Cabinet door chalkboards....

I just assume everyone has old cabinet doors laying around...probably a silly assumption! But I see old cabinets all the time at garage sales and thrift stores. If you can find inexpensive old cabinets with decent doors, buy the cabinet and use the doors to make these super cool chalkboards! Or stop by your local Habitat for Humanity...they have TONS of old doors for cheap!

I just happened to have a bunch of cabinet doors stacked up in storage at my apartments...ones I had saved for whatever reason. I decided to put them to good use! (I have no doubt I will need one next week...always happens!)

First remove all the old hardware and fill the holes with wood putty. Some doors have European hinges and those leave big holes...just ignore them! They are on the back...no one will see them!

Next, sand the door with a 110 or 220 grit paper...just enough to knock the shine off the finish...then use TACK CLOTH!!!

I always paint the back or underside of any project first...that way when I flip it to do the top I don't feel too terribly bad if I ding or scratch the back or underside!

You are going to use chalkboard paint in the center of the front, so you only have to paint the back and the frame of the front.

I painted all these cabinet doors different colors since I will be putting them in my flea booth.

I spray painted a few with bright colors, so I primed those with Kilz (sanding and tack cloth between coats!). I used plaster paint (no primer) on a few and sanded the edges.

Regardless of the paint you use, always apply 1-2 coats of clear coat to seal the paint. Do this BEFORE applying the chalkboard paint!

Let the paint and clear coat dry over night and then tape off the frames with painter's tape.

I wanted to try the new Frog tape because I have read really outstanding reviews but I could NOT find the roll I bought last week...it is here somewhere, I just can't find it. So I used good ole' blue painter's tape.

Several months ago I bought a quart of black chalkboard paint at Lowes. I have used it on several projects and it really is outstanding. When Katie wanted "chalkboard" walls, we just used Valspar flat paint since we needed 2 gallons and it has worked great!

I think for this size project, the "real" chalkboard paint is worth the investment.

I used a brush for the corners and edges and then I used a 4" sponge roller. I applied 3 coats.

After all the paint dries, put a hanger on the back. I used cup pulls for the little tray for chalk.

This is a fairly simple and inexpensive project! If you have any old cabinet doors sitting around or stumble across a few at a garage sale or thrift store, give it a shot!

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Outdoor lighting....

I have wanted new exterior lighting for sometime. After all, the existing fixtures have been there for 13 years. It's not that I necessarily "dislike" the fixtures I have. I seriously considered just painting them. Because let's be honest... replacing all 3 fixtures could set me back a tad.

Last Friday I found three pretty ratty fixtures at a garage sale...$5 for all three!!!! Wow...what a deal. And it was exactly what I needed...2 wall mount and a hanging fixture. But they definitely needed some work. So I walked away!

But believe it or not I actually dreamed about the stupid things Saturday morning...so I got up early and went back to the house where they were having the garage sale to see if they were still there....AND THEY WERE!

Of course they were. Seriously, they were pretty ugly.

I think they were originally an antique bronzed finish and someone had sanded the finish off so they were just a grey metal...and seriously dirty. And the glass....major yuk!

I really love the mid century modern style in just about everything. I'm not sure what you would classify these as...not mid-century.... but I really like their "bones." I knew with a little paint, maybe some new glass and a little rewiring, they would be nifty little fixtures!i

The first thing I did was remove all the glass and then removed all the sockets and wiring. They were in pretty bad shape and the worst thing you can do is ignore brittle and charred wiring and electrical sockets. They are easy to replace. Kind of like plumbing,...just take it all to Lowe's and walk around looking stupid...SOMEONE will help you "rebuild" the things you need to replace!

I put all the fixtures in dishwasher....believe it or not it is the easiest way to clean most stuff if it will fit!! After a good cleaning I primed them with auto primer, sanded with steel wool, tack cloth and then painted them with an exterior satin black spray paint!

Then came the challenging part...reinstalling all the electrical elements...sockets, nuts, bolts, wiring....honestly, it wasn't that difficult! Again, just put it all back together just like you took it all apart (taking LOTS of pictures as you dismantle anything is always helpful!)

After it was all back together, it was time to take down the old fixtures and put up the "new."

First rule of any electrical work....MAKE SURE THE POWER IS OFF!

