Before and Afters Archives | Page 12 of 51

Before and Afters

second landscape dresser reveal

Tha second hand-painted landscape dresser is finished! And, would you believe that it’s sold already! Someone came to pick it up Saturday morning. Sometimes I like to enjoy my pieces for a while, but I was really glad this one was scooped up right away. The buyer loved it when it was just a chalked sketch and I love that she trusted my vision enough to ask to buy it before it was even finished. Anyway, here it is… Here is how the dresser started… I honestly loved the wood and initially finished it with Hemp Oil to bring out that pretty grain and patina. It didn’t sell, though, and I needed something to paint. I kept eyeballing it and I finally gave in and painted it. That’s just what happens when things sit around in the studio for too long! If you’d like to see the dresser each step

July 4, 2016 32 Comments

All Things Home

a new seat for the “bamboo” chairs

A few weeks ago, I traded for some furniture and ended up with these two faux bamboo chairs as a part of the deal. They are very unique chairs and I felt immediately drawn to them, but they were problematic. The caned seat on one of them was entirely punched through and the other one was damaged and sagging. I moved them to the to-do stash and put them out of mind for a while. As I’ve shared before, upholstery is not my favorite thing to work on and I procrastinate. Such was the case with these. Since I don’t do caning, the best way to deal with these was to make a new seat and upholster it. They’ll be sturdier and more comfortable in the long run, anyway. I always hold my breath a little when I sit in a caned seat. I’m just waiting for the day when

May 10, 2016 30 Comments

Before and Afters

the rebuilt industrial cart

I hope you had a good weekend! And happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms out there. We finally saw the sun in our part of the world, which was nice after a week of gray skies and rain. I’m hoping it gets all of the rain out of its system, so it’s nice and dry for Lucketts. I know it doesn’t work that way, but still… As I said we would, my mom and I worked on in the studio on Saturday. We make a great team and were able to get a lot accomplished. I upholstered two chairs, made a bedskirt and rearranged the furniture and smalls that are going to Lucketts. The pile was getting a little (a lot) out of control. My mom packed breakables like ironstone and glass cloches and jars while I worked on the sewing, upholstery and furniture scooting. (Thank goodness most

May 8, 2016 19 Comments

All Things Home

slipcovered wing chair & grain sack ottoman

This poor hand-me-down wing chair has been hanging out in my stash for months. I tend to procrastinate when it comes to slipcovers and upholstery, if you haven’t figured that out, yet. I can do it, but it’s not my favorite thing. I do it just because I like the end result and I have a hard time turning down a piece that just needs a little cosmetic love. So, I gave myself a few pep-talks and worked on this chair slipcover in doses throughout the week until it was finally finished. Here’s how it turned out… It’s a really comfy chair with a pretty shape, but the fabric was the victim of some cat claws and looked a little tired. I made the slipcover out of my usual, antique hemp sheets. This might be one of the hardest pieces I’ve slipcovered, because of the detail on the arms. Those were tricky! They

May 6, 2016 16 Comments

Before and Afters

antique iron bed makeover & a mattress in a box

I acquired this sweet full-sized antique iron bed frame from a reader/customer a few weeks ago. I have sold a few beds in the past, but they are tough to style without a mattress and don’t usually sell fast or for very much. This year, for the Lucketts Spring Market, I decided to go all out on styling a bed to sell. (And, if it doesn’t sell, we have a perfect napping spot in the studio!) Here’s the iron frame that started it all… Being a “blue girl”, I actually liked the color, but the rails weren’t blue, so I decided a fresh coat of Farmhouse White paint would do nicely to unify the pieces. We painted the frame in two coats of Farmhouse White and finished it in Tough Coat to seal it. My dad cut some bed slats for me and I ordered and assembled a 4″ foundation. (That

May 3, 2016 50 Comments

Before and Afters

milk-painted wash stand

I was done buying furniture, but my friend Traer offered this old wash stand to me at such a great price that I couldn’t refuse. It’s sort of like fitting in dessert after a big dinner. It’s just a little piece of furniture, so we can find room for it! The finish was pretty messed up and it was dirty and lost its luster, so painting it was an obvious solution. This was another tag-team project in the studio. Kriste’s friend Leslie, who’s done some organizing for us in the studio, was hanging out with us for the day, so we put her to work. Turns out, that meticulous organizing translated very well to tidy painting, so I told her she can come paint any time she wants to! Kriste applied the second coat, we worked together on the distressing, and then applied matte Tough Coat to seal the chippy areas.

April 29, 2016 23 Comments

All Things Home

the antique display case makeover

A large part of finding “good stuff” at antique stores and junk shops, is taking the time to really look through each booth and, in some cases, to dig around. I know when I hit antique stores that I will usually end up needing a good hand-washing and a change of clothes when I’m done with the place! This cool, really old wood and glass display case was literally buried. It had another cabinet stacked on top and stuff on both sides and leaning against the front. I had to move things to even get a partial look at it, but the sneak peek I got of the old wood piqued my curiosity. It was really dirty, but I could look past that and see it was a gem and a great price. Unfortunately, the glass on the front door cracked as the employees of the shop freed it from everything

April 29, 2016 26 Comments

All Things Home

cleaning cart turned garden cart

Remember the cleaning cart turned kitchen cart? I found a pair of industrial cleaning carts on craigslist for a great price, so I decided to purchase both and turn one into a kitchen cart and give the other one a makeover to use as a garden cart. In case you missed the details of the kitchen cart transformation, you can find them HERE. Well, this is just another take on how these multi-functional furniture pieces can be used. (I have two of them.) Many of you gave great suggestions…a craft cart, laundry cart, toy storage, etc. There are lots of possibilities. In this post, I’m showing it as a garden cart… I’m imagining it on a covered porch or in a potting shed. On one side of the garden cart, I put a pair of rain boots, broom & dustpan, and a wire basket. It would also be a

April 22, 2016 34 Comments

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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