Sunday, June 28, 2009

Old furniture-New look

*This post has been edited to add to Furniture Feature Friday at Mustard Seed Creations. This is a wonderful blog with many inspiring ideas, so go check it out!


Furniture Feature Fridays
When I graduated college and got my first teaching job, I decided to buy something with my big fat teacher’s paychecks. ;)

My mom suggested that I buy a bedroom suite with my money. She said it would be a good investment and I could use it for many years.

So taking her advice, like I usually do, I made my first big purchase and bought a bedroom suite. It had three pieces, a queen-sized bed, dresser, and armoire.

I used it until I got married…. after I got married….. and I am using it now. Thanks mom, you were right…again!

Here’s what it looked like in our guest bedroom at our last house five years ago. (I actually made the bed skirt and pillow shams!)

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You may have noticed that the dresser was missing. That’s because I painted it red and used it in my boys’ room.

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This piece is now in my son, Adam’s room.

Then, when we moved into my current house over four years ago, the other two pieces went into storage because we didn’t have a guest room.

But now that we’ve built our guest house, it was time to get them back out. We couldn’t afford new furniture, so I was going to try to be creative.

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I didn’t like the look of the furniture as it was. And I wanted to give it more of a cottage-y feel.

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So I bought some white paint, sand paper, and some Valspar mocha glaze.

First, I painted everything white. It took about two or three coats. I would like to say that I waited to full amount of time needed for the paint to dry real good, but that would be a complete lie, so I won’t say it.

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I think it’s looking better already!

Then I sanded down all the edges and roughed it up a little bit. It felt a little weird to start sanding off all the paint that took me so long to put on in the first place! I also wasn’t sure if it would give me the “look” I wanted since I had never tried this before!

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I thought it was turning out good, but the furniture still didn’t have that “old” look that I was looking for. I had heard about people using a “glaze” on their furniture or kitchen cabinets, but I had no idea what it was or how to use it.

But after a few days of looking at my furniture, I knew I had try it.

I bought some Valspar mocha glaze at Lowe’s. (Doesn’t that just sound delicious?)

I really had no idea how to “glaze”, but I sort of remembered reading a post about someone glazing their kitchen cabinets. And I remembered they said they used a lot of paper towels.

So I started applying the glaze with a sponge brush, and then wiping it off with paper towels. And I was liking it…

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It was a subtle difference, but it was definitely what I was looking for. My husband was even impressed!

Now, I am still not finished with the bedding, but I wanted to share it with you anyway. I need to get a bed skirt, probably white. (That’s why I didn’t take a picture of the bottom of the bed…hee, hee.) And I think I want to get a big “puffy” white comforter to fold up on the bottom of the bed instead of the matelasse. And of course, some more pillows…maybe some tan linen or burlap, oh, I don’t know! I’ll know it when I see it! :)

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Like I said, the glaze on the white paint is very subtle, but that is exactly what I wanted. It just “toned down” the white.

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I am not at ALL done with decorating the top of the armoire, but for these pictures I just put a cute little antique fan that I got at a yard sale for $2.00, an antique Hershey Kisses tin from GW, and a sign from Hobby Lobby that I want to use somewhere in this room. I love the scripture on the sign!

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If you would like to see more pictures of our guest house that we have been working on, you can click on my “guest house” posts in my sidebar.

NOW I will officially end my “longest post ever”!!!!!

Blessings to you all,

Traci

61 comments:

  1. Traci, the bedroom set looks gorgeous. I love it in the guest house. I think the whie and the glaze are just perfect. I really like the soft blue with it too. This is going to be such a welcoming and gorgeous room. I can't wait to see the finished room. I also put a reminder about your Christmas in July party at the bottom of my post and I have your button on my sidebar that will lead people to your blog. Have a super evening. Hugs, Marty

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  2. Great job on the bedroom furniture. Thanks for the giveaway opportunities, I'm going to link your button to my site. Come over and visit me and signup for my shopping giveaway.

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  3. Very,very nice. I like the furniture pieces a lot.

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  4. Traci- Looks good. Isn't glaze a great friend?
    I love the look of it and that I think is the final look I have chosen to do my cabinets in the never ending kitchen remodel. That way any more distressing the kids do will just enhance the look. :) Sneaky isn't it?
    Love the guest house too.
    ~tammy

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  5. Love what you did with your bedroom set - very classy!

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  6. I love the bed make-over - beautiful job. I am now a proud follower of Beneath My Heart. Come visit me!
    Rhonda

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  7. OH, how pretty your bedroom furniture turned out! Love the white paint and glaze. I've never used a glaze, but I sure love how it makes your furniture look!
    Be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  8. Love the new color ! Very fresh !
    Hugs ~ Kammy

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  9. Your furniture looks fabulous painted white. It's very light and airy.

