Blog - Page 54 of 74 - FunCycled - Interior Design, Kitchen Cabinet Painting, Furniture Repurposing in Upstate NY

Posted on December 9, 2014December 9, 2014 by Sarah

No mantel? No problem! Candy Cane Christmas Stocking Holder – Tuesday’s Treasures

Hi friends!

How was your weekend? I hope if you are local you had a chance go to Troy’s 32nd Annual Victorian Stroll. It was SO MUCH FUN! John and I have gone to the stroll for at least 7 years and we’ve always loved it. We would invite different friends to join us and then came back to our house for soups and hot cider that we had cooking while we were strolling. Those days made some special memories for us and this year was different. Instead of shopping in all the quaint, unique shops downtown, we were able to BE one of those shops. I’m a sentimental of sort so it was a bittersweet change. Any change is a bit sad to me. Good, bad or just required changing of seasons. I went into the day missing seeing the other shops and missing friends, but knowing we are doing what we love and it will be great!! Also, a huge thanks to my friends Kerri, Kassy, and my mom for helping us! We would not have been able to do it without their help!

We went for being festive and wearing our Victorian garb. My dad bought me a Victorian dress for the day. ;)
Chelsea from Chelsea Bos Photography came down for the day to do a photo shoot competition on our Facebook page. Whichever picture gets the most likes on Facebook by this Saturday at noon will get a $100 gift certificate for FunCycled. So… check out the album here and vote, won’t you? There are some really fun pictures to choose from!

The store was PACKED. I mean at one point I don’t think the door ever closed. Crazy fun times over here. This was one moment I got a chance to snap a quick picture!

It was even more fun than walking the stroll. My friends came by for hugs and to check out the place. So many fans were sweet and encouraging. Great sales were the icing on the cake! Thanks so much everyone for shopping local and enjoying Troy!! :) We hope you’ll come back real soon. ;)

You’re here for inspiration, too, right? Well this one is a tiny makeover that has a big punch. This coat rack was on our Upcoming Projects page. Kaylin saw it and asked us to make it into a stocking holder their family for Christmas. They don’t have a mantel; what a great idea!

Continue reading No mantel? No problem! Candy Cane Christmas Stocking Holder – Tuesday’s Treasures

Posted on December 2, 2014December 2, 2014 by Sarah

Mustard Yellow China Cabinet & Shop Small – Tuesday’s Treasures

Happy Tuesday friends!!

How are you? I hope you all shopped small and shopped local this past Saturday. It was our first shop small business Saturday with a storefront and the response was overwhelmingly encouraging. When people take time to say how much they love our designs and the quality of our work, it means more than I can ever say. It also reminds me of a very simple life lesson that I tend to easily forget. If you are thinking something nice, say it. People love to hear a word of encouragement. You’ll make their day. Promise.

I can’t wait to show you this week’s furniture makeover. Mostly because I love a mustard yellow furniture piece. Here’s the china cabinet before.

I’ve been wanting to redo another hutch with fabric inside. I used Benjamin Moore’s Glen Ridge Gold 301 color and turned it into chalk paint for this piece. The inside shelves are painted Valspar’s Vintage Teal. If you’d like to see how we paint furniture, you can check out our How To Paint Furniture post. Continue reading Mustard Yellow China Cabinet & Shop Small – Tuesday’s Treasures

Posted on November 25, 2014November 25, 2014 by Sarah — 4 Comments

272 River Street Grand Opening Pictures – Tuesday’s Treasures

Hi Friends!

I’m so stoked to share the excitement that we enjoyed at FunCycled last week. I find it more fun to share a story through pictures so here we go.

We started the store opening with a ribbon cutting with Mayor Lou Rosamillia stopping by on Wednesday. He was so kind and had a great chat with our family.

First up… a quick prayer from our pastor, Matt. So glad he could be a part of this special day.
Then the ribbon cutting. Yes, we let the kids skip out on an hour of school. ;)
We used teal burlap for our ribbon… and it didn’t want to cut. This picture just makes me laugh.

There are a few people that I want to say thanks to who were part of this day… (there are too many to list them all).
My parents – they carefully weighed the options of a store with us and then supported us once we made the decisions. I really couldn’t do what I do without there help.

