Lauren Kelly Finds

How To Mod Podge Furniture DIY

2013-01-05T13:51:00.001-08:00

How to Mod Podge furniture

I bought this cute little desk from a garage sale for $10. In great shape but the colors were dated and the knobs didn't match.

First, I removed the knobs and bought 4 faux glass knobs from Home Depot, $1.99 a piece. Then, I sanded down the piece with my Ryobi sander and white washed this piece for a shabby chic look. To white wash, I use two parts paint and 1 part water. Make sure your brush stays dry and only apply a small amount of paint at a time by swiping the strokes back and forth.

The top of this piece was a glossy formica that wouldn't take paint and would take too long too sand off. I wanted a quick fix so I grabbed a roll of houndstooth wrapping paper and a jar of modge podge. Once you are finished painting the piece, apply a small layer of modge podge directly on the top of the furniture piece. Then unroll the wrapping paper onto the table top smoothing out all the air bubbles. Once you are satisfied with it's placement, cut off the excess paper around the edges with scissors and apply another thin layer of mod podge on top of the wrapped table top. Make sure to wipe off the sides and under the overhang with a wet cloth and allow the piece to dry overnight or until it isn't tacky to the touch.

After the top of the table dries, touch up any areas where the mod podge can be visibly noticed. Screw the knobs back on and Voila! The $10 desk looks fashionable and new again!

P.S. the insides of the desk were pretty clean so I used some drawer liner papers from the dollar store and lined the insides of the drawers and used a grey paint to accent the indentations!

re-upholster a chair in one hour or less

2013-01-05T12:26:00.001-08:00

How to quickly, cheaply and easily re-upholster a chair

So I bought this adorable chair at a yard sale for $5. I loved everything about it, the colors, etc.

Even the details were perfect. However, the cushion looked flat and made the colors look dated because of its condition. I decided the cushion had to go. I have a few other tutorials in my blog see: chevron-rocking-chair and chevron sea foam chair re-upholstery

As with every chair re-upholstery, turn the chair over and unscrew the cushion.

Remove the Cushion, if you wanted to paint the chair now would be the time.

I didn't feel like trying to start from scratch so I cheated. I cut open the existing upholstery which was old and deflated. Then I took some craft stuffing I had lying around, and began to fill the back of the cushion up. I used an old wooden spoon to fill the crevices evenly.

As you can see, there was plenty of room...

Filling the back of the cushion up still seemed to leave some uneven lumps and bumps so I cut a small opening in the front of the cushion to move stuffing around and create the most even appearance I could.

After I felt satisfied I grabbed a cute piece of owl duck cloth and went to work, stapling the fabric directly over the existing re-stuffed cushion, pulling as tightly as possible.

Once you've covered the existing cushion, screw the cushion back on and Voila!
Now I know some of you may wonder why I painted the chair white, I re-did this desk for my niece and I needed a chair to match. Whooo Hoooo

Before

After

DIY Shotski

2013-01-04T16:08:00.000-08:00

DIY Shotski

If you are like me you were mesmerized after watching Bravo Andy. He always has creative drinking games on his Reality TV interview show. When I first saw this I knew I had to re-create it to make an awesome Christmas present for some friends who have everything.

As a guest on 'WWHL,' Jimmy Fallon presented Andy with this homemade Shotski. Andy has now made it a tradition to use the Shotski every Wednesday night!

Photo Cred: collegecandy.com

Well, I set out to make a couple of shotski's of my own. Luckily some old man sold me these at a garage sale around the corner from my house $3 bucks for both. He thought I was crazy for buying junk.

Obviously they were sitting outside in the Arizona sun for years, luckily it doesn't matter what condition you find ski's in !!!

First I tried to chip off this top layer to make a beautiful exposed wood shotski like the one Bravo Andy has but it was too difficult for me so I used the nearest can of spray paint.

Let you creative juices shine through, I happened to be making this for a friend who has a Cabin in Flagstaff Arizona. He named it Casa in Los Pinos so I got some stencils out and painted it on in yellow paint.

I found these sake glasses in an abandoned house I was listing and figured they'd do. Space them out to give people enough room to stand next to each other while taking a guzzlet.

