Sugar Bucket upcycle

 Some times you need to know when to stop.  I recently found a sugar bucket at Habitat it had a broken lid and some one decided that they needed ,in magic marker, to add their initials to it. Every thing else about the bucket was primitive heaven.  

I managed to glue the lid top back together but reattaching the rim was difficult.  It literally fell apart every time I tried manipulate it.  I decided to omit the rim.

Now I have a sugar bucket not in its original state.  Rim broken and removed so the lid will not stay on top and removing the lid with out a rim is frustrating.  

I had found a well used wooden trowel on one of my excursions and picked it up just because it was well worn and you just never know when you may need a trowel.

I decided the handle on the trowel was some what primitive enough to be a up Cycled Sugar Bucket lid handle.

I addressed the sliding of the lid with an old dowel.  I cut three 1/4 inch pcs off and attached them under the lid.  The positioning was off the edge a smidge over the thickness of the bucket wall.

You drop the lid on and it will not slide off.

Now the general state of the bucket was beautiful in my opinion.  I did not think I could replicate the color of the original paint so I stopped here and decided not to paint.   I sanded the lettering off as best I could and applied clear and dark wax to age those scuffed areas.  

I also cleaned and waxed the interior.

A perfect storage container in any room of any home!

Hope you have good one!

Sheryl

Bread Box Upcycle

 Fyodor Dostoevsky once said "There is not a thing that is more positive than bread" It is an essential in most lunch boxes and kitchens but where do you store it?  A bread Box of course!

I love a bread box upcycle a satisfying quick project!

I think this is an Ikea Bread Box sturdy but made with cheap material and well, Plain.

After a Good sanding I painted with Dixie Bell Collard Greens sanding between coats.  

I love Iron Orchid Designs products especially there Stamp collections.  I choose their Type Setting two sheet letter set for the wording.  Sanded and distressed lightly then applied clear and dark wax and put the original pull back on it. 

A nice hiding spot for your bread!

Happy upcycling !

Sheryl

 

Shabby End Table, Dixie belle chalk paint and vintage wall paper to shabby chic Cute!

 Sometimes you just cannot pass up a good deal, this was one of those times!  

Great little table love the bow front and sweet drawer.  

The top has seen better days.

I started this project with sanding. A 220 grit sand paper to start with a finished it up with 400 to 600 and a final rub down with steel wool.

My go to tools are Ryobi orbital and detail sanders.   Battery powered and I am amazed at how long these batteries last!

I choose Dixie Bell Sand Bar because it matched the colors in the wall paper well.

This was a super easy project.  It tool 3 thin smooth coats and I sanded lightly between each coat with 0000 steel wool. This sanding step between coats will make your finished texter smooth as glass.  I top coated with Min Wax finishing paste in natural.  I put two coats on the top buffing to a hard finish and lightly sanding with steel wool.  It feels like glass.!

The interior of the drawer I hit with a little bit of left over blue grey primer, sanded with steel wool and waxed it with Min Wax finishing paste wax in natural.  

I cut the wall paper to fit in the back and sides on the bottom.  I modge podged only the back of the paper , placed it in to the recessed back and sides , smoothed out as may bubbles as I could and let it dry.  Done, wall paper does not require a top coat.

This is not a perfect piece of furniture but sure is cute.  Perfect as a bed side table in a little girls room or a side table in the 4 season room.  

Blessings to you and Happy Mothers day!

Sheryl

Shabby side table upcycle rub ons, dark wax and and milk paint

 This little table was too cute and well "cheaply Priced" to not take a chance on.  I cold see the potential if you like shabby French style.  The little table had clearly stood the test of time well worn with a few more years still left in it.  I started by just cleaning it well and giving it a light sanding.  

I mixed a small amount of Miss Mustard Seed type writer black milk paint applied it then rubbed it back. It sat and dried over night.  I did not paint the card board back I have a plan for it.

After it was completely dry I applied a combination of clear or natural Min wax with Annie Sloan dark wax.  

Here is a tip that works for little shabby projects that perfection is not a must.  I put a chunk of clear wax in my dark wax container. 

This makes mixing very easy.  I find that dark wax mixed with clear is a lot easier to blend.  If I do not want a lot of dark I just load my wax brush from the clear island.  

This technique came in very handy to finish the brown paper backing I put on the bottom back of this piece.  

Simple application with modge podge on the back and a brayer to smooth out the bubbles.  When it completely dried (overnight)  I applied waxes and the paper feels like leather and will accept rub ons.  

Perfectly imperfect!

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Sheryl

Furniture refinish with Dixie belle Collard Greens

 I found this little chest of drawers for a great price at a local antique store, Vintage Collections,   in Camden, SC.  

It is the prefect size for my hallway and is much needed storage.  It did have some damage on the top and was the wrong color.  I went to my paint stash and found Dixie belle Collard Greens.  It is a dark rich green.  I wanted a dark color just not black.  This did the trick!

After cleaning the piece well , removing the hardware and sanding the gouges out of it I applied my first coat of paint.  I used the spray bottle technique to assure my paint would level well and not leave brush strokes.  I either finely mist the furniture before applying paint or I spray a little water in the top of the paint jar and as I dip my brush I pick of paint and water.  This works well on trim and small areas that are difficult to mist.   

This was a a half a day project.  Dixie belle paint dries quickly and is easy to top coat.  I chose Minwax paste finishing wax in natural .  Minwax buffs immediately and protects beautifully and it is economical.  I did wax the top twice for extra protection.  I finished the hardware with a light application of Antique Gold Rub and Buff.

I had 30 1/4 inches of wall and this chest measured 30 inches a perfect fit.  I love this color!

Great Storage!

Hope you find that jewel in the rough and Dixie Belle just may be what you need to make you love it more!

Sheryl

Good things take time...20 year Mobil home make over

We live in a world of instant gratification and frankly the only instant gratification that I have found is chocolate and it does not last.  We moved in to our current home a little over 21 years ago with the intention of buying an older farm house and "fixing it up".  However  God changed our plans and this is now going to be our forever home.

  IT took 20 years to go from this, warning really bad photo but you will get the point:

To This:

And this:

and this:

and finally this:

Now there is a lot of sweat in this home and Mr RTI did all of it...every brick he laid by hand, the front porch ..the pergola..the fence , the woman cave (read about it here)and the Screen porch you can read about it Here..He built . .  And the inside has also gotten a few over hauls as well, this is my department.  I can honestly say that we have new home one gallon of paint at a time.  I hope to share a few updates later on.  The moral of this post is to remind you that it takes time to create a home, especially when you do not have the money to hire a contractor.  The changes to this house took time and a lot of effort on our part.  Nothing was jumped into lightly or with out planning.  However you look at it today and would never think it was hauled down the interstate and brought in on wheels.  It is our paradise we staycation here.  This is where we want to be!  You home is the largest investment you make  ,,,Take the time to enjoy it and make it where you want to be.  If we can ....You can!

Happy planning!

Sheryl

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