Dumpster Table Redo

Remember the table I saved from the dumpster? Solid wood but poorly stained (drippy and splotchy) and the legs in need of tightening. 

I got it all painted - I must say it looks way better. I made up some chalk paint using a sample can of paint I had. I must say that is a great way to use up those jars of paint samples!  I painted, distressed, and waxed it.

Sanding with the palm sander

painted, distressed and waxed!

I added one of these for decoration to the front

after I sanded it and spray painted it with Looking Glass spray paint,

drilled a hole and screwed it on,

decorated it with things on hand,

Old books, chalkboard plate, ceiling tin, wood bowl with found treasures,
birdcage with candles, and blue bird

Sweet little blue bird

and filled the wooden bowl with treasures found on the farm...

pinecones, feather, acorns, and a gardenia flower

Didn't it turn out lovely? Nothing like a dumpster-find turned treasure and it's perfect for the entryway as it doesn't eat up a lot of space.

It turned out lovely and fits the spot perfectly!

Loved spending the weekend here. Such a stress-reliever!

Me and Lucy

We have hay too! Finally hooked up with the guy who cuts the hay and there are all these big bales out in the pasture:

Mr. B had to pose me by one of the bales

 I took Lucy for a walk out into the back acreage. She loves to run and explore and see what she can flush out. She mostly finds bugs but occasionally some deer and once a turtle. As long as it's not a snake!

Sadly, our pond is all dried up. It needs work to hold water. Things are still pretty green though and it felt good to be out enjoying the peace and beauty of the land.

Then there's the work that needs to be done. Mr. B snuck up and snapped a picture of me doing this: 

Love my solar dryer!

As always, our time at the farm was too short and it was time to head back to the city. Someday, living here will be a reality. Can't wait...

Until next time! Have a blessed week,

Cecilia

Joining this party at Coastal Charm nifty-thrifty-tuesday-no127
and this one at Common Ground
and here at Savvy Southern Style wow us Wednesdays #81
And this party too! StoneGable tutorial-tips-and-tidbits

Chair redo

Someday I'm going to have an art studio here at the farm. In case you didn't know, I'm an artist. I do illustrations, cards, calendars, etc. I have a small studio here at my city suburb house - you know, the spare bedroom. :-) It's not very large and storage is a problem. At the farm, my studio will be much bigger. Right now, it's part of the barn:

Those steps lead down to the back patio. So it's convenient to the house. It needs doors and windows but the space is there. Someday!

Anyway, I had this old chair I decided to use in the studio. Very proper and all, but suffering from age. Her springs were falling out, the fabric old and tired, and the finish was scuffed and worn. I knew she needed sprucing up but let's face it; it wasn't going to be an easy job and I'd never upholstered a chair like this before:

tufted back, velvety seat

beautiful lines though

But, I needed a chair for others to sit on. I didn't need to buy one with this one available and I did love her, so I caved decided to tackle the redo. I stripped her down to the frame, carefully documenting what each layer looked like. Oh dear, was she dirty and falling apart!

being stripped down

I originally had bought a red and gold fabric to recover her with but my studio colors are green and purple (and I wanted to paint the frame) so I found this really fun and funky fabric. Another big decision I made was not to re-tuft the back - decided it would be a much easier redo. So with that, I got busy: painted the frame white, distressed the carvings,  reassembled her and voila! Here she is:

All spruced up!

I absolutely love her modern look! Don't you? She sits in my small studio providing a relaxing seat but someday she will be a lovely addition to the new, larger studio. I'm dreaming of how that will look!

Thank you so much for stopping by The B Farm!

Have a blessed day,

 Cecilia

Linking with diyshowoff diy-project-parade and debbie-debbiedoos Newbie party with a Twist and also Savvy Southern Style's Wow Us Wednesdays

Hallway is done!

I am so excited! I finally got all the ugly, brown paneling painted. ALL of it. Last bit was down the hallway. Finally done! My little farmhouse is looking all nice and fresh. It's coming together! Here's a before and after - Sorry the pictures aren't better; it's hard to hit the light right:

unpainted paneling; view down hallway toward bathroom

paneling primed and ready

Looking up the hall toward the living room
trim primed for painting

Painted!

(Somehow I didn't take a picture without the ladder and drop cloth. Oh well) Now all I have to do is paint those doors white (and spray paint the knobs with the Oil Rubbed Bronze!). The paneling is Creamy Mushroom and the walls are Ivory Palace, both Behr. It looks so much better! The door to your right is the guest bedroom. It's in the process of having its furniture redone and I'll repaint those walls too, as they are more of a peach than gold like I first thought. Not a peach person! :o) Stay tuned for a reveal on that room. I'm really excited about this room - it might actually be the one room that comes together all at one time. ha!
Linking with Savvy Southern Style wow-us-wednesdays and StoneGable tutorial-tips-and-tidbits

Thrifty finds and dumpster diving

I just love going to thrift stores. Never know what you're going to find. Last week I found an IKEA table and talked them down from $64 to $20. Sweet! I'm going to make it into a bench. Mr. B shook his head and wanted to know when the madness was going to end. Never, Dear! I have the bug. (Sorry for the bad picture - I already have it loaded in my wagon - it's upside-down too. )

Good price on this!

I also found a cute little cabinet. I will paint it white and replace the wallpaper in the back and use it for a medicine cabinet at the farmhouse. Can't you just see it? It was only $8.

And the best find this week? (Drumroll, please!) I've been looking and looking for just the right table to put by the front door at the farm. It needed to be narrow and I wanted a bottom shelf and ta da! while moving our daughter to her new apartment, I saw this by the dumpster:

score!

College areas are full of cast-offs. I think it's PERFECT! Ok, it's rather ugly right now but with a little painting and fixing it's going to be fantabulous! Farm-worthy, even. Mr. B says I've officially crossed over into dumpster diving. hm, well, it was free so let's not be hasty with those labels, ok? My friend says she's going to call me the "Dumpster Diva". haha, I like it!
So,
Dumpster Diva Cecilia signing off for now! :o)

Projects reveal

I finally finished my two projects - the napkin holder and wreath holder. If you remember, I started off with a plain white napkin holder I found at Good Will. It was cheap!

Good Will find

I cut out new sides from 1/4" Baltic Birch plywood, drew my design on, and painted it. Next, I painted the inside and edges of the holder with red spray paint. Then I used a strong glue to glue the new sides onto the napkin holder. Ta da! A new, cute napkin holder for the farmhouse! It has the same design on both sides:

I think it is just what we need!

Then there was the wreath holder from an old wooden spindle. Here it is with a wreath hanging on it. Notice how the notch holds the wreath perfectly:

Sitting on the side table

I am happy with the results. I have two unique pieces and I was able to upcycle some items and make them brand-new again. Doesn't get much better than that! Hope to see you again at The B Farm.

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