little desk makeover

this started out as this $20 table I bought from a garage sale and was using as a bedside table in Thomas' room

painting inside this week, my usual garage space is too hot!  I used the same paint / primer I used on my kitchen cabinets

I'm happy with the transformation and the color is the perfect match for Kate's reading chair.

and the after.  I also painted this IKEA chair, which was first black, then pink, and now cream.

I made these fun new pillow covers using fabric Kate picked out from Hobby Lobby

Sharing here:






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and

fun at the farm

Plenty of photos from this weekend away at the farm (see this post about the singer sewing machine we came home with).

We came home after a lot of swinging, fishing (Thomas caught his first fish!), playing softball, walking and visiting with family, and eating good Texas country cooking.

Home again with our Texas sized watermelon!

Antique Singer Sewing machine

Visiting family in East Texas this weekend we got to bring home the sewing machine that belonged to my husband's grandmother .  He doesn't know how long she had it or who may have owned it before her, but it is neat to have this piece of history that our children's great grandmother sewed on.  He remembers using it as a computer table when he stayed at the farm in the summer when he was a kid. 

(The pictures above are after it got dusted off, but before it got the deep cleaning)

From the serial number I am pretty sure this was made in 1908.
We could probably get the machine in working order if we wanted to (it needs a new belt).
It had been sitting in a barn and it needed a lot of cleaning up.
We removed the machine from the table base for cleaning
I used WD 40 to clean up the iron treadle part and furniture oil on the wood top and drawers.  Some of the wood veneer is cracked and I used wood glue to repair that as best as I could.  I also used a stain pen on a few areas that needed little touch ups.

Here is how it looks now:

it looks good with my newly painted light fixture in the next room

look at these details on the sides of the drawers

still has a lot of antique character, but a lot cleaner now

and it was too nice to put away again out of sight, so here it is on display

I'm sharing on Thrifty Treasures Monday at Southern Hospitality

Spray paint project

a quick change today for the hardware on my desk, I used oil rubbed bronze spray paint:

and my husband took down the light fixture and it got the same treatment.  I hung it from a hook in the garage and used my drop cloth behind it and I taped off the white parts and covered where the bulbs are screwed in.

In the picture it looks almost black, but the finish is a really nice shiny dark bronze.

Here's what it looks like hung in my office.

a close up and looking into the living room.  I think I'll have to paint the door handles and brassy hinges to match too.

this one shows the shiny texture, and the spray paint didn't 100% cover so there is a little gold coming through in some parts, but I think it gives it more of an antique look, not perfect! (and I am missing a couple of light bulbs), it's on the list :)

This picture below is the only one I could find of the light in the room before, and this was also before I painted the desk.

I have a few more projects planned around the house and garden, as well as some trips this month with my Mum visiting.  Yeah for summertime!  Today was my first official day off from my teaching job.

Another thing I've been adding to is the family picture wall by the stairway.

In July we have a family trip planned to Chicago and Washington DC, and whatever else we find on the way there and back!

linking to:
funky junk interiors

and the power of paint party