Drab to Fab in One Weekend

It was kind of like this:

We shot out of the blocks

and went like crazy

painting every thrifty thing that got in the way.

We were like sprinters

with paintbrushes

breaking world records.

Maybe it was in honor of the Olympics.

We were up for the "drab to fab" challenge.

So Rachel pulls in with a load of thrifty finds

that she wants to freshen up

for her apartment.

Good thing she brought her boyfriend Scott (my son)

to help!

Mark and I are on board too.

It will be a "get er done" weekend.

Starting with

and old little dinette set

that was tired (sorry Grandma)

and ready for new life.

We sprayed these pieces with primer.

Then painted semi-gloss white

and charcoal gray.

Next step :

double load the brush with black and gray

and clear glaze

making an application of sweeping linear strokes.

Then using a dry brush

dip into white,

off load onto a paper towel

and sweep across top

adding a worn distressed look.

Then we sealed the tabletop with a polyacrylic.

Then they sanded all of the white

for more of the shabby worn edges.

What a fresh trendy update for her new dinette set.

Then, Thrifty Rachel found an end table at the thrift store

for five dollars.

I forgot to take a picture

because, remember, we were in such a hurry!

But you know the drill.

It was brown wood, plain old, and drab.

Of course.

We took it to fab.

Starting with this dip and drag technique

that you've seen me use on the Texture Blast Table.

Rachel had her color palette planned.

So we just combined several of those colors

for this end table top.

Rachel will have fun picking out new knobs for her table.

Maybe glass?

The bottom of the table was painted

with a double loaded brush of white and gray.

Look how nicely

the two tables complement one another:

Next Up: 

Rachel wanted a chalkboard

similar to this one:

So she found this awesome frame:

Dry Brushed it White,

Mark cut a pice of "underlayment" to fit into the frame.

Scott sprayed it with Black Chaklboard Paint:

Now she has a big chalkboard wall art thingy

that she can write all kinds of fun sentiment on.

Here are some of Rachel's other fun finds

including frames,

ladder wall art that will house photos,

a shelf that we (I mean Mark) cut apart

ridding of the l980's curly top

and shaving it down to a simple 2012 style.

Wow,

I think we finished

all of our

drab to fab

furniture!

Phew.

All of the

fresh changes

will be such a happy makeover for Rachel's space.

The colors work so well together.

Oh yeah,

and I also hosted

a mini craft class

for

"Fish on a Rope"!

I'll share that later this week.

Always appreciate your visit!

Deb

Linking to:

Monday:          DIY Showoff

                       Sumos Sweet Stuff

                       Craftomaniac

                       I should be Mopping the Floor

                       Between Naps on the Porch

                       Boogieboard Cottage

                       The Dedicated House

                       Southern Hospitality

                       Debt Free Mommy

Tuesday:        Coastal Charm

                      Home Stories A to Z

                       Primitive and Proper

                       My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

                       It All Started with Paint

Wednesday:   Savvy Southern Style

                       Homestead Simple

Thursday:      Beyond the Picket Fence

                      The Shabby Creek Cottage

                      The 36th Avenue

                      Embracing Change

                      House of Hepworths

                      Delightful Order

                      Hubby Made Me

Friday:           Miss Mustard Seed

                     Redoux Interiors

                     The Shabby Nest

                     At the Picket Fence

Saturday:     Funky Junk Interiors

Honey Bee Stool

Evidently,

I'm a little bit country.

One of my last projects included

"Some Beach, Somewhere"

and

now this week

"Honey Bee"

both songs by Blake Shelton.

I don't even know when it happened -

that I went country.

Maybe "On the Pontoon" has something to do with it!

Now a lake girl has to love that.

After last week's big green beast project

I had to lighten up.

My little "Honey Bee" stool was just the right size.

It was a chippy shabby little thing.

It needed sanding, wood filler and glue.

I left some of the thick layered paint on the legs

because I wanted that look anyway .

I base painted the entire stool

in a mix of orange and black.

That makes a nice rich brown.

So on the legs I used the dip and drag technique

that I have used on other projects like

The "Sand and Shells" Dresser

and

 the "Texture Blast Table".

I used these colors:

My color inspiration for this piece

came from this painted furniture

by Miss Mustard Seed.

Perfect for my Honey Bee idea.

