A Happy Mistake

My husband isn't a fan of picking up things I find on Craigslist. He wasn't amused when I asked him to pick up a dresser on his way home from the mall. He is a good sport and gave in to my request a few Saturdays ago. When he brought it home I was in love with the size of the piece, but it was pretty rough. It had at least three coats of paint on it and I didn't want to spend the time to strip it. I will be honest there is no profit in stripping (hahahahahahahha).
I decided to paint it with the last of my Peacock paint. This was a mistake. I literally started scrapping the bottom of the paint container. OF COURSE I hadn't stirred the paint well and it began to get white at the bottom. I realized this too late and had already slapped the paint on the several drawers (Attention: Do not paint with sunglasses on). I decided to go with it and figure it out later. In the end I loved the results.

I distressed parts of the dresser to show the black and red underneath. I posted this on on Facebook and within a few minutes I had several people inquire about it. I ended up selling it to one of my son's baseball teammates. I love it when my pieces stay close to home. In the end I am happy with this mistake. I think the white adds another layer to the dresser and makes it look beachy and worn.

You may have noticed the pots on the side of the dresser. My yard gets very limited sun and as a result I can't grow my favorite flowers, dahlias. I decided to try growing them in pots on the side of the house this summer. We shall see what the results are.
In other news I have been absent from the world of blogging because I haven't had a computer and I was out of town for a work trip. We finally bit the bullet and bought a MacBook. I think I am in love. I am excited to do several blog posts in the next couple days.

Frenchy Part Deux

My last post was about a set of French Provincial furniture I purchased and sold. Prior to those pieces being finished I got a call from my sister-in-law asking me if I wanted a dresser her dad was getting rid of. My friends and family always know where to go to get rid of their junk. I of course said sure and arranged to go pick it up from her parent's house. This is what was waiting for me:

Now the last piece I did was a better made piece. This one is in fantastic condition, but it wasn't as well made. It was also bigger. Let me tell you if I was in the market for a new television right now I would be keeping this baby as a media console. However, I am not in the market so this is on the market. As I type this I am also answering texts from someone who wants to come see it.

Since the first piece sold so quickly I decided to paint this with Annie Sloan Paris Grey and Old White as well.

 I painted the entire thing grey first. I decided to keep the top wood. I didn't mess with the finish because I am not sure if it is real wood under that lacquer. I will be giving the buyer the option of having the top painted or left as is. The top is really in perfect condition.

I went back over some of the details with Old White to accent them.

I didn't paint the inside because I was being lazy and because it really didn't need it.

I advertised this piece as a media console, buffet, credenza, changing table and dresser. I like furniture that can be used for different purposes. Some people don't think the same way and need a little nudging. This piece would look great being a couch as a credenza or in a dinning room as a buffet. It would also be a perfect media console. Look at the storage!
I did not waxed this piece when I listed it on Craigslist because I have determined that some people aren't fans of dark wax and once it is on you can't go back. I like to keep the options open for people.
It sold in a day. The new owners came out and took a look. They decided to go with a clear wax and to keep the top wood. They also wanted to pick it up themselves. I was stoked about this because it mean I didn't have to load it and unload it. I have been making a lot of trips to the other side of the Portland Metro (not that I am complaining).
I had my driveway clear for exactly 24 hours. My neighbors were happy, but then I got a message on Facebook. Did I want a dresser and desk? Uhhhh, of course!

Glorious Find....HELP

It was Spring Break and I had a little extra time on my hands. I picked up the Ipad and began looking at the free stuff on Craigslist. Someone had posted a grainy picture of a "hutch". It was free. I messaged them thinking it was probably gone.
Fifteen minutes later my phone rang. If I wanted the hutch I could come get it now. As in right now. I told Mr.Dickey he had a job to do and the two of us jumped into the truck and headed to the other end of the Portland area suburbs. He wasn't happy.

We arrived at the address and saw this:

I nearly died. It was beautiful. The wavy glass; the details. My hear stopped beating for a second. The man getting rid of it had stored it in his garage and had planned to do something with it, but never got around to it. They were moving and he didn't want to haul it up to Seattle with him. It did have some damage which is why it was free.

