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Posted on May 20, 2014 by Sarah

Purple Bedroom Set, Say what? – Tuesday’s Treasures

Hi Friends, It’s been a SUUPER busy week here so I’m keeping things simple on today’s Tuesday’s Treasures. Even though purple is my least favorite choice on the color wheel, when Stephanie reached out to us asking to bring some of pieces on our Upcoming Projects page together with Benjamin Moore’s Purple Lotus I actually really loved the color. Purple Lotus is a pretty purple in my book and I’m a picky purple person… say that ten times fast. lol So here are the pieces before… Here are the transformations!

Check out how we paint furniture on our How To Paint Furniture post. These pieces were painted, lightly distressed, glazed and a clear coat of protection was sprayed over top. I think the hardware made a huge difference for the dresser, too. They are soooo pretty and from Hobby Lobby!

The after pictures are done by Chelsea Bos Photography. I hope you all have a great week! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Happy redesigns everyone, 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 May 13, 2014May 13, 2014 by Sarah

A Little Fabric Goes a Long Way – Tuesday’s Treasures

Hi Friends!

Who had a great Mother’s Day? I hope you all did! Whether mother, daughter, or “2nd moms” – thanks to all the ladies who serve without recognition and love without measure. Here’s a quote that I keep on the inside of one of my kitchen cabinets. A great reminder…

“If I had my child to raise all over again,
I’d finger paint more, and point fingers less.
I’d do less correcting, and more connecting.
I’d take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I would care to know less, and know to care more.
I’d take more hikes and fly more kites.
I’d stop playing seriously, and seriously play.
I’d run through more fields, and gaze at more stars.
I’d do more hugging and less tugging.
I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.
I’d build self esteem first, and the house later.
I’d teach less about the love of power, and more about the power of love.” -Diane Loomans

Continue reading A Little Fabric Goes a Long Way – Tuesday’s Treasures

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Sarah

Hollywood Regency Green Hutch For Sale – Tuesday’s Treasures

Hi Friends!

How is everything going? We had a fun week here with the T-Ball starting!! It’s Sweetie’s first year and she may or may not have hit the ball and run to 3rd base instead of 1st on her first play of the season. Cute as a button. ;)

This picture seemed so appropriate since the day they were given their outfits for T-Ball was the last day that they were 4 and 5. This week we celebrated our little man’s 6th birthday.

He is so serious but sensitive… funny and quick witted. I love that he still sees me in a crowd and waves like a crazy maniac, and he still wants my kisses. He tells me almost every day that he loves me 10,000 times. He may have an addiction to Lego. He can build anything he sees and will spend hours working on a set. He can sing, but he’d never do it for you unless he doesn’t know you’re listening or when he’s in a group at church. He loves God and wants everyone to love Him, too. He’s a daily gift of God’s love to me. For some reason this birthday was harder for me than the rest. He’s almost half way to being a teenager, he’s not a toddler anymore and he just looks like a boy not a baby. Ugh. I held him and said, “Why are you growing up?? I told you to stay little forever.” He looked me right in the eye and said, “Mommy, I have to get bigger. It’s how God made things to work.” Melt. Cry. Emotional me. Yup, true story!

On to the story of furniture remaking! For so long, I’ve admired Hollywood Regency style furniture – something with a shiny finish (sometimes with bold colors), a tiny bit of Asian flair, and embraces the glam factor. I thought of that design right away when I saw this hutch. It had the right lines, hardware, and mirrored interior. Here it is before…

We sanding it lightly to create a good surface for the primer to adhere to, taped off all of the mirror on the inside, and painted it with Valspar’s Cliveden Pasture. I love this hue of green, really bold but without being obnoxious. We used some of the original hardware, but spray painted them gold. Are you ready for the after pictures?? Remember we just put this piece up on our Furniture For Sale page. So check it out to see if it’s still available!!

The after pictures are done by Chelsea Bos Photography. I hope you all have a great week! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah ;)

Posted on April 29, 2014April 29, 2014 by Sarah

Cream Dresser Makeover- Tuesday’s Treasures

Some of you may look at a dresser like this week’s Tuesday’s Treasures and think it needs to be sent to the curb. Sometimes I think that, too, but in this case I knew that this could be beautiful!! I’ve redone one with a similar look before, you can check that one out here.

Caitlin reached out to us to have this family heirloom brought back to life with repair, paint and a new mirror. Here are the before pictures!

We repaired quite a bit of the damaged veneer using Bondo and had to sand a lot of the wood smooth before priming and painting this piece. We painted it using Benjamin Moore’s Navajo White. I slightly distressed it and we used all of the original hardware except the top two drawers because we wanted to add a little glam to this piece. :) If you want step by step painting instructions, check out our How To Paint Furniture post.

And here are the afters!!!

