Past Projects - The possibilities are endless!

Good morning!!  

I thought today I would do a little showcase of a few past projects that I have done. 
These aren't a step by step instruction, but just an overview. 

Enjoy!

So when we bought our house, all of the walls were either white or off white. Add the white/cream color carpet and it's literally a completely blank slate. The fireplace was very outdated and in need of updates. We weren't ready to install a completely new fireplace so I took it upon myself to research my options. The miracles of Pinterest!

As you can tell, other than the red tile, this entire wall and fireplace is just well, plain.

After my research I found that the outdated brass could be repainted very easily with heat paint. (Yes the same kind of paint that is normally used for painting a grill!) So I taped off the glass and stone, and away I went. I should mention that at the same time, I painted my living room.

We bought all new furniture and I thought it would be easiest to paint in the week that we didn't have furniture. (The living room was in complete disarray during this process.)

As you can see this was quite the the undertaking, and I had multiple projects going all at once (as usual).

As one coat of paint dried I worked on the fireplace. There was lots of taping but I didn't want to risk over spray. 
I applied two coats of flat black heat paint. 

After all is said and done. The stone wouldn't scrub clean from years of soot from the woodturning fireplace. This was such a complete transformation and for not a whole lot of money. We did purchase new vent covers as the old ones had been painted so many times - it was cheaper than have them sandblasted. 

I love my fireplace and I love decorating it. Here are a few snapshots that show the different holidays I decorated for. 

Here are just three of the last years mantle decor. Each year I plan to switch it up a little bit from the prior year. Luckily we haven't been in the house that long, so I haven't had to put much work into! 

Outside of the fireplace makeover I also did a small revamping on some old tables I had gotten from my sister, to use as bedside tables. 

These are quite common to see in rummage and estate sales. These ones were in very good condition, and completely sturdy. 
They worked great, but just weren't very aesthetically pleasing. 

I used your basic gray Krylon primer to ensure that I had even coverage and good adhesion.
I did end up dismantling the shelf part(just two screws) to ensure all areas would see the spray paint. 

The color is Blue Lagoon and I love how it just pops!

 I stripped the varnish (much more time consuming than expected)and then sanded and sanded and sanded. Originally I was going to paint the bottom and stain the top, but once the beautiful oak woodgrain was revealed, I couldn't even think to cover it up. I used and espresso stain, and then a satin polyurethane seal. This now sits in my kitchen and is ready for another 100 years. It is just beautiful. Yes there are a few small scratches in it, but with being as old as it is, I just couldn't bear to wood putty over that "story". So I left them in. 

One last project is a table that I refinished. This table was made by my great great grandfather. My godmother was gracious enough to give me the table and wished me good luck. 

With almost 100 years of varnish built up - I had no idea what I would find. 


This was my first complete refinish.


This is literally the first swipe after the stripper was applied. I was so shocked that I picked up my phone to take a picture. To go from black crud (very technical term) to such beautiful woodgrain was amazing. 
I took ALOT of pictures in the process so I hope that I don't bore you with so many, but like I've said multiple times, the transformation was so surprising, I had to.

This is all I have for you today. I will be heading down to my "craft corner" (aka the basement) to work on two separate tables. I started them yesterday and hope to gain some ground today and get closer to finishing them. I am very very excited for the upcoming projects. I am doing a lot more furniture work than crafting lately, but that is all right by me!

Happy Crafting!

Second Chances Design

Sarah

A Valentine Project

Good morning everyone!!

This week has actually been a very productive week at Second Chances. I am trying to work on finishing up anything in progress and cleaning up my inventory a little. 



Today I have for you a Valentine Decor item for your home!
During my hours upon hours of Pinterest I find so many different projects for inspiration. This Valentine project is called a string heart. I found lots of tutorials online, and it's very simple - you could do it on your own as well! Here is a step by step tutorial of my own project!

I had scrap plywood and had the hubby cut me two 11x11 squares. I just picked a random size that I thought was not too big, and not too small.

I then sanded the square smooth (both sides). I love my little Skil Octo Sander. The sand paper velcro's on and off! I sanded with 80 grit, then 120 grit, then 220 grit.


Then I stained the squares with Varathane Espresso. (I had this stain leftover from a table I refinished. Note - a little stain, goes a LOONG way!)  I used an old t-shirt to apply the stain - I love to apply stain this way, as it lets me to control how much stain is applied.

                                

Next, I printed off a heart from my computer, cut it out and taped it on the square. That's as technical as I can make it sound.



I didn't get super specific and measure out how far apart I wanted the nails to be, I just started nailing.  






I bought my nails at the local Wal-Mart (the only retail store in my small town). 

After all the hammering, I pulled the paper off and this is what I was left with. Not that exciting yet...but now for the fun part. 





For the string - some tutorials say to use embroidery floss, another said thin yarn...I found crochet yarn - which is a cross between the two, and the most economical. I bought this entire spool for $2.74 and even after two hearts, I still have lot left over. You can't beat that price. 



So to begin stringing I tied a knot around the center nail.
Then just zig zag all over the place. I tried to get to each nail at least once. Then I also outlined the heart to give it a better definition. I did this by zig-zag around the entire edge. 

For some added flair, I decided to write the word "love" on the bottom right of the board. I absolutely love the color copper so I wanted to use this Folk Art Metallic Antique Copper.


Here is my finished product!

Complete!!

 I made two of these and will be selling the other one. It was so simple and easy, but adds something special to my mantle. 

I will be making a blog post showing a few of my past projects. They will not be a step by step, but they will be able to show you what is possible. I have been trying to get better at taking before/after pictures, but sometimes I just get so excited and carried away. 

Yesterday was also very very exciting. I made a trip over to DePere to go to That Covers It - the only Annie Sloan stockist nearby me. In fact there are only 8 in the state of Wisconsin! I have to mention that they were incredibly helpful and the store is just amazing. They have a chip board to show the endless possibilities of color mixing, along with a station to try your own mixing. They also have a wall showing the layering capabilities. I cannot sing their praises enough. I wish I would've gotten the name of the delightful woman that was helping me - she was completely helpful to ALL of the customers in the store. I cannot wait to try these paints/wax out. There will definitely be projects galore coming!

Until next time everyone! It's almost time for the big Packer playoff game - GO PACK GO!

Happy Crafting!

Second Chances Design
Sarah