Mid century side tables...

I have been working hard to find pieces I know others will just love!  Problem is every once in a while I find pieces I absolutely fall in love with and I know I will have a hard time letting go!  Especially after working on them all day! 

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I believe these tables are black oak.  The tops, sides and drawers were veneer, but the bases were solid.  Really beautiful tables with great "bones."  

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I primed and painted the boxes. Then I stripped and stained the drawers and bases and coated them with 4 coats of tung oil.  

Honestly, it will be tough letting go of these two.   

But someone, somewhere will love them....hopefully as much as I do! 

FOLLOW BECKWITH'S TREASURES ON FACEBOOK!  Now if I can just figure out how to put one of those little Facebook widgets on this blog! 

Little stool...

I have bought so much at auctions and sales that I sometimes forget to take before pictures of the little items!​

I bought a little stool at an estate auction a few weeks ago.  Unfortunately, I wasn't paying attention and hadn't really looked at the little guy...just saw it from a distance and before I knew it, I bought it.​

Unfortunately, it was poorly constructed so it required some reconstruction.  The wood base was MDF which doesn't hold up well to a lot of wear and tear.  So the legs were major wobbly and the fabric was, well, blah.  And it had this really disgusting "fringe" stuff on it.​

But it had good iron legs....and the nice thing about buying something like this is the "template" is already there.  So I deconstructed it, used the MDF base as a template for a new wood base, painted the legs black  and recovered the whole thing in a brighter, cheerier fabric!  ​

Cute as a bug.  This is one of those items I doubt I recoup my time and materials, but it is a cute little piece that will draw attention and hopefully will go to a home where it will be loved...now that it is sturdy enough to actually sit on!​

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I also made a little cork board to match the stool.  I painted a frame a pretty yellow and covered cork board and backing with the stool fabric!​

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Getting ready to go retail....

Wow...getting ready to go "retail" is a LOT of hard work.  I have been going to auctions and garage sales every weekend.  And if I was a hoarder, I would be in deep doody  because there is a whole world of really nifty stuff out there. ​

I have tried to focus on things others will LOVE!  I know I love most of what I bought...but since it is all piled in my garage and I have NO place to put it, I won't have a problem parting with it.​

This weekend I scored big time on July 4th and Christmas decorations, a big mirror, frames, planters, milk glass, candle holders...you name it, I found it!  Anything I can find that I think is wonderful, at a price that hopefully will let me make a few pennies...or at least break even!!!  I don't plan on getting rich on this little endeavor.  Again, I need an outlet for my creative juices and it is wonderful to find things I know others will take home and LOVE!

And honestly, this gives me an excuse to do something I use to love to do...go to auctions!!!  I forgot how much fun they are!  Even Brian has gotten into it so it is something else he and I can do together....that is always the BEST part of any hobby...sharing it with your best friend!​ And Matt, my youngest son, comes when he is free!  Family fun!

I have found a few pieces of furniture that are inexpensive enough for me to put my "spin" on.  It is hard to pay a premium for a piece of furniture and then come home and put a lot of money and hours into it.  I probably devalue my time and labor way too much, but when I go out and buy $100 worth of upholstery for a little ottoman it makes it tough to sell it for $75...especially when it took me all day to recover it!​

So I have to be very careful when bidding on and buying furniture.​ I found a wonderful Duncan Phyfe table that would have been beautiful...but the top was in pretty bad shape and I knew it needed a great deal of time and attention!  So I set a max in my mind and I tried not to groan too loudly when it sold for $15 above my maximum! But I knew if I paid more than that, I would NEVER recoup my time and expense.  

I also have to be very cognizant of what buyers want vs. what I personally like.  I am not that big into the shabby chic/plaster paint thing...but I know the buyers love it.  ​

This oak chair is a prime example.  Kinda dated before so I knew I would have to do something with it...​

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When I first started my plan was to prime, paint with high gloss black and then recover in a black and white damask...very "formal."​

But I had to do some sanding on the paint coat and before I knew it, it had a "shabby chic" flair that everyone LOVES!​

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So there you have it...a little shabby chic chair flair!  

I already featured the 3-legged table with the plaster paint legs...but I also have a nifty little oak table and a few other projects I will share over the next few weeks as I get ready to fill my booth!

Course at this point, I think I have enough to fill an entire store...not just a booth.  Typical me...at some point I will learn moderation...or just quit going to to auctions and stopping at garage sales....because honestly, I am running out of room in my garage!!!!

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​Love this fabric!

Walnut chair reveal.....

