Friday, June 27, 2014

DIY Sunday: Annie Sloan Paint & Krylon Spray Paint

Hello,


We had a busy weekend at the Ugly House. Saturday we did some shopping. I picked up some Annie Sloan chalk paint at a wonderful store in Sioux Falls named Aviena. Love it! Aviena features some furniture from Reborn Home Furnishings out of Luverne, Minnesota. Prior to our move, I found they had the perfect cabinet for my pyrex. I was waiting until we were moved to see if they still had it. When I walked in Saturday, they told me they had sold it only a few hours earlier. Argh! Bummer! My husband is going to try to build me one instead. We also hit up Lowes (my second home) for some samples of different things we're hoping to buy in the next couple of weeks.



As you remember, last week I picked up a ton of furniture. Most of it needed some sort of work. I still have a coffee table and a dresser to fix up this week, but otherwise I'm almost done.


First, I picked up a old typewriter stand. I used Krylon's new Colormaster spray paint. I was hoping that it would be an improvement on the previous versions I have used. That would be a negative. I am still a Valspar spray paint gal. The typewriter ended up turning out okay in the end, but the Krylon spray paint does tend to drip and bubble easier than Valspar. Also, there doesn't seem to be much paint in one can.

The stain for the top was going to be a dark brown, but apparently I left behind my stain in Iowa. I have found being out in the country now, I am always trying to find something in my house that will work just so I don't have to make a trip into town.


I had some Minwax Express Color in Onyx I hadn't used yet. I found it on clearance for $3.00. I'm not a huge black stain fan, but man, the Express Color stuff is really slick. I will definitely use it again.

Before:



After:






Second, I found this old sewing table at a garage sale for a dollar. Yes. 1 single dollar. The guy thought he had marked it high at $5.00 the day before. (Really?!?) Then, he threw in a old mirror frame for free and a folding wooden chair for an dollar. And, we had a nice chat about how I was new to the area. Got to love small town USA.


The table with painters tape.

This sewing table was plain wood with a beat up gold front and legs. Since we got a new navy blue accent chair for our living room, I thought the Napoleon Blue by Annie Sloan would look nice. I hadn't tried the Annie Sloan chalk paint before mostly due to the steep price tag. I had always made my own chalk paint. I can say I am converted. I ordered four more pots just a few days ago and keep check the tracking number to see when they'll arrive!

A yard stick made taping off lines quite easy.

Just a little pot of paint goes a LONG way!
The main difference I noticed is that the Annie Sloan paint was a strong sticking paint and goes on very smooth. It went on the piece with no sanding and didn't want to distress easily. That's a great time saver. I like to distress my pieces, because I'm practical person. My kids, dog and husband will be rough on furniture and if I'm going to beat up it up anyways, it may as well look intentional.

The entire piece from start to end took me only 2 hours. That includes taping the lines and waxing the piece after I painted. I use paste wax, but I want to try Annie Sloan's wax as well. One nap time, about 3/4 of a sample pot of Annie Sloan (not kidding...not even a whole pot) and I had a finished piece. I do all my distressing with steel wool, but this piece wasn't going to give me much. Over time, dropped keys and bags will give my sewing table turned entry table some well loved marks.
















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Friday, June 20, 2014

Show & Tell: My Old English Love Story

Hello!


I'm in love, and I just want to shout it from the roof tops. My love comes from a little bottle of yellow liquid....Old English Lemon Oil.


I admit it. I was one of those people. One of those people you history buffs and wood lovers hate. I paint furniture.

I know. It's terrible.

My own husband is a wood lover. He'd walk by with those sideways glares as I sanded, and applied a gooey layer of oil based primer. It looks great natural, he would say. I'd roll my eyes as I slopped on the paint. Sure sure. That's what men ALWAYS say. Sometimes I even drove him to the edge of sanity by distressing a perfectly good piece of furniture.


As I've grown old and grey, I've started to appreciate some beautiful wood (as well as antique stores and the AARP). Well, I don't appreciate the trim in my house. That ugly stuff has got to go. So, maybe I'm not completely reformed yet.


One little bottle of lemon oil can really change a piece from being a little dull and sad to being really snazzy (Please picture jazz hands as you read that).

You've heard about my Old English love affair before when I cleaned up the dresser for my living room (and eventually, my son's room), and when I scored some $13.00 craftsman chairs. Today, Old English Lemon Oil (and I swear I'm not getting paid to gush) transformed my original mid century end table find with just a couple of minutes of work. The water rings are still there, but I don't mind for now. Lord knows my 18 month old is hell bent on making his own markings on the table. Cleverly placed accessories will cover that until my children are older and more responsible (so, probably when they are around 30).

Check out my table's droopy, dull, sad state turn into one snazzy shiny table. It's a match made in heaven for my new couch.






 

 


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Flashback Friday: No Sew Roller Shade Curtains

Roller shades don't have to be boring or expensive. This Flashback Friday is an easy no sew roller shade option.
No Sew Roller Shade Curtains

Hi Everyone!
If you have been reading my blog, you know that I have been talking about the dining room curtains for a while. Most of the time the post goes something like this, "Look at this cool project, please ignore the Hawaiian like fabric haphazardly hung on the windows."

