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Kelly Green Dresser and Red Empire Dresser Turned Entertainment Center

Good morning everyone! On this weeks Tuesday’s Treasures, I wanted to share two pieces that I am totally in love with. No, no, it’s not Christmas in October even though they are red and green pieces, but they both show how much fun you can have with color.

First, this Empire Dresser was a custom order that Nancy and Steve asked me if we could make into an entertainment center for their house. It had been sitting in their basement for years and years and was going to go into the trash when they moved. Then she found our site online and realized how beautiful it could become with a little love.

This dresser was in ROUGH shape!  The veneer was broken all over it, the top left side was broken off (oven though you can’t see that well in this picture). I love working on pieces like this because I feel like it really went from something worthy of the trash to something priceless. Nancy and Steve wanted something that they could put their audio equipment in and make it into a living room entertainment center. We went over a couple ideas and then took some measurements. It ended up working so that all the equipment would fit in the top drawer.

We used the space that was the top drawer to create the box for the equipment. In this case, we were able to pull the front off of the top drawer and use the rest of it to box in that section. Then we drilled holes in the back for all of the cords for the equipment. John did all the repair work… he’s amazing for sure. ;) He repaired the top by reattaching the original nails, using wood glue to give it extra support and then filled any cracks with Bondo. We broke off the rest of the broken veneer and used Bondo for that as well. It took about a week for him to do all the repairs. This is not something you would be able to do quickly or easily. It was well worth the work!! Oh, and we found a newspaper under one of the drawers from the 1940’s. I love when we find hidden treasures in a piece. Here’s a picture to show you some more of the veneer repair.

After all the repair was done and the box was made, I used Behr Antique Red and made my own chalk paint. I painted the piece twice by brushing it on and then glazed it using Valspar dark glaze. To finish it off, I waxed the whole piece. Oh, and replaced the knobs with these beauties!

Love, love, love it. Oh, and they both have been wonderful to work with!! They are Krista and Keith’s competition with how many custom pieces they are ordering. ;) Nancy has been so sweet to us (even though she’ll laugh because when I thanked her for being so nice to work with, she said, “I read your blog, you say that about everyone”). lol! It’s really true though! She has been great.

Up next, we’re on to a little fun project of my own. Every once and a while I need to use my creative energy on something not ordered by someone else. I’ve been wanting to paint something in Kelly green for a long time. I went to Home Depot one day and just had to buy the paint. John thought I was a crazy lunatic for buying that color green. I tried to assure him it would be beautiful… but to no avail. lol

I loved this dresser because of all the detailing and thought it would be perfect for the green.

I used the Kelly  Green paint and made it into my own chalk paint. then I brushed it with two coats. The 2nd step was my favorite part though. I finally was able to get my hands on Annie Sloan’s dark wax.

It was amazing to work with… went on like butter and gave the piece a glazed look while sealing it at the same time. I absolutely love it and the best part is… John likes it, too! Gasp! :)

This piece is for sale and you can see the dimensions on our for sale page: https://funcycled.com/furnitureforsale/

I hope you like these as much as I do!

Have a great week and happy redesigns,
Sarah

PS- If you want to stay “in the know” please like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/funcycled You’ll see designs from the people who inspire me, be the first to know when new pieces are available, and just enjoy life with us! Get each of our new projects emailed to you when you enter your email address in the box at the top right side of this page.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

 

 

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Antique Cream Living Room Set Makeover – Tuesday’s Treasures

Hello friends! Since last week’s Tuesday’s Treasures, I became another year older. I now have only one more year to enjoy the times that I can say, “Yeah, I’m in my 20’s!”.  It was a fun filled weekend with my family. Since it seems to be ingrained in my DNA to reflect on such occasions (thanks Dad!), I have to stop and say how thankful I am for the way God has changed my life over the last year.  God has privileged me to do this art/work full time and I have met so many wonderful people along the way. God has taught me so much about trusting Him – a year without health insurance… you know how stressful that can be and a year when I quit my job… yeah, that can be stressful, too. Through it all, God has blessed and given me peace.

Oh wait… you’re here for furniture, right? Ok. :) On to this week’s Tuesday’s Treasures – you remember Krista’s Antique Red Buffet and Black Buffet, she had more work for me! :) We had the antique leather top table, we found the cedar chest for her, and she brought us  the end stand with a drawer. She wanted me to paint them all the same color to unify them in her living room. I loved that she wanted to go with three different style pieces. It makes the room not so matchy-matchy!

