The most effective way to do it is to do it – Amelia Earhart

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Cindy Pizzi

Vintage Farmhouse Table, Chairs & Bench

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This was a big project! I spend over a week working on this table. But it was more than just the time it took that made this a big project. Here’s what the table looked like when I started.

It only came with 4 chairs, 1was a captains chair. It also came with a leaf so it was big enough to seat 6.  I started searching for a bench to add more seating and also to add to the farmhouse look I wanted for this table. I couldn’t find one to refinish so I decided to have one made. Remember the Entryway Bench  I had someone make for me? I went back to my friend Colton and asked him to make me a bench. I sent him a picture and measurements and a few days later he delivered it! I have to say, I’m so impressed with anyone who can build something from scratch!

Time for stain! I sanded the table and leaf and noticed a few flaws in the wood top. The top of the table has a wood veneer and so it’s thin. Over time some of it chipped a bit on a few edges and in one area the wood deteriorated. So when I went over it with a sander it came right off. I really wanted to stain the top and not paint it so I went forward with that plan.

I picked Minwax Golden for the stain color. It’s a light stain but the table top came out darker than I expected. On the bench it was much lighter. So I had to pick a darker stain for the bench so it would match.

 

You can see the difference in the wood on the table and the bench with the Minwax Golden. With different wood you get a difference in color. I ended up using Minwax Dark Walnut on the bench. Much better match!

Next it was time to take the ugly, dirty seat covers off and recover them.

 

Recovering seats is usually pretty easy and this was no exception.  I’ve done this a few times now. You can see some of my other post where I reupholstered chairs: Chair makeover with ASCP Emperors silk and Rose back chair restyled and Antique or Vintage Chair Reupholstering  and Huge Reupholster Project Part 1 of 2  and Huge Reupholster Project Part 2 of 2

I took the staples out and found the original seat underneath. Someone added padding to the chairs previously so I kept it.  I added a layer of quilt batting because I think it makes a smoother look to the finished seat.

I stapled the batting on with a few staples to keep it in place and then stapled the material on. I picked an upholstery material that had a Grain Sack look and added the pattern to each chair. I measured and taped to make the pattern, then used Annie Sloan Graphite to paint the stripes.

Because I added the quilt batting I had to use longer nails to put the seats back on the chairs. Loving the grain sack look!! It’s simple but adds a lot to the overall look of the table.

Now for the painting! I stared by painting the chairs and legs Annie Sloan Louis Blue.

In my last post, Layering Annie Sloan Chalk Paint I layered 2 colors of paint. For this table and chairs I used 3 colors. After 1 coat of the Louis Blue I added bits of Graphite.

Then I used a chip brush to add a coat of Old White. I lightly sanded everything so the Graphite and Louis Blue would show through.

Layering paint gives the piece an aged look. I finished it off with General Finishes Top coat.

And this table was finally done!!

Perfect Farmhouse Table! You can see the blemish in the top of the table but I think it adds to the farmhouse aged look. And the wood on this table is so beautiful I’m glad I didn’t paint over it.

Lots of time went into this project. Sometimes big projects can feel tedious and a bit frustrating but when it’s done and it turns out how you imagined it, it’s all worth it!

And now it’s ready for someone to take it home, just in time for the holiday! 😃

Ok I want to hear your thoughts on this! Have you painted a tables and chairs before? What was your experience? Please leave a comment cuz I love hearing from everyone!! 😊

Thanks for stopping in to take a look at my latest post.

Cindy

Layering Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

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Annie Sloan Duck Egg is a very popular color and you can see why. It’s a beautiful soft blue that is even more lovely with a coat of clear wax added. This is a unique and fun little dresser. Here it is before I painted it.

I used a layered paint technique for this piece. I started with 1 coat of Annie Sloan Coco.

Then I added 1 coat of Duck Egg Blue. I used a medium grit sandpaper to lightly distress the dresser and then I wet distressed over the sanded areas to show a little more of the Coco.

Now the original wood and hints of the Coco are showing. Then it was time for the clear wax. Annie Sloan Duck Egg takes on a slightly different shade when you apply clear wax. You can see it here.

Lovely!

A pretty addition addition to any room!

