It Might Be the Fumes

It might be the spray paint fumes getting to me but I’m liking my latest furniture make-over!

Remember this chair? (If not, you can read about it here.)

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Pretty, huh?  Love that dirty black vinyl.

This is what it looks like after some spray paint and fabric love…

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This was my first time using spray paint to refinish furniture.  I’m usually a roller and paint brush girl.
It took me a little time (and some sanding of paint drips) to get the technique figured out.  After that, it was smooth sailing.  I prefer my roller/brush combo but I will now use spray paint for pieces that have lots of nooks and crannies (like this chair).

The chair now lives happily in the corner of our office…
waiting for my next lesson in bill paying…
or the scanning of 1 million wedding photos with my mom who just wanted "a few"....

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Is it sad I paid more for fabric and spray paint than I did for the chair?

What’s your favorite painting technique…roller, brush, spray paint?  Or are you one of those weirdos that doesn’t think wood furniture should be painted?

Does painting furniture scare you?  If so, stay tuned on Thursday for a sort-of tutorial to help alleviate those fears!

Trio of Mirrors

The Salvation Army comes through again....


This trio of mirrors was $9.00 ($3.00 per mirror).

Plus $3.00 for black spray paint equals...

(Ike could care less about mirrors...he just wants to play tennis ball.)

Spray painting mirrors is easy if you can take the mirror out. 
The backs on these were pretty secure so I just decided to skip tearing them apart or taping them and just spray painted away. 
I've taped mirrors in the past and the paint still sneaks it's way through...probably because I'm impatient with tape. 
Mirrors are nice though because you can take a razor to them and they are as good as new!


Moral of this mirror story: They are a lazy person's dream project.

Now where to hang them.....
I think I have an idea....which I will share with you tomorrow!

5 Dollars and 70 cents

$5.70 doesn't buy a lot these days.  My 80 year old self (that I keep trying to hide on this blog but she keeps sneaking out) is doing the talking...

It does, however, buy you this beauty from the Salvation Army Outlet ($5.00). 


Yes, you read that right.  Outlet.  It's really dirty and probably not the safest but it is one of my favorite stores in town!

Why?  Because 70 cents buys you this....


I don't really know what I'm going to do with it yet but it was just too pretty not to bring home!

I bought the chair out of neccesity.  I swear.
Usually a fern lives in the corner of our office (shown on right in photo below). 
I can never remember to water the fern.  It's time for it to move on....to the woods to finish out its dead life. 
We needed another chair in the office (that moves easily) for when we do important things as a couple....
like when Nate taught me how to pay our bills a few weeks back.  That was fun....


Now to decide on paint color and fabric for the cushion....decisions, decisions?

Light blue chair, fun brown pattern cover?
White chair, fun blue patter cover?
White chair, fun brown pattern cover?
Something else entirely?

What's your vote? 
Who handles the bill paying in your house?  Would a cute chair make the process less boring?

My Favorite Store

I think I've mentioned this before but I LOVE the Salvation Army. 

My co-worked told me that pharmacists don't shop at the Salvation Army. They shop at Ethan Allen, Pottery Barn, etc.  

Not this pharmacist! 

Why do I love the Salvation Army?  Because they have AMAZING deals..and I love AMAZING deals!

For example, I purchased this Target storage ottoman last week.  Brand new, perfect condition, tags still on it.


Check out the price tag...


AMAZING!!  I almost peed my pants. Seriously.  We have been wanting an ottoman for our office but we have been too cheap to purchase one for $79.99....but we can handle $25.00.  We're also helping out the Salvation Army with our purchase (justifying is always fun).

And here is our lovely new ottoman in our office....


Have you found any AMAZING finds lately?  Or does the Salvation Army scare you?

It's Just a Sweater...Pillow

I've had my eye on Pottery Barn's Sweater-Knit Pillow cover for awhile...

Sweater-Knit Pillow Cover, 26"
Image found here
Unfortunately, Pottery Barn and I don't agree on pricing. 

I kept thinking about the pillow covers and debating if it was something I could tackle.  I then decided...what's the worse that could happen? I would ruin a $1.50 sweater I got from the Salvation Army.  I can handle that loss.

