Y’all know I love the hunt for treasure at the local thrift store. Lucky me, I happened to find two complimentary crystal lamps for my master bedroom at two different thrift stores. Obviously, the reason they had been donated was because of their brass trim. But as you know from last week’s post, brass does not frighten me one bit.

The lamps had to be completely disassembled, including cutting the wires, then painted, and finally reassembled with a “make-a-lamp” kit. Along the way, I picked up some electrical lingo and taught myself how to make a lamp. Here’s how it all went down.

First, take a look at the ‘Before’ and ‘After’ for the lamp for my side of the bed.

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We have a lovely little front porch, with white columns and benches, divided pane windows, and hydrangea bushes that thrive nearby in their happy spot, but the porch was still lacking a bit of greenery, so I began the process of sprucing it up with some new fiberglass urns spotted at Home Dept for $39 each.  I love bronze, but up close, these had an orangey coppery detail that did not complement my decor, so I decided to give them a more formal and elegant look with the use of (non other than) spray paint.

Before and After:

I’ve painted plastic planters before with good results, and realized that the same product can be used to paint fiberglass. 

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For me, 50% off day at the St. Vincent de Paul is the definition of excitement.  Not only do I love the treasure hunt, not only do I get giddy at the thought of a big discount, but I relish the opportunity to transform found objects in a way not contemplated by others. I found a little lost footboard, sitting in the dust, behind all of the other large furniture, scratched, neglected and alone. This poor little end of a bed had no mate.  From the cobwebs surrounding it, I could tell no one had glanced at it in awhile.  It was $25, but then 50% off, so I brought it home for $12.50 for a complete makeover.

Please say hello to the new and improved version of my footboard.  This little lady can multitask.  Not only is she able to sit outside and be charming as a chalkboard, she is also a unique home message board and organizer, complete with chalkboard center, and ceramic knobs for hanging sweaters, umbrellas, and hats.

Before and After, outdoor style:

Before and After, indoor style:

How to Transform a Footboard into a Message Center:

Supplies:

1. Footboard
2. Medium grade sandpaper
3. Primer
4. Paint color of choice
5. Chalkboard paint
6. Knobs of choice
7. D Ring Hangers
8. Screwdriver

Step One:  Sand your footboard to remove all traces of varnish.  Prime your piece with spray or brush on primer.  With these smaller projects, I prefer spray primer for faster application and drying time.  Apply two coats and allow to dry.

Step Two:  Cover your footboard with your paint color of choice, whether by brush or spray.  Again, I chose to cover with spray in a favorite color: Rustoleum’s Heirloom White.  Apply two coats and allow to dry.

One nice thing about this particular kind of spray paint: it is for outdoor use as well.  So when you paint with this product, you may use your transformed footboard outside !  (See photos below.)

Step Three:  When your paint is dry, tape it off so to allow for application of chalkboard paint.  There I go again with the spray version for faster application and drying time.  Apply two coats and allow to dry.

Tip:  This particular brand of chalkboard spray I chose was very sensitive to whether there was a good coat of primer underneath.  In one corner, it started to peel up since the primer there was too thinly applied. I had to go back in just that corner, sand it again, prime it again, then apply the chalkboard paint again.

You can use this project to add an interesting element to your outdoor decor.

I like how this particular footboard already had curved pencil trim that made the placement of chalkboard paint easy.  If you find a plain footboard, you can easily add your own trim with molding and a miter box. If your intention is to use your piece indoors as a place for hanging hats or handbags, then follow these additional steps.

Step Four:  Drill pilot holes with a drill bit.  Attach knobs to the bottom of your footboard.

I chose to use two kinds of cream colored ceramic knobs to complement the paint color:

Step Five:  Locate your wall studs, and line up your footboard with the studs.  Mark the location of the studs on your footboard.   Attach D ring hangers to the rear of your footboard, then hang on your wall.

This recycled footboard now hangs in the hallway as a place for handbags, umbrellas, sweaters and winter hats, for our family’s use and for guests as well.  I like that I chalkboard center allows me to change the wording depending on the occasion, or the season.

Here’s just another way to change up an ordinary piece of furniture, and revamp it in a unique way.

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I have some good friends, David and Robyn, who have been remodeling their country property for the past year.  They are also adding massive amounts of fruit trees and vegetation to their very special 10 acres, located here in Sonoma County. David happens to have a very green thumb, and yesterday I had the pleasure of touring his culinary garden, and also watching him and his assistant build a redwood planter box.

How to build a simple raised planter box out of redwood:

Step One:  Prep soil with amendment and with a rototiller or good rake.

Step Two:  You can cut your lumber yourself, but it is easier to have the wood supplier cut your redwood to your specifications.  In David’s case, he went with a 12 foot length.  He reminded me that you cannot use pressure treated lumber, since those chemicals would leach into your prized vegetables.

Step Three:  Screw your 4 x 4 posts to your side lengths with 3” deck screws.

Step Four:  Attach your long lengths of redwood to your finished ends.

Step Five:  (optional)  Attach gopher netting to base of your planter if you have problems with this type of rodent.

Step Six:  Stake your raised planter to the ground, and fill with good potting soil.

Sorry for forgeting to shoot the entire planter, but you can see part of it in this photo, where David has just started his strawberry patch:

I was also impressed with David’s waist high raised planters that he built for his 80 year old mother, so she doesn’t have to bend down.  Check these out:

He built a platform to support this mega raised bed, and held it all together with galvanized bolts.  Then he created a detachable hot house with PVC pipe, some fittings, clamps, and plastic.  Brilliant !

And he starts all of his plants from seed, and nurtures them right here on this potting bench:

I am so glad to have friends like Robyn and David, not only because they teach me so much, but because I hope to enjoy some of their garden bounty all summer and fall.

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