Antique Cedar Chest

Antique Square Leather Top Table

Side Table with a Drawer (sorry I forgot to take a before picture… this is the best I’ve got)

If you want to see step by step instructions on how we paint furniture, please see this post. The only difference with all of these pieces is that I used a spray paint primer first to cover the leather so it didn’t bleed through. Just spray it on and let it dry, then paint as usual. It works really well.

We used a nice dark tan (even though these pictures make them look more grey/tan). After I painted them, I lightly sanded the edges, glazed them using Valspar dark glaze, and sealed everything with furniture wax.

Here are the after pictures for you.

And all three together for their grand finale!

A huge thanks to Krista and Keith for more custom work. That’s what makes staying home with my kiddos and getting health insurance in the new year possible. I am humbled by your kindness!

Sarah

PS- If you want to stay “in the know” please like our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/funcycled You’ll see designs from the people who inspire me, be the first to know when new pieces are available, and just enjoy life with us! Get each of our new projects emailed to you when you enter your email address in the box at the top right side of this page.

“But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:31

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4 Treats for This Tuesday’s Treasures – White Buffet, Black and Grey Washed Dresser, Chevron Dresser and Chair Set

Happy Tuesday everyone! Before I get to the coveted before and after pictures for all the pieces on display this month, I have to share the exciting news of this week. We were featured on Domino Magazine’s facebook page this week and Life at Home magazine interviewed us. We going to be featured in their November issue. We are so blessed and humbled by both opportunities.

Ok, enough of that… my head will get big. ;) As promised when I announced all the new pieces that we brought down to Anchor No 5, this Tuesday’s Treasures will be a quick recap of each piece and the before and after shots.

Antique White and Raw Wood Buffet 

Before: 

Let’s start with this beautiful raw wood and white buffet. I bought this from a barn sale where all of the proceeds went to help support a local  home for orphaned children.  As I was looking around, this piece was caught my eye. I loved the thick wood and drawer faces. It had a lot of bumps and bruises but for some reason I fell in love with those bumps and bruises. :) I worked with them and incorporated it into the design. I’ve been craving for months now to use raw wood in a piece. This was it baby! I actually used spray paint for the exterior and painted it all white, then I heavily distressed it by using 80 grit sand paper. I took the drawers out, sanded them well with an orbital sander and then waxed the drawers to seal the raw wood. No stain here my friends. Then, I applied poly to the top to seal it up.

After: 

Black Distressed Dresser with grey washed drawers and Kelley green knobs
Before:

This dresser is solid wood and surprisingly heavy for it’s size. I bought this and was doing my  best to put it in the van by myself. Yeah, that was fun. :) Thankfully and older gentleman saw my struggle and came to my rescue. We popped it in the van with no problem – nothing like team work!!!

I used my favorite black paint – Benjamin Moore Black Low Lustre Enamel. It’s amazing. Then I gave it a medium distressing.

Then it was time to sand down all of the drawers and I wanted to use a very light grey wash on them. I played with grey paint while mixing it with water until I got the color I was looking for. I tested it on a spare board first and once I found what looked good, I painted the drawers. The pulls on this piece are a stunning Kelly Blue. Love, Love!

White and Grey Chevron Dresser with yellow knobs

To see how we painted chevron stripes, please see this post.

And last but most certainly not least… this Chevron and Eiffel Tower Chair Set.

I was at the Habitat for Humanity Restore and came across these beauties. They literally made me make that gasping for breath noise. You know what I mean… right in the middle of the store. I LOVE them. I knew my mom’s amazing upholstery skills would make these outdated chairs scream modern, with a coveted design. I am actually planning to keep these chairs for my new dining room set. Don’t worry, I’ll share pictures of that soon. :)

After:

Please make sure you check out our For Sale page to see the pricing and availability of these pieces.

Remember… If you like what we’re doing, please like us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/funcycled or share this on Pinterest! Also, you can now get each of our new projects emailed to you when you enter your email address in the box at the top right side of this page.

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Antique White and Raw Wood Buffet

Antique White and Raw Wood Buffet 

Black Distressed Dresser with grey washed drawers and Kelley green knobs

White and Grey Chevron Dresser with yellow knobs

And last but most certainly not least… this Chevron and Eiffel Tower Chair Set. Yup, there are 2!! 

