Another Drexel Accolade addition to the family....

It has actually been in the garage for months...but when I needed a large piece in my space at 410 Vintage Market and dug it out,I couldn't bring myself to turn loose.

A Drexel Accolade dry bar/server. The top actually flips open.

It isn't the first piece I bought for resale that wormed it's way into my heart...no secret that I love mid century pieces.

But this Drexel Accolade bar is more of the "Hollywood Regency" style. Identical to this little Drexel side table I painted with a high gloss lacquer and love in my den....

There is a good chance I will paint it if I decide to keep it...for now I have shined up the brass hardware and will leave it at that.

Over the years I have snagged some amazing bargains at auctions and on Craigslist...a little DIY magic and they are stunning additions to any home!

This Drexel coffee table....

This amazing walnut cabinet....

My growing collection of mid century dressers...

This one is Matt's...I just don't have any more room!

My never ending collection of side tables!

I started collecting Lane Acclaim tables years ago...I think between the kids and I we are up to 10! That doesn't include the 2 walnut Lane coffee tables and the end table I just refinished for Katie and Matt!

Chairs...

Odd little bookcases are always fun!

If you walked through my home you might think I lean more towards the "traditional" side of home decor at a glance...but all these pieces have blended in to created a cohesive "eclectic" style. This "style" of home decor allows me to infuse pieces I love without worrying too much about whether I am breaking a "decorating rule" for a specific style!

So...back to the amazing Drexel Accolade console/bar...

In my opinion, there is too much "wood tone" in this space...I absolutely love the wood grain on this piece but there has to be a good balance...it just doesn't feel "balanced."

So there is a good chance that IF it stays, it will get painted. Again, that is a big "if." I think I have had no less than 5 different buffets and hutches in this space at one time or another and I always end up moving them out and moving the table back against the wall...as I mentioned before my toes tend to find anything out of place, and since the dining table has been against the wall for the better part of 19 years, it may not work well in the middle of the dining room where it REALLY belongs!

We'll see...that is one of the beauties of learning to DIY furniture...you can buy it cheap, paint, upholstery or refinish it and promptly move it out if it doesn't suit your needs. Without the guilt of having to live with something you hate because you paid a fortune for!!!!

OR it can find a permanent home where it can shine for another lifetime!

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The miracle chairs...

Even after years of proving I can turn just about any "trash" into a little "treasure," I think Brian still raises an eyebrow from time to time.

Such was the case with these chairs....

We went to a farm auction and these chairs had been tossed into an old barn, only to see the light of day when the auctioneer dug them out and sold them...to me!

What would possess me? They were literally caked with nastiness and two were in pieces. But I saw the potential (and of course the old mud dauber nests and spiders and bugs!).

Rarely will I take a hose to a piece of wood furniture...but I had no choice. Even then I had to scrub them with a strong detergent and steel wool.

Then I pulled nails, scraped old glue, cut out broken spindles and removed splintered veneer.

Then I had to clamp and glue everything back together. One chair was missing a side apron so I cut a new one and secured it in place with glue and my Kreg jig!

My original plan was to prime and paint them. They still had a few rough spots and I knew I wouldn't get a pristine finish I would be happy with so I decided to do a chalk paint and distress finish on them! Always a good choice for a piece that has a few "boo-boos!"

I think the boo-boos and the distressed finish give the chairs "aged character." After recovering the seats on the two Duncan Phyfe style chairs and making a new seat for the other, I think they turned out pretty sweet.

My plan is to stage them with this trestle table I will be taking into 410 Vintage this week, just in time for the holidays!

Just in time for Brian and me to take our annual trek to Colorado! I can't wait...two days of fly fishing, several days of sight-seeing and maybe even a day of gambling in Central City! The forecast shows the temps in the 50s and 60s so I will be packing my coat and Uggs! One thing is for sure, I always come home recharged and ready to enjoy my favorite season!

I made a few changes to my fall decorating this year...one being these little pumpkins...

I added a few silk sunflowers, a fall garland, fall picks and deer antlers (yes, my kids killed them....ick!).

Not sure I am loving this little vignette but I have a few more months to make changes and additions!

