Blog - Page 61 of 81 - FunCycled - Interior Design, Kitchen Cabinet Painting, Furniture Repurposing in Upstate NY

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

Posted on October 21, 2014October 21, 2014 by Sarah — 1 Comment

White Antique Dresser Set Makeover – Tuesday’s Treasures

Hi Friends! I hope you’re having a great week so far. Thank you for stopping by the blog today. I mean it. It means so much to me that you guys take the time to read about our life week to week and so many of you care and ask about how certain things are going. I think the best kind of recaps from our weeks are with pictures so here’s a quick highlight from the week.

My friends Jo Ann, Kassy and my mom chipped in to take me out to dinner and to the musical Newsies. My very favorite musical! I loved it more than I can even say.

Are you sick of the birthday celebrations? Well.. they are almost done. My friends Rachel, Sarah and Leah all went out to eat at the Iron Roost in Balston Spa. Have you ever been there?? If not, it’s ahhhhmazing. You must. The end. Oh, and see the little lady to the right of me in the front row? Well, she’s the one we did this furniture makeover for. :)

Over the weekend, the kids launched the rockets that they built. We had never done that before and it was so much fun!

Leah had been looking at a white dresser set at a large furniture store and showed me a picture while we were hanging out at her sister’s house. She asked if we had anything like it. Well, I didn’t but the very next week I went to a barn sale and found this set. I thought we could definitely make it work. I love where it came from, too. All the money made from the barn sale went straight to an orphanage. We paid them more than they were asking… just love when people think big.

Here it is before:
When Leah stopped by to look at the set, she wanted to have end stands so I told her we could turn this desk into two end stands. We have never done that before and a new challenge is always exciting to me. Probably because John is the one who is doing the work. lol

She also wanted a headboard for her bed. At the same barn sale, we bought this old door that I bought specifically to make into a headboard for a bedroom set. I’ll have a tutorial on how to make a headboard from an old door for you soon. But for today, I’m going to just share the before and after pics.

We painted everything using Benjamin Moore’s Simply white. I lightly distressed the set, and glazed it using Valspar’s Antiquing glaze. We also used all the original hardware, but spray painted it using Rustoleum’s Oil rubbed bronze. If you would like to see how we paint furniture, check out our How To Paint Furniture post.

Here are the after pictures!

Thank you so much for the business, Leah! It was really fun working with you! Until sooner than next year I hope? ;)

Having fun upcycling!
Sarah ;)

Posted on October 14, 2014October 14, 2014 by Sarah

Make a Baseball Dresser – Tuesday’s Treasures

Hi Friends,

Do I have any baseball fans out there? Red Socks?? Yankees?? Insert your favorite team here? Even though I am not a huge baseball fan (don’t hurt me), I do enjoy going to watch baseball games in person. Although watching my son play T-ball is my favorite. That being said I completely respect those of you who do love the game. ;) It’s what makes the world go around. ;)

Today’s mid century modern dresser has great lines and a really solid construction. So when Jill reached out to us about a dresser for her son’s room, it came to mind. Jill has bought many, many furniture pieces from us so I know her kids. And I know her son is a HUGE baseball fan. He knows everything there is to know about the Valley Cats. Every player, all the details of the games. It’s quite impressive. So I asked Jill if she’d be up for a design I’ve never done before. I’ve seen baseball dressers with bats and baseballs, but not exactly like this one (although I’m sure they are out there somewhere). I wanted to make our own handles using full sized bats and baseballs. That was perfect for Jill because they already had them laying around and that can save $$! :)

First we had to fill all of the holes from the hardware because none of it would be the right size. You can do that using wood filler, but we find that to get a smoother finish Bondo works better. We used this black paint from Benjamin Moore.

If you would like more details about how we paint furniture, please check out our How To Paint Furniture post.

To turn the baseballs and bats into hardware for a dresser you’ll need these tools.

A drill
A “hanger bolt” that has a lag screw on one end and a machine screw on the other
Wood glue
Adjustable Pliers
Nut to screw onto the machine screw side of the hanger bolt
Drill Bit

You should carefully use a drill press to hold each piece so you don’t end up drilling into your hand. Measure to make sure each bat has the holes in the same spot so it’s easier to attach them evenly to the dresser.

Using your drill and bit, drill a hole just a little bit smaller than the hanger bolt that you choose. Before inserting the hanger bolt, put some wood filler in each hole and then use the screw side of the hanger bolt to screw it into the ball or bat. You will need the pliers to hold the screw tight and be able to screw it into each piece.

Let the glue dry and set overnight at least.

Drill holes into the dresser and put the machine screw into the holes and use the nut to screw it onto the dresser.