Stay tuned to our Furniture For Sale Page this week because I’ll be adding these three amazing new pieces!!

The after pictures are done by Chelsea Bos Photography. I hope you all have a great week! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah ;)

Posted on April 22, 2014April 22, 2014 by Sarah

Yellow Hall Cabinet – Tuesday’s Treasures

Happy Tuesday everyone!

This time last week our Little Man had his tonsils and adenoids removed. Minor surgery, but a long recovery. Boy do I feel badly for him. He’s been up all through the night, every night, crying in pain. He’s been much better during the day though. (Thanks to everyone who was praying for us!!) Just after Christmas, he and Sweetie starting practicing for our Easter children’s choir at church. When I scheduled his surgery the week of Spring break I thought I was a brilliant mom because he wouldn’t have to miss much school during the recovery time. Minor detail. He was suppose to sing back to back church services on Easter morning. Mother of the year title revoked pretty quickly once I figured that one out.

Easter morning came and I told him he didn’t have to sing, he could just go up and mouth it or not go up at all. He said he didn’t even want to get on stage. Then we walked into church and he ran right up there with his little friends and wanted to sing. He only made it through one of the two services because it hurt too much after that, but I was proud of him for trying.

Easter is such an exciting holiday for us. We celebrate our risen Savoir. So thankful that “living He loved me, dying He saved me, buried he carried my sins far away, rising He justified freely forever. One day He’s coming – Oh glorious day!”

And in the spirit of all things Easter and springy… I thought I’d share a canary yellow furniture makeover. Just seems appropriate, not to mention I love it!

Here the cabinet is before. Great quality, unique shape, but it definitely needed some love.

We sanded this down and primed it with grey, then painted it yellow. Don’t be mad, but I can’t remember the yellow I had from Valspar. I believe it’s Yellow Chimes 3011-1; don’t quote me on that. :) Then I distressed and glazed this piece. If you want to see how we paint furniture check out our How To Paint Furniture post.

The after pictures are done by Chelsea Bos Photography. I hope you all have a great week! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah ;)

Posted on April 15, 2014April 15, 2014 by Sarah

Turquoise Modern Buffet For Sale – Tuesday’s Treasures

Hi Friends! Did you have a nice week? If you’re in upstate NY like me, you’re probably saying yes it was an awesome week!! Why? Because we finally had some warm weather and were able to enjoy the sun. Trying to embrace the less busy and more love idea, we set Sunday aside for church and family time last weekend. Church was awesome! I know everyone probably says this, but I really believe we are part of a one of a kind church family. If you don’t have that in your life, I really want to encourage you to pursue it. We have an awesome Easter service planned so if you live locally and would like to check it out, here’s the info.

Oh and if you are reading this post Tuesday morning, please keep our little man in your prayers. He’s having some minor surgery this morning. Nothing to really worry about but any minor surgery can cause a mom to covet some extra prayers. ;)

After church we went on a hike and it was a blast. The kids were well behaved and being able to hold John’s hand outside through the sunroof feeling the warm breeze was surreal. Here are some pictures from the day…

From my house to yours comes this buffet makeover with history. When John and I were first married we had soooo little money but a ton of supportive family members, friends and a house full of love for each other. Our friends Jon and Devon gave us this buffet almost 11 years ago now, we painted it a couple of times in different styles to fit our style. It was time to change the decor in my living room and give this piece a new look for your home! It’s up on our Furniture For Sale Page now.
Before:

We painted it with Benjamin Moore’s Jade garden 2056-20. If you want to see how we paint furniture check out our How To Paint Furniture post. We also glazed the whole piece using Valspar’s Antiquing Glaze.

Here’s the after pictures!

The after pictures are done by Chelsea Bos Photography. I hope you all have a great week! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah ;)

Posted on April 10, 2014April 10, 2014 by Sarah

How To Make Your Own Chalk Paint

One of the top asked questions that people email me about is how to make chalk paint.

So today’s the day to explain!

Let’s talk about chalk paint, shall we? Not chalkboard paint that you can write on with chalk, but chalk paint that you can use to paint furniture. There are different brands that you can buy already mixed chalk paint, but it’s simple to make and much cheaper than buying chalk paint from a retailer. Plus the color selections are limited for pre-mixed chalk paint.

The main difference that I’ve found with buying chalk paint already mixed or making it yourself is that usually homemade chalk paint tends to be a little gritty from the grout. There are some ways to combat that and we’ll go over those in a bit.