Let me save you a spill off your ladder. ALWAYS assume there will be wasp, spiders and other undesirable critters lurking in holes and crevices. Light boxes are no exception. I found wasp nests and HUGE spiders in all three light boxes after I removed the fixtures. So remove the existing fixtures carefully and always keep wasp spray and spider spray handy!!! Expect a critter or crawler and you won't fall off the ladder from fear (again, I don't tell you things because I THINK it might happen!)

I initially installed the fixtures without glass...because honestly, I kind of knew what I wanted but didn't know where to get it. I checked out a local stained glass store and found EXACTLY what I wanted. A clear glass with little bubbles in it. Not exactly cheap, but considering I didn't pay much for the actual fixtures, it was worth it.

If you notice, I have fallen in love with the new "Edison bulbs" that are all the rage which is why I wanted something clear to show off the bulbs...this "blown glass" look is exactly what I wanted...clear but with a little character.

These bulbs aren't "mid century" but I think they are just soooo cool looking.

But I warn you...they are expensive! Around $9 each so you would probably want to use them sparingly in special places. And I have no idea how they will hold up outside, exposed to the heat and cold. I guess we will see!

But I like the look...and since I don't have a huge amount of money invested in each fixture (new wiring, paint, glass) I won't feel too badly if I decide to switch them out! Probably in another 13 years...

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FINALLY, a chair before and after!!!

I say FINALLY because as I have mentioned I have "upholstery block." I can pick paint, I can pick stain...but I have the toughest time picking out upholstery. Which is becoming a real problem because I have all these chairs in my garage that need upholstery work!

Anywho, I finally picked an upholstery for these little mid century style slipper chairs....

I was a little hesitant to go with something so "funky." But fact is, I don't think these chairs have a tremendous "value" so it was a perfect opportunity to do something fun with a style I love! When I found a "'50's Paris" themed fabric at Hobby Lobby, I decided to go for it. Who wouldn't love the Eifel Tower, 50's fashion and PINK???!!!

The legs were oak...sturdy but not my favorite, so I didn't have a problem painting them....a little primer and black satin spray paint. I added a little batting but otherwise they were in pretty good shape! And really comfy! The chair didn't originally have any piping, but I added a little black around the base of the seat.

I found a black and white diamond pattern fabric I am going to make little pillows out of of...eventually. I stuck my houndstooth pillow on there just to see how it would look...not so great, but I think the diamond pattern will look awesome!

Personally, I think they are pretty cute...we'll see if they sell...

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Chairs galore!!

My obsession with chairs has crossed a line...I am on serious chair overload!

Right now I have 6 chairs in my garage that need refinishing and reupholstery, 3 wood chairs I need to paint and two upholstered slipper chairs that don't really need any work, but have no home!

INSANITY!!!!

But I feel like I scored major on two walnut mid-century chairs! I found then on Craigslist and getting these made me feel better about the awesome dresser I missed out on!

These chairs are in awesome condition and the cane backing has VERY minimal damage. That is difficult to find.

Most would paint these puppies all "shabby chic" and apply a whimsical fabric...but they are solid walnut and in my opinion, should NEVER be painted!

Due to my not so great photography skills, it may be difficult to see a huge difference before and after refinishing...but there is! I stripped off the old "muddy" finish and applied a dark walnut stain to even and enhance the color...then I applied the tung oil!

Now I just need to do the other and decide whether or not I want to change the upholstery on the cushions! The cushions are zippered and no real harm could be done making new cushion covers and just changing it out!

I love the mid century style which is one of the reasons I picked up these little slipper type chairs at an auction a while back...

My biggest problem with all these projects is the upholstery. I know I can do it because my first major project was a doozy and it turned out pretty nifty! (see here)

I just have a tough time figuring out exactly what upholstery to use on these projects.

I get stuck...it's almost like picking out paint colors...only paint is cheaper and easier to change if you make a mistake.

I painted this wicker chair...not sure if I am crazy about the color but I know I can easily change it! The prep and repair work and priming is all done which is what takes so much time on the wicker furniture!

So the upholstery chairs sit in my garage....the four mid century, an old wing back and a vintage lounge chair...all staring at me and waiting for me to figure out what I need to do to bring them back to life!

Upholstery is a lot of work...hard work...and it can be expensive when you factor in the cost of fabric, backing, padding, etc. (there is a reason it costs so much to have a piece professionally reupholstered)

So it is important to be patient and wait til something speaks to you. EVENTUALLY you will find the perfect fabric!

I'm trying to be patient...

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Hung up on guns....

If you are anti-gun, don't read this post!

Actually, you might like this post...because I managed to "refurbish" a vintage gun in a way that makes it safe and fun!

