A Splash of Color for an Old Piano

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I love this daring move from Lisa at The Pennington Point. She transformed this blah piano...

...into something so fun!

It takes guts and a vision to pull this off, and I think it looks wonderful! For more pictures of this project, please visit The Pennington Point

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Old Tv Transformation with Home Hinges

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I'm absolutely in love with this project I found by April of Home Hinges. I was so excited I stumbled across her blog, she actually shares it with her four sisters! How fun is that? All the girls contribute with their current projects and great ideas, seriously a fun, fun blog! Here's April with her amazing TV transformation!

Here’s a teaser of the final product. But this isn’t what it originally looked like. In fact it looked very, very different.

My fist impression was that someone had left their garbage in the front yard with the hope someone would take it. The box sat there for several days because who in their right mind would want THAT.

It was an OLD TV. Like the kind I remember from when I was five. The kind you actually had to walk up to in order to turn the dial to change the channels.

This kind of TV that only had 13 or 14 channels and only half had a signal.

I was not initially inspired, thus I too drove past it on my merry way for several days. But I recently saw Beckie’s transformation of a similar piece on her blog Infarrantly Creative , which got my little brain churning. If she could do it… What’s to lose? So in the middle of a horrific rain storm, the kind we only get two or three times a year, I zoomed over to the curb on which this pathetic thing sat.

I’m the polite kind of scrounger so I ran up to the door, still in my exercise clothes, my hair barely brushed and in a pony tail, and rang the doorbell. They said I could have it for free as well as a gun cabinet they had just thrown in a dumpster in the driveway. See its transformation into a dining room hutch here.

The couple at the home were getting ready to move and getting rid of a lot of stuff. They were happy to help me load my finds into the back of my minivan. The only problem, particularly with the TV was that it was too heavy to get out of the car by myself.

Like it was full of rocks, REALLY HEAVY.

Not wanting to wait until my sweet Sports Addict got home (because he would think I had finally lost my mind), I decided to just start gutting it right there in the car with the hope that once it was gutted I could muscle the frame out myself.

After about a bazillion screws and cutting lots of wires it came.

Some of the guts

After about an hour’s worth of work and just a few scratches, I successfully extracted the shell from the minivan. Remember a lot of this was going on in intermittent rain. No worries though. My neighbors already know I’m nuts.

At this point I was just hoping this wasn’t a huge mistake. But if Beckie could do it…

Thus pushing ahead I used scraps of materials in the garage to make a box inside the shell. Since I thought it would be nice to use for piano music I decided to put in vertical dividers. I just hate it when books fall over into a pile and I’ve found vertical dividers on shelves really help with this. It also made sense since sheet music is often very tall.

Vertical dividers before getting their front edge trim

I also trimmed out the front to hide the plastic molding used to attach the TV to the frame.

Molding to hide the unsightly edges of the TV shell

So after caulking it was finally ready to prime and paint.

I didn’t put the back on until the end so I could paint from both the front and back. It made it easier to paint the interior. I used some Kilz 2 primer I had on hand and some “oops” paint I mixed together to get this lovely grayish-blue.

Once that was dry I went over the whole piece with a cream color I used on my roadside mirror. I just dry brushed on the cream color, highlighting the molding of the old TV shell and giving it a little bit of a brushed over look.

In the end my wonderful Sports Addict is no longer questioning my sanity, and I have a beautiful new hutch for holding all the piano music that used to be spilling over the top of the piano.

The best part though it that it was 100% FREE.

I didn’t spend a single cent on this. Everything I used was already in the garage either from old projects or left from previous owners of the home. Not only did I save at least part of the TV from the landfill, but I reused items that might have eventually been thrown away in the garage. Free and better for the environment. I’m just going to go pat myself on the back again as I admire my new living room furniture.

April

CAUTION: I’ve been told there is a part in some of these old TV’s that may hold a charge even if the TV has been unplugged for a while. Taking one of these apart could result in electrocution.

Here are some more great posts from the ladies of Home Hinges

Gun Cabinet turned Dining Hutch

Treasures from Great Granpa's Warehouse

A look at Real Life

Thanks April, for sharing with us today!

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Beautiful Buffets & Hutches

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One thing that has been on my wish list for a while is a beautiful buffet or hutch for my dinning room. I keep waiting to find that perfect piece with beautiful lines and curves and a good price tag! Since the hubs is still in school, our house is mostly furnished with Target and Wally World furniture, but once we are more established, I plan on filling our home with antique and vintage piece. Here are some gorgeous redos that inspire me!

Sleek and Chic Credenza Redo from Second Time Furniture

Beautiful Bold Red French Hutch by Brooke @ The Crafting Chicks

Love the detail in this buffet by Becca @ Blue Cricket Design

This one is a little wild, but I love it! Found it over @ Design Sponge

I love how Cassie from Primitive and Proper used the chalkboard paint on the panels of this gorgeous buffet!