Thanks for stopping by to take a look

Cindy

Motivation

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Im only going to do a quick post today and it’s probably more for my benefit than anyone else.

This year, as most years go, I made some New Years resolutions and decided 2017 was going to be my year! And in keeping with that I’ve been inspired to do some reading.  My cute sister in law, Karina brought to my attention a book called “The Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod. She mentioned she was going to read it to get more motivated to get up early and get stuff done.

Ok so if you know me you know I’m not a morning person. Ask my work out partner (I’m usually the one to cancel) or my kids, my hubby, my parents, my friends…. There are lots of people who can account for my not so smooth, I’d rather be asleep mornings.

But here’s the thing. I really want to be a morning person. You know those annoying, jump out of bed ready to conquer the day people. I hate those people! 🙄 But only because I’m not one of them. 😩 I actually admire them and want to be invited into their elusive club 😉🙏 (And really if you are one of these amazing people I don’t hate you. I’m actually married to one and he’s awesome! 💪)

So why am I writing this today? I’m almost done reading “My Miracle Morning” and I just had a convo with that same cute sister in law. I’m feeling motivated and ready to try this out. She promised to be my accountability person 😃 cuz I know I’ll need one! And I’ve been adding to my pile of motivational books. I thought that if I memorialize this in my blog it will add to my motivation and accountability 😉 If you are reading this you can count yourself as one of my accountability people! 👊

In fact I’m hoping for some ideas, inspiration and encouragement! I’m adding a picture of my pile of inspiration but I would love to hear what motivates you and where you find your inspiration to improve yourself.

 

 

It’s Wednesday, August 30th (my youngest sons birthday is today! Happy 15th Trey! 😘) and I’m making tomorrow my first miracle morning. Wish me luck! 😉 And please don’t be shy. Share your thoughts and suggestions below. I’ll be watching for them! 😊

Thanks for taking a minute to read my post!

Cindy

Sweetwater Milk Paint makeover

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Ok so if it isn’t already obvious that I love this piece let me just say….I LOVE THIS PIECE!! I mean what’s not to love.

I bought this cabinet several months ago and it’s been sitting in my garage waiting for me to decide what color to paint it. The plan was to use Chalk Paint but the inspiration wasn’t happening. And then one day I had an epiphany….Milk Paint! Duh!

Sweet Pickins Sweetwater and Flour Sack is was!

When I bought this cabinet it was painted white and someone had added textured wall paper to the front of the drawers.

You can see the wall paper pealing off. But I wanted to keep it so I used Mod Podge to adhere it back down and secure it to the fronts of the drawers. I removed the handles and cleaned it to prepare it for the Milk Paint.

 

I wanted to make sure that whatever was used to antique the fronts of the drawers wouldn’t bleed through the Milk Paint so I used spray shellac to seal it. Then I painted 2 coats of Sweetwater on the body and 1 coat of Flour Sack on the drawer fronts and let the Milk Paint do its thing.

This piece didn’t chip a lot so I sanded a little extra to get the distressed look I wanted. One of the things I like about Milk Paint is how easy it is to work with. I feel like it goes on quicker than Chalk Paint. It dries quickly and the finish is smooth and easy to distress. I used the cream wax finish and it gives it a lovely velvety look.

Sweet Pickins Milk Paint is also priced well and easy to mix and use. So many colors to chose from as well. Definitely try it out if you have been thinking about using Milk Paint.

I’m so happy with the way this turned out. And these colors together are just lovely. Sweet Pickins Milk Paint was the right choice for this. Wishing I has somewhere in my home to put it. 🤔 But for now it’s in my booth ready for a new home.

Let me know if you have any questions about Milk Paint or any of the products I use to upcycle and refinish my projects.

And thanks for stopping by to read my blog. I appreciate it! 😃

Cindy

Saturday Morning Estate Saling

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Is saling a word? Haha Probably not, but today I went Estate Saling with my friend Lisa. She loves old homes maybe more than I do. We’ve been planning to go to an Estate Sale together for a while and one came up this weekend in an old home in downtown Salt Lake City. So she and I got up early (for a Saturday) and drove up together to a lovely older home on South Temple street.