We don’t use chalk paint all that often because we usually use a paint sprayer. Paint sprayers give a more professional finish while chalk paint has a antique, chic, hand finish. Some of our customers prefer the look of chalk paint so we do that for them as well. Chalk paint can be used around your home on smaller pieces that you want to try painting yourself. I really enjoy using chalk paint when I want to distress a piece without having the primer show underneath the paint. When you use chalk paint, you don’t have to prime the piece because the grout hardens very well onto the furniture. Continue reading How To Make Your Own Chalk Paint

Posted on April 9, 2014April 9, 2014 by Sarah

Less Busy, More Love – Reflections from the Hope Spoken Conference

If you have stopped by today to read about furniture, thanks. ;) But today you’re getting more than furniture. Sometimes I get a chance to share life moments with you. The good. The bad. The amazing. Or in this case, about all three in one weekend.

It’s important to rewind months ago to the beginning of our kids first school year. My friend Sarah called during a typical school morning breakfast to let me know that she would be going to a the Hope Spoken Conference in Dallas Texas in 2014. Like most girlfriends would say, I said, “Oh you’ll have so much fun! I wish I could go with you.” Danielle Burkleo who goes to my church was heading up this conference. I jumped in the car to bring my kids to school and Sarah called back. Her mom had bought me a ticket to go to the conference, too. It was the last ticket available and I was in complete shock. I didn’t even know Sarah’s mom. I cried at the overwhelming kindness of a stranger. She told me no pressure because she knew that meant I needed to buy airfare. As soon as I was off the phone with Sarah, I called John to let him know what happened. I quickly said, you just quit your job to work at FunCycled with me. How can we afford a flight?? He calmly said… God opened this door and He’s going to provide that, too.

Fast forward about a month when I went to a fundraising dinner for the Capital City Rescue mission. There was a silent auction with round trip tickets to anywhere Southwest flew. I bid low and won the bid. Another God moment. In awe that this was all coming together, I just had a feeling that God had something in store for this conference. I would never have been able to attend with out God’s direct provisions through His people. And so… it’s Hope Spoken time. Here I am with Sarah on Friday night! Excited to see what God has in store. We had a great dinner, met some new friends that will always be my sisters. We all ended up being at the same table and got along really well.

Love these ladies… from Boston to Idaho. So many different stories but one thing in common. Christ. That’s all we needed to make each other’s heart our home.

Saturday morning the conference was started with Shauna Niequist (the author of Cold Tangerines). What a way to start the day! I cried from her first few sentences until the end. It was like she could read my mind, understood my heart and had the same struggles I do. God used her in a way that I don’t think anyone else could have. She spoke about being less busy with more love. I felt like God was saying learn from this so in ten years you won’t have regret. Enjoy the simple things like tickling my kids and laughing with John. Be present. Relearn how to relax. I realized I am too busy. So often I get focused on things that don’t matter at all or things that really can wait. With family, church, owning a business and regular life I don’t anticipate life getting much less hectic, but I can learn to say no to some things so I can say yes to the most important things. It’s not easy, but I never want to give up that fight.

This may be one of my favorite quotes from Shauna, “I know that life is busy and hard and that there’s crushing pressure to just settle down and get a real job and khaki pants and a haircut. But don’t. Please don’t. Please keep believing that life can be better, brighter, broader because of the art that you make. Please keep demonstrating the courage that it takes to swim upstream in a world that prefers putting away for retirement to putting pen to paper, that chooses practicality over poetry, that values you more for going to the gym than going to the deepest places in your soul. Please keep making your art for people like me, people who need the magic and imagination and honesty of great art to make the day-to-day world a little more bearable.”

Mandy Castro (you know… Jason Castro’s wife) spoke next and her story took my heart, ripped it apart and totally revealed even more brokenness within me. I realized by sharing her struggle and brokenness, I felt healing. I was convicted that I need to be willing to share my brokenness with hurting woman to help and offer hope. Already started down that path since I’ve been home so please keep me in your prayers.

Speaker after speaker spoke simply sharing their life story, pain and victory through Christ. It was an emotionally draining weekend. In the end I was filled with the overwhelming knowledge of the fact that we are all broken, in need of God’s grace. The sin that separates us from a holy God, sin that can only be healed at the foot of the cross and with Christ’s power over death. God’s grace can meet you there. Or the daily struggles to honor God in whatever I do. To show just how weak I am and how everything good in me is from Him.

This may sound odd, but I was also really inspired to make FunCycled something more than just furniture. There were vendors at the Hope Spoken conference. People making a living but also helping others along the way like Sole Hope and No. 41. I really want to work with different charities to help support those in need to help hurting people feel God’s love. I’m still running different ideas around in my mind, but you’ll find out more about that soon. Oh and I brought my hubby home a bracelet from Melody from shopMelodyJoy.com. He loves it!!

Another reflection on this weekend away would be the fact that I am beyond blessed by the bonds of friendships. I have been encompassed with loving, gracious, challenging, encouraging, and God fearing friends. I know this is a gift. A gift some do not get to enjoy. A gift that I don’t deserve.

