Desk Makeover

I loooove farmhouse tables.  In fact, one of my very first furniture projects was this beauty!

I scored her off Craigslist for $200 and my husband and I went to work.  He sanded her down entirely and I stained.  Like I said, it was my first project so it's not perfect, but I definitely learned a thing or two and I love her.  AND she's the perfect table to handle a toddler. :)

When I saw this desk at an antique store, I had to have it and give it a little farmhouse update.

I started with three coats of General Finishes Snow White on the body and the drawers.

Then I did three coats of General Finishes Java Gel Stain for the top.

I loved the original hardware, so I didn't touch a thing there, but I did line the drawers with some really cute orange paper.  And here she is!

 

 

 

 

It may have been a pretty straight forward makeover, but I think it really gave this table new life.  It would look fantastic in any home either as a desk or even an entry table.  The possibilities are endless!

-Ashley

Dining Buffet - Before And After

A few months ago, I was given the opportunity to try out a new line of paint.  However, I was waiting for the right piece to try it out on!  That took a little longer than expected.  But good things really do come to those who wait because I ended up landing the most beautiful dining buffet at the most beautiful price. :)

I knew I would be painting the body of the table light grey as well as upgrading the hardware.  But I wasn't quite sure what to do for the top of the table until I saw this photo from  Confessions Of A Serial Do-It-Yourselfer.  If you haven't checked out Christy's blog, do it!  She does some really fun things!

Source

Inspired by Christy, I knew I wanted to do a very dark stain on the top of the buffet as well as the small strip inbetween the two drawers.  So to work I went!

I started with three coats on the drawers and doors.

 And then got to work on the body.  Here is the first coat...

 And here she is with three coats!  Looking good!

The whole piece (except the top) then got a bit of distressing.  Here is a pic of the doors and drawers.

 

I prepped the already painted areas for the stain.  You can go two routes with this particular type of stain - 1) paint it on and wipe it off, repeat or 2) just paint it on, repeat.  I went with the latter and LOVED the results.

 

And here she is!!! 

I love the mix of original hardware with some new!  And since I decided to keep this piece (I just HAD to!!) I lined the drawers with teal paper to match my living room lamps.  Here she is in our real life, ha....

-Ashley