a new beginning

Step 1- mom’s move downstairs.

The focus was all about getting her settled into, and moving around safely in her new 1st flr spaces.  She’s pretty shaky, and I worried about all the obstacles of the furniture-shuffle, and purging of drawers & closets to fit in the smaller spaces.  Putting anything together for myself would have to wait, so I’d just have to deal with the absolute CHA-OS until further notice….ugh.

Step 2- My turn!
Let the Games Begin!

Although I LUV the upholstered & caned bed I made for the guest bedroom I’d been using, I longed to use ONE of the beds I’ve collected and REworked just sitting in storage!  I could totally visualize a fresh room design with each- but THEN I saw this AWEsome bed from Perigold!
I knew exACTly the direction I was taking!

Ooooof!  Can you believe the price?!?
Time for a “Sensible Chic” version!

 

 

My project starts with the most aMAZing bed
found on fb marketplace
last summer!

I popped the panel back in the footboard, but the bottom rail that holds it in is missing.  That’s okay- I only wanted to use the headboard right now anyway.

Here’s the beginning- sleeping on the floor.
The bed downstairs was incredibly high, so this was weird-weird-weird!

The first change!  Still on the floor, but it was feeling better!
I also added a 100yo door I split in half as “shutters.”
And THAT’s a story I’ll come back to later!

Being frugal –cough-cough, CHEAP!
I shopped sales, used a 40% coupon, and still got what I wanted.
$55 for padding, batting, and linen!

The bed box/frame

I bought and cut down pine boards to build a simple box frame to 54″×80″.
I ripped some of the cutoffs down to create cleats & rails to screw to the inside bed box/frame to support the box spring & mattress.

I sanded and spray painted everything with the RustOleum Metallic Rust.
I discovered by accident that it can mimic stained wood, and the Metallic Rust mimics Mahogany.  I hauled all the parts inside-upstairs to assemble.
Just one more of those UMPteen million trips up&down the stairs.
I screwed the decorative legs to the end corners (only had 2 legs) and cut the 2×2 dowel to create hidden legs at the head of the bed frame.
The newly upholstered headboard is actually hung a little higher on the wall,
so the bed itself is a separate piece.

 

I rescued the legs from a wingbacked chair thrown out for garbage!  (then I threw the remains out too!)

And lest you should forget the inspirational bed—

I like mine better!

 

All in for $158.66!

Can you believe?!?

And this is just the beginning!
Catherine

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I squeezed in a dresser project!

I stumbled onto this “pretty” dresser for cheap,

then took a much needed, relaxing drive to a very small, out-of-the-way town to go get it!

An awesome drive with some aMAZing old homes along the way—I’d love to make the drive again just to take lots of photos!

Anyway- I bought the dresser.  Sure, I knew it had some obvious issues, but nothing I couldn’t handle, and the owners rapidly loaded it up for me.  When I was home and off-loading it I finally started to see other problems.
Oh boy.

The biggest problem-
a completely broken,
poorly “repaired,”
(& totally concealed) front left leg.  And remember the front is a big curve!

Okay- this is not so much a problem for MY skills as much as, with mom’s full-time cancer care—I just don’t have much time for this.  I just wanted a FUN-EASY project to work on when I can find bits of time.
So -g r e a t- let the fUn begin.

I started with all the veneer problems, and then pondered on that broken leg.  At first I was hoping to clean out the terrible “repair” job and fill it with bondo.  It never set up with enough stability, and I’d NEVER put my name on that kind of work, so after a LOT of wasted time & materials- I ended up cutting away all the damage and just REbuilding it.

*Sorry- no pics to share.  But- I used scrap wood I keep on hand, figured the angles of the straight side to the curved front, glued & nailed in place, let it fully set up—then fine-tuned/shaped with coarse sandpaper in a belt sander.  Now it is  S O L I D.

I also stripped the top and discovered issues hidden under the SUPER DARK over stain job someone gave it at some point.  Looks like it was overly sanded in a few areas, but it REstained nicely and looks beautiful now!

I waxed the top instead of clear coating it—I just think it brings out the richness in the wood more and is softer to the touch!  But that’s just my preference!
OH!  And I heat-set the wax before the final buffing.  The wax becomes a harder, more long-lasting, durable finish. 

Next- I taped off and covered and protected the top, then painted the body with a spongy weenie-roller—about 7 very thin coats.  Left side, right side, front, left side, right side, front, left side, right side………
Each thin coat dries so quickly and all those thin roller-coats finish more like a sprayed piece.
*Hint- I don’t have a sprayer.

