This morning I had a small window of time before my daughter's dance class to go out thrift shopping and try to pickup some furniture to refinish. You see, I'm currently sold out. All the pieces that I've done to this point have sold -- yay! This is so very exciting, but at the same time I need to get to work. Are you curious to see what I found this morning?

At my first stop I struck out. This happens sometimes, but don't let that discourage you. On my second attempt I snagged two of these nightstands for only $6.50 a piece! Not sure what to do with them yet, but I'm sure it will come to me.

I was drawn to the nice shape and the hardware. The drawers are also dovetail and you can tell that it's a better quality piece. Now I just have to pick the perfect finish!

Next stop, I found this Mid-Century Modern desk for only $10. You can't see in the photo, but it has the pencil legs that I really love. It's extra long but has a short depth, which helps with functionality.

This is going to be fun! I'm thinking more bold and retro for these color selections. 

Lots of love,

Mary

You've seen these before right? The first time I saw them was in staging photos at Perfectly Imperfect. Which, by the way, happens to be one of my favorite blogs of all time! I've learned so much from Shaunna. So what was a girl to do? The next time I found myself in a thrift store, which was probably the next day since I can't stay away for too long, I went for the oldest looking books I could find. Also taking into consideration which ones were 50% off that particular day. 

If your looking for a starter project, this one is it! Probably about the easiest project that you could possibly do and takes all but a few minutes. After you've found four or five old books of various sizes, rip off the outer cover.

Then, cut a couple strips of either twine or muslin fabric and tie a knot at the top, just like a present. I had this fabric on hand but you could really use anything. Burlap would also look nice.

And you're done! It's beautiful, it's easy, and it hardly costs anything at all. What more could you ask for?

If you haven't made one of these yet, I encourage you to do so. Maybe this could be a handmade Christmas gift for someone special. Just tie a special note tag to the top and it becomes such a memorable gift.


Lots of love,
Mary



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Drum roll please...introducing Henry -- a modern English buffet & hutch. Henry fit as a name from the very beginning because of his masculine shape and bold lines. It's such a heavy piece, too! 

Yes, I've softened him up a bit, but I like to think he found love :)

Do you remember what he looked like before?

I used a watered-down solution of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White, brushed on, then wiped off with a rag. It took me way longer than expected due to all the detailing.

Then, when dry, I did some extra distressing with an ultra-fine sanding block. He was finished off with a coat of AS Clear Wax.

Contemporary satin nickel pulls were chosen to accent the modern block design on the doors and drawers.

The inside was left to its natural wood finish to coordinate with all the distressing.

I especially LOVE how the top of the buffet turned out. The grey tones really popped out between the wood undertones and white highlights.

Henry was a surprise. I knew I wanted to use a whitewash solution, but was very surprised when the detail popped out during the wipe-off and distressing process.

I have posted Henry for sale on Craigslist here. I hope he finds a welcoming home.
**Update: Henry is now SOLD!**

Lots of love,
Mary



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