That's a Framer

You've seen this done a million times thanks to pinterest.  However, I can honestly say that this project was finished long before pinterest. I found this antique plaster frame at a garage sale for .50.  I couldn't find two quarters fast enough to give to the 60-something year old lady wearing a white t-shirt and NO bra.  Think sand in socks. Oh heavens! 

I nearly forgot a before picture.  So, here it is when started.

It wasn't a bad looking frame, but it hadn't reached it's potential.  It came without a back so I knew it needed to be reincarnated as a chalk board. You know the drill. Cut some hardwood plywood (or whatever you want to use) to fit inside your frame.  I didn't prime the wood.  Just put several coats of chalk board paint on it.  

For the treatment of the frame I simply used an antique white spray paint, distressed it a bit and gave it a quick glaze to bring out the beautiful details.  

I had a hard time finding where I wanted to hang it.  After several months (really!), I settled for a blank wall in the laundry room.  

I'm sure the board won't change much since it's out of the way in the laundry room.  It would be fun to write a note to Mr. Study and see how long it takes him to notice.

This Cupboard is NOT Acceptable

For the past several months my spice cabinet has been a bit of a thorn in my side.  Every time I opened it up, nothing could be found. My method was basically like this. Look at every jar and bottle and shove it to the other side of the shelf in an attempt to find what I needed.  This is what I was dealing with!

 This is absolutely NOT acceptable...EVER! Unless you enjoy living in chaos. Which I don't advise.

No wonder I found four containers of Paprika!  HUH!?  FOUR....all because I couldn't find what I was needing and kept buying it (in bulk, clearly). Can I blame it on Mr. Study?  He's the one that bar-b-ques and smokes.  Tee-hee-hee.

Knowing I didn't want to do anything that took alot of time and wanting it to be budget friendly, I went to the garage.  I had several pieces of culled lumber we had picked up from Home Depot for "just in case" projects.

I measured the length of my cabinet and cut the lumber to fit. A quick sanding and staining had this project done before noon.

The fun part was putting it all together.  I tried to put spices I use frequently closest to the front and easy to see.

You can see that I stacked two full length pieces and then another short one.  I used an additional short piece on one side only, leaving plenty of room for the items that get daily use.  Well, not daily.  I like to think daily.   Things I used less often, like honey, extra sea salt and peppercorns, molasses, etc were put on the top two shelves.

We'll see how long this looks this good.  I should take a picture in a month and compare.  I know it's no pinterest spice cabinet.  But it works for me.

Now if only all spices would come in perfectly stacking tin cans.  Then the world would be at peace.  My world at least.

You've not seen the last of this cabinet yet.  I'm serious about taking a picture in a month.

Garage Sale End Tables

I found two of these tables at a garage sale this summer for a sweet little price.  They were a little damaged but were solid wood and had great construction. 

 

I removed those weirdy side handles and filled the holes.  Sanded these babies down and painted them a beautiful gray.  I got to use my new paint sprayer for these pieces. I couldn't stop there and decided they needed a glaze. The glaze helped bring out the curves in the legs.  The drawer pulls were spray painted with an oil rubbed bronze.

 

They turned out great, but if I don't have a place for them...they get sold.  Off to craigslist land they went.  Someday I hope to have a little booth that I can put items like this for sale in, instead of cheapening the price for craigslist.

THE Rocking Chair...Part 2

Before you read further, check out how this rocking chair became mine.  Then, go read part 1.

Okay, now let's get serious. The seat of the chair is a basic box and it was quite easy to cover.  Then I covered the back of the chair with a dyed canvas drop cloth. Like most upholstering, the staples were showing when I was done.  I chose not to use welting, but created something a little flatter and less obvious.

I used the matching canvas with a strip of felt inside for some body.

 

After I ironed the pieces, it was time to glue them.  I used a permanent fabric glue for this.

 

The next photo is the finished product before it was glued to the chair.

 

I simply glued this strip over the staples.  Here's a closeup.

You ready for the finished product?!  Remember what I started with.

Here she is! 

I love how it turned out.  The binding looks really nice on it.  I think a traditional welting would have been too bulky. It lays nice and flat against the canvas. 

This was my first big upholstery project.  It should have been done a long time ago.  But it's done now.  I don't think I can ever get rid of this rocking chair.  I owe my neighbor a huge THANK YOU!

THE Rocking Chair..Part 1

The easy part of any upholstery project is taking off the old fabric.  When I got this rocking chair from the neighbor, it didn't take me long to remove the fabric.  It's always exciting to see what is beneath everything.  There was NOTHING exciting about the upholstery underneath.  Here's what I started with.