The best glue I found that worked even on top of the paint was liquid nails, hot glue won't work, trust me we tried it. Wood glue can also work. Make sure to set something heavy on it and let it dry over night.

Let this dry overnight.

Finished shotski

Now for your viewing pleasure!
It brings the family together and is fun for all ages!

Thanks for reading!!!!!! XOXOX Happy New Year!

Striped and Checkered China Cabinet

2012-10-27T12:54:00.006-07:00

I'm sure my lack of before pictures make reading this a little less interesting, but I have been re-doing furniture for 6 years now and have only most recently started to share my projects.

Let's just say that this china cabinet was a poorly cared for piece with water damage and I bought it for 8$.

The original piece had doors covering the two bottom shelves. I tried to make them work but how else could I display all my knick knacks and pictures?

The item inside the crystal ice bucket on the bottom left is my broach bouquet I made for my wedding. So worth the money and DIY time. Maybe someday I'll post about how I made that. Here is a great tutorial that I used: DIY Broach Bouquet

As you can see here one of these drawers is not like the others. The wood work was missing, I considered ordering all new overlays from myoverlays.com but then figured that if I was trying to re-sell I wanted to keep my costs down. I decided on a MacKenzie Childs Inspired checkered pattern.

I took the original hardware off and hand painted it with Martha Stewart Metallic in Thundercloud. I also turned it up-sidedown to give a different look.

Originally I left it with just two different silver colors. But I was bored and wasn't proud of my piece.

I used the frog tape to do the edges but in the future I would probably just try and free hand. It didn't work so well on this piece because of the texture.

I changed the backsplash from Thundercloud to a gloss black to give the piece more contrast.

Now it's got a POP!

I accented the different areas of wood work!

Since the top of this piece reminded me of an awning on a little french shop I thought I would paint it as one. Measure the piece and tape off the different sections so the stripes are the same size. The two stripes on the ends were skinniest.

Still wasn't what I'd pictured.....

So I painted the silver on the top with a light white wash coat.

TaDA!

To paint a checkered pattern. Tape off the area and label.

Mackenzie Childs inspiration

Pinterest Inspiration. Follow me http://pinterest.com/laurenforster/

Cute silver furniture at Z-Gallerie that inspired me!

Chevron Rocking Chair Revised

2012-09-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

How to Re-Do a Rocking Chair

I purchased this oversized rocking chair at a garage sale for $5. It was wobbly, chipped, and the seat was awful, not very inviting.

This blog will show you how to replace an ugly rattan/wicker seat in an otherwise good chair.

Not only was the seat coming apart but it was cracking and chipped.

First order of business was to sand off as much chipped paint as possible. This Ryobi hand sander is great for projects like this. I use 120 grit sandpaper.

As you can see the paint is easily sanded off.

Next, it's time to cut out the rotted stinky gross wicker. Enter handsaw.

Looking better already

After all the wicker is removed you will discover a wooden frame where the seat it, remove this and save for later.

When I tried to remove the wooden frame, the arm rests were in the way. Just look for a screw where the arm rest is attached, remove, and save for later.

Also, turn the chair up-side-down and remove the screws holding the seat frame in place. Save for later.

Once you remove the arm rests, the seat frame easily pops out.

Now, trace the seat frame onto a piece of particle board. One that will be thick enough (1/2 inch) to use as a seat. You can toss the seat frame out once you've traced onto new seat.

Now the chair is ready for a primer, a favorite trick of mine is to go to the Home Depot paint department and check out the discounted paint. These items were usually a mistake or a return that they mark down dramatically. Sometime the colors are funky but I got this pale blue paint + primer sample for .50 cents. It was enough paint to coat the chair twice with primer.

While I live in Phoenix and it's too hot to re-finish furniture outside, I get the majority of my projects done at night in my family room. I use an old sheet for a drop cloth. I painted the chair with Behr Premium Gloss in Ultra Bright White.

After you cut the wood out you need to get foam or stuffing to create a soft seat.

In this case I found an old goose down pillow that seemed to be about the right size.

lay the fabric you choose over the pillow to make sure the design is where you want it. This fabric is from Hobby Lobby (they have the best selection in Scottsdale) Plus you can show them an email in your phone for a 40% off coupon.

