Trashy & Brassy to Sassy & Classy

This is a guest post from my blogging sister in decorating crime, Kimba from A Soft Place to Land. If you've been under a rock and have yet to meet her and all her genius ways fly on over and say hello.

When it comes to furnishing my home, I love the challenge of finding a piece of bedraggled furniture and rehabbing it into something that I love. This method also works nicely with my cheapskate tendencies.

Let me start with this disclaimer...What I do isn't furniture restoration or even refinishing. If you do that type of work, you really should look away now. The pieces I work on are usually someone's unloved trash or thrift store bargains. I use paint, fabric and some elbow grease to create something new and pretty that I can love.

I was up for a challenge the day that I saw this brassy, trashy vanity stool at the Salvation Army for $5. I threw him into back of the van with visions of a dramatic makeover for my bathroom. Every girl needs a soft place to sit in her bathroom, right?

Here's what I used for this dramatic makeover:

• Brassy, trashy stool
• Rustoleum spray paint in Heirloom White
• Burlap
• Staple gun
• Stencil
• Lumiere fabric paint in metallic brown
• Sponge brush
  

The seats on these types of stools (and most chairs, for that matter) are easily removed by unscrewing the seat from the bottom and lifting it off. This will let you paint the frame without protecting the seat.

Two or three coats of my beloved Heirloom White spray paint (satin finish) covered up the horrible brass. Note: I did not prime this piece because it's going in my bathroom where it won't get banged around (and because I'm lazy like that). BUT, if you want to increase the durability factor, a base coat of primer will greatly increase the chances of your paint not chipping.

Recovering a seat like this one is as easy as wrapping new fabric over the seat cushion and stapling it to the bottom with the staple gun. Once the seat is recovered, you just reattach it using the same hardware that you just removed.

The monogram was done using a regular stencil, fabric paint and a sponge brush. Burlap takes fabric paint beautifully, so it was an easy way to add a bit of personalization.

I'll be honest...Even I, lover of all things aerosol, (spray paint, hairspray and cheese whiz) wasn't convinced I was going to love the end results on this one. I knew that the brass could be transformed with spray paint. But I was worried that the scrolls and swirlies would look dated even when they were painted. But now I love it! What do you think?

Do you have something at home that you could transform with some paint, fabric and elbow grease?

Thanks Kimba, I now want to paint everything I own, and used to own, and got rid of too soon. By the way, today is moving day for us. I'll have some photos soon!

In other news, Jon and Kate's {K8?} old house is still on the market {thanks em} if you are interested. It brings back so many nice memories. I'd love to know what the note in the bathroom say. Because I am nosey like that. But let's play nice in the comments about them please.

Fabric Canvas

Here is another post for your reading and viewing pleasure where it took me three times longer to write the post and take the photos and doctor them up than it did to actually do the project. I'm hoping it was worth having a filthy house and unwashed sheets and missing Oprah.


This week I'm telling you that I am gonna show you the playroom and the homeschool room. Why, you ask? Maybe because I am so wanting to share every nook and cranny of my home with you? Maybe because some of you keep emailing me begging me to show you where my boys play and learn? NO. {sidenote--I changed that color to be really dramatic and now I don't know how to get that regular color back, hate me} I wish I were so kind. I am doing it because those rooms are both disgracefully messy and the only way they are gonna get any cleaner is for me to promise you that I will show them to you. So I must.


I am starting with a wall in the playroom. Because I have yet to clean and my boys can't pile toys on the wall. The room is a small bedroom. It's painted builder beige of course and I don't feel like painting it. I think lots of fabric with color and texture might help it feel more personal. So let's get too it!


*Get you a canvas or 12. Or any number that you want. Maybe you have old ones laying around that are painted on--use those if you don't need them anymore. I had some left over from an old project that the boys did.


*Next you need fabric. I have a huge stash. This is why you should always keep scraps of fabric. I keep all things fabric--old drapes, tablecloths, pillow cases--I'll bet you have something right now in your closet that you could use.


*You need a staple gun {Matilda} and staples, I use mine quite often. But not near as much as my glue gun--you need that more--but not for this project.

Now, wrap that canvas


I like using different fabrics that look good together and then hanging them really close together. You could stop right there and have a great wall. I only have three canvases and am not about to pay full price for them. So as soon as they go on sale again I am buying six, yes six more (2 for $5) and putting up 3 rows of 3.


Let's make this a little more interesting. Grab some extra ribbon and some ring clips that every woman should have in her home. Loop that ribbon, thread on a ring and staple it to the back. See?
Now stagger the lengths and use different colors...


Better, now let's staple on some ribbon and fringe vertically too!


Looking good! I'll post more photos as soon as that sale starts!


PS I just heard that Corine Baily Rae's husband was found dead. I am so sad for her, please keep their family in your prayers. She's the one singing this song that you hear.