Table and Chairs {Before and After}

I recently inherited my mom's 1973 dining room table and chairs with matching china cabinet - more like nobody else in the family wanted or needed it, so it exited the moving truck right into our garage.  It was my mom's pride and joy.  The table top hardly ever saw the light of day and every time we ate at it, she had it padded with flannel and multiple table cloths for fear anything might happen to it.

The original seats were covered in a gold damask stripe, which had definitely seen better days, and the foam was disintegrating underneath, so I knew for sure I was going to reupholster them.  If it was going to stay in my house,tho...it had to have a makeover.

I decided not to paint the table top - even tho it got marred in the move (sorry mom!), it was just too beautiful to cover up.  So I buffed it with some paste wax and covered up the dents as best I could.

I painted the apron edge and legs with a couple coats of creamy chalk paint I mixed myself with some leftover house paint.  I accented the inner channel of the legs with a creamy yellow.

I roughed it up with a little sandpaper and finished it up with paste wax - first natural, then dark...another coat of dark because it wasn't quite how I wanted it, and then ended with another coat of natural.  

Love it!  On to the chairs...

I removed all the seats and took to prying up all the staples.  (Yes, I'm working on my kitchen counter...there might be an old movie on and I wouldn't want to miss it!)

I used the same cream paint on the chairs...

 ...and roughed them up, as well.

I wasn't crazy about the color of the caning...should I paint it cream as well?  Make it darker?  Live with it?...I had some leftover espresso paint and decided to go darker.  I was afraid of not being able to cover well enough with the cream and having a blotchy outcome.

I finished with the same multiple coats of paste wax...1 down, 5 more to go!

I found a great fabric on sale at Hobby Lobby that picked up all the colors of my kitchen...plus the chevron pattern was a little homage to it's 70's roots. Now, I do not claim to be an upholsterer.  I know my way around a staple gun and can work the corners just fine, tho.  I replaced all the foam and batting, too.

Trimmed the excess...

Phew!  Done...and then I had a problem...

The original cushion was boxy with piping on the top and bottom edges.  I didn't want it to be that formal, so I didn't replace the piping.  But when I went to re-attach the seats, there was a gap at the bottom and I could see the top edge of the wood...no bueno!  Back to Hobby Lobby!  I found a great hemp trim that fit the bill and 40% off baby!

I reattached all the seats...love!

It took me what seemed like forever to finish this project...but it turned out even better than I expected!  I had the red parsons chairs for years, but they were tucked away in an extra bedroom.  I just swapped them out for two chairs and yep...that's it!

I hope my mom would be proud.  I know she wasn't crazy about painted furniture (let alone her pride and joy!)...but I'm sure she's thrilled that it meant enough to me to keep it and now it will be used and loved by my family for years to come.

Until next time,

~ Mary

Spring Feathered Nest Friday

Feathered Nest Friday 

March 21, 2014
@ Speckled Hens

We made adorable Spring arrangements!

Tables all set with everything needed
to make the arrangement plus
a free tote from Crabtree & Evelyn. 

The bag of supplies looked cute 

enough just as it was! 

This is how it started...

Everyone hard at work putting the flowers in just the right spot.  The ladies were able to choose from a boy or girl bunny to highlight their arrangements.

For the tag, we glittered flower seed packets and made a wire holder.  Of course, there was champagne and a little dessert.  The ladies also received 20% off their purchases that evening. 

Can't wait till the next Feathered Nest Friday! Hope to see you next time!

~Corrie

Rocker Glider Re-Do

This is not meant to be a tutorial on re-upholstering because I'm a wing-it kinda girl, but hopefully it will inspire you to do something fun with a hand-me-down!

This particular hand-me-down is on loan, so I couldn't remove the original upholstery. The easiest way would have been to attack it with a seam ripper and use the original pieces as a pattern, so instead I slip covered and left everything underneath in-tact.

I bought 4 yards of 45" duck cloth in the perfect pattern and color my daughter-in-law wanted for the baby's nursery.  It was more than enough for the chair and ottoman and I still have probably 1/2 yard left to use for something else.  Big score for $28!

All the pieces were easily removable, so I just laid them out and traced them with a pencil on the wrong side of the fabric.

I added 1" around and cut out the pieces.  I lined the cut edge up with the smallest measurement on my sewing machine plate as a seam guide - I think it's 3/8" - to allow for the roundness of the cushion.  I stitched twice around on the seat cushions and the ottoman cushion for strength.

I left one edge open, folded that baby up like a taco and stuffed it in!  Perfect fit!   I hand stitched the openings closed with quilting thread for extra strength.

The whole project only took me a couple hours (minus the hand sewing, which I did in front of the TV).  I'm so pleased with how it turned out.  It's going to look so cute in the nursery with it's polka dots, and painted furniture, and other fun fabrics.

I hope this inspired you and makes the task seem less intimidating...go for it!

Until next time,

~Mary

Harlequin Desk

I found this desk quite by surprise at my local Habitat for Humanity Restore.  I was drawn to the curved top but it was missing a drawer front and definitely needed some love.

I was up for the challenge!

The wood wasn't in great condition, but certainly nothing that a little chalk paint couldn't cover!

My husband made a drawer front out of some spare wood from our shed (it didn't take much convincing to get him to play with wood and saws), and I set out to putty up the holes.  The hardware wasn't original and some were missing, so no loss there.

With a little inspiration from Fox Hollow Cottage, I decided to try a harlequin technique for something a little fun and different.  Contrary to the blog, I did NOT find it "a simple DIY technique"...for dummies, you say?...I don't know what that makes me...but it wasn't simple.  So, I did what any determined woman would do...

...passed the task onto my husband!  

He measured and drew...erased...measured again...drew again...sighed...
erased...measured again...drew...and on and on it goes...meanwhile...

I decided on a mixture of my own version of duck egg blue and paris grey chalk paint with a creamy white.
  

Piles of eraser shavings later and a few coats of chalk paint, this is what I ended up with...a little bluer than I imagined but nothing that the dark wax couldn't tone down.

I finished with a little rough sanding...

And the usual coats of paste wax...

Ready for knobs...

Did I mention how cute the inside of the drawers are?  Love the music notes!

Mercury glass knobs...perfectly girly!  I'm happy with the way it turned out.  I think it would make a super cute desk or if you added a mirror, why not a super cute vanity?

You can find it on the sales floor at the shop - $249.95.

Onward to the next project!

Until next time,

~Mary

Country French Side Tables

Okay...I admit again...I forgot to take the before pictures...sorry!

I picked up these 2 side tables with leather tops.  I love the curve of the legs and the fact that they have a drawer and they were good sturdy wood.  However, they had leather tops....really dated leather tops, that were scarred and coming up on the corners.  At first I thought I could salvage them but soon realized I couldn't.

So...once again I searched the internet for a little inspiration.  Voila!  Reloved Rubbish had the answer.

This is the table that inspired the end result of mine...

I painted the tops with a custom mixed graphite color chalk paint.

...and roughed up the edges a bit

The body of tables were painted with a creamy white chalk paint and roughed up a bit, as well.

I finished both pieces off with the usual 3 coats of paste wax...clear, dark, then clear again.

The original lack-lustre hardware was replaced with something a little more up-to-date.  The grey of the new handles plays on the grey in the tops.

I absolutely love the way these tables turned out and if I had room in my house...they would've stayed with me!

The drawers were crummy on the bottom so I decoupaged them with this fabulous paper.

They're going to look great next to someone's sofa or bed.

Next project in the works...stay tuned...hey!  look at that...a before picture...ta-da!


I'll keep you posted!

~Mary