From $0 to $450 in a Few Days (How a simple coat of paint sold a Mid Century dresser that Goodwill wouldn't take)

Sorry for the long title, especially since this is going to be a very short post. But today I am writing about how finding someone's "junk" can sometimes require very little work to find the treasure hidden inside.

Painting Oak Cabinets (everything you need to know to update your kitchen cabinets the right way AND in 10 days)

I always said I would do it once, and then never again...and now that time has come and gone, and I have lived to tell the tale on how to paint kitchen cabinets. It was a dreaded project that ended up taking me only 2.5 weeks. My project was more burdensome than most of yours would need to be, because most of you don't have kitchen cabinets from the 1970s/1980s, don't mind if you see the grain in your cabinets, and don't need to add trim since your cabinets already have details; however, in the end I am here to share the research I learned from countless articles, which I then applied, as well as from talking to experts, and then applied. I will let you know every product I used, and my thoughts on each, as well as every thing you need, how to do every step, tips to staying organized, and how long each step takes. Plus I will share every cost from the trim, to the paint, to the knobs, pulls, and grain filler. For those of you who hate reading step by step details, just scroll through the pictures and you will get a good idea of how to do your own cabinets, and update your kitchen for less than a few hundred bucks.

How to Get Office Built Ins using Ikea shelves and old cabinets

As I have gotten older I realize that my motto should be, "Where there is a will there is a way." Today I want to prove that if you are motivated enough, have some power tools, and access to YouTube and Pinterest, you too can achieve a feat you did not know was possible. I am going to show you how I turned our ruined office into my favorite room of the house, as well as conquered my biggest project/goal yet...

Dud to Stud: DIY Dresser Makeover

Do you ever get an item for free that isn't free enough? This dresser makeover at first felt like a bad idea. Broken drawers, broken frame, trash, mold and even a spider egg sac tempted me to throw it out for trash pickup, but I am glad I didn't. Today let's talk about how to make almost any dresser get a second chance, as well as how to paint some pretty rad racing stripes... 

Bye bye Golden Oak--Say Hello to Gray Stain (and Paint)

So if you follow me you probably feel like seeing this table is deja vu, because I finished another similar table a month  ago. This table set was so much easier because it was built solidly and still in great condition--for the 1990's. Time for the miracle power of paint and stain to enter the picture and bring an outdated, unwanted piece to today's world.

Leftover Drawers into Bench

Thanks for coming to check out how to either make a dress up station, (as I covered a couple weeks ago), or a mud room bench, or maybe both! Both of these projects are fairly simple and easy enough for any DIY'er. And if you are like me, you hate throwing away things, and get a high when you discover a way to repurpose something that looks like trash to everyone else. If you are like that, then most likely you have some drawers that need a purpose (or you will find some in no time).

DIY Chic Farmhouse Table

I don't know about you, but with drool-worthy shows like Fixer Upper,  I was on the hunt to for my own farmhouse table. Having grown up in California not far from the Santa Cruz beaches, but at the same time always loving the mountains in Lake Tahoe, I am torn between a love for the beach and the rustic. This table is a combo of the beach, the rustic, and Joanna Gaines. Let me tell you how it was done...

DIY Dress Up Station

 Yay for nice enough weather to start furniture redos again! 

This little dresser conversion project has been a long time coming. 

A good friend of mine has a very different life than mine. She has four girls vs my four boys. Back last Fall she asked if I would be up for finding something to convert into a dress up station. With the weather being too cold to paint, and the holidays coming up, the project had to wait. Then the weather turned into the 60's and the perfect dresser was up for sale on VarageSale (an awesome app you should get). I only had to drive 3 minutes and spend $25 for this cute, little, four drawer dresser. Missing a knob? No problem! Seen better days? (Totally dirty underneath and inside the drawers) No problem!

How to Make Furniture Farmhouse chic

After buying an old handmade wooden cabinet for $25 that obviously had a history, I did some research before transforming it and giving it new life. I learned a few things about true farmhouse furniture that I found helpful in determining the new look this piece was gonna get, and I wanted to pass those lessons onto y'all!

