I AM SO VAIN

I have a love of vanities. I like ornate, glass ones

I adore little girl ones

and I drool over old ones that need tons of love

I can NEVER pass one up when I see one.

A few weeks ago, I got an urgent text from my bestie and furniture partner in crime about an awesome yard sale with gorgeous, unique furniture.  Without even looking at the furniture in person, both Angie and I texted the owner (my zumba friend Jane knew the woman - score) and we bought everything that we liked via email!  We scored an old vanity, stool, and 5 chairs for FIFTY BEANS!!! Now that's what I call good will hunting.

The chairs were smaller than what I thought, except for this beauty

I didn't get a great close shot, but the inlay of the wood is carved and detailed.  Sigh, I so wished I had somewhere in my house to put this.

I decided, since I have a giant can of blue paint, that I would paint the chair blue and use some of my leftover brown/cream zebra material.

I also got this awesome vanity at the yard sale

Terrible picture, I know.  My camera died 1/2 way through this project and my cat chewed the cord on my phone, so my pics showing this chair being ripped apart are gone.  Boo.  Suffice it to say that this chair was OLD.  Plus, it was made as one solid piece, so I couldn't take the legs off to refinish it.

Here they are halfway finished

I decided to try something new while painting.  I took the painbrush and painted until there was no paint left. Spots on the furniture didn't get any paint and others got too much paint.  Once it dried, I sanded random spots.  Then I took some walnut stain and put it all over then chair and vanity and wiped it off with a cloth.  I love how it turned out.  Best part being that I didn't have to sand anything!

Here is the finished piece(s)

I popped it on the auction that night and it sold immediately.  Although, I think we priced it too low and gave somebody an awesome deal.  Oh well, live and learn.  Next one will go for a little more.

Man, I wish I had room in my house for this.  I would have loved to keep it.  At least I know it will be loved and used somewhere else.  I am finding that the hardest part for me in redoing furniture is selling it.  I probably would keep 90% of what I make! Pin It

I STAND ALONE

We redid the living room at Christmas time and bought a nice, big sectional for family snuggling.  However, there is a little spot right behind the couch that has been driving me crazy since that time. So is how small my clock is, but that is for another day.

We were going to put an end table there, but it was kind of an awkward spot, and the couch is so high that we wouldn't use the table at all.

Our lamps are on the other side of the room and, like so many houses ( I don't know why), there isn't an overhead light.

That means that one side of the room is always bright and the other side is dark.   We can turn on the dining room light, but that makes it too bright.

Then, lightbulb (all puns intended), I thought "what about a floor lamp?"  Let me tell you, it is hard to find a tall light, much less one within my cheap budget.  Enter Varagesale on Facebook.

Look at the ugly thing beauty that I picked up for $4.

I did ask if it was lopsided.  I was told that the carpet made it sit funny.  For four beans, I was willing to take the risk.

Woot!!  It was exactly what I wanted and super tall.  I knew that it would work perfectly in that spot.

Enter my Island Splash spray paint and an hour of my day.  Voila

She`s looking better by the second, isn`t she?

I am not a huge fan of matchy matchy lamp shades, although the ones on my end tables match.  I decided that since this lamp was going to be across the room, I could go with a totally different fabric and pattern for this shade.

Let me tell you, I am getting to be a pro at shades.  I can tell how much fabric I am going to need, without wasting any of it, and I can get one done in about 1/2 an hour.  This is a huge improvement from my first lamps, that took me about half an evening to finish.  Practice makes perfect, right?

Here's my new lampshade, which, by the way, Abby Sue hates.  lol

So here's the finished piece, in the space where I want it to be.

Ok, so I love the height of the lamp.  But does anybody else think that the shade is way too small for it?  I am thinking that I need something 3 times that size.

CRAP!  Oh well, it will do for now and I will continue to search for the perfect shade.

Until then, here's a sneak peek at my next project.

This is going to be a fun project to sell on the auction.  More tomorrow.

