Posted by MAKMU ta
On Saturday, March 24, 2012
Our guest bedroom is still evolving as I search for affordable items to use but today I am sharing the newest addition. I painted this desk/table with Benjamin Moore Cloud White in eggshell and mixed in plaster of paris to make homemade chalk paint. I read that the trick with using plaster of paris is to mix the powder in with the water really well first. Then add the one part of water/p.o.p. to 3 parts of paint. It worked great this way for me-no lumps! I waxed the top with Minwax paste wax. At this time I am choosing not to distress it but I may change my mind (I'm not sure if I want the maple showing through.)
Our carpet is more of a grey shade and will be staying for now (the lighting was challenging today.) The baseboard and door trim still needs painting too.
This is the seller's before shot. I think it is a great piece for $25, solid maple and very well built. (Regional prices on sites like kijiji and Craigslist vary, but I find our local prices fairly high when comparing ours to many I see in blogland.) I hesitated painting it but the colour wasn't working for us. I switched out the wood drawer knobs for glass knobs ($1.50 each at Michaels last summer.)
It fits nicely in this spot in the guest room, but I have been known to move things around ;) This will be a nice little spot for guests to use their laptop or write a note.
I am working on a mirror or chalkboard for the wall behind the desk and just need to decide which would look better. We also have a Windsor hoop back chair that would look cute painted and used here. White or aqua? hmmm
The little lamp is one I made from an old mason jar and a lamp kit. (The lighting is making the photos appear more yellow than they are.)
I think it turned out quite well for $25 and some leftover paint. I ended up selling the
cute antique dresser I bought at the same time as this table. I got it for $60 and resold it as is for $180. I had trouble deciding where to put it and couldn't pass up the offer. In trying to get a little side business going I am learning that to make money you can't keep every piece that comes along. But for now I will be keeping this little desk.
I'm sharing this with...
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Saturday, March 17, 2012
I love taking an old or dated piece of furniture and giving it a new life.
This sturdy desk was a curbside find in our neighbourhood on the first 'big garbage' day after a long winter. This is the day that we are allowed to put out oversize items for pickup. about once a month from April 'till October. The stuff is usually set out neatly so others can claim it. It is funny to watch big piles dwindle in size and great to know that good stuff is not hitting the landfill. I'm not above curb picking and my husband hasn't minded since I showed him how I could make a profit.
Before, or during sanding (I almost forgot a photo), a very dated and rough mustard colour finish with glitter glue here and there.
I used Behr Premium Plus Ultra Paint and Primer in One in a charcoal black. Please ignore the stack of board and batten wood on our living room floor ;) It has a neat little pull out shelf and three dovetailed drawers. I decided not to distress it because that seems to appeal more to buyers around here.
I'm listing this desk for sale on kijiji, but the
little Vilas maple one I bought is already sporting a fresh new white finish. I just need to find knobs and take some photos because I am keeping that one. We are enjoying beautiful weather this weekend, the end of our March Break, and I'm hoping to get a few more projects complete before I'm back to work on Monday.
UPDATE: I sold this within 12 hours of listing it and now I need to find something else to paint ;) Cost to me was less than $3 of mistint paint and it sold for $80.
You can find me at the following awesome parties...
SNS #125 at Funky Junk InteriorsNifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal CharmCowgirl Up Link Party at Cedar Hill Ranch
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Sunday, March 04, 2012
I check our local kijiji (like Craigslist) daily for furniture deals and haven't found anything affordable for a while now. That is until this weekend.
From the same seller, right here in our town, we purchased this antique dresser and a little desk. I couldn't believe what great prices they were listed for. And spotless too.
The dresser is solid wood with dovetail drawers and lovely turned front legs. It was recently refinished but I now have to decide if it might look even better with some white paint.
This little desk is solid maple and made by Vilas (a Quebec, Canada furniture manufacturer well known for solid maple colonial style furniture.) It has a drawer and two little letter slots on the backboard. Not a scratch on it! I am pretty sure it is going to get a few coats of white chalk paint and light distressing. The desk would work well in a few places in our home, but I think it will go in our basement guest room.
So, would you paint the dresser white and distress it? I was thinking of leaving the top of both sections stained (all photos in the home of the seller.)
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Saturday, January 28, 2012
I found this vintage clock today at the thrift store for $3.99.
The colour is perfect for our guest bedroom because I have decided to use my rose mirrors and frames in this room. My plan is for a mix of metals and white frames. It was snowing fairly heavily when these photos were taken this afternoon so the photos are a bit dark. Below is a photo of one of the mirrors when I was trying it in the front hallway.
My Mom and Dad always had Big Ben and Westclox alarms like these and I remember Dad sitting on the bed setting the alarm each night. Pretty sure he still uses one. I'm of the radio alarm clock generation so hopefully he can show me how this baby works (IF it works.)
I'm sure this alarm clock will be the first in a new collection. Have you started any new collections lately?
I'm sharing this with...
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Friday, October 21, 2011
I don't usually have luck at the thrift store, but when I stopped in last week I found four vintage oval plates, or maybe they would be called platters.
They look like restaurant ware that you might find in an old diner, but I'm not really sure. I love that they are oval and have a simple grey band around the edge.
The marking on the back says 'Steelite Made in England" and they are fairly heavy. Would these be ironstone or china? Whatever they are, I think they were a good deal at $1.99 each, and I'm happy to add them to my dish collection.
