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TRANSFORMED, from broken to beautiful

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Archives for January 2013

Vintage Dresser & Mirror Update

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So here she is, my latest furniture transformation at long last complete!  I started this vintage dresser several months ago when I was in the process of testing three homemade chalkpaint recipes. You can read my review here to find out the one I rated as the BEST!
(Hmmm . . . I’m beginning to think I need to get a “staging” place for taking pictures of my furniture)
Anyway . . . this is how she looked before.
                                           

The dresser came with a marble top but I’ve left it off for now as I have other plans for it.
The marble was covering up some damage to the wood veneer top so I scraped away loose wood, sanded and filled with Wood Filler, sanded again and started painting.  The top isn’t perfect, it has some little dings and divets (just like me!) to give it the character that comes with age, but it looks pretty good with a few coats of paint . . .
 . . . and a little Annie Sloan Soft Wax buffed to a soft shine.
I added stripes to the sides for visual interest and to modernize this piece a bit.
I held onto the original wood knobs for a future project and purchased glass knobs from World Market. 
 I also purchased this floral applique from an Etsy shop online, then painted and antiqued it.

Here are some close-ups of a light distressing I gave the piece. I will be selling this and I’ve found that some people don’t like much distressing.  I can always add to the effect later for anyone who prefers more.
Next is the special surprise when the drawers are opened!  The wood in the bottoms of the drawers was a bit rippled, like there had been some water damage. They were still solid though so I decided to do a little decoupage to hide the roughness.  I got the graphics (old postcards, French script and vintage ladies) from The Graphics Fairy.  I then painted the insides of the drawers with a third paint color.
  Here’s a closer look at the lovely ladies.  That little tutu is my favorite color!
The three colors used on this dresser are: Behr Dream Catcher & Myth on the outside & Prelude for the insides of the drawers.
One last surprise is a peek at the back of the dresser. I painted it rather than leave it unfinished so it doesn’t necessarily have to stay up against a wall.  This little gal is a wallflower no longer!
I hope you enjoyed seeing another OLD THING made NEW. I sure enjoyed sharing it with you.  By the way, what do you think of stripes? I’m thinking of adding some to my walls. 
Blessings to you,

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$1000 Visa Gift Card Giveaway!!!

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Before I get to the exciting Gift Card details, let me just say that I’ve noticed this past week that a LOT of my incoming emails have ended up in a Spam folder.  Since I’ve promised to follow back anyone that lets me know they are following me, I’d like to ask that you please comment on the bottom of this post if you notice that I haven’t signed up to follow you back yet. This is especially true for those following by e-mail, as I can’t see who you are! Thanks 🙂

So on to the $1000 Visa Gift Card Giveaway.  Mallory & Savannah over at Classy Clutter have given us 10 TIPS TO PREVENT COLD AND FLU THIS SEASON.  It is a great article.  Who doesn’t want to avoid sickness?  At the end of their post is also a Giveaway . . . a chance to win $1000!  I’m blogging about their post in exchange for an entry in this sweepstakes and I want to pass the chance on to you, my followers, as well!  So head on over to their blog to place your entry and while you’re there take a look around.  Their blog has many great projects and tutorials. I am now one of their new followers.

I’ll be back later today with my latest furniture re-do so I’ll see you then 🙂

Patti
 

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The Grow Your Blog Party!

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Today I’m joining up with the Grow Your Blog party hosted by Vicki over at 2BagsFull.  Hundreds of bloggers will be posting who they are and why they started blogging.  We will then have the opportunity to “visit” with and begin to build relationships with other bloggers like ourselves.
 
So here is my part.  As my blog says, my name is Patricia Krank, but most people call me Patti.  People that know me say that I am friendly, kind, a good listener and a compassionate person.

Some say that I am a bit mischievious but I think I just like to have fun!

Those that know me WELL say that I am funny, silly, a tad bit driven (as in always needing to be in the middle of a project)  . . . and sometimes a little crazy!

(If that didn’t scare you away, then we’re good!  Keep reading 🙂
 
I was born and raised in Washington State and currently live in a lakeside home just outside the state capitol of Olympia.  Yes, it is a bit soggy here, but very green!  We often dream of retiring to a warmer, drier climate, but when summer comes, and we get our pontoon boat back into the water, there is no better place to live.
 
I’m married to my best friend and partner in crime (I mean ministry), Kelly.
I have two beautiful daughters (Joy & Bethany) who live in opposite corners of the country – Buffalo, NY and Pasadena, CA (exotic aren’t they?)





