This week’s Fresh Picks…
[10/12/12]
I’m dreaming of… [The perfect farmhouse kitchen]
A twist on the original [peanut butter & chocolate chip shortbread cookies]
Don’t buy it, make it! [DIY coffee table ottoman]
Picture frame missing a hanger? [DIY soda tab hanger]
Cozy up with a cocktail [Fall cocktail recipes]
Spiff up the laundry room [DIY laundry soap dispenser]
Fall Style [elbow pad sweater]
“Forward” can be more than one direction…[elephant march fabric]
After finally completing our finished basement, Brett and I (let’s face it, mostly “I” 
) were left with the task of furnishing it… To me, this was the fun part, the moment I had been waiting for! We had already decided that the basement would be Brett’s space, a “man cave” if you will, minus the flashing Budweiser signs and football branded memorabilia…I’m sorry, I just can’t! So we found a style we both agreed on- coastal/ rustic (hence the comfy nautical striped built in seating area we created).
As we began filling up the space, one piece we were in need of was a sofa table. There was no way I was going out to buy one…we’d spent enough money on this basement already! So since we were going with the whole coastal-rustic vibe, I decided to hit up a nearby marina/ beach for some inspiration. I came across a huge pile of salvage dock pieces, coincidentally the same length as the sofa table we needed …I convinced Brett to help me load it into the car (despite how ridiculous we looked to onlookers!) I had a clear vision for my DIY rustic sofa table…I wanted it made from this simple salvage beach wood, and black iron legs, sort of like this rustic farm table from Restoration Hardware:
Using lots of inspiration, I created my own rustic wood & metal table for a fraction of what it would cost to buy one! Here’s how the finished product turned out…
Rustic Wood & Iron Table [DIY]
The first step I took in creating the rustic sofa table was to measure the exact height that I wanted it to be. I took my measurements to Home Depot, where I found this fabulous threaded black iron pipe (1″ diameter). The wonderful thing about good ol’ HD is that they’ll cut just about anything for you! So I grabbed 4 pieces of black iron pipe, then brought them over to be cut and re-threaded (such a cool process if you’ve never seen it before!). Once the pipes were cut, I grabbed 4 flanges to mount to the wood (which I would screw the pipes into), along with 4 black iron end caps (these would be the feet on my table).
Here’s a better image of the piece of salvage dock I picked up 
Once I got my table parts home, I flipped the table top over then measured and marked where I wanted the legs to go. This was the spot I would attach the flanges to.
l’m getting much better with the power tools!
Next, I simple screwed my pre-cut pieces of black iron pipe into the flanges underneath the table…this is too simple!
For the last step, I simply threaded the iron end caps onto the bottoms of the pipe so they would be the feet for my table….
…and that’ it! I was really surprised at home simple this table turned out to be, and it looks truly amazing! I think I’ll leave the table top raw for now, then maybe I’ll apply a coat of poly later…
Today’s wonderful “Your Pick” transformation comes to us from Allyson over at Domestic Superhero. Allyson was in search of a TV console table for her new 51″ TV, so she set out to find one at her local consignment shop…but what she found was far from that. Allyson found a beat up old dresser instead, but not just any old dresser…a dresser with a destiny…destined to become her new TV console table that is! Here’s how the dresser looked when she found it:
Allyson sanded down the piece and removed the top drawers so that it would be open shelving for her TV console…
Then she gave the piece a good coat of primer…
Next, Allyson painted the piece a funky shade of yellow, how fun!
Since Allyson decided she wanted the piece to have a distressed look, she applied a coat of dark glaze on top of the yellow. After the glaze dried, she painted the piece with one more coat of yellow paint, then it was ready to distress! Allyson sanded down the paint in different areas (mostly around the edges) to give the console table a weathered look.
The last thing Allyson did was give the original hardware a coat of iron rubbed bronze spray paint. Here’s how her re-purposed TV console turned out! Pretty amazing, huh?!
If you enjoyed Allyson’s yellow painted cabinet, then you’ll love these yellow painted side tables too!
Rate Allyson’s transformation and share your thoughts below!
Chippendale style chairs got their start centuries ago when the Chinese and Greek first made them popular. It wasn’t until the early 18th century that the Chippendale style emerged in Europe. Of course when this style was adopted, it was during the Queen Ann era, so it inherited that classic ball and claw foot characteristic we know so well. Shortly after, these chairs made their way into the US, where we love and appreciate them to this day! Today, these chairs look amazing when they are restored and given a slightly modern twist. So you can imagine my delight when I stumbled across one at a local flea market recently. I’d been waiting for the opportunity to grab one of these at a great price so that I could revive it with a twist (all while maintaining the amazing original character of course!)…Here’s how it turned out!