We matched and it wasn’t even planned… how cute. ;)

My customer-turned-friend, Jamie. She has been the biggest customer supporter of all things FunCycled from day one. Not only has she been cheering me on and making me cry practically every time I see her because of her thoughtfulness, she helped me get the lease and stepped me through every detail of how to negotiate commercial realty. Many times I reminded her I wouldn’t be getting a store if it wasn’t for her. Thank you, Jamie. From the bottom of my heart.

This lady “talked me off the ledge” as I like to put it – many times. Every step of the scary way to owning your own store front, she’d calm me down and try to convince me of my amazingness… lol. She helped me hang pictures and decorate and pretty much endured my crazy more than anyone other than my husband. My Sarah…

Continue reading 272 River Street Grand Opening Pictures – Tuesday’s Treasures

Posted on November 18, 2014 by Sarah — 4 Comments

Vintage Teal Hutch – Tuesday’s Treasures

Hi Friends! I can not even believe that this is the post when we can say… we are opening our own store front this week. Remember our Grand Opening is this Saturday, November 22nd, from 10am-5pm. Parking in the city garages is free on Saturday so it’s easy as can be to park and then come check out all of the new pieces that will be for sale. Not to mention you need to come say hi to me! :)

We have been workaholics these days until the store is open, but last year when we were on the Rachel Ray Giveaway show, we won a free cruise on the Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas. That was a whole year ago and we had to choose the date of our cruise way back then. Well, we had no clue we would be opening a store front the next week!! It actually worked out great to have some fun time with John before the crazy really begins. I wanted to show you some of the fun things we enjoyed on the cruise.

We climbed this rock wall on the top of the cruise ship… I was scared.

My favorite restaurant on the ship… Wonderland. I also had a chance to meet one of the interior designers who designed this restaurant. Ahhhhmazing.

Here we are about to leave port.

They asked us to take a selfie to post on instagram. I did mine on a spoon. ;)

They had bumper cars!! What cruise has bumper cars?? Soooo cool!

I also got to meet the designer of this restaurant called Chic. It was awesome! A very close 2nd to Wonderland.

You’re here for the furniture, too, right? This china cabinet had all the right lines for me. Fancy but with skinny legs that make it sexy.

I may or may not have designed this whole piece around this hardware.

Continue reading Vintage Teal Hutch – Tuesday’s Treasures

Posted on November 11, 2014November 11, 2014 by Sarah — 9 Comments

8 Furniture Makeovers for Grand Opening Day – Tuesday’s Treasures

Hi Friends!

I can’t believe it’s less than two weeks until the Grand Opening of our store front at 272 River Street, Troy, NY 12180. In recognition of that day, I’m sharing 8 furniture makeovers that we recently finished and all will be available to purchase at our store! Exciting stuff!!

Before we get started, I wanted to say thank you to all those who serve our country. As the daughter of a Marine and the sister-in-law to a hard working Coast Guard guy, I’ve seen first hand your sacrifice. I know how hard it is for you to be away from home. I know how hard it is for your family when you are gone. Your sacrifice is not taken for granted here and we truly truly thank you for all you do to protect and serve.

I know I normally have a slew of fun stories to share, but we are true workaholics this week so I’m lacking in any fun stories. We should have some fun adventures to share next week! ;) I’ve been feeling so moved with all the blessings in our life. A hard working, God fearing, children loving, wife adoring hubby… two kids that work with us, laugh with us, and fill our days with love… my family who are a huge part of what makes FunCycled successful. My mom has been working on home decor items for the store, my brother Nathan has been busy making custom candles and my brother Jesse is working behind the scenes on web design, signage and is my sounding board. I couldn’t do this without them. I also have a church family that really is family to us. So many friends (old and new) from church have been offering to watch my kids, help me work, move furniture, feed us. I’m doing what I love every day. I’m not bragging because this is nothing I could MAKE happen. I’m sharing thanks to God for His loving kindness to me. I know I deserve none of this, but am so so so very thankful for all of it.