Once completely painted–it had several days to set up before I could come back to it.  Actually, it was probably a week later (hospital schedules and all).  I had planned a decoupaged face and the time-lag gave me lots of time to plan the finished look.  AND figure out some other more appropriate hardware.

I was looking through ig and this caught my eye—it reminded me of a poster in my stashes!  That’s how my plan came to be. . . with a few adjustments.  

I measured off, taped my poster to the dresser face, then used a sharp Exacto to cut each drawer section free.  I was careful to save each face-frame part since I still wasn’t sure if I’d use it or not (I did in the end).  A pencil gave quick registration marks for placement to keep everything aligned.
Working from the top down, I pulled each drawer(s) out as I worked on it.  It let me double-check the alignment because 1) paper stretches when it’s wet, and 2) I was already messing with each section by my personal method of “distressing!”

–

–

Yes!  I wad it up
into an abusive ball.
Yes, it gets torn some!
It’s all part of that
“aging” process!

Then I smooth it out gently by hand, apply a really good wallpaper paste and REapply to the drawer face.
I prefer to smooth it out and position it with my hands at first, THEN use a flex-plastic scraper to gently smooth it out, pushing out the excess paste, and finally, wipe it down with a damp rag making sure the edges are well affixed.

Here’s my poster (from Hobby Lobby).

Working on the last drawer-

And then I decided it really did need the slight face frame cross sections after all.
You can also see I added my selection of vintage hardware right away!
SO much better!

*I filled former hardware holes and REdrilled before painting.  I poked through the paper with an awl to reveal the new hardware placement.

Now you can see how the poster was NOT large enough to cover the face,
but I had a plan!  I taped it out to expand the size with a “frame.”
But that wasn’t all.
I used a liquid gold leafing pen to freehand outline the very outer frame edge.
Irregular on the inside edge–crisp on the outside edge.
I just like that subtle contradiction!

I guess I forgot to tell you how I lightly sanded all the wallpapered edges, huh?
In hindsight, I wish I had widened the “frame’s” sides.  Oh, well. . . .

This project was completed in drips & drabs of time.
I bought it May 18th and finally finished it on the 29th.
I loaded it in the car right away and it went to the antique mall the next day where I spent hours REsetting my space to accommodate it!  WoW- my space had become a neglected disaster area!  And guess what?

It sold right away!

Awesome!

But my space is a disaster once again for the new void.
So I found another dresser to work on.  Stay tuned.
Catherine

Not an antique-
not even vintage-
just  O L D.
But pretty now!

-my next dresser-

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Nellie’s Barn Sale!

OMG!  I don’t feel totally ready yet—about 80% there.

If you’re in the Chicago area, sure hope to

see and meet you there!

Catherine

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a shallow console

Remember these?

80’s era consoles?

I found one of these cheap (several years back already) to build up & around for extra hall storage in a niece’s home.  Although it wasn’t going to look like THIS at the end–they couldn’t SEE it and didn’t like it.

So there it sits, parked in my stashes gathering dust.

UNTIL NOW.

I muscled it out from the thick of things, cleaned it up, and started planning.

Not into the pseudo-Spanish style, I ALWAYS knew things would start with the doors.  My initial thought was to create a tall flat back and create open shelving.  I even toyed with making that Window Hutch top for this cabinet.  Ehh~too much??  IDK. . .

. . . let’s just start dealing with those doors & see what it tells me. . .

–

That cool drop hardware was added to my stashes–to be exchanged for something smaller.  Then I pried off that center medallion, but it “wasn’t enough.”  So I knocked out the whole panel and considered options to REfill it.

Caning… tiny chicken wire… wall paper or decoupage… square off the frame?  –TIN.

I had some pieces that were about the right size and honestly, were so deteriorated and not good for anything else–so why not?

I cut them to size, sealed in the chippy state so if I opted to paint them it would show through.  But since I liked the existing chippy patina and colors, I chose paint based on the tin as is.

Then I repaired and glued and sanded.  Finally- I got busy painting a base coat on the cabinet.  I was so done in by the end of my loooong day that I just walked away from it.  It laid on the sawhorses outside overnight.  And dried REALLY well—maybe I should always do that!  ; D

Yesterday I painted the finished color in a dry-brushing technique so it has a textural fabric effect.  I selected drop handles in a smaller scale and simpler style, and installed the tin!

