“A CARD IN A BOX”

Since I love being so crafty- I created a lot of the decorations used at our wedding.  One of my favorites was making our card box.  I wanted it to fit in with that antique feeling I was going for, but was looking for just the right piece.  One day, my husband and I headed up to a vintage store, and there we found an antique dining flatware box.  It had seen better days for sure.  I always try to envision what the story is behind each item.  When I came across this box my mind ran wild with ideas.  Perhaps it had been in a husband and wife’s home for years, and it is where they stored their fine china flatware, and maybe they received the box at their bridal shower or wedding.  How fitting since we were getting married.  Immediately it was a must have- “This is it” moment.  Here is how we found it:

I started by ripping out the inside of the box:

I sanded the box and painted it with Annie Sloan’s chalk paint.  Once it was dried I distressed it and used antique wax to add some depth and seal it.  I used fabric I already had, and then used the thick card stock from a gift bag I had lying around in the closed.  It provided the perfect lining for the drawer.

Now- to accessorize….. For our wedding I wanted to put this on display and stage it.  Here’s how I staged it:

 

By: Renewed Reloved

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“Worn by the Sea”

One of my returning clients wanted me to re-finish a very old piece of hers.  I loved it the second I saw it.  It was a five drawer dresser, all original hardware, on wheels, and even had cute little key holes:

The piece definitely needed some luvin’.  The inside’s of the drawers had fabric tack-pinned in them, and it looked as though it had been there for 200 years!

My client loved the two tone look I had done on a bedroom set, and thought it would look great on the dresser.  She picked her own colors, and we discussed that the lighter color on the drawers with the darker color on the outside would look best.  Since the hardware fit perfectly, and were quite beautiful, I decided to spray them with good old reliable Rustoleum.

I used my new paint spray gun (yes, I finally have it down ….), and I think the piece came out awesome!  We talked about distressing it ever so slightly to give it that beach look because her house is right on the water in Quincy, Ma hence the “Worn by the Sea” title, fitting I think.  Here is the finished product:

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The Perfect Match

I’ve been dying to share the finished product of my bedroom dresser, but I have been so busy with the house renovations I haven’t had a chance to finish it!  Well it is finally done, and I love the way it came out!  I had done an entire bedroom set for a customer, a long time ago, and in exchange for doing her daughters headboard and footboard, she offered me this dresser.  I absolutely loved it, and it was in good shape (aside from the cosmetics).  I’ve held on to it for a long time, because I wanted to make sure that whatever I did to it would be PERFECT, and I also knew that I wanted to keep it for myself (hehe).

Best part?  I matched the detailing on the front to the end tables….well actually, the other way around: I came across the end tables that also happened to have the same design!! Trust me that was pure luck.

 

Of course, the top’s veneer was chipped and peeling away.  So I decided to just take off all the veneer so it would have an even surface.

It proved to be quite difficult, the veneer was stubborn in some places, but perseverance prevailed, and I was able to get it all off with out damage.  I sanded it down to give it a nice smooth surface so that it would be ready for paint!

 

I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in “Old White,” which was the same color I used on the end tables.  I also used “Shabby Chic” to highlight the detailing on the front.  I distressed it a bit, waxed it, and it was like a brand new piece.

The dresser has an incredible seining mirror, and the detail work from legs to the posts follow all the way through.  The mirror has aged over the year, but I think it gives it character, and I love the hardware used to fasten it to the dresser!

 

 

 

Here are some shots of the legs and sides.

 

 

At last, here are some more shots

 

 

AND, just to brag a bit about how good of a match this turned out to be, here is the dresser’s detailing in the front and one of the end tables I am using as my bed side tables.

 

 

Damn,  i’m good!  Haha!

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My handmade “Book Ends”

I have been dying to share this post, but I obviously had to wait until work was completed!  Well I’ve had a dresser for a long time that I knew I wanted to use in my house, but just hadn’t gotten to it.  Well I figured being in my new place would be the perfect opportunity to do my bedroom with new pieces, but OLD Renewed Reloved pieces.  I had been on the hunt for end tables that met the following criteria:

1) Taller than wider

2) Antique

3) The legs needed to match the legs on the dresser

4) Drawers/Storage

5) Ornate hardware

After stalking Craigslist for weeks, and looking in antique stores I FOUND THEM! A pair to boot!  I managed to get them both for $50!

 So I went and got the tables and was all excited.  I had no idea what I was getting myself into.  I work on furniture all the time, but these end tables were a b*tch.  The veneer was peeling/chipping… I patched some of it with wood filler, but in some places it looked like sh*t, and I’m too much of a perfectionist to stand for that.  So, I do what all rational people do in a dilemma- make more work for myself.  I decided on the sides that had the worst peeling I would just chip off all the veneer.  At first it went smoothly:

And then…. it got nasty, and I couldn’t quite get under the veneer to lift it with out denting the wood underneath.  So I experimented.  I knew that the veneer was held on with glue… I grabbed a damp facecloth and used my iron to heat up and steam the facecloth.  This helped loosen the glue, and made it easier to wedge my razor and putty knife under the veneer.

A pretty genius idea if I do say so myself, and I should probably let you know that the face cloth I used was thrown out….

Next I sanded the sh*t out of them.  There were lots of dents, they were worn, so I really made sure to get a smooth surface.  On the middle drawers I discovered an ornate design. Of course the veneer was chipping, so I peeled it off.  I knew I wanted to preserve the pattern, so I took a pointed metal nail file and traced the shape.  I didn’t know what I would do with the design but I knew I wanted to keep it and incorporate it some how.

 I sanded everything down, and they were ready for paint!  I used Annie Sloan’s chalk paint in “Old White.”  I love the color because it is so versatile, and really highlights pieces.  I decided that I would use left over paint from one of my bedrooms to enhance the design on one of the drawers..

I hand painted it with Benjamin Moore’s “Shabby Chic” that I used in one of my guest rooms.  They came out gorgeous, and believe it or not,  they matched the same pattern I have on my dresser (but you won’t see that until later <<wink wink>>).

I had to do 3 coats of paint (shoot me now), because the wood was so dark and aged that it was bleeding through.  This is usual because Annie Sloan Chalk Paint covers pretty well, but sometimes it does happen.  This like weird yellow or sometimes pink stain comes through.  You need to apply another coat.  I distressed them, waxed them, buffed them, and polished the hardware…. here is the finish product…. DAMN they are gorgeous!

Now wait until you see the dresser- it looks like a complete set!

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