When I picked up the chair, it was scuffed up and dirty with super outdated upholstery. The beauty of all these things is that they can be easily fixed, since the quality and condition of the chair was great!
I polished and touched up the chair on areas where it had been scratched or scuffed, then I removed the old seat upholstery. It took me some time to decide on a new fabric for the seat, since I wanted to pick something that would give it a modern twist without compromising the chairs original character and intricate design. I finally decided on brown and cream colored crossed trellis pattern. I am really happy with how the finished product turned out.
What do you think of my revived Chippendale chair?
Today’s Your Pick submission brings up a blast from the past. Remember those big, solid brown cane chairs that were in everyone’s den or “sun room”? These were huge in the 80′s and early 90′s (similar to my ugly 80′s buffet), for some reason I’m thinking Golden Girls…man, I loved that show! Anyway, point is, those original cane chairs went out a long time ago, right along with hi-top sneakers and spandex shorts. However, the modernized cane chair has made a big come back, like these from Shabbfufu:
This new cane chair trend is what prompted Debbie (of meandmydiy) to transform an old, outdated cane chair for her daughters room. Debbie decided to paint her chair a weathered shade of blue with white cane to give it a fresh, updated look. And the best part? She used painters canvas drop cloth material to recover the chair’s fabric and pillows! How clever and innovative!
Check out the incredible results…
Debbie shares the story behind her transformation:
“This is a chair that I picked up from Craigslist and refinished for my daughter’s bedroom. I used paint to transform the frame, and painter’s canvas drop clothes to do the rest. The matching pillow was also made from the same drop cloth, and painted using latex paint and painter’s tape. I couldn’t be more pleased with the results!”
Debbie’s cane chair transformation turned out amazing!
Share your thoughts and rate Debbie’s cane chair transformation below.
I’ve shared a few posts lately about brightly painted furniture, like the trash-to-treasure nightstands and little lime table. Bright, vibrant colors have it going on right now, from jewelry, to clothes, to furniture… Adding one simple piece of brightly painted furniture to a room can bring it from simple & understated to frisky & fun instantly. And the best part about this trend? It’s the PERFECT opportunity to transform and revive any old piece of furniture, so you’ll save $$ too! Normally, when I paint furniture I like to look for pieces with great detail and character, but the process is a bit different for me when I’m painting something a vibrant color. Since bright colors have a voice all on their own, it’s okay to use more old & boring simple pieces of furniture. So dust off that old, forgotten about table in the attic and give it a fresh coat of FUN!
Turqouise floral print side chair (Style Key West)
Little Yellow Side Table (Style Key West)
Yellow painted Victorian table (TatorTotsJello)
Lime green side table with seagrass inlay (BelleMaison)
Coral Painted Island (NineMSN)
Orange Cane Arm Chair (Houzz)
Blue Dining Table (tumblr)
Traditional Periwinkle Table (centsational girl)
Coral Painted Mirror (lilhoot)
Aqua Dresser (Natty by Design)
Lime Kitchen Island (we heart it)
Coral Entry Table (the sweet beast)
Baby’s Yellow Dresser (houzz)
Red Retro Desk (pink wall paper)
Go paint something!
xo
That old country TV cabinet. We’ve all seen (or owned) one at some point, they were all the rage in the 90′s! Fast forward to 2012 and that old cabinet just isn’t cutting it anymore. That’s exactly how Judy (of Rhode Island) felt about the pine country cabinet that sat in her home for 20 years. Judy used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Versailles Green to transform the cabinet, then painted the inside of the doors in (Annie Sloan) Empires Silk Red to give the piece a surprise pop of color. This cabinet’s quick transformation gave it a brand new life; another perfect example of why you should always look twice at what you have before buying new!
Judy shares the details of her transformation:
“We have had this pine country cupboard cabinet for our TV set for at least 20 years. It has experienced two boys, one husband and three dogs (one at a time!) trying to grab balls that seem to always find their way under the TV cabinet. It was sorely scratched and nicked by dogs, kids and moving of VCRs, DVD players and remote controls. A visit to Bristol,RI to the Annie Sloan Paint Shop, a free weekend… and voila! The old cabinet now looks almost new and sure adds a bit more color into our 2 year old family room / dining room. Versailles green with a coat of clear wax was the coating of choice. We did not go any further to add back in the dings that we filled up with wood putty. But we took the daring step of incorporating one of Annie Sloans’ styling techniques. We learned that she likes to paint the inside of her pieces in unexpected colors and uses. I used the Emperor’s Silk Red paint and only a sample jar at that. You can still see some of the wood grain through the red. We like it.”
