~A Thrifty Treasure Makeover~

BEFORE

Stop by Rhoda’s Southern Hospitality, for Thrifty Treasures, each Monday.

I’ve shown the dresser, in previous posts, with a little preview hint of the makeover.  Last week, the makeover was completed. 

The dresser is one of the elements of a mini makeover of the master suite.

The cost of the dresser was $25.  A little sanding, $10 worth of paint & faux finish mediums, turned this thrifty diamond in the rough into a treasure, at the total cost of $35.

This style and size furniture is often found in children’s rooms; a child’s room is where the furniture served, for many years, in it’s former home.

When I saw the dresser and a matching chest of drawers, from the road, that day in June, I had one of those light bulb moments.  Not long afterward, the pieces were loaded in the back of the truck and on their way to our garage. 

On a side note: Lately, we’ve discussed selling the truck and buying one of those snappy new Camaros.  But then, what in the world would we have to bring home treasures like this!  It’s a dilemma!

An in progress photo shows the dresser, after 2 coats of Sherwin Williams Front Porch, latex satin; a sample size container.  The cost is under $5, for these samples.

J painted the dresser.

The drawer pulls were spray painted with Rustoleum dark brown.  After the hardware was completely dry, I brushed the high spots with Ceramcoat Metallic Bronze, by Delta. Later, Rub n Buff Patina was applied, making sure to allow it to settle in low places or crevices, here and there. After polishing the patina finish, I used Raw Umber acrylic medium to darken areas; giving more “age” to the drawer pull.  A matte finish clear acrylic spray will protect the finish from chipping.

The photo, below, shows a drawer pull after the metallic bronze paint is applied to high spots. The top pull is shown with the application of Rub n Buff Patina, before it has been refined and after. I used my fingertips and a soft cloth to achieve the effect.

The finished drawer pulls. 

The faux finish varies on each piece; hopefully giving the appearance of natural patina.

A sweet metamorphosis, sitting at the foot of the iron bed, in our room.

In this photo, the walls are Laura Ashley Gold #3, soon to be replaced with SW Antique White. The prints will be recycled to another room.  The dark tables will be replaced with painted pieces.

The bed linens and panels will remain.

I’m considering a replacement for the area rug.  The hardwoods are beautiful. I’m actually thinking of not having floor covering.

Preview

The makeover continues with more painted furniture, a new chair with ottoman and Sherwin Williams Antique White, for the walls. The reveal will be featured here, sometime during Fall.

The round table, formerly used on the back porch, has been painted SW Medici Cream (another sample) and will be used for the “new” room.  On lower right, the fabric for the wing chair and ottoman. 

We ordered the chair and ottoman, from a locally owned furniture store.  We knew the chair we wanted, because we have two of them in our hearth room.  They are so comfortable and have worn very well, through the years, even with Miss Molly. 

Thank you, Angie, for helping us find our favorite chair and ottoman!

The new look, for our room, is neutral with painted and stained furniture. 

We redid the room over two years ago.  At that time, we left the walls painted Laura Ashley Gold #3 and used a darker pallet for accessories, rugs, and furniture, found in other rooms of our home.

We are hoping for a lighter brighter, more relaxed atmosphere for the room.

The Metamorphosis continues…

at the Back Porch and at Susan’s Between Naps on the Porch.

Click above, for Make Your Monday.

~Dishes & Dressers~

Stop by Rhoda’s Southern Hospitality, each Monday, for Thrifty Treasures all around the land of blog.

We shopped a couple of country yard sales, recently.

The first one was set up in a huge front yard, with lots of shade trees; beautiful place. This sale is where I found the set of eight rooster plates, for $3. There is a tiny chip, in one of the plates, but that won’t stop me from using them in colorful tablescapes, on the farmhouse table, in our breakfast room.

The tiny 70 year old books, at 10 cents each, were found at the same sale, as well as the basket, with double hinged lid, for $1.

