So... call me a garbage picker

I have been thrilled these last couple of days to find so many amazing steals... and deals!

It started off with my looking for cushions that would be the correct size to use when I make my suitcase chair (because nobody sells cushions precut in the measurements of 17''x 24''x 4'', or anything big enough while being in my budget). I stopped at Savers, a slightly more upscale goodwill... and to my surprise they had tons of couches, and chairs, and benches for sale that had just been dropped off for donation that day!

There were a few really nice (mind you, very outdated) chairs that were in fantastic shape. And then I saw a wooden bench, with 4 huge cushions... and instantly knew these were the perfect size cushions I needed.

Me to the cashier: "Is it possible to buy just the cushions without the bench?"
Cashier (laughing): "Um, no... you have to buy the whole set because nobody will want the bench on its own."

Ugh, okay... I'll go see how much it is I guess. And of course, no price tag to be found.

Me again to cashier: "What is the cost of the whole bench set?"
Cashier: "Hi again. I'm not sure... you have to ask the donations people."

So I find the donations girl and she goes out and gives me a price of $14.99!!! I'll take it! (I ''yell'' without trying to sound ridiculously excited about someone else's disgusting, used, ancient furniture") But seriously, this was awesome. The cushions are in amazing shape... still firm and clean, unlike the cushion covers. I could not have gotten a better deal, nor had better timing if I wanted to.

Also, they don't know that I am going to refinish the wooden bench and make it all nice and new looking, for less than 2 dollars... only use two of the cushions for my original intentions, and leave the other two, maybe dye the old covers, so that I can probably re-sell the set again for $10+ more than I even paid for all of it! Talk about thrifty...

The original cushion covers on the $14.99 bench set. Hmm, I take back what I said... these are actually kind of sweet in an old retro sort of way! Heh?

THEN... later that evening, Joshua drove to the bank, and when he gets home he tells me that he drove past a wingback chair on the side of the road just around the corner from our place (almost exactly the type of chair he has been looking for). So in the car we go because I am not letting anyone else have that piece! Sure enough, it's still there, and it is in unexpectedly good shape, beside a loose footboard, and shredded fabric on the seat cushion. But it is perfect for what we want, because I have been wanting to try reupholstering, but not on something I have already, of which I probably like and spent a decent amount of money on. You can't beat free!

The Little Pink Beauty

If you're thinking of doing a reupholstering project and need some awesome tips, I highly suggest checking out allthingsthrifty's blog. This couple is amazing, and so very talented! They have step-by-step restoration and upholstering tutorials... and many other things!

The original piece that started my collection of garbage picked goods was this armoire that my neighbors had put outside on the lawn when they were moving out. Its pretty banged up, and the finish is in really bad shape, but nothing a little restoration won't fix. I plan to make a bench seat out of it to put by the front door, so Josh has a place to sit, put his shoes on/take them off. I'm even thinking of making a storage area in it for a couple pairs of shoes... but this one is a little ways down the list yet. So you have to use your imagination on how that will work until later, when I can tell you all about how I did it!

Enough about all my 'junk'... let me tell you what project is in progress!

I decided to make a chair out of a vintage suitcase. I found an awesome old terracotta colored Samsonite one at an antique shop for $15!

Meet Suitcase. Vintage Suitcase.

I have to put legs on it and form some sort of a frame for my cushions. The frame will then be attached to the suitcase inside, probably via a hinge...

Bought these 14'' legs at Home Depot for less than $20. They are now stained ebony!

This is my awesome, bold, fun material that will be used for the cushions. I got it on sale at hobby lobby for 50% off... totaling less than $15.

At this rate, I can have a totally adorable, unique, self-made usable chair for under $80!

Tutorial will be coming soon... please keep posted!

How To: Faux Granite Edition

Remember that time I told you all about my family's 'famiversary' tradition? And how I would keep you posted with what I would be doing for the ones I picked to buy for this year? And then you probably thought to yourself: ''yeah right, we'll never find out, because she'll forget all about it.''

Well, wrong...this was too fun not to share!

My parents went away on a week long vacation to Aruba this past week, so I took the initiative to do some updating. Because, you see... my parents have about twenty never ending to-do lists, honey-do lists, someday-do lists, would love to-do lists, etc. But the main thing I've been hearing about from them lately is wanting to update their kitchen. However, it's fairly low on their list, along with being a fairly large expense and needing time they don't have.

So I decided to do a complete countertop makeover for them.... using paints!

This is why: Beautiful blue and white outdated counters... with matching cabinet hardware!

