I’m such a fool for vintage linens.  I especially love heirloom fabrics with hand embroidered details, or cottons with a touch of ladylike lace.  Vintage tea towels remind me of something I’d see nestled on top of my grandmother’s vanity beside her silver comb and mirror. 

So when I spotted a stack of vintage tea towels at a local antique store for a few dollars each, I purchased three to create some unique pillows for friends who are about to have little ones. 

Just like a bride, I think every nursery deserves a touch of something old and something new.  So I created these tea towel pillows  – they are sewn together with a crisp cotton  vintage tea towel, a scrap of accent fabric, and some modern trim. 

Read the rest of this entry »

Every time I go to antique fairs, I am always drawn to those pieces that someone has glazed with a bold color.  My entire house is filled with mostly dark wood tones or white painted furniture, so this time, I thought I’d have some fun !

As you know from this week’s sordid tale about stripping paint off furniture, I had my little heart set on giving my previously white Craigslist dresser the look of a French antique.   With spring drawing very near, I thought it a good time to add a pop of color to our home.  To me, turquoise is a color that is simultaneously vibrant and calming, and a reminder of coastal waters by the sea.

You’ll recall the ‘Before’ with the multiple layers of white chipping paint, and here is the dresser after it was mostly stripped of it’s paint. 

Here is the patina dresser, given a romantic new look, and refinished in this fresh new color.  

I just love this piece now.  It looks like something I’d want to buy from an antique shop!  To achieve this look, I invested in new knobs, some appliqués, and some paint.  (Sources below)

Read the rest of this entry »

So I bought this little dresser many months ago from Craigslist for twenty buckaroos.   It was the perfect fit for my mud room niche by the back door.  I needed its drawers to store all sorts of family things like those gym membership cards I rarely use, or the computer cords that belong to some contraption lost somewhere in my house. 

I also needed it to store winter scarves, hats, mittens and other seasonal items.  This dresser’s proportions were perfect and its price was right !  So I brought it home and tolerated its chippy white paint job for many moons until it dawned on me. 

This dresser was the perfect candidate for a little experiment I call ‘The Patina Project’.   I wanted to transform this little dresser into something with a little more personality and a Provencal feel.  I also wanted to find out just how two strippers would match up in the ring.  Old school chemicals vs. nouveau citrus paint peelers. 

The victim:   

There were several layers of paint all over this baby, and I had no idea what kind of paint it was.  Since my ultimate plan was to give it a rustic antique French country look, I boldly decided to strip all those layers off.   To me, painting over it would have felt like putting on dirty socks after a shower.  Or clean socks on muddy feet.  Or something sort of like that. 

Enter the two contenders.  In the left corner, weighing in at 32 fluid ounces was the old school KleanStrip, famous for its speed and paint crushing abilities.  Dangerous.  Flammable.  Unpopular with the greener public for its toxic reputation and the methylene chloride pumping through its veins. 

In the right corner, weighing in at 32 fluid ounces, was the young newcomer Citristrip.  A kinder smelling non-caustic version missing the methylene chloride, daring to challenge the old school establishment.  

Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve been reflecting on my master bedroom, and its décor and I’ve concluded it’s pretty nice so far, but in need of some modern upgrades.  I’m really seeking to take the bedroom to the next level.  You know, add some elegant wainscoting, change up the art display, add some dramatic sconces, some upholstered seating, and perhaps a glitzy mirror above the bed.  Really glam it up a with a hint of that Old Hollywood style.

Our master gets morning light, but becomes really dark in the afternoon and evening.  For the longest time, I was looking for a mirrored buffet like this one from Z Gallerie to put under the front window to pull light into the space.  Plus, I have a storage issue in my bedroom.  I have several dozen half finished books that I’m committed to reading, so they simply cannot leave the room.  And a ton of magazines piling up again.  Yet all of those books and magazines were collecting dust and I really needed a storage solution for my bedtime reading material.

Enter this downtrodden substitute from the local thrift store.

A beautiful piece of cabinetry in my eyes, but sad too.  I can tell that someone wanted to fix her up, but gave up.  Perhaps because the top and side panels are veneer.  Or perhaps because this piece had taken a lot of abuse.

Read the rest of this entry »

I have a new best friend, and it is a can of paint. 

You’re surprised ?

My friends, I’m here to tell you about a can of semi-gloss that sets my heart awhirl.  It’s made by Pratt & Lambert and it’s called ‘Opulence Pearl’ (also available in silver and gold).  It can be tinted or used just as it is.  Valspar has a comparable product available at Lowes.  This version from Pratt & Lambert is a semi-translucent paint that gives just that subtle pearlescent finish that I adore.  Like a moth to a flame, any accessory that shines with a mother of pearly finish and I go gaga.   (Hence, the recent vintage case purchase.)

“Hello, my name is Kate and I’m addicted to shimmer finishes.”

