Forever Decorating!: April 2011

4/30/2011

Diamonds In The Rough~Treasures Week 5

Diamonds In the Rough! is a feature I started, to share with you my weekly treasures from garage sales. Then show you what I transform some of them into or how I decorate with them.

I am afraid week 5 is all about me as you will see. But a girl should never apologize for taking care of #1, should they?

The chandelier purchased for only $1, though not vintage, should be able to sell at my antique mall booth.
The wire sphere is for a flower pot to grow an ivy on.
The leather and fabric purse a treat for me, as well at the arbonne products that were still in their shrinkwrap.
The cat that looks like a rock is a garden art since we are cat lovers.
The pint canning jars will be used for drinking glasses in my daughter's apartment.
A new container of Mod Podge for only 25¢.
An oval glass mirror for a future project.
And the vintage ironstone pitcher for my collection of the same...

The decorative keys may be sold or used as decor...maybe even painted a fun way?
A white pearl garland, expensive in stores, will be used in decor probably at Christmas.
The skates will be dressed for winter and sold in my antique mall booth during the winter.

Here are skates that I 'prettied up' last year.

And lastly, I purchased the lot of silverware for their handles.

I make many projects from these with one being hooks.

So, I am afraid to say, this week was not all that exciting for you. I still have more projects to finish up and show you from past Diamonds In The Rough! treasures. Please, stay in touch!

NOTE: You should be able to click on most of the pictures to enlarge to see further details.
These parties I love to link up to or check out my Blog Parties tab
Party Time @ It's So Very Cheri
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps On The Porch
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple
Creative Blogger's Party @ Homemaker On A Dime
Making The World Cuter @ Making The World Cuter
Amaze Me Monday @ Dittle Dattle
Twice Owned Tuesday @ House Of Grace
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Time to Shine Tuesday @ A Diamond in the Stuff
Tuesday Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Trash 2 Treasure @ Sassy Sites
Power Of Paint @ Domestically Speaking
Swing Into Spring Wednesday @ DIY by Design
White Wednesday @ Faded Charm
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Piece of Work Wednesday @ Primitive & Proper
Good Life Wednesday @ A Beach Cottage
Open House Thursday @ No Minimalist Here
Strut Your Stuff Thursday @ Somewhat Simple
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
100 Ideas Under $100 @ Beyond The Picket Fence
Show And Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed
Remodelaholic Friday @ Remodelaholic
Frugal Friday @ Shabby Nest
Look What I Found Friday @ Vintage Revivals
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage
Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground
Weekend WrapUp Party @ Tatertots and Jello
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Strut Your Stuff @ The Saturday Morning Blog
Show and Tell Saturday @ Be Different, Act Normal
Sunday Showcase Party @ By Stephanie Lynn
Sundae Scoop Weekend Wrap Up Party @ I love Nap Time
Before and After Party @ Thrifty Decor Chick

4/29/2011

Map It!

Recently I picked up a table for $3. I see a reoccurring them here with $3 tables (see a post HERE on more refurbished $3 tables)!

I did a post that you can see HERE with my Diamonds In The Rough! features. It's where I go to garage sales and then show you what treasures I found. I then refurbish the items or decorate with them and show you the after.

This is the before of this table...the one on the right side.

Initially, I said that this would be a great table for a TV on top and with an added shelf inside, it would be perfect for storing electronics like a DVD player, etc. Due to my love for how this came out, I am going to keep it at least until the new wears off, so-to-speak. I have no need for a TV stand because we have built-ins that hold our TV's or they are mounted on the wall. Therefore, this is just a cute table located in our exercise room for now.

Everything you see in this picture except for the flying angel came from a garage sale.

Huge Ornate Framed Mirror - $25 - I painted it black

Antique floor lamp - $15 - I rewired it

Table - $3 - I refurbished it seen in this post

Gold frame with antique baby cabinet card photo - $2 - different garage sales, I put them together

Old books - 25¢ each - great used in displays

Glass canister - 50¢ - I added the old white buttons

Picnic Basket - $2 - I painted the top with roses

Flying angel or cherub came from TJ Maxx

Flowers came from Hobby Lobby but the urn you can't see came from a garage sale

I talked (in the Diamonds In The Rough! post), about how this must have been some kind of desk or enclosed cabinet, because there are signs a door was hinged at the bottom and opened up from the top down. This door was missing, so I made a shelf that is removable. I painted the shelf and inside a fun green color that I received free in the mail as a sample from Valspar. It goes well here with the green wall behind it too.