I can't even begin express my love for this piece! You have to head over to The Blueberry Monkey to see it all accessorized!

This cabinet is so stunning and unique! Can you believe Katie from Impatiently Praying for Patience got it for FREE?!?!?!?!


All such breathtaking pieces! I just can't wait until I find my own! I'll be sure to post pictures and tell you all about it when I finally do!

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Whitewash Table with Frugal Farmhouse Design

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The other day, I somehow stumbled across Lori's amazing blog: Frugal Farmhouse Design and I'm so glad I did! She has amazing style and taste! When I saw this tutorial on how to mix paint to achieve a whitewash effect, I fell in love! I have been wanting to do something like this to a side table I have, but couldn't figure out exactly how to do it! I was beyond thrilled when Lori agreed to share this technique with our readers! Here's Lori!

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I have been playing and experimenting with paint this week. There are two things that I mix really well. One is paint the other is I can make a killer margarita. I had a custom order for a farm table that I needed to get done. The request was that the paint have shades of aqua and blues with a white wash - not to bright and make it look old and original like it has been on the farm table for 100 years. OK - I can do that

I used these great latex flat paint colors by

BENJAMIN MOORE

1.summer basket green

2. florida keys blue

3. navajo white

the table was made from an old pine farmhouse door that had yellow paint as the original finish

I painted the entire table with a quick coat of FLORIDA KEYS BLUE using a small paint roller, it does not have to be perfect or even (you will see why)

Next - mix up a ratio of approximately 70% water with 30% paint in you next color choice that you would like to layer on (paint should be the consistency of skim milk) I chose SUMMER BASKET GREEN because it was a nice compliment to the blue. Roll it on, right on top of the blue. Again it does not have to be perfect.

Once it is dry it was time for the white wash. Apply one more layer using the same watered down mixture of 70% water with 30% paint give or take a little. I chose NAVAJO WHITE to use as the last layer and to add the look of the white wash.

here is what the white wash looks like being rolled on

when the paint is dry give it a good overall sanding with 250 to 320 grit sand paper. I use an orbital sander. What this does is remove some of the white on the surface and expose the paint colors underneath plus it gives the table a nice overall distressed look.

you can see the original yellow paint as well as the pine wood peeking out

lastly I coated the table with a layer of acrylic to seal the finish

I know it sounds complicated, but the process went along at a pretty fast pace. Using the mini roller makes the paint go on super fast. Because of the sanding at the end, it really did not matter that the paint be perfectly applied. It actually looks better if you are a little messy.

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I love the way this turned out! Thanks Lori for sharing your tutorial with us!
Don't forget to go check out Lori's blog HERE!

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REUPHOLSTERED!

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I am in awe at so many of the amazing reupholstering projects out there lately! It really inspires me to go out and get some ugly furniture so I can try to make it look as good as some of these! Check out these amazing transformations!

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State legislators chairs @ RUNNING WITH SCISSORS, she has a 4 part series on these!

Beautiful ottoman redo @ KEEPIN' UP WITH THE MOODY'S

Grandma's sewing bench makeover @ THE HAND ME DOWN HOUSE

I am in love with this chair and fabric from OOPS! REDONE

Tufted blue chair @ POTENTIAL TREASURES, makes me want to try tufting!

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Who's inspired to go try reupholstering for them selves now???

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5 Simple Kitchen Updates

Pin It 1. Update The Hardware On Your Cabinets
Even though it may seem small, cabinet hardware can have a big impact on your kitchen. Switching out your old brassy knobs and pulls to brushed nickel or bronze will create a whole new decorative feel. For some good deals on designer knobs try overstock.com or ebay. For an even better deal, try spray painting your existing hardware for a more updated look!



2. Add Color To Your Walls
A fresh coat of paint is like a face lift for a room. The color you choose will help set the tone for your entire kitchen - warm reds and golden yellows for a Tuscan look, neutrals to make a traditional classic or vibrant greens and blues for a more modern feel.



3. Put Up Some Shelves
Installing shelves is a simple, modern way to free up counter space from small appliances you don’t need often or to add colorful decorative accent pieces to your kitchen. You could also use them to store and display your dinnerware for an “open cabinetry” look.




4. Replace Your Faucets
Faucets are probably the most used item in the kitchen, so why not make it something you love? You can update your faucet fairly inexpensively, adding a refreshed look to your sink area and also lowering water and energy costs. Not to mention having something to smile about while you do your dishes!



5. Refinish Your Cabinets
It’s not hard to find a “how to” on the internet for refinishing your cabinets. I’ve been tempted more than enough times to paint my own, but the thought of getting in big trouble with our property managers has stopped me! Try a faux finish or add some detailed painting to create highlights and shadows that give the sense of depth. You could also take out the center face of a cabinet door and install a glass front.



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