Nothing like staying home for real comfort

The Dinner table is possibly THEE most important piece of furniture your home will ever have, so why not take the effort to make it extra special? No, that doesn't mean you have to run out and drop all those hard earned dollars on a highly expensive piece. My customer had purchased this some years prior from a large warehouse store, it was the classic chunky wood table that was the basic stained wood top with dark black legs.

It was one of those mass produced sets that were very common and popular in many households but still very sturdy and great shape, "good bones". It has little dings and scratches on the tops from the families past meals and gatherings they had shared together. The perfect reason to just keep it and give it an "upgrade".

So out came the furniture paints, I used a beautiful natural color "Sackcloth" from the American Paint Company on the base of the tables, chairs and bench, at least 2 coats lightly sanding in between coats.

I'm going to do a whitewash over the tabletop so I needed to sand it really good to give it a good base to adhere to.

I then mixed Navajo White from the APC company with water to give it a milky consistency, working very fast I applied the paint with a brush keeping in the direction of the woodgrain and then again quickly wiping off with rags or paper towels also in the same direction of the woodgrain. Don't forget your table edges. I did this three times until I achieved my desired amount of coverage.

Next, I added some fun stripes to the sitting bench for that little added "pop" of personality that my customer was looking for. Just simply measure out your stripe widths, mask it off with light adhesive painters tape and add your desired color in two coats. Gently remove tape after it is dry to the touch.

The last steps were to clear wax all of the chairs, bench and table legs, buff it out until it has a nice sheen, then I applied 2-3 coats of clear hard top coat to the table top for that extra protection it will need, (also from APC).

And there you have it! The perfect dinette set that your home and YOU deserve! You will spend many, many hours with the people that are the most important to you around the dinner table so why not make it personal and beautiful? 

The table is now ready for all of those wonderful loving festivities! Bon appe'tit!

When I saw you, I fell in love

I must say, I really did fall in love with this piece upon first sight, in spite of the ugly paint job and chippy layers. I could even envision the colors on it. I knew I was feeling like it needed some warm hints of purple tones but I also knew I didn't want an overkill on the purple.

My first base coats I used were the APC's ( American paint company) Crushed Tea, I absolutely LoVe this color because it has a warm base to it which means it looks lovely with purple/red based colors.

Next came the APC's "purple majesty" in which I painted all the great accents with a smaller detailing brush. The inside and out sides of drawers were painted this lovely robins egg blue (my own special paint mix)  which just brings that perfect element of surprise to the interior. Momma always says "it's what's on the inside that really shows who you are"...she IS talking about furniture right?? ;)

Now for the FUN!!! I watched one of my "furniture paintin' Sisters" from the Paint Me Beautiful store that we all work in use this same mixture on the chair (which is photographed down below with the desk) and yes....It made me squeal! This was the exact final "icing on the cake" that I was looking for!!!

A lil' APC's Clear glaze mixed with a dash of Cameo...the perfect light glaze was ready!

While using any glaze you want to work in sections Annnd...work fast my friends!

Paint on-wipe off...do NOT overwork it...ummm...did I mention not to overwork this?! Why you ask? Worst case scenario is it will pull your layers of paint off that you've worked for hours on to get it ready for this magic step...soo just practice up if your a newbie.

I use a smaller detailing brush on the legs and all area that has scrolling, you want all of those lovely details to really "pop" with the glazes.

I really love to add extra little additions that are unexpected and I thought this quote from William Shakespeare was perfect!

"When I saw you,

I fell in love

And you smiled

Because you knew."

Just look at the close up detailing and texture that the glaze gave it, just beautiful! This is when old pieces that have years of layers of paint chipped away underneath are benificial.

Remember, you can find this item or have something made like this at Girl UPcycled on etsy,  https://www.etsy.com/shop/girlUPcycled or if you live near the Zanesville/Columbus Ohio area, please take time to visit the Paint Me Beautiful store where there are four of us showcasing our paint technique and work, you will be happy you did!

Road kill or Road thrill? You decide

Can you believe I found these on the side of the road?!? Yes indeedy, I kid you not! We live pretty far out on an old curvy country road and evidently the neighbors in the farmhouse down they way were moving. At first I thought it must be a mistake, they would surely be coming back for them! Well, after driving by a couple of times I decided to leave a note with my number just incase I had made a mistake...no calls as of yet :)

Ok, so, I totally dove into this project without getting photos of how bad they appeared to be to the "untrained eye" so I will try to set the stage for you...they were covered in quality kid goo...the backs, the fabric seats that had once been off white (why you would choose that color with kids is beyond me) and all down the legs was sticky sucker residue, sweet juice dried all over mixed with a nice topping of dried chocolate milk! It kinda made me wonder if there were adults even living at the house.

So off to work I go scrubbing with hot water, vinegar and dawn detergent...my favorite dirt and grime fighting defense until I find he treasure of the oak lying beneath all the filth. Quickly tighten up anything loose and were ready for the transformation.

I chose two different layers of grey, actually the base is a bit deeper like a toupe with the lighter grey applied to the top layer. Make sure you always paint an item upside down if you are able, you will have a more even coverage and find there is less you will have to go back and touch up when your finished.

I found the perfect fabric to use, it was indoor/outdoor fabric which means its super durable and will stand up to wear, tear and sticky fingers!

Ok, so I kinda got busy on this and forgot to get shots of the upholstering part, but this is a very simple procedure just stapling tight as possible. The most important part about applying fabric on furniture is getting your corners seamless and smooth.

May I present to you the "Weathered Ladies", solid oak antique farm chairs all dressed up and ready for their new life and new family!

I love the way the two toned grey hues blend together just very subtle, such a classic finish! these sweet girls sold pretty fast but I'm sure there are more chairs out there just waiting for me to find them!