Budget Decorating

Want to Become a Mixologist?

Need Inspiration? Nothing inspires me more than the thought of playing with paint and the different techniques to create an amazing design but without knowing about The Importance Of Paint Removal, the results could be catastrophic. As you may already know, I have a store called Furniture Flipping Market that has all sorts of great products for the furniture artist. I’m always looking for new ways to make your furniture flipping and decor creating journey more fun and easy. That’s part of the reason for FFM. I’m working at making it a one-stop-shop for my online friends. I’m super excited about a new product in FFM – Colorants! Have you considered tinting your own products rather than buying quarts of every color out there? If you’d like to see a project I just did using these, go to last week’s post, My Double Flipped Dresser. Sneak peek below: Here’s another … Read more

My Double Flipped Dresser

Occasionally I will buy a piece that another furniture artist has listed that they couldn’t sell. They will put it up for sale super cheap. 90% of the time there is something wrong with it like water damage or messed up drawers that they didn’t address in their redesign. Those things will discourage buyers and then they get  stuck with a piece that they put effort into that doesn’t sell. Most hate keeping pieces around and will give up and get rid of it to cut their losses. I watch for that scenario and if the piece is solid, just not up to par, I’ll grab it. This happened with this piece. I bought it for $40 on Marketplace. There were some details that hurt its saleability, but it had good hardware and was a brand that said, “quality”.   The BEFORE: Looks good, right? So why was it for … Read more

Create Your Own Flexible Appliques

I’ve talked about creating your own appliques using paper clay and hot glue. Today I wil show you a fairly new product that will give you the same type of applique as the most used, paper clay, but without the cracking and lack of flexibility. It’s quite pricey compared to other products, but if you are wanting to create your own appliques that are flexible, this is a great solution. Here’s a link to buy Form Flex Compound. I’ve not found it on Amazon yet, but one ay hope to carry it in my shop: Furniture Flipping Market. Recently my FFB members and I tried it it out and found it to be a very good product.   Form Flex Compound is used much the same way as the paper clay.   Step #1 – Lightly dust the mould with cornstarch and remove the extra before adding the Form Flex … Read more

Celebrating New Life with a $10 Kids Art Course!

Every once in a while I’ll throw out a crazy offer… My special deals usually have to do with a special event or time of year, and sometimes I just offer a great deal on a whim. I’m inviting you to enjoy the blessing of my newest grandson with me, Henry. He had a tough road but now is here and we are CELEBRATING! So to include you in this glorious event, I’m offering my Creative Kids Furniture Art Course for just $10. I know. It’s crazy, but I’m feeling elated over our newest family milestone. You have the opportunity to own a new course for yourself, your kids (or grandkids) at a super low price.   HOW? Go to the page, Creative Kids Furniture Art, where you can find out all about it. The CODE to get it for just $10 (reg. $37) is HENRY. A cute name, no? … Read more

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

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

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

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

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