Before and Afters Archives | Page 36 of 51

Before and Afters

Chalkboard Trophies

I often have trouble leaving things alone. I like to tinker, tweak and put my stamp on things. The latest case in point – these ceramic trophies I found on clearance at Target. I spotted them a while ago and liked the shape, but they seemed off in white ceramic. I guess others agreed with me, because they ended up with three clearance stickers piled one on top of the other. I knew I could make them work, so I bought all of them. I initially thought of silver leafing them, but I decided it would be fun (and a little less labor intensive) to spray them with chalkboard paint. I’m often asked which brand of chalkboard paint I like and I actually like two brands. I use the Krylon spray version and the Rustoleum that comes in a quart. I’ve liked the result of both. This

November 12, 2012 1 Comment

Before and Afters

Upholstered Chair Reveal

Here she is… Here she was… Again, I have nothing against pink, but the pink didn’t work in my home and really wanted to keep these and use them in my family room. I’ve been on a quest for years to populate my family room with comfy, yet stylish (and budget friendly) chairs and these fit perfectly. Right chair, wrong color. So, I stripped her down and gave her a new look. You can read the very G-rated post about stripping HERE. I’m so proud of the way this chair turned out. It’s definitely my best upholstery work to date. I even put a zipper in cushion. I know, right? Fancy. I trimmed out the fabric with green trim (since I have a lot of blues going on already) and I decided to leave the frame as is. I sort of like the washed look with a

November 10, 2012 5 Comments

Before and Afters

Milk Painted Wardrobe Reveal

Here it is… This is the piece I’ve been walking you through as I paint and finish it. You can check out the first post about painting it HERE and the second post about distressing and waxing it HERE. I purchased this wardrobe from an antique furniture store and it was beautiful to begin with, but it felt very dark and heavy. The wood was also not in the greatest condition, so I didn’t feel too bad about painting it. This one is an oldie. It was originally a wardrobe that would easily break down into flat parts, so it could be moved in the days before we had U-Hauls at the ready. Someone glued/screwed it all together at some point, though. This is the fireplace surround that was my inspiration for the finish… Mary and her husband painted it in Tricycle, followed by Typewriter and lastly Shutter

October 20, 2012 No Comments

Before and Afters

Say hello to “Boxwood”

It’s now time to introduce the 12th and final color in my line of milk paint. Say hello to “Boxwood.” Here’s what the piece looked like before… My inspiration for the color was a boxwood bush (obviously.) I love the rich, green color of the leaves… …and it looks striking on a piece of furniture. It’s a bold color, but very classic as well. …and, I’m sure you noticed, the paint isn’t chipped or distressed at all. I used the bonding agent on this piece for a super smooth finish. I’ll post a video on how/when to use the bonding agent tomorrow. Until then, here’s a sneak peek of the 1840’s hutch I couldn’t resist…

October 9, 2012 No Comments

Before and Afters

say hello to “Linen”

It’s time to introduce another one of my Milk Paint colors. Whew! Painting twelve dressers in all twelve of my colors has taken longer than I thought it would. I want all of my pieces to be special, but especially these pieces that will act as the “online swatch” for each color. After this piece, I only have one more left to do – “Boxwood.” So, without further delay, here’s “Linen”… Linen is a beautiful cream that’s not too yellow, but not bright white. My husband found this piece at a yard sale and bought it for me. Awww….I know. I picked a good guy. The hardware was ill-fitting and all wrong for this piece. I disliked the flimsy metal covers for the keyholes as well, so I plucked those off. Other than the cosmetic issues, this piece was in nice condition. The insides of the drawers

September 12, 2012 No Comments

Before and Afters

the history of my dining room

If you’re very, very observant, you may have noticed that my dining room table top looks a little different. That’s because I finally broke down and refinished it. Again. I was going to write a quick post about it, but then I realized the evolution of my dining room is pretty funny. Not in a ha-ha sort of way, but in crazy lady who replaces her dining room set with ridiculous frequency sort of way. We’ve lived in this house for six years and we’re on our fourth dining set. I told you. Ridiculous frequency. I won’t even bother showing you the first one. It was a great sturdy table that was given to us for free, so I definitely can’t complain about that. I longed for a new dining room set for a year or so and finally held a yard sale and sold some things on E-Bay, so

September 9, 2012 No Comments

Before and Afters

Grain Sack Upholstery

I love using antique European grain sacks for upholstering furniture. It gives an immediate character to the piece of furniture and it’s very durable, which is important in a house with two young boys. So, when I acquired this pair of chairs, I knew I wanted to use a grain sack to cover them. The pair of chairs cost $95 and the grain sack was $40. Here’s the result of my $135 and a few hours of work… I know. I love them. Here’s what they looked like before… I left the paint finish exactly as it was. I wouldn’t have picked black for them, but when I set them in my space, they looked great. So foam, batting and the grain sacks were all they needed. Fortunately, the foam and batting came with the chairs, so I didn’t have to buy that, but I did have

September 7, 2012 No Comments

Before and Afters

say hello to “grain sack”

I don’t know why I left this piece sitting in my basement for so long! It was finished a couple of weeks ago and I finally hauled it up today for a photo shoot. I knew I would have fun with it and I did. It’s definitely a favorite. Say hello to the MMS Milk Paint color “Grain Sack”… Here’s the piece before… …and this piece gets better when you start opening it up… I have a wee bit of a crush on this piece and the play of colors, chippiness and wood. (The interior is painted in Shutter Gray, by the way.) So, why did I call this color grain sack? It may look white-ish, but it’s more of a neutral gray, like a nubby old European grain sack. I not only love this color straight up,

August 30, 2012 No 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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