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.

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.

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!