I can fix most of this.

The inside opens up and the drawer pulls out to reveal a little secretary style desk. It also locks. In fact, the entire case locks. He even had TWO keys to go with it. Does it get any better than that?

I will be honest. I want to keep this piece. Part of me looks at it and says I don't even want to paint it. I just want to polish it up and do a little repair and keep it as it is. I think this piece is a good example of my style. It has my name all over it. However, I don't know where I would put it. It is pretty big. I have a few places I could eventually put it, but not at this moment. I have some thinking to do.

In the meantime, I was hoping people could come up with some ideas to help me decide what to do. Would you paint it? Paint part of it? Some things to consider: It is solid wood in some areas, but veneer over solid wood in others. The glass won't come out without a fight so each pane would have to be individually taped. The glass also makes it a little difficult to see what is inside. Also, if I did fix it up how much should I ask for it? China cabinets are a dime a dozen on Craigslist. Some are free and other people are asking over $1000 for them. I am not sure if they are selling for that much, but what would a good price be for this? Would it sell? Decisions, decisions, decisions. Help me.

*I posted a question on Ask Experts about the value of this and one response says it is worth at least $1000. I told Mr.Dickey this and he said, "Well don't paint it and keep it." I think I have made a decision.

Biting A French Bullet

A few weeks ago I picked up a French Provincial dresser and night stand. Some of these pieces have a fake plastic-type top, but these babies were solid wood. They were made by Drexel and were in great condition. I see how much these generally sell for unpainted on Craigslist and knew I could make a profit off of them for what I paid.
As my readers know I am CHEAP. Yep I hate to pay for things I can get for free or I can get for less. This is why I created my own version of chalk paint. The $38 a quart price tag is a lot of money in my book. However, I wanted to pull a bigger than usual profit from these pieces and decided to bite the French Bullet...or is it the English Bullet? Maybe both.
Camas Antiques (http://camasantiques.blogspot.com/) was having their birthday bash and was giving away a darling little necklace to the first 50 customers painted with....you guessed it Annie Sloan. To help celebrate they were offering Annie Sloan at 10% off. I had a lovely chat with Amanda from One Girl in Pink (http://onegirlinpink.blogspot.com/) . I ended up leaving with a quart of Paris Grey and Old White. 
I finally got around to painting the set over Spring Break. I finished painting the pieces and then ran out of wax. It was after five and I had to throw the towel in for the day. The next day I ran back up to Camas (a 20+ minute drive) and got some more wax. I finished the dresser and listed it on Craigslist. Twenty minutes later both pieces sold. I guess it was worth it. 

 Isn't the basket precious? I picked it up at Salvation Army for a song. It seemed to me like a bassinet of sorts. I researched it and it is indeed a bassinet from Europe. They sell for a pretty hefty price. I LOVE it and don't think I can part with it.

 Here is a view of the matching nightstand. I gave the buyer the option to add dark wax to age it, but they wanted it with the soft wax only.

I was happy it sold so fast because I picked up this baby and had both sitting in my driveway (thank goodness for our huge overhangs).

My sister-in-law'sSIL's dad loaded it for me. Yippee!

First Gradient Attempt

I picked up a waterfall dresser recently off of Craigslist. It was pretty cheap and the post said it wasn't too far from my house.
I arranged to pick it up and plugged the address in my navigator as I backed out of the driveway. OH. My. Gosh. I hate it when people say they live somewhere, but embellish the truth. Vancouver? Try nearly La Center (a good 10 miles further that advertised). Too late to turn back now.
When I arrived at the destination it was a trailer park. The unit was at the very end of the park. It was dark. The good news was the dresser was sitting on the porch (along with a ton of other stuff).
I told my student's this story and they all pointed out I was stereotyping. Awesome, I taught them something.

