Search Results for: broken to beautiful

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Weekend Trip to an Off the Grid Tree House Stay

Hi Friends!

As you probably know already, I’ve been doing 40 new experience before I turn 40! My birthday is October 7th so it’s quickly approaching! One of the things on my list was sleeping in a tree house! I looked at tree houses all over the country and the pricing was really high! Since I’m trying to do quite a few new experiences, I had to be careful with the cost for each adventure. Then I found this tree house stay in Pattersonville, Ny!

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The pictures don’t do this tree house justice. You can tell it was created by an artist! The stonework and twigs woven throughout the staircase were beautiful. Since there was no hot water and only a composting out door toilet so we only stayed one night which was perfect. We have been pushing our energy levels a bit by pressing hard to get the CO of our trolley house, while also having company staying with us for a week, and of course normal work that pays the bills. :) We went into Friday night all feeling like we didn’t even want to go to the tree house, but the whole stay was so refreshing!

We arrived and were surrounded by creation, animals, quiet, creativity, and kindness. It was just what our family needed. We all agreed this was probably our favorite stay of the year! (And we did a lot of fun things this year.)

They also had what felt like an art installation in the woods filled with old cars, broken mirrors, and a trampoline. I couldn’t decide if it was creepy or cool. Harmony loved the trampoline!

When we woke up and started our campfire to take the chill off. We were quickly surrounded by sheep and goats who wanted to be a part of the party. While we sat there soaking it all up, the owner came out and brought us a hot breakfast. Boiled eggs, fresh hot biscuits with local jam, delicious cider in a mason jar, coffee, and fresh fruit and yogurt.

We met one of the owners, Ed, who lives in this little house (off the grid as well).

The shed next to it is for the goats to live in!

If you like the outdoors, trying something new, unique artistry, and farm animals, this is an experience I would recommend… unless you’re not nice. Ed says only nice people are welcome. :) Visit Mariaville Goat Farm for more information.

I hope you this helps you have some fresh new ideas if you’re looking for a weekend trip from upstate Ny! If you have any other spots you love in these areas, please share it in the comments below for others to enjoy! 

There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today! 

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

If you like what you see, please like FunCycled’s Facebook page to keep up to date on the newest travel tips, interior design trends, and kitchen and furniture repurposing projects. 

Send us a note with if you’re interested in our design services or custom furniture using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.

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Polo Blue Dresser Makeover

Hi Friends,

We had a sad weekend with the passing of our 13 year old lab, Mel. She was such a sweet girl and we’ve had her our kids whole life so it’s been an adjustment since Saturday. We are so thankful for all the beautiful years we had with her though. Way back then, John picked her up from a house in Troy with a pizza box top sign that said “free puppies” and called me at work to tell me. I was 8 months pregnant with Josh then and I didn’t want a dog, but John wanted to raise our kids with a family dog. I took one look at her and there was no looking back! She’s been such a good dog for the last 13 years. Sweet spirited, never chewed anything up, house broken instantly (never made one mess as a puppy), gentle with both tiny kids, and trained our animals well. We’ll miss you Mel girl.

On a happier note, we just finished up a beautiful dresser makeover and added it to Our Shop page. Here’s the dresser before:

It needed quite a bit of external repair. So we repaired the missing veneer, sanded the wood smooth, and painted the whole thing with Benjamin Moore’s Polo Blue. We also painted the original hardware gold to make it pop off the blue. I LOVE how it turned out.

If you want to see how we paint furniture, check out our How to Paint Furniture post. Ready for the after photos?

Polo Blue Dresser Makeover
Polo Blue Dresser with Navy Hardware
Polo Blue Dresser For Sale

This set is available to purchase! Contact us to purchase! 

Thank you all for following along! If you’d like to get this blog in your email once a week, please sign up for our weekly newsletter by adding your email in the little box below my picture. 

If you’ve enjoyed this post, please like FunCycled on  Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest if you don’t already. Keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. We share fun tutorials, great before and after, and new design inspirations. 

We offer interior design, kitchen cabinet painting, and custom built tables, barn doors, and repurposed furniture. Thank you, again, for working with us and for taking the time to spread the word about what we do. 

Happy FunCycling Friends,
Sarah ;)

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Commercial Design – Albany Apartments

Hi Friends,

We had am unexpectedly hard day on Friday. Just one normal happy morning that ended in the hospital… the scariest day of my life.

Harmony and Josh went with friends to a town park while I was getting the car worked on. They had just shuttled me home and John was out doing work deliveries. 
My friend called to say Harmony fell off the diving board and hit her head then handed me off to the EMT on-site. He said they already called 911 and an ambulance was on its way. 
I ran outside and asked Matt (who works for us) to throw me his keys. He so kindly gave them without any hesitation. Thanks Matt!! 

I went as fast as I could but 10 minutes from the park got a call that they couldn’t wait any longer and she was headed to the hospital. THANK GOD John made it there before me as they were putting her in the ambulance and rode with her to the hospital!
I turned back around to head to the hospital. I don’t even remember much of the drive except that there was a couch in the middle lane of the highway that I had to swerve around. 