Also, you will recall that the veneer on the top was completely ruined. So I quickly removed it with a heat gun and putty knife. In it's place I decoupaged an old National Geographic map of the northwestern U.S. I purchased the map on eBay for framing but used it this way instead.

It means something to me because it has the state that I live in, as well as, my son and other family members locations.

The oak on the sides, back and legs were in pretty good shape, so I just glued where it was loose, sanded it down and wiped a stain on the whole piece before sealing it. Don't you think it turned out unique and fun at the same time?

4/28/2011

The Table Dance

Have you ever done the table dance? Okay, get your mind right for this one! I mean, where you swap one table in your home for another and move the original one to a different location.

Let me start the story from the beginning...it's a cheap thrill of a story too!

Last year during garage sale season, Hubby and I went to a garage sale and happened upon a sad antique table that needed love, as most of them do. It needed man repairs and he was up for the task. It was $3.50 and hubby is my fix the wobble or what's broke and I do all the refinishing/painting. He took apart the broken legs, (someone half-attempt-of-fixing-them) and re-glued them correctly. Sorry I didn't take a before picture. But imagine a Duncan Phyfe side table of solid walnut that is all scratched, broken and ugly. Believe me, they probably thought when we bought it that we were crazy! Or were really thankful that we took this off their hands! So I refinished the top and found a beautiful inlay design and just couldn't put paint on this beauty. So here she is, all curvy legs and back in her prime.

She even has a functioning drawer and all original hardware!

Beautiful brass toes at the end of her curvy legs.

And a top that can't be beat. Remember, $3.50 and a bit of glue, stripping and a lot of love.

Sorry, this post is getting rather long...but you will love it in the end.

Now on to the next table. During one of my Diamonds In The Rough! posts, where I purchase garage sale items, show them to you and promise to reveal the after of what I have done with them. This is the before table.

Don't be distracted by all my other treasures. This table cost me three whole dollars. However it is deceiving. The table top was totally ruined. It was not salvageable even for the hubby. Look up in the upper left hand corner of the picture. See the missing part on the table top. Well trust me, it is worse than it even looks there. So he kindly cut me a new 18 x 18 wood square, routered the edge and we reused the original rope trim on top to mimic what was originally the look of the table. I then did my thing with paint, distressing, stain and dry brushing.

I'm loving all the detail on this beauty!

Now for the table dance. Since my sofa has taller arms and the area that the curvy walnut table was in seemed to be the perfect size for the taller white table, I swapped them out and sent the walnut table next to the side chair in the study. Don't you think this white beauty looks perfect in her new location?

Who said it takes a lot of money to decorate with taste? Just give a piece ready for the trash some love!

4/27/2011

Guest Post ~ Painted Carriage House Doors Tutorial

I have been kindly asked by Cassidy, over at Remodelaholic's to do a guest post!

For all the wonderful comments from people that have thought my painted carriage house garage doors were really cool, I have done the guest post on a tutorial of these very doors.

You can do this too now by following my tutorial. A very cheap way to have an expensive look. So go on over to Remodelaholic and check it out! (Just click on Remodelaholic and it will take you there!)

4/26/2011

I'm keeping it!

I have all the Easter decor put away. And I have been working diligently on reviving the old furniture that was recently purchased at garage sales. In a day or two I will be showing you what I have transformed them into! But, to give myself a break and have a little fun, I decided to keep the beautiful framed garden picture that I picked up for only $5 at a garage sale last Friday.

Remember this picture from my Diamonds In The Rough! post for week 4? I was unsure if I was going to keep this or sell it in my antique mall booth. But upon further inspection after taking it apart and cleaning the glass and repairing the small damage to the frame, I decided that I loved it enough to enjoy...at least for a while. You just can't beat the fabulous patina that old pictures get!

They have history. They have a story. Besides, gardens are one of my most favorite things!

I decided to place the picture in my laundry room of all places, but if you saw my home, you would understand that my walls are filled with 'stuff'. However, you will be pleased to know that I walked past the foyer fireplace and thought, "Hey, why not put the picture here"? So I set it up, did a little photo shoot and wanted to share with you.

I thought you might also like to see the garage sale books that I placed on the steps for a fun visual.