I loaded it in the back of my Volvo (I need to think of a name for my car) and headed home. I had taken the hardware off and had started to sand it when my friend and her children arrived to visit. As they were leaving, her youngest Soma told me I should paint it pink. Sweet Soma's suggestion of pink got me thinking. I have been intrigued by the onslaught of gradient dressers in Blogland. I think they are interesting, but don't think they would fit in with my current decor.  I wasn't planning on keeping this dresser so my first gradient attempt resulted in this:

I used Sherwin William's Amour and a random Valspar sample I had from their giveaway a year or so ago. I like the results, but think I could have started out darker and made the color differences more clear.

I spray painted the handles with brushed nickle and top coated it with Annie Sloan clear soft wax. I meant to get some better pictures, but it sold and I forgot until I was unloading it at the customer's house. I hate it when that happens!

Change of Plans

I picked up these two pieces a month ago from a 1920s home in inner SE Portland. The new owners found these when they moved in. They absolutely didn't go with the style of the house and the BEAUTIFUL grey pickled woodwork. They were on the top floor and these lovely people helped me and Mr.Dickey carry them down three flights of stairs to our truck that waited on a major street. They must of really wanted them out of there because they were FREE.

They are in fantastic condition and are matching in style, but one has glass the other does not. The shelves are all glass allowing them to illuminate whatever is displayed on them. They aren't all wood, but a mix of laminate and wood. They sat in my driveway under our overhang for three weeks before we finally cleared enough room in the garage for me to actually work on them. Originally, I planned to paint them and sell them. I figured I could get $100 for the glass one (with a good paint job) and maybe $75 for the other. Then, I realized I needed something like this to display Mr.Dickey's collectibles. DUH. I decided to paint them black. I also decided to leave a hint of the wood showing around the glass doors in case the paint was scratched or scuffed over the years. I was also being lazy and didn't want to tape. I am sure they will become shabby chic after a year or two in our basement so this is a good solution. Mr. Dickey had other ideas. At first, he was totally on board with moving them into the basement, but upon actually moving them he pointed out something, "When you paint things for other people you take your time. When you do things for us you don't. These aren't finished." What ensued was a pretty epic argument. I admit he was right. I hadn't done a great job painting these two pieces. In the end we he decided not to use them in the basement.
With that being said I had to go back and do some more work on these babies. I hate it when I'm wrong.

 Here is where taking pictures really shows why my husband was right. Dang that is proof. Good thing he rarely reads this. I did go back and paint the top and put another coat on the back.

The paint is Sherwin Williams Duration in Caviar with a little doctoring up. These suckers are heavy. I'm talking H.E.A.V.Y. I think they look great and would work well in a variety of spaces. The glass shelves and lights are an added bonus. I am sure they will look nice in someone's house (but not mine).

Divine Find

This summer I got a text from one of my co-workers that read, "Vanity and a bunch of junk sitting on the corner of Yadda Yadda Yadda. Just thought you might be interested".  It just so happened that Mr.Dickey had a softball game that very day a few blocks from this location. I figured if it was there when we went to his game it was meant to be.
We were running late (of course) and I figured it would be long gone by the time we showed up. We dropped Mr.Dickey off and me and the kids started driving around in search of this vanity. I was about ready to throw in the towel when Drexler spotted it...my co-worker apparently doesn't know his addresses. We pulled up to the curb and sitting in a ray of light was this:

Not only was the vanity there, but also an awesome mirror and stool that matched the vanity. This baby was solid and I instantly fell in love. Drexler and his buddy Baily helped me take out the drawers and load the mirror and stool in the truck, but the vanity was a bit too heavy for them. As if on cue the neighbor walked by and offered to help me load it. (A side note on our truck. It is a regular sized Dodge Ram. Mr.Dickey loves it and so do I, but it is very hard for me to get in and out of it with my 5 foot 2 inch body.) We made it to the game and unloaded this beauty into the abyss garage where it sat until the end of January. I wanted to work on this piece, but I just couldn't figure out what to do with it. I waited for inspiration to hit me. The inspiration was my need to get my car in the garage after a cold spell.

The top was in bad shape.

I stripped it using a gel stripper. I loved the color of the wood once I stripped it and decided to keep it ala natural. I figured out pretty quickly that the top was solid mahogany, but the drawers were a veneer of some kind. This is when I decided to paint them using my own chalk paint concoction. I was happy and sad to find out this "secret concoction" was featured in this month's edition of This Old House. Yep, my secret is very public now.

