Another Piece of Furniture Saved-New and Improved shoe cabinet

Here is my New and Improved shoe cabinet. 

I found this cabinet at one of my favorite shops in Indianapolis for $10.99. It was in great shape and at an even better price. However, it needed an upgrade of some color, a drawer liner and new drawer pulls. 

I started with the drawer liner. I found this awesome contact paper that always looks good and sticks well to wood. 

I removed the drawer pulls and added a new set. I added the same contact paper to the inserts of the drawer pulls to make them pop. 

Now on to the colors. I mixed several shades to come up with the marble look on both the drawers and the cabinet door. It took just over 3 hours to complete. I decided against painting the inside of the cabinet but instead gave it a tung oil finish. I wanted to leave the inside unfinished for a bit of simplicity.

For today, my work is done. The tung oil finish is drying and all thats left is to sand with steel wool and apply one last coat. I think this turned out to be such a beautiful piece that will look fabulous in any home.

That's all for today... Remember, if you have any questions about colors and the finish on this piece please contact me at theleakycauldron@gmail.com

Thank you for checking out my blog and Happy Crafting!!

You can see this item in person at 

The Room Swap

Plainfield, Indiana

Creative Superstar at Your Service- Making that Table Something Special

About 6 months ago I painted this table and it turned out pretty awesome... At least that's what I thought. I was in my shop and I took a look at it and it just wasn't up to my standards. So I brought it back home and sanded it down to do it again.

I wanted to make something super cool this time. So I took this...

And I made this....

I saw this super awesome nautical themed dresser with this awesome star. I knew it was the perfect thing for this table. I just needed to come up with the right colors. The 2015 color chart has the latest trending colors but I don't necessarily go by the trends. I kinds like to to walk my own path.

I have never been one for trends. I like what I like and it works.

I used a muted pallet versus the brighter colors I usually use. The black base just made this entire piece pop. The muted colors of the star make this a very mixable piece. What I mean by that is it can be used in several different ways and will flow with lots of different colors.

There is definitely a method to my madness. 

My Goal... Make It Work!

Thanks for checking out my blog and Happy Painting!

Turn A Roadside Table Into A Game Table- Checkerboard/Chess

It's become an easy job to find furniture these days. People are cleaning out their homes to buy new. I was driving down Main street and there it was...Out for the trash! How can this be? This beautiful, well built and very useful piece just left out for the landfill.

So here I go again making something useful and taking it to the market... But I really like this piece! So much so that I let the kids play a game of checkers just to try it out.

So I found it like this

I picked this table up and once I brought it home... all I could see is a checker board. 

SO I sanded the middle and carved lines for the board.

Next I picked out a color that would pop.. RED

I also put corner pieces on the ends to spruce it up and add a bit of pizazz. They are fitting, don't you think? Then I covered the board with "SC Johnson Paste Wax" to bring out the shine and serves as a protectant.

The next step was to test it out! The kids played a game of checkers on the board and it was super fun to watch. I love this game board table. It's one of the funnest projects I have ever done.

Thanks for checking out my Blog... Happy Crafting!

Make Any Table Look Like Reclaimed Wood Style Piece of Furniture

Reclaimed Wood Table.. Lookalike 

Tables are a dime a dozen and you can find them everywhere. It's what you do with them after you find them that makes them a masterpiece. 

The trick to making your table a one of a kind is research. Google is the best place to find pictures and images of one of kind furniture. Find one you like and imitate the style with paint or stain. 

In this particular case, I wanted to make the table look like it was reclaimed.

I find that with a little imagination, you can create one of kind pieces without much effort and little time. This table took about 2 hours from start to finish.

I started by sanding down the piece and then wiping it clean. I then painted the table with a Valspar paint that is a primer. I always like to make sure the paint has a primer included. 

Then I chose three colors that blend well and work well with the current color trends.

I picked out carribean blue, dark brown and cream. These three colors worked out very well and blend with the lighter brown I used to cover the entire piece. I think this piece came out so beautiful and the colors worked out so well. This piece looks very authentic and will work well inside the house or on the patio.

Thank you for checking out my blog... AND Happy Designing... 

Make That House a Home- Part Three....New Design for Bedroom Love

 New Design for Bedroom Love

There is something to be said for a well designed bedroom. There is nothing like coming home from a long day of work to lay your head down in a comfortable setting. 

There are some people who like a lot of pillows (Me) and some people prefer a more simple setting. I have found that most people watch t.v. in bed and pillows can be a way to help the relaxation mode.

I also love a well designed bedroom. You have to have certain things like great lighting and lots of great pictures for great atmosphere. Color is very important as well.... Color affects your mood and it brings out your personality.

The climate needs to be warm and inviting. The fabrics need to be soft and built for comfort as well. When you live in a small dwelling where rooms have been combined the flow is just as important as the color and fabrics used to create that flow. 