I’m going to have before and after pictures of these pictures on next weeks Tuesday’s Treasures so stay tuned. If you have any questions about the piece Contact Us.

Have an great weekend!
Sarah

Remember… If you like what we’re doing, please like us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/funcycled or share this on Pinterest! Also, you can now get each of our new projects emailed to you when you enter your email address in the box at the top right side of this page.

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Custom Cedar Armoire – Tuesday’s Treasures

Happy Tuesday’s Treasures! I hope you had a great week. We enjoyed a beautiful week at the ocean since last Tuesday’s Treasures.

There is nothing like a week at the shore to rejuvenate the soul, but now I am eager to get back to the work I love. This weeks piece is an old cedar armoire. It was a nice big BEAST, but it needed some… how you say BEAUTY. So, let’s call this one beauty in the beast. Ha ha… I crack myself up.

A customer came to me wanting more storage in her living room for clothes because her downtown Troy apartment has no closets. Troy has some beautiful architecture and great rehabbed apartments but if you’ve lived in downtown Troy like I have, you understand how very annoying it is to have limited to no closet space.

When Britta came to me, she said that she loved our work and I could do anything I wanted to it. I fished for what color and style she would prefer, but she was a very trusting customer and she let me do whatever I wanted. All she said was that she liked color and she likes green and yellow. She wasn’t afraid of adding more colors, too!

So, I searched some general styles that I liked and then wanted to find just the right colors together. I went with Glidden’s Spanish Olive Green and Haystack Yellow. If you want to see how we paint furniture check out this link.

I’ve had people ask me what stencil I used for this piece, but I didn’t use a stencil. I hand drew the flowers in pencil and then I painted all of the flowers yellow (4 coats of yellow). I was thinking I may stop there, but once I finished I felt like it needed more color.  Britta is a really a fun, modern lady who deserved that much in a piece. So, I added aqua shadowing and two stripes down the sides. Are you ready for the after pictures?

We delivered it to Britta’s apartment and her neighbor walked by and said did you tell them you live on the 2nd floor yet?? I’m not sure if you can tell, but this beast is almost 6 feet tall. As we got to the steps she said oh and there’s a corner at the top. Lol! Thankfully we made it up without any problems and it’s now happily living in her apartment holding all sorts of stylish clothes, I’m sure!

Until Next Time,
Sarah

Remember… If you like what we’re doing, please like us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/funcycled or share this on Pinterest! Also, you can now get each of our new projects emailed to you when you enter your email address in the box at the top right side of this page.

 

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Krista’s Buffets on Tuesday’s Treasures

Happy Tuesday! So, if you haven’t heard me say it before, of all the things I love about redoing furniture, my favorite is doing custom orders. Both of these buffets were custom orders from a couple who just moved to our area. I know I say this alot, but I really have had so much fun working with Krista and Keith. Krista loves to say, “you pick, I can’t decide” and then lets me make the call. So far… she’s liked everything. Let’s hope I can keep it up. ;) There are many more to come. Thanks Krista!!

The first piece we started with is this buffet. John wanted to keep it at first, but since someone wanted it, he graciously gave it up. :P You know how it is, the shoemakers kids having no shoes. Or something like that. Lol!

Here’s what it started as.

Sorry, it’s a messy picture. Forgive me  OK? Life has been a bit hectic over here. ;)

We went with a nice bright red because I knew once this baby was distressed and glazed, it would have a deep color and make it a perfect focal point in Krista’s living room. If you want to see how we paint furniture, check out this page.

We used the original knobs and painted them using Rustoleum’s hammered bronze spray paint. Here it is…. all done!

This red buffet is going to be used in her living room as an entertainment center. Which is exactly what I had planned if I kept it for myself. Lol!

On to the next buffet. It started as this hideous beast. I didn’t think it was all that bad looking structurally, but why green plastic knobs?? Why oh why?? Who ever thought that was a good idea?

First we primed it using primer. I tried Glidden’s grey primer based on a recommendation from a helpful Home Depot guy, umm “associate”. I must say, even though I’m not a huge fan of Glidden’s regular paint, I really liked the primer. It did a great job.