Now it's time to get the staple gun out. These were scary at first but now I love using it!

Staple the fabric in place making sure to pull tightly.

Gather the corners as neat as you can.

After the first round of staples I always do a second round making sure to get as many staples as possible. The cushion can look sloppy if there are any gaps.

After you paint and make the cusion you are ready to put all in place. Use a screw gun to return the screws the secure the chair.

Voila! A 5$ garage sale chair can look new again!!!!!

Thank you for reading

Epoxy Resin Furniture Chevron

2012-09-18T12:22:00.003-07:00

How to use resin/epoxy on furniture:

I Purchased this table from a local garage sale for $2. It was red, chipped and on its last leg. (sorry, don't have a before pic) First, I sanded the table and re-enforced the legs with a screw directly on top of the table, I knew that I would be covering it up with fabric. Paint with a primer and then a color.

Next measure and cut the fabric you are going to use to cover the table. Paint a layer of Mod Podge and then lay the fabric on top allowing it to dry. This will ensure that your fabric will stay put when coating it with resin. I have seen other DIY-ers coat the fabric with Mod Podge and don't give it the resin coat. In this case the table had a dip in the wood and I wanted to even it out so drinks didn't spill when I used it.

Mod Podge is great for furniture projects.

After the mod podge dries, the last step is to epoxy the table.

I purchased this kit from Home Depot, follow the instructions making sure to only work on your project in a ventilated area. The epoxy/resin has a powerful chemical smell. It's also important to let the project dry in a clean, bug and dust free area. It takes 24 hours to dry and if a fly lands in your epoxy, it may ruin the project. In the picture above you can see a dog hair landed and will forever be in the epoxy coat.

Something else to note, Because I chose a grey and white duck cloth fabric, the paint shows through the fabric after the epoxy was added. I couldn't tell this was the case with just the Mod Podge layer. Make sure that if you are using a light colored fabric to paint the area you are covering carefully. Because I happen to like the effect of the under paint has on the table, I don't mind, but I would be upset if I was surprised with this after all my hard work.

Thanks for reading!

Martha Stewart Textured Metallic Paint

2012-09-12T17:02:00.001-07:00

Martha Stewart Textured Metallic Paint

I was so excited to Martha Stewart Textured Metallic Paint in Lampblack, I thought it would make a cool finish on a vintage piece of furniture

The piece pictured was purchased at a garage sale for 5$ and was taken after I used my Ryobi hand sander to remove old paint.

I used the primer/sealer that was recommended with the paint to prime and seal

I wouldn't recommend using the Martha Stewart primer on top of the Lampblack Metallic Paint, it leaves thick coat and looks odd.

As you can see the paint is very thick and the brush stroke are next to impossible to hide

If you were thinking about trying the MS textured metallic paint, DON'T I can't even imagine what this thick gloppy paint would look good on....maybe a flower pot but that's about it. Save your $$$$

Martha Stewart Textured Metallic Paint is the worst and I wouldn't recommend using it!

How Not to Use Martha Stewart Glitter Paint

2012-09-11T16:46:00.001-07:00

What not to do when using the Martha Stewart Glitter Paint

If you are like me than you have wandered down the Marta Stewart paint section at Home Depot and ran into the Amazing-ly fun specialty paints Martha Stewart has. The Glitter purple finish immediately caught my eye!

I found this sweet little table at a local garage sale for $4 bucks. It was white and was pretty plain (sorry I don't have a before picture but just try to imagine).

This was my first time using the MS glitter paint so I used the primer/sealer specialty finish that is supposed to go with the glitter paint.

After the "primer" dried, I started coating the white furniture piece with the glitter paint. To my dismay I discovered that the paint was actually clear with purple glitter.

Determined to have a sparkly glitter-y piece of furniture I kept coating this piece. Literally 12 times I kept coating and coating the white piece until it started to actually look purple. I had to make a second trip to Home Depot to buy more purple glitter paint, I had already come so far I wasn't going to stop now.

In the end it turned out with the desired affect I was looking for but I spent three times what it should have cost to decorate this silly piece of furniture.

But, even though this piece had months to dry, it still hasn't you can't set anything heavy on the dresser even still!