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ADDING SOME CLASS

About 3 months ago, I snagged a jewellery armoire from my friend for $65. I hate paying that much for something, but they are regularly over $200, so I figured it was a steal. I already have my own Marilyn Monroe armoire and have had tons of compliments on it, so I decided to make another one.

 

The armoire that I bought was much larger than mine, and I wasn't going to do another in pink

So, since I am now a crazy fan of Aqua Blue, I decided to just do it exactly like my inspiration for the first one.

I was going to do it white, but decided to go with the blue, just so I am not a complete copy cat.

On mine, I had ordered a decal of Marilyn.  This time, I decided to just print off a picture from the computer and modge podge it on.  It turned out perfectly.

I think it turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.  I still have to put the handles on, but they are still drying.  Me and my patience - or lack thereof.

Here's hoping it will sell on the auction, otherwise my niece is getting a nice belated birthday present.

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MOVING AWAY FROM TRADITIONAL

 I have always had a very basic desk to put my computer on.  It went from this, my very first refinish (which I loved for 5 years, but got sick of lately)

to this (which I never even ended up using)

to my current piece of blahness, which doesn't even deserve a full picture

Since I am redoing the office and making it the coolest room in the house (or so I hope), I wanted something completely, totally outside the box for my desk.

Enter kijiji.  I found a desk on kijiji for $20 but I could barely tell what it looked like from the picture.  I asked the man to send me more pics and I hummed and hawed about whether to get it.  It was a teenager's metal desk and multi-coloured, but it was huge and the more I stared at it, the more I fell for it.

I actually googled the desk to see what it looked like before the scratches and dents.

OMG!  It was a $379 desk

First of all, who pays that much for a freaking metal desk???????

SOLD!  My friend Angie drove me in her truck to pick it up (along with a pool, I am so excited).  We also managed to snag 2 free Muskoka chairs!!

I decided to paint the desk red and keep the white, because it is actually whiteboard and I can write things down and then erase them later.  Woot.  Great for when I don't want to waste a piece of paper or my pen stops working.

Here's the finished product.

It is a lot larger than it looks, and I love it.  John even made a comment about how he likes it. I have to put a better chair with it.  I am thinking about redoing my free wingback chair in a white fluffy material, so that it will be comfy for those nights when I am trolling my auction site!

More to come as the room progresses.  Just imagine this red against a nice, soft gray wall, with the turquoise/red/black accents.  I might just sleep in here sometimes! Pin It

NO LONGER DIM

I have a thing for lamps and shades.  It used to be footstools (who am I kidding, I obsess over them as well), but I am really into lamps and shades.  I think it is because there is such beautiful material out there and a statement lamp can really make a room.

I bought this lamp for $2 and it has sat in my garage for quite a while. Then I moved it into the playroom, where it sat for a few more weeks.

It was a boring, typical brass lamp, with no shade, no character, no "ooomph".  I am in the process of turning the spare room into an office type room, with a futon for the guests we never have.  I'll have more on that room as it unfolds.

Anyways, as my friend Angie pointed out the other day, I really love colour, so I decided to make this lamp bright, fun and a happy.

Enter Krylon's Aqua spray paint (to match the end table, of course)

I really really wanted to use the same material that I used on Abby Sue's lamp, but when I went to Fabricland today, they didn't have any left.  Or maybe I couldn't find it.  The set up there is horrible and nobody ever helps, so I chose something else.  I love it too.

I covered one of the many shades that I have laying around the house (it is a sickness).

Isn't that bright and fun?  I am currently refinishing a desk and it is red and white, so the material is perfect.

I love how it turned out.

It's funny, because the material cost more than the lamp and paint put together!  I am so excited to see this room come together.  It has been a mess and boring for far too long.

Next, paint the walls, change the desk, change the light, change the curtains.  Wow, who would think one little room would require so much work?

For now, I can look at my lamp and feel like I have a little piece of sunshine in the room.

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