Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Day Five of Five Furniture Flips in a Week

Today's Furniture Flip may be favorite out of the FIVE that I have shared in the past week. It started out as fairly humble, homemade piece that I picked up for $5 at the thrift store. It is plywood, old, and has a few issues.
Update A Thrift Store Storage Bench With Paint and New Hardware

But, I saw the potential as a great storage bench in an entryway or as a console/TV stand. It would also work at the end of bed or under a window as a seat. Some paint and new hardware and she is flipped and freshened up, ready for a new home.

Update A Thrift Store Storage Bench With Paint and New Hardware
This post contains affiliate links which means that if you buy something from the link I share, I may receive a small compensation at NO cost to YOU.

Keep reading to see how I flipped this furniture piece.

Monday, July 25, 2022

Day Four of Five Furniture Flips in a Week

Anyone notice I have changed my title to five furniture flips in a week rather than in five days? Dang, I knew I should have given myself a few down days, especially with the weekend. Oh well, I am plugging away. Today's Furniture Flip is a simple, small one that started with a round, pine end table. 

Update a Pine End Table With Paint
This is a homemade piece, although I did have a friend ask me if it was a Stickley piece. It definitely has a rustic, craftsman style. I little sanding, paint, and salve is all this table needed to save this sweet, little, rustic table.
Update a Pine End Table With Paint
Like I said, this is a simple makeover and nothing earth shattering. But, flipping furniture is all about saving it from a possible landfill death and giving it new life and love.
Update a Pine End Table With Paint
I thoroughly sanded the top and the X brace on the legs because I wanted to leave them a natural pine wood color. I taped off the X after sanding and painted the legs and table apron a navy blue color. i think this table may be a keeper so I wanted to paint it something that woud match my home decor.
Update a Pine End Table With Paint
After sanding and painting, I used Wise Owl Furniture Salve to protect and shine up the wood. (Get it HERE!)
Update a Pine End Table With Paint
I knew the pine would turn a wee bit yellow and/or orange, but I as okay with that on this table because of the craftsman style and because I decorate with yellow and orange accents.
Update a Pine End Table With Paint
I like to have some small side table next to every seat that a guest might sit in--a place for a drink, a book, etc. This updated end table works perfectly next to the rocking bamboo chair I shared a few weeks ago. The fresh wood top matches the bamboo nicely and it is a great height for the chair. 
Update a Pine End Table With Paint
Paint and a little time and you can flip a furniture find to fit your home and space.

Saturday, July 23, 2022

Day Three of Five Days of Furniture Flips

Okay, I missed a day so this might end up being FIVE furniture flips in seven days, but that is okay. Today's flip started with this funky piece from the thrift store that is a bench? side table? coffee table? Whatever it is, I loved the seventies vibe.
Fun and Funky Upcycled Side Table Bench
I started sanding it, but my sander didn't fit in the side book holder spot and I wasn't going to hand sand it. So, I decided to paint the top side of it with muted rainbow stripes.
Fun and Funky Upcycled Side Table Bench
Keep reading to see the changes I made midway and how I finished this furniture flip.

Thursday, July 21, 2022

Day Two of Five Furniture Flips in Five Days

Oh, I do love today's Furniture Flip, even if I had no idea what I was planning until I got started. This vintage piece definitely has a 1960 cabin vibe. It is made from knotty pine, shellacked to a lovely orange hue. It has a bakelite handle. I bought it from the thrift store for $10. It is sturdy and unique and makes a perfect entry table.

Day Two of Five Furniture Flips in Five Days
I am not sure how this table was used. The side wood pockets are so deep that had they been used for newspapers and magazines, they would have been lost in the pocket bottoms. The table is too tall for a standard nightstand. I decided that the side wood pockets might have been used for umbrellas, canes, and walking sticks. The cut-out on the pockets have an art deco look so that is what I decided to do for a makeover--an updated, art deco, glam, entry way table.
 
Art Deco Glam Entry Table Updated
(This post contains affiliate links. If you happen to buy something from my provided link, I may receive a small compensation at NO EXTRA COST TO YOU.)
Keep reading to see how this furniture flip came together.

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Five Furniture Flips in Five Days

I am challenging myself to share with you FIVE furniture flips in FIVE days. (I may take Saturday off--boating day!) I have been gathering thrift store and garage sale furniture, but haven't overly motivated to fix, paint, and flip them so this challenge is just the thing I need to get moving. 
The first flip I am sharing is a pair of oak chairs that I picked up for $2 each at a garage sale.
Oak Chairs Before Flipping Picture
They look a lot like an old oak school chair, except they have a square leg or bottom rung. They are probably from the eighties, but I think they have a MCM vibe to them. I decided to hop out of my comfort zone and give them a fresh, fun pink paint job and finish.
MCM Boho Oak Chairs

Friday, July 8, 2022

Thrift Store Finds for Above Kitchen Cupboards

How are you doing? Been doing the summer thing and we did the lake and Glacier Park thing over the 4th, so projects and decorating and home have been on the back burner. 