 

I started peeling off the layers on the seat.   First was this lovely sunflower number.

Then there were stripes that reminded me of OU.  GROSS! I would have covered that too!

 

Then there was THIS!  What is this? And it was stained...ick!

 

Once I had it down to the bare bones I started gluing and clamping.  Someone originally glued this chair with hot glue.  Hot glue DOES NOT keep joints in tact.  Jot that down!  The chair also had no backing in it.  I didn't take a picture, but there was a PILLOW, yes a pillow in the center. 

I didn't take a picture of the jute webbing that I used for the backing.  I laid the webbing out like a lattice pie, then stapled it in as tight as I could.  I HIGHLY recommend using an electric stapler.  The jute webbing looked like this.

Source

Here is the chair after the jute webbing was put it. I covered the webbing with batting.

After this step I covered the batting with felt.  I liked using the felt because it gave it a smooth finish that wouldn't stretch out. I know it seems like a lot of steps and I'm no professional, but this was the While He Studies way.  At this point the chair was ready for the fabric. 

I didn't want a fancy printed fabric.  This chair is old, I loved the mission oak look of it and didn't want to distract from it's classic lines.  I chose to use a canvas drop cloth that had taken a bath in coffee.  Yes, COFFEE!  It's not just for drinking anymore.

You could also use strong brewed tea.  I let this soak for several hours, then laundered it.  It did darken it just a bit.  Next time I'd let it dry, then launder it.  Check back tomorrow for the finished chair!

Free Furniture From the Neighbor

My husband and I have always loved antiques. Soon after we moved into our house we noticed that our neighbor had a beautiful rocking chair tucked away in her garage. It was always admired by us and my husband even suggested that he go and ask our neighbor about it. I never would let him because I would be disgusted if someone came and asked me about something in our garage. Fast forward two years.

This summer I had just gotten home from work and our neighbor wanted to ask me a question. So, I went over. She told me that she had noticed I was working on some chairs lately and asked if I wanted another one.

She had this great little bend wood chair that she didn't need.

Upon inspection, it was stamped "Property of the United States Army." After more inspection and research, this was made by the High Point Bending and Chair Company in North Carolina. It changed names in 1956, so this chair is pre-1956.

Then I couldn't believe it. She said she had a rocking chair that was just sitting in her garage and needed work. I was SO excited...it was THE rocking chair we had been eyeing. She told me I could HAVE it...FREE! I was thrilled. It came from the original Adams Hotel in Tulsa, OK. Her friend sold it to her under the condition that if she ever sold it, that the new owner would also know the history.

Needless to say I was so excited to run inside and tell my husband. While it needs some work and an upholstery job, look at this BEAUTY!

Buffet...Now Entertainment Center

There is a large wall in our living room that was calling for a big piece of furniture to fill it up.  I was considering using the buffet but knew it would not be large enough.  I decided I'd find a hutch top to use.  I didn't know what I was looking for, but knew this was it when I stumbled upon it a few days later.

We purchased this at an antique store just down the road from us.  I can imagine that it was a beautiful piece in it's day.

After purchasing the hutch I wasn't sure if I was ready to commit.  After a few hours and exchanged photos with my sisters, I was reassured I needed to do this.

We started by removing the tracks for the drawers to create shelving. Wood was cut to provide support for the electronics on the shelves. Then it was all stained with Minwax Dark Walnut with a cherry shade that was left by the previous home owners.  It was a GREAT match! We also went as far as drilling round holes for cords and purchased plastic caps to protect the wood.  Let me tell you, that was the hardest part of the project.  I hated drilling a 1 inch hole into the back of that beautiful hutch!  There is even a fan installed int he back of the buffet to allow air flow.

The buffet received new coat of paint in a softer hue.  This color was carried on to the outside of the hutch.  It is so functional and perfect for the space.  We did save the drawers and tracks, JUST IN CASE!

Estate Sale Find

My husband and I enjoy frequenting sales. At one of the first sales we went to after we were married, he spotted this beauty! The finish was rough, uh..shot! But she was strong and sturdy.

After sanding, I gave it one coat of Kilz and two coats of Ace Cabinet, Door, and Trim Paint. Because I knew this piece would receive alot of use I wanted a finish that would stay perfect.

Working on this piece really got me hooked renovating furniture! I loved seeing how something so ugly could go through so many transformations.

This buffet was used for awhile then it went through another transformation. Check out my next post to see it's new and improved use!