Antique Cabinet–A Roadside Rescue

To really appreciate this before and after, you have to understand just how bad the before was.

My stepdad rescued this antique kitchen cabinet from the side of the road more than six years ago.  It was in really sad shape but underneath the muck and grime, was an awesome antique. My parents kept it for several years but never had the time to fix it up so they passed it on to me.  And then it sat in my basement…and sat…and sat – for three more years.

I decided it was finally time to tackle this beast. This guy had the original hardware, great glass doors, and gorgeous proportions.  But it also had layers and layers of old peeling paint, broken molding, random nails sticking out, and a rotten back.  Not to mention, it must have been in a corner, because one side had never been painted.



This piece was a huge pain to work on.  I removed all the chipping loose paint, sanded everything down, removed the broken moldings and other unnecessary parts, stripped out the ugly shelf paper, and replaced the entire back. And all of that was before I could even begin painting – torture! 

But then it was finally time for the fun part.  I knew from the beginning this piece was not going to be a sleek and smooth painted piece. There was no way I was going to be able to strip all the many layers of old paint. Even after all that preparation, this cabinet was still showing its age so I decided to embrace that.

I primed the entire piece with Zinsser oil-based primer.  Then I chose a few bright colors of paint I had on hand and painted various areas of the cabinet, focusing on the edges and rough spots.



At this point, it looked a little bit crazytown. But then I followed up with two coats of homemade chalk paint in white. 

And finally, I sanded the entire thing, focusing on the edges and rough areas to reveal hints of the color underneath.









I tried to really emphasize and celebrate the age of this piece rather than trying to make it look new.  It turned out much more primitive than my usual style, but I think in this case it was the perfect choice.



This was my first experience with homemade chalk paint. I liked the results but I need to experiment some more before I reach any real conclusions. I’m especially interested to see how it works on an unprimed piece.

So what do you think?  Are you a fan of primitives or are you more into a fresh, smooth finish?  Anyone else out there have a furniture project that just felt like torture?

I am linking this project up at Coastal Charm, Tip Junkie, Knick of Time, Elizabeth and Co, Primitive and Proper, Domestically Speaking, Southern Lovely, Beyond the Picket Fence, Crafty Scrappy Happy, The 36th Avenue, Simple Home Life, Miss Mustard Seed, Serenity Now, Tatertots and Jello, Funky Junk Interiors.

Fresh finds: vintage sofa

First up – the winner of the Cutting Edge Stencil is: This Crazy Life As I Know It. Congratulations! I will be emailing you with details.

It has been months since I have shared any fresh vintage finds – mainly because of the lack of yard sales this time of year. But I did manage to find something pretty awesome at the Goodwill a few weeks ago. And this is a find that I am keeping all for myself rather than selling.



As soon as I walked in and saw this vintage sofa, I was drawn to it. This baby is at least seven feet long and I love everything about the shape – the long low line of it, the curves, the tufting. And the thing I loved most of all – the price. $60. Woo-hoo for me. 

You see, below is the couch which was in our living room previously. Perfectly fine as long as it’s ghastly pink color was covered by a slipcover. But definitely not doing anything for the lovely floors – which were only half finished when this picture was taken.



So as soon as I saw this vintage lady at the thrift store, I knew she had found a new home.



The upholstery is actually in good condition – and it’s a pretty inoffensive neutral which is a huge plus. Even so, I’m not sure it’s going to be a great fit in this room as is. The rest of the room has much cooler colors and the striped fabric looks a bit busy next to the paisley floor. Maybe down the road I will look into getting it reupholstered. Or tackle that myself? I don’t feel very confident about the whole tufting thing. Or maybe I will find some other solution. I have seen some painted couches floating around online, though I have to say that scares me a bit.



For now I am just happy to have found such a beauty.

What do you think – did I get a great deal? What would you do with this sofa if it were yours – reupholster it? Leave it alone? Input always welcome!

I am sharing this find at Coastal Charm's Nifty Thrifty Tuesday, Knick of Time, Junker Newbie, Miss Mustard Seed.

