Furniture Makeovers | Like a Saturday - DIY, Crafts, Recipes, Shenanigans

May 15, 2013
by likeasaturday 5 Comments

Filing Cabinet Re-Do

I’ve been using the same plastic file box to keep my paperwork organized since high school. Now that we’re supposed to be grown ups {or something of the sort} and have a house and consequently, a great deal of paper to keep track of…we have found ourselves in need of a filing system upgrade. I can think of approximately a million and three things that are more exciting to spend money on than a new filing cabinet, so I was pretty pumped when I scored this little fella for $7. I found him on a Facebook re-sale page for our community {It serves the same purpose as Craigslist, but only for our little section of our huge city}.

The filing cabinet was beat up and boring, so of course, I decided to attack it with a couple of cans of spray paint. I still wanted it to have an industrial look, but with a modern twist, so I went with a two-toned look.

I painted the drawer fronts with a glossy white, and the rest of the cabinet in a glossy grey. I believe the color was winter grey {Rustoleum} but I already tossed the can. It only took 3 light coats to get good coverage.

This guy now lives next to my desk in my office nook. It’s awesome to have added a little extra surface space in my corner {especially for when I have the sewing machine out}. My craft caddy lives here when it’s not following me around the house.

Next up on the to-do list is reorganizing our files and coming up with a good system. Do you have any tips you use when keeping your paperwork organized?

April 10, 2013
by likeasaturday 20 Comments

Office Nook Reveal

Good morning! I’m so excited to share my little office nook reveal with you today! I’m always amazed at how a few subtle changes can really change a space. Before we get into the fun “after” picture, here’s a reminder of what the space looked like in transition.

And now….

The biggest change {kinda?} I made was painting my desk a charcoal grey. It’s hard to tell in these photos how different it really is, but it has definitely softened up the space and given it a more feminine look. I also did a little Rub and Buff on the drawer pulls. The charcoal and gold mesh so well with my rescued office chair. They really look like they were made for each other!

I was able to bring a little pops of color through the new shelves. I ditched the dry erase board above the desk that I never used, and replaced it with this bright and cheerful canvas from Red Letter Words. It’s such a great reminder to have right in front of me while I’m working!

The framed hand prints were a Christmas gift my sister and I made for my Grandad when we were 6 and 2. I still remember my Dad helping us make that and being so excited to give it to him. It’s a sweet reminder of him.

I found this cute blue teacup at Goodwill, and knew it would be an awesome little succulent planter. I can’t get enough of it! It’s just too cute !

My husband drew the picture of me on the top shelf when we were in college and dating. The gold “R” and little owl were Hobby Lobby finds; and the glittery “H” was in one of the dollar bins at Michaels. I’m loving the faux plants from Ikea these days. I have several in places that I would typically forget to water, or that don’t have enough sun for thriving green things. I’m not typically a fake plant girl, but I really like these little guys!

I bought a cute plastic place mat from Target to protect the surface of the desk. I work on a variety of items at this desk, and didn’t want to risk any of those things scratching the paint. Plus, it’s another fun pop of color! These adorable notebooks are by Rifle Paper Co., but I found them at Target. Love !

One of my favorite things about this desk is the perfect little nook it has for my sewing machine. It feels good to be able to knock a few things off of my to-do list, and I’m so happy with how it turned out!

Thrifty Decor Chick

March 26, 2013
by likeasaturday 19 Comments

DIY Small Ironing Table

Hello there! I hope your week has gotten off to a great start. Things are definitely looking up since it’s a short week!

My mom had this old TV tray table, and was going to put it in the donate pile. She’s also recently picked up quilting. I knew I could easily whip this table into something useful for her new hobby. I decided to turn it into a small ironing table that she could keep near her sewing table. This way, she doesn’t have to haul out the ironing board to press all of her quilting squares. She doesn’t even have to get out of her chair to iron! Talk about upping productivity.

I flipped it over and gave it a couple of coats of white spray paint.

Once the paint was dry and cured, I carried the table into the house to upholster the top. It already had a piece of fabric hot glued to the top, so I just popped that right off.

I had some batting on hand, so I layed that out and trimmed it so that there was about an inch of overhang on each side.

I pulled it taught and went after it with the staple gun until it was snug and secure.

Once the batting was in place, I did the same thing with a new piece of fabric. I had this scrap in my stash. I decided to go with something more neutral so that it would go with whatever decor she chooses and not draw too much attention to itself.

Voila! Quilting convenience at its finest. It doesn’t take up much room at all, but can easily be folded and put out of the way if needed.

I love repurposing things to give them new life. This project didn’t even cost me a dime since I already had everything on hand, mostly leftover from other projects.

Have you repurposed anything lately? Or picked up any new hobbies?

Have a great Tuesday!

