antiques

The Cobbler’s Children Have No Shoes

Too often I hear of furniture artists who have been putting off refinishing or redesigning their own furniture…so focused on the business of painting other people’s pieces, they neglect their own home. I determined a long time ago to not be the one who personifies the saying, “The cobbler’s children have no shoes.” I want to walk from room to room smiling as I see my own works of art. This video is a walk through of our home where you can see several of my own pieces of furniture art. I don’t have every piece the way I want them, for I got very tired of the wood look everywhere, but I’m making great headway. I still have two end tables, a highboy to paint and dresser to finish for my home, along with a new set of nesting tables I’ve not decided whether I’ll keep or sell. I … Read more

Antique Accent Table Redesign – Start to Finish in 7 Minutes

I’ve found video to be the best tool in sharing projects. We see everywhere pretty pictures, both before and afters, but seldom see HOW it was done. Today I’m a project that I video’d all the way through to the staging. We found this accent table at a local estate sale and it was labeled “antique.” I paid a little more for it since it is so unique. A “unique antique”. 🙂 I used all products from my online store, featuring Retique It products at FurnitureFlippingMarket.com. Go have a look at all the great products – quality products you can trust. I will list all the materials and link them below the video. Materials List: Oil-based Primer Ultratique all-in-One Paint – Robin’s Egg Ultratique all-in-One Paint – Alabaster Stain & Glaze  (old oak or dark oak will work to give an antique look) Wonder Brush (there are three sizes!) Polyacrylic … Read more

Furniture Worship?

BALANCING OPINION WITH FACT Do we act like we know the difference? Look at the pieces and prices below: PRICING IS HARD We are free to charge whatever we think a piece is worth – I’m all for Capitalism and the freedom to ask whatever we want. BUT… Just because something is listed for a certain price doesn’t mean it will sell for that. Nor does it mean it really is worth that in our market. We must remember when seeing these listings, that something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.  Sometimes people price based on their own emotional connection to an item. Have you ever been to a garage sale and found items that are old and worn priced at retail prices? I have and it makes me chuckle. They priced based the item based on their personal attachment to the item, but as … Read more

Fixing a Sloppy Paint Job

Here’s a little tip to save you some time and effort. I bought a dresser from Marketplace and the drawers had some messy painting going on. Drips, over painting, scratches, bristles embedded, etc. The worst part were the drawer sides. My options for fixing them were: painting them, stenciling over the mess, or sanding it off. I didn’t like any of those options. I thought on it a while and came up with a better option. It was easier than any of the three choices I originally thought I had and it worked. Here is the finished project – you can click the pic to go right to the post about this project: This is an example of the super short videos I create for my Blueprint members. I’ll be sharing some of them with those who wish to see the nicky picky details that most experienced furniture flippers have … Read more

[VIDEO] Creating Appliques Using Paper Clay

SAVE $$ It can be pretty pricey to buy ready made appliques, so this is a good solution for anyone wishing to add a little pizazz to decor or furniture. It’s easy and actually a fun thing to do once you get a handle on the particulars. This video shows you how to use paper clay to make appliques fairly inexpensively.   PAPER CLAY It certainly doesn’t hurt that this product and process is pretty easy too. I like easy. At the time I made this video I only used (afflink) paper clay, but since then I’ve learned about and also use hot glue and another medium similar to paper clay, Form Flex. These two are flexible after they dry unlike Paper Clay which is not. I share the other methods in the Blueprint – be sure to subscribe to the DROPCLOTH so you’ll be notified when it opens to … Read more

Product TIPs for the Furniture Flipper and Decor Creator!

I’ve been working on recording tips for those of you who want to grow your skills in redesign and marketing. You can find all of them here: 100 Random Furniture Flipping Tips Video Series >>> I have Tips #83, 84, 93, 94,96, 99 & 100 for you today – Products That Make Your Life Easier! But for now, come view a compilation of some products you can find on Amazon (afflinks below the video) that may just lighten your load a little and make room to enjoy your creativity more. Kneeling Pad: https://amzn.to/360VidV Knee Pads: https://amzn.to/3duj0Dp Work Stool/Creeper: https://amzn.to/3ye4E21 Canvas Dropcloth: https://amzn.to/3hfl5Ek Bed Risers: https://amzn.to/3Ao5ACX Scrubs: https://amzn.to/3duBdAK Paint Coveralls: https://amzn.to/3jushz2 Bent Brush: https://amzn.to/3w6ZJhK Zipwall: https://amzn.to/3h7PPZ0 NOTE: Be sure to check around for better quality or priced products – the ones I listed in the video are not necessarily recommended by me; they are just shown as examples. Some of these products … Read more

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

“Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder.” We say it, but do we act like we believe it? We should. We are all different. We all have opinions as to what we think is beautiful and we ought to apply that in every respect, whether it’s about nature, people or things. Showing grace – It matters in our relationships online and off. In our group, Furniture Flipping Forum, Jacquelyn Marie, of Refreshed Home Designs, posted a bright green dresser. Her story was interesting, so I’m sharing it with you today. It’s important to see other’s perspectives when it comes to art. Some on the forum liked it and applauded her, some said it wasn’t their taste but agreed it was her choice to paint it however she wanted. One member was very rude and I had to delete her comment. She is no longer a member of FFF. There … Read more

Typesetter’s Drawer Upcycle – Essential Oils Decorative Rack

We found this typesetter’s drawer for just a few dollars about 6 years ago and just never did anything with it…until last week. I have a challenge in my Blueprint member’s group that consists of 3 things: Clean up/organize your workshop. Make your workshop pretty. Do something special for yourself. I’m joining my members in the challenge and I’m: Cleaning up my office (workshop already done) Making my office pretty Cleaned up the typesetter’s drawer, stained and mounted it on the wall  of my master bedroom hallway.   Here is the “BEFORE” of the typesetter drawer: We decided to take it to the car wash and spray it down – normally you have to be very careful when getting water on old wood because it could warp. But I decided it was worth the risk since it looked like the back had already been exposed to moisture (rippled). Besides, I … Read more

Antique Side Table Updated with OFMP – An Empire Case Goods Co. Antique

Pepper – An Empire Case Goods Co. Antique This is a Sponsored Post I found a sweet little antique bedroom side table from the Empire Case Goods Company at an estate auction. It was in bad shape and everyone was passing it by like it had no more life to it. I knew better. I immediately knew it was a great find and fought till I won it. It was a bit pricey, but totally worth it. Pricey for me might not mean the same thing to others…  Upon a bit of research, I found the manufacturer of this side table, the Empire Case Goods Co., listed in a 620 page library book of Jamestown, New York 1915-1916 Town Directory. From what I’ve read elsewhere, the company was formed in 1912.  This side table was sold by the Donath Furniture Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their tag was stapled to the … Read more

Upcycled Antique Window Wall Decor

NOTE: All red hyperlinks are affiliate links for your convenience.*   UPCYCLING AN OLD WINDOW I found an old window (click site for window repalcements) at a salvage warehouse and thought it would make a good addition to my living room walls. The only problem was it was old, dirty and falling apart. But I had a plan which is solar tinting as suggested by the professionals. I could see it all spiffed up and shiny new even though it looked like this: I paid $12 for it and asked DH to load it up. He shook his head and took it home for me. See, DH can’t envision like I can, so he often wonders how I can make something like this look good enough to use for decor. Fortunately he’s willing to help and has knowledge from past experience that helps me transform a piece. Reglazing The old … Read more

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