I wanted to try it out on a few pieces before using it in a larger project.  Take a peek at these $5 dollar Goodwill finds transformed with two coats of white paint, and two coats of Opulence Pearl. 

Lamp, Before and After

Looky loo at this new pearly shine.  So puuuuurty.

Read the rest of this entry »

Hiya friends.  I was just looking back through the archives doing a little blog housekeeping.  In looking back to February to the beginning of this little online adventure of mine, it seems I’ve been a teensy bit busy.  In hindsight, all I can say is I should have bought stock in some home improvement and fabric stores, cause I sure spent a few cents throughout the year sprucing up some stuff. 

A few folks have been asking for a roundup, and perhaps a few of you who are new around here may have missed some of these crazy schemes eager projects. 

So here’s a look back at thirty of my Before and Afters from this past year.  These were all completed by yours truly and include a range of projects, from the smaller afternoon paint transformations to some totally overhauled spaces.  They’re in no special order of importance. 

For the full articles, just click on the titles . . 

. . . and away we go !

# 30 – Garage Sale Benches

This pair of mismatched benches were forced to coordinate with some gel stain, and then recovered with some bright fabric and pom pom trim to create tea party perches in my daughter’s room. 

#29 – Balcony Upgrades in One Afternoon

Mr. CG’s office mates had a plain balcony until I upgraded it in an afternoon as a birthday present. 

Before:

After: 

This use of river rocks was featured by Apartment Therapy as a great way to mulch plants. 

For the full tour of the entire balcony space, click here.   

Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve never had a problem with brown.  I love brown, especially chocolate brown.  I think it looks amazing when paired with crisp white or warm cream and a really hot color.  But I was totally over brown in my home office.  Everything in there was brown, the walls, the furniture, the curtains.  Blah blah blah brown. 

The home office is the first door just off the entry way, and was always closed whenever visitors came over.  Quite frankly it was more of a storage space and less of an office for many years.  The first thing I ever did when I heard the doorbell was close the office door.  

When I spied some bookcases on clearance for $20 dollars each at a local outlet that was closing its doors, something clicked in my brain.  “I spy with my little eye a home office remodel.” 

It took me five months to finally get around to completing the entire space since I’ve been busy with other things (ahem, life) but it got a complete overhaul from floor to ceiling and now I can say it is finally finished.   

Here the After:

Here’s the Before – these are the ‘uncluttered’ pics:

Here’s the story. 

Read the rest of this entry »

Months ago, I chanced upon some bookcases at the local Villeroy and Boch that was closing its doors.  When I found out the outlet store was selling their displays for $20 dollars each, I was inspired to remodel my blah blah brown home office. 

Perhaps you recall the twin glass shelf towers that I transformed way back in August that sit on the other side of the space.  Those were easy peasy.  The accompanying bookcases ?  Not so much.  I didn’t realize at the time I brought them home how much extra work it would take to get them into ship shape.  It took me three months to face facts – these required more than just a quick coat of paint.  They had some problems that required extra attention to detail. 

Here’s a peek at one of the two bookcases we just finished that give me that built in look, an extra work table, and plenty of storage.  They were the final hurdle to completing the home office remodel. 

In the store before, and now installed in my office.

Read the rest of this entry »

I heart strippers. 

No not those kind.  I knew your mind would go there. 

No, I like the kind of strippers that take layers of paint off an old piece of furniture.

Last week, I was working on a dresser and nightstand combo for my brother’s bachelor pad.  I found this set at the local thrift for $25 dollars for the pair.  They’re solid wood !  However, the chipped pistachio green paint job was not the shade we were going for. 

So with the help of a chemical stripper, I took them from this:

To this:

I picked these pieces because of their modern streamlined design and the pewter hardware.  Also because they were inexpensive and the perfect size for his small bedroom space.  He rents in San Francisco where large bedrooms are very rare.  I thought it a good idea to strip the paint off of the pieces to get right to the wood so we could start over with primer and paint.  A chemical stripper was the fastest answer. 

Read the rest of this entry »

Over the course of our remodel, we hired a dear friend Mike to handle some of the larger painting projects.  Mike is a professional painter with 20 years experience, and a wealth of information when it comes to choosing paint products.  Mike has taught me a lot about painting, and is always available when I have questions about what products I should use.

So when I picked up a buffet and hutch back in August at the local St. Vincent de Paul thrift store, I knew I wanted to give it a fresh coat of white paint.  Most of the time, when I’m brushing or rolling paint on walls or furniture, I choose latex for its quick drying time and easy cleanup.  For this hutch, I wanted a paint job that was extremely durable with a very hard shell glossy finish.  Oil based primer and paint was the answer.

Here’s the Before and After:

When choosing primer, it’s easy to get lost in the sea of available products out there.  I’ve used most of them, oil and water based, and in both spray and brush application.

Choosing the right primer really depends on what you’re trying to accomplish.

Read the rest of this entry »