Nightstand Gets Renewed Life

Here is a story of another piece of furniture - destined for certain death, but given a second chance right here in TheSmithGarage. It was quite unhappy and a little chippy on top. Picked this up at a thrift store several weeks back, and I have been searching for what to do with it. I actually hoped to save it for another few weeks and give it a treatment of CeCe Caldwell's Paint, but I am so impatient, I needed to get in the garage this weekend and do something. So this little guy got his lucky day with some ASCP Provence Blue. Here is what he looked like before any work got started.

And I used a bit of sanding on top to remove some of the chippy paint/stain/lacquer that was on top. Looking back now, I should have removed it all, now I know. I had to apply a few extra coats of paint to build up the top enough to get a smooth finish.

You might be able to tell from the pictures this is 80s furniture. It has a rolling slider drawer, which is nice, but it was badly mistreated when it comes to the finish. So - as I mentioned before - I still have some of my ASCP $40 paint in TheSmithGarage, so why not use it if I need to repair and save an old piece. Provence it is.

This is a picture taken just after I applied some CeCe Caldwell's clear wax. Did I tell you before it smells like honey. I actually was tempted to slap a bit of it on some toast and give it a try. The wax is very nice and smells great, but it does take a night to cure, even with the sunlight.

So after a good nights sleep, and a little work with the buffer - I chose a simple old brass pull to add a bit of elegance to this piece. Of coarse I painted it with my VW muffler silver (AKA - nickel).

The finished piece -

Do you love it? I hope someone does - it already went to TheSmithHotel at Oregon Street Antique Mall. I know it's not an antique, but it is something that folks are looking for at antique malls. It's funny, our many of our thrift stores in town have started raising their prices so high, that people are looking in Antique stores for furniture now. It's kind of ridiculous that a place like Salvation Army ("doing the most good" is their slogan) could charge retail prices for used beat-up furniture, but they do. So if you are local and looking for clean, quality, redone furniture for reasonable prices - come to Oregon Street Antique Mall and you just might be surprised at what you find - make sure you come upstairs and visit our space at TheSmithHotel.

On another exciting note - my shipment of CeCe Caldwell's Paint will be here this week. Can't wait to have my first "paint party" for my friends here in town.

Linking to:
Between Naps on the Porch
I Should Be Mopping The Floor
DIY Home Sweet Home
Domestically Speaking
Primitive and Proper
{Primp}
Shades of Amber
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Beyond the Picket Fence - under $100
Decorating Insanity
Miss Mustard Seed
Until next time ...

Mr. Smith

The Pile Gets Bigger

For those of you that are looking for an update...the pile gets bigger! I have been quite busy with my real job - working very hard on gaining customers for our company in states across the Midwest and the Southeast. I made a trip to MN, and I an heading to LA (Louisiana) this next week. In between I have been diligently calling, emailing, and sending out correspondence as this is the key time to gain customers in our industry (mystery remains).

Meanwhile, TheSmithGarage has been strategically piling up with furniture projects. You ask - what is strategic about furniture projects piling up? Well...I am anxiously awaiting a shipment of CeCe Caldwell's paint to arrive - I think it will ship in the next few days. I will be receiving several colors in this shipment (15 variations) and I want to try all the colors on different pieces. So I have compiled some pictures so you can know what to look for in the coming weeks when I get back in the garage and start working on these projects.

This is a steel bookshelf with sliding doors - a guy's garage shelf. I would like to go with a racing theme on this one - maybe red with a racing strip. Needs a little body work on the left side there - and some rust removal.

A very nice heavy mirror that Mrs. Smith found - think it needs a little color!

This is a tough one - give me some ideas.

Nice little end-table - needs a refreshing color.

This great little antique piece will love a new coat of paint - looking for inspiration on this one.

This was a free pickup - well, it cost me about $4 in gas. Can't wait to see what it turns out to be.

If you would like to see the other items ready for painting - take a look at my earlier post - Summary of Upcoming Projects. So I wait, and collect. Mrs. Smith has a plan for all of these items - many will go to Oregon Street Antique Mall - upstairs, and some will go to Mrs. Smith's Spring shows. But all will get a coat or two of CeCe Caldwell's paint. Really looking forward to receiving the paint in the next few weeks.

I hope you have something to say - I could use some inspiration on colors for these pieces. Please leave your comments - and come back to see the finished product!

Union Jack revisited

You may ask - revisited?

The first Union Jack dresser was done in a bit of haste - I had a great piece that was in miserable shape. Mrs. Smith pointed me to a great blog - http://missmustardseed.com/2012/01/jacks-home/  - so I looked at a picture and painted my impression of a Union Jack flag on it - my son loved it so much, it went in his room. On this next attempt, I did a little research and found that my impression was somewhat incorrect.

Here is the first before and after:

As handsome as it may look, there is some history behind this flag. And my son reminded me that I should have done some research before making my mark on this piece of furniture. So let me give you a bit of a history lesson before showing you the newest piece.

When the kingdoms came together back in the late 1500s / early 1600s, St. George's Cross and St. Andrew's Cross were combined to create the following.

St. George's Cross (England)

St. Andrew's Cross (Scotland)

Union Flag of 1606

Then, in 1801, the Cross of St. Patrick was added in, but not with equal measurements, rather with a pinwheel leading in the clockwise design - almost as if it is spinning - like so:

St. Patrick's Cross (Ireland)

Union Flag of 1801

So, my newest artistic impression of the Union Jack on a dresser is a little more correct then the first. Keep in mind, both of the pieces were found at garage sales. Here are the before and after pictures of the newest piece:

So - there we have it. This one will go in the store in February - so you have a chance at bringing this one home. Stop by Oregon Street Antique Mall in Redding and ask for TheSmithHotel booth. I anticipate it going pretty fast - after all, it has a certain level of coolness. Thank you Miss Mustard Seed for your inspiration and I hope someone in Redding, CA will find this piece a warm home like yours. Maybe a little boy named Jack.

We will have to see what this weekend holds in TheSmithGarage. I still have a few old pieces that need to be worked up before the shows start up in March for Mrs. Smith. I hope you enjoyed the history lesson as well - you can thank my son for that.

Mr. Smith

Linked to
The Vintage Farmhouse
At The Picket Fence
Miss Mustard Seed
Decorating Insantiy