Red Radio Cabinet

You may have seen a similar cabinet on Pinterest. Like me, you may have even pinned it. Twice. And you might have also thought, "I NEED that." Of course, radio cabinets aren't all that easy to come by, but when you do find one on Craigslist. In your town. You BUY it! And then you paint it RED.

Okay, so that's what happened. One dark and stormy night, the ever-beleaguered Hubby went out and brought home this bad boy: an antique wood radio cabinet.

I seriously thought about painting it white. "White goes with everyone's décor," I said. But my daughter convinced me to go for the red. "Not too many people can fit red into their house," I said. "Yes," she answered, "but that means the ones who can will be REALLY excited to find something in red."

Okay!

Here's a quick rundown of the process. First, Hubby removed the fabric "speaker" in the front. Then I sanded a few of the rough spots. Not enough, though. After I painted, some of the dents showed through, but we'll call that "character."

Then I primed it with Zinsser primer. This step may or may not have been necessary. I was going for a bit heavier distressing than usual, so I could have probably gone without the primer.

Then I painted the whole piece red. (Acrylic craft paint, Walmart craft section.) After that, I sanded it with a sanding block.The red was a tad on the orangey side, but I didn't mind because I knew I'd be going over it with a dark stain, which is the last process: to brush on stain and wipe it off. The stain helps bring out the sanded wood, essentially staining it again. It also adds depth and a little shine to the piece while giving it a layer of protection.

I really love how she turned out! Once again, I wish I had a bigger house, because I'd keep this one! Alas, it is moving on to greener pastures.

Lamest Post Ever

Okay, I've been working kind of sporadically this summer. For a long time we thought we were moving to Michigan, so I didn't want to start a bunch of projects and make my house all cluttered and messy. However, we just decided last month that we would NOT be moving. In all the confusion and switching-gears I decided to start doing projects again. Because nothing takes my mind off life-changes like painting an armoire!

Here are a couple of projects I've done in the last week or two. I didn't bother with a lot of before/during photos, so sorry for that. But, if you're like me, you can still enjoy a good makeover.

Hoping to bring LOTS more projects as fall creeps in.

Updated an old wood computer cabinet with a little paint and distressing.



A little punkin painted on reclaimed wood.



This design was from a cute pin I saw on Pinterest! Love it!

Media Cabinet Makeover

Even before spring officially arrived, I'd been chomping at the bit wanting to do a new Porch project. I've got a pile of things in the basement, and technically I'm supposed to be stopping the madness to get our house ready to put on the market, but I admit it. I have a problem. I see something cute and I just want to make it cuter!

Like this TV cabinet for example.

I love, love, LOVE curvy little legs and cute little doors with tiny little knobs and well... I saw this baby's potential and wanted to make her SHINE.

My original plan was too ambitious for hubby. I wanted to gut this cabinet and add barnboard shelves and a beadboard back, but it wasn't to be. Hubby is maxed out with his own work at the moment, so I had to settle for what I could do on my own, mainly painting.

So, I started with Zinsser primer. It sticks to everything and is essential if you don't want to sand. Next came a couple layers of a country white latex paint. After that, I scraped and sanded away at the edges to give this cabinet a chippy, vintage look. Finally, I brushed on a walnut stain/sealer and wiped it off with a cotton rag.

Actually, it was hubby's shirt. If you're going to steal a cotton shirt out of your husband's drawer and use it for staining furniture, I highly recommend doing it when he's at work. Fighting is bad for a marriage, so let's just avoid it.

This little lady is still drying, but I'm hoping to get her out onto the Porch and take some nice photos with a little natural light to really show her off!

Depression-Era Hutch Makeover

I scored this sweet depression-era hutch recently and gave it a fabulous makeover! Check out this photo-heavy post:

BEFORE: She was so dark and brown, not bad, but scratched up. I just knew a coat of white paint and a little distressing would really bring out her curvy details!

AFTER! This hutch is lighter, brighter and full of chippy charm!

Before & After!

 

Perfect. Just the way they are...

Sometimes I find or buy items that just scream, "Make me over!" They are usually scratched or neglected or from the 1970s. Other times, though, an item is so old or beautiful or perfectly rusted or chipped that I can't bear to alter it. Here are a few of those "found" items that I decided to just leave alone.

This cute little bench came from a flea market.
I loved the old leather top and rusty studs.

I found this lady left all alone on a curb. She was so graceful and
perfectly chipped. I just updated her hardware, painted some corner details,
and added a basket for her missing top drawer. Beautiful!

This potting table was a thrift store find. With its metal top and chipped paint
I couldn't even think about changing it! It's found a home on my Porch. :)

My daughter found these little lanterns on a curb. Perfectly rusty and chipped!

Another "free" find, this old wash bucket is a home for my impatiens!

Bought all this rusty hardware at a flea market. LOVE the patina!

Originally, I bought this RCA radio cabinet to gut and paint. But
after my hubby found out the radio STILL WORKED I couldn't
bring myself to gut it.