Cabinet Doors to Chalk Boards

 I have been so wanting to try making chalk boards.

Weeks ago, I picked up some cabinet doors at the flea market for a dollar.

They were all in great shape, but were all a little dusty.

I figured with a little sandpaper,

some paint,

and a coat of wax

the chalkboards would be a fun project

To knock off all the varnish and quite a bit of the color,
I attacked the cabinets with some rough 60 grit paper.

Under the slick exterior lurked what resembled a barn red.

As Fall is fast coming

and with it the Pike County Fall Color Drive,

I thought it might be nice to have some barn red chalkboards in my booth.

Amazing what you find with a little sanding.

In the center of the doors, three coats of chalk board paint were applied.

The paint was sanded with 150 grit paper in between coats.

 

After the paint was dry,

I rubbed a clear wax into the frame.

The wax made the color richer and deeper.

See my photo prop (the crate)

actually being used to prop up the board?

I love that butterfly bush.

It's been so beautiful this summer.

Want to see the difference in the frames that were waxed and unwaxed?

The difference is much more noticeable in the close up on the right.

I was quite happy with how these turned out

and made eight of them.

The total cost was about $12.

One more door still had to be given it's lick of paint.

This door was different from the others.

It was part of a pile of $2 "junk" that came home from an auction.

Originally, the intention was to paint the frame.  I was thinking to paint, distress, wax, much as has been done on my furniture lately.  After seeing the lovely wood underneath the stain, I thought a coat of stain would be a nice alternative to painting.  The stain is cherry and contrasts quite nicely with the chalkboard. 

A few of the chalk boards still new a small finishing touch,

then it's off to the next project.

I hear them calling me.

Before and After Sewing Table

A former coworker of mine manages a local thrift store.

She has taken my oldest under her wing a bit.

She lets him hang out and work on things.

He fixes her computer alot.

She and her husband feed him cheeseburgers and soda.

He loves it.

It's nice to know that he has a place to hang out

where I don't have to worry about

where he is

what he's doing

or who he's with.

Those are things that I've had plenty to worry over during his early teen years.

Sometimes my son brings me home treasures,

but this one I found while stopping in to drop off a snack.

I thought it was just a little bench,

needing a bit of paint and a square of fabric.

You can see it definitely needed something.

Not until our trip to Hannibal and shopping through the antique stores

did I know why the table had a lift off top.

It's a sewing table.

The top comes off and you can fill the inside

with your spools, needles, thread,

and whatever else you'd like to stash.

My boys would have hidden so many things in there when they were little.

I was always finding "little guys" hidden in the freezer, cabinets, drawers.

The table has now been given a coat of barn red paint.

This was topped with clear wax mixed with  black and brown umber paints.

I just stir up the wax in an old coffee cup with the paint until it's all nice and mooshy.

Then apply and buff.

After I'd already painted the table,

I found fabric on clearance for $3/yd.

The table top needed about 75 cents worth of fabric.

The table was free.

The paint and wax were about $2.

So my little sewing table costs under $3.

I really like this little table,

especially after finding that the top lifts off for a reason.

The things I could stash in there,

but the table is off to my booth,

which is filled to the brim.

I get to move into a second booth on the first,

or perhaps a few days early if I'm lucky before Labor Day weekend.

I love what I do!

 Fall is here and I'm ready to dive right into it I can't wait to hop into that first huge pile of leaves    

Vintage Fabric Remnant

Last week I told you here about this wonderful chair that I scored at an auction.

She's a little sad, been beat up, neglected,

but she's still got hope that it's gonna get better.

And it shall.

Soon.

Very soon.

I've been considering just what material to use to reupholster the seat.

I've seen some wonderful bright and fun patterns on chairs lately.

I've seen neutrals in the form of burlap and drop cloth.

I've seen some gorgeous vintage grain sacks.

Last night I had ten minutes to kill,

so I dropped in the flea market.

A long roll of vintage upholstery fabric was leaning against the wall.

They were only asking $5.

