project to have completed after the long hours I spent working on it. 

In this tutorial I will share the steps I took to transform this set from the dated set it once was.

For those of you  reading who don't already transform furniture of your own, I encourage you to learn!  My primary reason for beginning to do this was because I couldn't afford the furniture I really wanted, so I tried to make pieces that looked nice but didn't come with the hefty price tags.  As I began to do so, I realized how much I loved it and wanted to continue for a creative outlet and hobby in addition to helping me decorate my house on a tight budget.  You may discover that it's not for you and you don't enjoy doing it at all.  If so, then at least you can say you tried and you don't need to feel at all bad about buying your furniture from a store, already finished just the way you like it.  (I might just envy you a little bit for it.)

Off my soapbox now and on to the tutorial.

When I saw this dining room set on KSL, I was ecstatic.  I have had a vision of the set I wanted in my own kitchen for quite some time but hadn't been able to find the perfect set within my budget.  This one would require a lot of work, but I was willing to put in the time.

Here's how I transformed the table:
Supplies used

• Old table in need of some TLC, solid wood
• citristrip stripper
• paint brush
• Husky paint scraper/multi use tool
• lots of patience
• 80 grit coarse sandpaper
• sander
• 320 grit extra fine sandpaper
• Minwax pre-stain wood condition
• Another large dose of patience
• Minwax stain- Dark Walnut and Jacobean
• Annie Sloan soft wax- dark
• Microfiber disc
• Annie Sloan Chalk Paint- Paris Gray and Old White
• Annie Sloan soft wax- clear
• A very large Diet Coke with fresh lime to reward yourself when finished

Directions

1) Stripped the paint

I experimented with several different paint strippers and tools, and hopefully all of my experimentation and mishaps will help you.  I found that the best stripper was Citristrip, which can be purchased from Home Depot.

I applied this with a brush on very thickly in the direction of the grain of wood.  It worked best in the areas where the stripper was applied most thickly, and will show up orange.

Once it has been applied, I waited approximately 12 hours for the stripper to do it's job.  When I tried to remove the paint before or after this amount of time, it was very difficult to scrape off. 12 hours is the magic number.  The orange stripper will become white, and occasionally the paint may appear to bubble.

Using a multi-use paint tool (from Home Depot), I scraped the paint off in the direction of the grain.  This should not be difficult and should just lift right up. 

If it doesn't, wait a little while longer, or apply another layer of stripper and wait 12 hours.

The scalloped edges were a bit trickier and much more time consuming.  I used the scraper held at an angle to carefully clean off the paint as best as possible, then finished the rest of it off with a scrub brush dipped in mineral spirits.  For more details on how to strip paint, you can refer to a previous post HERE.

2) Sanded the surface

Using a belt sander on the orbital setting with coarse 80 grit sandpaper, I worked over the full table top in the direction of the wood grain.  I followed over it with extra fine 320 grit sandpaper to smooth out any ridges or texture left by the coarse paper.  I used my corner cat hand sander with extra fine sandpaper to clean up the rounded edges and carefully get into the crevices.

3) Stained the table top

First, I treated the wood with Minwax pre-stain wood conditioner using a rag, and applying it with the grain of the wood.  Once it had dried, I applied a combination of Minwax stain in Dark Walnut and Jacobean.

The stain wasn't as dark as I wanted it, so I continued to apply several layers until it reached the depth that I wanted.

Isn't it looking so rich and lovely?

4) Waxed the table top

Using Annie Sloan Soft Wax in dark color, I applied several light coats with a brush, and buffed in between coats using a microfiber disc for waxing cars (I picked mine up at Walmart for a couple bucks).

Clear wax would have also served the same purpose, but I wanted to still try and get some depth from the dark wax.

You could also use a less expensive clear wax, like Minwax paste finishing wax if your surface is flat and without details.  This wax is much more clumpy however, and only works well on flat surfaces.  For more information on wax options, I recommend watching the video tutorial from Miss Mustard Seed HERE.



5) Painted the legs and apron

Using my new stash of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, I mixed together Old White with a small amount of Paris Gray, and painted right onto the funky textured apron and legs of the table.  I didn't sand or prime before and I'm telling you, this paint goes on like butter!  It is amazing.