Here are the after pictures for you!! Try not to hold anything in your hand while you look because you may drop it. ;)

In other news, I just had to share a little bit of the rest of my week.
My best friend Sarah took me to our favorite place for the day to celebrate my birthday… NYC style.

We had a blast shopping unique furniture stores and eating delicious food. I also met my brother Jesse in Brooklyn while I was there because he was in the city for a designer conference.

Yeah… we look a little bit alike, right? Love him. He’s my hero. No lie.
Over the weekend my dad and I went to a paint class and had fun being artistic just for fun. It made me realize that I need to enjoy painting for fun sometimes. It was amazing!! I loved every second.

The furniture photos are by Chelsea Bos Photography. Have a great week friends! Thanks so much for stopping by. :)

Having fun upcycling!
Sarah ;)

Posted on October 7, 2014October 8, 2014 by Sarah — 2 Comments

Mirrored Mustard Dresser – Tuesday’s Treasures

Hi Friends!

Today I’m doing a two posts Tuesday. One’s this furniture makeover and the other is a big announcement called 31 Dreams. It’s my birthday wish for this year and I would love for you all to go check it out here: 31 Dreams | Investing in Hope

Our customer Theresa, who’s Lady in Teal dresser made it on Tuesday’s Treasures last week, also had us makeover this dresser for her guest bedroom.

Can you see that little original detailing on the top drawer? Zoom on in and check it out. Well, I just couldn’t paint over it. I wanted to find a way to incorporate that into the design. We ended up painting the whole thing Benjamin Moore’s Glen Ridge Gold 301. We also distressed and glazed this piece with Valspar’s Antiquing glaze. If you’d like to see how we paint furniture, please check out our How To Paint Furniture post.

And a huge thanks to Theresa for giving me creative freedom with this piece! I loved working on it!!

The furniture photos are by Chelsea Bos Photography. Have a great week friends! Thanks so much for stopping by. :)

Having fun upcycling!
Sarah ;)

Posted on October 7, 2014October 8, 2014 by Sarah

31 Dreams – Investing in Hope

Friends, today is my 31st birthday!

Every year on this day, I take hard look at my life. I long for every year that the Lord gives me to bring hope and joy to the people around me. Thus, each year on my birthday, I’ve chosen a way to do just that. Last year I spent the day doing 30 random acts of kindness for people in my neighborhood and local community. I was blessed more than I blessed others. It was an amazing experience.

I also attended the Hope Spoken conference this past year and was inspired to make FunCycled more than just about furniture. As small business owners, I want us to think outside of ourselves and somehow help others in need. John and I began planning/praying months ago, asking the Lord to show us what He wanted us to do. Until now, everything that I’ve done has focused on the community around me. This year, I began to feel pulled outside of my city, away from the people that look like me and talk like me.

John and I ardently believe that FunCycled is a gift from the Lord. He owns the business, and we are simply stewards of it. We have a deep desire to see global underserved communities blessed as a result of our business, and have been asking God to show us what that could look like.

Several months ago, I encountered HOPE International. HOPE is a Christ-centered microfinance organizations that serves over 675,0000 clients in 17 different countries around the world. Their mission is to invest in the dreams of the poor by providing people trapped in poverty a way out of that cycle by providing a small loan and Christ-centered business training. The idea is that much like John and I needed money to start FunCycled, impoverished people often simply need access to capital so they can start or grow their own small business and work their way out of poverty. Take a look:

http://www.hopeinternational.org/resources/videos/hope-drc-microfinance-a-life-changing-investment.html

John and I feel passionately about the work that HOPE is doing because as small business owners, we understand the value of start up capital. We see the sustainability in HOPE’s model—by providing a hand up instead a hand out, HOPE is empowering the poor to provide for themselves and their families through loans as small as $100.00. Even more than that, HOPE is introducing men and women around the world to the true hope that can only be found in Jesus.

We want you to be a part of it. This year, we are thrilled to link arms with HOPE and work to provide at least thirty one entrepreneurs with a $100.00 loan in my 31st year! We plan to work towards this goal with you in several different ways:

1. Through our fundraising page! 31 Dreams | Investing in Hope

2. Through auctioning off a custom Funcycled piece on ever 31st day in my 31st year! You get beautiful furniture, and entrepreneurs around the world get to chase their dreams and provide for their families. It’s a win-win, friends.

Look for our first auction on October 31st. In the mean time, please check out www.hopeinternational.org for more information on this organization that John and I are so impassioned about. Consider joining us in investing in the dreams of the poor!

Thank you friends!
Sarah

Transformation

New hope in the Good News

Sarah Trop