Tutorials – Page 5 – Love My DIY Home

Outdoor Paint Projects Can Be Tricky

Have you ever painted an outdoor project? Did it last? I’ve done it a few times and have discovered a great product that has held up well. Every couple of years I reapply the poly to my hand-painted picnic table and have been happy to see that my painted design has held fast and still looks great. You can find Polytique It Exterior TopCoat @ Furniture Flipping Market. On Instagram you can find lots of my tips – I post them occasionally to help you with the little things that make a big difference. I would have never occurred to me that I would have to seal every inch if I’d not been told to do so by the manufacturer. It was kind of like a “duh” moment when I heard the tip. Of course I should seal it all…I just hadn’t thought of it. Get art from Mystik River … Read more

Master Bedroom Headboard is Finally Done!

It’s only been about 3 years… This one gave us a run for our money. It was either sell it or disassemble it to get it up to our room. I couldn’t bear to sell it. I’d waited over 3 years to redesign it for our master, so I wasn’t going to give up so easily. It took me a long time to set aside time to do it because when I redo something of my own, I want to enjoy it. I didn’t want to rush through it because I had pressing matters calling for my attention, but I wanted to have a big bed so I can enjoy it with my partner. Plus, I even got a vibrator wand for when the bed is ready. And hey, if you’re considering upgrading, you may also want to consider these upholstered queen bed frames. So I decided to let DH … Read more

Problem Solved – No More Fuzzies in My Topcoat!

CHALLENGE #1 My first really big challenge years ago was applying poly to give me a smooth even look. When light reflects on a piece, we want it to look consistent without drag. Drag is when the poly dries before you come back over for the next strip of poly and you see stripes because you “dragged over” the poly when it had already started to dry. It took me about 2 weeks to figure it out after searching for the answer and then it was smooth sailing from that point on. That two weeks I went to sleep thinking about it and woke up thinking about it. I’m like that. I HAVE to figure it out. I now use a damp sponge or sponge brush to apply and use a product that is easy to work with. I now carry it in my online store, Furniture Flipping Market. I … Read more

A Headboard Redesign w/ Brushes Overview

Do you ever get a chance to paint for yourself? I try to, but it’s kinda like the “Cobbler’s children have no shoes,” for most furniture flippers. This headboard has sat around waiting for me for about 3 or 4 years. It’s massive. And now, it’s almost ready for my master suite. Here’s the “before”. Here are steps 1-3: STEP #1 Repair & Clean We couldn’t get it up the two flights of stairs because it was too tall and ceilings got in the way. So DH had to cut off the end pieces and reassemble them. He used L brackets so they can easily be taken apart in the future. Hats off to him for repairing it so well and figuring out the best way to take it apart and put it back together. STEP #2 Prime with STIX. STIX isn’t a regular primer that covers stains or … Read more

Bun Feet Alternative – TIP!

A while ago I told you about our new kitchen table and how I redesigned it. To see the before and after of the table go here: Can Furniture Become a Piece of Art? The table was too short to fit well with the chairs we already had, so we were constantly having to sit a little sideways to be comfortable. I had plans to fix the height but was too stubborn to pay the long price for bun feet. I looked in woodworking shops, on Amazon etc. but they were so expensive! I finally found something that worked, so I’m sharing a tip with you today based on my experience. Go to garage sales! To add a few inches, be cut down feet from another piece of furniture and DH attached them. I originally was going to paint the added pieces to match the table legs but once they … Read more

A is for Ability – Talent is Overrated

There are many who believe they can’t do something because of a lack of talent. But I believe that most things can be learned, even if it doesn’t come naturally. “I am not talented enough,” usually means, “I don’t want to invest the time or effort to learn this.” or, “I don’t have the confidence to try.” Unfortunately, I think we miss out on a lot due to lack of effort or vision. Years ago when we attended our daughter’s graduation at Crown College, we hear the main speaker say, “Get a vision,” while pointing his finger at the audience. We joked about it later because it was his catch phrase, and since he was very old, his finger was very crooked and his voice was very “old.” “Get a vision,” has been repeated in our family many times since then in jest, but it really is the truth. We … 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

Sometimes it’s the little things that grab attention…

Have you tried dry brushing? Sometimes a little tweek to your redesign plan can grab attention and set your piece apart from the hundreds advertised online. Here’s a very short video to show you one piece that got an update fetching a pretty penny from a discerning customer. I especially like techniques that are NOT expensive that are EASY. If you like tips and prefer them by video, check out my video tips series. >>> Blessings, my creative friend.

Click for Tips

Do you spend hours online looking for answers? I used to. Now I have them written down, categorized and tested. And now YOU can have 100 tried and true furniture flipping tips in 50+ videos. Watch this video for some pricing tips.