March 14, 2013
by likeasaturday 11 Comments

Coffee Table Refresh

So far this year, we’ve made some good progress in our living room! I’ve been able to check off a majority of my to-do list {and of course, added a few more items. that’s how I roll!}. After adding the new entertainment center, we also added new end tables. The top of the media console and the end tables are a chestnut color, which I love. The only problem is our coffee table no longer matched or coordinated with the other wood pieces in the living room. We were given the table by Tim’s parents when we got married and moved into the house. It’s a nice table – solid wood and made by Broyhill – so getting rid of it due to it’s finish seemed like a silly idea. I decided to try my hand at stripping and re-staining the table.

I’m a bad blogger and didn’t get a good before photo. I’ll go ahead and slap myself on the wrist for you. It was the typical oak color with orange undertones and a basic wooden knob.

I did a little research on stripping stain, and decided to try the CitriStrip spray. I just sprayed a layer onto the finish and let it sit for about 30 minutes. I came back and used a plastic scraper on most of the table and steel wool on the more detailed areas, like the legs. That stuff came right off…like butter. I didn’t put much effort into scraping it off at all. The fumes were also very minimal, which surprised me. Make sure to have plenty of gloves on hand and work over a covered area!

You could still see some rings that were left by hot drinks, even after the stain was gone {oops!}, so I did a very quick sanding job on the top of the table.

Would you look at that! Like a baby’s bottom! Smooth and ready for staining. I used two coats MinWax stain in Red Mahogonay, and then 3 coats of satin poly. I spread out each step over the course of a week. I am so pleased with how it turned out! I have a ton of the stain left, and I’m excited to used the leftovers on some unfinished furniture we have.

It looks so much better with the new furniture pieces and really pulls it all together. It warmed up the room and even helped it look a little more modern.

The wicker tray I’ve used on the coffee table blends in a little too much now, so I’m hoping to add something with a little more contrast.

{Tim’s mom brought me the forced tulip bulbs – aren’t they pretty??}

There’s another new addition to the living room! Meet my new precious!

I scored this West Elm rug for a steal at the Pottery Barn outlet. Holy wow. That place was like Disneyland to me. This rug was already marked down 50% and they were running a special for 40% off the already discounted price. I had heart palpitations over it.

The colors in the rug look beautiful with the deep wood tones. It looks a little lumpier in these pictures than it does in person, but I’m definitely going to be in the market for a pad. Does anyone else have any trouble keeping your flat weave rugs flat? Or any tips on how to keep them that way?

We’re well on our way to being done with this room! All I need to do is find a mantle for out fireplace, make a shade for the back door window, and then eventually exchange our old carpet for wood floors. I’m actually toying around with the idea of repainting {because I am my mother’s daughter and can’t leave well enough alone. hi mom!}. We’ll see! I’ll definitely let you know if we change it up!

Have a great Thursday! Keep powering through! We’re almost to Friday!

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February 25, 2013
by likeasaturday 11 Comments

Gold Dipped Bar Stools

Hi, y’all! I was down this weekend with a stomach bug, so I’m pulling out an old post. A couple of weeks ago, I swapped blogs with Meg from A Little Knick Knack. In case you missed it, here is the project I shared with her readers. Enjoy!

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My latest project has been revamping a couple of generic bar stools into something a little more fabulous. We have a low bar type area that divides the kitchen from the living room. I thought it would be nice to make the space more useful and add some extra seating.

I started with these cheapo bar stools from Target. They were about $12 each on sale {and I had a gift card – woohoo!}. I’ve also seen several stools like this at different thrift stores and garage sales. I gave both stools a good sanding and then wiped off the dust with a damp cloth.

I spray painted the stools with 2 coats of a black gloss from Rustoleum. When I’m painting furniture, I like to flip it over and start with the bottom side so that the more visible sections don’t get scratches or dings in the fresh paint.

I decided to add a little extra flair by giving the stools a dipped paint treatment. I’m a little late jumping on the dipped furniture train, but I think it is such a fun look and a great way to add a little detail. I taped the legs 6 inches from the floor, and then did another light sanding where I would be painting.

I chose a metallic gold craft paint to complement all of the other gold touches I’ve been adding to the house {hanging plates, chalkboard menu, office chair rescue, milk glass lamps}.

I gave each leg 4 coats of gold paint with a foam brush. I made sure to let each coat dry thoroughly before moving onto the next. {Read: I watched an episode of Downton Abbey between each coat.}

Once the paint was dry, I flipped the stools and took off the tape. I love how they turned out! I’m not sure why I didn’t jump on the dipped furniture trend sooner!

I’ve loved having the extra seating options over by the bar. It makes that area look like it actually belongs there. It has become a useful space for eating or working, instead of just a dumping ground for mail and other junk.