For those of you from near or very, very far away who are reading this right now, I want to say thank you. Thank you for loving God and being all that you are to me on a daily basis. I am humbled to have you. You’re my joy. God’s hands and feet. I also can’t end this post without saying thank you to these three ladies for following God’s leading and stepping out in faith to create Hope Spoken. I’m praying God works another miracle so I can be back next year. Thank you Danielle, Casey and Emily!

I share this to say to all of you that it’s ok to be broken. We all are. We all need God’s grace. Share your broken moments. Your best ministry will come from your deepest hurt. Share the comfort and strength with those who are hurting in ways that you have been hurt. We don’t have to struggle alone. That’s why God gave us each other, His Word, the Holy Spirit and the body of Christ.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” -Ecclesiastes 4:9-20 NIV

“When things fall apart, the broken pieces allow all sorts of things to enter, and one of them is the presence of God.” -Shauna Niequist

Broken and spilled out then covered in grace… Sarah

Posted on April 8, 2014April 8, 2014 by Sarah

3 Cream and Robin’s Egg Blue Secretary Desks – Tuesday’s Treasures

Hi Friends!!

I literally feel like I just sat down to write last week’s Tuesday’s Treasures. No lie… where did this week go?? It was a whirl wind! Which is usually what happens after taking time off to go to a conference. We have been so busy with interior painting projects and furniture!! I love it! Thanks to all of you local readers who make our dream possible every day.

Since it’s been such a busy week with work I have no cool stories at all! Other than the fact that our little man apparently wants to make furniture, too. Not this kind of furniture, but beds for his Lego ninjas. He was so excited to show me!

Over the past few months I’ve done quite a few secretaries desks. Oh how I love me a secretary desk painted with a pop of color inside. If you want to see some non cream and teal desks, you can also check out our Gray and Pink or Navy and Cream Secretary desk posts. Lalalove those, too!

All three of these have been sanded lightly, repaired, painted Benjamin Moore’s Navajo White on the outside and the a different hue of robins egg blue or teal on the inside.

Before:

After:

Claw Foot Secretary Desk Before:

After:

The next desk was the original inspiration piece that turned into the other two pieces. It was a custom order for Jessica and Brett. They also had us custom make this Teal Mid Century Modern Buffet, Magenta, Teal and Burnt Orange French Provincial Chairs and Modern Chartreuse Buffet. They are a super fun couple who embraced modern designs in most rooms and a more classic design in their living room with this piece.

These after pictures are done by Chelsea Bos Photography. Let her take your family’s pictures. I promise her pictures of your family will be even cuter than these desks. And that’s pretty cute. ;) She’s uber talented! Lalalalove her!

I hope you all have a great week! Thanks so much for stopping by!

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah ;)

Posted on March 31, 2014April 1, 2014 by Sarah

Sunflower Milk Paint Cabinet – Tuesday’s Treasures

Outstanding weekend here friends! I went to the Hope Spoken conference in Dallas, Texas and had an amazing time. I promise to share more about it soon, but time is tight from being away so I’m keeping today’s post short. I was truly broken and spilled out then covered with grace.

My friend Lara let me try out new products on her grandfather’s old cabinet. Sad news. I forgot to take a before picture! What a great friend, forgetting the before picture! ;) So imagine this piece but just ugly. There you have it! :)

I’ve been wanting to try out milk paint for a long time. I’ve read a lot about it on different blogs and it definitely gives an authentic, antique look with chippy paint in random spots. I wasn’t sure how I would like not having any control over where the paint would chip off a piece. Sausha at Sweet Pinkins Furniture has CRAZY talent and I’ve been following her for years, enjoying her style. Last summer she started selling her own line of milk paint so who better to try out milk paint from than the lady who has given me so much inspiration over the years. I bought the sunflower color for this piece.

I started by prepping the surface like normal, light scuffing, priming with a gray primer because I wanted that to show through a bit and then brush painted the milk paint on over the gray. Now you don’t always have to use primer if you want it to be even more chippy, but I wanted most of it to stick. It’s a control thing, a problem I have. ;) lol

Painted the first coat and I wasn’t sure if I loved it if I’m being completely transparent. Mostly because it was a bright mustard color, but then after the second and third coat, I was practically melting over it’s chippy goodness. It started bubbling in certain spots and having such a beautifully aged looked about it. The after pictures are done by Chelsea Bos Photography.

I took 220 grit sand paper to it to add a tiny bit more distressing and to flake off the bubbling paint. Then I toned down the brightness with Valspar’s antiquing glaze and next sprayed it with a water based clear coat to seal it. The hardware and the basket is from Hobby Lobby!

Thanks so much for your awesome product, Sausha!! And thanks to all of you for tuning in!

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah ;)

Sarah Trop