Small Antique Buffet

I love the look of antique buffets. This baby one caught my eye because of the size and it had great bones. The top was a little rough, but it was sturdy and in pretty great shape.

I knew I wanted to paint this piece and try to stain the top. For the color I was deciding between a soft blue/robins egg or a grey. I almost chose to use the color Open Air by Sherwin Williams, but I was afraid there would be bleed through and I did not feet like priming. I ended up using Porpoise by Sherwin Williams, which is one of my favorites.

For the top I used an orbital sander with 100 grit sandpaper, and another electric sander I have that does not rotate to finish off and smooth things out with 150 and 220 grit sandpaper. The molding and edges required hand sanding to get in all of the tiny crevices. Sanding the top took quite a while, but it was definitely worth it. To stain I used a Varathane stain in a small can. It was something I had left over for a project I did for someone else and it was in a walnut color. I then used Rustoleum Ultimate satin finish poly to seal the top. There are 3 coats,  and I sand in between with 320 grit sandpaper.

The rest of the piece got 3 coats of paint and some very light distressing here and there. After the paint cured, I sealed it with Minwax Finishing Paste Wax and buffed it out.

Linking up with:

Our Delightful Home * Knick of Time * A Bowl Full of Lemons * Elizabeth & Co. 

 Handy Man, Crafty Woman * Beyond the picket fence * the 36th Avenue * Domestically Speaking
Tatertots and Jello * Liz Marie Blog * Miss Mustard Seed * Classy Clutter * DIY Show Off * The Girl Creative * Finding Fabulous

Smokey Blue Writing Desk

This old desk came from an estate sale where the man who had passed away was a collector of all sort of antiques. A separate 2 story building on the property was filled and everything was for sale and this desk was shoved back in a corner, all beat up.

Because of the age, the top is slightly wonky and the finish is worn, dented and scraped. At one point someone has stained over that. All those "problems" are part of the character and story of a piece. I actually prefer the quirkiness of old pieces because they are not perfect. I decided to embrace it on this piece. The top got sanded down with the orbital sander to make it smooth. I believe there used to be a set of drawers on top the took up the back half because you can see the outline where it used to be and it has holes with dowels in the top where they used to fit in. Everywhere else I lightly hand sanded just smoothing out the finish a bit and roughing it up so the paint would stick.

I wanted to use a dark (almost black) navy blue color, but the color I had bought was more of a teal/brighter blue. I ended up using a blue grey I already had instead. I painted on 2 coats of Sherwin Williams Smoky Blue, then let it cure overnight. The next evening I sanded everything to smooth it out and distressed the edges and other imperfections. After, I wiped everything with a damp cloth and sealed it with Minwax Paste Was, then added new little pulls to replace the old missing ones.

Here it is all finished. It is perfect as a desk or a small table for an entryway. I love the way the color and finish came out.

Linking up with:

Our Delightful Home * Knick of Time * A Bowl Full of Lemons * Elizabeth & Co. * Mod Vintage Life

 Handy Man, Crafty Woman * Beyond the picket fence * the 36th Avenue * Domestically Speaking
Tatertots and Jello * Liz Marie Blog * Miss Mustard Seed * Classy Clutter * DIY Show Off * The Girl Creative

Navy Nightstands

I found these mid century nightstands when I went to buy another nightstand off of craigslist.  A pair of nightstands is harder to come by, and I always get emails from people looking for a set, so I jumped on these when I saw them.

I sanded then down with 150 and 220 grit sandpaper and then painted 3 coats of this gorgeous navy  onto them. I don’t have the name of the paint color since I got the gallon from the Habitat for Humanity store. After the paint had cured, I have each one a coat of Minwax Paste wax. When I painted the legs I made sure to tape off the brass caps with some Frog Tape. I always love brass and navy. Such a great combination!

Linking up with:

Our Delightful Home * Knick of Time * A Bowl Full of Lemons * Elizabeth & Co. 

 Handy Man, Crafty Woman * Beyond the picket fence * the 36th Avenue * Domestically Speaking
Tatertots and Jello * Liz Marie Blog * Miss Mustard Seed * Classy Clutter * DIY Show Off * The Girl Creative * Finding Fabulous

The Leibster Award

I am so excited to have been given the Leibster Award. Thanks Jordann @ J House Tawk for passing it on to me!

The Leibster Award is basically a supportive award given to new bloggers. This award focuses on bloggers with 200 followers or less. It is a great way for small blogs like mine to make new friends and share their ideas. So, let's get started!

Rules:

1. Thank your Liebster Award presenter on your blog and link back to their blog.

2. Answer the 11 questions from the nominator, list 11 random facts about yourself and create 11 questions for your nominees.

3. Present the Liebster Blog Award to 11 blogs that have 200 followers or less whom you feel deserve to be noticed. Be sure to leave them a comment on their blog to let them know they have been chosen.

4. Copy and paste the blog award on to your blog. It is an award to show off! Wink... Wink.

11. Questions

1. When do you find the time to blog?

I blog whenever I finish project, which occurs in between school and homework. Mostly on the weekends unless I have the free time.

2. If you could be any animal what would it be and why?

I have absolutely no clue. 

3. Describe what you feel when you see your favorite color?

My favorite color is blue. I am usually drawn toward the muted tones so it feels calm and refreshing.

4. What is your favorite television show?

Hard to pick just one. I enjoy watching comedy shows like Parks and Recreation and The Mindy Project, but I also love my murder shows like Body of Proof and Bones.