Done!  Fini!  Stop there!  NO top or ANYthing else.

I love it as is!

I kind of wish I had squared off the doors though. . .

Catherine

33″ wide  ×  12½” deep  ×  30″ tall

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a door bookcase

The neighbor was at it again.

Clearing things out of the house AND “modernizing” their 1880’s house.

How I HATE that.  If you want modern—buy modern.

HOWEVER– he gives me all that OLD STUFF as he strips it out– !!!!!!!!!   And I DO love that!

–

I had several ideas in mind for this door, but. . .

In the end, I needed to remember I was in desperate need of display pieces for Nellie’s, so one particular project rose to the top of the list. . .

a door bookcase!

It WILL be for sale, but it’s going to be a workhorse until it does.  Our space is on a PRIME corner –but– it’s also on a slope.  A double-edged sword.  SHALLOW, flexible pieces will be key for the short spans of level ground.

So THIS is the latest casualty from the neighbor’s ongoing project.  A small closet door from a bedroom with a sloped ceiling.  It had a window in it that was broken.  A window- how strange, huh?

70″ tall × 24″ wide

window over 3 panels

You can see in the pictures that I was already playing with the placement of shelving with some previously created corbels.

◊ Shelves at each panel would have LOOKED ideal—but they would be really short.

◊ 5 shelves in total would have been ideal—but , again, SHORT shelves.  SO 4 SHELVES IT IS!

AND- h o w  to deal with that window.

1st- the door needed to be squared from the wonky “angles” to conform to the ceiling.  And while it was laying flat on the sawhorses, I added cove molding.  I also dragged through my antq ceiling tin for a piece to fill the window—I thought it could be a good look overall AND for the show!

∗ I’m short on progress pictures because my phone was busy streaming music–I got sick of the radio’s same/repetitious 12-song playlist.

I mixed some leftover paints to create a gray’ish shade of green I REALLY liked to paint the front of the door (love happy accidents).  ONE color looked flat so I went back with some white accents.  A N D  waxed everything for a soft hand -and the depth waxing brings to paint!

This DOOR BOOKCASE will be 360° of visibility during the Nellie’s Barn Sale so I painted the backside too.  Just the white—for a clean look. 

I swear, painting took longer than construction, but I LUV the simple outcome!

With this color combo, it’s got a very “Farm-ish” style.  I can totally see it in a kitchen corner showing off some Stone Ware, greens, and a great old cook book collection.  But I can ALSO totally see it in a bathroom loaded with towels and apothecary jars filled with toiletries!

Catherine

~on to the next project!

–

–

*it was hard to get accurate color pictures of the pretty green-  : ( 

∗ I need to plug the screw holes yet—

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a window hutch

I found this cabinet

-looong ago-

on a curb.

Gutted and REbuilt it into a simple bookcase!

Offered it for sale–it didn’t.

Stashed it away until now– I have a new idea!

Let’s build on top of it!

–

How about adding a top HUTCH

with an awesome arch-topped window frame!

I ripped some boards to 6″ wide, cut them to length for a base and sides.  I mitered the top of each side to receive and support a cleat.  I cut 5 cleats and attached with 3″ screws for the extra strength—you’ll see why soon!

 

◊ I secured the base, sides, and cleats with counter-sunk screws.  I’ll conceal them with glued-in plugs and sand flat for an “invisible” connection.

 

I ripped 2 pieces of ¼” veneered plywood to 6″ wide for the top.  It’s just THICK enough to give a strong top, yet THIN enough to FLEX to the arched shape.

Starting with the OUTSIDE piece—I pre-glued each cleat, then bent and nailed the veneer at each cleat.  I used a belt sander to knock down the little bit of overhang to a flush/flat edge.

I laid the “hutch” face down and got out 5 clamps.  Pre-glued the cleats again and flexed the veneer into place.  I clamped the veneer at each cleat till things set up, then I nailed it all secure.

NOW the pictures to show you the process~

 

 

 

I left the 2 outside clamps on over night–just in case!

 

Today I’ll sand, prime, and paint.  And I’ll decide on a back board—I’m considering ceiling tin!

I’ll have to take another look at the bookcase finishes too—so the 2 pieces “connect!” 

Catherine

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sewing cabinet projects -pt 3

I’m clearing through some long-waiting projects in my stashes.

These are my last two sewing cabinet drawer sets.