When last I left you I was having a bit of a decorating crises when I realized (through photos) that I had too many styles happening in my home. I have started editing and trying to hone my look more. I consider my style to be eclectic boho, with a touch of industrial and rustic. Still a lot I know, but I think I can work with it. 

So, while I am removing and editing decor, I did decide I needed something above my kitchen cabinets. When you have 12 foot high ceilings ignoring that space is not really an option, it is just too noticeable and bare looking even though I have extra tall upper cabinets with crown. A few years ago we put corrugated tin up there which added a lot of texture and color. BUT, although I never fully jumped on the farmhouse wagon, I definitely had some farmhouse details especially in the kitchen back then. See ORIGINAL look HERE. Cows and flour tins no longer speak my love language so I set out to find some new to me items to decorate the top of my cupboards with that would work well with the corrugated tin.
Thrift Store Finds for Above Kitchen Cupboards
Here are my quirks and criteria that I kept in mind while thrifting for decor: 1.) Natural decor--I wanted wood, wicker, earthy items. 2.) I did not want a bunch of Ross or TJ Maxx or Target or Hobby Lobby decor. While a few items from there would be okay, I wanted things with warmth, personality, history. 3.) I didn't want a bunch of fake plants, just not my cup of tea. But, real plants won't work either since the top of the cabinets is extra tall. I know my limits and I am not crawling up on the counter weekly to water plants. 4.) I don't like to put things up there that looks like I might crawl up there and get them down to use on a regular basis--no cookbooks, no rolled placemats. 5.) Keep to a green, blue, wood, white palate. 6.) No old food tins--I don't want my kitchen to look like an old timey general store.

I was able to gather everything I might want to use in a couple hours of thrifting. I didn't want to completely fill the space. I added a grouping or vignette above the fridge area and then a smaller one on the other end with a medium sized grouping next to the smaller vignette, but a foot or so away.
Thrift Store Finds for Above Kitchen Cupboards
I had used the white barrel above the fridge before. Even though it could read farmhouse, the white color and the natural spot where the number shows is fairly neutral. It was a barrel used for sheep's wool and I got it a few years ago for $10. I like the height so I decided to use it again. 
Thrift Store Finds for Above Kitchen Cupboards
The green Ginko leaf print was $4 at the thrift store. I liked the green and the simple, natural subject matter on a black background. I already had the large round basket, it was $3-4 from the thrift store. The wood bowl was a new to me $3 thrift store find. I bought this daisy photo for $2 and originally had it in front of the barrel.
Thrift Store Finds for Above Kitchen Cupboards
But, I decided it was a bit more whimsical than I wanted and added more of a farmhouse look so I used the gold leaf art instead that I made a few weeks ago (HERE). I had it placed portrait orientation first, but it looked to similar to the ginko leaf art, so I changed it to a landscape orientation.
Thrift Store Finds for Above Kitchen Cupboards
On the other end, but again not all in the corner, I added a $4 thrift store laundry basket. It might get twigs in it in the future, but I didn't like that look for summer so I left it empty.
Thrift Store Finds for Above Kitchen Cupboards
A $10 vintage, thrifted magazine holder sits next to the basket. I liked the black, yellow, and green on it and the nature painting on it. For now, I added thrifted wooden spoons that I have been collecting over the past year. Now, the wood spoons read a bit too farmhouse to me, but I do like the natural wood and that they are a kitchen item. 
Thrift Store Finds for Above Kitchen Cupboards
About 18" from the magazine holder I added a thrift store painting. Again, the green, blue color and nature theme were perfect, not to mention the $3 price tag. I needed more height here so I added a basket in a homemade stand (see that HERE). This is the one place I decided to add a fake "plant" that I ade from seven fake fern or palm leaves that I had (from the thrift store). I twisted them together and then stuck them into the bottom of a smaller basket that I set in the larger basket.
Thrift Store Finds for Above Kitchen Cupboards
The wired leaves make it easy to shape and bend to look a little more like a real plant. 
A faded blue basket turned backwards to show off more blue completes this grouping.
Thrift Store Finds for Above Kitchen Cupboards
Tips for thrifting for and decorating above your cupboards?
*Define your style and keep that in mind while thrifting. 
*Search Pinterest before you go to see what kind of items you might want to look for. 
* Don't fill the entire space.
* Use items with varying heights.
*Keep art simple, something people don't ant to study up close on a wall, but something easily identifiable from a distance.
* Edit, try different arrangements, use old books or boards to lift items. 
* Take photos and examine them. I went up and down the ladder a dozen times to look at the arrangement and to move things.
* Use interesting items, things with a history. A few mass produced things are okay, but give your space a personality with vintage.
* Have fun, enjoy the process. Sit with it for awhile until it is just right.