Summertime finds

Here are a few other things I worked on last summer to make them like new for my first apartment.
The first is a wicker stand with shelves. Wicker can look prety rough once paint chips and pieces start to unravel. To complete this project, I hot glued the loose ends and the spray painted it a dark purple. It looks great in my bathroom against white walls.

I also had a huge deck to fill (which it's still not) but I found this cast iron set at a garage sale. I got both chairs and cushions to go with them for $40.00. That may seem a little high for garage sale items, but they are heavy duty so they won't blow away and I loved the cushions. I'm sure buying "heavy enough" furniture elsewhere would have been pricier. The chairs and the table were originally white. I almost forgot to take a before picture so that's why there is some black on the before picture.

I didn't mind the chairs in white, but the black looks so much better with the cushions. The cushion for the other chair was in side at the time of the picture. I love the abstract, modern fabric.

There is an old school near my hometown in Nebraska that has been turned into a used furniture and thrift store. I immediately fell in love with this book case even though it needed some TLC. As you can see, whoever had it before didn't finish their staining job.

So I painted the back black, and it's perfect for displaying my pictures and assorted nick nacks. I think i paid 15.00 for the book case.

You never know what you may find...

A year ago as I was furnishing my first apartment out of college, I became a huge garage sale fan. My mom used to drag me along to various garage sales, but I thought they were so boring. That was until I discovered the power of purchasing something used and turning it into something brand new for yourself. After supper one evening with my parents we stopped at a garage sale.

You know the drill....you drive by and there are some junk pieces on the driveway with the owners plopped down in their lawn chairs, staring, daring (pleading?) you to park and come take a look. However, my mom always says you never know what you might find, so we got out and went up the driveway. I immediately saw these two adorable nightstands. Now, they were pretty bummed up with scratches and a few chunks of wood missing on the feet, but overall they were sturdy, smelled fine, and had a cute design to them. they were marked 5.00 a piece, which was a decent price, too. But while staring, the owner approached us and said, "I'll give ya both for 5." Done Deal. Loaded em up and began to plan.

I decided to do a crackle paint finish on them...something I've never done before. And although it was a headache to find the right crackling glaze, the process was pretty easy once we got the hang of it. (I suggest using a practice board first!) Here are some pictures from start to finish of my 5 dollar night stand that are now in my bedroom:)

Primed and ready to go!

Base coat (make sure it's a flat paint) mid day mocha.

Crackle glaze applied with satin top coat. Found some fun drawer pulls at Hobby Lobby.

I love the crackle turned out.