$10 wicker bench ready for Broadway!

BEFORE

AFTER

It was supposed to be a quick repaint job.  But thanks to my impatience, it took me weeks to get it right.  Concept: remove cushions, scuff-sand, paint a contrasting color, paint clear coat, replace cushions.

SPRAY PAINT SAGA:  ACRYLIC VS ENAMEL
I’m thrifty, so I was using collected spray paint from my shed.  I wasn’t too concerned with whether it was flat, satin or gloss since I’d be finishing with a good clear coat of gloss.  I put two coats of  black acrylic spray on successfully.  But, the third can happened to be ENAMEL.  I had never stopped to consider the difference between enamel and acrylic sprays.  Well, it turns out, they are vastly different.  As I sprayed what was supposed to be the touch up coat over the thus far pristine surfaces of my black bench, it began to bubble and foam like a witches brew and wrinkle like a witches face.  Son of a witch.  So, I waited another hour and went back to sand the malformed areas.  I began to sand and as the heat from the friction of the sanding increased, the wrinkled, bubbled areas became gobby, lumpy messes.

At this point, I was desperate enough to do something I hardly ever do–I read the directions on the can of paint.  It turns out, with Enamel spray paint, it is best to put a second coat on either within the first hour OR wait 48 hours for the paint to fully cure.  Enamels are oil based and have MUCH longer drying and curing times than acrylics.  But, the benefit is that the finish is shinier and more durable, a trade-off my patience is rarely willing to make.  Because of the vastly different drying rates, it is unadvisable to layer either paint on the other without allowing for complete cure time of the base layer.  But, I also suspect that because of the oil based nature of enamel, it may act as a solvent to even fully dried acrylic base coats as I finally did let all undercoats cure completely and still had problems with wrinkling and bubbling. Well, after several more rounds of sanding and painting (acrylics only), it’s satisfactory.

I was most happy with the sophisticated color palette.  I opted to leave the back cushion off.  It emphasizes the horizontality of the bench and invites the new owner to play with some throw pillows (and I know you love to play with throw pillows, Beth).  I plan to bring the bench to the furniture consignment later this week.  My dh does not approve of wicker anything, so we will not be adopting this particular piece.

BEFORE

AFTER

“Polka Dot” dresser revamp

I stumbled upon eclectica miami’s flickr account and fell in love with her furniture and architectural photos.  She has an excellent eye for detail.

~Beth

“Polky Dot” dresser

Originally uploaded by eclectica miami

Q Project: mid-century modern recliner

Last summer my sister was kind enough to give me one of her unused mid-century modern recliner chairs.  I loved the simple lines of the chair but couldn’t move past the black painted frame.  One afternoon while my dh took the kids out for a treat at The Frontier Mart in Corrales, I decided to grab my nifty palm sander and gave this classic chair a much-needed face-lift.  My intuition told me that once the paint was removed I would expose a beautiful wood.  Come to find out, I was right!

Initially, I was thinking of reupholstering the chair with a funky fabric pattern similar to the re-upholstered Milo Baughman chair posted in Apartment Therapy.    What do you think?

~Beth

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Q Project: desk

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Project Breakdown:

–  garage sale desk: $10
–  1 quart of Home Depot “oops” paint / Glidden Exterior GL6911 Satin: $1
–  2 cans of Kilz spray primer: $8.94
–  1 can of Rustoleum Anodized Bronze
–  1 can Krylon Fusion Satin Dover White
–  1 package of furniture leg glider: $1.49
–  Minwax Polycrylic clear gloss: $16.57
–  sandpaper
–  Elmer’s Carpenter’s wood glue
–  Elmer’s Carpenter’s wood filler
–  painter’s tape
–  vinegar & salt to soak the brass hardware

I decided to embrace the imperfections and accept the fact that each garage sale or GW find is unique in its own way.  I love stumbling upon used furniture as I do with once loved (vintage) books that I use in my paper crafts.  There is a mysterious element behind old objects that intrigues me.

~Beth

a cool idea for our coffee table

Over dinner I mentioned an idea for the table top. Here is the link: http://www.craftynest.com/2009/03/bamboo-veneer-flowers-ikea-lack-tables/
Instead of applying a veneer I was thinking the same look could be achieve by painting over a floral shaped adhesive and peeling it off after the paint dries to reveal the underlying wood surface. Do you think it can work?  ~Beth

cool giveaway on another blog

Win a vinyl cutting machine!

pachinko needs a second chance

After our dinner conversation last night discussing your memories with Pachinko machines, I pulled out the dusty one I have in storage. It’s very fun-looking. Any ideas on how to give this a second life? I was thinking ‘coffee table,’ but it’s very dimensional. I’d have to remove some stuff to do that. It actually still works. I think there are lights and noises. It opens like a medicine cabinet. Any way to leverage that? ~ Sean

photo

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$5 canvas chairs get a new outfit

Finished sewing new cushions for my $5 chairs (that’s $5 for the pair of chairs)! I dyed this fun modern print yellow to tone the colors down. Happy with the results.  Oh so comfy and just the right height for the wee ones.  ~ Sean

BEFORE

AFTER

wonkiness… to fix or embrace?

My desk is coming along slowly.  The 3 drawers on the left side sit crooked on the track.  I thought it was a simple fix but apparently not.  I’ll send you pictures later.  Maybe I should embrace the quirkiness of the drawers and move forward…   maybe not?  ~ Beth

first Q project!

BEFORE $10

Picked up this sweet little beauty (chair;) at a yard sale for $10.  It’s hydraulic and heavy, but was in good condition.  My family goes back 5 generations in the Spanish Colonial Arts.  My brother is a tinsmith and I’ve trained as a retablo artist (icons of the saints painted on wood boards).  I love the art and I also love juxtaposing the iconography with modern themes.  The image from this chair is the one that appears in our banner.

The chair is currently  at a furniture consignment house frequented by Hollywood studio types retailing for $400 🙂  So maybe you’ll see it again In Plain Site 😉

~ Sean

hand painted acrylic "Our Lady of Guadalupe" icon.

Our Lady Of Guadalupe Detail

Our Lady of Guadalupe detail 2