Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Happy Holidays to all of my blog followers and friends! I truly appreciate the support and relationships I've made this last year, so thank you! Enjoy your holiday season...I'll see you in 2012 if not before!


~Allison

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Same Table, Better Finish and a Great Before/After Site

Back in May, I posted this table that I'd found for FREE at a garage sale.
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I finished it with a coat of white paint, distressed it and glazed with dark walnut stain.

So perusing Craigs List a few weeks ago, I found this next table...but much like the first one, I never got a "before" photo. Here's the kicker though...it's the same table! This one wasn't free, but the price was right. The gal who owned it had "stripped the top" and by this, I mean, took a VERY low grit sandpaper to the top. It was a mess. Even after I sanded it down, I stained it and those little curly q's from an orbital sander were still EVERYWHERE and were deep in the wood. So I had to sand it all out, and thus sanding through some of the veneer.

I thought all was lost and tried the vinegar/steel wool finish on the top and it just didn't look right to me. So I tried the dark walnut stain again, and LOVED it. Even though the finish isn't even, I love it because it looks rustic.

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The legs and skirt are painted in Stonington Gray by BM. After distressing, I hit the distressed areas with Fiddes Wax in Stripped Pine. Love.

In other news, have you been to Roadkill Rescue??


If you are anything like me, you will LOVE this site. I am obsessed with seeing what other people do with things they get for free. Is it weird that I stalk the free area on Craig? Oh well...I do it anyway.

Check out Roadkill Rescue (click on the link above!) to get inspired!

Happy Holidays!!

~Allison

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Thursday, December 15, 2011

Cake Stand/Cookie Plate a la Pottery Barn. Kinda.

This story starts in the back of my favorite Goodwill. I found 2 of these candle holders (the largest and mid sized ones) from Pottery Barn for $6.99 and $5.99 respectively.
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(Image via Pottery Barn)

Perfect condition. I know...you can hate me. So I set them in my cart along with some large picture frames. And then it happened...I moved one of the frames and the smaller of the 2 candle holders fell to the floor and broke. Everyone looked to see what happened and some shook their head. Ugh.

So I brought it home anyway and glued it. And it looked like this.
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Not good, Mav. (That's a Top Gun reference by the way)

So then I thought I could still use the bottom of the candle holder as the base for a cake plate. I'd always wanted one. I saw this plate at the thrift shop last week for $10. I loved it, but not for $10. And then it haunted me all week...kept thinking I should've bought it. So I went back today and it was still there...and half price! But that's not the best part! The sticker was still on it! Check it...
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A large, holiday themed platter from Pottery Barn!
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I took the bottom of the candle holder and sprayed it silver. Used Gorilla glue to adhere it to the bottom of the platter, and now I have the cake plate/cookie stand I've always wanted. And I can say it's by Pottery Barn...kinda ;)

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Moral of this story....a broken PB candleholder can be salvaged one way or another :)

PS. I'm over at Type A Decorating today! Go check me out AND all of the fabulous things that Tammy does!

~Allison

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Saturday, December 10, 2011

Extra Holiday Seating on the Cheap

I picked up this corner chair on a curb after I saw a "curb alert" on Craigs List.
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The rush seat was in rough shape, so I called up my fearless father-in-law and asked him to cut a new seat from wood so I could upholster it. He dropped it off the next day. I seriously heart him...I'm rarely in a hurry for the items I ask for help with, but he's always super quick!

I was all set to paint this chair turquoise with a fun fabric when I totally changed my mind. I used my sample from Valspar (remember the free paint samples they gave away last year?) in Fabulous Red and glazed it. Then I used some ticking stripe fabric that I found at the thrift shop for $1.59. And now I have this...extra holiday seating that can be used year round!

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Did a dog get to this first? No problem...I was going for the aged look anyway!
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Is it my best redo? Probably not...but for $1.59 total, it works!

~Allison

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