Before & After - Project Completed

Here is the project I mentioned a couple of posts ago. We started with this coffee table which we rescued from the swap shop.

Rescued Coffee Table - Before

This shows the extensive water damage and messed up veneer. We sanded this then I remembered to take a picture. Hubby sanded it again then fixed the chipped veneer with Bondo.

Bondo on Coffee Table - Before

Here is the Bondo job hubby did and he finished it beautifully. First of all, I wanted to stain each section of the design in different colors of stain. After seeing how bad the veneer was messed and chipped, I decided to paint it instead. Hubby put long legs on the table and replaced the apron under the table with solid wood. It was previously particle board that had moisture damage. Paint would definitely take care of all of the problems. Angel, our oldest, is under the table. She loves to be under things.

Rescued Coffee Table - After

Here is the table. Using the design from the original veneer, I taped and painted the brown. Then, I taped and painted the almond white. Then, I measured and taped off for the pinstripe. Then, I put on 4 coats of satin polyurethane. Then, I waxed and buffed the whole thing. Now we have a pretty darn nice breakfast table that we can sit at when we eat. It's more of a bar-style and we'll have a view of our back yard in all seasons. As you can see, it took about a week of after-work work to finish this project. Worth it!

A lot of project planning will take place around this table.

Take care.

Before and After Project Completed

This is one of my 'before and after' posts. Here is a project I completed last weekend. I finally have a picture to show as I mentioned this in a previous post.

Before

When I found thid, I had no idea what this thing was. It looked like it was an end table and a coffee table. There were cup marks on the short and long sides. That hole in the back makes it seem like it was a TV stand. Someone made it. The wood is good and the craftsmanship is pretty good. So I decided to make it into something I've wanted for a while.

Bench in the Bathroom

I've wanted a seat in the bathroom which will hold magazines, towels and supplies. The area between the toilet and the sink is a weird size. So when I saw this, I had to bring it home. I painted it white and distressed it. I made a cushion from the curtain fabric. I put legs on it and put a few coats of polyurethane all over. Now, when company comes, they can put on their shoes here, sit down to do something else or put clothes here while they shower.

Take care.

Freebies

I went to my favorite place the other day - the swap shop at the dump. No, I'm not destitute or anything. I'm not rich, either. I just like finding stuff I can use or stuff I can fix up and give to others. I usually do a drive-by after work to see if there are any interesting items in there that I could use. I've been doing this for a while and I enjoy it immensely. Especially when someone I give something to really appreciates the item.

OK. Last week I picked up a small plastic rocking horse. I have to give it a good scrub and bleaching. It needs a little refurbishing, but not much. Then I'll give it to a friend of ours who has a small child. I gave them an adjustable walker last year and the baby loved it!

I also picked up a wooden box with one side open. It looks like it had been used as an end table and a coffee table. I'll be recycling this into an item I can use in my bathroom. Pictures later!

Monday or Tuesday of this week, I don't remember which day, I picked up a wooden wine rack and a nice serving platter with no chips. And to think I was in the process of talking myself out of stopping there. Oh boy! I have a good use for that wine rack! It's something I've been looking for for a long time. I think you'll be surprised what I'm going to use it for. Pictures later on that, too!

Here are two websites I frequent for ideas and a good browse. Trash2Treasure is a really great one. This lady has a couple of booths in a couple of different antique malls. She makes really cool things from other things. I've mentioned this site in a post last year or so ago. Check out Miss AJ's site and see what she comes up with!

Here's a really cool site for refurbishing furniture and other things. This is the first time I've mentioned her site on my blog. BetterAfter is the name of the blog. Miss Lindsey is interested in how people reinvent items found in the trash or items that were not loved any more. Lots of the furnishings are painted, which is fun to see. This stuff is far out!!! You MUST check this website out.

Comment below to let me know how you like these blogs. I'll be interested to know if YOU'VE gotten any inspiration from them.

Take care.

Cleaning Up Outside

We started our day by going to the Ladson Flea Market to get fresh fruits and vegetables. There is a particular stand that is very clean and tidy which has fresh produce at really reasonable prices. I spend usually no more than $20 when I buy from them. Hubby loves their apples and makes it a point to take me every week. It only takes about 15 minutes from the time we park to the time we return. Everything is well organized and there are a lot of people stocking the shelves. For $20, we eat a lot of fresh produce every week. This week I bought 2 heads of romaine, 1 head of iceberg, 20# of russet potatoes, 3 cucumbers, 12 roma tomatoes and 8 gala apples. In the regular grocery store, I'd be paying about $30 for this amount. It is totally worth it. They also have Hispanic foods and spices, which I buy when I need them. Also, really nice clover honey.

When we came home, I fixed lunch and we went to a car show. It was really disappointing. There were 5 cars there. Not much of a show, if you ask me. We didn't stay.

When we came home again, I painted the doors to our pump house, a post that holds the garden hose and the compost bin pickets. Then I cut down dead branches from some of my shrubs. We collected about 5 strawberries and watered the garden.

Hubby mixed up a couple of batches of fish emulsion and sprayed the whole yard. Our whole yard smells like dead fish. This will last only for about 2 hours. Fish emulsion is the best fertilizer we've found. It's great for indoor plants and outdoor plants. Love it!

Right now, I'm waiting for the BBQ'd ribs to come out of the oven. We'll have vinegar and oil potato salad and a green salad with it.

I hope you had a great day today!

Take care.