Thursday, April 14, 2011

My latest projects and I am in need of a logo

As promised, here are my latest endeavors.

I got this cute little child's bedside table, and I was almost a really bad blogger and almost forgot to take a before picture.


See how I was mid taking off the knobs and begin sanding when I realized...OH crud a before picture.

Notice the heater too. It was freezing that day.

Here is the after.






I found these cute knobs at Hobby Lobby. They are polka dots!





In a house full of boys, we do not see too many polka dots. So it was fun to have them here for a little while.

Next I found this sofa table on the side of the road coming home from church.

Thank you Lord!

Mr. Genius was so embarrissed that we were picking up furniture on the side of the road in our Sunday clothes.  My response was...that is $150 just sitting on the side of the road!

And this is when I was not an almost bad blogger...I was a bad blogger. No before pictures.

Sorry guys.





I used cloudburst...oh how I love it right now.

Anyways, while I was painting the piece I saw a paper stapled underneath that said it was inspected in 1984! This is in great shape considering it was popular in the time I was wearing side pony tails, air brush t-shirts, and tight rolled pants.

Then the really crazy thing is that is was made in Gordon's which is in Johnson City, TN.

For those of you that are new here. I moved from TN to Chicago a little less then 2 years ago.

I thought that was interesting.

Here are some detail shots of the piece.





I distressed it and then glazed it.





Then I thought it was time for a little change. I have been doing a lot of pieces with color and I thought my next pieces would look good with a stained top and white bottom.

So I thought I would show you how different three pieces can look with the same colors just by changing the finishes.

First we have another sofa table.





I bet this one was around the '84 era too.

I stripped the top and then stained it with minwax dark walnut.





Here is the finish.





I also used the dark walnut stain to glaze the piece, rather then my usual ralph lauren tea stain glaze.





I also used the wax that Miss Mustard seed talked about on her blog. The Fiddes & Sons clear wax. I have to say I really like it!

Now for my next piece. It is a dresser. When I went to pick it up the guy selling it was like, um ma'am you are the only person who even acted interested in this. Are you sure you want it? It is really ugly.

I love me some ugly furniture! ;)

Let me just show you the detail of this piece.


There I go again jump started on a project before taking pictures.

But look at these doors!



And these drawers!

The details were a bugger to get the dust out of. I had to get my air compresser out to blow the dust out of the little cracks.



Oh and I wanted to tell you all what kind of stripper I use, before I get emails asking that very thing. I use citristripper.


I just brush it on and let it sit for a while. I usually work on something else while the stripper is doing its thang. Then I use a putty knife to scrap it all up.

Here is the finish product!





Oh those drawers. I love them. I even kept the original hardware. There were too perfect for the piece. Nothing else would have worked as well.





Then I painted the inside of the doors and the drawers Misty mourn. A blue/grey color.





Now for one more piece. This one is totally different from anything else I have done...It is mid century modern.

Again no real before pictures. But I can show you what bad shape it was in.

This dresser has been around the block... if you know what I mean. ;)

It has been painted ALL sorts of colors. Just look at the side of the drawers.


Then when I got it, it was painted a crazy golden brown color with finger nail polish all over the top of it.

So I used the same colors as the other dresser and sofa table but went a different route with it.

I painted the outside white and stained the drawers the dark walnut.





I got these handles from ikea. They are called Bastig and they are $5.99 for a pack of two.

Isn't it a fun modern piece?





I again used the wax on this piece and no glaze. So that is the true color.





I didn't get to stage those dressers cuz Mr. Genius has been really busy and I can't pick these babies up by myself.  Oh well. They still look pretty good though, don't you think?

So here you go. Three pieces, same colors, three different finishes, make three different styles.

This one with stain over the white paint.


This one with ralph lauren tea stain glaze over the white.





And this one just naked white.





For those in the Chicagoland area. All items are sold except the big ornate dresser. The Cloudburst sofa table and the modern mid century dresser sales are pending.

If you have any questions, just email me.


19 comments:

Heather Ann said...

What you are doing has been a dream of mine for a long time. As soon as we get into a place that can store some furniture, I think I'll have a go at it. But I'm wondering, how do you sell your stuff?

Ann Marie @ Twice Lovely said...

Every single one of those pieces turned out fabulously!! Great job!! You've been very busy. ;)

Vicki Nelson said...

Katie, You did a fantastic job on every single one. I hope you make a big wod of cash. xoxoxo Vicki

Emily @ RemarkableHome said...

Oh My Gorgeousness! The ornate dresser is awesome! It is funny because I have a dresser that is very similar...I bet they were made by the same company. Mine came from Craigslist with a green stain on it which I actually like. Yours turned out great!

Sue@Uniquely Chic said...

These all turned out beautiful. I love that small table and the "ugly" CL find, crazy difference! Thanks for the tip on Citrastrip. I've used it for paint but never thought I could remove stain too.

Kat said...

They all look awesome! Good job!

Clorissa said...

Wow You did a great job on each and every piece!!!

I was shocked to see the first piece...I have the same exact one. I bought it in Springfield Illinois about 19 years ago. I have NEVER seen one like it until now!

I am a new reader as of today! Love your blog.

Clorissa

Kristi~The Slipcover Girl said...

love all your pieces! fantastic!

Ashleigh@Sincerely said...

Love the mid century piece! I just picked up a smaller dresser in that style and have been looking for some inspiration and I really love what you did with yours!

Also, I noticed that your title says you're in need of a logo?

I'm an advertising/graphic design student by day so you should drop by the blog and if you like what you see we could talk about making you a logo :)

Building It On Pennies said...

I love your table redo's I have been on the search for my perfect trash to treasure to do the same.

Anonymous said...

These are great - they would actually all look fabulous in a house together, different styles brought together by color. Nice job!

Angela from what would angela do? said...

I LOVE, love, love the ornate dresser the best. What great detail!!!!

Good Time Charlie said...

You are so talented! I love me some ugly furniture too. Love that you do everything from traditional to modern. Great work!

Anonymous said...

Love your work!

Sarah @ Hennessey House said...

uhm, wow. every single thing turned out insanely awesome. but i gotta agree, that dresser is just spectacular - what a great idea to pair white + stained wood! it's just so chic!

Megan said...

I love the green little table the best.

megan
craftycpa.blogspot.com

Janna Renee said...

It's so amazing how a fresh coat of paint or stain can completely change a piece!

Sara said...

That dresser with all of the detail is AMAZING!! I cannot get over all of the intricate curves on it. And I love the white with a stained top! Excellent job!!

Olga said...

All of the pieces are amazing! I would love to do some furniture soon. It's great to see the before and afters.