Ok… 1st up! This mid century dresser had all the right lines but needed some color.We painted the exterior with Valspar’s Vintage Teal and clear coated it for extra protection. The drawer fronts are a mix of different wood stains and paint washes to give this a high end, patchwork style design.

2. This chair has a timeless design…

Which was made even more pronounced with a bit of Simply White by Benjamin Moore.

3. Another cute chair makeover … (sorry for no before pic)

4. This adorably hot mid century desk and matching chair.

We painted it using Benjamin Moore’s Simply White and stained the drawer fronts with Rustoleum’s Driftwood and Minwax Dark Walmart.

5. Did you say chair? Yes, another chair makeover painted with Valspar’s Vintage Teal

6. A rectangle table.

I love the shape of the legs on this table. This one was also painted with Benjamin Moore’s Simply White and it was lightly distressed.

7. A beautiful mix of gray and driftwood.

8. And of course I have to end with one more chair makeover painted a light robin’s egg blue color…

Remember… all these beauties plus MANY more new pieces will be at our store Saturday, November 22nd. We’ll also have gift certificates and home decor items available so please come shop local for Christmas. It would mean lots and lots to our little family. :)

If you would like to check out step by step instructions on how we paint furniture, Check out our How To Paint Furniture post.

The furniture photos are by the amazing Chelsea Bos Photography. Need Christmas pics? Call her, k? Have a great week friends! Thanks so much for stopping by. :)

And finally on this Veteran’s Day, a salute and thank you to the innumerable sacrifices made by our veterans.

Having fun upcycling!
Sarah ;)

If you like what you see, please like FunCycled’s Facebook page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address in to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog.

Please sign up today! Last but not least, let us customize a furniture piece for you. We create custom furniture and will deliver for customers in upstate NY and will also ship throughout the US. Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.

Posted on November 4, 2014November 4, 2014 by Sarah — 6 Comments

Robin’s Egg Blue Vanity – Tuesday’s Treasures

Hi Friends!

How are you? I hope you’re enjoying life to its fullest.

We have been busy, busy, getting ready to open the store front on November 22nd!! Would you mark your calendars and plan to stop by and see us that day? It would mean so very much to us. Some exciting news in the store front department – all the interior shelving, dividing walls and check out area are going to be upcycled pieces. That means a lot to me… it’s the little things.

You all made my week by participating in our first ever Furniture Fundraising Auction to help eliminate poverty by funding entrepreneurs in other developing nations. Remember on the 31rst day of the month until October 2015, we’ll be auctioning one of our custom furniture pieces. Last month’s auction went great!! You bid more than the retail amount for the piece and that says to me that you care about others and care about what we care about. It means the world. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Also, our landlord graciously allowed us to stage a few furniture pieces in the window display for Troy’s night out. Setting up the windows was soooo much fun!!

And on a personal note, my dear friend Jo Ann surprised me with one final birthday celebration. Horse back riding at Mohonk Mountain House. If you’ve never been there, it’s a must see place. I think pictures are worth 1,000 words so here are just a few from our trip. Continue reading Robin’s Egg Blue Vanity – Tuesday’s Treasures

Posted on October 31, 2014October 31, 2014 by Sarah — 6 Comments

Hope International Fundraising Auction Today!

1.3 billion men and women around the world live on less than $1.25 a day. That’s a sobering statistic, and FunCycled desperately wants to be a part of changing it. John and I are passionate about empowering the poor to provide for themselves and their families through the power of Christ-centered microfinance. We have partnered with HOPE International because we understand that a loan as small as $100.00 can change a family forever.

As we’ve previously mentioned, on the 31rst of every month that has 31 days for the next year, John and I plan to auction off a piece of furniture and donate the proceeds to HOPE. Happily, today is our very first auction! Here are the rules:

1. All bidding will take place on the Funcycled blog. You can bid by commenting on this blog post, utilizing the comment box below. Bids placed on Instagram or the Funcycled Facebook page are invalid.
2.The starting bidding price is listed under the picture, and bids must go up in increments of at least one dollar.
3. Bidding will be open for 48 hours. It will open at noon on the 31rst, and close at noon two days later. Once bidding has been closed, I will announce the winner and contact them with payment instructions. The winner has 24 hours to respond before the piece is offered to the runner up.
4. The purchaser will be responsible for all shipping fees. (If you live out of state – please check shipping pricing with uship.com before purchasing to ensure you can afford the out of state shipping costs)

You get beautiful furniture, and an entrepreneurs trapped in poverty get a chance to work themselves out of it. That sounds like a win to us!

