"Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder" sign...and a wedding gift....

About a week ago I found two old cabinet doors in a heap of junk pile at the end of a driveway where I got this dresser. They were huge and my first thought was to turn them into signs....They sat in my shed until today when I decided to tackle one. I used a saying that has been reeling in my head recently...."Absence Make the Heart Grow Fonder"....I drew the hearts on, penciled the letters in, then hand painted every last one...UGH! The final stage was distressing it to give it vintage appeal...

So, while I was in project mode, I decided to tackle a project I knew I have been wanting to make for a wedding gift. I got the idea from some window projects I have made in the past. Those can be seen HERE and HERE. For this project I was going with a bird theme. I know the bride to be loves vintage and nature, so I knew this would be the perfect combination. Although the project is a bit time consuming. The end result is always worth it!

The ugliest table and chairs made pretty....

The other day I found a listing on craigslist for the ugliest table and chairs from the 60's or 70's. I felt so bad for the pieces that I wanted to give them a new life.....

I used a very shabby pale blue/gray color then distressed everything. The seats were in dire need of new fabric. I used scrap pieces from a drop cloth to accomplish this. Although I knew the transformation would be huge, it exceeded even my own expectations.....

The FREE dresser in need of some TLC

So, the other day I go to purchase an antique bed off craigslist. As I leave their VERY LONG driveway, I spy a big pile of wood and I guess "rubble"...I get out to take a quick glance, and what do you know....a perfectly good dresser in need of some brightening up...

I decided to go with a bit of whimsy on this one and used two shades of blue and went with horizontal stripes...Fun and easy.....

Storage auction kitchen table

We have all seen the new storage auction shows on TV...Well, my friends husband actually goes and does them. He was at an auction the other day. Unfortunately no one was bidding on the unit, so instead of the bidding going up, it went down and he got the unit for $25. He ended up with some silver, a brand new Coach handbag, and some other miscellaneous. There was a very big dining table in there that they didn't want...So guess who scavenged that baby up!! You've got it....ME!

It was somewhat dated, but the pedestal legs were so intricate and I knew they would distress well....A few coats of a creamy paint and some distressing led to this:

Pinstripe shabby dresser

Yesterday I found a dresser that wasn't the most horrible thing in the world, but it had a sheen to it and although hard to tell from the picture, a bit dated for my taste....

No question, I saw this piece needing a few stripes, so I taped it off and got to work...

I chose the colors gray and white because I knew these would match most any decor. I figured the piece could be used in a bedroom or even as a dining buffet to store silver and linens....

2 in 1....shabby coffee table or bench....

Here I go again with the dark, heavy, ugly chunky wood. When I spotted this piece at the thrift store, the first thing that went through my head was this could work as either a coffee table or a bench.....

I chose to paint it a gray color that would appeal to all and could be used in any room of the house.....

Eclectic desk/vanity and a sign with meaning.....

For some reason most of the pieces I have been coming across lately at the thrift stores have been dated chunky wood. But, those are usually the pieces I see the most potential in. Yesterday I found a piece that would work great as either a desk or a vanity...But, naturally it was UGLY!

I had envisioned in my head how I wanted this piece to look, and it came out exactly as I had planned....

While I had the white paint out, I decided it was time to paint a sign seeing that I hadn't done one in a while. I used a saying that has personal special meaning to me....I am very happy with the way it turned out....The scrap wood I used distressed perfectly....