lemony fresh

stumbled upon this little dream of a room over @ knack. old ceiling tiles turned wall art using a few lovely shades of yellow. i think i may have just developed a craving for a lemon bar....

ready to rock

Giving old furniture a face lift can be simple. I recently brought this lovely little rocker back to life. As you can see from the before shot, the wood & finish both looked a little tired. Enter  Murphy's Oil soap, fine steel wool, Howard Restor-a-finish, & a generous amount of Howard Feed-n-wax.

1. It all starts with a good wash down. I like using warm water & a dash of Murphy's oil soap.
2. A bit of sanding helps to smooth down any rough spots. 
3. Wash away any dust from sanding.
4. Using protective gloves, apply Howard Restor-a-Finish in the appropriate color with a piece of fine steel wool. 
5. Wipe away any excess product using a clean, dry rag.
6. Apply a liberal amount of Feed-n-Wax, letting the product soak in for 30-45 minutes. 
7. Repeat Step 5.  

 Before:

This project took a little over an hour. If you don't have the time or interest to do the whole bit, the feed-n-wax is a great product to just bring back a little bit of luster. You can pick up all the supplies used for this project at your local hardware store.

got an odd drawer, or maybe even a few?

catherine created a bedside station using a single old drawer, a corded bulb, & a little ingenuity. she started by sanding & cleaning the drawer, then attached the corded bulb to the existing handle & secured her project to the wall.

here, a set of drawers have been used to create a unique shelving unit. the holes were patched, the drawers sanded, painted & lined, and then stacked.

 {images & ideas via design sponge & apartment therapy}

once for rope, now for watercolors.

objects that are made to be used, like this old industrial rope spool, deserve to be relevant even after their original purpose has long gone. if you stumble upon an old industrial treasure, whether it's a spool, an old warehouse cart, or even an old dentist lamp, take a chance. they are built to last and may fit in with other furnishings better than you would think.

{the little artist & her spool via design sponge}

something old, something new

stumbled upon this little friend at one of my favorite sources for cheap and surprising second hand finds. my companion for the afternoon wasn't too keen on accommodating the set of drawers in her backseat, which was understandable considering its state. 

 

however, with a bit of sanding,  priming & cleaning, and few coats of old white paint, the piece acquired some charm and a new purpose. it now contains my papers, small projects, and supplies.

expenses & supplies

set of drawers: $4

primer: $15

old can of low voc paint: free

paper to line the drawers: $3.50

total: $22.50

Swoon, and a little something old & something new...

Color the inside of my house white, throw in plenty of wood and metal accents, and color me happy. Stumbled across this dream of a home on one of my favorite blogs, design sponge. Click here for a full view.



I've decided to fashion myself a little inspiration board for my work space; so today I headed to a local thrift store in the hopes of scoring some supplies. As is often the case, I didn't find what I was looking for, though I did come across a few other treasures, obviously completely unrelated to the task at hand, but sweet nonetheless.



It happens that I was interested in acquiring some white sheets for a little sewing project. And I found the most beautifully worn, soft, and spotless set. Also found a funny oval ceramic vase and a glass jar; both of which will soon house a succulent or two. Will keep you posted on the progress of both projects.

In the meantime, I wanted to profess my love for second hand treasures. Junk shops, thrift stores, antique malls, garage sales, flea markets, and the occasional free pile have supplied me with some of my most treasured objects. Objects that possess a previous history and bring a depth that couldn't be acquired by anything found at Ikea or Pottery Barn. Don't get me wrong, I love the fresh and the new, but I also think everyone should poke around for alternative sources. Take a day, or an hour, to check out what happens to be there right now...