I figured I had a lovely creamy off-white in my garage paint store, but I came up empty handed. I armed myself with a 25% off coupon for Sherwin Williams and headed to run a few errands. One was a stop at my local salvage store. I was loading up on candy (Hershey bars with almonds for .25!) when I saw they had recently gotten in a shipment of paint from you guessed it Sherwin William's. The very first can I picked up was a lovely cream color and it was $1. This was sent from heaven just for me.

My next mission was to find two more knobs for the vanity. Superstar Bloggers from Young House Love were signing their new book at Rejuvenation Hardware and giving a lecture so this was the best place to start my search. After listening to them (they are super cute) I searched through boxes of wooden knobs. I found two that were sort of matching, but nothing as lovely as the ones already on it. The guy working even asked me if I wanted to sell the rest of the knobs as they were that awesome. After an extensive search, and too much time with Portland Hipsters, I jaunted over to another architectural salvage store Hippo Hardware and found nothing.

I finally began to paint in the late afternoon. For the first time ever it became clear my chalk paint was going to fail me. The veneer (or something) began to leach through the first coat of paint. The next day I had to break down and prime the entire thing. Guess what? Something leached through AGAIN. My vision of this piece fell apart. I tried another coat of paint in one area and it still leached a bit. I finally adjusted my vision and painted in a light grey, Sherwin William's Jubilee.

I top coated it with Annie Sloan dark wax. All but two of the handles are original.

 I struggled with what to cover the stool in. I had a lovely vintage grey and floral print, but it was a cotton and may not have worn well. I almost put a light rose brocade, but the color looked to tan next to the wood. I finally settled on this vintage chenille from a bed cover I had on hand. I LOVE this cover, but unfortunately someone spilled some nail polish on it. I can imagine back in the 50s a teenage girl getting in some trouble for that one. I decided to cut it and use it in my projects. This section was from the bottom.

I am in love with this piece and wish I had room to keep it. It actually makes me think when I get back into my master bedroom I may use a vanity for my make-up application. I decided to keep the mirror that goes with this piece. I can't bear to part with that piece of "trash".

Dumpster Dive Duke Out

I had an early parent group meeting Saturday morning. I was home by 10:15 and went about my usual weekend routine.  Read newspaper, check email, peruse Facebook and finally checks he free section of Craigslist. Three posts from the top was one fairly close to me that had: a desk, chair, dresser, nightstand and foot stool.  Dang it. Mr.Dickey was gone with the truck. I sat back down for a second to check my Etsy site, but couldn't focus. I had to go. My trusty Volvo station wagon had five huge bags of cans in the back. I emptied it, plugged the address in and put the pedal to the metal.
I arrived at the house to see a car pulling away and another pull up. I leaped out of the car and rushed to the dresser that was still there. The drawers slid easily, but the top was badly warped. The sides had veneer that was peeling. Mmmmm. The other "shopper" was examining it as we'll. I stepped aside to inspect the desk. He grabbed the dresser and started hauling it to his car. I wanted to yell at him as he loaded it in his car, but bit my tongue. I wasn't really interested in the desk, but decided to grab it load it in my car to be obnoxious.
As I began to load it in my car (it fit perfectly in the back)  he came back and saw I had taken the desk. He glared at me and muttered under his breath. I left the chair because we all know I don't need anymore of those (see my recent chair chair hoarding post).

Here is the before.

On the drive home I began to have diver's remorse. What was I thinking? I was going to pick up two hutches later that afternoon not to mention the furniture I already had sitting in my garage. This desk was a nice size and the drawers worked, BUT the top was a tacky laminate. How would I hide that? Suddenly I remembered a desk I  recently saw in Blogland that had maps decoupaged on it. The top could be decoupaged with maps and I could paint it a vibrant sea blue.

A Saturday night well spent.