    I love your gingerbread ornaments! If I don't win, I'm going to have to order some anyway. :)

    Jane

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  10. You've got the touch, girl! You are very good at furniture painting! It looks beautiful and I love the bed linens. Matelasse is all I buy anymore because it's so easy to care for.

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  11. Your furniture looks FAB painted! Man, I WISH I had a HL near me! I went looking online, but don't see that they sell that ROCKIN' plaque anywhere. I will be searching!

    www.xanga.com/crafttealady

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  12. Traci--You are an ispiration!! I have a piece of furniture I want to try to redo and just can't muster up the courage! Yours turned out beautifully. I love your chest painted red for your boys room too--way to make the most out of your first purchase! Love the Christmas in July giveaway also!

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  13. Traci, what a great decision to paint the bed white and distress it a little. I didn't even notice the bed in the before photos, just the bedding. Now it makes a beautiful statement. The colors you used in the room makes it look even better. Love the little fan!

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  14. Traci, all your furniture looks fantastic! Great job. Thanks for stopping by my blog today. As far as blogging and teaching, I don't know how well I'll do at both. I didn't start my blog until after school let out for summer! For you though, if you can blog and raise 4 boys and take care of a husband, then what's one more added chore?!?! lol Best of luck to you. Please visit with me again.

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  15. Traci, your furniture looks fantastic! Great job. Thanks for stopping by my blog today. As far as teaching and blogging at the same time...I'm not sure if I can do both or not. I didn't start my blog until this summer after school let out. For you though, if you can raise 4 boys and take care of a husband and keep house and blog, then how much harder would one more chore be?!?! haha Best of luck to you. Please visit with me again!

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  16. Could you possibly e me w/ the HB price? I found it online but ack $24?

    CraftTeaLady AT yahoo DOT com

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  17. Love the NEW look... don't like talking about Christmas already... le sigh!

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  18. Wow! What a transformation! You did a wonderful job on the furniture and taking your time really paid off big time! The bed and linens look comfy and I really think you got the "cottage Feel" look and I like the lighter look for summer and a puffy look to snuggle in for fall and winter... I really envy your guests! Stop by my blog for my 100th post giveaway if you get a chance!
    Have a great week!
    ~Really Rainey~

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  19. Traci, first let me say that your mom was right -classic furniture was a great investment. You will NEVER get rid of it! Also, fantastic paint job and glazing - it looks like you bought it that way! Second, you commented on our similarities - black door,black rockers, pocket, GW S.L. wire baskets, Ga., well, I noticed that you have Kentucky as your home. Would you believe my husband was born in Kentucky and his side of the family is up there?! How funny. Also, so glad you are able to be a SAHM. You will never regret it, and your kids will have memories that they couldn't have otherwise. Oh, my daughter and d-il-law are both teachers (but SAHM now), and our DIL has four kids- 4yr, 3yr twins, 18 mos - and yes, it's crazy - crazy fun! Blessings to you. Linda

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  20. What a beautiful transformation! I love the coverlet on the bed. Can you tell me where you got it?

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  21. Traci~ ~ ~The furniture looks great! I love the glazing you did.
    Thanks for stopping by and responding about your black table. I really need to get busy on mine and paint it white. The sunroom needs a table. I am also considering painting my diningroom table white and glazing it. It has lots of carved work on the apron but I love the table so much I'm a little hesitant of messing it up. Gotta get my nerve up.
    ~ ~Ahrisha~ ~

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  22. I LOVE all the furniture make overs you did, from red to white with stain. They all look great. I love doing furniture make overs. I love the guest house-what a fun project.
    Cheri

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  23. Traci, thanks for coming over to our blog!!! It's always fun to meet new people and see their blogs.

    I love what you did with your old furniture. The white is beautiful. What is the blue & white bedding? It is gorgeous.

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  24. I just posted this on my blog for you as a post.
    I have never done any of the Met Mondays or any of the others maybe I will try to do the Linky thing and post my plate.
    Cheri
    www.itssovery cheri

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  25. What a wonderful job you have done on these pieces! And I would say the one you referred to as a subtle difference is far more! You have rejuvenated these pieces that you have had, and made them something special. I love the bed linens as they are, but I'm sure you'll come up with something even better! Great job! I may have to try that glaze.
    Brenda

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  26. What a great transformation! I love the boy's red dresser too!

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  27. I love your talent! Where did you get the Philipians 4:8 verse plaque? I love that and would love to own one.

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  28. I love your talent. Where did you get the Philipians 4:8 plaque, I'd love to own one.
    Sandra

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  29. Hey, I am back. :) I just went through your guest house posts and am in love!!! I love the cabinetry in the kitchen, the doors, everything! Can't wait to peruse more of you blog.

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  30. So you got those big, fat teacher paychecks too, huh? I retired early, not that teaching middle school had anything to do with it, of course. Your gingerbread families are so cute; I'd love to win one. I have a lot of gingerbread ornaments for the tree so they'd feel right at home here.

