Making Old Things New…

Last year, we had an extremely tough year. Some very unexpected turns in events, most of which were completely out of our control, left us with little sleep, a lot of stress and some very emotional days. This new “hobby” of mine began one day when my heart was heavy and my house felt dark. So, I picked up a can of paint and went to work on my kitchen table. Then, I painted the coffee table, then a dresser and so on and so on…now, the majority of the furniture in my home has been painted! I’ve only got a few pieces left to go.

Furniture restoration has become a pastime, a stress relief, a version of art, and a little bit of a side business. I love to work with chalk paint for the cottage, rustic, soft, worn down look. And distressing is my favorite. Most of the time I purchase pieces that are very inexpensive from places like Goodwill or off of Craigslist. I love to take something that one person thinks is trash and turn it into something another person would consider a treasure.

I am typically so excited to get started on new pieces that I’m absolutely terrible at remembering to take the “before” photo! I’ll try to do better with that! This hutch used to be a very light oak with a ton of kid stickers and scratches on it. One of the drawers was broken and the light didn’t work. I’ve since sold this hutch, but I love how it turned out.

 It’s a very, very faint turquoise color with black and dark gray accents. I added the wood backsplash (do you call it that on furniture), for a rustic, custom made look. This piece was listed for only a few days before someone came and bought it. They said it was “perfect” for their dining room. I say mission accomplished. I’ll post tutorials for a “how-to” soon!