So leaving the top rim the rich chocolate color

I painted the inside circle with a brush

using the gold and white

shading the edges darker on the outside.

I decided to make a template in Photoshop for my lettering.

This layout took less than an hour on the computer

but helped me move really quickly in the paint process.

Many times I just use guesswork when lettering

but I wanted the lyrics to be more precise in appearance

so that from a distance the top of the stool

might look like a stamp or a seal.

Okay, that makes life easy

because now I can just transfer the design

onto the stool.

After all of the paint detail

I used a ragged chip brush

to dry brush some white

and then black very slightly over the top.

I like the sweet sentiment,

"You be my honeysuckle, I'll be your honey bee".

Happy Painting and Crafting and Making a Home!

Deb

Linking to:   

Monday:        DIY Showoff
                      Sumos Sweet Stuff
                     Craftomaniac
                     I should be Mopping the Floor
                     Southern Hospitality
                     Alderberry Hill
                     Between Naps on the Porch

                            The Dedicated House
                           Boogieboard Cottage

Tuesday:      Coastal Charm
                    Home Stories A to Z
                    Primitive and Proper

Wednesday:  Savvy Southern Style
                      Homestead Simple

Thursday:      The 36th Avenue
                      The Shabby Creek Cottage
                      Beyond the Picket Fence
                      House of Hepworths
                      Delightful Order
                      Embracing Change

Friday:          Redoux Interiors
                     The Shabby Nest
                    At the Picket Fence
                    Somewhat Quirky
                    Miss Mustard Seed
                 
Saturday:    Cheerios and Lattes
                    Funky Junk Interiors

Thrifty Decor Chick

Nautical Compass Dresser

I have been wanting to paint

a nautical compass

on something for quite a while.

I was waiting for just the right piece.

I knew this was it

the day I found

the green beast

on the side of the road.

I was so excited

that I really didn't look it over

as well as I should have.

It was like a blank canvas!

No handles even.

After I drug it home

I found it had several flaws.

But I had a vision.

 

Now that I am on the other side

of the before and after,

I'm glad I finished it.

But there were several times I wanted to quit.

Like when this happened -

Even though this wasn't a fine piece of furniture

the drawers were clean and good

and I continued on with the rescue

by adhering "underlayment" with liquid nails

to both of the sides.

After sanding

I base painted everything black,

even the insides of the drawers

and the back of the dresser.

Then,

here I go again

I want to throw it away

because the drawers won't open!

For Pete's sake,

you can't have a dresser

if the drawers won't open.

It wasn't the paint

that was holding them in.

They just wouldn't slide.

I used candle wax from my scentsy

and rubbed on every part of the

drawer and dresser that touched.

It took a lot of wax

and finally the drawers work!

What a relief.

Gosh it smells good too.

Now I can move on

and paint it red.

I double loaded the brush with two shades of red

and one coated over the black.

Love that look.

I laid out some big stripes on the sides.

They were base painted white

then shaded with charcoal and tan.

Here's a picture series of

some of the steps

in painting the compass.

My Limeade

will get me through this

1/2 tsp. grenadine

Diet gingerale

2 slices lime squeezed

Lots of ice

So the green beast

gets a second chance.

Note to self:

Stay Calm and Examine Thoroughly

when you see

things like this:

Because that was a lot of work!

(a two day project)

But hopefully

I can find a good home for the cast away

and it will be

just someone's style...

Nautical,

Geometric Elements,

Worn colors,

Bold and Graphic

 

 

 

Thanks for your visit!

Hope you're having a great summer,

Deb

Linking To:

Monday:        Craftomaniac
                      Boogieboard Cottage
                      DIY Showoff
                      Sumos Sweet Stuff
                      Between Naps on the Porch
                      I should be mopping the floor
                      The Dedicated House

Tuesday:       Coastal Charm
                     Home Stories A to Z
                     My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
                     Primitive and Proper

Wednesday:  Savvy Southern Style

Thursday:     Beyond the Picket Fence
                     The Shabby Creek Cottage
                     House of Hepworths
                     The 36th Avenue

                            Delightful Order

Friday:          Miss Mustard Seed

                     Redoux Interiors

                     The Shabby Nest

                     At the Picket Fence

                    Bliss Ranch - Hot Fun in the Summertime Party

Saturday:     Cheerios and Lattes

                    Funky Junk Interiors

                    Tatertots and Jello