Chair Hording

Grandma Dickey was a hoarder. I know this term has become cliche, but she really was one. In fact, I had the honor of cleaning out her house at one point (This was prior to the myriad of shows about this topic).
The the hording gene runs deep. Mr.Dickey has some tendencies and if left unchecked, my dear Delia would be a potential candidate for her own episode. I jest, but admit at times our garage and storage areas can look a bit hordish.
This summer I kept picking up chairs from various "sources". My plan was to paint them and resell them. At the height of my collecting I had 21. Yep, 21 random wooden chairs. Summer slipped away and I never got around to fixing up the chairs. The chairs, for the most part, were under a tarp behind my garage eaves. You can insert hillbilly jingles here.
A few weeks ago I acquired some awesome fabric for a song. It was Frenchy love. I finally found my painting mojo and painted a chair with Sherwin Williams Watery and my chalk paint formula. I gave it a coat of  Annie Sloan wax, recovered the seat and posted her on Craigslist.

 My ad stated I had four more unfinished chairs that I could customize, or paint to match the one posted. Within a few hours I had several inquiries. They wanted all the chairs, but preferred them left alone.

The first responder arranged to pick them up. I threw in the fabric (she had asked about it) as well. I waited as long as I could for her to arrive, but alas Les Miserables was calling my name so Mr.Dickey was put in charge.
The buyer arrived and as my husband was helping her load up her truck she began to inquire about my horde of furniture in the garage. He called me and over the phone I sold a desk and mirror. I had big plans for them, but I also have big plans to park my car in the garage soon. I could almost hear the psychologist from the store coaxing me through the sale...wait it was cash talking.
I am down to 12 chairs. One is on my agenda for this week, two will be gussied up for Delia's playhouse (our goal is to have it ready to go by her birthday on March 25th), and the rest mmmmmm?

Everything and the Kitchen Sink

I have a love hate relationship with Craigslist.

Things I Hate
1. Crazy people who don't follow through (especially annoying when I am giving away stuff for free)
2. When I arrange to buy something, or pick it up, and it is not as it was described.
3. It makes me spend money on things I don't really need.

Things I Love
1. You can pick up some great things...(wait until you see what I got for free)
2. It is a great place to unload stuff you don't want anymore
3. It supports sustainability. Why buy something new when you can get it used?

Alright this list can go on and on. Drum roll please....

Isn't she lovely? I saw her listed on Craigslist Thursday for free. I am always a little hesitant when something looks too good to be true, but I called the number listed and left a message. Friday afternoon I got a call from the man who had it and he said the person seemed a bit sketchy and if I had a truck and could come get it on Saturday morning it was mine. I have learned that with these deals it is always good to ask questions (Does that put me in the category above  I said was annoying?) I asked things like, "Do we need to carry it up stairs? Should I bring a dolly? Will we need to go through doors?". The man was very nice and even started to tell me the history of the sink.
This morning my husband and I loaded up and drove across town to pick it up. The man was there waiting and we were able to back our truck right up next to where the sink was located. He helped my husband take it off the wall and load it up. This baby weighs a TON. It was in the garage which was originally the kitchen of this home. He is remodeling the house and wants to install a laundry room where the sink was so he needed it to go. He was well aware of the value the sink has. He had even checked out how much it would cost to have it re-enameled. The right hand side has some areas that are damaged (he thinks it is from battery acid...yikes). This lovely lady is five feet long and has drainboards on both sides. The actual sink is very shallow, but hey when the entire sink is enamel who cares if it gets wet right?
So now comes the hard part. Decisions. I am going to clean her up and have my brother-in-law, who happens to be a plumber, talk to me about if it would be feasible to install it in my kitchen (One day I will write a post about my slow kitchen remodel process.).
So what it if won't work? Well this is where I have some ideas. I can use it for my future outdoor kitchen (Another post for the future). I can use it for a great outdoor water feature. I also thought about pitching a trade to a local antique salvage company for a smaller sink that may work better. No matter what happens this is a win, win situation. In the meantime I can dream about the possibilities...

Here is what I may end up with...except my drainboard has to be on the left side.

(Pictures from Pintrest)

There you have it the story of my sink, but somehow I think this is only the first chapter.