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Furniture Makeovers

Union Jack Dresser – Take Two

Last month, I painted one of my favorite pieces of furniture ever…the Union Jack dresser. I rarely do the same thing twice, but this dresser received rave reviews and sold in a wink (with six other interested parties), so I thought it was worth making another one. I found the perfect dresser when I was out antiquing with my mom a couple of weeks ago. It’s a little bit smaller and the details are slightly different, but otherwise it’s the same. If there was a paint or a thick finish, I would’ve stripped the top, but since it just had a thin topcoat that was half-worn off, I simply sanded it with a palm sander. Applying stain to a dry, sanded wood is one of the most rewarding things in DIY. It instantly looks better, rich and warm. It’s like magic. I applied the dark walnut stain with a scrap

February 26, 2011 41 Comments

Copy Me Challenge Honorable Mentions AND Furniture Feature Friday Link Party

Tonight’s Furniture Feature Friday is going to be a just a little different. Instead of highlighting my favorite furniture projects from a couple of weeks ago, I am going to share the three “honorable mentions” from the Copy Me Challenge. The top five will be announced on Sunday and the grand winner on Monday. The link up at the bottom of the post will be our usual furniture party, though. First of all, it was such a challenge to pick my “Copy Me” favorites. There were so many curvy dressers, Frenchy chairs, beautiful vignettes, and creative takes on the sheet music wreath in the over 200 links. I really enjoyed seeing my work through your eyes. It was a true pleasure. The first honorable mention goes to Yanet from Three Sun Kissed Boys. This entry was just funny and I love the spirit of it. Full disclosure: Yanet sent

February 17, 2011 15 Comments

Desk & Ottoman Transformations

I’m always ramping up for something, aren’t I? What was a “down” retail time for me last year is craziness this year. Every February, The Old Lucketts Store holds their biggest sale of the year…The Ground Hog Day Sale. Brilliant, isn’t it? So, instead of taking a little time out, R and R, and work a little on my own home, I finished four pieces of furniture in the last two days. Whew! This desk and slipcovered ottoman are the latest projects. I just dropped them off this evening in the room I share with Karen. This desk was black, beatup and missing a drawer. The ottoman was…well…ugly. I stripped the paint off the desk top to reveal a beautiful wood grain. It was then finished with dark walnut stain and a coat of paste wax for protection and luster. My husband made a new drawer and I added vintage style glass knobs

February 3, 2011 53 Comments

French Chair Reveal, Glaze Mix, & Simple Upholstery

There’s a lot of good information and inspiration in this post, so get ready! First of all, the beauty shot. Now, the before shot. I’m so happy with how these turned out. I’m taking the pair of arm chairs (only one is pictured in the before shot) to the Ground Hog Day Sale at Lucketts (Feb 4-6). If you’d like to read about the paint technique I used on these chair frames, click here. And, as promised, here is my “secret” glaze formula. It’s Ralph Lauren’s Faux Effects Glaze tinted in Espresso Beans by Behr. It gives a soft, aged finish that’s perfectly brown. I have found most “mocha” or “antique” glazes look really orange. Orange like a bad bronzer or self-tanning spray, so I have one custom mixed. Click on the picture to enlarge. I use a lot of different antiquing techniques, but this one is good for a worn look. It’s also easy to

January 21, 2011 77 Comments

French Chairs – Painting Technique

I’m picking up where we left off yesterday with my newly acquired French arm chairs. So, the upholstery was removed and the frames were painted Georgian Revivial Blue by Sherwin Williams. This color is a little shocking at the moment, but just wait. Before moving on to the next step, I want to point out the texture I left on the frame. I did not sand this piece before painting it and that was intentional. This texture is going to work in my favor. Once the darker blue was dry, I used a brush loaded with a very small amount of Light French Grey (Behr) and hit the high points of the frame. I made sure to brush with the grain of the wood and kept the brush “dry.” Now, remember when I said a couple of weeks ago that there is a point in every “faux” technique where it

January 20, 2011 69 Comments

Union Jack Dresser

Well, some of you are so smart and you guessed right away what I was up to in my post yesterday. Yes. I painted a Union Jack dresser. The concept came about a few weeks ago when I was moving some furniture into Lucketts. Karen carries a wonderful line of British themed wrapping paper and suggested painting a union jack sign. That idea transformed into the thought of making a Union Jack dresser. I started hunting for a good candidate and found this one on Craig’s List. It was perfect. It was handy that this antique dresser was already painted blue, but it needed a fresh coat, anyway. I stripped the top to reveal the gorgeous (and very heavy) solid wood underneath. I almost always change out the hardware on furniture, but when I noticed a plastic bag with the original hardware in it, I removed the modern nickle hardware in

January 16, 2011 90 Comments

My House – Before & Afters of 2010

While everyone else is organizing and freshening their homes for the remainder of the winter, I’m still in the thick of decorating for Christmas. I have to work a year ahead in my freelance writing and I have to do it while the fresh tree is still alive and the Christmas stuff is out. I’m making a final push to finish all of my projects, so the tree can come down and I can move on! Since the only stuff I have to share is soooo last month, I thought I would share the big changes I made in my home this year, all gathered together in one post. I’m surprised at how much my home has changed in a year. All of the before pictures were taken around January of last year. Here we go! The dining room before… …and now. The living room before… …and now. The guest room

January 5, 2011 57 Comments

Chalkboard Cabinet

There’s no rest for me these days…even with the Christmas holiday. I looked at my husband this afternoon and declared, “OK, I officially cannot say yes to one more thing.” We’ll see if I stick to that. If someone asks to photograph one of my rooms for a magazine or…say…someone wanted to publish my book…I’d say yes to stuff like that. So, I guess I need to make it clear to him that I will only say yes to a few things. Today, I shampooed the carpets to clean up after the post Christmas mess, which has become known as “The Christmas Bomb” in my house. The slipcovers are washed, the floors have been vacuumed and I hauled my plastic tree to the thrift store, as promised. (Sorry, Nutbird.) I am sold on live trees from this point forward. In addition to my projects for Christmas 2011, I’m making a final

December 29, 2010 30 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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