Here is a list of the things I needed to complete this project (and no, its not difficult, but it is quite time consuming)

-A photo of real granite: I looked at photos of granite to get an idea of what would go, and what I wanted my project to resemble. I suggest doing the same, so that you can examine what colors are present in the granite. This helps when picking your acrylic paint colors.
-Zinsser brand all surface tintable water based primer - can be found at most hardware stores: Home Depot, Lowes, etc.
-5 to 7 different colored acrylic paint tubes (yes, the cheap arts and craft ones you can find at a hobby shop or craft store)
-One real dead sea sponge
-Foam roller
-A paint brush (or foam brushes if you need to stay cheap. However, a good brush will give you a better smoother finish)
-A small paint tray
-Painters tape
-Sanding bricks
-Mineral spirits for cleaning
-Minwax brand Polycrylic clear gloss finish (use polycrylic instead of polyurethane, due to its non-yellowing tendencies)
-A good amount of free time and patience! (The most important of all)

Now, step by step I will show and explain how to complete this project from start to finish!

1.) Tape off all wall surfaces or other non-counter surfaces that may come into contact with your painting tools.

2.) Have your foam roller and tintable primer ready. Start rolling your first coat of primer directly onto your need-to-be new counters. (Sanding the old surface is optional when you use the Zinsser all surface primer because it will stick to anything. I did not pre sand. However, if you use a different brand of choice that hasn't been tested on other surfaces, I highly recommend sanding your counters first.) Be sure to let the primer coats dry fully before moving onto step 3.

The above photos are taken after 3 primer coats to achieve full coverage. The amount of coats needed will vary depending on your starting counter color.

3.) Pick out which color of your acrylic paints you would like to have as your base 'granite' color. Keep in mind, this color will be the one to least show through on your finished project. Squirt small amounts of the first acrylic into a paint tray, and gently dab the side of the sponge in. Then, with absolutely NO rhyme or reason, sporadically dab the paint all over your counters. (Random is important! You will find it begins to look too patterned if you try to plan where your sponge dabs will go)

My starting color was silver, because I was aiming for a more warm finished product, but still needed a bit of a stone color to 'peak' through. Notice how some areas of silver are thicker and more filled in, while others may seem nearly bare. This is good!

Also, if your counters do not have rounded edges, a way to give them the rounded edge effect is to roll your sponge over the sides every so often, so that it makes the top and the side panel of the counters seem connected.

4.) Repeat step 3 with color #2..#3...so on and so forth. Always remember: Random and sporadic! Just continue this process until you have used all of your acrylic paint colors. There is no need to wait for each acrylic paint to dry, nor to clean the sponge or the paint tray after each color. Just squirt the new paint color into the tray, and keep going at it.

After I applied three of my colors: silver, brown, black.

Notice that I tried to go lighter on the black than the others, because black is a much more dominant color, and will more easily show through any lighter colors layered on top of it. So if you don't want black to be a large portion of your final product, but want it to act as an accent, then follow my lead. If you desire an all around darker product, feel free to go a bit heavier on black.

After 2 more colors, khaki and buttermilk were added. (Totaling 5 colors so far)

At this point, you should start to see whether or not the color is meeting your expectations. If not, no big deal! Just go back through and add more of the colors you feel you want to see more of! Or maybe you notice that it all looks a little too sponged still, adding more layers will help this. It will fill in some of the seemingly open areas, as well as give your granite a more speckled character, rather than having chunky color. 

For me, I liked the idea of a more chunky granite look with sweeping colors, but this wasn't quite there you yet. So I simply went back through, adding more of the dark brown, and very small well spaced spots of black, all again covered once over by khaki. 

5.) Have your brush and clear gloss finish ready. This is the least fun, most time consuming part. After you've let the sponged acrylics dry for about 24 hours, its time to start the layering of clear gloss polycrylic. This is going to give it a beautiful shine, as well as giving the counter durability. Because what a waste it would be to have all the work you just did go down the drain... 

Brush the polycrylic over the counter in smooth strokes, always making sure your brush is wet. If the brush becomes dry during this step, you will see many brush strokes in your finished product (and the whole idea with faux granite, people, is to look like the real stuff) and everyone knows granite is smooth as glass! 

You'll need between 7 and 9 coats in order for the counter to be well covered and fully protected (more than 9 for those eager at heart!) Each coat should dry for about 1.5 to 2 hours. 

After dried, lightly sand with very very fine grit to help smooth out any imperfections from the brush strokes or collected paint drops. 

Then repeat step 5 another 6 to 8 times. 

Once all the clear coats are finished, and dried, let the counter cure for about a week before going back to full carelessness and use. Although, even after it cures, never EVER use the counter tops and knives together without a cutting board. And be sure never to set oven or stove top hot pans on it. This will ruin the clear coat, and at very least leave small scratches. If you accidentally do this, don't completely lose your mind - The clear coat can be sanded down in the damaged area and you will need to reapply clear coats once again.

My finished project, along with all new brushed nickel cabinet hardware!....

Happy Famiversary, Mom and Dad! 

If you decide to do this project, I would love to see your results! Please share by messaging me, or posting a link in my comments!