Makeover Monday: Getting back to the Blog, Plus a Small Wardrobe-Type Thingy.

I am guilty of making promises to myself that I don't keep.

To be sure, I intend to keep them.  I am a hopeless optimist that way.

But I let life get in the way of pursuing the things that set my soul to singing.

I shall try - again - to carve out time.  I can write a little in the mornings.  Right?  Less social media, more pen to paper  typed words on a screen.

And because I am undiagnosed OCD, I shall jump right back in with a schedule that satisfies my compulsions.

I'm thinking, Makeover Monday: for furniture-refinishing frivolity.
Wordless Wednesday: just for pretty pictures.  Cute stuff.  Puppies.
And to round out the alliteration fun, perhaps a "Smalls Saturday": up-cycled and re-purposed and prettified small stuff.  Mason jars.  Wine bottles.  Barnwood galore.

So with that in mind, I shall post a couple of (very poor) pictures of a wardrobe-type thingy I picked up at a yardsale.  Really cute little piece.

I didn't do much repair.  I left chipped veneer as it was for the most part.  I cleaned it up, gave it a coat of shellac (because it looked to be mahogany and I didn't want bleed-through), and painted it.  I did a custom color of Annie Sloan Antibes Green, Graphite, and Old White to get a celery-seed kind of color.  I painted the upper drawer fronts in a black chalkboard paint so that the drawers could be labelled.  I used adhesive spray to cover the interior of the doors with some burlap.  Lastly I added some new drawer pulls.  I totally cheaped out with them and got some 99 cent knobs I found at Home Depot.  They're actually really cute little black metal knobs with a simple raised pattern.  Finally, I distressed and waxed with AS clear wax.

I think it's just darling.  Very old-timey.  What do you think?

This piece is for sale at Consign-it Furniture in Kennet Square, PA.

PS: I'm linking this post up to some blog parties!  See list in my sidebar.

A Little Before and After

Bought this darling little rocker at A Habitat store for $5! It was a dull white, and I decided to paint it a pretty slate grey, and distress it just enough to let the white show through in places. I also went ahead and drew a flower in one corner of the seat for a touch of whimsy. I used a paint pen for that so it was beyond easy. It was easy peasy.

Then, before I even finished the rocker, I found this sweet little table someone was selling for $10. Can you say chippy love? Clearly, the two needed to be together. I painted the table white with the same slate grey for the top, and now the two look inseparable, don't they? I can only hope that when someone sees them at Rooted, they will take them home together.

You know, the way it was meant to be.

A Few New Bits and Pieces

Had fun working on these new projects, which you can find at Rooted in New London, PA. Hope you enjoy!

Do you recognize the hooks in my coffee sign?  I bought them when I went thrifting last week, remember?

And this?  Also bought in my recent thrifting trip.  I painted it this pretty turquoise color, distressed it just enough to see the yellow peeking out, and added the perky little daisies.  Cute, right?

I LOVE using horse tack in my pieces.  In this case, I think the snaffle bit was the perfect thing to use in my vintage-look "Farmhouse" sign, don't you think?

Thrifting Thursday

Some people are distracted by shiny things.

Not me.

It's the rusty, flaky things that grab my eye.

Peeling paint, nail holes, rusty metal.  It all makes my heart race and my pupils dilate.

Raise your hand if you know what I'm talking about.

So for any of you like-minded individuals out there, I thought I'd take you on a little tour of my thrifting process.  Most weekends I head over to a local antique mart.  They have bigger things in the garage, an assortment of nice-ish pieces in the front of the house, but my favorite is the back of the house, with several aisles of $4 items, 2 for $7.  Squee!

Let's look these things over, shall we?

One of the first things I came across were these burlap sacs.  Not antique, to be sure, but I really liked the look of them.  I'm thinking they belong in glass picture frames as message boards,  a la dry erase.
They were not in the 2 for $7 section, though.  They were $5 each.  I grabbed them up and figured I'd think while I browsed.

I made my way over to the cheap seats, and found this old feed sack.  While I loved the vintage look, it was more stained than I would have liked, and I decided to pass.

Interspersed with the rustic was the repulsive.

Then there was this little gem.  I had seen it the week before and decided against it.  This time I snatched it up.  It won't be a flip piece, though.  My next house will sport a dining room with blue dishes, I've decided, and this hen and her chicks will find a spot there.  You're coming home with me, little ones!

What about these pretty swans?  A quick coat of silver spray paint could modernize these little beauties.  I'll take 'em!

These wooden spools caught my eye.  I thought perhaps they would make nifty little kitchen towel holders.  I could thread twine through the center holes to hang them.

But alas, the other ends were in bad shape.  Pass.

Old metal hooks that made my hands dirty when I picked them up.  Love!

This little double metal bucket caught my eye.  I'm thinking a little paint, a little distressing, some flowers.  Perfect small project.

Oooooh, toooools.  Rusty tools.  I want to pick up everything. But I recently found a fantastic source for FREE old metal parts.  And you know, why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?

What's this I spy?  A copper kettle?  My word.  Come to me, Mama.

Oh.  Sigh.

This here horse is bee-you-tee-ful.  But too pricey for flipping.

Chuckle.

I'm ALWAYS on the look out for wooden boxes, but all I see today is little cigar boxes and the like. Too flimsy for what I'm looking for.

Later I had a chance to stop in to Habitat for Humanity's "Restore".  I almost always get some good deals there, and today was no different.

I love to check out their pictures, because no matter the print or painting, I can get some terrific frames.  Like this one.  Nice size, good shape, ready for repurposing.  Problem is, I have way too many frames stockpiled right now, so I must walk-on by.

I love these fake flowers.  For $1.00, including the vase?  I'll take them, please and thank you.

Here's another vase that looks nice at first pass, but on closer inspection it was poorly painted and the paint was flaking off.  Not in a cool old way but in a shoddy workmanship way.  I'll pass.

Paints!  These were like 50 cents for the little cans.  Perfect for mixing up some DIY chalk paint.  I found a nice grey and a soft yellow to add to my cart.

So that was my thrifting.  I spent in the neighborhood of $25 +/-, and got several project to work on, some supplies, and a little pretty thing for myself.  I ended up keeping the two burlap pieces, but found another at a different shop that when combined with these first two, brought the average price to $4 per piece.  I can live with that.

When I finish the projects, I'll try to remember to show the before and afters.  I even have at least one piece that could use a couple of those hooks, so I'll show that, as well.

Thanks for stopping in, and happy thrifting!