Don't Throw in The Paint Brush

My dad and brother thought it was a lost cause. It was ugly. It was dirty. It even had a weird smell. It was a challenge. I ended up having to take off the drop down leaf completely because it broke. But I kept at it. The whole time I was reminding myself of my own capabilities, I can save vintage furniture. This 1920's desk was a headache. But after painting, glazing with ebony stain and then mod-podging the table top surface with newspaper, I was happy with the result. Mod podge is messy and not exactly my forte, but I managed. A boutique in Glenview ended up buying the desk and it is used in the store. I'm glad I didn't throw in the paint brush when the painting got rough.

Before

After

I lightly painted and rubbed the newspaper with a cloth so that it blended in

I added new hardware. Found at Hobby Lobby for 40% off!

Spray painting furniture

I love the look of hand painting. As the painter, I feel that I have more control. However, when the item being painted has lots of curves or nooks and crannies, sometimes spray paint is the way to go. I spray painted the furniture below with Rustoleum primer and then spray paint.

Garbaged picked these chairs!

I passed this up at Good Will at first. A week later it came down from $50 to $19.99!

Tips for Quality Spray Painting

• Use a good primer! I love Rustoleum. Don't overlook this step. Just do it, and it will save you time and a headache later
• Clean the nozzle by spraying upside down. I think this is common knowledge, but just thought I'd remind you.
• Spray evenly up and down or side to side--not both.
• Use at least 2 coats so no streakiness shows!
• To ensure a smooth surface, sand lightly with 220 grit sandpaper in between. Make sure the coat of paint has fully dried!

Tea carts Tea carts Tea carts

I didn't know until recently how potential-filled tea carts are. I wasn't sure there was a market for them like other furniture has. Now I never pass one up! Tea carts have certainly made a comeback. Now they are the trendy item every party needs. I up-cycled two tea carts. One was for a lucky craigslist customer and another was for a little girl's 1st birthday party. Both came out adorable.

Before

After

The yellow, chippy look was created by using Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint in Mustard Seed Yellow. I bought the milk paint from a cute store in Barrington Hills called Tattered Tiques. It was the first time I used Milk Paint, and I was a little hesitate. It defiantly is not like regular paint. Also, it smelled to me like McDonalds. I didn't mind, but if your hungry, it could be a downfall. The paint started to chip in all the right places, just like it was supposed to. Over some of the areas I glazed it with Red Mahogany stain. Over everything I wiped on polyurethane to ensure it did not keep chipping away.

After selling the first tea cart so quickly, I went on a hunt for another. I found this beautiful 1940's tea cart in the south suburbs of Chicago. The couple I bought it from did not expect a young girl to be the one to answer their Craigslist ad selling a tea cart. Once I told them that I really love vintage furniture and was hoping to refinish it, they let me know that it came out of South Holland, an area in South Chicago and dated back from the 40's. The tea cart became a custom request for a baby girl's first birthday party. It was the first time I painted any furniture pink. It came out adorable and just how both the client and I envisioned.

Before

After

So now I'm a blogger?

I hold the title of a few things--student, friend, nanny, vintage furniture addict, heavy weight boxing champ.. Jk--but blogger wasn't one of them. I put off creating a blog simply because the task seemed daunting. But here I am with a shiny new blog for people to hopefully read and enjoy.

I've been refinishing furniture for a few months now. I started my Etsy shop, Red Revival, and I've filled my Instagram with pictures of my revived furniture pieces. So heres to another shot at showing people the art which is furniture up-cycling.

Here's to way back when I bought my first thrift-store dresser and transformed it. I wasn't thinking about showing off my before and after pictures, so I just have the "after." I had no idea what I was doing, but, I painted it, changed out the hardware and sold it for a profit on Craigslist. I was pretty proud of this. A passion was sparked. It was just the beginning.