-
Showing posts with label stained. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stained. Show all posts

2/15/13

Now I know my ABC's ~ A Smart Lazy Susan Makeover

There is something about graphic elements in design that just attracts me.  I know I'm not the only one since there are so many gorgeous graphic fabrics being used in design and you see typography of some sort in many Designers' spaces.

You'll find faux zinc letters and a subway art poster in my home decor also.  



But I would like to introduce you to my brand new Lazy~Alphabet~Susan.

What do you think?

I'm pretty smitten.  :)

See, she wasn't very smart looking before.  As you can see below, she was looking like she'd seen her best days already.  She came home with me when we stopped at a garage sale and the owner offered to throw her in for free.  In case you don't already know, I'm pretty fond of free stuff.  If there is even a remote chance that I can turn it into something fabulous or useful, I'm game.

So home she came, all tired and worn looking.


At first I just knew I would turn her into a knockoff of those Pottery Barn wine barrel lids...

But that's been done a few (hundred) times before.
...and...uh hem...I have enough stuff that indicates I like wine :)


When I saw this fabulous mirror on one of the Joss and Main events I instantly knew that I would be borrowing this concept for my new Lazy Susan. 

Source:  Joss and Main Event,/Bassett Mirror Company
Although I wanted her to retain her original purpose, I didn't want her to look tired and worn out anymore.

I sanded the little bit of poly finish she had left off.  Then I took some scrapbooking die-cut letters to use as a stencil/template and traced the letters onto the wood in pencil.


We had fun making notes for each other with the letters while we were at it.


I laid the letters on the board and traced them in order.  A few letters were missing so I used the piece of cardboard they came from as a stencil to trace those ones.


Once they were all spaced evenly and traced onto the wood I took an exacto knife and scored the letters into the wood.  These score lines kept the dark stain from bleeding into the letters. 


I used a small paintbrush to apply the stain around the letters.  The edges were not as perfect as I would have liked but scoring them with the exacto knife first kept them pretty sharp.  I used a larger brush to finish the remainder of the surface that was being covered in the dark stain.

I applied three coats of a dark Minwax stain called Jacobean, allowing each coat to dry completely before starting the next.


Once I had the intensity I wanted with the Minwax stain I allowed the piece to dry for a couple days.  Then I went over the entire surface with some Howards Restor-A-Finish to give the unfinished wood (the letters and center) a warm glow.


I love how it looks in my dining room.  Not just any old Lazy-Susan anymore.  No Way!
And remember the kids that hang out here all day, they can practice their ABC's while they eat.  
Plus it will be so much easier to share markers and craft supplies with each other now!


Did I mention that I don't bother using a table runner or table cloth because it would just get destroyed by little kids?  

Well now I have something amazing on my tabletop and I don't even miss those table runners one bit. 
(Okay, maybe a little.)


And yes, that is wine you see in the background.  I'm enjoying some right now as I finish typing this post.  

Don't worry...the kids have all gone home for the night ;)


Continue Reading ...
Posted by at 29 comments
Labels: , , , , , , , ,

12/4/11

Upcycled Radio Cabinet

Is it Happy Hour yet?

Just kidding!  I shouldn't drink when I'm DIYing!
But check this out...
This old 1930's Sears Roebuck, AM Radio Console was sitting in some guys shop, just rotting away.  His lease on the shop was ending that day and he had to clear everything out pronto ~ that's how we became the lucky new owners of this beauty.  The radio workings were pretty much trashed and pieces were dropping and hanging off of it.  That didn't matter, because we could see the hidden potential it contained.  Mr. Clean cleaned out the old, broken radio parts.  And dust and spiderwebs and bug skeletons.  Eeeek!  Then he got out his handy little hand sander and went to town.  Right there in the middle of my craft room!!!


Taking his time and going with the grain of the wood.  He really does nice work...just wish it wasn't inside the house!
  

At the very first sun break he was sent packing to the back deck, because somebody was getting a bit tired of all the sawdust on every surface in the house.  Don't worry about him out there...he needed some fresh air ( and probably a break from my constant chatter and helpful suggestions )!

He had to get out some special scrapers to get into all of the little grooves and detailed wooden pieces on the front.  I always leave those kinds of details to him.  ;)  He's better at details than I am.

He wears that mask well, doesn't he?

Some of the wood trim was lifting up, but he had a fix for that too.  A touch of wood glue and some heavy objects to hold it down where the clamps couldn't reach.

They really did some gorgeous woodworking back in the day.  Fine AMERICAN craftsmanship.  This baby was built to last.

Gonn Iggulden's  'Dangerous Book For Boys'  was utilized for this tough task.  We knew that book would come in handy when it showed up under the Christmas tree a couple years ago.


Some scrap pieces of wood were cut to fit inside to create some shelving.   
(And here's a wonderfully blurry picture just in case you wanted to feel dizzy.)

More trim was added for specialty storage (you'll see).


He added back some of the vintage charm with the old knobs and the cracking, buckling radio dial.  Oh, how I wish the radio components could have been salvaged.  Some things are just not meant to be. 
Sigh...

Here she is in her restored glory ~

Sporting some of her new friends...

Showing off her sexy curves and classy lines.  Her hardware giving off that well-aged, but still hot, vibe.  Oh yeah.


And when she turns around ~ you see what she really has to offer!!!
Cocktail Anyone???


Built in stemware hangers, wine bottle storage and plenty of room for all of the extra bar accessories and beverages.




Sadly, the front panel with the radio dials broke.  It was old, brittle and cracked already so it didn't take much.   That left Scott with a little challenge ~ trying to figure out how to fill the void that was left behind.  He finally decided on a little chalkboard for personal messages.  Makes it more fun and gives it some personality.  It could say "WELCOME" if you are having an open house, or "FREE REFILLS" for a girls night..."HELP YOURSELF" would be kinda nice at an intimate gathering of friends or family.  Maybe "WINE TASTING HERE" for a cheese and wine party.  The possibilities are endless. 
I thought this message was kinda fun myself:

Please take a moment to leave us some comment love.  My Handy Man would be especially thrilled to hear from you since this is his first solo project here on P3 ~ so leave a few words of encouragement for him if you have time.  And Thank You for stopping by to check out what we've been up to.  It really means a lot ~ to both of us.  :)

Don't forget to click on that follow button on the left sidebar and like us on Facebook so you can see all of our upcycles, makeovers, DIY projects and tutorials (if you can call them that). 

Goodnight Friends!
Sherry


This project has been featured at:


Also Sharing At:
http://www.soyouthinkyourecrafty.com/im-crafty-no-49-upcycling/

Continue Reading ...
Posted by at 36 comments
Labels: , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts ( Atom )