How to Paint Perfect Lines AND Fix Water Damaged Laminate Furniture

 

AND

Thanks to a cheaply built rolltop desk that I got for free off of Craigslist, we get to learn TWO valuable furniture redo tips today! Painting straight and perfect lines can be an aggravating nightmare, or a peaceful walk in the park with a tip I learned from a fellow blogger. Laminate furniture is easy to find, but hard to find in great shape. Water damage wreaks havoc on this cheaper material, but that damage can be easily rectified! Here's how:

How to Use Fabric to Dress up your Furniture

Have you ever used fabric as an accent for an all wood piece of furniture? Not for upholstery, but to make it even more "Wow!"? I hadn't until I had an "uh-oh" that needed to be strategically covered up and paint wasn't doing the trick. Fabric to the rescue!

Easy and Cheap Wicker Chair Update

I love wicker because it makes me feel like I am at the beach. Well, not really. Living in Colorado a mile higher than the beach definitely has it's own look, but wicker I still love (hubby and I both grew up in CA and love that beachy feel). However, most wicker isn't the color I like and so after buying the pair off of Craigslist (pictured above in the Before picture), I knew it needed to be changed. Plus, looking at those hideous cushions I knew I needed to change those too. Thankfully I had a way to update the color easily (and in less than an hour), and found a way to update the cushions for $10 and with a staple gun!

Mid Century Modern Dresser Makeover

Boy, this project was a doozy! Lots of learning involved, and lots of new products tried and tested. I tried stripping for the first time...that's a tough job... and you sure feel dirty when it is all over (get your mind out of the gutter...I am talking stripping layers of paint people!) I used TSP for cleaning for the first time and I have to say I am a believer. And I tried re-doing a piece of history for the first time and it was fun! Read on to see what this beauty looked like before, as well as what it took to look snazzy.

Tiffany & Co Inspired Hutch

10 Things to Help You Redo Furniture Like a Pro

Let me start off by saying that I am far from "pro" status. Someday I would love to be at the "pro" level, but for now I have learned a lot in the time that I have been redoing furniture, (from some individuals who I would consider "pros"). Whether it is through trial and error, great lessons taught to me, or through countless hours of research, I have compiled some products/things that make a world of difference in the quality of your finished product. What is even cooler is that all of these products ALSO make your job EASIER! Win win in my book. So let's get started with my top 10 favorite things...

Garbage Day Trunk Makeover

Boy do I love projects that cost me a dime! This trunk/chest/who knows exactly what it is called came to be when a friend called me one morning and told me to save it from the "trash man". I love when friends are on the lookout for me, it makes me happy on so many levels. Anyway, I went to the wrong neighborhood at first, and once I realized my error I raced over to this house and pulled up as the trash truck was too! AHH! Blessing in disguise though.

"Fixer Upper" Inspired Farmhouse Hutch

Don't you love when things turn out better than you thought they would? In life I would say that that is a rarity.Well whenever I see a piece for a good price and have some makeover ideas immediately run through my brain, I think "I GOTTA GET THAT!" And then once I pick it up I doubt myself and worry that I made a mistake. That kind of happened with this oak hutch.

Pretty Buffet Makeover

I am excited about sharing the transition of this buffet because it truly looks soooo different than how I got it. An acquaintance from my church was moving out of state and so graciously asked if I would like to have her parents' old buffet from when she was growing up. This brown (poo) beast was probably considered beautiful in the 70's, but in today's trend of fresh and light, it doesn't really fit in. I could write a whole post on the many ideas I had for this buffet when I first acquired it, but thanks to family and friends those (horrible) ideas were laid to rest. My sister Megan, who really needs to start a blog on decorating cause she is seriously gifted, shared a picture she had taken in a parade of homes that she said I had to duplicate...

Antique Style Desk

It's always fun when you find a piece that has good bones about it for $30. When I picked up this heavily lacquered desk from the seller he acted surprised that I really wanted it. Right then and there I thought, "Why am I not talking this guy down from $30?" But then that inner voice said to me,"Give it up, it is a great price already. Pay him his money and get on your way." So I did and told him I would be re-doing it, which somehow seemed to make him feel better. If only he knew what hideous things are on Craigslist (and the outlandish prices the sellers try to charge for them).

What is nice about pieces that are pretty ugly in the first place, is that it isn't hard prepping them for a transformation, or coming to terms that you are going to transform them.

Knocking off Pottery Barn

Oh Pottery Barn, everyone loves you. But unfortunately not everyone can have you because of your hefty price tag. Nothing like a little "elbow grease" to fix that problem. Put in the time and the effort and you can achieve a trendy, well decorated home for super cheap. The above bookshelves cost me $80 total ,and with two white bookshelves you could do something like a library or something like