Furniture Makeovers Archives | Page 29 of 110

Furniture Makeovers

All Things Home

milk painted ornaments

I spent most of my day wrapping presents and working on some cleaning to get ready to host Christmas. I’m sure many of you were doing the same. I have also been insanely motivated to purge and organize. I’m not sure what has kicked into me, but I have been in a mood. A get-rid-of-80%-of-everything-and-organize-the-rest kind of mood. Usually this mood hits me in January, but it is, very inconveniently, hitting just a few days before Christmas! So, I’ve been purging and sorting my way through sections of my house and studio. I’m ready to take on any shelf, drawer, closet or cubby that doesn’t contain useful items stored in a tidy fashion. I’ve bought bins and labels and I’m eye-balling things that I’m going to sell, donate or pitch. I’ll finally quit holding myself back after Christmas, but for now, I need to push aside this distraction and focus on the

December 22, 2015 28 Comments

Furniture Makeovers

DSC_7299

I knew Vanessa’s kitchen before I knew Vanessa, which is not that uncommon in the blog/Instagram/Pinterest world we all inhabit. You might recognize this little gem… Yep. That’s Vanessa’s kitchen. So, I’ve been stalking the Vintage Whites feed on Instagram and pinning from the Vintage Whites blog for a while. Leaving hearts and comments on occasion, but mostly silently stalking. Then, just a couple of weeks ago, I received an e-mail from Jana & Vanessa, the creative minds behind the Vintage Whites Market. They wanted to know if I would like to be a special guest at the market coming up in Loveland, Co. Well, I have to find a way to make that one happen. I asked Jeff about it, knowing I had an ace up my sleeve – Colorado. He didn’t stand a chance. He probably didn’t hear a word I said except Colorado and he gave his approval. His grandparents

December 21, 2015 24 Comments

All Things Home

slipcover series part 4 & reveal

Well, I finally finished the slipcover for my mom’s room makeover! Slipcovers aren’t my favorite and catching every step on film slows my progress to a crawl, so it’s taken me much longer than usual to get this thing finished. I gave myself a pep-talk and threw some air-punches in the studio and I made it happen. If you’re overwhelmed by your slipcover project, just take it one step at a time and you’ll get it done. And here is the finished slipcover… The burgundy fabric is all still there, but it has a new slipcover in antique hemp sheets… …with a flirty skirt… …and ribbon ties on the back, as a little surprise… I love how the ribbon looks like upholstery webbing. I think I bought it at World Market, but I’m not 100% on that. The slipcover makes this traditional wing chair feel a bit more relaxed and in

December 12, 2015 13 Comments

Before and Afters

painted primitive cabinet

Does this cabinet look at all familiar? How about now…? I bought it to sell at the Market on Chapel Hill and I originally didn’t paint it, because it had a pretty patina. But it didn’t sell and it felt like a bit of a black hole, so I decided to lighten it up with paint. The outside is painted in MMS Milk Paint Farmhouse White and the interior is Shutter Gray. (Can you tell which colors are my favorite these days?) I think this piece was once the top of a hutch, but it’s all on its own, now. I put it on top of the counter-height farm table I found for a great deal a couple of weeks ago and the pairing seems to work. I liked it unpainted, but I love it so much more painted. You can really see the character of the boards and the wearing

December 11, 2015 10 Comments

All Things Home

the most popular horse in blogland

You know when you’re out shopping and you find a little gem? Something that screams out at you to buy it. It speaks to you. Well, I was rummaging around in the somewhat ransacked Christmas section of TJ Maxx and I spotted this sweet wooden horse, just one, with a red bridle and saddle and the sweetest shape. I think it was $25. I grabbed it up without hesitation and immediately imagined it painted with milk paint. And then, as I was perusing Instagram, I realized that just about everyone else in the blog/Instagram world felt the same way about this horse and they bought it, too. It would seem it’s the poster child for Christmas 2015. And my little gem was feeling more like the mass-produced, trendy horse it actually was. Because it was everywhere!! I clung to the hope that my plan to paint it would make it my

December 10, 2015 20 Comments

All Things Home

trading horses again

Remember my rocking horse? The one I bought from Restoration Hardware and then painted with MMS Milk Paint to make it look chippy and old? Well, in typical Marian fashion, I sold it. I wasn’t planning to, but a client asked if I could custom paint the same horse for her. I agreed to the job and we tried to schedule a time for her to drop her horse off at the studio. As we tried to schedule and reschedule, it occurred to me that it would save her a trip if I just gave her my painted horse, since she wanted hers to look exactly the same, and I could take the unpainted one and paint it again. Are you tracking with me? So, when I was in Virginia for the Holiday Expo, we met and traded horses. An interesting thing… I really don’t mind buying and selling pieces, but

December 3, 2015 55 Comments

All Things Home

milk paint 101 | surface prep

Now, you know what milk paint is (part 1), you’ve mixed it for your project (part 2), and now it’s time to get your piece ready to paint. This is the part that many people are confused about and where many projects go off the rails. I’ll be honest in saying that I have contributed to that confusion, I’m sure. In this day and age where no sanding, priming or prep is the trend, there is an assumption that you don’t ever have to prep anything before painting it. So, can you paint a piece without prepping it? Yes. You definitely can. And I have many times, which is how I’ve contributed to the confusion. But, I’ve painted enough to know which ones need to be prepped before applying milk paint and which ones don’t. And that’s what we’re going to cover today. So, which ones need to be prepped and

November 25, 2015 28 Comments

All Things Home

the $125 farm table

I needed to pick up some supplies for the glitter workshop last week and I could hardly be out and about for the day without stealing a few minutes in an antique store! So, I meandered through one of my local haunts, hitting some of my favorite vendor’s booths, picking up a few small things. I wasn’t looking for furniture, but, of course, a piece of furniture found me. I spotted this great counter-height farm table for $125. I knew it had to come home with me. It was worth the total pain of taking out one of my van seats and unloading it by myself at the studio. Oh, the sacrifices. I also bought this great basket for only $25. I was trolling eBay just the day before for a large French laundry basket, but they were in the $200 range, which was more than I wanted to pay.

November 25, 2015 27 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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