Please help spread the word by sharing. Thank you for your support!

Here’s what you are bidding on, a sage green FunCycled repurposed dresser. Size: 33 1/2 inches wide x 20 inches deep x 50 1/2 inches high

Retail value: $225

Starting bid: $50

Happy bidding friends!
Sarah ;)

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Sarah — 1 Comment

31 Dreams – Furniture Fundraising Auction Tomorrow

Hi Friends! I just wanted to remind you that tomorrow, we will be starting a 2 day auction for this dresser.

We’re partnering with Hope International to raise money to help people in need like Ms. Chiang.

Ms. Chiang: the innovator

Each year, HOPE celebrates a client who demonstrates HOPE’s values of perseverance, compassion, character, and creativity by announcing the Thurman Award winner. Established in honor of HOPE’s first CEO and his wife, the Thurman Award celebrates clients who have not only experienced change in their own lives but have also extended that transformation to others in their community. Ms. Chiang is our 2014 Thurman Award winner!

Throughout Ms. Chiang’s home region in rural China, families often struggle to sustain their livelihood, farming corn and other low-value crops to feed themselves and collect a meager income. Traditional Chinese beliefs, often discouraging new ideas, further trap and isolate families in a seemingly hopeless cycle of economic and spiritual poverty. The difficulties of rural life lead many to leave their homes and families for better jobs in nearby cities. Ms. Chiang knows these difficulties and broken relationships all too well, but she found a new hope that changed her life.

Transformation

Like many in her rural village, Ms. Chiang left home to search for better economic opportunities in the city. While in the city, she heard the Good News for the first time, and it was literally music to her ears. Hearing songs of praise and worship sung by believers, she thought it sounded beautiful. Later, in community with believers for the first time, she put her faith in Christ.

Ms. Chiang’s faith flourished despite resistance from her family. In the city, she met HOPE China staff members who came alongside her through discipleship and Bible study. She discovered a new hope, and she wanted others to experience it too. “I thought of how many people were living in darkness,” she says, “and I planned to return to my village and testify on behalf of Christ.”

New hope in the Good News

But with few economic opportunities in her village, Ms. Chiang continued working in the city. She traveled back and forth to her hometown to share the Good News, but the distance made ongoing discipleship with new believers difficult. “Seeing this,” she remembers, “I decided to permanently move back to the village, build the church, share my testimony, and help develop the local economy.”

To help her earn a sustainable livelihood in her village, Ms. Chiang turned to HOPE China for support. With loans and training from HOPE China, Ms. Chiang began farming non-traditional, higher-value crops, like pear trees and medicinal plants. At first, local farmers were skeptical, but when the new crops returned a higher income than traditional crops, many decided to join Ms. Chiang and farm together, increasing their profits, sharing new ideas, and hearing the Good News—many for the first time.

Ms. Chiang still feels burdened for the many needs of her community, but, in Christ, she finds strength. Since returning to her hometown, she has reconciled with her mother, seen livelihoods improve, and helped two gatherings of believers grow in faith and numbers. God has proven faithful. “Before, I only depended upon myself, but now I depend upon God. Depending upon God will bring even more people to Him.”

*Name changed for security.

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Sarah

We’re Opening a Storefront – 272 River Street, Troy!

Hi Family, Friends and Local Customers!

We are here to announce (after months of keeping it a secret) that we will be opening a store front in downtown Troy next month!! Ahhh… I feel like words can’t explain how excited I am about this change. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a big (makes me want to vomit), scary, exciting step. That being said, the thought of having a space to display everything for you to come see all of the furniture in person, a place to be part of the local downtown community, is more than a dream come true. We have lived in Troy for the past 9 years and our heart and soul is in downtown. We love so much about it. Why, do we love it so much??