5. What's one thing you would like your children to take into adulthood?

Well I am 18 and have no children. I guess I would say a sense of humor.

6. What does your family think of your blog?

Uh... they think it is impressive??? They are all very supportive.

7. What would your dream vacation be?

Somewhere warm, but not too hot. Just relaxing with good people. Also a non-busy area where I can wander/walk around (probably looking for thrift shops)!

8. What is your favorite midnight snack?

Something sweet and unhealthy like chocolate chip cookies or maybe ice cream?

9. What daily chore do you despise the most?

Homework. I consider that a daily chore.

10. What advice would you give to a first time blogger?

Just keep at it and blog about what you enjoy. I love looking back on all the projects I have done and having them in one organized place. 

11. If you had 3 wishes what would you wish for?

I wish I could be done with college, well all schooling for that matter.

I wish money were not a factor and I could travel and spend time the way I want.

I wish I owned my own house.

11 Random Facts About Me

1. I love chocolate. If I am going to eat a dessert or something... it better have chocolate in it.

2. Music is one of the best things. I wish I could always have it on... and I usually do!

3. I attended the same private Christian school for 13 years of my life.

4. I love humor. Laughing at stories, jokes, whatever!

5. I like color in design, but will hardly ever wear it. Neutrals all the way!

6. I wrap my friend gifts with toilet seat covers. It's the same thing as tissue paper... and it's free!

7. I kind of have a fear of filling my car up with gas. I think it is going to explode and spray all over so I try to take have someone else with my when it needs to be filled up.

8. I can't sing at all, but love singing when I am alone.

9. I am a home body.

10. I am a night owl, not so much a morning person.

11. I wish I lived closer in to Seattle because I love spending time there.

11 Nominees

Dionne @ The Turquoise Iris

Meagan @ Estuary Designs

Lisa @ Create Inspire

Adriana @ Namely Original

Beth @ MakeMePrettyAgain 

Courtney @ Apprentice Extrovert

Rachel @ Suite Revival

Vintage Prairie Style

Danielle @ Antique Recreation

Christine @ Decorum DIYer

Susan @ Retro Restyling

DIY Suitcase Side Table

Painting and refinishing furniture is fun, but sometimes I just want to do a different type of project. One of the first upcycling projects I did when I started this blog for my senior project was make DIY Hubcap Flowers. I liked the whole idea of taking something, or (many unwanted things in that case) and turning it into something new.

I had some different pieces lying around that I loved, but had no practical purpose. I had an old, vintage blue suitcase I had purchased for a project (not aware yet of what that project was) and while cleaning out the garage this week I re-found a project table my dad and brother had picked up for free that was left over from a yard sale. It was a mid century side table that was somewhat falling apart. One leg was off, and the top was uneven as well as separating. After a year of never getting around to fixing it, I adopted it to use for my suitcase project. (The top of the table was very cool, but way beyond the skill level of anyone living in our house)

This is a pretty simple project. All I used was a suitcase, 4 mid century legs (from the free table), 4 wood screws and 16 post screws. 

I started by using a drill to removed the screws and legs form the mid century table.  Next I flipped over my suitcase so it was laying top down and arranged to legs the way I wanted them. I did not really measure. Since these specific legs are not just horizontal, but leaning, I made each one point out towards the corner of each suitcase (see the picture if you are trying to make sense of that). Each leg had been glued and nailed to a block of wood. Some were not as sturdy as others so before attaching them to the suitcase my dad helped by adding a wood screw into each one so they would be more stable. We had to make sure to predrill and counter-sink the screws so the base for each leg would sit flush on the bottom of the suitcase.

Once we (my dad was my helper for this project. I have the ideas, he has to help execute them) had the legs placed where we wanted them, we drilled through the four holes and the bottom of the suitcase. We made sure to label where each leg went so the holes would line up correctly.

The next part is just the assembly, so we headed inside to get out of the cold garage. One thing that was important to me was making sure whatever screws were on the inside of the suitcase were flush. In order to make them flush, we headed to our local True Value and bought ¾ inch post screws. They were more expensive than I had planned on spending, but if I ever sell or get rid of the piece no one will have to worry about poking themselves or anything that is put into the suitcase.

We poked the post through from the inside, then screwed in the screw from the bottom of the suitcase, through the legs.  There were not enough of the plain head post, so some have holes in them, but this is what the inside of the suitcase looks like.

After all all the legs were on and tight, it came time to test out our little table. I was unsure if the legs would be even or if only 3 would touch the floor at a time. They all lined up great! I even checked the top of the suitcase with a level and we were spot on.

Budget Breakdown:

• Vintage suitcase (from a garage sale): $1
•  4 legs (off a broken table free from a yard sale): $0
•  4 wood screws: $0 (already owned)
• 16 post screws: $10.87 (True Value sold each one separately, it may be cheaper at another hardware store in a pack)
• Total Spent: $11.87

I love the way this piece turned out. Definitely one of my favorites, and it will be my nightstand. The great thing is it has storage, and it even came with the key so I can keep valuable stuff in there… not that I own any. I still like to call it my safe.

Feel free to pin this project! If you have any question, comment below and I will answer then to the best I can.

Linking up with:

Our Delightful Home * Knick of Time * A Bowl Full of Lemons * Elizabeth & Co. 

 Handy Man, Crafty Woman * Beyond the picket fence * the 36th Avenue * Tatertots and Jello

Liz Marie Blog * Miss Mustard Seed * Classy Clutter * DIY Show Off * The Girl Creative