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Showing posts from July, 2010

Roadkill

The topic for this week on The CSI Project is dubbed "Roadkill Rescue." I have been a savior in this arena for a very long time, so it wasn't hard to round up a few past projects for a post dedicated to this theme. The criteria for this entry is that each rescued item was found, donated, willed, discarded or in one word, FREE.  My all time favorite freebie was a bed.  The sad news is, by the time my son's friend told me about it, the rest of the set had been hauled to the alley and had disappeared.  But, I did get the bed you see here. The detail had me in a frenzy.  At that time I was "in love" with the McKenzie Childs look and I'm surprised I even took time to get a picture before grabbing the paint. I wanted to be able to see all of the headboard over the mattress and springs so I had to boost it up foot or so with an extra board. The lovely lady is a poster decoupaged within the arch.  The poster was a little narrower than the arch at the bo

Where's the sink?

For the latest CSI project I wanted to show a piece that moved a little to the left of where it started. So I dug back into my files for some pictures of an amoire I altered for a purpose other than which it was intended. Unfortunately I don't have a before shot but it was an imported piece from Mexico. It was painted a very dark steel blue over a rusty red and a swag of loosly drawn flowers had been painted in the recessed door panels.  UPDATE:  I just happened onto some before pictures I didn't know I had.  Hopefully I can squeeze them in here. I repainted the outside in three colors. (tan,cream and taupe)  This alone was a big improvement.  I opted to keep the hardware which really wasn't bad. Let me tell you, this piece is in the bathroom and divides the tub and toliet area from the "vanity."  Yes, the sink is inside the amoire.  No, I did not do the plumbing or the electrical but I did do the rest. I painted the inside of the piece.  The inside of t

Seven Layer Peel

The CSI Project for this week is a furniture makeover.  Although I completed this project some time ago, I thought it still met the qualifications of a furniture redo done by moi. It started with a sturdy cabinet that was painted a color that would suck the life out of a room. I call it Downer Brown.  I knew that almost anything would be an improvement.  I was taking faux finishing classes at the time and was anxious to experiment with a finish referred to as "Seven Layer Peel." I worked on this piece right in the room where I intended to use it since  I really did not want to move it after painting it.  I don't have steps of the process.  Executing this finish was a little intense and time sensitive.  So I was not thinking of pictures at the time. Close up of the finished product with tassel attached to the key. Cabinet closes with a twist of the hardware at the top of the doors.  The inside has three shelves and holds folded clothes and bins for socks and such. I

Justify the Addiction

The lead in here is that I am admitting I have a serious addiction and it is not alcohol or cigarettes.  I'm not a slave to fashion.  In fact I hate shopping for clothes and shoes.  I don't adopt stray dogs or cats or hang out in the pet store.  I am not a traveler or a trip taker.  I rarely even go to the movies. Do you think that's enough paving the way with what I don't do that I can now explain my addiction to furniture?  It really is serious.  I call it rescuing furniture and that's partially true, but the truth is, if  I didn't adopt a piece someone else would.  Yesterday I had my usual Sunday morning coffee with a couple friends at a place that just happened to be a few blocks from a resale shop that is open on Sundays.  Now, to me that was a direct invitation to drop by. So without further ado, this is what I bought. Side view Back view, and yes the handle swayed me a little. The great part is, there was a pair.  So now I can fall asleep at nigh

Tea Time

Another piece from Upscale Resale just begging me to take it home. After a little dickering on the price and a reduction of $30, I agreed to make it mine.  Then it sat around until I committed to a color. But we all know what comes before that fun color part.  It's the cleaning and sanding and filling in the chips and dings. No, I did not take two months to decide on white.  This is the primer. A little fresh paint on the hardware of the wheels brighten them up. The dark knob in the middle is from the top drawer of the tea cart.  I bought the glitzy earings for $1 and had the other pair. Some stones were falling out of the glitsy pair but a little glue took care of that.  I decided if I could make them adhere to the original knob they would be my first choice.  I pryed off the earring backs and applied the glue. It worked!  And, yes, now you know the color. This is the original hardware on the bottom drawer. Here it is with spray primer. And here it is silver leafed. Not fini