Curbside to Tableside

Okay I admit it...I am a complete garbage picker.  I have no problems with digging through other peoples "junk" and finding great items.

The project this week was to transform a cabinet I found abandoned by the curb.  It was raining and so the veneer had started to peel off the top, but I loved the shape and character anyway.

I knew all it would take was a bit of work and some paint and then this little beauty would grace our dining room.

I knew I wanted to paint it a dark shade...an almost black colour.  I couldn't decide on the right shade of black so I decided to ask my friend Carol who is a genius with colour.  Carol has a very successful and amazing blog....look her up at www.thedesignpages.blogspot.com. 

I chose black because I think it grounds a room and  adds drama.  If you look around your space and feel it is lacking something try adding an element of black.  That is usually the thing that is missing and every room should have at least one hit of black in it.

Carol told me I had to check out Annie Sloan paints (www.anniesloan.com).  I looked at the website and knew that I had to have some of this paint and the wax.  They are super environmentally friendly, have almost no odour and best of all they will stick to almost any surface with little or no prep.   I mean literally they say you don't have to strip, sand or prep the surface at all.  And it covers in one coat.  I was sold.  So I placed my order for a quart of the paint in "Graphite" and a tin of the wax for the final finish.

I waited patiently for my paint and wax to arrive...well, actually if you know me, I wasn't very patient about it at all.  I happened to be sweeping my front porch when the truck pulled up in front of my house and I practically accosted the poor delivery fellow.  He handed over the paint and then retreated quickly to his truck....clearly wanting to escape this desperate housewife!

I decided to take them for their word and do no prep to the cabinet.  I took out the pane of glass (figuring it was easier to do that than to try to tape it off and also so I could clean it up), removed the hardware and started at it.  One coat did indeed give perfect coverage and it dried with absolutely no odour at all.  Clean up was easy with just water....another plus.  I was quickly becoming a fan of Miss Annie Sloan.

Then it was time for the wax.  You are supposed to rub on two coats, then buff to a lovely finish.  Again, they were right.  The wax gives it a slight sheen without being too glossy and really adds depth to the colour.  This paint can also be used on walls and then waxed to give an aged and interesting finish...something I think I may try later on.

I had a look at the hardware and wasn't in love with it.....I am not a fan of gold tones in hardware.

 

I figured I would try my wire brush attachment on my drill and see what lay beneath the top coat.   In my experience it almost always turns out to be a silver coloured metal.  Sure enough after a few minutes I revealed a great finish and the hardware was transformed!

I like to try to salvage the original hardware to keep the character and history of the piece in tact.  Although if you are looking for an easy way to freshen up a piece of furniture, updating the hardware is a great way to do this.  I ended up liking the results of wire brushing mine, so I kept them.

After reattaching the glass pane and hardware, the cabinet was complete.

Here it is in our dining room.  It is perfect to hold our dinnerware and I think it looks great in the room.

Not bad considering it cost nothing but a few hours of my time plus a small share of the paint and wax.

Completing a project like this reaffirms my belief in curbside shopping.

Doors are the opening to a whole new world of possibilities

I have always been fascinated by doors.  Especially old doors.  I love their unique character, the solidness of the wood and the idea that they represent an opening into a space.  Symbolically they are wonderful....but quite frankly they are also just a fantastic resource for great solid wood. 

The house I grew up in was old.  The doors were old.  And when certain rooms were opened up and renovated, the doors came off and were stored in our garage (oh to have that double car, barn door garage as a workshop studio now!!).  I often looked up in the rafters and thought of what I could do with those old doors.   I am still kicking myself that I didn't take them when my parents sold the house...that and the original tin ceiling in our kitchen!!  Using doors to make things out of isn't new.  People have built all sorts of things out of them because the wood is perfect and solid and they have such amazing character. 

I had collected a few doors over the years and found some extras in the first house we bought, so I decided it was time to do something with them.

I started by making a headboard and footboard for our bed.

Then I started cutting the doors up and using the wood for the sides of bookcases and other furniture.

Soon I realized I could add windows too as "doors".

I  just love the character and uniqueness of these pieces.  Where possible I have kept the original hardward intact and even kept the original paint finishes if possible.

I have lots of other "resources" in my basement......

And what used to be our kids playhouse.......sorry boys!

If I don't start making more pieces soon I may just have a revolt around here!!  So I am off to build, create and restore.....stay tuned for more updates!

To blog or not to blog....

Over the years several people have been telling me that I need to start spreading the word about what I am doing.  To document and show people how I take the junk I find and transform it into something great.  I have resisted because, to be honest, I am so low tech that the idea of doing a blog seemed impossible.

I have come to the realization that it will not only be a fun way to watch the transformation of all the pieces I work on,  but it will also inspire me to keep at it.  Hopefully a little peer pressure will help me to finish all these projects I have in my workshop!! 

It started with finding things at the curb and picking them up to reuse.  I loved the idea of taking something old and reworking it into a usable and beautiful piece.  The idea of saving space in the landfill and also the story of the old piece are fascinating to me.

One of my first finds was when I was about 9 months pregnant and I found some old door moldings in someone's garbage.  A bit of sanding and paint, and voila!  Picture rails for our old family photos.

Over the years I have found tons of things that inspire me out of dumpsters, flea markets and thrift shops.  Giving them new life for either our home or someone else is exciting and rewarding.

So stick around, check in with me from time to time and see what I am up to next!