Pulled out and now parked in the middle of the NEXT chaos!

They were rougher than I remembered and needed a lot of REgluing, clamping, and REcreated “parts.”

All of that attention meant a very -S L O W- project launch.  Things needed time to set up before moving on—like ME, to other projects!

I finally got to a stage of sanding, priming and painting.  I would have loved to leave it “natural” for the purists, but most of the drawers were kinda’ gross!  And cleaning wasn’t gonna cut it!

I thought a pale blue and white would give it a fresher look!

I had to modify the ends at each side from their crude DETACHMENT from the original cabinet.  I REcut, added rope trim, a back, and finally a top to each with a handle.

Catherine

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mirrors~antique & vintage

I love mirrors.  ALL kinds of mirrors.  They can really add to a design!  And I do have MANY in my collections.

O k a y, I confess–I have MANY things in my MANY collections.

But it’s funny the things you REfind when you’re looking for something particular and you’ve got (cough-cough) –a lot of stuff- to dig look through.

–

The smaller mirror I had was probably salvaged from something like this Victorian piece.  I bought it at a boutique flea market a few years back.

When I stumbled back on to it -during my search for the sewing table top– I knew I needed to work it into a project for Nellie’s!

I pulled one of my many door & window headers to pair with it and

make a very simple shelf!

I disassembled the header, repaired its necessary issues, and cut it down.  I’d recently stripped its detail trim for one of my Bespoke Birdhouses, so I had to search my stock for something to put back.

Above-  the header cut down and REassembled, some very small quarter-round added back for detail, and the mirror is now attached.

The picture below shows you how I attached the two pieces—I pre-drilled on the diagonal -or- toe-nailing fashion to screw them together FIRMLY.  It’s –different– from the current trend towards Pocket Screw joinery, and I’m really not sure just how to explain the difference–but there is.  I learned the old-school way and I’ve been doing this a looooong time.  

THEN it was on to painting.  I sanded, primed the whole piece, and then drove myself crazy trying to figure out a color.  Which I knew it would need for Nellie’s Barn Sale–that’s what they’ll be looking for!  And my 2 yellows were still on my mind.

I purposely painted out in the full out sun.  BECAUSE- the paint is old and a bit thick, and it would “set up” quickly for what I intended.

◊ I mottled the two colors together, and as soon as it “felt dry” touching it, I took a soft dry rag and started rubbing areas to peel off paint.  The paint isn’t actually dry so it hasn’t affixed to the wood yet.  If I couldn’t do this in the warm sun I would have used a heat gun.  *These were some of the tricks PRE-chalk paint.

Now, the other mirror.

This too was kind of buried in the stashes, and, w-e-l-l–

out of sight~out of mind. 

At some point I primed away the garish gold these plastic frames originally came in.  But the poor thing was SO dirty–it didn’t LOOK very white-primer.

After I scoured it clean again, I grabbed a can of the soft gray spray paint Chalk paint and sprayed small sections at a time and wiped away the paint.  It tinted the white and left the gray in the voids for more dimension.  SIMPLE.

Catherine

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sewing cabinets -part 2

With a good imagination, you can come up with all kinds of things to do with these old cabinets!

With the WHOLE or salvaged parts!

Like this old project!

 

While in a mad search for the original top to the sewing machine cabinet I was just working on, I stumbled back onto these drawers.  I’d forgotten totally about them.

I’m working on SO MANY projects for Nellie’s Barn Sale in June and needed some “cash & carry” items.  Hmmm. . .

–

These are the drawers.

Pretty “standard,” right?

But they’re nice.  And still desirable.  And I’m not going to mess with them!  Entirely.

Are you surprised?

I found them in a flea market originally, but only the left side was available for purchase.   I stripped the appliqués from it and used some in an immediate project soon after.

I decided to just clean things up and not take away the “ghost” of the missing appliqués.  I also decided to leave the wood raw—no wax, no sealer.  Raw.

I DID make a top for it

and add an amazing handle!

–

–

 

Cash -and- CARRY!

Cuz’ sometimes going

SIMPLE

is BETTER!  ; D

*OR, showing restraint!

Catherine

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so much to share~

I have a LOT of projects going on at once.  Seriously!

But the hectic pace, with two 1st communions, a school auction, and a piano recital in the mix has me running a little helter-skelter—

so bear with me, I’ll be right back to you!

But here’s a glimpse of the beginnings of my Nellie’s stashes—and there’s MORE!

Catherine

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