30 Some Years and Counting...

What is the oldest piece of furniture or home decor item in your home? Think back to when you moved into your first home or left for college. For some, it might have been 2 years ago, others..... a while ago....decades even.

As I sit here trying to think what it is I have, I realize that I am a furniture rotator.  I just don't like to keep the same thing around too long.  However, I do have a very nice curio cabinet that I bartered for when my husband and I bought our first house.  He wanted a pool table, I wanted a curio cabinet! Probably my first bartering experience:)

My neighbor asked us to paint her mom's queen sized headboard.  It has a lot of history!  She told me that her parents bought it together 30 some years ago at Tilles Furniture in Munster, Indiana.  Sadly, Tilles just announced they are going out of business after 40 years.

I received the picture below and thought is was a little dated, but would it look great painted and distressed. I immediately thought... Old White from Annie Sloan Chalk Paint®.

When I saw the picture, I thought it was wood.  Boy, was I wrong.  That baby is heavy and made of steel! Super heavy.  I couldn't even push it by myself to the other side of the garage to my workshop. So, she got painted exactly where my husband put her.  

I started with the first coat on a very hot humid day. When I came back to look at it a day later, the paint sort of crackled. Ooops.... maybe I shouldn't have painted it out in the heat so I sanded it down and started over.  Came back the next day.....crackle.  The more I examined it, the more I realized it was actually the texture in the headboard and the more I looked at it, the more I loved it.  The more I sanded to antique it, the better it got!

My apologies that I didn't stage for a better looking picture. As you know, we will have a small workshop at the new shop. For now, it's the garage for me and sometimes the living room.

However, I don't think it negates the fact that the headboard turned out fantastic...(If I do say so myself:))

It's a Girl! Wait...a Boy! OH! TWINS....Uh..Not Quite

The Twins....ah.. they are so beautiful!  Oh wait... I don't have twins! I'm pretty sure the other Kath doesn't either...hmmm...maybe:)

We have been doing a large custom job for a great lady, Karen.  She wanted her tall dresser, headboard, footboard and two night stands painted a dark "Black Bean" color. No problem!  

Karen entrusted her nightstands to our care one evening.  In a lovely, fabulous oak color, these, of course, needed a little growing up and grooming.  They were in great shape but needed to be 'refreshed'.  They sort of reminded me of a newborn baby. You know~ when it's first born-- sort of wrinkly, red, with a cone head and you really can't tell if it's just cute because you think it should be cute. Then, after an hour or so later, they start to grow on ya and then your like--OH! He really is cute!  

Ok..so maybe that doesn't make all that much sense or maybe it does, however, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the twins... um, yea, the nightstands, and started working on them right away. I popped off the old hardware and lightly sanded them.  Oh...wait! Did you really think I forgot to take a before picture? Ah-hem.... well, no, not really!   Darn...OK... I did! Karen, did not though:)

The drawer was taken out but you get the idea.

See what I mean about the lovely golden oak?  I cannot lie... I have many pieces that are same color.  Lovely furniture ~but, eventually, it just needs a new look.  This is where Sandpaper comes in handy:)

After a few days of spoiling the twins and giving them great attention, in my kitchen no less, they took on an entirely new look. 

 

See what I mean?  Cute and adorable! Karen wanted new hardware so we ordered the nickel bin cup pulls and they look perfect. I think they give the furniture an entire new, fresh look. 

Here are the twins and the finished product:

When these beauties were delivered, in trusty ole Bessie, with the 2 best delivery guys around (our husbands, of course), we...umm yea..,they, picked up the bed frame and the twins big sister (the tall dresser).  

We painted a few coat of Black Bean and Varathane Matte Poly, the big sister turned out just fantastic as the nightstands.  I'm so happy we distressed the furniture a little. Although they look quite modern, I love the way they are antiqued just enough to give it a special, unique feel to it.

And yes.... I did paint the dresser smack-dab in the middle of my living room.  I love summer! I love the hot weather, but when it is 90 plus degrees outside, sweating to the point of dripping is not something I am fond of doing. A girl has to have standards, right!

 

The head and footboard, unfortunately received the short straw and had the pleasure of being painted in the garage late when it cooled down a bit outside. Painting them in my house was an option but, I have to say, these beauties were heavy and a little bulky.

So even though my house was being taken over by Black Beans, I loved painting it this set.  The furniture was in the BEST shape!  I think it turned out awesome and cannot wait to receive a picture of all of it's space.