I wish I would have read these blogs before I wasted so much time and money:

http://builditsewitloveit.blogspot.com/2012/01/diy-glitter-paint.html

http://www.ehow.com/way_5391011_adding-glitter-paint.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ortBPokqF8

I just SOLD the night stand / side table today for $35

The color turned out beautiful but never fully dried.

I found this drawer liner at the Dollar Tree, I always love putting a drawer liner in all of my projects

The original dresser had a two prong handle, I filled the two holes in with wood filler and painted over them. If you look very closely you can tell but it's very hard. The cute pink knob came from target. They cost about $1.25 a piece.

I painted the sides of the drawer in a glossy black.

Martha Stewart Precious Metals Specialty Paint/Finish in Mirror

2012-09-06T16:40:00.001-07:00

The coolest paint on the market is the Martha Stewart Precious Metals Paint, this project used the color "Mirror" in the precious metals line, so fun!

So I was garage sailing one Saturday morning when I came across an interesting multi-family garage sale. This chair was in a random corner with a bunch of stuff piled on top. I wasn't sure if it was for sale and was pleased to find out it was $4.

It seemed to be a nice looking chair but the wicker on the seat was all rotted through. Sorry, not pictured here.

I could tell a custom painted piece but not well cared for. However, the chair was sturdy and not wobbly which is very important when spotting a candidate to re-vamp.

First, I cut the rotted wicker seating out of the bottom. Next, I cut a 1/2 thick piece of plywood (with a handsaw) to serve as the new seat. I envisioned this chair for my sewing craft room. Next, I picked out a foam cushion and fabric and upholstered the newly made seat with a staple gun.

Before screwing the seat onto the chair (screws can always be found underneath any chair to secure the seat cushion) I sanded the chair down with my Ryobi sander. Hand Sanders are like $30 and it saves so much time, not to mention your manicure.

I liked the paint pattern that was on the chair previously but wanted to make the chair silver and black and give it amore chic look instead of french country.

Oh, BTW always look for clues of a well built piece of furniture. By looking underneath the chair I found this custom metal plaque. This tells you that it's a quality craftsmanship and isn't going to fall apart.

The opening in the chair was perfect for a piece of an old chandelier jewel. I hand turned the round screw into the wood after drilling a tiny hole.

Before I screwed down the newly upholstered seat, I hot glued this cording on the wood.

I haven't experimented with the shabby chic look yet; i.e. the chipped paint and perfectly distressed style. I tend to like higher gloss paint. Especially for a chair that will "worn and torn" I used Behr premium plus hi-glass pure black.

I purchased this canvas from Hobby Lobby with a coupon. They'll take an email coupon from your smart phone, 40% off makes a big difference!

I left TRACY's name and copyright on the chair for good measure. It's tiny so you don't notice it.

Thanks for reading :)

Chair Re-upholstery, How to DIY Sea Foam Table and Chairs

2012-09-04T19:51:00.000-07:00

How to re-upholster and re-do this cute table and chairs

I purchased this glass table top and chair set from a local garage sale in Paradise Valley for $20. It was in pretty good condition, they weren't wobbly and no broken parts. Great candidate for a re-do. First I removed the cushions, if you turn most chairs up-side-down, you will find screws. Remove the screws and off come the cushions.

After removing the screws, I re-covered the chairs with a Chevron printed Duck Cloth I purchased from Hobby Lobby in Scottsdale. I have found that they have a more fashionable fabric selection than Joanns and will take a coupon from an email on your iPhone.

In case you were wondering, you can pull the fabric tight and then staple down with a staple gun. Staple guns can be scary at first but keep your fingers out of the way and they are pretty easy to use.

I thought that a sea foam color would go great with my new beach themed guest room. Although we are 350 miles away from the nearest beach I thought it would be a fun and refreshing motif.

I had a hard time deciding on what color to paint this fancy little table and chairs. I posted a before pic on instagram and I had several votes for yellow & robins egg blue but I finally opted for a sea foam. This pic looks a little blue-ish but if definitely gives off more of a mint color in person.

Oh and it might help if I let you know the color...Martha Stewart-Sea Glass. Since Glidden is making all of Marthas colors at Home Depot now, I was able to get this semi-gloss with a paint + primer thus saving me a step.

Thanks for reading!