Right away, just from the staircase to the front door, we could see this home was going to be fun to walk through.

We got to the Estate Sale a few minutes early so we waited out front for the doors to open. A man came up and stood behind us and asked if it had started yet. We told him the doors weren’t open yet and he then told us he grew up in this home! 🤗🤗🤗 He was so excited to go inside and see it again. He told us he hadn’t been inside for years and years. He was a child in the 1960’s when he’d lived there. As we walked through the home he pointed out items that were there when it was his family’s home. It was fun for us to get a bit of history of this house as we shopped the Estate Sale.

As you already know I love old houses, and this one had a lot of the character that makes old homes so appealing. I love the tall pillars as you enter the home. And then there’s the beautiful staircase and original fireplace.

This home had so many arched windows. I jokingly asked if the windows were for sale! 😉

Sitting in the entryway was a beautiful tri-fold room divider. We came on the last day of the Eatate Sale so I can only imagine how elegant this old mansion was before most of the furniture was sold and removed.

I picked up just a few small pieces from this sale.

So many little treasures! Part of what made today so fun was spending time with a friend who loves this as much as I do. We are already making plans to go again! 😊

Thanks for taking a peek at my blog. Hope you enjoy the picture of this lovely home!

Cindy 😃

 

Hanging a Gallery Wall

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Gallery walls are all the rage right now. And it’s easy to see why! For a few months I have been envisioning a gallery wall in our family room. Here is the before picture of the same wall.

I always loved these pictures but it was time for a change. So I spent some time reading up on how to put together a gallery wall. There’s lots of examples on Pinterest, Instagram and the internet of gallery walls and ideas on how to plan one out.

This is what I did.

I started by finding a few pieces I really liked and wanted included on my wall.  I bought a mirror and a shelf and for Mother’s Day my kids gave me a picture they had taken of themselves. Of course that was going on the wall. 😊 I knew I wanted a clock on the wall and I found a large one I really liked at Hobby Lobby.

Once I had a few items ready to go I measured my wall and started laying out each piece on the floor to get an idea of what it would look like. I measured out the same area on the floor as the size of my wall so I could make sure everything fit.

It took about a week to find the last few pieces, so this layout was on my family room floor for that week. Once everything was laid out it was easy to see the holes in my gallery and I went searching for pieces that would fit those areas. The last piece I added was a sign I had made. I saw this “Nest” definition on another sign/picture at a store but it was too big for my area so I stole the idea and had this made to fit.

I love these cute signs. This one was custom made by JB Imprints. You can find them on Instagram and Facebook.

Next my husband helped me measure and start planning out where to hang things on our wall. As you can see from the pictures I have duct work that complicated things. So we measured the wall and planned around the duct work.

We got all our tape pieces up so we knew where to start and end, as well as where the studs were for heavier pieces. There were a few mistakes along the way but for the most part everything went up easily. (Well, after we measured and re-measured everything!) I did have to move a mirror because it ended up in the wrong place. Oops!

The other hiccup we ran into was hanging the vintage railing pieces. I don’t want the screws to go straight through and show so we put holes on the back side and screws in the wall and tried to set them on the screws. They stayed but they were wobbly. So we improvised.

My husband had some small rubber bumpers and we put them on the screws already in the wall and presses them into the holes on the back of the railings. That did the trick!  Sometimes a little jimmy rigging is needed right! 😉😂

Anyhoo my advice for hanging a Gallery Wall is to measure. ALOT! I was lucky enough to cover any holes we made by mistake with the pieces I hung so I didn’t have to patch anything. Lay out your pieces exactly as you plan to put them on your wall so you can see it before you hang it.

My other bit of advice is find things you love and add it to your gallery wall. Rearrange until it looks good to you. Gallery Walls all look different and they don’t have to be perfect. That’s what makes them fun. Check out Pinterest and Instagram for ideas, but make your Gallery Wall your own.

There are other ways of hanging a Gallery Wall including cutting out paper in the shape of each item you are going to hang so you can see how it will fit on your wall. That seemed like a lot of extra work to me, but if you are worried it is a good way to see it before putting holes in the wall.