I got the idea for my curtains from this tutorial by Cottage and Vine. I posted it as an idea thief a few months ago. Ever since then, I have been obsessed with the idea, but I was waiting for the right time to purchase the Amy Butler fabric I was in love with.

Cyber Monday was the perfect opportunity to buy this Wallflowers fabric from Hawthorn Threads. They were offering cheap shipping, and the price was a little less than normal.
So, I figured, I'll get some cheap roller shades from Lowes, have them cut to size, mount them and then put the fabric on. Easy project. Done in one Saturday.

Uh. No. Lets just say the score after this weekend was Blinds: 5 Me: 0.

I measured my windows several times. I went into the store. I explained my measurements, got the brackets to hold the blinds and went to hang them. Every single one was too big. (I had even had them cut on the small side for this reason!)

So, I got out my scissors and utility knife and cut them to the right size myself. Of course, this makes one side all hacked up and wonky. But I was covering it with fabric and didn't care. (although they all kinda hang crooked for this reason)

So, I try to put the brackets in. First, I use nails. However, the space is so small, I can't get a hammer into it. (and I was using a rather small hammer even)

I move on to screws. Of course, as is the case with the drill every single time I use it, I can't get enough pressure behind it, and I strip out the screws.

Enter husband. He just laughs at me and attempts to attach brackets. He starts cussing immediately because he also can not hang brackets. 

We get brackets hung, but the newly cut shades are too short for placement of these brackets. And they are the wrong kind of brackets to move. Go to store to buy new brackets.

I'm too lazy to venture into the snow to get the ladder, so of course, I'm balancing on a folding chair. And course I fall down with a screw driver in my hand almost poking an eye out.

At this point I finally get all of the main shades hung. I'm one shade short, so I decided to skip Lowes for this round and head to Wal-Mart.

This is important. GO TO WAL-MART FIRST! They have the wonderful adjustable shades that you can just tear to the right size. You know how much easier those shades were? And they were half the price of the Lowes ones!

So, I am pretty excited about my easy Wal-mart shade. I get the brackets hung pretty easily, and I put up the shade. I realize that I have put the brackets on backwards. They work the way they are, but the shade will now roll under the top rather than over the top like the other shades in the room. Is this a big deal? To a normal person: probably not. To me, I knew if I looked at that shade I would be irritated for all time.

I decide to remove the brackets and switch them around to fix this problem. Except after I have them moved and drilled in, I notice that the way the brackets are, they can't be hung this way. So I have to move them back to the way they were. But now the holes aren't working with the screws (the holes are too big) So, I have to move to a new location. Which means the shade I already tore to the right width is now too narrow. I have to leave part of the pole sticking out without any shade. Whatever. I go to drill the brackets in the new location. However, now the stupid things won't drill in, and I've stripped two sets of screws. Husband comes in trying to help but leaves cussing about stupid cheap shades. I decide to grab a hammer and just use nails. That finally works.

After many many hours of this project, I'm ready to be done. I just have to attach the fabric with hot glue (very easy especially if you use some clamps to keep the fabric from shifting). I get all done with the fabric, I go to hang the final shade and......

I attached the fabric to the wrong side.

I just start laughing hysterically. Are you kidding me? Husband comes in to ask what is the matter (I'm sure he's figured shades have given me a nervous breakdown). I show him how I attached to the wrong side. He tells me to just attach more fabric to the opposite side. Except I only have a 5 x 10 inch patch of fabric left. He decides we're going to make it work. He jimmy rigs it up and hot glues it in place. So, for now, it's staying. Just enter our home cautiously if you use the door with the shade hot glued on.

Here's the "before"
See the awesome Hawaiian fabric haphazardly hanging on the windows?



This is the "After"
I





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Monday, June 16, 2014

Gone Junkin': New Furniture Finds

Hello!


Last weekend was the local town's city wide rummage sale. The timing couldn't be more perfect. My husband and I sold some items prior to our move, so we wouldn't have to deal with them (good thing because our moving truck was filled to the brim). After I was done rummaging, I hit up two antique stores on Main Street in Brookings, SD. I would highly recommend the locally owned shops in downtown Brookings.

So, here are some of my finds from this past weekend! They all are going to be fancied up either with paint or just some cleaning up (well except the dresser...it's already wonderful).


As you can see, this piece is already getting some play as a nightstand. This is a old typewriter stand. I'll be removing the top and staining it very dark. I might add a fun color to the metal legs.

This piece was a super amazing find! This is a Dillingham end table. It's authentic midcentury. It has some water marks and stains. I'm going to try a couple of different methods to keep it natural, but I might end up having to stain it darker. Now, I don't normally talk about the cost of each item I pick up, but I'm just so excited about my find I want to share. I picked this piece up for $8.00. The different retail prices I have found for a set (granted this is just one) are around $400.00 and up. Awesome find!


This coffee table will get the contact paper removed and the top refinished. Either with some new sort of thing (like vintage yardsticks or something) or by refinishing the wood top (depends on the state of the wood underneath)
Love the hairpin legs!

This piece was done by the Junk Mama in Brookings (Found at Antique Gallery). It's a nice grey color. Perhaps chalk paint? I am in love with Antique Gallery. It's Pyrex hunting paradise.
My little lady even got a bike. Since it was pretty inexpensive, we took the pedals off so she can try that new fancy gliding.


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