Dresser or Buffet? You Decide

     We were fortunate enough to buy a small estate recently and it couldn't have been better timing. Not so much because the vultures were circling waiting snap it up before us but because we desperately need some bigs in the shop.  This dresser turned buffet was one of them. It looks very similar to the art-deco one I did earlier, but this one is smaller.

     The structure was solid and had no veneer issues. (Yeah!)  I filled in the lines on the drawers and the holes from the handles. I learned this great trick where you fill the hole with golf pegs, cut off the parts that are sticking out, sand and putty. So simple! These holes were actually too big for golf pegs (I didn't have any, anyway) and too small for the wooden pegs so I had to drill the hole a bit bigger to hammer the pegs in. I had exactly ten floral-design pulls left from Lord-knows-where. I thought with the color it was fitting.

     Since we had sold the last red buffet, I didn't hesitate to do another. I just love, love that Rust-Oleum Colonial Red paint!

 

     Drilling new holes after two coats of paint and we have another gorgeous dresser/buffet/side board/entertainment center/bathroom vanity. So many options!   http://www.rustybucketantiques.com/

Primitive Green Dresser

     This is one of my very favorite things in the shop right now.  It started out not so hot but it only takes a few simple changes to make furniture lovable again.

     I had to fix a broken drawer front (easy) first. Then,  I got a little crazy with my sanding block.  I've been blessed with a little space of my own toward the rear of the shop.  Customers can usually find me painting or decorating birdhouses here.  It is not a space to strip furniture or plug in an actual sander so I have do things the hard way sometimes or I don't find time to do it.

     After sanding, I had to go through my pile of mushroom knobs, but wouldn't you know, I have two ice cream buckets full of these wooden knobs, and , of course, none of them worked.  To be fair, most are in various colors and only a few are unpainted.  I had pictured pecan stained knobs to compliment the green color but I had to move on.  I've been hording these crystal knobs for some unseen future project but I am coming to the realization that I have to start living in the now.  There are always going to be projects and I can't be saving something for a what-if? situation that could happen six months from now, or not at all.  So I picked out the crappiest, not because I had parting issues but because I thought the paint spattered ones and the ones with chips would be a more perfect fit. 

     Out on the floor yesterday, sold today.  As I am writing this blog (I haven't even added the pictures yet) I knew it wouldn't last long.  It was the first thing people went to as they came in the door.  Finally, I had the cutest young couple come up all excited saying they had to have it.  These are the times when parting with my favorites makes it OK, when you can see that they love it as much as you do! http://www.rustybucketantiques.com/

Shabby Chic Vanity Transformaton



The 'Before' in all it's glory!

      I love the transformation so much more if it is a challenge!  This was one of those projects that had me cringing the first time I saw it and worried through the whole process that it would turn out.  Now that I've done a few, my anxieties seem to be lessening so someday all this will seem like second nature.

      It had the usual veneer issues.  The drawers weren't too bad and the small pieces along the bottoms easily came off whole.  The top, however, was the typical nightmare!  I have to admit, though, that this is getting to be my favorite part - a close second to realizing that there are going to be no bleeding issues (Bonus!)  I took better pics this time to show what I was up against.

 

After scraping off all the peeling veneer.



Second of four layers of putty.



Putty job completed



        I've learned to get crazy on the peeling veneer right away - just doing it without thinking about it.  I had to keep reminding myself on the first few projects that the surfaces were already ruined and I wasn't going to make it any worse unless I didn't complete the job. 

     So, after peeling and puttying, I ended with four coats or Rust-Oleum's Heirloom White and a light scuff job. 

     We used to pass on these veneer pieces all the time at auctions because, at the time, we weren't into the refinishing much less painting furniture.  I have stripped many pieces but we soon realized it wasn't very cost effective for us.  Also, it never failed that I would spend two days stripping when the customer couldn't wait to get it home and paint it.  I had to see for myself with this very talented vendor we had.  Terry would buy our cast-offs and bring in the next day a truly unrecognisable beauty.  Of course, he'd then sell it in three days to triple his money.  Couldn't argue with that!  So we learned quickly and now I have endless projects!

