Another lifetime ago I worked in the quality department of a large corporation. One of their mantras was "continuous improvement". They felt that everything could & should be improved upon. Sometimes corporate ideology is just
wrong ! Take this old mantle/wall shelf that I picked up last year for $2. Sorry, this is obviously a during (stripping) shot, I lost the last two years of pictures that weren't saved on my Picasa Web Album, but it pretty much looked just like this minus the peeling paint. I've had a lot of different ideas for this baby, first I was going to paint it aqua, then I figured it would be great in chalkboard paint which really needs a smooth base, so I went ahead and stripped it.
Here is what it looked like after one coat of heavy duty stripper. People spends hours trying to achieve this look, so why should I try to improve on that? The only thing I did was spray three coats of polyurethane on it to try to seal in the paint (I think it might be lead).
Next, and probably the hardest thing to figure out was what to use for hooks. At first I was just going to use these simple screw in hooks, but they were too plain and too small. Then I thought spoon hooks would look good, but when my hubby tried to flatten the bowl the spoon broke all apart. Seems like the great (hah) set of silver he bought me awhile back is silver plated pot metal. Then my husband suggested railroad ties but we didn't have enough, and they were too long.
So a few days ago I was saying how I wished I had picked up some glass insulators at a sale for $1 a piece (I know...woulda, coulda, shoulda), when a light bulb went off in my husbands head. He goes over to the shop and comes back with these:
Do you know what they are? They are ceramic insulators for electric fencing. We have a bunch that we used to use to keep the deer out of the garden. So a little polishing up, and some 14 cent screws and...
Dang, isn't my husband great. A year ago he would have thought this was nuts, but now he is starting to see what revamping is all about.
So here is the shelf that I pretty much left well enough alone. What do you think, good chippy or not?
Linking up to:
My sister and brother-in-law just moved into their brand new house. It is beautiful and just right for them. They downsized from a four story home to a rancher, so they needed to also downsize their furniture. This bookcase caused a little bit of contention. He said is was a piece of junk (and should just give it to me to revamp & sell), she loved it and new just where it would fit in the new house. Well you know who won this one, of course. I held on to it through the summer until she decided how she wanted it refinished. Her new decor is leaning toward the peacock blue & green tones, and she also has a large brown leather sectional. She wanted this painted an aqua or teal to go with everything. I suggested that we leave the gorgeous front pieces and the top stained to tie in with the couch. I didn't get the before shot, but here is some during pics.
Another lifetime ago I worked in the quality department of a large corporation. One of their mantras was "continuous improvement". They felt that everything could & should be improved upon. Sometimes corporate ideology is just wrong ! Take this old mantle/wall shelf that I picked up last year for $2. Sorry, this is obviously a during (stripping) shot, I lost the last two years of pictures that weren't saved on my Picasa Web Album, but it pretty much looked just like this minus the peeling paint. I've had a lot of different ideas for this baby, first I was going to paint it aqua, then I figured it would be great in chalkboard paint which really needs a smooth base, so I went ahead and stripped it.
A couple of months ago I saw a great blog at Hospitality Designs (metallic paint project ) using Martha Stewart Golden Pearl paint. I immediately knew I had to use this on something. I found a waterfall highboy dresser and vanity that were in pretty bad shape that I thought might work, so off to Home Depot I went for my paint. On the way home I stopped at a yard sale and found this little skirted vanity table from the 1940's or 1950's. Doesn't she have beautiful legs? I knew she would be my golden pearl project.
We have a little pub near us that reminds me of Cheers. I worked there for a few years in my early 20's, and as the song goes, everyone really does know your name. I don't go there much now, but every summer they have a big yard sale I can't miss. Last year I picked up four of these rattan and wicker chairs for $15 (total!). 
Last month I was having picker withdrawals. You know the feeling, too early for garage sales, no estate sales happening, nothing much on Craigslist. I was on my way to lunch with my mother and sister, when I saw a sign in front of our Salvation Army store that said all furniture 1/2 off. Woo Hoo! 
Springtime in North Idaho can be anything from snow, to thunderstorms, to beautiful sunny days (OK wishful thinking on the sun). Since it's way too early to think about gardening I thought I would paint something a nice sunny yellow. Jeez, you'd think that would be easy enough don't you? Well this little chair gave me so many fits that it almost went in the burn pile.
I still think that would have been cute, but I decided to go natural instead. 
Awhile back I posted about this vanity which I painted the perfect shade of white. I custom mixed a Swiss Coffee White with some brown to get a nice cream color. I brought the vanity and a really cute sewing chair into the store to sell, and wouldn't you know the chair sold within a few days. Luckily I had this old bench to replace the chair. 