Plan on spending some time hanging a Gallery Wall. Just the measuring and hanging took us nearly 2 hours. But if you put the time and effort in, your Gallery Wall will bring a smile to your face every time you see it! 😃

I hope this post was helpful. If you have any other tips or comments please leave them below. I would love to hear from you 😊

Thanks for taking a look

Cindy

Spool Top Tables

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Just wanted to do a quick post on a set of tables I put together recently. I am in love with these cool tables! I love the industrial look and I think these tables fit the bill.

I bought a few spool tops for projects but didn’t really have a plan for them. Then these amazing vintage table legs were up for sale and I knew right away they would be perfect for my spool tops. So I sanded them down to remove the rough edges and removed some of the screws that were sticking out. I decided to stain them to give them a more finished look. The wood soaked up the stain. I’m glad I decided on a light color stain so the stamps on these still showed through. I sealed them with several coats of polyurethane.

 

I wasn’t sure how to attach the legs so I asked my husband to help me with this. He bought some long heavy duty screws and bolts and attached them through the holes already in the base tops of the legs. We added a few finishing nails to make them sturdy.

I thought long and hard about painting the legs, but in the end I couldn’t paint over the amazing original chippy paint. Once the legs were on I was glad I’d left them in their original state.

I love the uniqueness of these tables! Such a fun conversation piece to add to any room!

Hope this inspires your creative side 😃 Tell me what you think of this project! I would love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks for checking out my latest post. Hope you will stop by again!

Cindy 😊

Annie Sloan and General Finishes make over

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I love to find great pieces of furniture to upcycle. Sometimes I find a piece and know right away what I want to do with it. Sometimes I think about it for a while before I start the make over. I spent some time thinking about this project and even thought I had a good idea of what I wanted the end result to be, this project changed several times during the process.

I started by sanding the tops of these tables in hopes of staining the wood inlay. I decided to try out a wood stripper for the edges of the top to remove all of the stain and polyurethane top coat.

The wood stripper worked great with a stiff nylon brush. It removed all of the original stain from the crevices, but it was really messy. Like REALLY messy. But by far better than trying to sand it out of the crevices. Unfortunately when I tried to stain the top, the stain was not even over the different wood inlays and the wood edge. Sigh 😔 So General Finishes Gel Stain to the rescue! You may remember my post Painting and Staining our stair railing part 2 , I used a mix of GF Nutmeg and Grey. For these tables I used the same mix and it covered the top beautifully.

With that disaster taken care of I painted the body of these tables Annie Sloan Paris Gray. I wanted to add some Pure White and Silver accents. I painted the cut outs on the legs with a small brush and originally I painted the drawers white as well as the corner cut outs. In my head that looked better. In reality it was too much white. So I painted over the drawer fronts and the corner cut outs with Paris Gray.

I distressed it, used a clear and dark wax and then highlighted the buttom edge of the table and legs with Annie Sloan Bright Silver Gilding Wax. This took a while. 😉 But completely worth the time. All of these products help to bring out the shape and character of this piece. The beautiful handles on the drawers got a coat of spray paint and these tables are done!

This wasn’t exactly what I envisioned when I started this project but I love the end product now that they are done.

 

It takes some time and sometimes several different products but getting to the end of a project is always satisfying. Don’t be afraid to change it up if it’s not working out as you want it to. There’s always a solution if you come across a hiccup.

Leave a comment or a question if you have one!

And as always, thanks for taking a look at my blog 😊

Cindy

Peacock Blue Serpentine Dresser

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If you’re like me you love Pinterest. A while back I pinned a picture of a beautiful dresser painted in an ASCP custom mixed color and have been dying to try it. I found the recipe on thepurplepaintedlady.com and it’s called Peacock Blue. I found the perfect piece to try this amazing color on.

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Hello beautiful

This is my favorite piece to date! I absolutely love this color not to mention this amazing piece of furniture! I love this style but who doesn’t right. 😉

Ok here’s the recipe:

2 parts Napoleonic Blue 1 part Aubusson Blue and 1 part Antibes Green. There are so many possibilities with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and Pinterest is the perfect place to find examples of what you are looking for.

