Before and After

Bought this dated retro cabinet at an auction and knew that it would have a fantastic second-life.  
I had been wanting to try 'ombre' colour painting and this piece was perfect!
 She found a good home with my friend Leah.
 
 
A homemade desk got a facelift.  I knocked off the side board and added a fancy leg and a table apron.   A fresh coat of paint in two tones that matched the decoupage paper on the front of the drawers made for an attractive 'after' shot. New silver hardware and she was ready to go!
 


 
 I nicknamed this piece 'Bertha'.  She had curves in all the right places (hard to tell from the photos, but the top two drawers are bowed) and I loved the floral wallpaper I put in the drawers.  Because she was a low standing dresser it took a while to 'move' her, so she lived with us for a while.  
We were sad to see her go!
 

 

 This chair and table/desk duo were snapped up right away!  Cute hand-painted damask stencils in silver coordinate with the fabric print on the chair.
 

 

 My first dresser!  A 1930s dresser with great legs, it was a fun first project.  I loved how the wallpaper on the sides of the dresser looked, and I even liked the pink drawers!
 

 

 Love, love, LOVE this redo!  The drawer fronts had a lot of issues with the veneer and I knew that this dresser was going to a girl who was redoing her room with a 'Victorian' theme.  I decided to trim paintable wallpaper borders to fit the drawer fronts and I loved how they looked!  This project was also my first foray into homemade chalk paint and it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!  The colour worked really well and brought out the fancy legs.  The cheap plastic 'ornaments' had to go, but I kept the hardware and cleaned it up with a fresh coat of silver paint.
Perfection!
 
 
 Another auction find, this half-moon hallway table or cabinet had a colourful makeover.  I loved the poppy paper accents.
 
 
 This coffee table set was the first time I used graphics and they were really popular!  Graphics are super time consuming but always look great.  I was really pleased with how they turned out and enjoyed how easily the homemade chalk paint 'antiqued' for that 'shabby chic' look.

 
 

 Retro country chairs to go with a dining room table.  Easy peasy makeover, except for the detailed trim painting...that was a bit of a challenge!
 

 
 Second set of matching french side tables.  I liked the decorative embellishments on these and the paint really brought them out.

 

 Boring less than average table transformed into a traveller's table!  I used Epoxy Resin on the table top so it's super durable.  A unique piece that's sure to be a conversation starter!

 

 Oh man, you should have seen this dresser and side tables set when I picked them up!!  They had about 5 coats of drippy, awful paint which had been painted straight on to high gloss veneer...so it peeled right off when I started stripping it.  It made the process a lot easier and waaaay less messy, but taking off the tacky gold-trim handles and adding new trim and hardware was more difficult.  Tired and worn out 'before'; fresh and ready for home 'after.'