The Pursuit of Bloggy Friends

I mentioned several weeks ago that I really want to connect more with other bloggers and with my readers. I am happy to report that, while I am still figuring out exactly how to go about this, I have made some baby steps.

The biggest and most exciting news is that I threw caution to the wind and decided to go to Haven this summer. This will (obviously) be my first blogging conference and I am really excited to meet some fellow bloggers in person.  Yay! If you are going to be at Haven, be sure to let me know in the comments.

I have also accepted that it is time for me to get with the times and venture into the world of social media. I am on Pinterest which I absolutely LOVE. But that’s it. I have been hesitant to get Lovely Etc. going with Facebook or Twitter because honestly I don’t really even use those in my personal life. (I may be youngish but I’m just not really into that stuff). But I have accepted that it is time – now the question is which one to start with?

And I signed up for Stumble Upon a few weeks ago. To be honest I am still figuring out how it works and I currently have 0 friends (connections?). So if anyone else out there is using stumble upon, I’d love to connect with you. I do know that it can drive lots of traffic to your blog – someone ‘stumbled’ one of my posts and it got 10,000 pageviews in one day out of the blue. Now I don’t know about yall, but that is a lot for this little blog. So I figured I should take a crack at figuring out how this whole thing works.

And then there’s this whole Google+ thing. Could be awesome, but right now I’m peeved that they are taking picnik away so I’m a little bitter about the whole google+ thing. But who knows – maybe it will get huge and I won’t even need Facebook or Twitter, I’ll just Google+ all over the place. The jury is still out on that one.

In other news, the blogging world has been very good to me the last few weeks. I want to say a big fat thanks to several of my most favorite blogs for featuring my latest projects.

My painted plywood subfloors have been featured at

• Addicted to Decorating
• Home Stories A to Z
• The Inspired Room
• The 36th Avenue 
• Domestically Speaking
• A Diamond in the Stuff
• Primp

My graphic lockers have been featured at

• Primitive and Proper 
• A Diamond in the Stuff
• Vintage Gwen

And my DIY “I’ll Fly Away” sign has been featured at

• Positively Splendid
• Knick of Time 

So, what tips do you have for a social media newbie like me?  Which do you prefer - Facebook or Twitter?  Are you jumping on with Google+?  Anyone want to be friends on Stumble Upon? Any and all advice welcome and needed!  Oh and let me know if you are going to Haven – can’t wait for June!

Learn from my mistakes: Never paint latex over oil!

Okay, so time to share another big painting mistake. When we ripped out the carpet in the living and dining rooms to make room for my new painted subfloors, a big gap was left between the bottom of the molding and the floor. We quickly saw that we would need to add shoe molding around the bottom of the existing trim. 

But an even bigger problem also became quickly apparent. The paint on the current trim was peeling off – a lot. 

When we moved into this house three years ago, the walls were painted dingy pastel colors and all of the trim was painted to match the walls. These rooms were painted bright yellow with yellowish trim. I quickly painted the walls blue and the trim a nice crisp white. 

Unfortunately, I didn’t bother to check what kind of paint the trim had been painted with previously – I just got myself a nice can of semi-gloss white paint and blissfully painted away. 

Which brings me to the present and the badly peeling paint. If you so much as scratch the trim with your fingernail, the nice white paint peels right off. And that is what led me to realize that I had made a colossal mistake – I painted latex paint over oil-based paint with no primer in between.The latex paint did not really bond to the oil paint at all. Big problem.

I, of course, turned to the knowledge of the world wide web to find solutions to this problem and none of them sound very fun. These are the suggestions I found

1. Sand off all of the latex paint and then prime with an oil-based primer and repaint.
2. Strip off all of the latex paint using a chemical stripper and then prime with an oil-based primer and repaint.
3. Replace all of the trim.

Well, #3 is out for sure.  And I’m not a big fan of chemical strippers – especially not in such close proximity to my newly painted floors, so sanding it is. Boooo. After sanding I will use my favorite oil-based primer before repainting.