I started refinishing this Dixie Federal Style Serpentine dresser by sanding the top and putting a wood conditioner on the exposed wood to prepare it for stain.

Minwax wood conditioner is easy to use. Wood condition helps to give a more even coverage to the stain. I chose MinWax Jacobean and I put 2 coats on. I followed the instructions on the can and sanded between coats and the second coat came out nice and even. Tip: always use gloves when applying and wiping off the excess stain or you will also stain your hands. 😉 When it was dry I applied 3 coats of Semi-gloss polyurethane to seal it. You can use a brush for this but I used a foam brush and it worked well.

Then it was ready to be prepped for painting. I always wipe each piece down and remove all dust as well as any stickers or dirt, sticky spots, etc. This helps the paint go on smoothly and keeps anything from bleeding through. Chalk paint is very porous so cleaning before painting will keep that from happening. If you do end up with some bleed through that’s causing the color of the paint to change color, use some spray shellac over the area and repaint over it. Works like a charm.

I removed all the hardware and used wood filler in the areas that needed it. Some trim along the bottom was broken in places and needed to be removed. I sanded any areas that were ruff or uneven.

Spending a little time prepping a piece is important. In the end you will be glad you did. Next taping. I don’t love this part. It’s time consuming especially on a piece with lots of curves like this one. But you get clean lines and less mess so it’s worth it.

I painted this piece with 3 coats and didn’t do any distressing. I wanted good coverage on this so 3 coats were needed. Then I sealed it with clear wax and added black wax for an amazing finish.

You can see the difference the black wax makes in theses pictures. I painted this in my garage under florencent lights so the paint color looks a bit lighter in these pictures.

Annie Sloan recently came out with a line of gilding waxes and I purchased the Bright Silver to use on this dresser. I accented some of the detail as well as the hardware. This product is easy to use. I squeezed a little out on a paper plate and used my finger to apply most of it. For some of the areas I couldn’t cover with my finger (small crevices and hard to get to areas) I used a brush. The brush works well but using your finger is faster.

Using a gilding wax really brings out the small details and adds to the overall look of a piece. The black wax really adds another demention to the paint color as well as giving it an aged look.

I love how this turned out. I spend some considerable time trying to find a place for this in my home. 😉 But this beauty so is currently for sale in my booth. I may ask for visitation rights. 😂

I really want to hear your thoughts on this piece. What do you think of this color? Do you like the bright silver accents? Leave a comment below! 😃

Thanks so much for checking out my blog. I appreciate your interest in my project and what I do. 😊

Cindy

 

 

Antique or Vintage Chair Reupholstering

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I picked this chair up at an estate sale a few months ago. I can’t say for sure it’s an antique but I know it’s old. When I bought this chair it had been recovered with a leather like material.

I decided to take it off right away and discovered what I believe to be the original seat cover underneath. I believe it was the original because it looked old, and was attached with nails.

As you can see from the picture the material looks pretty worn and aged and you can see the small flathead nails used to attach it. Underneath the chair you can also see the jute webbing. So I’m already feeling like this chair is fairly old but then I took a look at the inside of the padded seat.

Straw and horse hair! What!! I don’t have a lot of experience with antiques and vintage items so this was all brand new to me. I did a little research and horse hair and straw were used in the mid 1800’s and into the early 1900’s. I believe it was sometimes used into the mid 1900’s but not as often. Other than that I can’t seem to find any more information on this chair. There’s no manufacturers name or any info at all printed or attached to this chair. So I’m left to wonder.

I wanted to reupholster this chair but I didn’t want to remove any of the original seat cover or insides. Because I’m not sure of its age I just want to keep all the original parts intact. So I put the nails I pulled out back in and added some extra padding over the original material. Then stapled the new material over that. To give the seat a finished look I decided to add a little trim around the back and the arms. I measured each piece, cut it and used a hot glue gun to attach it.

I love the wood finish on this chair and the beautiful carved back. With the simple pattern on this material I think it’s the perfect accent chair for a farmhouse style home.

I would love to hear from anyone who knows anything about antique and vintage furniture. If you have an idea’s on the age of this chair or any advice on how to find out please leave a comment below.

 

Thanks for checking out my blog

Cindy 😊