Showing posts with label furniture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label furniture. Show all posts

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Easy {DIY} Vintage Sewing Cabinet Makeover

The months of August and September have been crazy busy for me!  I thought for sure that when the kids were back to school that I would have SO MUCH TIME to get all of my housework, work-work, volunteer-work, and DIY fun-work done that I would be literally searching for something to do...WRONG!

Housework has been on hold, work-work has picked up, and volunteer-work comes in almost daily. This means that DIY fun-work gets squeezed in at all hours of the night while everyone is in bed and I am desperately trying to catch up with my "Mom-only" guilty pleasure shows (Mistresses, Devious Maids, Real Housewives of Miami...)

Here's my latest midnight project:

My Easy DIY Vintage Sewing Cabinet Makeover
My daughter has been asking for her own desk since school started, but she doesn't have a lot of space in her bedroom. As I was searching for a small table I could transform into a desk, I came across this vintage sewing cabinet at my local thrift.



These are a fairly common item at garage sales and thrift shops.  In fact, there were two different ones for sale on the day I found her.  Yep, it's a her....

She was marked at $35 because she came with a working sewing machine installed, still a pretty good deal, but I really just wanted the cabinet.  The tag showed that it was the 7th day since she had been put out for sale, so I asked the manager and he brought the price down to $20, machine and all.

This girl weighed a good 40 lbs, so even if I wanted to just tuck away the machine, I knew it would just be way too cumbersome to keep installed. I unscrewed the bolts and set the massively heavy machine aside for my upcoming charity yard sale.

As part of my search for a desk, I had come across a new (to me, at least) line of chalk paints at a local home goods consignment shop and I decided to try some out.

I fell in LOVE with this coral color called Gypsy by Vintage Market & Design Furniture Paint.  I coordinated it with some Annie Sloan Provence, used the Annie Sloan clear wax and left the hardware with its existing patina.  Not much work, but boy, what an update!

My daughter LOVES it, and it fits right into the little corner of her bedroom.  I'm still debating whether to hang a basket in the hole where the sewing machine was or to cover the hole completely with a thin piece of board, but for now she can do her homework in the comfort of her own room.


Adorable, right??  Now on to search for the perfect chair!

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Click here to see the amazing sites where this and my other projects are linked!

 Other\ fun parties:
Saavy Southern Style

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Back to School...Back to Work!

It's here...back to school time.  I'd been dreading this since June, but I knew it was inevitable.  In the blink of an eye we were back to 6 a.m. wake-up calls, packing lunches, car lines and homework.

This year, my son (now 13 and in 8th grade) decided to take a "break" from the school band.  Break=quit, I know.  I don't try to block the sun with one finger, like my mom would say. In his defense, he never aspired to be a concert trumpeter (he wants to be a robotics engineer), and there were some technology classes he wanted to take before leaving middle school.  As a plus, he no longer has to carry a 20 lb trumpet case around the school, which I believe is at least partly to blame for his recent referral to a radiologist for a scoliosis survey.



My daughter (now 10 and in 5th grade) has been excited about going back to school and seeing her friends again. More excited, I think, about the possibility of an entirely uninterrupted school year.  In 3rd grade she broke her leg during spring break.  Because she was in a full cast and would need assistance using the restroom, the school recommended home bound instruction. She was taught at home for 5 weeks.   Last year, as you may recall, we moved back to Florida three months into the school year.

That move, in fact, is what pulled the emergency breaks here at AquaSeventy6...good segue, right?  (And, yes, it's "segue", not "segway" like the scooter.  Trust me, I Googled it.)

AquaSeventy6, the blog and the shop have been suffering since my move.  I pop in every few weeks to apologize and promise to do better, only to get wrapped up in life and end up apologizing all over again. But, my friends, this time it's different, and that's a promise. I finally have all of my sewing supplies under one roof again.  The kids are back to school and I am no longer commuting across town.  That said, there are going to be some changes going on as well.

I am first and foremost a writer.  I'm neither Fitzgerald nor Hemingway, but I do think in monologue, and have since I was a kid. I plan on adding more anecdotal and family related posts in the future, which may or may not include anything crafty. (Anyone else get all Grandma's-Crocheted-Santa-Potholder when you hear the word "crafty"?  Trust me, I avoid it as much as possible.  I prefer "handmade" or "DIY" myself.)

As far as my shop, I do plan to reopen it at some point.  I don't like to list special order items, I prefer only to list what I have on hand so my clients can get their goodies ASAP.  This means I have to get on the ball and make inventory.  I love inventory because I have so many bits and pieces of amazing, often discontinued fabrics that I can use to make some truly unique pieces. But inventory takes time, so the shop reopening time frame is currently TBA.

I also plan to get back to featuring my furniture revamps.  These may be items in my own home, or possibly something for a friend or client.  I've been painting and updating vintage furniture for several years now.  Just this summer I've redone 4 or 5 pieces of my own furniture...I just haven't gotten around to photographing any of it! :(  Revamping furniture was my first DIY passion prior to sewing, and sadly I let it fall to the wayside.



Finally, I will continue to toss in some fashion and style related posts here and there. Wow!  I guess I actually AM excited that the kids are back to school, because I truly have missed this!

I will be back soon with a new post, but for now I am hitting the sack!!  It's almost 1 a.m., y'all! 


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PS....what do you think of my new blog design?  