It’s fresh and new. The talent is crazy. From Botanic Studio, to Anchor No. 5, the shopping is unique and I’m a girl who craves shopping in places where I find one of a kind, locally made items. So, the stores allure me.

The food. Oh man the food. We have some of the best places to eat in town. No lies. I’m partial maybe but maybe not. Remember John went to school to be a chef so we’re pretty selective and sometimes it’s hard to even pick because there are so many good options.

Breakfast favorites so far –> Illium Cafe, Whistling Kettle

Lunch favorites so far –> The Flying Chicken, The Placid Baker, Psychedelicatessen (the are right across the street from our new shop and bagels are my weakness… this could be a problem)

Dinner favorites so far –> Brown’s Brewing, River Street Cafe, Dinosaur Barbecue

Now there are so many more that we haven’t even tried yet, but we lalalove those. Not to mention one of my favorite places to go out late with my girlfriends. Lucas Confections.

So why the decision to get a store front you may ask? We’ve been thinking about it for a while actually. We haven’t been actively pursuing it, but one day when I was at the Troy River Festival, I saw that Playing on the Furniture (a different furniture repurposing store) was closing in the one store front that I would want on the street that I would like, in my very own town. I emailed Kary-Lynn and she called me to explain everything about the space, the sales, and offered to tell customers who reach out to her about us because they are moving to Texas for a job offer her husband couldn’t refuse.

We polled our facebook fans to get their opinions on a store front and received lots of mixed reviews. That being said, we decided to prayerfully watch to see what doors God opened and keep walking through them.

The pluses of a store front? We can have our pieces on display with regular store hours for you all to stop by freely. Sometimes people want to see before they buy and this way our customers can touch and feel without the pressures of being at my house. I have a space to create and show the interior design styles I enjoy. We will also have one of our custom dining room tables on display to let you take a look and custom order.
Not to mention amazing upcycled home decor!

We say all that to explain the why, but now I want to invite you officially to our Grand Opening on Saturday, November 22nd from 10am-5pm. Would you do me a favor?? Please oh please come see us that day! Please oh pretty please invite your friends to join you. If you follow our Facebook page, I will have more info about all the exciting news for that day and maaaaybe even a sneak preview event for our facebook fans. ;)

It’s been an exciting ride, almost 3 years later and we are humbled by this next step. If you know us well, you know it’s a step of faith. You’ll know that we love what we do and feel like we should pinch ourselves to make sure that this is really our life. It’s busy and long days and heavy furniture, but honestly, we don’t care because we are living what we love and loving who we’re with.

I can’t end this post without a heart felt thank you. Thank you to all of our very kind, caring, loyal customer. Customers who support entrepreneurs with a love for design, customers who care about upcycling and recycling, and customers who treat me like a person, not a retailer. So many of you have become friends and knowing you is one of the things I love so much about this adventure called FunCycled.

Thanks friends!
Sarah

Posted on October 28, 2014September 25, 2017 by Sarah

Orange and Blue Boy’s Room Makeover – Tuesday’s Treasures

Hi Friends!

Today is a balmy 68 degree day here in NY. We are loving it! This past week we have been beeeyond busy and so excited to be able to announce that we will be opening a store front in downtown Troy. Check out the 272 River Street post to read all about it and mark your calenders for November 22nd; our grand opening.

Outside of the work, our little Sweetie lost both of her front teeth in the same week. So cute she is.

I thought we would mix it up from a furniture makeover to a room makeover this week. Jessica and Brent have had us do more furniture pieces than I have the brain cells to count right now. They have become more than customers, I gladly call them friends. Over the summer they hired us to do all the interior painting, design and furniture for their 4 bedrooms. I thought I’d start with their son Ollie’s room. He loves orange and blue and those were the main requests when we started designing his room. As you can see they tried a lot of paint colors.

We settled with Benjamin Moore’s Racing Orange 2169-10 as the accent wall and Benjamin Moore’s Saratoga Mist on the other three walls. They already purchased the dresser and end stand from us and both were painted Benjamin Moore’s Old Navy. Continue reading Orange and Blue Boy’s Room Makeover – Tuesday’s Treasures

Transformation

New hope in the Good News

Sarah Trop