Snatched from the jaws of pestilence and death
Showing posts with label painted furniture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label painted furniture. Show all posts
Monday, June 10, 2013
Monday, May 27, 2013
The Story of a Nightstand Nuisance And More
The Junk Stalker and I have hit the streets with an eye for freebies. Not all that's free is free in every sense of the word though. There are the freebies that are time intensive to fix up and those that will put their hands in your wallet to get them in shape. Then there are those that are not free of pests.
Now, I completely freak out when it comes to roaches, real roaches known as Palmetto Bugs - they are the big suckers that could wrestle you to the ground and win. They are truly the stuff nightmares are made of.
This is a pretty picture of my Frangi Pani in bloom, because who wants to open a post and see a roach staring them in the face?
Friday, May 17, 2013
Thursday's Junk Has Far to Go
Like a race horse out of the gate, I took off at a gallop down the street. The blinders were off though. Mine was a race to win the prize of the day... some good old fashioned free junk from the curb.
Wednesday, March 06, 2013
Springtime Inspiration
Look what God does with his brilliant color palette... Yes, pink is still going strong at my house, in the garden in the form of snapdragons and roses, as well as on trays, more trays, signs and now furniture.
Friday, February 01, 2013
When The Back Goes Out
I have NOT fallen, but even so, I can't get up. Absolutely nothing happened and out went my back anyway. I'm immobile, and it's even more the pity because I was in the middle of painting my tall chest of drawers when it happened.
This one.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
When The Car Breaks Down
So, my car broke down. I've been homebound. Having to have a car repair is bad for my wallet and my freedom. It is good, however, for forcing me to stay home and get things done. My plight actually provided incentive to make some paint decisions. When I'm not distracted by searching the streets for new junk, projects have a chance of seeing completion. This little brown chest found itself in the crosshairs of my paintbrush yesterday as a result of my car woes, and it ended up a fresh little bundle of joy.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
The Little Rolling Cart That Could
For a clean living conservative girl, I live a bit of a "trashy life".
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Then and Now: A New Aqua Aesthetic
Color decisions are behind me. What was - is no more. I did what I had previously only dared, taking something pleasant enough (albeit too dark for a sunny south Florida locale) and gave it a bright and colorful new outlook. I'd probably be freaking out right now if I hadn't already lived with these items in their previous state since the mid to late 90's. Yes, it's hard to let go of what I've enjoyed, but I was, after all, growing weary of the heavy hues. So I'm going to give myself permission to say goodbye to the old and embrace the new brighter aesthetic of my living room.
THEN - Traditional Table Trio
I cannot even believe how empty this room looked before the Pier 1 lamps!
The room looks like we just moved in. We hadn't.
I know...it's a perfectly beautiful table. I really did love the end tables as is, except for the fact that they are large and between the three of them in the small space, they covered half the room in brown. Combined with the dark green couch and the previously brown wall, it was time for an overhaul or they would have to go. New furniture was out of budget, so I turned to my paint stash for a little help.
These two were mixed at about 2 parts green to 3 parts blue. The blue is really kind of dull and the green was just too green. Together, they became my new aqua accent.
As I said, what WAS, IS no more...except that under the new slipcover, the dark green couch remains. I'll need to take the cover off to enjoy it fully when it gets cool out again, only I just realized that when I do, the couch will clash with the newly painted tables. Figures! I didn't even think of that before! Oh well, one day and one design problem at a time.
NOW - Today's Triumph!
Here it is while I was in process of deciding about pillow placement and before testing out a bit of burlap as a table runner. This love seat still needs a raspberry, tangerine or coral pillow.
If it was brighter I was after, I got it, no?
Color and light
By the time I put the burlap on the table, I had already taken a zillion pictures and didn't feel like taking many more, so here's the aqua in all its glory.
The burlap got tucked around the seat cushions for a minute to give an idea of how this chair would look with neutral cushions. The chair is really too big for this room with the ottoman; it may end up back in the Florida room if it starts to feel too crowded in here.
So there you have it. The brown has taken a dip into the aqua/blue/green design pool and I'm perfectly happy with the result.
Next up, the fireplace needs a long awaited revamp and the chair needs the cushions recovered or replaced. The cushion color doesn't work in here or the family room, but that could be an easy fix.
Then again, I could show you how the dining room has taken on a lighter and brighter outlook or share with you the little tray table I discovered in a nearby trash pile. It has also recently been given a paint revamp.
Decisions, decisions. Oh, the never-ending decisions...
I'll be sharing this at:
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Color Woes
In some ways, the great outdoors can be so much easier to decorate than indoor spaces. The greens of the leaves and of the grass combined with the vibrant colors of the blossoms are never too flashy, forever coordinated and always appreciated.
Well, it's not that easy. On chairs, these all ended up either looking garish or like a baby pastel. On the wall, almost all were either the wrong shade or too intense. One of these did finally become my living room accent wall color. It's the one on the upper left with hardly any left in the can. Even that I'm iffy about at certain times as the light changes. Morning light vs evening light is a never-ending source of consideration, right Lynette and Paul?
You can find the post about that Easy Breezy Table Redo HERE. For that one, I primed first and did a slight distressing so some wood and some white showed through.
Some of that paint mixture was left over and I used it to paint these end tables recently:
You can see the before and after of these HERE. I painted three coats on these and didn't distress them at all. The result was different but the color was still pleasing to me. However, I wasn't finished. Yet I was out of that paint.
So I got to work mixing colors again to try and match that color combo. The two I used were running low, so I knew I had to get it right without a lot of trial and error. I know the name of the green but the print on the more blue aqua label has faded. With no intention of buying any more paint, since I have such an aqua collection as it is, I just wanted to get the mix right and be done with it, using what I already have.
