Vintage School Chair Revamp

Today is the last day of summer, which means "Spray Paint Season" is ending. I’m so happy I had a chance to indulge in over half a dozen spray paint projects this summer. Each revamped item added a touch more pretty to our ever improving home. This fall, Jesse and I will be preparing the outside of our house for winter (raking, cleaning gutters, staining both the deck and shed) so this vintage school chair will probably be the last spray paint project until spring. 

We needed a chair to go with B’s desk and the one I was eyeballing from Land of Nod was $69. I thought I might save some cash by going with a vintage school chair, but it didn’t exactly work out. The chair was $45 (did I pay too much?) and re-finishing materials were $15. I didn't save much money, but the vintage chair is more unique, more us. Plus, I got to practice my wood re-finishing skills and seeing/creating the transformation was super gratifying.

Ta-da! Isn't that the cutest 'lil desk and chair?! 

This project was fun, but I don't think I will ever take on a large piece of furniture, sanding is way too tedious! Have you ever refinished (sanded + stained) a piece of old furniture? How'd it go?

UPDATED: 10.21.13
I paid way too much for my vintage school chair!  They were everywhere at Junkstock and most were priced under twenty dollars.  This school chair was already nicely re-finished and the dealer only wanted sixteen dollars for it. Sixteen dollars! Ouch! I'm embarrassed to say that I should have started my hunt by at least performing a five minute Google search to see what a fair price would be. Ugh. Lesson learned.

Vintage School Desk Revamp

These days, nothing is safe from the threat of me spray painting it. Let's count up this summer's victims projects; two tension rod lamps, two picture frames, two kitchen bar stools a five piece patio set and now this desk. Yikes! Jesse and I keep joking that hopefully the weather will cool off soon and "Spray Paint Season" will be over. My latest revamp is this nifty kids desk that my mom found at a rural flea market. She is THE BEST Vintage Scout EVER!


Yesterday, Jesse removed the desk top and I painted over the institutional blue with a semi-gloss white. The transformation is nothing ground breaking, but I think it looks more crisp.
Thanks, Mom, for the awesome find! (PS - I still owe you 20 bucks.)

Patio Furniture Revamp

I spotted this worn out meal patio set at an estate sale and fell in love with the mid-century feel of it. I knew it had potential, so I purchased it for about $50. This summer, I finally (yay!!) had a chance to update it with a coat of paint and new seat cushions. I think it turned out great, but I'm kinda disappointed I couldn't keep this project under a hundred bucks. Who knew it would take SO MUCH spray paint?! 

Feelin' Inspired? Here's the budget breakdown and resources:

• Patio Set - 50
• 8 (yep 8) cans of spray paint. I used 4 cans of primer & 4 cans of white satin indoor/outdoor - 40 
• 4 chair outdoor chair cushions and 2 outdoor fabric toss pillows. Mine are from Garden Ridge - 70 
• Project Total = 160 - still a bargain compared to a new patio set!

Toddler Bedroom Makeover

When Jesse and I learned we were expecting, I immediately started daydreaming of a perfect nursery for our baby. I pictured something like us - an eclectic blend of creative, cozy, modern & vintage-y. Back then, I was in retail management and teaching yoga on the side. Jesse was working 70+ hours a week and traveling a lot. Time flew by, and we just didn't have a chance to create our perfect nursery. Now, three years later, we are so blessed to both have new jobs and schedules that work better for our lifestyle. 

Last fall, I started a serious effort to revamp our 1950's ranch. I've been working my way from one end of the house to the other painting, sewing, crafting and commissioning work from Jesse. When I finally reached B's room a few weeks ago, I had so many ideas accumulated that I wasn't quite sure what direction to take! I thought a fresh coat of paint and maybe some book shelves would be a good starting point. Easy weekend project. Right?! But...when I started prepping the room for paint I noticed something was amiss. The paint around one window was peeling and there was a musty smell. Thinking it was just a little water damage (maybe the seal around the window was leaking?), I peeled a piece of the paint back and...YUCK! Half a dozen little white-ish bugs came running out! I called Jesse over to take a look and unfortunately, we determined the little bugs were termites. Several days later we were termite free, (thanks to a fantastic local exterminator) but we also had an entirely new wall on one side of B's room. Good thing Jesse is so handy, otherwise our repair costs would have been much higher! 

With the termites slayed and repairs finished, I set to work creating the nursery I'd always dreamed of for B. 

The polkadot wall was a fun project, but I'm not sure. I think it might be a tad too much. The large "B" initial is from a twice yearly flea market. I can't wait to go back in October, I have so many things on my list! For the tool silhouettes, I cut shapes out of white craft paper and glued them to navy, then put them in cheapy 8.5 x 11 plastic frames.

My mom found this mod slipper chair at an estate sale and I recovered it in gray fabric. Side note: The saga of recovering this chair could be an entire blog in itself! I made inexpensive faux roman shades for the windows and then a little toss pillow from left over navy blue canvas. Conveniently, I already had the iron on "HELLO" letters from a t-shirt making project. I also made the orange pouf ottoman.

That's all I have to share for now. I still need to refinish the vintage school chair and I also have plans for a Jenny Lind style bed I picked up at the salvage yard. Once I get that finished, there'll be more pics. What do you think so far? 

Feelin inspired?! Here's the Budget Breakdown and Resources:
Wall and trim paint - 80
Blue paint is "Freshwater Blue" from Olympic @ Lowe's
vintage bookshelf - 24
fabric for mod slipper chair - 20
gray rug (Overstock.com) - 52
spray paint for lamp - 12
flea market "B" and tools - 60
pouf ottoman project - 65
this project would have been lower cost, but first one I made was too big and the wrong color
Faux Roman shades - 32
Vintage school desk and Paint - 30
Vintage school chair and refinishing supplies - 60
Jenny Lind style bed (not pictured) - 35

Project Total (so far) = 470

A few things aren't listed because we already owned them before the project, I figure they don't count towards the makeover budget. If you're curious about something, give me a shout!

Small Bathroom Makeover

I really wish I had "Before" pictures to share of our tiny bathroom. When we moved in several years ago, the bathroom was the epitome of post-war ranch decor, with pepto pink tile half way up the walls. The small space was lit by a dreary fluorescent light above the sink and there was also a full sized window in the middle of the shower wall. 

My parents had this neat vintage shaving ad that I wanted to frame but a custom job would have been pretty expensive. So I picked up an cheapy black frame and a sheet of turquoise crafting paper, which worked OK. Combined with the shaving mug and stand, the vintage print gives the bathroom a slight shaving theme. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for more vintage shaving ads or do-dads!
My favorite part of the bathroom is the white subway tile with gray grout. The dark grout is great because it hides dirt and soap scum. The Vanity mirror is from Home Goods, I think is was less than 30 bucks.

We removed the closet door and added thick butcher block shelves. I think this made the tiny space feel a little larger and also gave us some make shift counter space.