     Speaking of which, I have a Duncan Phyfe waiting for me!  Gotta go;)

It's in the Details

      I recently visited a blog that gave me a new way of looking at things.  I think most people paint the outside of furniture without a thought to the insides.  I am one of these people.  I would never think of painting the drawers and usually give only a vague thought to possibly covering any stains or 'uglies' at the bottoms.  It's not so much laziness but more of an idea that I don't think people care.

     So, I had to say that I took a step back when I saw what Chrissie was doing.  She really had thought about all the details.  All her drawers are painted and sometimes even lined.  Very impressive! 

          When this simple plywood box came my way, I knew this was a good project to start with.  To paint the outside seemed obvious, but with the inside painted, it gave it less of a discarded look and definitely more if a finished look.  I did add hardware with more pizazz and had to switch out the hinges for something that matched better.

     I really thought I would be cursing Chrissie halfway through it wishing I had never started but it went so fast, even for a small project.  Thanks for the inspiration, Chrissie!

     I'll probably still leave whole drawers alone but now I will be thinking about the stains that I could be painting over.  I think a liner experimentation will be in my future!
     You really should visit her blog for the latest redo.  The vanity is unbelievable! http://chrissiescollections.blogspot.com/

Shabby Wardrobe Redo

     We just picked this little wardrobe up from a local auction house last week.  Originally, it had mirrors on the panels when they brought it in, but, in the move, one of them had broke in the handling.  So, when we picked it up, it had the one left.  This is probably one of those fortunate events, because I would have left the mirrors on most likely.  It would have been very functional, but I don't think I would have been as happy with the end result.

     In the planning stages, I originally had my heart set on painting it white and finding some beautiful green glass knobs (which I didn't have).  We do have some neighbors that refinish some absolutely gorgeous pieces and I thought maybe I could barter for some.  I had just finished painting their 'OPEN' sign and ended up trading it for a pair of big antiques knobs in my desired color.

     Now, if you notice the after shot, it is not white.  Somewhere in between the planning and the painting, I changed my mind.  I couldn't really decide what I wanted to do with the panels.  We had bought a birch covered trunk full of material from the same auction, so when I saw the white linen, I knew that that would be perfect.  Having two whites together, however, always leaves one ending up looking dirty.  I sided with the linen and found this beautiful green paint in my stash.  The new color, however, wasn't really compatable with the color of the knobs.  So, now I have a pair of  glass knobs for some other project, but I'll most likely horde them for a few years.

 

   This pretty green color came from another garage sale score for $1 and I had these black knobs that I took off a cabinet two years ago.  The cool part is that I didn't finish taking the paint off the knobs so it has more of a shabby look.

     Two easy coats and a scuff job later, the cabinet was done.

     I gathered the ends of the linen material using a basting stitch and pulled until it was the same width as the panel.  I had cut some wood strips the same length and just tacked the linen down to hold them in place, top and bottom. 

     And, Voila!

   

Aquarium Stand Side Board

     We've had this aquarium stand for two years.  We don't use anything for its original intention so it never saw any fish during its stay under our roof.  Instead, I used it to stack short planks on its end so they wouldn't get buried in the pile.  I have been getting down on boards for my signs so it wasn't being used to its full potential.  Anything is fair game in our indoor junk yard.  The rule is that the other doesn't have a claim on anything, especially if it has been sitting around for almost two years.  But, I was using that!!!  You snooze, you lose.

     When I saw the end result, I had to nod with humble approval.  He'd done it again.  My partner had taken this cast-off and poly-ed the steel base, showing all it's glorious wear and tear.  He glued some 1 x 6's together and made a beautiful top and a shelf below. 

     Now my storage unit is a spectacular side board! 

     Got any fave salvage stories?