 

 . . . and these are a couple of guys I found to be their bodyguards (in reality, this is B’s boyfriend Dave & my son-in-law Andrew, but they look kinda tough in these cool(?) caps they found).



 We also have three dogs, who are spoiled beyond belief!
 
So why did I start blogging?  Two things:  I’ve always felt compelled to write . . . AND .  . . I’ve always loved decorating, crafting, DIY projects, or just about anything to make my home a more beautiful and comfortable place to live.  You know the “nesting” urge that comes right before having a baby?  That is me ALL the time!  I never had time to pursue this passion to it’s fullest until retiring from a career in the dental profession. (Retired? – HA! I’m busier than ever!)  The bug to begin blogging began in earnest with the remodel of our little lakeside cottage a couple of years ago.  I’ll be doing a full post with before and after photos soon, but here a couple of before and after peeks:
 

 Kitchen before . . .
and after.
Living Room before . . .

and after. 
 
 Since we were doing this remodel with limited cash (and ran into the need to re-wire the entire cottage = $$$) I was forced to furnish “on the cheap”. I found used furniture online, then stripped, sanded, painted, and recovered cushions.  Here are a few pictures of my furniture re-do’s:
 
Before and after upholstered furnishings:
 

Before and after pine armoire:
(Oops! I had this project half painted before shooting any pics)
 


Before and after drop leaf table:

and chairs . . .

 
 
 
This was my first try at refinishing furniture and I was amazed at the joy this new hobby brought into my life!  As I worked lovingly on each piece I saw OLD THINGS becoming NEW and my eyes were opened to the correlation to the ministry that my husband and I are involved with.  Hence, an outlet for my drive to write and my drive to create came together in a blog called . . .

My goals through blogging are threefold:  The first is to share with others how one can make a home of beauty even with limited resources. Most of the projects I do are with things I have on hand or find while out “thrifting”.  I only pick solidly built furniture pieces that will last for years to come.  I hope to inspire others to think twice before paying full price!  My second goal is to build enough interest in my projects to eventually begin to sell them.  I am thinking of doing my first French Flea Market next summer and I’d like to build a big enough “store” of goods to try selling on Etsy.  I know I need to start pinning on Pinterest and building my Facebook page as well.  Whew!  There is so much more to this process than I ever imagined!  Thirdly, I’d like to pass on a little hope to those who are having a hard time. The intention of my blog isn’t to be “preachy” but being Freedom Session Directors is a huge part of my husband’s and my lives.  We regularly share our own experience of lives transformed by God, so some of that is bound to spill over into my writing from time to time.
I have a lot to learn as a novice blogger, especially since I’m technically challenged by virtue of age alone.  It appears to me that I am older than most of the other bloggers I see out there of my genre.  However, I inherited “Sisu” from my Finnish mom (loosely translated into English that is strength of will, determination & perseverance) and “stubborness” from my Irish dad . . . so I’m pushing on to learn the ins and outs of this crazy blogging world! 
So . . . on to the GROW YOUR BLOG PARTY!  I’m looking forward to the chance to explore other blogs and make new friends over the next couple of days 🙂
 
Blessings to you,
Patti 

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Old Buttons and Lace

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 This is a quick and easy project that can be made with leftover fabric scraps, lace, old jewelry, buttons, and empty bottles.  It took only minutes to make (really) and I love the touch of beauty it adds to my home.  The inspiration for this project came from decorated vintage bottles I’ve seen for sale on Etsy. However, since I didn’t have any vintage bottles, and since I was going to cover the whole thing up anyway, I hit the recycle stack under my kitchen sink.

I don’t know about you, but since my glass recycle is only picked up once a month it tends to pile up down there.  Not only that, but I often miss that one day a month in my hurry to get everything hauled up to the top of my driveway just in the knick of time (I DO tend to put trash hauling off until the last minute!)! and there never seems to be enough time to go looking for that silly recycling schedule.  But, LUCKY ME, in my sticky stash I found all kinds of cool glass bottles . . . a tall, skinny champagne vinegar bottle, some interestingly exotic salad dressing bottles, even a simple Mason jar . . . but the one I chose for this project was a maple syrup bottle. 

 
So I know, the bottle in the picture below does look a little full, but once again I started cutting and pasting before snapping any pictures.  I was lucky enough to find a bottle in my pantry that was almost exactly the same shape.
Soooo . . . the first step, of course, was to cover it in chalk paint!  You can check out my favorite homemade chalk paint recipe HERE.