Now to save you from making this same mistake. Almost all trim in older homes is painted using oil-based paints and a good portion of the trim in newer homes as well. Before you repaint any woodwork, there is an easy test you can do to determine what type of paint was used in your home.

Pour a small amount of denatured alcohol on a rag and gently rub the painted surface. If the paint is softened or color comes off on the rag, it is latex paint. If the paint appears unaffected, it is an oil paint. Be sure to use a dark rag for light paint and visa-versa so it will be easy to tell if the paint is coming off on the rag.

Anyone else make this mistake before?  Any tips on removing latex paint or other tests to see what kind of paint you are dealing with to begin with?

Happy Pillows

First off, thanks for all the great comments and features of my painted floors. I have loved reading all of the comments and will probably be posting a follow up in a few weeks to answer some questions several of you have had.

In other news... I didn't make it through this week's challenge on One Month to Win It. I really enjoyed my time in the contest - particularly the extra incentive to try to be really creative and do something different each week. On the other hand, it was hard work trying to be really creative and do something different each week. So it is nice to have a break.

But I do have one last (awesome) project to share from the competition. 

This past week's theme was banners and buntings. (Okay, so first of all, pennants, banners, buntings - do they all mean the same thing?  I never seem to know which word to use.) But when I think about banners and bunting, I think about happiness and summer. This sure isn't summer so I decided a really cheerful project was in order. Because everyone can use an extra dose of sunshine in the dead of winter. 

I decided some happy pillows were in order. My first task after sewing the basic pillow cover was to choose some nice, peppy sayings for my pillows. (I'm a sucker for typography in design.)  I was lucky enough to pick up a great set of alphabet stamps at a yard sale last summer. I mixed some craft paint with fabric medium and then painted it on the stamps and stamped the pillow covers. 

I gathered some colorful fabric scraps and cut out my bunting pieces. I simply used stitch witchery to attach them to the pillow covers and then filled them with some down pillow inserts I had on hand.

I love the contrast between the playful bunting and the linen background. Happy pillows for sure.

Anyone else obsessed with using letters and words in decor? Do you have a favorite saying you display in your home?

And don't foget to enter to win a stencil of your choice from Cutting Edge Stencils if you haven't yet.

I am sharing this project at Tatertots and Jello, Funky Junk Interiors, Positively Splendid, Today's Creative Blog, Not Just a Housewife, A Diamond in the Stuff, Primp, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Southern Lovely, Beyond the Picket Fence, Crafty Scrappy Happy, Simple Home Life.

Giveaway: Cutting Edge Stencil

***********This giveaway is now closed.************

A few months ago Cutting Edge Stencils contacted me about reviewing one of their reusable stencils. I knew right away I would use the stencil for the plywood subfloors I was painting.  After looking through all of their great choices, I chose the Paisley Allover Stencil. 

I knew going in that this was going to be a huge project, but the actual stenciling went much faster than I anticipated.  It took almost as long to tape and paint the border as it took to stencil the entire floor.

I used the tips from their handy how-to videos and the stenciled floor came off without a hitch.

I am extremely happy with my stencil choice.  The pattern really hides the imperfections in the plywood floor.  And all the curves and details of this design easily hide a few places where I got a little heavy-handed with the paint and there were minor splotches. You can see for yourself what a dramatic difference this simple stencil made for some plain old pieces of plywood.

I already have some great furniture projects in mind for this stencil.

Even better, one of you is going to get the chance to win a stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils too! One lucky Lovely Etc. reader will win a stencil of their choice (up to a $50 value) from Cutting Edge Stencils.

How to enter

• Be a follower or subscriber of Lovely Etc. and let me know in a comment below. (One entry)
• Go to Cutting Edge Stencils and come back and let me know what your favorite item is in a comment. (One entry)
• Like Cutting Edge Stencils on Facebook and let me know in a comment below. (One entry)
• Facebook, Tweet, or blog about this giveaway and leave a comment letting me know. (One entry each)

Giveaway ends Wednesday, January 25th.  The winner will be announced Friday, January 27th.

