Thursday, March 27, 2008

For the Love of a Project Finished!

After a loooong drive this past weekend from Austin up to Ohio, we are "settled in" for at least a few weeks at my growing up "home" with my parents & brother. The last month was crazy as usual (I wish that I could post *just* once without the past few weeks having held such craziness!) with 3 weddings, one that called for a weekend road trip to Oklahoma, and numerous projects and chores around the house as we continue the process of trying to get "settled in" to our new-ish-now home. The process feels like it's been dragged out forever because we only stop in for a few weeks at any given time before we are packing our suitcases, cleaning out the refrigerator and heading out for another trip!

I don't know about you, but one thing I love is the feeling of accomplishment when I am able to see a project (especially a creative one!) through to completion! I was able to finish a couple of creative projects during this little stint in our house, which helped us to make some significant progress in getting things that still needed a place unpacked and organized.

Another thing that I love is taking an old piece of furniture and giving it new life. I also enjoy the thriftiness of finding a piece for a good deal with good bones that just needs a little face lift. I thought I'd share one of my furniture projects as an update of some of what we've been up to in the weeks since my last post. I have another fun project that I'll save to share on another day while we are away. This piece is at least 40-50 years old, as it belonged to the owner's grandmother before she gave it to him when he went away to college.

Here are some pictures of my Craigslist find before:

And after, in it's new home in our master bathroom:

We had a large empty nook in our master bath that needed a piece of furniture to hide away linens and towels. This armoire was a perfect fit!

I wanted it to have a rough, antiqued look, so I used a whitewash technique rather than painting it with a solid coat of paint, and sanded some of the paint from the edges to give it a more aged look. We also picked out some new hardware to replace the missing and outdated original hardware.

Now, if I can just wrap up a few more projects around the house once we arrive back in Austin, our house will begin to feel even more like home!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!!

5 comments:

Cindy said...

Wow, that looks great! Don't you just love craigslist! I've found the best stuff on there!

The Nester said...

Ok, girl, you are seriously making me want this! What patience you must have! I'm now wondering how much $$$ you dished out or how little! I am so shameless in asking! Whatever you paid, it was worth it!

Anonymous said...

I can't even imagine where to start with something like this. Your work is amazing!

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

Hi, Amber, I found you through the Nester's site & love your project. It really gives it a whole new look. I'm a girl who loves a bargain too & am always painting something. Yardsale finds are my favorite. Come & see me sometime!

Rhoda

troubling stars said...

What a good feeling to find something, plan its redemption, and then actually FINISH your project!! Just wait till children join your home (if thats part of the plan,) they make it way harder. So, question, if you have a minute to spare. I just inherited a cute short wooden table from a friend who was moving, and it is in desperate need of a refinish but I have no idea where to even start. Can you point me in the right direction? Thanks!