Craft Box Lamp

Why do I always stop and look at these wooden craft boxes from the dollar store?  I dunno.  Maybe because one day I knew I’d do something with them?  This time I brought 3 home with me.

Little Orphan Stool & Giveaway Winner

When I was walking through my local thrift store I spotted this stool/plant stand towards the end of the isle.  Without missing a step, I scooped it up as I walked by.  No further inspection needed. 

It was slightly wobbly, nothing that couldn’t be fixed and quite scuffed up on top, but I didn’t care.

I put this can of paint beside it to show you just how small it is.  Love the legs!

So what’s a few nails sticking out of the top, scratches, gouges and hammer dents? Nope, didn’t bother me. No-siree.

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Fall Leaves and Apple Pie

Now I know this isn’t a cooking site, but I am a HUUUGE fan of Fall and  I’m into all kinds of things right now.  What else says FALL more than beautiful leaves and apple pie?  Autumn Apple Pie.

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Corduroy Cane Chairs

I was lucky enough to come across these chairs at my local Goodwill.  Aren’t they gorgeous? 

The cane was in great shape.  The frames are strong and sturdy, but they were on rollers for some reason.

1000 Followers Giveaway !

It’s hard to believe that so many amazing people have accepted my blog into their lives.  I’m truly honoured to have reached so many people.   I am thoroughly enjoying my time in Blogland.

To show gratitude and love for my readers I’ve got a few goodies up for grabs:

1 lb bag of Milk Paint

1 Bottle of Milk Paint Bond

2 Purdy Paint Brushes

If you’ve been reading the last few posts here you’ll see Milk Paint in full swing.  I love using it so much, I want YOU to try it!

The wonderful people at Homestead House Paint Company have graciously agreed to donate their product for the giveaway… so a great big ‘Thank You’ to Homestead House.

A 1 lb bag of paint will mix to 2 quarts of paint and will cover about 150 sq. feet. That should last through a few projects! The Milk Paint Bond will allow the milk paint to adhere to any previously finished piece and because you can never have too many paint brushes, I’m throwing in a couple of those too.

The paint comes in the most fabulous colors.  There’s sure to be something you’ll fall in love with.  I used Acadia Pear for my Armoire Makeover, seen HERE and Steel Blue for the Beachy Entry Tables seen HERE.

If you haven’t tried Milk Paint here is your chance.

There are lots of ways to enter..  You can do one or all of the entries below.

The more you do, you more chances you have.

ONE Entry for Each of these below..

Visit Homestead House Paint Co.,  pick your color and leave a comment with the name of the color you’d like.

• Like this post on Facebook, leave a comment telling me you did for one entry
• Tweet this giveaway and leave a comment for another entry
• Like Homestead on Facebook, leave another comment for one more entry
• Please make sure you are a follower of Recaptured Charm

Pick one or do them all for more chances.  It’s that easy !

Thanks to all of you who drop by each week to see what’s new.

Good luck to all … and a THOUSAND Thank You’s !

Giveaway Deadline:  September 30, 2011

*** Please remember to leave your email address***

DIY Dollar Store Illuminated Pumpkin

Gotta love a project that comes entirely from the Dollar Store.

This DIY illuminated pumpkin  is just that.

Here is how to do it...

How to Use a Wood Graining Tool

I love using this tool.  It just makes painting more fun.  There are a few different types out there, but this is the one I use.  It actually looks like this with a handle, but I found the handle … well … hard to handle. So I use mine without.

What you’ll need:

Wood Graining Tool

Base color

Glaze mixed with color

Brush for painting on glaze

Dry brush

Damp cloth and a dry cloth

Beachy Entry Tables

I bought this table at a garage sale from a former antique dealer.  The table came in pieces with no screws or hardware to hold it together. The finish had natural cracks in it that I didn’t want to lose.  I cleaned off the dirt with a wet cloth so I had a clean starting point.

I started with a Steel Blue color in Milk Paint.  For instructions on how to use Milk Paint go HERE. I wasn’t sure if just distressing it would give the look I wanted, so I decided to go a bit further.

Cane Back Chairs on the Lighter Side

These chairs are beautiful.  Although I love to paint just about anything, I honestly have a problem painting furniture that is in great condition.  Most furniture I take a brush to is in dire need of improvement, and that usually comes with paint.  But these chairs were in very good condition. 

But you see … I’ve created a bit of a paint monster – my mother.  Since painting her buffet, ( in case you missed that you can see that HERE).  I’ve spied her looking around her place for more furniture to paint… “to compliment the hutch, as it were”.  

I just know there’s more to come.

So here are the Louis Cane Back chairs, in great condition but needing a lift.