Well, it is done....and while I know where the little "goofs" are, I have to keep in mind one of my father's pearls of wisdom...​

"You'll never notice it on a passing train!"​

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As I have mentioned before (here), Mom told me she and Dad found this chair in a field when I was a baby.  When they found it, it was bleached white from being in the sun...and she is pretty sure it originally had a cane seat and back.  Dad knew it was walnut so he took it home, repaired it and refinished it.  I would bet the upholstery in the "before" picture was probably the second time he refinished it.  This looks more like something he would have done in the 70s or 80s.

I pulled the 5,486 nail heads (so I exaggerate a tad) and removed the old upholstery, nails and padding.  Dad wouldn't have touched polyurethane so stripping the original varnish finish with my favorite Formby's varnish stripper was not a real challenge.  I repaired a few loose joints with glue and clamps!

Even with a new coat of dark walnut stain, it was very "uneven" in places so I had to do some patch-work staining.  Then I put 4 coats of tung oil on it.  And then it sat...and sat...and sat....

I just didn't know what fabric to get.  I knew I wanted something a little more formal and neutral. I let Brian pick from 7-8 fabric samples...wouldn't you know he picked my least favorite, but in all honesty, it turned out beautiful!  I opted for the double welting vs. the nail heads.  I contemplated having it recaned....but decided against it...maybe next time! ​ And I have just enough leftover material for a little pillow!

Every chair in this house has been bought or repurposed to uphold to "abuse" from kids and animals.  But this chair is special and it will be tucked away in the corner of my room where the worst thing that can happen to it is one of the cats will find it!

Maybe someday, when I am long gone, one of my children will cherish it as much as I do....thanks Dad!​

Wall murals....

Decorating with wall murals is not that difficult....and it is an awesome way to instantly add a big impact to any room, especial a play room or kid's room!​

A few years ago I decided to surprise my youngest daughter with a full room makeover while she was at choir camp.  Paint, new side table, lamp, desk chair makeover, bedding, rug...everything.  She was all into Betsy Johnson at the time so I used her design as a touch of "inspiration."  Katie's first words when she walked in...."I hate it."​

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I wish I had all the "before the before" pictures handy.  When I first bought this house she was only 3 so decorating with the pastel pinks and blues was easy (imagine castle walls with trellises of ivy!) ....so precious.  Then she went through the teal/purple/lime green stage.  That was really awesome and it last a few years.

But as she entered her teens she wanted something a little more "mature."  Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that one should not assume what ones teenager will like. Better to let them have a hand in any design decisions, especially as she reminded me, it is  "MY personal space."​

Unfortunately, I knew our "design tastes" were on total opposites of the spectrum when she told me she wanted "dark grey," specifically chalkboard grey.  No way in this world was I painting a room "dark grey." ​ The last thing I wanted was my spunky, cheerful daughter getting swallowed up in the dark dank world of goth doom and gloom which I was certain would happen if we painted her room such a depressing color.

But then she told me she wanted a "fail whale" mural.  Huh?  What the heck?  So she googled it....I thought it was pretty neato!  She picked out the red and blue accent colors.  And as her "vision" became a little clearer, I realized she had a pretty awesome plan in her mind.

We painted the "fail whale" mural on one wall and painted her study cubby with the brighter blue and red.  (Originally the study cubby had a built in twin bed with a trundle...it is an addition I built years ago...rather cute but I took her bed out of it when I did the Betsy Johnson inspired room...it was the only thing she liked!)​

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I had a hand in the basic paint design (okay, so I was a common laborer) but I let her add her own little design elements...posters as a headboard and art, Christmas lights, ​knick-knacks....after all it is indeed her "personal space."   And I want her to love her space as much as I want others to love theirs!

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We agreed on a nice grey for three walls....we used Valspar flat paint.  It works beautifully as a "chalkboard!"  She loves it and she writes her inspiration quotes on it!  ​

Okay, the mural....there are a several ways to get a mural on a wall.  

If your design element is small enough, you can actually trace it onto the wall by taping sheets of sewing trace paper together.  I like the sewing trace paper because it isn't "messy" and it wipes off easily!​

You can free-hand the piece...which I did here....​

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This is a mural of Mitchell's high school mascot...it is on the garage wall.  There use to be one on his bedroom wall, but I painted over it when I remodeled his room after he went off to collage. (Be prepared to paint several coats of primer over these things when the time comes to paint over them!)  ​

Or you can use a large "stencil" like Sarah did in my grandson's "Monster" themed game room.  She has a friend who is a graphic designer and they have the machines to print off and cut out large murals...might be worth the money it would cost! 