I just kept praying and called a couple people to spread the word to pray. 
When I arrived at the hospital, they weren’t there yet so I paced and prayed and paced and prayed. 

When I walked in to see her, instant tears. It was the saddest thing I’d ever seen as a mom. I found out she was getting a running start for the dive on a 9 feet high diving board. While she was backing up, she went too far and fell backwards off the board down to the concrete. We think her head hit a step first and then her left side took most of the impact on the concrete. 

Harmony and I cried and hugged. I tried to ask how everything happened so we knew what to have checked but she said talking about it made her sad and would just cry. She slowly told me more details all night and even now. 

The grace part??? This could have been so much worse. All the doctors couldn’t believe how good she was for the fall she took! Two of the lifeguards at the pool were my good friends kids (thank you Emma and Sevi). Harmony told me how kind you both were and telling me about you was the first smile I saw on her face. 

Harmony has a laceration at the top of her head that needed staples, has a concussion, and has huge bruising on her left side. But nothing is broken. Nothing. All the doctors kept saying she’s so lucky. I choose to believe God was watching over her and thank Him so much for a happy ending to this story. 
We are home now. She’s sore but in good spirits!!

Harmony said to me the day it all happened, I’m so thankful we have God to give us strength on days like today. He makes it so much better. 💕💕 You’re right sweet Harmony Grace. So right. I know this isn’t the ending to everyones story, but I’m so grateful it’s the ending to ours today.

Continue reading Commercial Design – Albany Apartments
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Waterfall Buffet Makeover

Hi Friends,

How are you? We’ve had a wonderful weekend celebrating my little Sweetie’s birthday! We were able to give her the gift of her dreams this year… a puppy! So let me introduce you to the cutest girl on the planet accompanied by the sweetest dog on the plant… Sadee!

She’s half Pomeranian and half Chihuahua and as cute as they come! Such a good baby who’s already crate trained and almost house broken. She gets along with our lab like they’ve known each other forever, too! Sadee is our first small dog, so if you have any small dog advice, please share it below.

For this week’s furniture makeover, we started with a waterfall buffet. I’m not a huge fan of waterfall style furniture. I’m not sure why, but I’m never drawn to it. Here it is before:

I decided to go with a stark white on the box of this piece because I wanted to detract from the waterfall top and help to focus on the graining in the woodwork of the doors. The veneer has such a beautiful pattern!

We painted the outside Simply White by Benjamin Moore and stained the drawers with a weathered gray stain. If you want to see how we paint furniture, check out our How to Paint Furniture post.

Once Katie found out I painted this piece similar to her Secretary Desk Project, she bought it before we even brought it to the store! Thanks so much for the business, Katie! Are you ready for the afters?

Such an amazing transformation, right?

Please check out other new furniture for sale on our website here or let us know if you could use some help with decorating. Please use our Contact Us form or stop by our store at 272 River Street, Troy, NY. I also added quite a few other new pieces to the store!

There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today!

Happy FunCycling Friends,
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. 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 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.

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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.

2014-08-11_0036We’re partnering with Hope International to raise money to help people in need like Ms. Chiang.

Ms. Chiang: the innovator

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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.”

P1010005-1-webTo 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.

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For Sale Mid Century White & Ombre Stained Buffet – Tuesday’s Treasures

It’s been a great week here at our house. The best kind of week! Some may want their kids to be rich and live a care free life, others want them to be cute, popular and good in sports. I get that. Those things can be good. My very deepest heart’s desire though is to have children who love God and live for Him. I know that means they might not have it easy or be the most popular. Our prayer from day one was that they would come to know Christ as their personal Savior and want to live life to honor Him. I know that religion and politics are no no’s mixed with business, but this blog is about our lives. I wouldn’t be myself or real to life without sharing the very deepest, integral part of our lives with you, too. Continue reading For Sale Mid Century White & Ombre Stained Buffet – Tuesday’s Treasures

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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.

hope spoken
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.

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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!

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

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.

 

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Antique Desk Makeover – Tuesday’s Treasures

So, who remembers this desk from our Upcoming Projects page? The leg was broken, but we had all the pieces to bring it back to life. :)

It’s a beautiful piece, right? I fell in love with it right away and was so excited when John told me the leg was fixable. Jennifer noticed it on our upcoming projects page and asked me to redo it for her. I was so excited to hear that she wanted it in teal and dark brown. John had to take the base apart, add new dowels and glue everything back together. We also had to repair some damaged veneer using Bondo and sanding it flat. If you want to see how we paint furniture, check out this post: How to Paint Furniture 

I painted the bottom with a custom mix of teals that I used for a different dresser that Jennifer liked. After everything was painted, I distressed and glazed the entire piece (even on the brown top) and added new hardware.

Stunning, right?

I also redid a marvelous chair in brown to go with it. Yummy goodness!

Oh, and I think Jennifer needs this desk lamp, too. ;)Vintage Teal Phone Clock Lamp

It’s for sale on Etsy from The Vintage Tree House. Full of cuteness!

I hope you all have a great week. God bless.

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah

If you like what you see, please like our face book 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.

 

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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: http://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)