Occasional Table from Old Barn Wood

Oksana of A Sparrow’s Haven is an oil painter. She’d been scouting for the perfect weathered barn to paint, and thought she’d found just the right one. But when she went back to the site with her paints, the barn was gone! Unfortunately for Okasana’s painting, the barn had been bulldozed. Fortunately for her home decor needs, the farmer told her she could take away some of the wood.

With the weathered wood in hand, Oksana was inspired to make an occasional table to display some of her paintings and collectibles. The tabletop came from a piece of the original barn door. Painted a cheerful barn red and white, the table lends a funky rustic vibe to Okasana’s home.

You can read all about the construction of this table at A Sparrow’s Haven.

Sites we love

May 30, 2013May 31, 2013

Ombre Effect Dresser Makeover

Over at Art Is Beauty, Karin’s niece brought her this dresser. Coming out of a repossessed house, it was about to be trashed before her niece saved it.

The piece was in such bad shape that Karin admits, “It took me two days of gluing and screwing to get this dresser back in shape.” After making repairs, it was time to paint. Karin chose a light wash of blue-green. “Using darker to lighter shades of the same color I did a little bit of an ombre effect on the drawers,” she explains. “I didn’t want it to be a perfect transition of different colors but kind of a wave of color washing up from the bottom to the top.” The end result is lovely.

You can view more details at Art Is Beauty.

May 30, 2013May 30, 2013

Split Stump Side Table

Here’s an interesting twist on the stump side tables that are trending right now: a split stump side table. This one was made by Shayna of The Woodgrain Cottage.

Shayna tells us all about it, explaining, “After sitting outside for 40 years on my uncle’s property, this stump was perfectly weathered and ready for another use. After we split the stump into several pieces, I put it back together and now it’s a lovely side table for our patio… and a great place to set my glass of ice tea!” I love the way the hammered metal looks wrapped around the stump-it gives it an awesome rustic industrial vibe.

Shayna offers a detailed tutorial for this project at The Woodgrain Cottage.

May 29, 2013May 29, 2013

Rocking Chair Redo

Over at Pickles In My Tea & In My Soup, Beth was checking the Freecycle listings when she found something that caught her eye. “It was a free rocking chair and all the ad said was that it was in ‘good condition’ and there was no picture,” she shares.

Beth bravely brought the chair home. It had a really bad paint job, but was sturdy enough that she decided to incorporate it into the playroom she’s fixing up for her kids. A coat of bright, red paint and a new seat cushion later, and this old rocking chair is loving it’s new life! I’m always amazed by how a fresh coat of paint changes everything!

Find out more about this rocking chair redo at Pickles In My Tea & In My Soup.

May 29, 2013May 29, 2013

Jewelry Holder from a Cheese Grater

At The Pink Hammer Blog, Kelly shared a terrific idea for organizing jewelry. During a recent move, she was dismayed to discover how tangled her jewelry had become. When she found an old cheese grater that someone else was ready to throw out, inspiration struck.

Kelly re-imagined that cheese grater as a way to get her jewelry untangled. This project was as simple as using a can of spray paint to give the old grater a shot of color and cover up the rusty spots. The holes in the grater make the perfect spots to hang or attach earrings and other jewelry. What a fun idea!

You can find out more about this project at The Pink Hammer Blog.

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

May 28, 2013May 28, 2013

Bench Redo with Chevron

Kathy blogs at Life on Lakeshore Drive. This emperor style bench was passed on to Kathy by her daughter, who picked it up at an estate sale but decided she didn’t want it. The bench was in good condition, but needed a bit of an update.

“To keep the legs from blending in with my brown couch, I decided to do a dry paint and wax brush using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Emperor’s Silk,” Kathy explains. She didn’t pick out the fabric until after the bench was painted, so she was thrilled to come across this fun chevron pattern that was a perfect match. “I wasn’t positive I wanted to go with such a busy fabric, but it matched my Emperor’s Silk Chalk Paint table perfectly. It also definitely gave a pop of color to the dark couch.” I think the ultra-modern fabric paired with the classic style bench is fun and interesting. Great job, Kathy!

You can get more information on this project at Life on Lakeshore Drive.

May 28, 2013May 28, 2013

Painted Berry Boxes

Have you ever picked up berries from a farm stand that were in little wooden boxes, instead of plastic? Amy of While Wearing Heels had a few berry boxes in hand, and thought it might be fun to spruce them up a bit.

Giving her berry boxes a new look was as simple as painting them with craft paint. Amy chose colors in sherbet hues to dress up the boxes. Aren’t they adorable? These would be so fun to use for organizing office or craft supplies.

Find out more about this project at While Wearing Heels.

May 27, 2013May 27, 2013

Dipped (and Striped!) Chair Makeover

Krista blogs over at The Happy Housie. Recently, she freshened up her entryway with board and batten. The shabby little chair sitting in the entryway looked even shabbier next to the pretty new walls, so Krista decided she needed to spruce it up a bit.

She began this makeover by mixing up some homemade chalk paint, using paint leftover from the board and batten project (Benjamin Moore’s cloud white). After several coats of the white paint had dried, Krista taped off the seat and legs to create the striped and dipped looks. The pretty green, yellow, and blue accents looked just right after they were lightly whitewashed. The end result is a brand-new chair with a fun, preppy look.

You can find out more about this project at The Happy Housie.

By Kimm | Filed under Chairs, Furniture | Tags: chair makeover, chalk paint, curbside find, curbside finds, dipped legs, diy chalk paint, dumpster dive, dumpster diving, hand me down, recycled, refab, refabbed, repurpose, repurposed, revamp, roadside rescue, secondhand find, stripes, thrift store, trash to treasure, trash to treasures, upcycle, upcycled