After painting I used the sanding sponge to distress it and show a few details of the bottle.
 I decided to add some leftover beads for a little peak of color & interest at the bottom of the bottle.
Around the neck of the bottle I tied some “ribbon” which consisted of pieces of bias tape and organza torn in strips . . . which I wrapped, knotted and artfully draped (Ha!)
Next I started randomly wrapping the bottle with leftover bits of lace, fabric, and some pre-made rosettes, glue-gunning as I went along. You can buy pre-made rosettes at craft stores or make your own. Below are pictures of some similar rosettes I made at an earlier date:

Hem tape or bias tape

Sheer fabric such as organza

I rolled and sewed the tape to a square of fabric instead of using a glue gun since this is so small and I don’t really like the feel of hot glue on my fingers.  I also wanted the frayed edges of the fabric showing beyond the rosette.  For a complete tutorial on making burlap rosettes (a similar process but with a glue gun) you can go to the link here.

Just keep on wrapping until you have the size you want and then trim the sheer fabric into a circle shape around the rosette. I left about 1/2″ showing and purposely frayed it up a bit.

  I kept adding a strip of fabric here and a strip of fabric there until I was satisfied with how it looked and then I added some random pieces of old jewelry and a few buttons.

To top it off, I printed a piece of sheet music off the computer, dipped it in a little tea to “age” it and added a touch of gold Rub ‘n Buff to the edges of the paper.  Then I rolled it up and voila!  For vintage music or any other type of graphic printables The Graphics Fairy is the place to go.
So what do can you do with a decorated old bottle?  Some people write out their blessings on pieces of paper and put them in bottles to be read at the end of the year.  Maybe there is someone you’re thankful for.  You could write out all the ways you appreciate them on strips of paper, place them inside the bottle, and give it to them as a gift.  I think it would make a great Mother’s Day gift.  
 

Soooo . . . go ahead and dig through that recycle barrel before you send it away. You never know what kind of OLD THINGS you might have that could be made over into something NEW!
II Cor. 5:17 ” . . . old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”.

Many blessings to you,

 
Patti
 

 

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Vintage Jewelry Bookmarks

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The day after Thanksgiving my husband and I went on a vintage jewelry shopping trip to several of our local antique stores.  It was support your local merchant day and we were in!  If I were brave enough (or perhaps if I weren’t so vain) I would show you the pictures we took of ourselves in the car as we headed out “as is”.  It was not a pretty sight! In fact, at one store in the downtown area they were watching my husband pretty closely and I felt the need to explain that, no, he wasn’t  homeless, that he was with me, and we were there to buy jewelry!  I was gonna share the pics with you but by the time I emailed them to myself from my phone, copied them to my computer, uploaded them to Picasa to watermark them and exported them back to my photo editing software . . . I couldn’t find them anywhere.  Oh well, no loss for you and much gain for me, as I won’t embarrass myself and my entire family!

So last week I showed you the journals I made to give as gifts, but these were really only secondary to the vintage jewelry bookmarks I had already made. The idea came from CountryLiving (their picture below), and when I finished the bookmarks I decided I needed something to put them IN to make sure people would know what in the world they were!  You never know, right?

If you don’t have a bead shop in your area or a good fabric/craft store you can click on the CL link to view sources for materials.   Then follow along with my tutorial below:
I began with 10″ pieces of crushed velvet ribbon but any type of ribbon, or even lace, will do. 

I used a jewelry crimping tool and a little BeadFix adhesive for extra strength.
The trick here was getting a good hard crimp all the way across the width of the ribbon (if you do too many in one sitting your hand will have a good crimp by the end of process as well).
This is how they look so far.
Now to attach your jewels with  jump rings and two set of jewelry pliers. With jump rings, you never pull the opening apart, but rather, you gently twist the two sides away from each other as shown in the picture below.  Otherwise you’ll never get the ring to close properly again.

Then just twist the ring back in place.


Perfect!

Here are some of the beautiful vintage earrings we found on our Black Friday shopping spree.  I’m a little sad that I didn’t get photos of the actual bookmarks after they were all put together, each with   an earring on one end of the ribbon and a Swarovski crystal on the other.  I was in such a hurry to get everything wrapped up that I completely FORGOT to snap any pictures of my completed project!

 

But here are a few shots of the bookmarks I made with beading materials from my local Michael’s store (on sale after Christmas by the way).  I think they are also very pretty and quite vintage-looking.  They just aren’t quite as special as the “real thing”.

And this is how they look on display on my bookshelf.  Along with my covered journals it will be nice to  have little gifts on hand to give away as the opportunity the arises . . . or . . . I could just keep them on display for awhile! 
I am so pleased with how these turned out.  I think it is was one of my favorite projects to date.  If you do make some yourself I’d love for you to share pictures back with me.
Blessings to you,

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