I know a lot of parents these days "don't like guns!" But your husband or father may have an old shotgun, rifle or pellet gun they hold dear and wish they had a way to display without offending mom's good gun senses! In the south, we cherish our old guns, even if we don't want our kiddos playing with them!

I bought this 1952-1954 (per their website) vintage Crosman 22 at an auction! It was a mess...again, my photography skills are lacking. But trust me, it was a mess. And it was not functioning!

The metal parts on top where actually taped to the stock of the gun! And it wouldn't hold any air pressure! I guess someone could refurbish the gun and make it functional, but I decided to do what I do best and make it functional for my purposes!

Many vintage guns have the most beautiful wood stocks...usually walnut, and very easy to refinish.

IMPORTANT WARNING! This is where I am going to tell you the number one rule of gun safety and handling! ALL GUNS ARE LOADED!!! Even if someone tells you they are not, ASSUME THEY ARE! Check and recheck...and until the gun has been checked and rechecked and disassembled with the barrel facing AWAY from any human or animal or window, just assume it is loaded! Once you are satisfied there are no pellets, bullets or shells lurking in the depths of the gun somewhere should you handle it freely!

After disassembling this air gun, I stripped the finish off the stock with laquer thinner...unfortunately it took the black off the barrel as well! The metal barrel was in pretty bad shape and I was planning on doing something that would render it completely "useless" as a gun, so no biggy. AND once I removed all the bluing (that's the black finish on the gun barrel) I found the model number and the manufacturer's name stamped on pretty brass!

After removing all the old finish, I sanded the stock with 220 grit sand paper. I also sanded the metal parts to remove all the rust spots.

Three coats of tung oil on the wood stock (no stain, that is the natural finish!) and flat black spray paint on the barrel...then I glued the barrel to the gun, glued all the moving parts so the gun is not functioning, added a few little hooks, and....

WHALLA!!

A nifty little hat/coat rack fit for a little cowboy...or cowgirl! Or maybe a hunting cabin!

This is not something you want to do to an heirloom gun...not without permission from the owner! And it is NOT a toy! I plan on putting wall hangers on the back so it can be secured to the wall.

But it is a relatively easy little project and a great way to "disarm" and display old guns lurking in the attic or back of the closet!

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Yardscapes...

I tend to forget to post things in my "Yardscapes" blog. And soooo much of what I do this time of the year is in my yard!

So this week I will be writing a few posts here. How NOT to transplant a tree and CPR for flowers....enjoy!

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Gearing up for a celebration!!!

Where did this month go? Next week is the 4th of July and I haven't even finished my June book work! Man this year is flying by!

In honor of our nation's birthday, I put together a little display of July 4th decor for my booth at Midtown.

I bought a box of 4th of July decor at an auction a few months ago...it had some banners, little flags and this nifty little "God Bless America" tray! I made some flag pillows (only one is pictured)! Blue with stars on the front, red and white stripes on the back...soooo cute!

The chair was a neat little project. I bought an old, ratty metal "ice cream" chair at an auction a few weeks ago. I had some red and white nylon fabric leftover from the pillows so I decided to make a patriotic chair...perfect for a porch display! I had some patriotic blue (seriously, that is the name of it) spray paint! I thought I had enough to do the chair, but after I emptied the entire can I found a few spots that still needed touch up. So back to Lowes....only problem is they don't have that blue paint any more. But I found a blue that had a "glitter" in it...really pretty and very appropriate for a "celebration" chair!

Nifty little display!

Enjoy the holiday week...so much to do here....ball games, fireworks displays, rodeos!

I hope you have a great week celebrating the birthday of the greatest nation on earth!

Follow all my posts on Facebook! (seriously, I have to figure out how to put one of those little Facebook buttons on my posts!)

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Sit and stay awhile....

I have a thing about chairs and sitting areas...even outdoors. In my yard I have two swing pergolas, two large chairs on the patio, a table and chairs and a wicker settee on the deck, a chair on the little deck outside my bedroom door, and chairs stacked and ready for company.

Funny thing is, I am constantly buzzing around doing something so I rarely just "sit" for long. And it's not like we entertain a lot....

Last month I scored 3 old metal lawn chairs at an auction...I love those things. I have one I bought at a flea market a few years ago and have always wanted a few more. Two of the three are in pretty good shape...minimal rust and still sturdy. One has some "issues" with rust so I didn't do anything with it. And naturally I didn't take "before" pictures of all of them, but this is a picture of the one that I didn't redo....