Good luck!  And don’t forget to vote in round 3 at One Month To Win It.  I made it into the top six! This week there are lots of awesome banner and bunting projects to check out. 

Amazing Painted Floors: A How-to

Long, long ago (in September) I started plotting how to get beautiful floors for not much money.  I was fed up with my nasty, stained carpet but didn't have the money for the hardwood floors I was dreaming of.  So I decided I was going to paint the plywood subfloor in my living and dining rooms.  Many months later, I am finally done! 

 

I think I'm kind of in love with these floors. 

This was not a quick or easy project but it was sooo worth the effort. I should add here that this project does not have to take months to complete - I had lots of delays with the holidays and general busyness.

Here is a quick run-down of how I did it. 

1. Rip out old carpet and carpet padding.  Remove all tack strips and staples from subfloor.
2. Patch the seams and staple holes.  (This is the only part I really wasn't pleased with.  I used Flexible Floor Patch and Leveler.  This was not the right choice.  It is good because it flexes with the floor and all that stuff.  But it is horrible because you can't sand it smooth).
3. Sand the floor.  We just used a small palm sander but of course a large floor sander would work much faster.  Just remember that this is plywood - it is not going to be silky smooth. 
4. Prime the floor with a quality primer. (Zinsser Oil-based primer)                                                  
5. Paint the base color onto the floor. (Valspar porch and floor paint in ‘Chimney Smoke’) 
6. Paint border around room (Valspar ‘Crucible’). To get nice crisp lines follow these steps.
7. Stencil the design inside the border. (Paisley Allover Stencil from Cutting Edge.
8. Seal the floor to protect it.  (Varathane Crystal Clear Water-based floor sealer in Satin Finish)

 

LOVE! There will certainly be more painted floors making their way through my house in the not-too-distant future.

Now I need to finish the trim, and then it is on to the total room makeover these floors have jump-started.  I want to make sure the rest of the room is as great as the floors!

UPDATE:  Be sure to check out my update on how the floors are holding up seven months later right here!

I'll Fly Away: A DIY 'vintage' sign

So I made it through Round 2 of One Month To Win It!  Thanks to everyone who voted this week. 

This week's challenge at One Month to Win It was to make something using DecoArt products. DecoArt makes so many different products and types of paint, it was pretty tough to choose just one project. But in the end, their regular craft paint was exactly what I needed. I love vintage signs and have wanted to make my own version for awhile. This seemed like the perfect opportunity. 

I love the old gospel song "I'll Fly Away" - you know the song right?  From O Brother Where Art Thou? I love the words, the toe-tapping music, and the old-fashioned feel of it and decided it was the perfect 'vintage' message for my sign.

I started with three colors of paint and a 2'x2' piece of plywood. I painted the Turquoise Blue right onto the wood and then randomly dry-brushed on some of the Calypso Blue to add some dimension. I drew the letters with pencil and used a tiny paintbrush and white paint to fill them in. Then came the part that is always a bit scary - I sanded off a bunch of the design I had just painstakingly painted. Yikes. I wanted this to look like it had some age, so I sanded it pretty heavily. To finish it off, I rubbed Minwax dark walnut stain all over the entire sign.

The result is pretty authentic looking if you ask me. Plus I get a burning desire to start tapping my foot or burst out in song every time I look at it. And that's always a good thing.

Before I sign off, I wanted to say thanks for all the great comments on my husband's guest post Wednesday.  They really made his day.  I think he did a really great job with both the project and the post and I may just have to invite him to share more projects in the future.

I also want to say thanks to Tatertots and Jello for featuring my arrow lockers, Days of Chalk and Chocolate for featuring my French Opera Table, and A Diamond in the Stuff for featuring my mappy typewriter stand.

I'm sharing this project at Tatertots and Jello, Positively Splendid, Knick of Time, Mod Vintage Life, A Diamond in the Stuff, Not Just a Housewife, Home Stories A to Z, Sweet Little Gals, Primp, Domestically Speaking, The 36th Avenue, The Shabby Creek Cottage, Crafty Scrappy Happy and Funky Junk Interiors.