Life can be so stressful and that's why I decided it was time to recreate an atmosphere of calm and relaxation! Green is considered to be the most calming and restful. Therefore I used it on the headboard and surrounding area. I also used pops of specific colors to create luxury (purple), excitement (orange) and happiness (yellow).

 In this final look I feel that I have created a wonderful design that cost just under $100 dollars. The look includes a new duvet cover, pillows, side table and wall decor.

That's all for today.. Thank you for checking out my blog and  Happy Designing!!!

New Use for an OLD sewing box- Create a Modern Version with ordinary everyday items

New and Improved Vintage Sewing Box

What can YOU do with these items

Take a dated sewing box and make it your masterpiece

Here are just a few things you need 

1 OLD sewing box

(The trick to finding these old boxes is looking in places like the Goodwill and The Salvation Army)

1 dated Large Belt

1 new drawer pull

1 can of paint (glossy)

fabric for new lining

(If the lining is solid, keep it)

twine for the lid

I painted the wood box a glossy black and highlighted the edges of the lid with paint as well. Then I looped the belt around the box and glued it in place. I removed the old hardware and replaced it with a new stainless drawer pull. I then wrapped the twins around the top of the lid and painted it red for a little flair.

You could go with a silver paint or any color you might like. 

The bottom line here is you have a super chic looking box to store your makeup or anything that suits your fancy. My choice will be my paint supplies since I have so many.

Just have FUN with it

That's all for today.. Thanks for checking out my blog and Happy Crafting!

Giving NEW life to Old Furniture and Accessories for your home

Shopping for furniture is so fun. I went to my favorite place to find the best pieces and I found this old unfinished dining chair and a table without a top. I also found this really cool old sculpture of grapes and wanted to add some color. 

Everything you see here cost less than $20 dollars. What an awesome deal! So off I go to make these awesome finds something unique and ready for sale. I am super excited about how they actually turned out. I had so many ideas for the chair but ultimately I went with yellow.

As you know, I live in the midwest and in the winter it's super dreary. So I decided that a fun and sunny color would bring life to any home. The fabric I found in a consignment shop for super cheap and it goes so well with the yellow.

The table is metal and was bare bones when I picked it up. I had the perfect piece of wood that fit and it just so happened it was already stained. I love it when things just come together like that. 

On to one of the best pieces I have found  in the past few months... The Grapes! This is actually a wall hanging that I put on a plate holder to make it look more like a cool table accessory. I found these cool paints at WalMart for 50 cents each and there are tons of these awesome colors! I picked them out on a whim one day and they worked out again..... so perfectly.

So now you know what I have been up to and the projects I have been working on. 

Thanks again for reading my blog and Happy Crafting! 

Make the OLD something NEW again with Imagination and your favorite Paint color!

 

I know that I have said this before, but I have to say that this is the BEST refinishing job I have ever done. I think I might just say that everytime I get a new piece of old furniture. If I haven't said this before, I will say it now. I LOVE refinishing furniture! 

Ok, here's the story. Last wednesday I went to the Goodwill Outlet and found this awesome table. Here in the midwest, we have outlets where you can buy at a heavily discounted rate. It's quite a bargain if you find the right piece.

Here is the beauty I found to make all mine. It was in super bad shape but I sanded it down and made it all smooth as a babies butt.. LOL I have to laugh at that..

I took it apart and painted the legs blue and the the other pieces a taupe color. Valspar has been my choice of paints now a days. They have the best primer/paint on the market in my opinion. Old Masters makes this great oil based polyurethane that flows so well.  

 I got this bright idea to stencil with a lace type stencil but of course I didn't like it. So I had to repaint the entire top over to make it right again. Oh That was super fun I have to tell you.

Of course I decided on one of the French stencils because of the colors that I used. I have to say that I made the right choice as I totally misplaced the flower stencil I was going to use in the first place. 

It's been a pleasure making this table such a great addition to any home. I will be taking this one down to the shop this tuesday and it will be up for sale... Although I would love to keep the best pieces, I just don't have the room for them all. :-)

As Always... Thank you for reading my Blog and Happy Crafting!

New Fascination With Old World Style

What does it take to make a cool trunk that costs a fraction of what you would pay in a retail store? Imagination, paint and spray adhesive. 

I found this old trunk on the side of the road and decided to make it better. It didn't fit our decor or what we were trying to portray. So I decided to make the change. 

 This is a super cool trunk fit for any sports fan. However, we are not sports fans but we do love those funky trunks that hide all of our clutter. 

I painted the box with two different colored Valspar paint mistints from Lowes. The colors were super neutral paint and primer which worked out perfectly.

 Then i took an old poster and cut up the best parts of it to accent the trunk. I also painted some fabric letters and stuck them on with spray adhesive. It's always fun to make up things that you think might go on a trunk from the old days.

Once finished.. I have the perfect accent table or accent piece that goes perfectly with the new decor. I would say that this is a beginner project that anyone can do.

As Always, Thank you for checking out my Blog and Happy Crafting!