The breakfast room table set, using the “new” rooster plates.

 

Just a little indulgence; I was at Marshall’s, Osage Beach, last week and found these Lilly Pulitzer McKim sandals at around 65% off retail. Other than dishes, I have this little shoe addiction.  I’m calling my new sandals a definite thrifty treasure!!

The nail polish is OPI Cajun Shrimp.  I like my OPI, too!

The second sale was down another country road. As we drove by, looking for a place to park, I spotted the dresser and chest of drawers. We turned around and I hopped out, while J continued his search for a place to park, which he finally did, near the garden of the person selling this furniture.

By the time J arrived, I had purchased the two pieces. The dresser will be a bit of a project. The furniture was used in a child’s room. My plan is to paint the dresser and use it as a bedside chest, in the master bedroom. The chest of drawers will be used, as is, for extra drawer space in our walk in closet. The cost of these pieces was $25, each.

A Fourth of July Preview

Hint of 4th of July table, for later this week.

~A Porch Party~

 

It’s time to prepare porches and patios for the Spring and Summer season. 

Barb at Grits and Glamour has invited everyone to a porch and patio party, May 5th. Visit Barb for a list of participants.

This post also qualifies for 2nd Time Around Tuesday, hosted by Diane of A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words. Visit Diane for wonderful treasures given a second chance!

I enjoy having a cup of coffee or glass of iced tea on the back porch on Spring and Summer mornings. 

A sea grass rug covers the concrete, which is stained a light red.  The round table is from a flea market, the Queen Anne style chairs are from a resale shop. We painted them and recovered the seats.  The glider that sat on the porch, last year, is now at the lake.  I borrowed the wicker from the bonus room/studio. We found the old iron gate, hanging on the fireplace, last year, at a nearby antique shop. The small wicker table and stool are from Michael’s 60% off sale, last year. They were originally natural; we painted them white. The bunny on the table shelf is from a garage sale, several years ago. The bird houses were found at craft shows, during the 1990’s.

The cushions and pillows are used when the wicker is in the studio. At other times, here on the porch, I’ll use a red floral cushion and crocheted pillows, on the settee.  The crocheted throw is from Tuesday Morning.

The porch table, set for supper, a few weeks ago.

The iron fireplace screen is actually three separate decorative iron panels, purchased at Welcome Home (now closed).  J strapped them together to make the screen.

The copper coal bucket/scuttle, I found at Saturday’s garage sales, holds a red geranium.

I found the small glass vase and another one like it at a garage sale.  I also bought glassware at the same sale. I plan to feature them in a future tablescape.  The lilacs are from Miss Kim Lilacs, growing beside our patio.

The patio Hosta garden is flourishing.

Looking toward the back yard from the back porch.  The patio, for Spring/Summer 2009 is still a work in progress.

Thank you for stopping by the Back Porch. Be sure to stop by Grits and Glamour for more porch and patio ideas and Diane’s for 2nd Time Around inspiration.

This post was added to Rhondi’s Porch Party (Rose Colored Glasses), June 1st, 2009.

~SALE DAY SUCCESS~

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Our sale day began at 5AM, Saturday September 8th. Off and on rain showers, through the night, left us wondering if we would have any customers! Our worries were put aside, with the scheduled opening of 7AM, turning into 6:20AM, as our first customer arrived. A great customer, she was, too! I was well on my way to proceeds, for my dream camera.

A little before 7, our children and grandchildren arrived, with more fabulous treasures to sell and breakfast from St Louis Bread Co.

Business was steady through the morning and beyond our closing time of 2PM. At the end of the day, I was thrilled to learn, I netted more than enough to shop for that great camera.

Xanti was here until noon, when she had to leave for Tae Kwon Do class. She was very helpful during the sale. We appreciate that so much. Gabi and Drew behaved exceptionally well and entertained our shoppers throughout the day.