How could I not buy it?

One of the ends has some water staining.

I'll probably take the stained pieces and soak them in some strong coffee.

 The usable fabric measure about 3'x6',

which means I'll get tons of use out of it.

This will be incredible to cover my chair seat.

The label shows that it was mailed in January of 1970.

I love this fabric and am thinking of using it on the set of dining chairs that need recovered, or maybe on the cane chairs, or perhaps on a bench. 

Lots of projects to do and never enough time!

 

French Chair and Grain Sacks

I've been so incredibly inspired by many wonderful bloggers.

They've inspired me to tackle projects that I used to believe were impossible.

They've inspired me to take chances with restyling furniture, home decor, and thrifting.

Recently, at an auction, I purchased a set of 5 or 6 chairs for $2.50.

$2.50 total, not per piece, but for the lot.

The chairs were not in the best of shape.

None of them matched.

The chairs were actually a bit scary,

but I knew they needed love.

This is the chair that inspired me to bid.

She needs lots and lots of work.

Paint.

Upholstery.

Love.

I love the detailing in the wood.

The seat cushion is all lumpy and bumpy.

Did I mention it smells?
Not terribly,
just a little.

I've been wanting to tackle this project

and hope to begin next Monday.

There are gorgeous chairs being reloved

using old feed sacks for upholstery fabric.

I was hoping to find some at an auction.

I did find a few,

but they're either too rough looking or not the right size.

The last two photos are of the same bag, just reverse sides.

A reader emailed about buying one of the sacks, which is wonderful.
Anytime I post something that you'd like to purchase, please feel free to email me.
Many items end up in either my online shop or booth at the mall.
theoldblockhouse@hotmail.com
I always love to get emails.

I did find these cute seed sample sacks.

The sacks measure 6.5" x 10.5".

I'm still wondering just what to do with these.

There are probably four dozen of the bags.

Some were put in my Etsy shop,

but I'm keeping a few for myself.

Aren't they just the cutest little grain sacks?

 Fall is here and I'm ready to dive right into it I can't wait to hop into that first huge pile of leaves

Wordless Wednesday Mark Twain Riverboat Hannibal Missouri

 Mark Twain Riverboat Hannibal Missouri

View down the river from Hannibal

View up the river from Hannibal

 Lighthouse of the Widow "Douglas"

Missouri side of the river

Lover's Leap

Train running alongside the Mississippi

"Jackson" Island in Mark Twain's writings

Mark Twain and his friends would raft out to the island for camping and shenanigans.

Auction Hunting & A Chair

It has been an incredibly crazy weekend!

We spent Friday and Saturday in Hannibal, Missouri.

I have tons of photos of our time there.

I'll share some of them this week.

Hannibal is a wonderful place to hang out with your family.

Lots of shops and lots of fun things to do.

Today my sweetie and I went to an auction at The Green Parrot,

which was a wild place in the old days,

but under the new owners,

it is an auction house.

It was a long day with lots of sun,

but the temperature was only in the 80's,

so it wasn't too awfully hot.

Have I mentioned I have the best boyfriend in the world?

After having started the day by giving me a one car load limit for this auction,

(like he makes the rules!)

he spent 90 minutes cramming everything into the car.

Packing.

Unpacking.

Repacking.

A determined man is so sexy.

Of course, it was either pack it all in,

or something (or someone) would be left behind.

As it was, one little trunk was left to fend for itself.

I'm sure it will find a lovely home.

Want to see just how well he can pack a car?

He did an incredible job!



I've only managed to squeeze in one small project this week.

A child's rocker that needed just a little sanding and painting.

I saw this chair and it reminded me of one

my brother had when we were little.

We each had a rocking chair.

We loved our rockers.

I'm thinking of giving this to my niece.

Maybe it needs a few daisies.

Girls love flowers.

I love daisies!

I am so completely exhausted,

but it's been a wonderful weekend with those I love most. 

I can't wait to do it all again soon!

 I'll be linking up at
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Making the World Cuter