After that I used my favorite black paint… that just went up in price again. Ouch. It hurts the pocket! I love it so much, I simply have to pay it anyway. It definitely love how it gives furniture a pottery barn finish. So beautiful!

If you want to see how we paint furniture, check out this page. On a side note, I think it’s soooo hard to take good pictures of black furniture. This baby came out beautiful and the pictures really don’t do it justice.

You”ll see many more pieces to come from Krista’s projects, but for now, thanks for looking!

Have an awesome week and happy redesigns,
Sarah

Remember… If you like what we’re doing, please like us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/funcycled or share this on Pinterest! Also, you can now get each of our new projects emailed to you when you enter your email address in the box at the top right side of this page.

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Coffee Table Time on Tuesday’s Treasures

Happy Tuesday everyone! My little sweetie will turn 3 before I say Happy Tuesday’s Treasures again. So sad! I can’t believe how fast she’s growing up.

This week, I thought I would show you two before and after’s of recently finished coffee tables. A coffee table is one of the first things you see when you walk into a living room so it can be an easy update to transform a room!  After finishing my friend Jo Ann’s Light Sage Coffee Table , Moe sent me a note on our facebook page saying… if you get another cedar chest, I place dibs on it. Right after I found one, I let her know and she gave me free reign to do what I wanted with only one request. Can you put the bird on it? Gladly my dear, gladly! Thanks Moe for being so much fun to work with and get to know!! :)

Here it is before…. definitely in need of some love. It is solid cedar, not a cedar veneer and it’s very old. The top was cracked so we had to replace it as well with a new top.

I wanted to go with a dark top because the living room and dining room in Moe’s house is an open concept room. Her dining room table is an ebony so ebony it was for this coffee table top. We removed the outside edge of the original top (which was damaged, too). Then we sanded the whole piece to make it ready for new paint. Painted and primed it with white latex satin paint.

After we stained the top ebony, we covered it 2 times with a polyacrilic for protection. Are you ready for the after?? You’ll hardly recognize it!

The second table has a fun story. A newly found friend, Theresa, called me up and said, can you do a table make over for me in less than a week?? My husband is going out of town and I want him to think I redid it. Lol! But of course, my dear, but of course. This is an antique table from her grandparents and her house is very pottery barn-ish. She had seen a picture with a similar table, but with white legs.

Here’s the before.

I stripped it naked with 80, 180, and 220 grit sand paper. In that order.

I love the grain… so beautiful!
Then I stained the top using Minwax Special Walnut stain. To seal the top, we used Minwax Finishing Wax instead of Poly and I’ve got to say, I’m in love with it. It gave it a smooth buttery finish. Are you ready for the after?

I also distressed the bottom to give it a more “antiqued look”. Oh, and fear not… she told her husband she didn’t do it. Lol! It was a fun challenge either way and I loved every minute of this redo!

Have an awesome week and happy redesigns,
Sarah

Remember… If you like what we’re doing, please like us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/funcycled or share this on Pinterest! Also, you can now get each of our new projects emailed to you when you enter your email address in the box at the top right side of this page.

 

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Primitive Red Buffet

It’s a rainy day here in NY so I thought I’d share the before and after pictures of this primitive red hutch that we recently finished.

Here it is before- definitely in need of some color… if you ask me. :)

We lightly sanded the surface, primed and painted it using a country red that I had on hand from some other projects. If you want to learn how we paint furniture, check out our How To Paint Furniture post.

After it was painted, I distressed it like the dickens and glazed it using colonial stain from Minwax. Are you ready for the after?? Man oh MAN! I wish I had room to keep this one. It’s for sale right now for $295 so email me if you’re interested.

I hope this brought some sunshine to your day!
Sarah

Remember… If you like what we’re doing, please like us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/funcycled or share this on Pinterest! Also, you can now get each of our new projects emailed to you when you enter your email address in the box at the top right side of this page.

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Tuesday’s Treasures Triple Treat

Hi everyone! I hope you had a wonderful Labor Day weekend with family and friends. John and I took a couple days off and just enjoyed our little ones while they are still little. ;)

For this week’s Tuesday’s Treasures, I thought I would show you the before and after pictures of the furniture pieces that are at Anchor No. 5 Boutique in Troy, NY for the month of September. Let’s start with this modern dresser. Here’s what he looked like to begin with. In most cases when you have a dresser that’s missing a drawer, you can put a basket(s) in it to make it work . . . just another way to FunCycle things that were on their way to the curb.