The amazing part is that I only had to apply one coat of paint, even with the dark stain that I had to cover up in places and chipped paint sections.

Although the quarts are small and pricey, they will last you a VERY long time.

6) Lightly distressed the base

Once the paint had dried, I roughed up the high points and edges with a sanding block, allowing for the funky texture hiding underneath to shine through.  The disastrous sponge paint mayhem that once was on this table worked in my favor.  Often times, you have to just go with the texture of your piece of furniture rather than try to alter it.  Usually, it works in your favor.

7) Waxed the base

Using an old brush and Annie Sloan Soft Wax in clear, I lightly covered the surfaces just as I had to the table top and then buffed it all down with the microfiber discs. 

*** Note- initially I used dark wax mixed with clear wax to try and obtain an aged look, but I felt like it looked to dirty, so I repeated steps 5-7 again.  The dark wax is fabulous for many purposes, but remember to use sparingly when your intention is to create an aged look. ***

Here's how I transformed the chairs:

Supplies

• Small pliers to remove welting
• Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Paris Gray and Old White
• Sanding block
• Annie Sloan soft wax- clear
• Screwdriver to remove seat cushion
• Staple gun
• Bleached canvas drop cloth, refer to tutorial HERE
• Double welting cord
• Scissors to trim away excess fabric
• Sewing machine and thread to make skirts, tutorial HERE
• Magic sliders to protect floors
• Drill to create pilot hole
• Scotchgard fabric protector spray

1) Removed the seat cushions and welting

I unscrewed the seat bottoms so that I could work on the frames without them getting in the way.  If I had upholstered the seat cushions, I would have needed to do so at that point when the bases were removed.

Here's a small little cheating secret on how to quickly upholster chairs, when the foam and batting are still in great condition... just upholster over the existing fabric!  This saved me hours of time.  I simply removed the double welting cord (find the starting point, tug gently and try not to pull the other fabric off with it), and stapled my new fabric right over the top.

*** I did this backwards and painted the frame first, but it would have been easier had I removed the cording first***

2) Painted, distressed, and waxed the frames

I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Paris gray on all 4 armless chairs, and Old White on the 2 captain chairs.  I wanted them to really stand out. 

After they were all painted, I distressed and waxed them just as I had done to the table legs.

3) Upholstered the seat backs

Using a bleached canvas drop cloth from Home Depot, I upholstered right over the existing fabric.  For tips on how to prepare your drop cloth and upholster, please refer to my tutorial series HERE and HERE.

The backs of these chairs had initially been upholstered from the inside, so I would have had to remove several layers of fabric, staples, batting, and more fabric to get to the very backs.  Instead, I opted to take an easier route by covering the back side with the drop cloth from the outside by stapling onto the inner wooden frame, and then cover up my staples with double welting cord.  This too worked in my favor and I think looks much for elegant than they had before.

 

4) Made skirts for seats

I cannot claim any creativity for this step.  I fell in love with the skirts that Miss Mustard made, and copied hers using her wonderful tutorial, HERE.

5) Finishing touches

Lastly, I screwed the seats back in place, and added protective sliders to the bottom of each chair leg to prevent scraping against our floors.  I experimented with several, and the ones that I liked the most were called Magic Sliders from Home Depot.  You drill a small pilot hole into the leg, then secure the slider in place with a scew. 

These aren't your dinky little felt protectors that come off their adhesive in a week.  They are pricier (around $7 for a set of 8) but well worth the investment to protect your floors.

I also sprayed the upholstered fronts and backs with Scotchgard spray to hopefully allow for an easier clean up when we get the inevitable cheetos fingers or spilled spaghetti on the chairs.  I didn't worry about spraying the skirts, as they are removable and will get tossed in the washing machine as needed.

I am also having a custom piece of glass cut to sit on top of the table.  With all the effort I put in to make that wood look as beautiful as it does, I am not willing to let it get scratched or ruined.

And that, dear friends is how I did it. 

Those of you who read this tutorial in its entirety deserve a prize.  Go enter the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Wax giveaway that ends tomorrow, August 22. 

Please be sure to share with me your transformations.  It's never too late to begin...

~PW

I'm sharing this tutorial with Home Stores A2Z,  Tip Junkie, Miss Mustard Seed, The DIY Club, and By Stephanie Lynn.  Be sure to check out their parties!