Antiques

Decorating with antique windows

April 16, 2013 by Christa 8 Comments

I’ve always admired the use of antique and farmhouse doors and windows in decorating, and wanted to incorporate at least one somehow, but wasn’t sure how or where. Here is some Pinterest inspiration:

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Every Love Story Window

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Antique Window Chalkboard - Farmhouse 6-Pane Window - 38 x 23

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Then, one day a friend and I went to an antiques store just to browse, and I found this old window pane. The original patina was okay, but a little too rustic and yellow for my room. I also needed to be sure I carefully sanded in a contained garbage bag (in case there was a potential for lead paint – I didn’t have a test kit) and then I repainted, distressed a little, and sealed it for protection.

window pane boxwood wreat001

A close up of the layers of paint underneath the finish I put on it…

I love preserved boxwood, and found this wreath online at Amazon through Flora Decor to fill the window. I am anxiously looking forward to Miss Mustard Seed’s tutorials using preserved boxwood.

A quick staple of some burlap on the back of the frame to hang the wreath, and voila!

The window and wreath sit in the corner of our kitchen dining table nook and we are yet one more step to pulling the house together.

The project reminded me of the farmhouse door I helped a friend convert to a command center for her hallway, which was a really cool find.

What is your experience with preserved boxwood? How long does it last, and any tips on making it last longer?

Filed Under: Antiques, Before and After, Do it Yourself, Home Decor, My Home, Tutorials, Uncategorized

A Modern Vintage Dresser

March 12, 2013 by Christa @ Stories of a House 8 Comments

This weekend Kevin helped me out and brought home a couple of dressers for me to work on. Had I been with him I wouldn’t have bought this one, but it’s a long story and he ended up bringing home both. This one needed a ton of prep, but in the end it came out sooooo pretty. It is currently listed on Craigslist in Phoenix.

Before:

After:

I found the new hardware on clearance at Target, and had some SW Dover White on hand that I wanted to use up. It is another pretty, creamy white that I would definitely recommend and use again. I primed and sanded and primed and sanded the heck out of this piece, but the end result is a super smooth finish that will look great in many different places and spaces.

We are also giving our back patio some much needed attention. I found an enormous table with two unique benches made out of reclaimed wood on CL that I’ll be finishing to endure the heat, cold, and rain here. We strung white lights overhead and are looking forward to dinners and parties with friends and family out there. I’ll post as it all comes together. Have a wonderful day!

Filed Under: Antiques, Before and After, Furniture, Paint Colors, Thrifting

Cottage Gray Chest of Drawers

March 5, 2013 by Christa @ Stories of a House 10 Comments

Hey strangers! It was so nice to be in my shop this week, working on furniture again. I’m just about done painting all the cabinets in the house – a task I’ve grown to dislike very much, hence the procrastination to finally complete it. I forgot how much I enjoy the process of repairing and painting furniture to be enjoyed again for years to come.

I’ve had this antique chest of drawers sitting around for a while. I was tempted several times to just take it to the dump because of how many repairs it needed. But, I decided to go ahead and try to make it sound again, and am glad I did.The repairs and prep work only took me a few hours and I love the finished piece. I chose a Behr color called”Silver.” I usually don’t use Behr paint but Home Depot was close to home so I went for it. I replaced the old knobs and handles with an updated modern version. Here is the before and after:

I’m off to find some more furniture in need of a facelift. Hope to be back soon!

Filed Under: Antiques, Before and After, Do it Yourself, Furniture

Pale Tiffany Blue Antique Chest

November 13, 2012 by Christa @ Stories of a House 13 Comments

I took a break from working on the house to refinish this cute antique dresser. I jotted down the paint formula from a blog and I wish I could remember where! It is like a robin’s egg blue but reminds me of a pale blue Tiffany box. I just love it. Definitely not as gray-blue as it shows in my lighting.

Here is what it looked like when I found it. The veneer on the top was missing so I had to fill and paint rather than refinish it. I love the end result without the refinished top after all.