I'm sharing with...
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Tuesday, August 23, 2011
I woke up early Saturday to head out to some yard sales. We had a houseful of family visiting for my niece's bridal shower, but I knew they've been here enough to be self sufficient.
I was on a mission to find a George Foreman grill, as requested by my nephew who is heading off to college soon. The GF grill was found at the 5th garage sale I stopped at for $5. I also found this pretty white serving bowl, made in Portugal, for $2 (still in the wedding gift box it came in.) It's not vintage but it is dishwasher and microwave safe.
This serving set has a stainless steel blade but the silver is a bit tarnished. Picked up for $3 for the set. A fun hour for $10 and I still got back to the house in time to tidy up and get dressed for the shower.
What crazy weather lately, too! My thoughts and prayers go out to the community of Goderich, near London, Ontario, that suffered so much damage with the tornado this week. Today we felt the Virginia earthquake tremor here in southern Ontario. And finally, to all of you in the potential path of Hurricane Irene, my hope is that you all stay safe.
I'm sharing my thrifty finds with...
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Twice Owned Tuesday at House of Grace
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Saturday, July 30, 2011
On my recent
collections post, I had some comments and emails asking about the lids of my aqua crown canning jars.
The lids are original to the Crown mason jars and most came with the three piece lids -one zinc ring, one matching glass seal with the crown logo, and a rubber seal ring.
The jars are really old and have bubbles inside the glass and their shape is not always uniform (a few of them are lopsided and even though a bunch are qt. they are slightly different heights.)
I broke two of the largest ones I had two years ago and actually gave some away before I realized they were something I wanted to collect. For more of the hydrangeas and our dining room changes, click
here.
Did you catch the peek of our new ladder find? Or new old ladder find. It is in new condition but I'm not sure if it is old.
I found it at Habitat Restore in Owen Sound, Ontario while browsing with my sil. I asked if it was for sale and the guy said 'sure, $10.' Uh, sold. Love the galvanized support pieces.
And just for fun, sepia in Picasa.
I love my collection of mason jars, the aqua Crown, clear glass Crown and even a few with the wire/glass lid tops. If you would like to see more posts on my jars, check
here and
here and
here.
I hope this answers the questions I received and I hope you have a great weekend (long weekend here in Ontario.)
I'm linking up with
SNS at Funky Junk Interiors 'cause I hate missing Donna's great party!
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Friday, May 13, 2011
Now that our
living room is painted white, I'm feeling more confident in adding some colour to the room.
I decided to paint a mirror and two tabletop picture frames this pretty aqua that I have used on the inside of our pie safe and our bar stools.
The colour is Ocean Spray from Benjamin Moore. I love blues and I think having several things painted this shade helps the different rooms flow together. I'm trying to sell this table and I'm searching for a replacement that I can paint.
The Befores~
The mirror was pretty but the gold finish doesn't really work with our other things. I paid $3 for the mirror and the brand new frames were $1 each at a really cool garage sale last year where the lady was retiring and closing her home accessories store. The mirror doesn't have an after, because as usual lately, I somehow managed to not be able to get the mirror to fit back in. Loosening the screws and taking the back off also let glass slivers come out, so I'm giving up on the mirror part and just keeping the frame. I'll share a picture of it later.
The frames before were the two that aren't a pair.
I used latex wall paint but you could easily use craft or spray paint. A quick spray of matte sealer will protect them from kid's fingerprints too.
And the best part is that I already had the paint and it was a quick project. It is very easy to get caught up in the beautiful projects and inspiration in blogland. There is so much happening, no wonder! Easier still to avoid projects of our own. Sometimes I just have to remind myself that even completing little projects can give me a real sense of satisfaction. Is there something that you could fit into your decor better and freshen up with a few quick coats of paint?
Thanks for stopping by!
Posted by MAKMU ta
On Saturday, May 07, 2011
I have been searching and searching and I finally found a buffet and hutch for our kitchen!
My criteria for the search was excellent condition, solid wood, well made, both doors and drawers, substantial crown moulding, local area and fitting our budget. I saw hundreds of cabinets and buffets and hutches on kijiji and Craigslist and it took awhile, but boy did I get lucky.
Solid oak, not a scratch, great hinged doors that open flush, and solid drawers. I {heart} the generous crown moulding and bit of detail without being too ornate. The couple we bought it from are local and are moving back to my husband's hometown. We scored it for $100. (I need to raise the
BAKERY sign.) I think we need to change out the hardware though. Maybe black.
Of course when adding a new piece of furniture to a home it usually triggers moving other pieces. The white and aqua cabinet moved onto a small wall in our dining room. The pine IKEA shelf was bought as a temporary storage solution with the plan of moving it to our cold storage room. I filled it with creamware and white dishes and still need to tweak the buffet surface.
I had considered painting the armoire in the family room but now I'm definitely going to paint it. Distressed white or aqua...hmmm?
Sometimes it pays to have a bit of patience. If budget is an issue, keep searching for that piece you want. Use something temporarily and make a list of the 'needs' and 'wants' that the piece should have. My hubby is very impressed and keeps making me promise I won't paint the buffet and hutch. He usually doesn't give his opinion, other than it looks nice. Is there something you are searching for?
I'm linking to
Funky Junk Interiors. Hope to 'see' you there.
