Following a Trend

Garden stools are very popular in home design. Their versatility and unique design help to promote their popularity. I've been intrigued with them for some time but I could never justify their price. When I found them at discount stores their quality seemed a bit lacking and I knew they likely wouldn't hold up to my rowdy crew. So I gave up on having the trendy little stool, until I found one at the thrift store for only a few dollars. It's color was not what appealed to me. It was it's weight---it felt like it was made of cement! As I muscled it to the check stand I envisioned it's makeover.
It seemed that it's previous owners likely abandoned it because it had a serious injury. I pulled out a glob of plumbers epoxy putty, made the necessary repair, and waited for the putty to dry. Once dry I sanded the area and then applied a few coats of paint-plus-primer.
The little stool has a new life and I am a proud trend follower!

Bye, Bye Butterfly

I love the fall! It's when I really get the urge to make changes in my home; some big, others small. I've been sprucing up our guest bedroom lately and when I saw this gem at the thrift store, I knew that it would look great above the bed---after it got a little makeover. I loved the organic look of the blossoming branch. I did not love that little butterfly. So, with the help of my scroll saw (a task that was tricky because the plastic kept melting back together due to the heat of the blade), and with a little sanding, I said bye, bye to that butterfly!

Bright glossy white spray paint
gave it the update it needed. And now there is no evidence of
the little butterfly that once was.It's just the right touch for above the guest bed.I'll be revealing more changes in the guest bedroom
and give away a $100 gift card this week.

Take a Seat

Now that my table has taken on a new look, I've decided to change up the seating. I have a weakness for anything with cabriole legs so these chairs had to come home with me from the thrift store---even though there were only two.

I gave them coat of gray spray paint

to freshen them up. A little glaze helped to age and bring out the details.Next came some new upholstery that will, hopefully, hide food stains.Now I just need to find a few more chairs to seat my family, but the hunt is part of the fun right?

This and That

While visiting my daughter and son-in-law I managed to keep myself busy in their cute little apartment. I joked with my daughter that having me for a mom is like having a dad and a mom come to visit because I do small home repair projects along with decorating and organizing. However she does lose out on having the sort of mom that deep cleans or bakes delightful goodies. That's just not me. Fortunately my daughter has many friends who volunteered to bring in delicious meals and desserts after baby was born so they enjoyed the best of everyone's talents.
On my last visit we curbside shopped this little piece that is used for kitchen storage. I decided to spruce it up using a few dollar store placemats and upholstery tacks.Do you see that gorgeous glass lamp? We found it at a thrift store for just a few dollars (along with that pretty green pedestal bowl). It originally had a light green tint that had been scratched off in a few places. About two hours later, with the use of a razor blade and an old credit card, I was able to take off all of the green leaving it clear and lovely.
And of course I had to do a few spray paint projects while visiting.
This stunning mirror was one.We picked it up at Lucketts. It was reasonably priced but it was a scary, ugly, yellow gold. Even after years of spray painting I am still amazed at how spray paint can transform almost anything.Next week I'll share more of our trip to the famous Lucketts store. I took about a hundred pictures (literally!) while I was there. It may have to be a two or three part post. So fun!!!

Bigger is Better

This was the light over our kitchen sink.But when you have a light like this over the table,
you really do need a bigger fixture over the sink.It's a good thing that someone donated the light I needed.And it's a good thing that a can of spray paint was all it took tounite the lights.

Desperate Blogger

What is a blogger, who has a list of things she wants to create but no time for creating and is desperate for a new post, to do? Well that's easy! Grab the latest thrift find, in this case a garden armillary,
and give it a fresh coat of paint. Then to complete the gratuitous post she can add it to previously shown vignette.

Is Gray The New Black

Lately I seem to be having a love affair with the color gray. A few years ago it was black but now when I envision a makeover for thrifted items I see them in a shade of gray. Perhaps it's because there are so many pleasing varieties of gray----light gray, dark gray, charcoal gray, blue-gray, gray-brown, gray-green and the ever popular greige. Whatever the reason, gray has become my go-to color.

What is your go-to color lately?

***Put your name in for the M.Bellish'd giveaway here***

Spray Paint Thaw

Hooray! The temperatures here have finally reached near the 40's! And even though the spray paint can directions say ideal painting temps are 50-70 degrees, I ran outside with a thrift project in one hand and shaking a paint can in the other.The project I chose was a large metal tray that had an original finish of a mix of greens, browns, and rust.It's a subtle change but I think it looks much nicer painted metallic charcoal with the details highlighted using silver Rub n' Buff.It looks great sitting on my kitchen table corralling all of the pretties I like to keep there. I try to have a candlelight dinner whenever we eat at the table---even though my boys question why. Isn't it a momma's job to insert a few feminine details into the lives of her men? Besides, it makes me happy to be surrounded by beautiful things and if momma's happy then everybody's happy, right?And another thing that makes me happy is to be able to use my favorite makeover tool again!

Proceed With Caution

My husband loves his nightstand but it has only
a teeny tiny drawer for storage. I tried to solve the storage problem with a collection of boxes
that I painted and numbered. But they ended up looking too big and clunky for the space.
So I went to Plan B.

I had this great, vintage basket that was a thrift store find.
It was nice, but not all that masculine. A nice coat of gray spray paint helped, but it still needed a little more.
Since my husband did service in Germany in his youth I asked him to pick a German word that he thought would be appropriate for the basket. I printed off the word in a font that resembled one found on old shipping crates.
Then I cut out the letters to make a stencil. Next I sprayed the paper with adhesive and placed it on top of a piece of scrap wood that I had already painted the same gray as the basket.I spray painted the stencil and when the paint was dry I aged the sign with a little sanding and a light top coat of stain. Then I attached it to the basket with wire.I love that the basket now looks like it came from an old ship, complete with the German word for CAUTION. It fits perfectly under the nightstand and is a great storage solution for hubby's odds and ends.

He Said I Should

I spotted this huge tray at the thrift store for $1. When my husband questioned my choice I told him that I wanted a big tray for our coffee table and we could either build one or I could invest in this one for a dollar. He said I should spend the dollar (I'm sure he just didn't want to have to build anything in this summer heat.)
The tray is over two feet wide---it's an ugly old restaurant tray that it's previous owner gave makeover using contact paper.

That's one way to improve it's appearance.
But as any good DIYer knows,
spray paint is really the ultimate fix!Now that dollar tray looks at least ten times the price!

Paint Transformations

Paint is really among the quickest, easiest, and least expensive ways to transform the look of what you own into what you love.
Here are a few examples from my client's home.

Before: Blah CeilingAfter: Warm CeilingBefore: Boring BenchAfter: Cozy SeatingBefore: Noticeable DetailsAfter: Delightfully Detailed DetailsAnd my favorite paint makeover....
Before: Nice DoorAfter: Gorgeous Door!!!Are you inspired to pick up a can of paint and
transform something?