Love My DIY Home

The Right Products for the Right Reason

PRIMERS Using the Right Product for the Right Reason Oh my goodness, this really shouldn’t be this complicated! I’ll never forget the first time we went to Lowes to grab some primer. There had to be 50 different types with 6 different brands at so many price ranges we had no idea which one to buy. Basically we just guessed and bought one. There was no way we could have bought one based on what we saw on the labels because we were totally new to the game of furniture flipping. Even the person working in the department had no idea, couldn’t answer our questions and basically walked away as confused as we were. Now, years later, I’ve got a handle on it, but oh my, I’ll never forget that day. I can see it in my mind as if it were yesterday. We left the store feeling like a termite in a yoyo. I don’t like being confused. I … Read more

“Give us the tools, and we will finish the job.” ~ Winston Churchill

What’s in YOUR Toolbox? Have you ever been frustrated while getting your furniture ready to paint? Do you ever feel like chucking your project piece out the window? Is it you or the piece? There are three reasons why we get so frustrated when prepping our pieces. Which ones fit you? You don’t know how to clean or fix it. You don’t have the needed products (filler, cleaner, glues, etc.) You don’t have the tools to make the process easy. There are so many tools out there to make our job easier, but how do you find out the best ones to use? So often I see furniture flippers skip steps because they don’t know the right way to do something or they are just plain lazy. There, I’ve said it. I’ve thought it. You’ve thought it. Even the lazy ones have thought it. Sorry. That does sound harsh. But would you agree that there are lazy people out there … Read more

Redesigning Ruby Challenge Featured Project

Everyone who took my Redesigning Ruby Facebook challenge in May did an outstanding job on their pieces – we saw such great transformations. One out of all won the final giveaway which included a feature on LMDH along with a couple of other prizes! Not only did Jane Poates do a great job on her piece, she managed to capture the essence of Ruby herself. Her “BEFORE” is on the left and first and second steps on the right: The challenge was to find a piece, prep, layer and distress two or more paint colors. Then antique, layer stencil and accent with gold wax. The option of Retique It was suggested where needed for a stained top. Here is Jane’s description of her project: “After – My version of “Ruby”is finished! Painted in Maui Sand and Gulf Coast with dry sand distressing. Added two tone stenciling in black and metallic tin. Stained with classic gray and silver spark wax detail … Read more

3 FREE Workshops for the Furniture Artist

Do you want to learn to paint amazing furniture? Come watch the videos in my 3 workshops on prep, glazing and blending. Then join us on Furniture Flipping Blueprint to learn more and find your passion. Come take a look >>> 3 Workshops for Furniture Flippers (This is now closed – look for it again in the fall.)

A Navy Blue Trio – Two Dressers & a Nightstand

General Finishes Chalk Style Paint Revitalizes Ethan Allen Dressers In honor of our forum sponsors, General Finishes (May 2019) and D. Lawless Hardware (June 2019), I redesigned this trio using the GF beautiful chalk style paint in Midnight Blue along with some glitzy hardware, the Concentric Bright Brass Plated Swan Neck Bail Pulls and the knobs were the Amerock Brass Radiance Oval Knobs. The two dressers are matching Ethan Allens and the nightstand is a piece I grabbed from my inventory to create a three piece matched set. You can take several non-matching pieces that are not the same brand/manufacturer and paint and decorate them alike to bring them all together to look like a matched set. The Befores My DH cleaned, sanded, and spray primed all three pieces using an oil based primer. The two dressers were obviously matching pieces, but the nightstand wasn’t, so we did a little bit of improvising to make them all a set. … Read more

Retique It & UNiCORN SPiT

I like to experiment and try out different products and brands for my members on my Facebook groups. Today I did a short video showing you how I used (afflinks) UNiCORN SPiT over Retique It Liquid Wood. The possibilities are endless! Have you ever used UNiCORN SPiT? It’s a water based translucent non-toxic paint that can be used as a glaze, stain or paint – super easy to use, and fun! Retique It Liquid Wood is a paint on liquid wood (just like it sounds). You can do all sorts of fancy things with it! You’ll see: Metallic SPiT over Retique It Liquid Wood Background and layered stenciling Stencil distressing It’s just a fun little video to give you some ideas. Let me know if you have any ideas on other ways to use these products! XOXO

The Let’s Flip Together Challenge

I ran a challenge for my Facebook group and want to share some of the projects that were completed. There is some rare talent out there! If you are familiar with furniture redesign, you’ll appreciate the results and understand the type of work that went into each piece. So without further ado, let’s take a look: Martie Blignaut artist at Jeshurun “This solid wood end table was painted with chalk paint – still showing off the lovely wood grain of this piece, sealed with top coat for durability, rounded off with white and black flower fabric print. Not only will it be lovely to look at but also a great conversation starter.” Mary Appelgate artist at Sublime Design “Charming, solid maple Tea Cart, painted in medium grey and off white. Three coats of non yellowing, highly durable polyacrylic to insure easy cleanup and longevity. Grey and black lined decoupage inside of drawer.” Elizabeth Spengler “Introducing Queeny. This fabulous gal is … Read more

A Lego Table Upcycle

#sponsored I’ve seen many upcycles, but this type takes the cake. It’s just amazing to me to see what paint and a little ingenuity will do. So many pieces are tossed in the dump because they are outdated and/or in bad shape. But…I had a vision for this one. Here is the before. We got it at a ReStore in Michigan for $5. It was obviously very old. The casters were caked with years of crud & were very tarnished. The leather on top was in decent shape, as was the rest of the body. It just needed sprucing up. I decided to make it into a Lego table for my grandkids for Christmas. I didn’t want to go with the traditional primary colors, so I chose period appropriate colors with a few extras to make it special. Using (afflinks) vinyl spackling in a cake decorating mold, I make “stone” corner pieces and a “wood” walkway. Then I painted a … Read more

Want to learn how to paint furniture?

DISCOVER YOUR INNER ARTIST If you’d like to be a part of an amazing community of furniture artisans and have a great resource to go to when you need information, join us on FFB. You will access accurate and timely information on all things furniture redesign on FFB (painting, staining, etc.) and as a bonus, all members receive 4 marketing lessons and will be invited to a small, intimate Facebook group – are looking for your tribe? Furniture Flipping Blueprint is open until midnight, Monday, Feb. 25. Come join us! TELL ME MORE >>>

Entertainment Center Gets a Face Lift

Every couple of years my DH has asked me if I wanted to get rid of our entertainment center. I loved the functionality and design of it, so I always said “No! I love that piece!” BUT I didn’t love how outdated it was. Back when oak was the wood that said, “quality.” When we bought it, the price tag was decent and it was all the rage. But tastes change. Trends change. And now that I have the where with all to have the look I want, I decided to go for it before we got our new wood flooring in. We walked around on sub floor for about a year as we worked toward getting our flooring laid. First we considered paying for someone to lay it, but being a do-it-yourselfer, that was a hard pill to swallow. 2k. Ugh. Plus the guy who did our DDs wasn’t as impressive as we’d hoped. So we asked our son … Read more