After the makeover. So darling in person!

It had all the original hardware. I just gave it a spritz of satin nickel to bling it up, and lightly distressed the edges. What a great piece for a nursery, a girl’ room or a shabby chic guest room.

For AZ locals, shoot me an email if you are interested.

Today I spent the ENTIRE day in my shop sanding and prepping our homemade farmhouse table. It’ll take me a few days to finish it but I’m excited about the possible end result. I sure hope it turns out…I need it done by Thanksgiving!

Linking to:

Be inspired @ Elizabeth and Co.

Filed Under: Antiques, Before and After, Do it Yourself, Furniture

2011 in review & 1000 followers giveaway

January 5, 2012 by Christa @ Stories of a House 30 Comments

Happy New Year!

When I started my little blog in 2010 I had ZERO expectations. Sure, I wanted to take furniture refinishing to the next level and share it with whomever would have the patience to sit through my ramblings…but I NEVER expected I’d be enjoying friendships with people from all around the world via phone, email, and text. I absolutely love what I do, and I appreciate your friendship, whether you just lurk or directly correspond with me. Thank you so much….muah!

2011 was a year of growth and change for myself and our family. I like to blog about these things here and there because this is my little scrapbook journal (I gave paper scrapbooking the old college try but failed miserably). This isn’t just for my family to read but also for my blog family to get to know me better as a real person, and not just a girl who perpetually has paint in her hair and under her nails. Here’s our 2011 in a nutshell:

* Last week we received final approval on the second home we put an offer on which is just a few doors down from my folks’ house. This transaction took 5 weeks. The other offer we made is still going on 9 months and is dead in the water. God is good; we like this house better, and being so close to Mom and Dad is the most AMAZING blessing ever (along with having my brother and his wife 2 blocks away). So this means we are putting our lovely home on the market and the packing begins. (Anyone wanna come and help; I’ll feed ya!) We look forward to downsizing and cutting expenses, but will greatly miss this home which holds precious memories.

* The girls changed schools. Boy was this ever the 2011 monstrosity. It took about 3 months before the tears subsided, and although they are doing okay, and in spite of being voted class representatives, they aren’t “feeling it.” But, they are really learning a lot. Many times I’ve resorted to saying, “hate me now, thank me later.” I was offered a job as their school nurse, but since I absolutely love the refinishing and working one day/week at the surgery center combo I accepted a substitute school nurse position. I can render aid to playground boo-boos and stay in the loop of what’s happening at the school.

* I was invited to put my furniture in the most adorable boutique, and I move in on January 12th. Email me if you want the location!

* My sister got engaged to the most wonderful man. She waited 32 years and he was worth the wait.

* I am now seeing a personal trainer because I am wearing a strapless dress next month to the aforementioned occasion. Right now my arms are shaking because I did a total of 210 push ups this morning. That was not a typo; thanks, Mark

* We resolved to take more family trips in 2011 and have done pretty well. We did Florida, a Disney cruise with Kevin’s family, camping (twice, with great friends from church community group), and annual passes to Disney. We’ve been to Disney twice in 2 months so far, and the girls cried last night when we came back home. I see another trip in our future, soon.

* I wrote a book! I can’t believe I accomplished it with the help of our friends, Mike and Keeley of European Paint Finishes. Kevin and I truly enjoy their company, and they are a whiz at what they do. Love them!

Well, enough about me and my family…on to the giveaway!

Having 1,000 followers and 2,010 RSS readers is very humbling. If you “like” Stories one way or the other (facebook, Google follower, RSS feed – I’m easy) just leave a comment for any or all of them and I’ll randomly select a wonderful person to receive a download link to our Guide to Furniture Finishes e-book. If you already have the book before the giveaway is over and are selected, I’ll just refund ya

Happy New Year and blessings from above to you ALL!

