Vintage Drop Leaf Table - Makeover

I found this great table and gave it a new look and I love it so much better then the cherry wood. Here is the table.

This table measure 5ft 10 inches long and when you pull down the end and fold the center leaf this table measure 2ft long. It's a great pieces for small and large areas.

This table was cherry wood and I gave it two coats of ASCP French Linen and two coats of white. The reason I did French Linen and not just painted it white is because the red can bleed through. However in painting it French Linen first it really gave the white a nice effect. Once the paint was dry I gave it a good sanding and sealed the top. I really love this table and love how the French Linen lightly pop's through the white. It's just lovely.

Thanks so much for stopping by and to all the mom's everywhere "Happy Mother's Day"!

Hugs,

Vanessa

Furniture Highlight

I have been busy painting away and trying out new colors. So I am going to dive in and show you all the lovely pieces I have been working on.

These lovely end tables I painted white and distress them as well. The top right table is a vintage modern end table from the 1960's, LOVE! The top left rectangular table is over 50 years old and in great shape. But look at those curvy legs on the round table, lovely. LOL

I love finding good solid wood pieces and giving them new life.  

This next piece is a vintage drop leaf table with wheels. I painted it turquoise and added clear glaze with white paint. As you can see the table has a vintage feel with a modern face lift.  

This next piece is a country oak drop leaf table/bench and I painted it in Kelly green, then I distressed it. I used the ASCP dark wax to give it a more aged look and it just changed the look of the paint. Love it! This pieces lasted two days and it was sold.

I also painted these wooded frames with the Kelly Green and it was sold in one hour. I am loving this green, how about you?

I have more projects I am finishing up on and will post on Thursday. I appreciate you stopping by and LOVE your sweet comments. Have a great week.

Hugs,

Vanessa

Monthly Meet & Greet - Stringtown Home Hosting!

Hi, everyone!  It's that time, again... it's the monthly meet & greet!

 Remember - the whole point of the Meet & Greet is to make new friends!  So.... make sure that you follow the host (Stringtown Home), and all of the monthly cohosts!

Then, make sure you link up all of the places that we can follow your blog!  We wanna be your friend, and we wanna follow your blog! 

Also, are you interested in being a cohost?  If so, email stringtownhome@hotmail.com for more information!

Happy Linking, everyone!

How to paint furniture

When picking up pieces of furniture I always look for real wood. They are well made and it holds up better. A few weeks ago I picked up this lovely cherry wood credenza and knew right away the colors I was going to paint this piece. I picked up True Turquoise by Glidden and Caribbean by Valspar. I did have the paints made at Home Depot.

I lightly sanded down this piece to get the shine off then I wiped clean. The reason I chose to sand this piece is because I wasn't going to make my paint into a homemade chalk paint.  I did not have to prime this pieces because the paint already contain primer. 

I painted the outside and top of this piece with the True Turquoise and I gave it two coats. The doors and the drawer I painted with the Caribbean and it took two coats as well. I also chose not to paint the inside or the hardware. The reason why I didn't paint the inside is simple, it's a lot of work to paint the inside perfect. I also figure the show stopper is going to be the outside and not the inside. 

Once the paint was dry I took my 250 grit sandpaper to distress this pieces. Once I was done with the distressing I went over it with a 1000 grit to make the piece smoother. This is something I prefer to do because I found the wax absorbs better. Lastly, I used clear wax over the entire piece. If you are not sure about wax go here to see my tutorial.  

Here is the finished product and it did not last long in the shop. I really love the contrast between the two colors and these colors are happy colors, don't you think?

Thank you so much for popping over today. I have been sick the last 6 weeks and just kept pressing on till last week on Friday when I woke up very dizzy, hot and sick to my stomach. I finally went to see my doctor and I have fluid it in my ears which cause the dizziness. However, Florida is having the worst season for people who have allergies and it happened to affect me. This is why I had fluid it in my ears. I am glad I know what is wrong and today I don't have so much congestion but I still feel a little foggy in the head, LOL doesn't sound good. I will have some more projects for you so you come back and I love to hear from you in the comments. Have a great day!

Hugs, 

Vanessa

Furniture Features

I am back to show you my latest projects. I took this lovely pine table and sanded it down.

Once I was done with the sanding, I picked up a quart of True Turquoise by Glidden and gave this table two coats of paint. The paint contained primer so it was easy. Once the paint was dry, I used a 220 grit then 600 and 1000. I know that's a lot of sand paper, however, I've found when I used these three, the surface is smoother and when I add wax or poly coat it adheres better. I especially love using all three grits over chalk paint and the becomes silky smooth. Then when you add the wax it absorbed into the pieces, like a baby's bottom. In case you want to find the 600 and higher grit go to an auto store. 

Once I was done sanding the table I added two coats of Minwax water-base poly coat. In 24 hrs. the poly is completely dry and the table can be used. On dining tables I do prefer to use water-based poly over wax because it's a piece that will get the most wear and over time wax will wear off.

I have more pieces to show you this week so pop over on Thursday. I am still learning to manage my time with family, business and blog. I don't want to give up my blog because I love blogging. So bear with me as I go through these growing pains. :)

Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great week!

Hugs,

Vanessa

How To Apply Furniture Wax

I have received many requests on how to apply furniture wax and what brand I use. I'm going to share with you today what I like to use;

Pic 1 - I use a plain white tee shirt and apply a small amount of clear wax. Work in small sections at a time. Do not apply wax to your entire piece of furniture at once. Then to go back to rub it in. I found the wax tends to dry and you don't want that.
Pic 2 - When I apply the wax I go in a clockwise motion.

Pic 3 & 4 - Use another clean tee shirt and going in a clockwise motion to rub in the wax. Continue this motion till you feel the tee shirt is gliding on the surface. Also, when you touch the piece of furniture it should feel smooth to the touch.

Pic 5 - In this picture the top half of the table to the middle you can see a faint line this is where I left off when I applied the wax. Once I rubbed in the wax, I then over lap the first section when I am applying more wax.

 Pic 6,7,8,9 - The table all done.

To summarize this post is apply the wax clockwise and rub in the wax going left, just like in the original movie, The Karate Kid. The two brands I have used are Annie Sloan clear wax and minwax clear wax paste. The Annie Sloan is low odor and easy to use, however the minwax has a strong odor. I plan on picking up the SC Johnson paste wax and giving this one a try. Diane from In My Own Style recommends it. Thanks for stopping by and see you all on Tuesday. Have a Bless Weekend!

Hugs,

Vanessa

DIY Furniture

Last week was a long week for me, because my family and I had been sick. It was the worst Spring break ever. We all had stuffy noses, coughs, headaches and fevers. We are at the tail end of it now and everyone is back to school and work. It's hard to believe school is going to be letting out in 10 weeks and I have so much to do before the kids are out.

Here are the DIY furniture painting projects I have lined up for this week.

Pic 1 - I have this great wooded step and cabinet. I have not figured out what color to paint the cabinet in, but I'm sure it will come to me.

Pic 2 - Last year you may recall this table I stained in cherry, well I plan on changing the color. Also do you remember this lovely reading side table. I have it prepped and ready to go for a fresh coat of paint.

This lovely desk is something I picked up for my little girl. At first I was not sure of the color, but it isn't too bad and I am going to leave it for now. My girl loves her new desk and the drawers are her favorite part. Too funny!

On Thursday, I am going to share some things about wax paste. I have been getting a lot of questions about different waxes and the application of it, so come back on Thursday. Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a great week.

Hugs,

Vanessa