American Pickers...

So, Happy Anniversary to me!  My husband and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary last weekend with a trip up north to Traverse City. Here is what our lovely mini-van looked like after we stopped at every goodwill and antique store between Zeeland and Traverse City.  We even lived up to the nickname our neighbors gave us of "American Pickers", after discovering it was 'Community Clean Up Day" in Manistee and curbs were covered with junk!  I managed to snag some rustic boards for sign projects!

Here are some before pictures of some of the gems I found.  I also spent all day Thursday painting some pieces for a client, so all in all I had 9 pieces I completed in one day. Suffice it to say, I could hardly walk on Friday morning. I was so sore!  I am getting too old for this, but I still love it! 

                     

Here are the finished pieces....all in a day's work!

Isn't it amazing what a little black and white paint and some funky fabric will do?!  I thought I'd post all the befores together this time, and all the afters in a group so you can see the transformation.  Do you prefer the before/after pics side by side?  Let me know. 

I am off to the first Allegan Antique Fair of the season tomorrow, (if it's not raining), so I'll let you know what I find.  I can't even think about getting out my paintbrush again so soon, but I scheduled a massage on Tuesday, so maybe I can lift my arms again by mid-week! 

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Spring Cleaning!

Okay, so my poor baby, Brecken struggles with keeping her room clean.  I bought this armoire for her room which was originally oak for $95.  I painted it creamy white and envisioned this piece being the perfect solution for storing her sweatshirts and jeans.  Clearly, looking at the first pic, you can see this was not the answer!  She is now forbidden to put clothes of any type into the armoire, but it works amazingly well as a bookcase.  Hidden storage is the best, isn't it?  I think I have an armoire in every room of my house!

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Painting and more Painting!

 I loved the style of this dresser, (and the big wooden knobs) that I found at a thrift shop, but I wasn't crazy about the finish. I didn't take a picture of it for this shot, but it came with an attached mirror that would be perfect for my oldest daughter's bedroom makeover that she wants for her 12 birthday this year.

Here's how it turned out. I sanded, primed and painted it a creamy white. I tend to do a lot of my pieces a soft white so that I have the versitility of moving it from room to room. I used the same Benjamin Moore paint that I referred to earlier in black, but I must say, I wasn't as impressed with it in white.  It says it has a primer builit into it, but many of the pieces I painted, bled through. This one took 4 coats....aghhhh.

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