We closed the doors and left the leftovers, to be dealt with next week. J decided it was time for a nap! He's sound asleep and so is Molly, who spent the night boarded at our Vet. She came home in time to greet a few late arrivals.

I've added photos from today and two grids, showing some of the things we offered. We're happy with the sale results and might consider having another Garage Sale....one of these years.

~Garage Sale Chronicles~

The Beginning
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We are in the exciting early planning stages of a family garage sale to be held within the next few weeks. We hope to have one of the biggest and best garage sales in the history of our small town. Our plan is to entice people from several counties, to shop till they drop!

The garage has been cleared of clutter. We have inventoried closets and storage areas in anticipation of offering our valuable treasures at amazingly affordable prices!

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*Christmas Trees~Chairs~Crockery~Suits~Shirts~ Sweaters~Pants~Pillows~Pots~Pans~Books~Bags~Bric-a-Brac and more*

Coming soon, Chapter Two: Sale Day!

A Garage Sale and a List

As we were leaving, this morning, we noticed a garage sale on the next street. J has been looking for a chest of drawers or some such, to put in the basement back room, for his work/knock around clothes. I think this chest of drawers is too cute for the basement back room. Don't you? I can see this little beauty all painted up in a cottagey way. Great for sewing, quilting supplies, yarn or art supplies. The possibilities are practically endless. I love the spinning wheel. The chest was part of a bedroom set, that belonged to the seller's parents, when they were first married. When J went back to pick it up, this afternoon, he met the original owner. The chest is probably 50 years old.

While J was negotiating the price of the chest, I wandered into the garage. Look what I found! I've been looking for a child size table and chairs for several months. With a little work and paint, this will be perfect for Gabi and Drew's visits to G'ma and Pop Pop's house.

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Charlotte, from House Wren Studio, has tagged me for a list of 7 facts about myself. Thank you Charlotte! I enjoyed reading your list.

Here goes:

1. I've read all of Agatha Christie's books. Many, more than once. I could read them all again, except perhaps, Endless Night. I thought that one was a bit of a departure from her usual books, almost like Stephen King's work. I've read most of his books, too. When I read Agatha Christie, I like to sip a cup of Earl Grey Tea.

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2. I enjoy watching many TV shows from Great Britain. Especially, As Time Goes By. Another one I enjoy is Keeping Up Appearances. Those are fun, no matter how many times I see them. My latest passion is Midsomer Murders.

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3. In 1970, I began acylic painting classes and belonged to the St Charles Artists Guild. I showed paintings in group shows. I painted for several years, then stopped. I gave away most of my work. In recent years, I've done a few murals or other decorative painting in homes and businesses. My latest painting, a sail boat, hangs at our lake place. Our wedding date is printed on the sails. I've done two little wall paintings there, as well. A Gull and a grouping of brightly colored oars, that appear to be leaning against the wall, in one of the guest rooms. I've also painted and donated work to be raffled at our local Relay For Life. I believe I'm proudest of those paintings.

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4. When my three daughters were small, I sewed most of their clothes. And made almost all their Barbies' clothes.

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5. While living in a rural setting from 1973 to 2003, I helped haul hay, round up stray livestock, build and mend fence, can or otherwise preserve food for our table and experienced other adventures of rural living.

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6. When I was growing up, I churned butter for Granny, on some Saturdays. For this, I was given a quarter to go to the show, Saturday afternoon. That was enough for admission and a treat. Can you imagine that? Those really were the days!

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7. I'm from the hills and hollers of the beautiful Ozarks. According to Ozark lore, it will come as no surprise, I am a barefoot girl. I rarely wear shoes. I wear sandals, when I leave the house, almost every month of the year. I only give in to shoes, when the snow flies.

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I'm Tagging:

Sue, at Country Pleasures

Lisa, at Small Space Style

RoseMary, at Life in a Cordwood Cabin

Joyce, at Brookside Cottage

These blogs are listed in my Back Porch Friends