Night Stands with Panels

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while you might remember a backsplash we did.  If not, see it here. The backsplash came from 1005 Design, a new idea in kitchen backsplashes. After doing the backsplash I knew there could be other uses for these decorative panels.  Jana at 1005 Design was nice enough to send me a couple to work with.

And what did I do with them ..?

Well here is the project.  A couple of nightstands /end tables .. plain, nothing spectacular.

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Armoire Redo in Milk Paint

Mr. Charming actually brought this Armoire home for me one weekend.

Some women like jewelry, some like flowers, I like old furniture wrecks, and my sweetie knows that. Y

So this post will cover a couple of things ~

1. A vintage armoire gets a makeover and a new purpose. 

2. I’ll cover how to use Milk Paint.

I know everyone has jumped on the Chalk Paint bandwagon, but I happen to think that although the paint might be great, the paint itself is costly. Couple that with shipping costs and a quart of paint could cost $50 or more.

I’ve been wanting to try Milk Paint for some time. Thankfully I found a local Manufacturer for Milk Paint and went and picked up a few bags. Jennylyn was incredibly helpful.  She went over the instructions, the different finishes for it and the TON of colors available, (and if you can’t find a color you like for some reason, just mix up some powders to make your own). Here are some of the products I picked up at Homestead House Paint Co.

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Table to Ottoman Redo-Redone-Renew

Back in December of 2009 I made a coffee table into an ottoman.  This was a gift for someone very special. But the ottoman has found it’s way back to me for a little makeover… change up the fabric to something a little more durable.

So to refresh… a .99 cent table was covered in fabric used from a curtain panel. To see the full tutorial click here.

As luck would have it I managed to find another curtain panel to use.  This faux leather panel was found at Habitat for Humanity for just $10.

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A Little Black Magic

I’ve taken a bit of a break the last couple of weeks, trying to enjoy some of the summer weekends.  Plus the fact that it’s just been TOO HOT to do any work outside in the garage. 

But here’s a little something I’ve managed to sneak in.

I’ve had this vintage telephone table/gossip bench for about two years in the corner of my garage.  It just kept getting buried under all the new items I’d bring home. But this weekend it took center stage for its makeover.

Looking slightly drab in it’s original condition.

With the help of some black paint,  a sanding block and some matte varathane for good measure…. yada yada yada.. voila!

 

I didn’t prime this piece because I wanted the wood to come through with distressing.  I didn’t overdo the distressing either… just a little natural wear and tear look.

A great little entryway piece to sit and put your shoes on.

It actually goes very nicely with my newly painted black door.

Since we’re on the topic… as much as I liked it white, the black adds a little dramatic surprise at the end of the hallway.

Door before ~

and after ~

A little black paint goes a long way~

Thanks for reading

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Old Buffet to New Coffee Station

This one is for mom.

See this old buffet?  Let me explain why it’s topless.

My mother had this piece with the china cabinet that sat on top for years.  It was finally time to get rid of the top and just use the buffet as a server.  But when the china cabinet came off, so did the top.  She had already asked me to paint it for her so now it was a matter of replacing the top.

No Junk in This Trunk

When I was asked to makeover this trunk, I eagerly accepted the task.  It’s something a little different.  We had discussed a few options for the end result such as coffee table, casters on the bottom, etc, but she needs this specifically for storage so the inside had to be accessible.

Blue and Shiny… (*sigh*…I hate shiny)

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Union Trunk & Luggage Company had some tough stickers I tell ya.

The inside needs some work as well.

After the initial prep work I primed the entire trunk. I used Rustoleum grey primer making sure it was good to use on painted metal. I even liked the way it looked just primed.

My client wanted a old metal look for the trunk, so I decided on Tremclad’s Hammered Paints. I LOVED the look of this paint.

As I hadn’t used this hammered finish before I made sure to give it a try on a scrap piece of wood. I tried it on the wood without primer and again with the primer underneath to make sure I knew just how it would look.

When I was sure I knew just how to apply this finish I got to work on the secondary prep work

then started with the bronze color. In order to get the pitted/hammered metal look you need to apply a thicker coat.  Just be careful on the vertical bits.

Ok.. back to the interior.  These metal trunks are plywood construction covered by … something ? I think its some sort of very thick paper or very stiff fabric. Honestly.. I don’t know. Either way, it wasn’t coming off.

I thought about wallpapering the inside, but I was afraid in the long term that adhesive would dry up and start to peel off of  “whateveritis” on this interior.  The inside was also very lumpy due to the plywood underneath, so I decided to clean it all up with what else?… paint.  Papering the inside bottom and lid with a vintage map paper added a decorative touch.

It’s so clean and fresh now, you could store just about anything in it.

 

 

It’s very hard to capture the hammered look of this paint, but you can see a bit of it here.

I think it cleaned up pretty nice.  And now it's something you can actually put in a family room.

Thanks for reading