Flea Market Find

Mr. Study and I enjoy going to the flea market on Saturday mornings.  It's really become something we enjoy and do consistently together.  Some days there is nothing to buy and other times you could find lots of treasures. We've bought linens, enamel ware, a flare box, a china serving platter, a vintage Oklahoma State University pennant, and a beautiful wood bowl just to name a few of our favorites  Recently I spotted this oak end table that was priced at $25.  I haggled the lady down to $18 because it was pretty wobbly and would need some work.  

The table was in decent shape.  Minus a few stains, wobbly legs, and split top.  I started this restoration project by removing the screws from the wood top.  This immediately made the top split in two pieces. 

Once the top was removed, I began loosening the "x" from the legs that was holding the top on.  I didn't want to remove it completely.  Only enough to get some glue down inside. About 3/4".

The next step was clamping the base.  The joints around the base were quite loose as well.  One trick for getting wood glue in tight spaces is a syringe. You can pick one up from your local drug store. I keep it rubber banded around the glue bottle, otherwise it would become lost or stuffed in the junk drawer.

When I repair furniture or other projects that need to be clamped, I always leave them overnight.  Sure, it takes patience but it's worth the firm foundation you are left with. While I was waiting on these joints to dry I worked on the top.

This is one of the pieces from the split.  Since it has a nice groove in the wood, I simply used my Dremel and sanded the glue so the pieces would fit together like new.  The Dremel once again saved me so much time.  I had this sanded out in less than 5 minutes. You can see the top part is sanded, while the other side of the groove still has glue on it.

After sanding, I applied a light coat of wood glue on each piece of the table top.  Then clamped them together.  Overnight, of course!

It was important that I fill the holes left from the screws.  The screws had stripped the wood when I removed the top and I knew it wasn't going to be a nice tight fit without some help. I'm not sure where I learned this, but I've used it on other projects like replacing the strike plates in our home. Stick a few toothpicks in some wood glue and stuff them in the old hole.  You want a tight fit.

 

This is now a weapon!  Really though, wait overnight.  I know, I know...patience is a virtue. After these are completely dry, chisel them off to the base.  If you let this dry the right amount of time they will come off cleanly.  Otherwise if you rush this and the glue is wet, the toothpicks will bend or just pop out of the holes.

 Now the fun part.  Putting it back together.  I glued the top on the base and then put the screws into the newly filled holes.  By doing this, it gave the screws something to grip on to.

Now the REALLY fun part.  The reveal!  

Ohh la la, bask in all it's mission oak richness.  Go ahead, click on that picture and enjoy the deliciousness in full size!

This is one heavy and solid table.  It was a great $18 purchase.  I like to think that it has some great story behind it.  I'm assuming it was handmade as there were no markings on it and it had a simple and classic make to it.

Our daffodils are in full bloom now and I couldn't resist these cheery guys. Not to mention how wonderful they smell.

Goodness Gracious, Great Balls of Fire

Ever have a stack of wood in your fireplace that will not start?  Or maybe it's just me. My husband always builds the fires, but when I try to do it, it doesn't go as well.  I'm no boyscout! So, I found a tried and true method for a fire starter that will use up old candles and dryer lint. 

Here's what you will need. 

- Leftover candles or any other kind of wax.  

-  Dryer lint.  Just save it in a bag as you go.

-  Muffin pan.  I bought one at the dollar store or use aluminum.

Melt the wax in a hot water bath or in the microwave.  Just remember if your candles have metal in the base of the wick (most do), don't microwave them.  Unless you want to celebrate the fourth of July in your microwave! That's why I use a hot water bath. I also had some paraffin that I added to this batch.

While you are waiting on the wax to melt, divide the lint into each of the muffin tins.

Once the wax is melted pour the wax over the lint.  They don't need to be soaked, but their needs to be enough wax to hold the lint together.

 At this point I put the tray in the freezer.  This will allow your fire starters to pop right out of the muffin tin.  I keep mine in an enamel bowl by the fireplace. When your ready build a fire, throw one or two of these in with the wood.  Light the fire starters and walah!

You'll find that they fire starters burn longer, which allows your wood to get started.  No more newspapers and blowing to get the fire going.  Now, sit back and relax!  Get a cup of coffee and enjoy your fire.

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.

Updated Ceiling Fan on the Cheap

One of the very first projects I worked on when we moved into our home was updating a few of the ceiling fans.  There wasn't a thing wrong with them except, well...THIS!

So, about the only thing right was that is worked.  I disassembled as many pieces as I could.  I found that spraying each individual piece created a more professional look instead of taking a can of spray paint to the whole fixture.  The screws were stuck in pieces of styrofoam for spraying. I wiped down each piece to remove the last 25 years of dust off.  I did not sand or prime before I sprayed the metal areas. 

Notice the gold detail on the blades?  Major yuck!  I simply sanded the surfaces to remove any finishes and stained with Minwax Dark Walnut stain.  I did flip the blades over so that all shades of gold are now on the top side.  

The only money I spent on the project was the new glass shades that ran $7 each.  I have since found a place to buy them cheaper.  This project didn't go without it's excitement though.  Upon re-hanging the fixture and flipping the breaker, something went "POP" and I might have seen a bit of smoke.  My husband suggested that maybe I shouldn't be doing electrical work in out home.  It's not stopped me yet.

Fast Fireplace Fix...Part 2

I hope you check out Part 1 to see what disgust I was dealing with.  Hello 1983! Updating the fireplace was so easy.  It was complete within a couple of hours.  The after pictures don't show how great it really looks.  It's a beautiful matte paint and will be very easy to touch up should any scratches happen.  I also sprayed the screens to make them look tip-top.  It looks brand new!

 

After posting this I can see some spots that need a touch up that were not visible otherwise.  Gee, thanks for the compliments camera!

source

I used Rust-oleum's High-Heat spray paint.  The color used was Bar-B-Que Black.  It's safe up to 1200°.  Let's hope our fireplace doesn't reach anywhere near that temperature.  You will find that using a trigger attachment when spray painting will relieve the stress on your pointer finger.  I know you've abused your finger...what did it ever do to you?

What recent updates have you done that are quick and effective?

Linking to

Fast Fireplace Fix...Part 1

Since  Mr. Study is opposed to me taking a jackhammer to our fireplace (I can't see why), I had to get creative. While the fireplace has never been a top priority I knew I could change one thing real quick with a can of spray paint. Enter 1983 fireplace!
 

Holy yuck!  I've never liked this look, who does?!  The four vents on the sides are supposed to work as fans and blow out hot air when the fire place is going. Yes, the fans blow.  But they have about as much forced air as your whistler does.  Something was engineered all wrong! While there is no quick fix for that.  I did get rid of 1983.

First I covered the area with paper to avoid spraying the brick and glass. Thank you Martha for the great magazine.

Then I built a tent.  To avoid black overspray on everything in the vicinity I created a spray booth...kind of.  It worked for the first bit, but was tricky.  I had to cut some slits in the plastic to allow my hand to slip in and spray.  Let's just say I should have worn a glove.  Eventually I had to remove the tent and spray with wild abandon to get an even coat.

Stay tuned for the finished look!

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!