Before and Afters Archives | Page 40 of 51

Before and Afters

Jack’s Home

Most of the time I take my furniture to Lucketts or a fair, it sells and I don’t ever see it again. It’s always nice when I “hear from one.” (Especially when it ends up in the home of a professional photographer who sends me photographic proof that it found a good home.) This dresser started out as a typical Craig’s List find, but there was something about the quality of it, the lines, the masculinity with turned legs…I just knew it was a special piece. As a bonus, the amazing original hardware was in a plastic bag in one of the drawers. I refinished it for a Cottages & Bungalows article last January… …and then put it up for sale during the Lucketts Ground Hog Day Sale. Jodi spotted it on the Lucketts website and, after consulting with her designer, she purchased it over the

January 23, 2012 No Comments

Before and Afters

I know it’s junk, but…

There are times when I find something and I know it’s junk. I know I might not be able to salvage it, but I think it’s worth a shot. This chair is one of those pieces. I found it at Lucketts, marked down to $25 from $70. I knew immediately why it was discounted. It had a fabulous shape, was painted a great green, but… …well, you can see the problem in this blurry iPhone picture. It had a wonky leg. Two wonky legs, actually, but one was really bad. This chair really needs to be taken apart and entirely rebuilt, but, me being an impatient person and knowing this chair wasn’t worth major surgery, I worked on it to get it sured up. That involved undoing previous repairs, gluing the joints and then putting in some strategically placed screws. I then reupholstered it in an

January 18, 2012 No Comments

Before and Afters

pillows, upholstery & a dresser

I had a very productive day today and it felt great. I made three pillows, upholstered an arm chair, painted a piece of furniture and caulked and primed some trim. Whew! There are a few things that are contributing to the flurry of activity. First of all, we have a big photo shoot happening over the next two days. Second, I need to take some more shots for the cover of my book. Lastly, we are soooo close to finishing some projects that have dragged on for years, so I’m ready to have things done. Here’s one of the pillows I made… A good friend of my mother-in-law gave this unfinished needlework piece to me and the colors were perfect for my house. The second pillow is a tea towel with simple ties on each side. I’ll show the pillow and the upholstered chair another day. I ran out of

January 17, 2012 No Comments

Before and Afters

{the new doo}

Before… After…

January 8, 2012 No Comments

Before and Afters

Home Office Reveal

I’m sorry for disappearing for a day! It’s so rare for me not to post, but I’ve been working on a special (and very exciting/terrifying) project and it took all of my time yesterday. I’ve been in video-uploading, picture editing, error-receiving purgatory and just didn’t have time to get a post up. I also spent three hours (and a ridiculous sum of money) at the hair salon yesterday. I’ve never had my hair properly and professionally colored and I decided it was finally time. Mary, the miracle worker, swapped out the brassy blonde color-from-a-box for a color closer to my natural shade. It was quite a shock for me, since I’ve been bright blonde my entire life (expect for a brief period when I was the victim of a terrible goth-blackberry color of red.) She colored it a dark blonde and with warm blonde highlights. The base color ended up

January 4, 2012 No Comments

Before and Afters

French chair makeover & updates

After a whirlwind week of activities and festivities, we dropped my parents off at the airport this afternoon. We got so much accomplished, it’s amazing. I started getting a little teary-eyed today when I saw so many projects complete. I know that’s silly, but some of them have been five years in the making and now they’re almost done. Before I show some progress on the house, I’ll share my latest French chair makeover. I’m really missing working on furniture, but I have a few pieces I’m going to work on in a few days. It was nice to get this chair finally finished. I’ve had it since June, painted it in July, upholstered it sometime in the fall and I finally made the cushion cover and put on the trim this week. Here’s how it started… It wasn’t bad, but it was just a little dated and tired. Here’s

December 29, 2011 No Comments

Before and Afters

Untitled-1

December 28, 2011 44 Comments

Before and Afters

favorite home project in 2011

As the year is winding down, it’s a good time to reflect on some of the best things that happened in 2011. Today, I’m going to share my favorite projects we tackled in our home. I did a lot of projects and makeovers, but I sold most of them, so I really enjoy projects I get to do in my own home. We’re almost done with two that have been a long time in the making, but until those are finished, my favorite makeovers happened in the kitchen and family room. I was itching to paint these cabinets from the day we bought this house five years ago. It was a happy day when I finally got the “thumbs-up” from hubby and the courage to tackle the 52 cabinet doors. …and what a difference. It was totally worth all of the hard work. I also love the changes we made in

December 28, 2011 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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