So, I headed to the Salvation Army and picked out two $1.50 sweaters (along with a pair of $3 Express Editor pants in perfect condition....yeah, awesome. I know!).


I suck at "how-to's"...especially on this because I didn't know what I was doing.

I shoved (technical term) the pillow form into the sweater. 
I cut off the arms.  I placed pins around the pillow so I had a general outline of where to sew. 
I used a large, zig-zag stitch to sew where I had pinned (on 3 sides of the pillow).  I left the 4th side open because I change my mind with decorating as often as some people change their underwear (you can decide how often that is). 
To close the last side, I tied some bows with ribbons. 
And wah-lah...........sweater pillow cover for $1.50.



 Take that Pottery Barn.
 

Not Your Grandma's Hutch

Time to share my favorite "Before and After"

I found this hutch at our local Salvation Army and I knew I could not pass it up!  It was the perfect size for our dining room.  It was sturdy and I loved the curves.  I didn't love the wood. 

How to Paint Furniture | Decor and the Dog

Nothing a litle paint can't fix.  Is there anything that paint can't fix??....

How to Paint Furniture | Decor and the Dog
How to Paint Furniture | Decor and the Dog
How to Paint Furniture | Decor and the Dog
How to Paint Furniture | Decor and the Dog

I never thought I'd own china (a wedding gift), let alone a hutch to put it in.  Every day I realize something else in life that keeps adding to my oldness factor....

I used Valspar's Lincoln Cottage Black on the outside and Glidden's Granite Grey on the inside.  I used the grey on the inside for contrast.  I didn't want the hutch to turn into a giant black hole.

I didn't take any step-by-step photos (I'm working on it)....but here are the basic steps that I use to paint furniture...there are about 100 different ways but this is what I find works best for me.

 

Step 1:

Clean the piece and remove any hardware.  I buy junk furniture which is usually full of cob webs and dust and grossness.  I take some damp papertowels or an old rag and clean it REALLY well.

 

Step 2:

  I usually go from stained wood to paint so I usually do a light sanding with whatever sand paper I can find laying around.  Don't sand too hard or you can possibly scratch the wood.  For this hutch, I borrowed a hand sander.

 

Step 3:

Clean off all of the sanding grit.  Again, I just use papertowels for this.  Some people use tacky cloths but papertowels have worked well for me.

 

Step 4:

Prime.  I use Zinnser Fast Prime 2 and I apply it with small roller brushes.  The primer usually dries within in an hour.  This step doesn't have to look pretty....just get a nice thin, even coat. 

 

Step 5:

After the primer has dried, you are ready to paint.  I have used a variety of paints and finishes.  I also usually do 2 coats just to make sure the piece is covered well.  I use a smaller roller brush for this step as well.

 

Step 6:

Replace the hardware.  You can also give it a coat of poly but I find this takes the piece FOREVER to dry and I'm too anxious to put it to use. :P  I do generally wait about a week before I set anything on a newly painted piece.

There you have it! Piece of Cake!

Be sure to check out our DIY projects on our "DIY/Decorate It" page!

How to Paint Furniture | Decor and the Dog

Night Stand Bargain

Our local Salvation Army has some great furniture finds.  Our dining room hutch is our favorite.  These night stands are a close second.



I stopped one Thursday night after work. Saw them.  Fell in love.  And then looked at the price. $20 a piece.  $40 is a little much for me to spend on junk furniture.  I asked to see if they happened to be $20 for the pair.  They were not.  I decided to head home and think about it.

Once I get something in my head.  It's hard to make it go away....like these night stands.  I kept thinking about them...and how perfect they would look in our guest room. And how me purchasing them would help the Salvation Army (I can justify anything).  I decided that I was going to bite the bullet and just buy them because I couldn't stop thinking about them.

So I stopped Friday night (during a snow storm, mind you)....and they were marked down to $20 for the pair.  I decided it was a Christmas miracle, grabbed the tag, and practically ran to the cash register.  I loaded those beauties up and here they are today......





Swoon.

Linking to: Domestically Speaking