In this case, I didn’t want to use baskets because they wouldn’t really go with the modern lines of the dresser or the look that I wanted. So, I went with an old orange suit case and a modern, chic crate (that I paid way too much for… lol).

The dresser was painted a very, very light mint green. I couldn’t wait to use this color and this dresser was crying out for it. Yes, some times the kid’s crying makes me think even the furniture I redo is crying for my attention, too. Lol!

Up next, these chairs… you remember them, right? They are the same style chairs I used for Tiffany’s Dining Room Chair Set. This time we wanted to go with more pastel colors to compliment Ditty Drop’s Jewelry Designs. They are the featured business of the month in September at Anchor No 5.

After:

And last but surely not least…. this amazing transformation from a beat up, simple ole’ desk…

To this fun, modern chevron beauty.

For our painting tutorial see our How To Paint Furniture page. To get the pattern that we used to paint the chevron design for this desk see our How To Paint A Chevron Dresser post.

Have an awesome week and happy redesigns,
Sarah

Remember… If you like what we’re doing, please like us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/funcycled or share this on Pinterest! Also, you can now get each of our new projects emailed to you when you enter your email address in the box at the top right side of this page.

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Oh Baby! Chevron Dresser – Tuesday’s Treasures

A custom furniture request came in from our fan, Theresa, who was looking for something special for her nursery decor. Theresa and her husband are keeping the gender of their soon-to-be-arriving miracle a surprise so she wanted to go with something neutral. She gave me the size she wanted and let me go to town finding what would work. I found the perfect size and style within a couple days, I take that as an answer to prayer. ;) I quickly went to go pick up this beautiful antique and was planning to paint it in a shabby chic white. I was literally getting into my van after buying the dresser and I had a note from Theresa asking what I thought of Chevron. What do I think of Chevron?? By golly, I own Chevron shoes! I LOVE Chevron.

So, here she is before…. (and no, this isn’t at my house, it was where I picked her up). ;)

First I painted the dresser using a white Behr satin paint. If you want to see how we paint solid color dressers, see our post How To Paint Furniture. Last time I wrote a post on How to Paint a Chevron Dresser, I used a template to draw out the Chevron and then hand painted them. That worked out ok, but the lines weren’t as crisp as I wanted them to be and the paint was blotchy in spots. For this dresser I wanted to try a new way to paint Chevron stripes.

First, you want to grab your measuring tape. You’ll  need it a lot anytime you are going to be painting Chevron stripes. Start by dividing each drawer in half and drawing a line down the middle of each drawer using a pencil. Then, pick the angle that you like best. I started with the middle drawer and picked the angle of the V that I wanted to make. From there, mark two inches higher on the dresser and then use paint’s tape to make the next V. Continue that pattern until all of the drawers are done.

Since I painted this dresser white, I painted over the tape using the same white paint to ensure I would get crisp, clean stripes when I pulled away the painters tape. Let the white paint dry and then paint the drawers (I used Benjamin Moore’s Richmond Grey because that was the color of the walls in the bedroom and Theresa wanted it to match). When I first painted the grey it looked almost white and I was nervous that the difference would be too subtle. I couldn’t be more wrong… I definitely think the two colors are a beautiful compliment to each other.

Two other changes to the original plan. I thought it could use a grey stripe along the top, just to give it a modern feel. Also, we were going to paint the  knobs white, but I asked Theresa if I could paint them yellow instead. Yellow is gender neutral, right?? But of course!! She was such a delight to work with… a really good sport! On both accounts she said, I trust you, if you like it, do it!! Wow! I love my job on days like that. :) Thank you so much, Theresa!!

After I finished this one, I had to call my sister, Sarah, (yes, her name is Sarah, too, we’re not crazy… she came to live with us when she was 4. Love her to death!) and tell her I may need to make another baby just so I can make another one of these dressers. If you like this design, you may also like our new Chevron Desk. Check it out!

If you want one like this, let me know and I’ll hunt one down for you and make her pretty! :) I hope you all have an awesome week and live each day to the fullest!

This design was featured on the Better After Blog.

Happy Redesigns,
Sarah

Remember… If you like what we’re doing, please like us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/funcycled or share this on Pinterest! Also, you can now get each of our new projects emailed to you when you enter your email address in the box at the top right side of this page.