Share your thoughts and rate Judy’s cabinet transformation below!
I’m loving bright painted furniture right now! Mint, coral, buttercup and turqouise are some my absolute favorite bright tones right now (remember my buttercup plant stand and the little lime table ). Introducing a single piece (or two in today’s case ) of brightly painted furniture into a room can really add character and liven up a space. Think of it like adding a bright, fun pair of earings to a basic, neutral outfit. Today’s “your pick” is a perfect example of just that! Bridgett sent in two outdated, old nightstands that she livened up with a coat of fresh, yellow paint. Just imagine the impact these babies will make in their new space!
Bridgett shares the story of her trash-to-treasure nightstand transformation:
“I snagged these beauties off Craigslist for $10! I had the perfect home for them in my Master Bedroom! I fell in love with the detail on the legs! With some sanding and a nice coat of sunshine yellow these nightstands gave my bedroom a breath of fresh air! I couldn’t be happier with the end result!”
These nightstands look like something straight out of Anthropologie! Well done Bridgett!
Share your thoughts and rate Bridgett’s transformation below!
I picked up a sad, helpless looking Louis XVI chair at a flea market a couple weeks ago for $20 (gotta love flea market finds ) As I’ve said before, the worse-off a piece starts, the better I feel about giving it a transformation…and it’s safe to say that this chair started out pretty bad. I’d been eyeing Louis XVI chairs at places like Restoration Hardware and Home Decorators Collection for a while, so I knew exactly what I wanted. I just love the rustic charm and simplicity of this style chair. I was looking for a chair to sit along side of my newly revived dining room buffet, so I chose a color palette of gray and white to use on the chair. Here’s how the chair started out:
Yes, this chair left much to be desired. So I got work stripping off the fabric and cleaning off years of dirt and debris. Of course, I always try to keep the original pieces of fabric in good condition so that I can re-use them as templates for cutting my new fabric. Then I gave the chair a fresh coat of Annie Sloan chalk paint in “Old White”.
Ahhhh, don’t you just love the difference a simple, fresh coat of paint can make! There’s one of the original fabric “templates” sitting under the chair! After the new paint was set and dry, I begin cutting out the new fabric for the chair. I chose a fabulous gray chenille fabric that I purchased from a local textile mill =)
Here’s a close up of the front of the chair after I applied the new fabric. I used nail head trim stripping to secure the fabric to the chair, and then upholstery tacks on any spots that wouldn’t be seen.
I love using chenille fabric because it has somewhat of a warn, vintage feel, which is great for using on revived antique chairs. Chenille’s like a fine wine in my opinion, it only gets better with age!
Here’s a peak at the back of the chair, stunning, isn’t it?!
And now, without further ado, here’s the final before & after transformation of the Louis XVI Chair!
Here’s the chair in it’s new home next to my chalk painted buffet…
I am in love with the final product! This chair came out so much better than I could have imagined, and I saved hundreds by creating this myself!
What do you think of the Louis XVI chair transformation?
It’s near impossible for me to pass up ANY piece of furniture for $5.99, let alone a solid, antique piece. This was the case while strolling through the isles of a local thrift shop the other day. This side table/plant stand jumped out at me with it’s bubbly character and solid build, the possibilities were just swirling in my mind and I knew I HAD to have it. I love trying out different colors and paint designs (just like on my chevron side table) on small pieces of furniture, and this table would be perfect for a new buttercup yellow paint I mixed up! Here’s the piece before I got to transform it
To get the perfect buttercup yellow for this plant stand, I used a standard yellow acrylic paint, then mixed it with Annie Sloan chalk paint in Old White (3 parts yellow, 1 part white). I gave the table two coats of buttercup, let dry, then taped off two “v” shapes that I decided to paint gray-just to add a bit of character to the table…
I used Annie Sloan chalk paint in Paris Gray to brush on the “v” shapes. The chalk paint goes on pretty thick and I wanted the stripes to look a bit weathered, so I let the stripes dry, then used steel wool to sand them down and ruff them up a bit. Here’s how my $6 plant stand/side table turned out in the end…
This happy little plant stand turned into a piece I would have paid a pretty penny for; and to think, I bought it mainly to try out with my buttercup yellow paint! It pays to keep an open mind and allow yourself to simply BE INSPIRED.
