Purple Paisley Pinwheels: Furniture Restoration

Restore

Transform

Recycle

Reclaim

Repurpose

However you want to say it I would love, LOVE to own my own shop where I could sell furniture, home goods, crafts and what not that I have repurposed. This was a dream of mine many years ago. I went to grad school. I got pregnant. I learned (after giving my heart and soul to a company that didn’t give a darn about me for 3 years) that I really don’t want to be tied down to a job I don’t really like, that my graduate degree is almost as much of a waste as my BS. Except that I think an education itself isn’t a waste, just the money it took to get the degrees. I don’t have the resources to acquire such shop and currently I live in my parents’ house (I lost that job I gave so much to in Sept. of 2009) and I can’t just decide to transform their garage into my workshop like I could if it were my own house. I wish I could say I am just making excuses but my mom nearly killed over by my mess in the tv room while I was trying to get ready for the craft show I did.

I also have reclaimed my love for working on my crafts and am very sad I didn’t sell much of anything at either the craft show or in my neighborhood open house. I don’t know what to do with all my things I made for the show. I am a little leery about listing on Craig’s List but at least there I guess I wouldn’t have to pay 20cents a month for each item I list. I am so confused at what I should do. It is almost as nerve racking as trying to find a job where I don’t feel like I am just settling.

But back to the furniture (et al) restoration. I found some time ago that I liked to fix things up. If I found something at Hobby Lobby I really liked but it was a little broken, I would ask for a discount and fix it up. I haven’t been able to work on a major piece of furniture though and I am itching to try some of the great pieces I have seen lately. I want to try glazing something so bad. I need to find a piece to try it out on. At times like this I really wish I lived in Texas or somewhere were the flea markets, garage sales, trash days, ect produce better “junk” pieces to acquire. The Goodwills here in Central NM seem a little over priced.

Here are some of the blogs that I have started following and have found pieces of inspiration…

These gorgeous pieces by Jenn at Much Ado makes my fingers tingle and want to run to see if that piece I saw at Goodwill is still there. I just saw an ugly piece of furniture, now I see potential after seeing what Jenn did here.

Here is a similar table done by Savvy Saver Secrets. I think these tables are from the 70s? May not be much that many of us would look at before, but they are definitely awesome after transformation. I mean, like, I TOTALLY want one. For sure.

This roadkill trash beauty was originally a TV console. What a great job Beckie from Infarrantly Creative did.

This lovely hutch was done by Brooke at The Crafting Chicks. I have ALWAYS wanted a hutch. I have worried about buying one because they are such a large piece of furniture and I move around so much (not because I want to but because the wrong turns my life keeps taking) and they are such costly pieces of furniture. I never thought to go find a used one and fix it up. Tingling again. LOL.

What a terrific idea by Miss Mustard Seed herself (over at Mustard Seed Creations). I just stumbled upon this one as I was typing this up. I once had this 3 drawer dresser that had come from a grandparent or something. One of the drawers was broken. My mom and I put a shelf (covered with faux leather) at the bottom of the middle drawer and reattached the face of the top two drawers. Then opened up the top and put in toy chest hinges so that it opened just like a toy chest. Then we fixed the bottom drawer so that it would slide. After that I spray painted the whole thing. I wish I knew then about glazing but I lost the piece when I left Maryland to come back to New Mexico. Very sad. It was a perfect blanket chest.

Some of the other sites I follow for furniture (but I know there are some more):