Nightstand Transformation from Blah to Beauty-ful

Gotta love how paint can completely transform an outdated furniture piece.  

I picked up this little eyesore--err, I mean potential beauty--for $15 at the local flea market a few months ago.  Even with St. Patrick's Day coming up, its shade of kelly green did nothing for our home decor.   

 So, out came the ASCP (Annie Sloan Chalk Paint) in French Linen and Old White.

There is a great deal of discussion on whether ASCP is worth the high price.  I've been experimenting with a few colors of the expensive paint.  It really does cover well.  You only need 1 - 2 coats.  I can't say I'm hooked, but I do enjoy its consistency and ease of use.  Some days, it beats making my own chalk paint.

I tried my hand at stenciling this time by adding a decorative design to the top of the nightstand.

[so fancy!]

And a little stamping on the bottom drawer.

As well as a decorative paper liner inside the drawer.

 I finished the nightstand with a little distressing around the edges.  

 This transformed beauty landed in my daughter's room, replacing an old boring bookcase.

 Like I said, gotta love what a little paint can do!

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From Plastic Bins to Industrial Chic Organization

I just can't get rid of these fleas!--these flea market treasures, that is! And why would I?  Here's the latest and greatest flea market find that I recently updated, a 33-drawer metal cabinet.

At a ginormous flea market held once a month in Southern Californial, I actually passed by this heavy metal piece twice, telling myself that it was too cumbersome to lug home, and I didn't want to pay the asking price.

Fast forward to my third walk-by.  It was still there [obviously, it was calling my name]. I negotiated the price down to an equitable amount for both me and the seller.

I brought it home, and here it sat...not for days, not for weeks, but for months.  Until finally, I got into gear and cleaned it.  [That's the not-so-fun part.]  I thoroughly washed every last drawer--and did I mention there are 33 of them?

I knew I was a woman on a mission: to transform my tiny craft cave room from cheap plastic bins into industrial chic organization.

I spray-painted the entire frame with a clean metal primer followed by two coats of Heirloom White.

Then I spray painted each drawer with the metal primer.  It was going to be tedious to tape up each of the 33 drawer pulls--plus I had a vision, so they got sprayed, too.

And then came the fun part:  the splash of color!  Using a foam brush, I painted each drawer, including the sides, in a beautiful sea foam color, being careful to paint just up to the edges of the drawer pulls.

When I removed the drawers from the cabinet, I started to keep them in order to guarantee each fitting into its proper slot when it was time to place them back, as the cabinet had a few dents here and there. However, this plan immediately went out the window.  [Note to self:  next time, number each drawer on its bottom.]  With a little elbow grease, though, I got each drawer to fit into a slot.  

I then sprayed the entire cabinet with a matte sealer to help protect it from nicks and scratches. 

Because, obviously, this piece is going to get frequent usage!

Just for comparison sake, 

here is the BEFORE photo of my plastic bin storage:

And here is the AFTER photo of the 

new [old] industrial chic organization cabinet. 

I typed descriptive labels on my printer, and placed them into the center of the drawer pulls.  I love the fact that the cabinet resembles a library card catalog.

I'm still in the process of filling each drawer with my craft stash, keeping only what I have accumulated over the last 30 years plan to use.

And once again, industrial chic organization:

Come back soon and check out the industrial locker transformation I'm currently working on.  Yep, picked up the locker at a flea market, too.  What treasures have you recently bought at the flea market?

Thanks for visiting,

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Flea Market Stool Transformation

I love strolling through the aisles of flea markets.  

It's relaxing, fun, and all that walking IS exercise, you know.

You also meet friendly people.  

Just today, in fact, I met two women who are also Pinterest Mavens.  

Of course, we exchanged account info and now have new Pinterest friends.

Recently, at our local Topanga Vintage Flea Market, 

I fell head over heels with this adorable stool.  

It was actually in pretty good shape: 

a nice vinyl cushion and a naturally aged-distressed metal frame.

Did I say distressed?  I love distressed furniture, 

but in this case, I actually wanted to de-distress it.

After dismantling the seat, I recovered it with printed burlap.

I could've left it just like this and called it a day.  

However, I had other plans for this treasure.

Now which color to choose?  

I narrowed it down to these four: 

antique white, black, white and sunflower (a very soft yellow).  

Sunflower won.

A few coats of paint later, 20 minutes to dry, and seat cushion back in place, 

and I had a new (well oldish new) Parisian theme stool.

Now, where to place it?  

In the foyer?

Near the fireplace?  Yes, the perfect place for a cup of tea.

Now that I'm back in the groove, 

what's my next transformation going to be?

Check back soon!

Thrift shop Parisian table

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Thrift Store Table from Drab to Fab with Parisian Flair

Isn't it great when you're walking along, minding your own business, when you hear someone something call out your name?  That's exactly what happened to me last summer.

This little "beauty" stood right outside a tiny thrift shop, waiting to be rescued!  It was in good condition, just a little dreary-looking.  All it needed was a new home and some TLC...

and my
BIG GIRL TOOLS!

First, I sanded the table.

Then painted it with "oops" paint

I found at my local Home Depot for fifty cents. 

It needed three coats.

While the paint dried, I looked for a French transfer printable

to add some flair to the table top.

I knew exactly where to find a great selection:

The Graphics Fairy.

I chose this beautiful graphic

from a pastry shop advertisement

dating back to the 1880's!

The transfer method was easy:

Print the graphic onto freezer paper in a reverse image.

Transfer the image onto the table

by rubbing the freezer paper

with the back of a spoon.

I also decided to add a smaller graphic to the bottom of the table,

then finished the table stand with two coats of paste finishing wax.

The table looks right at home in our guest bath,

which is decorated with a vintage Parisian theme.

 

This was such a fun and inexpensive project.

One of my aspirations this year is to transform several pieces of furniture.

I've got a magazine rack just waiting in the wings.

[Well, it's actually waiting in the garage!]

You might also like my

transformation of this pugly step stool.

I'm partying here and

Miss Mustard Seed


The CSI Project Furniture Transformation Challenge

[Note:  This post first appeared in January as part of my Crafty Contributor Series on The Ivy Cottage Blog, which is no longer available.]