The Joy Of RePurposing

I found this little desk at a yard sale ( that is fast becoming one of my favorite pastimes...: )

Here's a "not so good" photo taken on my phone of it "before".

I wasn't sure what to do with it....refinish it and put it in the shop? Change out the hardware?

I decided to keep it and use it on my veranda.

I'm trying to prepare for my favorite season of the year--autumn. I want to create a coziness on this veranda out the back of our house on a VERY limited budget.

I took off the hardware, sanded it down (it didn't have much of a finish left anyway) and put wood putty in the hardware holes.

I decided it would look better with a single large knob (not so dresser or desk-like). I was going for more of a buffet look.

I painted the entire desk with Rustoleum 2X coverage spray paint in Espresso. If you follow my blog regularly, you know I'm a huge FAN of this paint.

The big chunky dark bronze knobs are from Home Depot (around $3 each) I sanded the edges up pretty good along with the drawer fronts near the knobs. I finished with a few coats of polyurethane at the end.

Last night I sat outside and enjoyed the view of my newly re purposed piece. It's amazing how a little inexpensive piece like this ($10 at the yard sale) can begin to create an outdoor living space. It will be a great place to keep some placemats, napkins and even the barbecue tools.

Here's the thing about giving this pieces of furniture a new life. Most of them are made of REAL WOOD! They are sturdy and have stood the test of time. Sure, they may be a bit beat up--by that just adds to the character for me. The old stuff is just made so much better than most of the new stuff. Don't discount these smaller pieces if you can't use them inside--think OUTSIDE.

Most importantly, HAVE FUN!

There really is a satisfaction that comes from decorating on a budget and being happy with the outcome....don't you think?

If you haven't entered my Garden Girl Sign giveaway yet, check the kprevious post and put your name in the hat.

Enjoy your day.

Garden Girl Giveaway

I am so excited to have almost 100 followers!

It is so great to have all of you stopping bl and sharing your wonderful comments and feedback with me. I love visiting our blogs and checking in with you.

I think this is a great time for a giveaway.

This Garden Girl art was created just for my followers.

It measures 10 inches x 20 inches. It is done on an artist canvas.

gar - den girl
a lovely creature that can turn seeds and soil into magic.

It features a photograph of my favorite garden girl and a wonderful butterfly graphic.

Would you like to enter to win?

It's easy.

Just leave a comment.

For an extra chance to win, become a follower (if you are not one already)

For a third chance to win, share this giveaway on your blog.

You can enter to win until Sunday night August 15th at midnight. The winner will be announced on Monday the 16th.

Good luck and thank you again for stopping by mylittle blog.

It makes me so happy when you do.

$10 Vintage Bed Project

I've been busy.

This weekend we finished our bench project. This bench started out as a full size vintage headboard and footboard.
I found it at a yard sale almost 2 months ago for $10.00!
I decided I wanted to try making it into a bench. I searched the internet for tips and tricks and came up with a plan.

I apologize for not taking as many "step-bystekp" photos as I could have.

You know how it goes....sometimes you are just focused on getting the project done.

But here's a few before shots.

First I decided my bench should be about 21" deep. We took the footboard and cut off the two ends.

We attached the ends of the footboard to the headboard.

We pre-drilled the holes so we wouldn't crack the wood.

Then we started to build a frame or box on the inside.

Here's what it looked like with the frame built.

Then we cut a piece of plywood to creat the seat of the bench.

We didn't use anything higher grade than plywood because we knew we were going to cover it with a cushion.

Here's the way it turned out.

While out searching for fabric we decided to create two cushions instead of one.

Why?

Because we found this fabric we really liked and it is of course only 54" WIDE. Well....our overall bench width is 56".

We didn't want the dragonflies flying sideways. So...right there in JoAnn's we decided to make two identical cushions.

In the end, I think it is much more interesting this way.

This great graphic was found at The Graphics Fairy and I just had to whip up some pillows with it. Doesn't it work great with this project. I made a couple extra for the shop.

To make the cushions we bought two - 1 yard pieces of the fabric. We also bought 28" of foam in the 3" height. We had to have the foam cut into 28" x 21" (both pieces).

Thanks goodness we got the woman at the fabric counter who was very helpful and agreed to trim it down to 21" for us (they don't usually do that).

We cut a piece of plywood slightly smaller than the foam (about an inch all around).

I went to the antique mall and found some fun vintage buttons that were on the large side.

We pre-drilled holes in the wood where we wanted to use the buttons for tufting. We ended up using a heavier gauger wire to pull through the foam and fabric and tighten down the buttons. It seemed to work very well. Trial and error.

Isn't that what most of htese projects are about?

Then we flipped the cushion over and trimmed away the excess fabric. We used the electric staple gun to secure the fabric.

There was a big Founder's Day Sale at JoAnn's this weekend, SO we got the fabric and the foam 50% off. That is a great thing, since both of these items can be quite pricey.

I am very happy with the results of the bench. I must admit I had distressed the back of the bench even more and my husband wasn't happy with it. So...I settled for just the edges sanded and a bit of distressing on the headboard.

After all, I do want him to help me make more of these! : )


Now, I have nothing on the wall above thisl and am thiniking about ideas. If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears.

This was a great project. I have to admit when we started it I planned on using this bench outside, but when I saw how great it was turning out I knew it deserved a place in our hallway/gallery..

Don't pass up these great full size beds. So much potential!

Oh yeah...forget to mention I applied a coat of the Minwax Finishing wax at the end. Love that stuff! Gives your painted projects such a nice finish at the end.

Happy Monday to all!

Telephone Bench Makeover

I found this telephone bench at a yard sale .

I loved the lines and the scale of it.

I decided it needed to be made over in my favorite off-white.

I distressed it "just enough" and added a couple coats of Minwax Paste Wax Finish (the greatest product).

I changed out the knob to a nice brushed nickel one I had in my stash (isn't is amazing how just a little change like this can make a huge difference?).

I covered a seat cushion with burlap and added a bee graphic.

I think this little bench fits great into "today's home". I am going to put it in the shop with this Pottery Barn phone that I'm not using any longer.

Wouldn't this be a fabulous place to sit with your laptop?

Don't you love when you can check off a project and move on to the next one?

Great feeling.

Hope this great little bench finds a wonderful new home soon.

The Best Flea Market Accessory

Yep, I picked up one of these flea market carts yesterday at an estate sale.

I've been wanting one for awhile and this once was a steal. I'm hoping I can come up with some kind of crafty liner for it.

Here's to many yard sales and flea markets with this!

Here's a few treasures I found yesterday at a couple yard and estate sales.

Love the roses in the vase...great colors and muted hues, I'm going to try to make some hand soap dispensers with mason jars, and couldn't pass up the cute Prince Albert in A Can red tins...Love those!

How about his?

Isn't it great? I think this is one of those things I won't be able to part with. I'm not even sure how old it is, but I love the design.

Check out this wonderful message:

Hors D-oeuvres - Prelude to the goodness to come.

What a wonderful sentiment...had never seen anything like this before.

Check out the great framed print. It needs some serious TLC, but Ill see what I can do with it.

Check out these two wonderful wood chairs.

I cleaned them up and I'm going to give them a fresh coat of paint.

They are really different....love the cane backs.

Another fun and fruitful day Sunday morning of yard sales.

I am out to prove what I guess I've always believed in--you can decorate your home in a way that is uniquely "you" and wonderful on a budget.

Designing isn't necessarily about a lot of money, just a lot of creativity and a little work.

Hope your week is off to a great start.