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Flash Back in Blue

Speaking of drop leaf tables...my very first furniture revamp was a $6 score from Goodwill. I was with Yvette (ahh...the good ole days of living in the same city and rock bottom prices at Goodwill) and she forced me to buy the table. She pulled the tag and said "if you paint this and you hate it I will give you your $6 back...but I bet you are going to love it."

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This is what it looked like before me and 3 cans of spray paint got ahold of it.
This is what it looked like after.

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It's nice to see how far I have come and the tricks techniques I have learned. But Yvette was right - I do love this piece!
It is symbolic and fun and memorable.

It is currently serving as my sewing table until I find the one of my dreams.
I also picked up a little mail sorter that day and optimized my spray paint purchase.

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Having these projects around my home give it is a sense of soul and flavor.
I wouldn't have it any other way!

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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Sneek Peek: Drop Leaf Table

Ever since I moved to Richmond, I have been searching high and low for the perfect drop leaf table for my dinette area.  For months, the best deal I could find on a second hand drop-leaf dinette was $195.  The frugalista in me wouldn't allow such an expense.  I knew if I kept searching I would find what I was looking for, at a price closer to my budget.

One day, after begging my husband to pull over at one of the grungiest thrift stores (my favorite kind!) in town, I found this beauty:

I'm pretty sure the heavens opened and choirs of angels started to sing.  This is what I had been waiting for!  

So, how much do you think I ended up paying for this fab table?  Tell me in the comments.  The answer will be posted as soon as I am done giving this bad boy a well-deserved makeover...


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Monday, August 15, 2011

Oldie But A Goodie: Red Dresser


Disclaimer:  The following was one of my first furniture makeovers. Before I became obsessed with Annie Sloan Chalk Paints, I would enlist my husband to help me out with all the un-fun stuff that comes with refurbishing a piece of furniture (mainly sanding, although he often took over the painting as well). This is one of the projects we worked on together.


About this time last year I pulled up to a thrift store that had recently opened in my old neighborhood and  I saw this beauty sitting by donation door.  I asked right away how much they wanted, and since it had just been dropped off, the manager let me have it for $10!


It was kind of gross, and the trim had been painted a bright blue, but it had a gorgeous shape!

I love finding surprises (of the non-organic kind) when I purchase a dresser, and this one was great.  The underside of the drawers were lined with a newspaper from 1996 (which is probably when they first revamped this dresser with the blue paint!)



After sanding down the edges we could see the original gold paint peek through.


 Two coats of a Sherwin Williams red paint (I don't have to color handy--sorry!!) and...


I kept the original handles after spraying them with a dark brown Rustoleum paint.


I wanted a clean look, so no distressing here.


So can I get a 'what what'??

Scroll down to see where this and our other projects are linked.

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Friday, July 15, 2011

Thrifted Chair Revamp

Yesterday I showed you what my $5 Goodwill find looked like when I brought her home. Oh, you don't read the blog everyday?! Well then, I will show you once more.

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Truth be told, I bought 2 of these chairs ($5 each) with the intention of doing a "His and Hers" set for my husband and I. But after the ups and downs of revamping this little lady I think I am going to need a break to recover from the hot glue burns and the back pain (from leaning over for hours).

All painful creative injuries aside, I think the end result was worth the rocky ride.

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I have been pining for this fabric for months now. But I promised myself I would not buy any until
1. I had a project to use it for.
2. It was on sale.

Well the stars aligned and 1 + 2 = my new chair.

Snapbucket

After taking the chair apart and removing the pleather (for the record there were about 6,325 staples holding that junk on) I started to wrap the metal frame in macrame cording. Seventy-five yards of macrame cording to be exact.
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Then I covered the cushions in my rockin' birdie fabric and used only 2,476 staples. Yay me!
The chair is the finishing touch to my little corner of the family room. I think it is the perfect compliment to my lamp and desk!

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And I found the perfect use for another one of my vintage windows -
sassy little wipe off board!

Frame: Western,Filter: Vintage,Snapbucket,Vignette: Sm. Black,Original

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Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Easy Powder Room Prettification

My little downstairs powder room was in need of a some life - and some storage!
So I took this old 4-square shelf...

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mixed a little Old White and Duck Egg and ended up with this.

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The color turned out to be the prettiest sea foam green - I just love it!
It is the prettiest little thing to look at while using the bathroom washing your hands.
Plus I have storage for diapers, TP, q-tips and my Grandmother's vintage hand towels.
So happy with the result!
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Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Formal Dining Chair Turned Funky Cottage Chair

About 8 or 9 years ago, before I discovered the wonders of thrift stores, I purchased a pair of "scratch and dent" dining chairs at the Rooms to Go Outlet store.  I can't remember how much I paid for them, but I am pretty sure it was about $100 for the pair (GASP!)

I reupholstered the chairs, and set them out in my living room as extra seating.  When we moved to our next house, they ended up as desk and vanity chairs.  With this current move, I only have room for one of the chairs as seating for the built-in desk in my super-sweet kitchen.

I had a can of Annie Sloan Old White Chalk Paint that I purchased on my visit to Robyn Story Designs in Tampa that was screaming to be used.  This chair was the perfect candidate:

Here's the chair in its original state.

Annie Sloan Old White

Check out my very appropriate painting outfit!

After the first coat (it needed 2)

I dug out a piece of remnant fabric I had purchased at Joanns a few months back to reupholster the seat.

Here's the finished product. 



I distressed and used some dark wax to enrich the color.

I love how a little paint and fabric turned this formal dining chair into a funky cottage chair!

So what do you think?

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