For the Love of Burlap

 

 

This was one of my purchases at an auction about a month ago....and my husband thought I was just plain nuts!  It obviously had been sitting in someone's shed for years and there was a lot of veneer damage....and was just nasty.

 

 

The top was actually the worst.  The veneer was separating and there was plenty of mildew.  But it didn't scare me....oh NO!

 

This past week, I took it out of the pile and started taking off a lot of the veneer.  Luckily, it had been exposed to the elements for so long that it came off really easy.  The old varnish on the drawers was really brittle, so it didn't take any time to sand those down.  The dresser was in fact, a very sturdy piece.

At first, I stained the drawers and planned to keep them natural....but no matter what I did, it never looked right with any color I added (and this baby was painted three times).  I believe that because I am such a symmetrical freak, it had to do with the fact that the left top drawer had a straight grain and the others were curvy.  That just never looked right to me....

 

Before you start yelling at me about why I didn't refinish the entire piece...I just want to say that if I could have, I definitely would have.  I love oak.  However, I had to strip so much veneer off that it just wouldn't look right.  The secondary wood is not oak and doing veneer is beyond my ability...at the moment....

So, I finally painted the entire piece a sage green (after creamy white and milk paint).  I loved the green, but it just looked ho-hum.  Then, Mr. SC came up with a fabulous idea.  BURLAP!  I had to think about it, but I got really excited at the thought. 

 

I searched Pinterest...but didn't really see a lot on the subject.  My main concern was what to use to adhere it.  Well, Modge Podge is always a good start!

 

 

I slathered the Modge Podge over the drawer and placed the a pre-cut piece of burlap.

 

 

The Modge Podge worked great and the end result is THIS!

 

 

I did the side panels, too (this picture makes it look more gray than the color is....)

I refinished and put back on the original knobs.

 

I think the end result has a Modern Farm Chic Caribbean look to it.  What a mix, huh?  I adore it and it may not make it out of the house....

 

Now, for my staff of the day...my little helper, Molly, was just not in the mood....

 

 

and her brother decided to hunt, instead.

 

 

You just can't find good help these days.

  

Enjoy this beautiful weather and have a fabulous weekend!

 

Susan

 

 

 

 

Linking to:

 

Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Feature Friday

Domestically Speaking

Homespun Happenings

Old Red Barn

The Sunday Showcase Party by Stephanie Lynn

 Artsy Chics Rule

Primp Your Stuff Link Party

 

 

 

 



Thrift Store Chairs and more MMS Milk Paint

 

When I get the chance, I love hunting through thrift stores!  I almost always come out with something in my possession.  A few weeks ago, I scored this fantastic and VERY sturdy pair of chairs.

 

 

 

By the time I got around to taking the "before" picture, I had already started taping it up.  These are heavy oak chairs that had a faux tiger oak grain paint - but the backs still had the original leather in fairly good condition and I wanted to save them.  The paint had stood it's time and the chairs needed a facelift.

 

No question, the seats were nasty. So, I tore off the filthy material (which I did outside!) and replaced all of it from the webbing to the burlap seat covers. I eyeballed the nailheads and as you can see, they didn't come out too straight....those little things have minds of their own. However, I really like the way it turned out with the rustic feel of the chairs. 

 

 

 

 

I chose to use Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in Shutter Grey for this project. I went back and forth on the color for a while. At first, they were going to be white with a toile seat, but these just have a more masculine feel. Since I just received my MMS paint in the Shutter Grey, I thought this would be the perfect first project in that color.  After removing the seats and before replacing them, I painted away.

 

 

 

 

The paint did it's job and chipped up very nicely!  I sanded it in some places for a little more distressing and love how it turned out. I put a little MMS dark wax on the carving and gave the chairs a couple of coats of clear wax.

 

 

 

 

All in all....I think this turned out to be another great transformation!

 

 

Susan

 

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