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Master bedroom makeover Part ?

The chairs have arrived. One element of the master bedroom plan I started several years ago!

The original "plan" for this room was to eventually recover the existing club chairs.

But I decided they were just too big and I'm over the whole "matchy-matchy" thing. I wanted smaller and different...and that is exactly what I got!

So the master bedroom "remodel" that started three years ago when I painted the furniture and continued when we installed the laminate flooring, is still on going.

I still love the original inspiration colors I chose....

The soothing soft blue, the pop of frosted berry...the two new chairs bring in the soft grey element. Unfortunately that makes the soft off white of the walls appear very yellow.

So NOW I need to paint the walls. I noticed too that I have never painted the fireplace surround with the new whiter trim paint I am now using throughout the house. And the 2001 grossly expensive paddle fans? Not feeling it, so those may get changed out....something not in the original plan.

The two empty frames on the wall? Originally they were dark wood and were hanging vertically in my living room with pictures of my kids in them.

They have been sitting in my garage since I added the new mirror over three years ago.

A little KSTP treatment and they are ready for a new life...as a frame for...? Honestly, I haven't decided...maybe pretty landscape water colors or mirrors. I can't decide. That is one thing I have never been able to do in this room...wall decor! I still have massive empty wall space!

As I mentioned here three years ago, I knew I would need to add length to the curtains...or ignore it.

I share this only so you will understand that a "room transformation" doesn't always happen over night. Sometimes it can take YEARS and in that time frame, your wants and tastes and desires may change.

One or two elements at a time...slow and steady...you don't have to do it all at once!

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Mid century chair SCORE!! And a Duncan Phyfe chair repair!

SCORE! Seriously, major score!

Okay, so they don't look so hot right now and they didn't look any better piled on a trailer at the auction, covered in gunk and spider ick!

Which is a good thing because nobody knew what they were...which means SCORE for ME! Baumritter mid-century dining chairs! Oh my!

I know they look rough right now, but let me work my magic on them!

Truth is, mid-century furniture hasn't really hit the big time here like it has in other parts of the country and honestly, we don't see a lot of it around here. But occasionally I can find pieces here and there.

I love them...everything about them. The grain and color of the wood after it is refinished (usually walnut or teak), the clean lines, the incredible construction! I love the entire process of restoring these pieces because I know they will take my breath away when I am finished. I also know it is next to impossible to find solid walnut and teak furniture these days.

So...what is my hard-fast rule? If I bring one in, I have to take one out. So sacrifices have to be made and the sacrifice is going to be the rest of my antique Duncan Phyfe chairs! I have already sold 2 and have four left...two painted side chairs and two caption's chairs.

Last year I featured the chair I had to repair. I was so proud of myself. I glued and sculpted the chair back that was broken and then painted the two side chairs, which kind of goes against my grain but they turned out beautiful. I didn't paint the caption's chairs....

The repair lasted all of about 6 months...and then the back busted again. CRAAAAAP!

So this time I decided to "rebuild" rather than repair.

This would have been SOOOO much easier had I just gone and bought a scroll saw. But oh no...I figured I could do this with my jig saw and Dremel. And I did...but next time I am going to buy a scroll saw!

First thing I had to do was deconstruct the chair to get to the "broken back." Fortunately, these chairs are constructed with dowel rods and the top pops right off...okay, you have to beat on it a bit and chip the paint...but it eventually comes off.

Then I had to find a little piece of wood the same thickness as the back...3/8". I figured that wouldn't be a big deal. It was. I ended up finding some 3/8" pine, but it wasn't wide enough...so I had to do the ole' clamp and glue thing to create a piece wide enough.

This is no big deal...truth is, most large wood slabs, and even smaller ones, are nothing but smaller pieces of wood glued and clamped together...most table tops are constructed that way!

After I let the piece sit for a day or so, (I was busy priming, sanding and painting my bedroom furniture...can't wait to finish and share!) I used wood filler to fill any gaps in the joints, sanded the piece smooth and traced the broken piece onto the wood...

....then I cut it out with a skill saw and dremel.

