Royal Red Dresser.

Pretty sad looking isn't it? 

This is how I bought it...but it called to me to make it pretty again. 

I really need to tell you about the man who finds some of my pieces and then sells them to me. Sweet man who does this as his retirement. 

You really can't see it in this pic...but the legs had magic marker all over them. Not your normal black, but green. Right into the grooves. I was so afraid of it all bleeding through so I ended up stripping the whole thing down. 

It's a bit of a pain, but well worth the effort. 

I managed to save the top...and I really should have gotten pics of sides a bit better. There is no veneer on this. The sides are all about 3/4 inches thick. For those of you who do this a lot, you know how unusual it is to find pieces that don't have at least some veneer on it. 

And someday someone in the future may want to strip it all down again and bring out the beautiful walnut wood under my paint. 

This one would be well worth the effort. 

But for now it's gotten a new look, new paint and stain...and a new life :) 

 For now it's Royal, or Regal. Whichever word you choose it's just so majestic.

 The original pulls just needed a bit of paint, they were so perfect.

And the details made all the work worth it, don't you think? 

 So from this.....

To this........

So happy with it :) 

Have a great weekend! 

Sharing: 
Miss Mustard Seed
36th Avenue 
Coastal Charm
Elizabeth & Co.   
  

Dresser with a secret

I was out "looking" for stuff for winter. 

Stocking up during the summer is what I do. 

I came across what I thought was a dresser. 

 Solid wood and wonder. Great shape and all original pulls. Loved it.

When I tried to open the top drawer I found that it pulled open to reveal this wonderful secretary.

I should have guessed, but it always seems to take me by surprise. 

So I brought it home and got to work. 

Stripped, stained, painted and painted some more. 

Ta da

 I tried leaving the inside natural. But it was just to dark. It didn't sit well with me...so more painting. (hint, when doing all those slots, it's much easier to remove it and re install after)

 All the pulls were taken off, painted, sanded, glazed and sealed before re installing them. I love this antiqued look.

 And I love that solid walnut top, I just didn't have the heart to cover it in paint.

And now he is ready for his new home...does that home belong to you? 

It is now in it's new home :) 

Sharing: 
Miss Mustard Seed
36th Avenue 
  

Rustic Coffee table

Even if something isn't old it sometimes needs a makeover anyway. 

Case in point. 

This coffee table. 

Ignore the dog food. I just unloaded it in this pic an snapped the "before" with my cell phone. 

Anyone else like that? Grab the phone take a pic before you forget. 

So most of my before pics are not so great...and that's an understatement..lol

Seriously if it wasn't for my phone I would have less than half the pics I do. It's my life saver. :) 

As soon as I posted this pic I had several interested people. First come first served right? So the new owners and I talked about their vision for this piece. Then they left it up to me completely to do it over for them. 

I am always blown away by the trust people put in me and I can't tell you how humbled I am. Seriously! 

So I got to work. 

And of course have after pics (which are wayyyyyyyy better than the before ones) 

 I was totally terrified that the top was so damaged I wouldn't be able to strip it down and re stain it.

 But it's made of layers of wood. I don't think I've seen it done this way before.

 And because the drawers are pull out from either side, the front and back of the table look exactly the same.

 Handles are the same ones...but I painted them black...a much better look for this rustic table.

And what rustic table is complete without a cannon? 

Found that in South Carolina...wood an brass and very very old! I bought it to sell in my booth, but Hubby somehow managed to snag it and, well I guess we are keeping it. I am beginning to think he's more addicted to history than I am! ;) 

Off to the next project. Have a great week :) 

Sharing: 
Elizabeth & Co.
Savvy Southern Style 
Miss Mustard Seed 
  

Paying it forward.

There have been a lot of stories in the news lately about paying it forward. Things like Star Bucks and Chick-Fil-a, and here in Canada we have the same thing happen at Tim Hortons. 

I'm a big believer in paying it forward. Maybe not in a "news worthy" kind of way...but in small ways, that normally only involve me and someone unknown or little known to me. 

You see I've been very blessed in this life. I have a wonderful husband and amazing children, I have a roof over my head and food on the table. I know that sounds trite, but I really believe that. Everything else is icing on the cake so to say.  

Why am I talking about this? 

My pay it forward philosophy is part of my business life too. See, every time I am given something I have vowed to do something or give something back. It may not be right away, but it's always in my mind. I look for ways I can give back. Sometimes it's through local auctions or simply dropping something off at a local charity. Something that is not money. Something I have to put effort into. It's just something I do. 

I'm not trying to pat myself on the back, nor am I looking for accolades. I am however looking for ideas. 

See this cute bench/stool?

I went to my booth yesterday and this was in my space. Sometimes people shop and change their minds, and just dump things in the nearest booth. No big deal, I wanted to see where it belonged and was going to return it to it's proper booth. But see the paper on there? That is a note, and it was addressed to me. 

The note says "Dear Titia (that's my actual name, I'm not actually called Crafty in Canada to those that know me..shocking I know..lol) Please take me home and make me beautiful" "free from Gail" 

I laughed as I've talked to her a couple of times and never dreamed she would just give me something as special as this. 

I felt honoured. Really. 

So now I have this. And as much as I would love to keep it, I want to do something with it. 

Make it over of course. Tighten it up (it's a bit loose) paint it and recover it. 

But then what? 

Should I place it back in her booth and let her profit from it?

Or should I take it to someone else in need. 

What would you do? 

Sharing:
Coastal Charm
Domestically Speaking 
Elizabeth & Co.  
Savvy Southern Style 
Miss Mustard Seed 
  

The rebuild has begun!!!

WOO HOO.

Or crazy me. 

Building a couch......again. 

I think it's been three years since I've done the last one. And in that time I've learned a LOT. 

I've learned that if you search hard enough you will eventually find what you are looking for. 

Such as this Couch

Lovely right? 

You can read about it HERE. 

I tore it apart, painted it and have finally started the rebuild! 

Hubby is excited. (to finally get this thing moving) 

Started with bare springs and wood.

This took probably 10 hours to this point. Tons of ripping and pulling staples. If you don't want to get blisters pulling thousands of staples, don't even attempt this. The ONLY thing that kept me going was the fact that I believe it will be beautiful in the end...oh and the fact that I'm a stubborn dutch girl! I'm not kidding...I'm stubborn! 

 I started out covering the springs with burlap. This protects the foam from getting worn through by the springs. It wouldn't happen right away, but after years of use it would become a mess.

 Then cutting and shaping the foam, covering it with batting and material.

 I used a complimentary (yet simple) material for this part. If you go look at your couch and lift up the cushions, more than likely you will see a plain material there. That's what this part is.

 Then I took more batting and shoved it between the material and the wood. You won't see this, but it will protect the final material from rubbing against the wood and wearing a hole through that. Trust me you do not want to recover it all again in a material down the road that probably won't exist anymore.

 So don't skimp on this...do it right the first time.

 Then more burlap for the back springs. This part does not have to be perfect. It's there for protection only.

Then the foam for the back. 

This is how far I've gotten today. I have to shape the foam now to fit the back, then more batting and material. 

I'm actually really happy with how it's going so far. Crossing my fingers we don't hit a big bump tomorrow. 

Now for a bit of sleep..

And back at it in the morning :) 

Sharing: 
Coastal Charm
Elizabeth & Co.  
Domestically Speaking 
Savvy Southern Style 
The Dedicated House 
Miss Mustard Seed 
36th Avenue