Occasional Table Makeover

Ashley blogs at The Freckled Redhead. She says, “I saw these tables sitting by the side of the road for two days and I told myself if they were there when I came back home I’d have to get them. I finally talked my boyfriend into going to see if they were still there - and we grabbed them.”

At home, Ashley decided to go with a two-tone effect when she updated these tables. She kept the dark, rich stain visible on some parts of the tables, and covered the rest with fresh, white paint. The finished result really shows off the interesting shape of these tables, and gives them a high-end look. Great job, Ashley!

You can get all the details on this project at The Freckled Redhead.

By Kimm | Filed under Furniture, Tables | Tags: curbside find, curbside finds, dumpster dive, dumpster diving, hand me down, moroccan inspired, occasional tables, octagon table, recycled, refab, refabbed, repurpose, repurposed, revamp, roadside rescue, secondhand find, thrift store, trash to treasure, trash to treasures, two tone, upcycle, upcycled

February 28, 2013February 28, 2013

Vintage Vanity Makeover

When Shanna of Restoration Redoux first saw this vintage vanity, not only was it really dirty, it had been spray painted brown. A free find from Craigslist, it had definitely seen better days.

Luckily, Shanna is no stranger to furniture makeovers, and could see the hidden potential in this piece. Shanna tells us, “I cleaned it up and painted it with a metallic silver paint. I then used an antiquing glaze to give it a bit of an aged look. I spray painted the hardware a metallic silver and coated the vanity with poly.” It definitely took some effort, but when you see the vanity now, you have to admit it was really worthwhile.

You can learn more about this makeover at Restoration Redoux.

By Kimm | Filed under Desks, Furniture | Tags: curbside find, curbside finds, dumpster dive, dumpster diving, hand me down, recycled, refab, refabbed, repurpose, repurposed, revamp, roadside rescue, secondhand find, silver, thrift store, trash to treasure, trash to treasures, upcycle, upcycled, vanity, vanity makeover

February 27, 2013February 27, 2013

Cable Spool to Upholstered Stool

At The Shabby Creek Cottage, Gina’s husband works for a cable company, so she has easy access to the leftover wooden cable spools. She realized that the shape and height of the spools was just right for becoming a stool.

Gina totally got her green on with this project-starting with the upcycled cable spool and going on to reuse a cardboard box to build the sides of the stool. She added some padding to soften things up, and then covered the stool in a gorgeous turquoise fabric. Gina completely transformed a utiltarian throw-away into a beautiful and comfortable addition to her home.

You can view Gina’s detailed tutorial at The Shabby Creek Cottage.

February 27, 2013February 27, 2013

Colorful Nightstand Makeover

When Deb of Lake Girl Paints found this nightstand, it was in the trash. It had a pretty badly chipped drawer, but she liked the boxy shape and knew it had potential.

Deb removed the dated hardware and gave this piece a bright, fun paint job. She didn’t stop at one color-a contrasting drawer and nautical stripes make this an adorable piece for a nursery, child’s bedroom, or even a family room. Deb replaced the chipped drawer with a basket, which adds unexpected texture and detail to this piece. I love the whole look-it says beach house to me!

You can learn more about this makeover at Lake Girl Paints.

February 26, 2013February 26, 2013

School Desk and Chair Makeover

Barbara of Chase the Star found this sweet little desk set on Craigslist. She decided that with a bit of tender loving care, this schoolhouse desk and chair would be perfect for her little boy.

She started off this makeover with a thorough sanding, getting off all of the old paint. Then, Barbara moved forward with giving these pieces a fresh, new faces with paint and stain. It’s amazing what a change of color can do, isn’t it? Staining the desktop and painting the body a bright turquoise totally brought out the cute details of the desk. The red chair got personalized with her little boy’s name. Now, Barbara has a school desk and chair that look like they came from a high-end boutique!

For more information on this darling makeover, visit Chase the Star.

February 26, 2013February 26, 2013

Free Cabinet Upgrade

At The Hardscrabble Home, Stephanie had a wall of cabinetry in her home that she decided needed a little somethin’-somethin’. Out in her garage, there was a really old cabinet that she thought might be the ticket to her indoor cabinet upgrade.

Stephanie took the garage cabinet apart and had her husband handle the sawing. They removed the dated tile countertop and backsplash from the indoor cabinet, and replaced them with wood and beadboard salvaged from the vintage cabinet. Stephanie stained the reclaimed wood a rich, dark brown. The effect is that the cabinetry has been transformed from builder stock to high-end custom….without paying a penny for it!

You can learn more about how Stephanie and her husband completed this makeover at The Hardscrabble Home.

February 25, 2013February 25, 2013

DIY Chicken Wire Frame

Here’s a fun project from Kendra at Pots, Pans, & Paintbrushes. She needed a way to display wedding and party invitations that would double as a style prop for her graphic designs. Kendra salvaged an old picture frame from her MeMaw’s toss pile.

Kendra freshened up the frame with a coat of turquoise paint. Then she added chicken wire to the back. Now her invitations and cards look great pinned to the wire “bulletin board” with clothespins! The distressed turquoise is the perfect cottage-y look for this fun frame.

Check out Kendra’s tutorial for adding chicken wire to a frame at Pots, Pans, & Paintbrushes.

February 25, 2013February 25, 2013

Old Dress to New Decor

Over at Marty’s Musings, Marty still had one of her daughter’s outgrown Easter Dresses. It had been worn to pieces, but one day the eyelet, pretty pink sash, and tulle petticoat caught Marty’s eye and gave her an idea.

Marty took apart the dress and used the various fabrics to wrap and embellish candles. She already had the candles and pillars, but adding the fabric embellishments freshened up their look for her February decor. I especially like the combination of tulle and eyelet on one of the candles. It’s a great idea for adding a little zing to plain candles.

You can read more about her decor at Marty’s Musings.