Table Stays Rustic – But Way Prettier!

It’s kinda fun to post this BEFORE my daughter sees it. It’s for her birthday but she’s just a little busy right now thinking about having a baby some day soon. 🙂 So as we wait, this little gem is going up! I started out with a base of off white and then painted a light brown wash over that, to create a worn, Old-world look. You can see the before and base color in the video above. I chose not to fix the imperfections because I went for more of a rustic look, leaving in the dents and cracks. Nor did I repaint the hardware. It had been painted by the prior owner and is flaking off – perfect for the look I wanted! Once I got the background I wanted, I stenciled a clock and part of a compass, distressing the stencil just a bit to give a … Read more

Brushes Matter

Let’s Talk Brushes Over the years I have collected so many different kinds and I thought I would share some of my favorites with you. I don’t think I could do anything the way I do it without them.  I bet you have heard it said that it’s not the paint brush, it’s the painter. While there is some credence in that, you know, I could probably take any paintbrush and get any job done, but how much frustration would I go through because I don’t have the right brush? Years ago when we bought our house, I had a friend come over to help me paint my mom’s apartment, which is now my workshop. When we were painting it, a friend came over and she was quite an experienced painter. She said, “Get yourself a nice paintbrush. You know, you could paint this with the brush you have, but … Read more

Do You Ever Fight Trolls Online?

Bullies Beware, We Honestly and Truly Don’t Care Really. I’m not kidding. We don’t. Not caring is the only way we can keep the trolls under their bridge where they belong. Normally I’d write a long explanation of what I’m talking about in regard to that title, but the best thing to do for this is to just post the video where I lay it all out for you. I originally posted it in my Facebook group, FFF. If you’re not there, don’t be square – go join! It might take me a minute to get you approved, but be patient, I’ll get to you. The group is for those who want to learn to flip furniture. But this one is about online trolls, not how to paint furniture. You know, the trolls, the ones who hide behind a keyboard and rag on people. They spew their acid around like … Read more

Which Sander is the Best? – Product Review by James Thomas

Choosing the Right Sander NOTE from Val: We’ve had more than a couple of dozen inquiries as to which sander is the best, so James Thomas from TheToolSquare.com offered to give us a run-down. I’ve included photos and my Amazon affiliate links of each type of sander before each description. They are not my recommendations, only for reference. For James’ recommendations with links, you’ll find them at the end of this article. Here’s James… Craft markers and artists use a variety of power tools to create their artworks, and one of the most common power tools is the sander. The sander uses sandpaper, attaching it on the base of the power tool to smoothen the edges of a material that the artist is working on. 

There are multiple types of the sander, and one should be familiar with these devices to use them more efficiently. When someone masters the use … 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” … Read more

Nobody Wanted Constance…Except Me

Nobody Wanted Constance…Except Me This Was One of Those I walk through estate sales and grab tickets before anyone else grabs up the good stuff. This one didn’t look like the good stuff, per se. Old, damaged and out of date, this one was a challenge. Not were the innerds a mess, but it just didn’t speak to me. I named her Constance, because of her colonial feel, and she talks to me now that she’s beautiful again. Here is her old self: The drawer glides were damaged and someone had tried using some sort of goop to try to glue them up. And of course I didn’t see this until I got it home and started prepping it. Fortunately, after a few attempts DH got it fixed up by making new glides. It is a very strange set up – the drawer glides are up under the top, slanted … Read more

Furniture Flipping Blueprint PRO Challenge – Member Spotlight

Furniture Flipping Blueprint PRO Challenge – Member Spotlight In June I started a challenge for my FFB members and we just completed it this month. I gave them 9 challenges along with other additions like scavenger hunts through FFB, “Name that quote”, “First one to answer this question,” etc. I challenged them to try out new products, methods and tools – it’s easy to get stuck in a rut and not reach beyond ourselves. I’m very pleased at the results! They were all good sports and really pushed themselves to experience new things including their interaction with our community. It’s been a fun ride and I’m planning my next set of challenges for after enrollment closes in September. If you’d like to join us on Furniture Flipping Blueprint and Facebook FFB PRO, enrollment is open just a few times a year. To be notified when enrollment opens, hop on my … Read more

Darbi the Guest Master Night Stand – I Got to Keep This One!

A Night Stand Named Darbi Occasionally I get to keep one of my projects. It’s super hard for me to watch my pieces go out the door when I sell them, but I comfort myself when I look down at my hand holding the cash! LOL This one came from a consignment shop we visit every couple of months. I thought it perfectly fit my daughter’s description of a side table she was looking for and the $12 price tag fit the bill too. But of course, “Best laid plans of mice and men,” as it turned out it was too tall. So sad for them, yay for me! It now sits next to our guest master king size bed. Find out more here which bed you can also use in order to have a great night’s sleep.   Here it is before:   White is a Fave of Mine … Read more

Can Furniture Become a Piece of Art?

  #sponsored ART– noun plural noun: arts; plural noun: the arts 1. The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be works produced by human creative skill and imagination. creative activity resulting in the production of paintings, drawings, or sculpture. 2. The various branches of creative activity, such as painting, music, literature, and dance.   The 10 Foot Amish Table Had to Go For years we ate as a family of 17 at a 10 foot Amish made oak table with 4 leaves and claw feet. It suited our purpose, but when we went from a huge brood to an empty nest, that table became obsolete. We bought it in Shipshewana, an Amish town in Indiana for half the price anywhere else. Isn’t it funny how a treasure can turn into an albarross when it … Read more

A Furniture Artisan and Videographer in the Making – 12 Year Old Isaac

A Furniture Artisan in the Making – 12 Year Old Isaac Does that sound like a title full of hype? It's all true and I'm as amazed as I promise you will be. Just keep reading…   My 12 year old grandson, Isaac, helped me put together a furniture re-design video course for kids, Creative Kids Furniture Art, by demonstrating each step – all by himself – and he did a mighty fine job to boot.   Let's Start at the Very Beginning, a Very Nice Place to Start… We set up my tripod, added my IPhone to record, and I told him what to do and he did it – start to finish.   What did he do? I had a set of matching accent tables that we bought off a FB BST site. I told him how to prep, paint and create art on the top to flip … Read more

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