This is not a job for the faint of heart, impatient people or someone who has had more than 1 cup of coffee. You have to go slow and use a light, steady hand. I actually cut on the outside of my mark and then used sand paper to sand down to the mark.

This process would have gone a bit quicker had the wood not split a time or two. It never split at the glued joints, just on the grain, which meant I had to glue and clamp the split and wait! Grrrr.....

Anywho, after hand sanding and sculpting for a few hours, I had a piece that was pretty darn close to the original! Then it was just a matter of priming, sanding and painting it.

I reconstructed the chair and hit the entire back with another light coat of paint and sealer.

Presto...ALMOST good as new! Can you tell which is which?

I can...the chair on the left is the repair. The big difference is the "lines" that are missing from the middle...after all the cutting and sculpting and sanding, I wasn't going to risk messing it up by trying to chisel lines in the wood.

And I will be honest...fitting it all back together was NOT as easy as it sounds...there was some additional sanding and grinding and even a few curse words! But in the end it turned out pretty good!

Also, I noticed the paint has "yellowed" over time. That is pretty common for "whites." Something to keep in mind when contemplating "touch ups." There is a good chance you will have to paint the entire project if the color has faded, yellowed or changed over time!

Now that it is repaired and I feel good that it will hold up, I plan on selling this chair and the matching one and the two caption chairs so I will have room for my mid century chairs when I get them refinished.

If I bring one in, I have to take one out!!!

Hopefully I will get that done before Thanksgiving...or we may all be sitting on lawn chairs!

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Precious little metal "ice cream" chairs before and after!

I bought these pathetic little chairs at an auction last fall....

...neglected for who-knows how many years in an old outbuilding. Rusted, rotten...so sad.

Then they were neglected for months in my garage because of the "rust issue" I just had no desire to tackle. But I did...and truthfully, it is not that big of a deal (check out how to deal with rust here)....

Then they sat in my garage for ANOTHER month.

They are so darling and I knew I wanted to do something bright and fun with them...I just didn't know what. I get serious mental blocks on upholstery projects!

(I can always tell how long a "project" has been around just by the grass...in the "before" pictures my bermuda is dormant...now it is lush and green and needs to be mowed twice a week!)

So I went to the fabric store and found the brightest and most colorful fabric I could find!

Red for the frame...red is cheerful and fun and since the fabric had every color imaginable, it was perfect!

After dealing with the rust and giving them a good dose of primer (and of course the primer had to cure for a month while I mulled over colors), I sprayed the frames with red spray paint. I cut new seats and backs out of 3/8" plywood and covered them with new batting and the bright fabric .

Here is a little hint...if the "frame" where the back goes is 11", do not cut a new board 11", cover it with new fabric and batting, and expect it to fit. It won't.

The big button (almost) dead center in the flower was a fluke! The original back had a big button and I knew I wanted a button.

So this gives me the perfect opportunity to share how to make buttons for any project...chairs, pillows, headboards! Anything that has or needs a button...you can MAKE one out of any fabric!

Just buy a button kit...they have them at the fabric stores and most hobby stores. There is a template on the back for the fabric cutout and they come in all different sizes....

They are super easy to make! Just follow the directions on the back of the package!

TIP...put a dab of hot glue on the back of the front of the button before you hammer the back on and then put a dab of hot glue on the little U hook on the back of the button. A few times the back has separated from the front or the little U hook has come off the back...the glue just reinforces them a bit!

To attach the button, I measured and located the center of the board, drilled two small holes, threaded wax covered string on a large upholstery needle from back to front, through the front padding and fabric, slipped the button on the string, then threaded it back through and tied it off. Then I put a little dab of hot glue on the knot. Super simple!

I padded the back with a little batting and covered it with red fabric!

I love these little chairs...if I had somewhere to put them, I would keep them! Darling!

When I step outside my comfort zone and go with bright and colorful, I am never disappointed...maybe I should take that into consideration next time I makeover something I intend to keep!

And here is a little "upcycle" hint. I had an old outdoor chair cushion that was thrown in a pile of things I picked up at an auction. The fabric was crud but the batting inside was good. I took the fabric off and used the batting that was inside for this chair and saved the rest for future projects. Free padding!

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