Even in good condition, these old metal chairs can be a booger to refinish properly. Usually they have been painted a time or two, so you have to sand them pretty aggressively to get rid of all the layers...and drips! They also have rust and that has to be delt with or it will destroy the chair.

I used my little mouse sander with a 40 grit paper, then hand sanded it with a 120 to strip as much old paint and rust as I could.

After sanding and wiping them down with tack cloth, I primed them with automotive primer. I figure if it is good enough for a metal car, it will be great for metal chairs. It is also specifically formulated to stop rust! May be overkill, but might as well use the best! You can buy cans of metal and automobile primer in the spray paint sections at Lowes.

After priming, I hit them again with 220 grit paper and tack cloth. Then I painted the arms and legs with a Rust-oleum satin white and the seats with a really pretty Valspar "peacock blue" color.

I really debated what color to paint the chairs. I love the different greens but my entire yard is green and I try to infuse as many annuals as possible to get color...so I knew I wanted "color."

I like the Peacock Blue. It's pretty....

And while I am showing off my yard, here is a before and after of the area I resodded AGAIN this year. The first two times I put down bermuda but it just didn't do well....too much shade!

It is a little difficult to tell from this photo (my stinking photography skills!) but this area is pretty much dirt with a few blades of grass here and there...and that is after I put down bermuda sod last spring! The rest of the yard is thick, lush grass! (Thanks to weed control and fertilizer by Fairways and lots of water)

So this year I decided to try something different. Zoysia sod. It is SUPPOSE to do better in partial shade areas. I have fescue in an area of my yard that doesn't get a lot of sun and I don't like it because it doesn't go dormant like bermuda...so I have this big green patch in my yard all winter. Zoysia is suppose to go dormant. It can't be any worse than it was. I've decided if this doesn't work I am going to paint the dirt green!

So for now, I have nice grass in our sitting area...and it is a perfect back drop for my pretty new peacock chairs!

This is Molly, my old kitty. She turned 16 this week too! She loves all the "lounging" areas in the yard and loves being outside...as long as it is above 75 degrees!

Someday I will post pictures of all my animals...I think I have already posted one of Simon, but I also have Ms. Kitty (she is a rather cranky, unfriendly calico) and Finley (he is my autistic kitty...another long haired Siamese mix) And then there is Ginger, my old black lab.

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From maple to marvelous!

Kaitlyn had a living room table set that was...well, let's just say "interesting." I don't want to say they were "ugly" (because she does read this blog!) but they did need some serious love and attention!

Fact is, this old maple furniture is a dime a dozen...I recently bought a maple dresser at an auction for little to nothing. Which is exactly what this furniture is worth in it's original state. But it is solid wood and normally it is well constructed and has pretty good bones.

The biggest problem I have with maple is it does not take stain well. But since I started using gel stain, I have found you can enhance this wood to any color you want while still getting the richness of stain! Sure you can paint it all but l really need my stain fix!

A few months ago I featured an old maple dresser (here) that I combined stain and paint for a really pretty finish. We decided to do the same with these little tables...stained tops and painted bases. But this time Kaitlyn went with the plaster paint look.

I stripped the tops and stained them with the General Finishes Java gel stain and then applied three coats of the gel topcoat. Truth be told, you really don't have to completely strip the finish before applying a gel stain...you can just knock the gloss off with sandpaper and then apply. It's the "old school" in me....

Kaitlyn did ALL the base paint and sanding. Two coats of plaster paint and then she sanded the bases for a nice "worn" look. I usually opt to top coat even the plaster paint with a spray on poly. I know most people wax this type of finish, but I read that the wax has to be completely removed if you ever want to repaint...and that isn't something I want to do in the future. The only difference I have noticed is the poly tends to give the "white" paints a teeny bit of a "yellow" patina. But in my opinion it just makes it look a tad more aged and antiqued, which is kind of the look you are going for with this paint treatment. Durable and easy to change when you get a "let's repaint all the furniture" bug in the future!

The final results were awesomeness! (Again, my photography skills are lacking, but you can still see the wood grain in the stained tops!)

Kaitlyn did an AWESOME job painting and sanding the bases. It is soooo hard for me not to jump in there and do it all. But I know she wants to learn and I want her to experience the pride I know she will feel from a job very well done! And personally I think she did an outstanding job!

Beautiful....I know she didn't really like her tables before....but now she will LOVE them...and that is what all this is about!

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