You see, these end tables are related to a mack daddy coffee table that belongs to their family. They used to be a tight-knit group until I separated them.
Daddy-O has been tipped on his side hugging the wall in the Florida room, trying to stay out of my way until I could decide his fate. While he's been off to the side, he has certainly not been invisible. I mean, look at him. He's a hulk and he's been in a few scrapes. He, in all his brute, was hard to ignore.
Inside, color tends to cause us a whole lot more angst.
Take this assortment of aquas and greens, for instance. One would think that among them would be a perfectly suitable color for painting chairs or the occasional table top or other furniture piece, or dare I suggest, a wall?
Well, it's not that easy. On chairs, these all ended up either looking garish or like a baby pastel. On the wall, almost all were either the wrong shade or too intense. One of these did finally become my living room accent wall color. It's the one on the upper left with hardly any left in the can. Even that I'm iffy about at certain times as the light changes. Morning light vs evening light is a never-ending source of consideration, right Lynette and Paul?
With all this aqua goodness in my possession and cluttering up my storage space, I should certainly have what it takes to mix up a happy hue.
Some time last year I had done just such a thing when I painted this little end table:
Some of that paint mixture was left over and I used it to paint these end tables recently:
You can see the before and after of these HERE. I painted three coats on these and didn't distress them at all. The result was different but the color was still pleasing to me. However, I wasn't finished. Yet I was out of that paint.
So I got to work mixing colors again to try and match that color combo. The two I used were running low, so I knew I had to get it right without a lot of trial and error. I know the name of the green but the print on the more blue aqua label has faded. With no intention of buying any more paint, since I have such an aqua collection as it is, I just wanted to get the mix right and be done with it, using what I already have.
You see, these end tables are related to a mack daddy coffee table that belongs to their family. They used to be a tight-knit group until I separated them.
Daddy-O has been tipped on his side hugging the wall in the Florida room, trying to stay out of my way until I could decide his fate. While he's been off to the side, he has certainly not been invisible. I mean, look at him. He's a hulk and he's been in a few scrapes. He, in all his brute, was hard to ignore.
Meanwhile, the trio was constantly begging to be reunited. Even though Mack-Daddy is too big for my living room (especially in brown), I figured if he got the aqua treatment like the end tables, I might be able to live with him in the space again.
So I started mixing. Oh, joy. These blobs represent the various attempts to match the previous color. From the image, they look the same, but one was more green and darker, one was too dull, etc. I finally pretty well nailed it, and I put brush to brawn (the brawn of Mack Daddy) and helped him get in touch with his feminine side.
I was also on a hunt for pillows for the love seat. The colorful ideas I had did not pan out. Not one store in all of creation had the colors I was looking for. They seem stuck merely on red for some reason or inappropriate designs in unacceptable multi-shaded fabrics. The fabric store did not have the color I was looking for either.
It looks like I will be fertilizing the heck out of my flowers for a while in the hopes I can get them to produce a never-ending supply for my tables. They will have to supply the final raspberry or tangerine or coral accents in the room. (Although I do have my little metal bird. He's also going to be a big player in giving me that color pop.)
Come back tomorrow and I'll show you how my color woes turned to color joy.
Sunday, June 03, 2012
Daring
Long story short:
These heavy, dark wood and wrought iron Bombay Company tables were sucking the life out of my living room. Oversized and brown, they had to change or go.
They changed.
Despite my usual lack of daring, last night I painted them with a leftover concoction I mixed up some time ago and which was almost gone. I had just enough to paint these two, there is none left for the matching coffee table that currently resides on it's side up against a wall in my Florida room awaiting its future. Ah, but that's a problem for another day.
After I painted these, I thought, "What have I done!?" Yet, as morning came and the day wore on...I fell in love with the cheery color and the lighter feel they give the room. The contrast of the dark brown wrought iron works for me as well.
Now about those pillows...
...they will soon be banished from the room. Stay tuned and let's see what finds its way to the loveseat next. What I'm after is a mix of blue, green and/or aqua with a raspberry red or orange-orange thrown in for excitement, kinda like my hibiscus.
This room is a definite work in progress. All these things take time. Painting those tables was a huge deal for me. I've been agonizing over what to do with them for a very long time.
I figure if you are unhappy with something as it is, what's the worse thing that could happen? I might have ended up unhappy with these in a new way, but then I could have still pawned them off on someone or tried something else.
I've had worse problems in my life. So in the end, I got a colorful addition to the changing landscape of my living room and I discovered a reward for my daring.
Be daring...at least once in a while in some small measure. See if you don't surprise yourself with the outcome.
I'll be at:
The Sunday Stop @ Joy 2 Journey
Spotlight Saturday @ Classy Clutter
Say G'Day @ Natasha in Oz
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk
Get Schooled Saturday @ Too Much Time
Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home
Fabulous Friday @ Doodles & Stitches
Tickled Pink Party @504 Main
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage
Fridays Unfolded @ Stuff and Nonsense
REDOUX
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed
Share Your Cup Thursday @ HADCFMO
Made You Look Thursday @ Made in a Day
Open House Party & Giveaway @ No Minimalist Here
Wow Us Wednesdays @ Savvy Southern Style
Cowgirl Up @ Cedar Hill Ranch
Share It @ The Winthrop Chronicles
Tips and Tricks @ Stringtown Home
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps on the Porch
Tuesday To Do @ Blackberry Vine
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Show Me What You Got @ Our Delightful Home
Cure for the Common Monday@ Lines Across
Nifty Thrify Sunday @ Nifty Thrifty Things
Mod Mix Monday @ Mod Vintage Life
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