(Scroll up to the top to click to leave a comment; another WordPress feature I need to figure out…)

Filed Under: About Me, Antiques, Before and After, Cabinetry, Do it Yourself, Family, faq, Favorites, Finding Furniture, Furniture, Home Decor, Household, My Home, Organizing, Paint Colors, Products I Like, Project Diaries, Ramblings, Real and Raw, Recipes, Table and Chair Sets, Thrifting, Tutorials, Uncategorized, Video Tutorials, Wood Finishing, Workspace

A Classic White Dresser

March 24, 2011 by Christa @ Stories of a House 33 Comments

To all who left comments on this dresser I am so appreciative of your helpful advice.

I had serious painter’s block, and your suggestions got my ‘ol brain working again.

Here is what this dresser looked like before. The wood top couldn’t be saved because I had to remove a lot of veneer that had water damage and had bubbled. So, the entire thing had to be painted.

This is the infamous picture of the paint job gone wrong.

I mean, seriously, it looked like a circus (mmmm frosted animal cookies)…

Since there is so much going on with this dresser with all the details, I decided on a simple cream. I think it would have been beautiful in a silvery gray, but I wanted to use what I had on hand.

It was just too prissy to age it, and I like how the creamy white lets the details speak for themselves.

I don’t have a color name because I mixed the white myself.

I saved some to have it matched in the future because I really like it.

Luckily the dresser still had all the original hardware.

I just gave them a light mist of satin nickel to make them look like pewter.

All I have left to do is line the drawers with some fabric and she’s ready for the ball!

Truly, thanks again for all your awesome suggestions.

Sharing this at

Filed Under: Antiques, Before and After, Furniture

,,,Happy Spring, and a Sweat Shop…

March 12, 2011 by Christa @ Stories of a House 10 Comments

I’m so happy for all you celebrating some great weather!

The kids were actually in the pool today, so we are already gearing up for our miserably hot AZ summers…

There was also a lot of garage time this weekend. Lemonade stands, painting, riding bikes, more painting, and “Mom? I want paint something by myself.”

So I offered this stool to our youngest. She decided on her favorite color.

She woke up the next day and made sure every nook and cranny was covered.

Then our middle lady who wanted to paint something, so I offered her this t.v. tray.

She also spent her Saturday morning making sure she did a thorough job.

They have big decisions to make now.

Should they distress? Should they antique? WWMD?

While they worked on their masterpieces I applied the base coat of cream paint for this little cutie:

It is a substantial dresser with a mirror.

You know I never make pieces like this a solid color!

I’ll need to sleep on it, since most of of my finishing ideas come to me in dreams.

Filed Under: Antiques, Before and After, Furniture

A Cute Desk and a Bad Back

March 7, 2011 by Christa @ Stories of a House 33 Comments

I’m surprised I’ve been able to accomplish anything these last few weeks with this awful back of mine.

I injured it in 6th grade passing pumpkins side to side down an assembly line for our school’s pumpkin patch, and I have had problems ever since. This last bout has just about done me in! I’ve done hot stone massages, yoga, muscle relaxers, heat, ice, etc. If you have any tips, I’m all ears…

But, let’s talk about this cute little desk that’s been sitting in my garage for a year. Someone had taken a fully loaded brush with black paint to it, and just went to town. I didn’t think the black fit with the feminine lines of the desk.

I don’t mind stripping flat surfaces so much, and fortunately the desk wasn’t primed so the paint came off easily. The wood underneath was so pretty.

Then I went to paint it and the dreaded bleed-through showed up:

I don’t always prime, unless it’s really old and I know the tannins will bleed through. I didn’t think this would bleed, but it did. I was out of my usual primers I use for this, so I went to the tiny hardware store on the corner and got the only oil-based primer in a can they had which I’d never used before:

If I could put a skull and cross bones over this picture, I would.

It smells like formadehyde, and no matter how much I shook the can and cleaned the nozzle it came out all crazy. It went on rough and dried that way.

I don’t know if I’ll be buying another can in the future to see if I got a bad can or what.

Finally, after sanding everything smooth, painting, staining, and adding the final finish, the desk looks great. I loved the original hardware and just painted them black.

I used SW Creamy and Minwax Special Walnut.