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  31. Hello Traci - love what you've done with the furniture! Great job on the glazing - I've been wanting to try it, so thank you for the inspiration! What color glaze did you use? Can't wait to see the completed room!

    Blessings,
    Marie
    http://emmacallsmemama.com

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  32. I love the furniture painted white. I've always wanted to try adding a glaze, you have now given me the motivation to do so.

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  33. Traci,
    Thanks for visiting my blog and your nice comments. Funny, wish I had read your comment before I changed my profile. I thought it was too long. Now I need to add the info back. Love your blog and the bedroom project. After seeing how great your painted furniture turned out, I am planning to paint the furniture in my guestroom. I'll post some pictures when I get it done. I'll bet your boys will love the pepperoni roll. I don't know if you have a Publix in your area, but they sell pizza dough in the bakery. It also works great. Makes the recipe even faster. With four growing boys... time is most important! Thanks again!

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  34. LOVE THIS! WE have this same furniture and I have wanted to paint it just like this. Now I get to see what it would look like and I love it!

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  35. Hey Traci, I love the way your furniture turned out!! It looks so good!! You did a wonderful job on it. I redid my laundry room cabinets & bought the same glaze. But, my glaze job just looked like it was dirty, so I repainted over it. I also love all of your bedding, it is so pretty.

    Thanks for stopping by & leaving me the sweet comment. I hope you have a great week, Nicole

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  36. That turned out beautiful. I also love the bedding you chose. Everything is just so pretty!

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  37. Beautifully done! I really like the way you distressed it with the mocha glaze. I think I would have been to chicken to try it, but after seeing this, I'd do it. Again...wonderful job.

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  38. I just noticed that we have the same gerber daisy background header on our blogs. It was fun to see what you did with yours.

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  39. well hey! I just love that makeover!!

    I have 3 boys and 2 girls - thanking the Lord everyday........wonderful pictures of your boys on the sidebar~

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  40. Oh... I have the SAME headboard... I have been trying to convince myself to not paint it (what if I hate it, etc). Hopefully this will motivate me to do it :) Looks great!

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  41. Wow! Awesome job on the bedroom set!

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  42. Wow... this looks so great! Job well done!! :)

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  43. Hi Traci! You did a marvelous job on your bedroom suite! I love the glazing and it really does make a difference. I've not tried glazing but you may have convinced me it's a great way to go. You home looks beautiful.
    be a sweetie,
    Shelia ;)

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  44. (gasp)... oh my goodness i loooooove the white! so much more sophisticated :) well done!

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  45. Traci~LOVE IT! It looks so, so good! I have never tried glazing either and am fixing to tackle it on my coffee table! You have given me courage!!

    Have a great weekend!

    Lou Cinda :)

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  46. It looks beautiful! I have that same exact armoire in my guest bedroom!! Thanks for letting me see how it would look painted. : ) I like the glazing over the white.

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  47. What a difference. Keep money in your pocket. Old furniture can be updated with a little work.

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  48. I'm so glad I found your blog. I also have been hearing about glazing, and didn't know what it was. Thanks to you, you gave the name, and now I can go out and buy some. And, I love the look of the new bed. Great job. Mom's are always right
    Blessings~Cheryl

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  49. Your furniture turned out great! I'm just freaking out over your $2 fan! What a steal!

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  50. Gorgeous gorgeous! I prolly commented on this before, but I still love it!

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  51. It turned out fab! I'm have to try glazing something white... I love how it looks.

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  52. @cheapchichome. Such a nice transformation. I love the fan and sign, too!

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  53. Your mom was right. Good investment! The bedroom set is a great example of when you buy wood furniture with goodlines, you can transform it again and again to look fresh. I love it with the distrssed white paint and glaze. It looks light and feminine. Thanks for sharing at FFF!

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  54. Hello~
    Sorry , I am so late - I just joined this morning and then I had to go to WORK - ugh !
    Love that you kept the pieces and re-did them...
    Looks great - but, then everything you touch turns out GREAT !
    Kammy

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  55. they look awesome! Great job ~ looks like a pro did it!

    Shellagh

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  56. How beautiful everything turned out! The room looks so inviting-guests will not want to leave! It is a very pretty bedroom set and the transformation is perfect. Did you glaze only the sanded areas and wipe off or do you do that on the whole piece? I would love to try it on some of my Mom's old pieces.
    ~Nancy

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  57. Hi Traci,

    Your bedroom furniture looks GREAT! Thanks again for a tutorial...you make things look so quick and easy...I just have to try this! Your "new" bedroom looks so welcoming! Super job!

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  58. Hi! Your bedroom furniture looks terrific! Well..actually ALL of your furniture make overs do! : ) I was wondering if you could tell me what the paint color is on the bedroom walls? I love it too! Thanks in advance!!

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