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Or you can use a projector like we did in Katie's room.  In all honesty, the "fail whale" was a tad too big for the size we wanted on the wall, so I projected his head onto the wall to get the scale and then I free-handed the rest.  I made a little cardboard template for the birds and traced them.​

Regardless of the method you use to get your design on the wall (templates, tracing paper, projector, free-hand) first paint your base color and allow it to dry well.  Then use a sewing pencil to lightly mark your design and then use latex paint and small brushes to paint the details.  The little "sample pots" of latex paint at Lowes are the PERFECT size for these projects and VERY affordable (around $3 each) when you need several colors!  ​You can have ANY color mixed in the sample sizes so don't limit yourself to the premix colors! 

Again, murals are a GREAT way to add a huge impact in any room!  You are only limited by your own imagination.   Anything you can think of that you LOVE can be painted on a wall.  

And remember too, there are a LOT of wall mural inspirations on line...Google it! ​

And the great thing about paint...if you don't like it, paint over it!!!  ​

PINK TOOLS!!!!! Yippeeee.....

When I went to Lowes Sunday, Austin the Tool Guy showed me their knew PINK tools and storage boxes!  ​

I was soooo excited...just in time for Mother's Day!  The tool bags are stocked with basic tools and come in both lavender AND pink!  ​

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The pink storage box is perfect for everything....screws and nails, sewing notions, craft supplies!  Anything and everything!  It would be perfect for a young lady headed off to college...stocked with anything you can think of a young woman might need living in tight quarters in a dorm room!​

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They also have a little pink screw driver and a pink bit set! ​ Not quite powerful enough to do the jobs I do, but perfect for little DIY projects around the house!

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These are all perfect and affordable Mother's Day gifts for any mom wanting their OWN tools!!!​  And while you are at Lowes, run through the garden center and pick her up a pretty hanging basket...

DON'T FORGET MOTHER'S DAY!!!!

What a beautiful spring day....

Yesterday was one of those days I just had to come home and ENJOY!  I had a ton of work I could​  do (and should do) at the apartments, but I just had to take a day to enjoy!  Lay in the swing and read a good book....cook my family a good meal (see here for today's simple but awesome dinner) and just soak in the wonderfulness of spring!

While I was laying in the swing reading I looked up and to my surprise there is the most beautiful cluster of lavender flowers on my wisteria.

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I have written about the nightmare of wisteria before...but for all it's "pain" it really can be beautiful and provide an abundance of shade over the pergolas.  But one of the reasons it is such a nightmare is because it grows soooo fast and just seems to take over! I have had to pull it out of my house siding and cut it out of the trees on several occasions.  ​This is a picture of the porch pergola from a few years ago...and this is AFTER I thought I had really trimmed it back....ha!  You trim a little, and the thing just goes mad!

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My wisteria rarely blooms.  The wisteria on the two swing pergolas just don't get enough sun but they create a nice little canopy, as long as I can keep it in check and out of the pine trees.   I assumed the wisteria on the big pergola covering my back porch  rarely bloomed because it was just too "lush."  I have always heard that if they have lots of green foliage, they probably won't produce flowers.  

But what I read today when I googled WHY I suddenly had a proliferation of blooms is that in order to get them to bloom, you have to prune them SEVERELY.  Which, in a fit of frustration with the monster's manic growth, I just happened to do this year....to the point I was a tad worried I might have done some serious damage!  But what I actually did was force it to bloom like crazy!​

Who woulda thought!  ​

I would seriously caution anyone who considers planting wisteria...it is HIGH maintenance!   Be prepared to have to trim it twice a year and read up on it as much as you can BEFORE planting.  There is a reason it is called "the bully of the garden."  If not properly and regularly pruned, or planted in the wrong place, it can indeed become a nightmare!​

And while the flowers won't last long, they are beautiful...and I can honestly say, I am grateful for the shade canopy the plant provides during the summer!​

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Simon the tabby was enjoying the lazy day with me!  He is such a sweetie!​

Sew awesome....

I really want, and honestly need, a sewing desk...some place I can store and use my sewing machine without having to set it up on my dining room table.  I found this sewing desk in a thrift store and man-oh-man was this thing seriously ugly!  

 I knew this desk could be a little treasure after the cruddy paint job was stripped away!​

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And even to my surprise, what a treasure it is...what I found under two layers of paint was beautiful mahogany. Initially someone had painted it a really disgusting green and then I guess they tried to improve it by painting it a flat black.  

This is a prime example of hurting a piece in a failed attempt to "enhance" it!  Truth be told, I felt a little guilty painting the base and drawers white.  But I could never live with myself had I not restored the top to it's prior glory!​

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Before I started refinishing, I cut the opening a little bigger to accomodate my sewing machine.  TIP ALERT:  when cutting veneer mark the cut with a pencil and then score the veneer with a utility knife. Then use a jig saw with a very sharp blade to cut  "inside" the score...if you don't, the veneer with split and splinter and you will make quite a mess! 

