Its Finished! This piece took WAY longer than anticipated. I probably should have taped off the wood and sprayed the metal base to save time rather than painting every detail by hand, but lessons learned I guess. Here he is...

I chose the name Thomas because he looks so distinguished to me -- handsome and smart, showing off his age so well.

I gave you a sneak peek earlier this week. Remember what he looked like before?

This piece was a Craigslist find. I love the wooden slats, you just don't see these anymore. A perfect example of my favorite combo -- mixing the vintage with the modern!

I used some wood stain that I had on hand from a previous project, Minwax Bombay Mahogany. I Just used one coat, my goal was to keep the wood looking old and worn, just warmed up a bit.

Once dry, I taped off the wood and brushed on a mixture of a Behr black color that I also had on hand. (Sorry I don't have the name of this color. If interested, I can send you the mixture levels). I didn't need to use a primer because the mixture used was a homemade chalk paint recipe. Side-note: I have plans to complete a more thorough chalk paint comparison in the future. I'll keep you posted. I am however very pleased with the results!

I finished off the entire piece with a coat of Annie Sloan Soft Wax in Clear and gave it a light buff. I'll be applying a second coat tomorrow since its an outdoor piece and needs extra protection.

I haven't yet decided If I am going to keep him or post him on Craigslist.  Hmmmm... decisions, decisions.

For now, I will just look at him for a while. Isn't he handsome?

Lots of love,

Mary 

I'm linked up here:

This is what I'm doing this evening :)

A much needed pedi for a worn-out mommy! As I near the end of my second trimester, I'm starting to feel more tired. I actually had to take a nap today! Well, it was a forced nap -- but a nap nonetheless. You see, I couldn't find my car keys for the life of me and the paint for my next project was in the car. I was planning on painting during Gabby's naptime, but after a half-hour of searching for the keys I gave up and "closed my eyes for just a minute" on the sofa.
Anyway, this is the piece I'm working on.

It's a vintage porch swing with the most beautiful wooden slats. I picked this up for $20 off of Craigslist around eight months ago. The wood will be stained and finished, and the metal frame will be painted. I can't wait to show you the finished product!

In other news, I've been pulling out all my Christmas decor from the garage and the house is just about done now. I have a few Christmas craft projects to show you as soon as I get everything in place. Yay!


Lots of love,
Mary

A few months ago, I scored the biggest truck load of goods from Craigslist ever recorded in history. Introducing the vintage ammo crates:

Source: Uploaded by user via Mary - on Pinterest

I was so excited! Can you believe the old owners were trying to get rid of them as firewood?!?! I can't even imagine the sight of one of these beauties burning. I can hardly wait to make something with them, but that will have to wait for now since I don't yet own a power saw of any kind. I'm thinking that I could make a sofa table or maybe a side table on casters.

I've stacked them three-high to use as a side table for now. And the rest have been posted to Craigslist here for sale (saving some for myself of course).

I just love the weathered wood. And the stamped marking on the side is perfection!

They even have a sturdy lid with lots of storage room. Surprisingly, the internal wood was preserved well due to cardboard pieces that were left inside.

Thanks for joining me! Stay tuned, tomorrow is the big reveal for the buffet and hutch set I've been working on. I still need a name for the piece, but I'm sure it will come to me once I get the hardware on and start taking photos.


Lots of love,
Mary



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