4/24/2011

Helpful Hint ~ Removing Veneer

I just discovered an easy way to remove old veneer from furniture when it cannot be saved. My friend, Gail told me about this when I was showing her some furniture that I was working on. Remember this piece that I just purchased at a garage sale and showed you in my Diamonds In The Rough! week 4 feature? (You can check that out HERE)

The top looked like this...

I could not repair this due to the extreme damage. Gail said, "Just use your heat gun!"

So, with my trusty heat gun and a putty knife, I was able to remove the veneer in about 20 minutes, even the parts that were really stuck on well! Removing veneer had never been so easy before.

I just thought that those of you, who love to fix up old tired pieces of furniture like I do, would appreciate knowing this handy hint. Thanks Gail.

Now I bet you can't wait to see the finished project...just give me a week and I should have it done to show you the reveal!

4/23/2011

Diamonds In The Rough~Treasures Week 4

With all the rain that we are having, I thought that this weekends garage sales would be a bust. But I was wrong.

What I found to work on...

An old walnut pedestal. A soon to be hubby remake project!
An old sturdy chair (I will cut a board for the seat, paint and upholster for my daughter's apartment) If I was keeping it, I would weave a new seat.
An old oak desk. The missing door would have opened from the top down for a small old desk. But I see it as the perfect place for a TV on top and DVD inside. The top veneer is in very bad condition to save, but I will paint the top or decoupage something on it. Sheet Music? Map?
A set of six classic books like Edgar Allen Poe and Moll Flanders. The Poe book will be part of an Easter gift to my daughter tomorrow...she just named her new kitty Edgar Allen Poe!
A tiny feather Christmas tree perfect for in a bathroom during the holiday.
A star on a spring...If I don't want the star, I can do something crafty with the spring.
A couple of 4 x 6 frames.
A cool Wellington sign in metal, for resale at my mall booth.
A Moor Mans measuring cup, for resale at my mall booth.
A silver cup for decor.
An old Holland candy tin, for resale at my mall booth.
A wonderful old floral garden picture. I haven't decided if I will keep this or not.

The work has already begun. I have the old oak cabinet reglued and clamped. And I told my hubby that I need more garage space. He told me that it was really called "hoarding"! LOL

4/22/2011

Making of a Fountain

We wanted a fountain off our patio.

Just imagine hearing the soft trickle of water to soothe the soul. Ahhhhhhhhh!

But how can we make it without spending much money? Here we go with trial and error...

Above is the final look that we currently have, but we didn't start there so forget that you just saw this picture to get an idea of how we did this.

First, we dug a hole deep and big enough to bury a large plastic tote used for storage.

Here I was cleaning out the tote like I have to do every spring.

Then I purchased three bar-b-q grill replacement grates at the local discount store. I used these grates to cover the top of the plastic tote.
I put a fountain pump in the bottom of the tote before I covered it with the grates.
I topped the grates with small decorative rock. This hid the grate and the grate kept the rocks from falling through. Be sure that your rocks are big enough that they won't fall through the grate.
I then put a Shepard hook at the back middle of the area and ran the water tube up the hook and into an old watering can that hung from the hook.

It was like a science experiment trying to get the water to flow from the spout of the watering can instead of overflowing out of the top of the can. We had to drill some bit bigger holes in the spout to compensate for the water flow rate.

This worked for a few months but notice the water splashing on the cement patio above? What would happen is, the wind would blow the water flowing out of the can and it would overshoot the holding tank under the rocks and make the water go dry. This is not a good design because that will ruin a pump and they are not cheap. Ours was about $40. So I knew that I had to come up with a different design.
I surfed the internet (eBay) and found a guy selling fiberglas made rocks for fountains. I purchased a rock-looking shell with a hole in the top for only $17. I took it to the hardware store and in the plumbing department, I found PVC fittings that would work in the hole of the 'rock' and then be able to attach the hose that would feed the water from the pump. I hope that I am not confusing you too much here.
Anyway, our fountain became a nice sweet sounding bubbler fountain. I pour Clorox over the rock periodically when green mossy stuff begins to grow and that takes care of it. I have to fill the water tote periodically due to natural evaporation. And I only have to clean it out every spring since I take the pump out and store it for our winter months.

This is a sweet soft sounding water fall...

I've got to tell you it is so fun to watch the birds land on the 'rock' and take a bath in the fountain instead of using the bird bath close by.

I put landscaping lights pointing at the fountain so we can enjoy it at night, inside or out.

Here's a little friend that found a home in the rock wall by the patio!