Chair Makeover

It's been awhile since I've had a good before and after to put up here! I bought this vintage sewing chair at the Goodwill for $5.25. Its seat lifts up and there's a secret compartment underneath. It was in good shape to start with, just not my style of fabric. This was my first reupholstery attempt.... I think Im in love with my staple gun.

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Linking up to Miss Mustard Seed's 'Furniture Feature Friday'!

New Chairs

I just picked up these chairs here in Los Osos for free! Thank you Craigslist. The cushions were extremely gross (they had thicker cushions for the back and seat) and immediately thrown away. I imagine these have been sitting in someone's "man cave" or garage for awhile. I don't love the oak wood grain or color BUT I do love the shape of these chairs. I plan on painting the wood and making new cushions with a cool graphic print. Designspongeonline.com has some awesome before and afters that have me inspired.

I've also been inspired to start making some different things to sell at local craft fairs around the holidays. So far I've made a bunch of 'coffee cuffs' and some christmas stockings. Next on the list are oven mitts and aprons. I'm trying to use fun, colorful, retro prints and stay away from the tackier side of crafting. It can be a fine line. It would be great to make some extra money around the holidays but either way it's fun.

... and if my craft business is a bust, I can always stick to gourd farming.

My Rule....

... never pay more than $20 for a piece of furniture! Unless it's something incredibly spectacular of course. I found this table at the flea market last Sunday (yes, the flea market is my second home). It was only $5.00!

I love the caning and the 'mid-century' design. When I got it home I discovered that it is a really high quality piece from Lane furniture. The serial number on the bottom tells me it was made in 1961. The caning on the bottom was in perfect condition and all it took to restore the top was some light sanding, a few coats of Tung oil and paste wax.

I am so happy how this turned out. It is a perfect piece to go in front of our love seat. I'm going to be on the look out for some vintage coasters to complete the look :)
Working on my new table got me inspired to finally finish my side table. The whole project was a good introduction to refinishing and I like how it turned out. It's hard to tell from the picture but it has an ebony stain that lets the wood's grain show through nicely. Now I just need to figure out where to put it!

Projects in the Works....

So far I have six squares done and I am still not sure what its going to turn into. On good days: a queen size quilt. On bad days: a series of pot holders :)

Table update: this is not paint...it's furniture stripper. I HATE furniture stripper. The stripper is now gone (thank god) and I am getting ready to stain.
We are being run out of the house by rocks! Every trip to the beach results in pockets (and sometimes bags) full of rocks. This is our first batch into the tumbler and they turned out beautiful. I'm hoping that with a few more supplies I can start turning our piles of rocks into beautiful pieces of jewelry!

Craigslist Nightstand

I got this nightstand for free on craigslist in Morro Bay! All it cost me was some sample size paint from Ace Hardware (Turquoise Bay and Warm Scones). I sanded it and did two coats of each color. The handle was originally painted a brass color and was covered in grime but some steel wool cleaned it up really nice! I am really happy with the way it turned out and now have the urge to paint all my furniture turquoise.....

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