Normally I use Formby's Furniture Refinisher to strip latex paint and old varnish...but two layers of paint needed a little more muscle....so I used a citrus stripper. I will not use anything stronger on veneer (always use any stripper per the instructions and in a VERY well ventilated area!)    This piece didn't have a single chip in the veneer and I didn't want to risk hurting the piece by using industrial strength stripper!​  Took a little more time and more than one application but it was worth it.  

After removing all the old paint, I took 0000 steel wool and mineral spirits and gave the wood a "bath."  When stripping wood, regardless of what you use to strip it, always "wash" the piece with mineral spirits to remove all the "crumbs."  After it dries, take VERY fine sand paper or 0000 steel wool and sand lightly before applying stain or a finish.

TIP ALERT...keep old toothbrushes on hand to get into groves and corners when stripping furniture.  DIYers never throw away old toothbrushes, coffee cans, socks, old tshirts or towels...trust me, you will need them!

Since I knew I was painting the base and the drawers, I didn't strip them but I did sand and prime well before painting.​

And again...ALWAYS USE TACK CLOTH BEFORE PAINTING OR APPLYING FINISH...AND BETWEEN EVERY COAT!!  ​I seriously can not stress this enough! So many DIY tutorials tell you to "wipe down"...again, I challenge you...wipe down your piece with a clean cloth, and even some mineral spirits...then wipe it with a tack cloth!  You will be shocked at how much crud was still there!

Two coats of gloss white paint on the base and drawers.  A light coat of walnut brown stain on the wood to even out the color and give it a little more depth....4 coats of my favorite Formby's Tung Oil. New crystal knobs. Total awesomeness!​

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I can not stress how beautiful this wood is....I wish I was a better photographer.  And I wonder if I should have stripped and stained the drawer on the right...but then again, I kind of like the paint/stain contrast...I think I would love it either way!

I REALLY love tung oil.... it allows the grain of any wood to just shine!  And it is sooo easy to take care of and touch up when needed!  (Now I know why my father refused to use polyurethane)​  I think so many use polyurethane because they are concerned about durability....that is honestly not an issue with tung oil!  Try it...it is almost impossible to mess up the application (unlike poly) and it is extremely easy to touch up scratches in the future if necessary!  

This project was pure joy!  Anytime I can take something that has been so abused and turn it into a treasure it just makes me happy!  

Maybe now I will enjoy sewing just a little more!  ​

Master closet makeover....

​I'm almost too tired to type...this was a chore but the reward is being able to swipe "master closet" off the dry erase board on the fridge!!!

That and soooo much more storage in my closet.  ​

When both the boys left for college, I basically gutted their rooms.  I decorated with all their "stuff" and organized everything they left in their closets, but the entire room was made-over...new paint, flooring, bedding, window dressings!  Everything.​  And I even had a tad bit of space to store some of MY stuff!

And then they moved home.  And they brought more stuff!​

Anyone who thinks they are going to gain more storage or a hobby or craft room when their kid goes off to college is delusional.  Trust me...first, they leave all their "stuff" and second, they WILL come home!  And that is fine...the rule:  no kids, no spouse, no animals.  As long as they follow THE rule, they still have a room!  ​

So my closet has to stay pretty organized because it is storage central.  I built a large pantry where I keep all my office/business stuff and our personal "coupon stash."  Yes, I am one of those coupon people...but to my credit I only keep what I know my family  will use in the near future.  The rest is donated to the elementary schools!  Last year I donated over $7000 worth of products!  ​

I had a few issues with the closet...first, the flooring.  After 13 years, it was pretty nasty.  And I pretty much hate carpet!  So that had to go.  Second, I have 9' ceilings but all the shelving was standard.  So I basically had a TON of wasted space and plenty of room to add another self all the way around the closet.  I had too much "long" hanging space and not enough "double" hanging space.  Honestly, if I would move all my coats to the coat closet, I probably wouldn't need any long hanging space!  I seriously do not own a dress any more.​  

So here is the before and after...and then I will add some "in between" pictures in the tutorial.....​

Before....​

It wasn't THAT bad...I'm pretty good at cleaning out closets every so often.  My GOAL was to only put back about 1/2 of what I took out.  But honestly, I clean out my closets and donate about twice a year...so there wasn't that much pack-ratted away!  I just needed more shelving and it was due for a good makeover....​

After....​

So I have new laminate flooring, 25 l.f. of new shelving, paint,  more hanging space and new lighting.  And a backache, headache and feetache...and I still have a bit of a mess in my office.  But in the long run, I think it is ALL worth it!

I have posted a tutorial here... it will fill you in on exactly what I did!​