OOH LA LA! It’s Tiffany Blue!

Hey guys!   Hope the summer has been treating you right.   I know it has been HOT HOT HOT here!   The summer holidays are just flying by!   The kids are loving their summer break…and I am realizing that this summer has been a very different one than any I have ever spent.   (that’s for another post entirely)  

I have been a busy girl this past week or so…and I might have a few things to share with you in the very near future that might just have a little something to do with my new gardens out here on the acreage…but until then, you will just have to settle for another furniture make-over reveal.   To see the last few projects  that I have done you can click here…and  here…and to see the BEST one yet…click here

This is going to be a fairly short but sweet little post…as what all can a girl say about a little desk this size?

When this desk came to me  (yup…another junkin’ find)  it was in a sad state.   It had been used and ABUSED in a big way.

All I could think of when I started to look at it closely, was that if this was in my room as a little girl, my Mother would have strung me up by my toes and smacked me with a wooden spoon if I did something like this to my furniture!   In fact…I still have the furniture that I had when I was a little girl…It is still in good shape…and I don’t think it EVER looked near as rough as this.   It is a good thing that I rescued this…because it was going to the dump if I didn't!   It is  going to look a LOT better once I am done with it.

I had taken my oldest girl along with me when I went to town to grab some supplies for giving this little desk a make-over.   I ended up coming home with a totally different look planned for the desk than was originally on the agenda.   My teenage daughter talked me into a little bit of color….Okay…lets be honest here...a lot of color.  


It really didn’t take me too long to do this peice.   The top was a simple sanding and stain…then the sanding and priming and paint on the bottom.   A bit of paint on the drawer pulls and …Badda Bing…Badda Boom…it was done!   I did a protective coat and the piece was ready to find a sweet spot to live.  My little “Busy” would really like to have it in her room…but she would like to have pretty much anything I have made in her room.   She is my biggest fan. 

I am quite happy with the finished result.  I was excited to share the new look I gave this piece, so the drawers are not closed tight as it needed to cure just a little bit more.   (you get the idea)   This piece is now cute, fun and right on point with the trend right now.

I can honestly say, I have never painted anything Tiffany Blue…and I have never put baby pink handles on a piece…so it’s been a fun adventure!   I can’t wait to see where it ends up!  




It really is quite a change!  

Well guys…that’s it for me for today.

Until next time…  Happy Junkin’ !!!  ( and re-finishing!)

*)*)*)   One of the hardest things you will ever have to do in life, is to grieve the loss of someone who is still alive.  
                                                                           Anonymous


(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.
www.tootsietime.com

today’s post has been proudly sponsored by Chic-a-Boot…

Living Out of a Suitcase?

Welcome back!  It is so nice to have you here again.   It is great to have had a little time to sit down and write a few lines to share again this week.    I have SO missed my Tootsie Time, and it is great to be slowly getting back into the swing of things.

When last we met like this, I had just finished playing with some ‘boobs’ that needed some restoration, (to see that post click HERE) and before that I was once again playing with paint to freshen up some old furniture.  (click HERE to see the fun dresser that I fixed up. 

Today, I am sharing another Tootsie makeover creation.  This one is unlike any other I have done.   It is just slightly out of the comfort zone of my usual projects…this one is unique…spectacular…and just down right fun.



It started out as the most BORING and BLAND piece that I have played with in a LONG time.   I had found it a while back on a junkin’ tour and I just didn’t know what I would end up doing to it.   I just  could not settle myself with a simple paint or stain job.   This dresser NEEDED something fun to happen to it.  It needed more than a simple treatment if it was not going to end up looking like just another typical painted dresser.    I stared at it…and I mulled it over…and NOTHING seemed to click. 

One day I was out in the garage doing  a little work on something else, and finally my imagination started to flood me with great ideas for this chest of drawers.   Don't you just LOVE when inspiration happens???   I know I do.   Just like that...

BOOM!!!   I HAD A PLAN!

You all know how I LOVE my antiques and vintage decor in my home.  Over the last few years we have gotten rid of most of the ‘new’ furniture in our house and replaced it with beautiful and unique pieces most of which  I have ‘touched’ in some way.   Among my favorite pieces  are steamer trunks of all shapes and sizes and old suitcases.   SO - when the inspiration  for this piece hit me, I was super excited.

A while back,  while out and about shopping, I had seen a very plain chest of drawers done up to look like a stack of vintage suitcases.   They were incredible, but they were VERY expensive.   I have also seen some other similar pieces for sale online, but never had I had the inspiration to try to make my own until today.



I got to work right away.   I sanded and filled and primed.. painted and distressed and detailed.   I rummaged around in my ‘stash’ for the right ‘jewellery’ to ‘dress’ it with.  I was SO excited to get to the finishing touches that the wait for my finish to cure seemed endless…I had stepped quite a long way out of my comfort zone with this one…I had never painted a chest of drawers to look this style…NEVER…and I was skeptical.   If it didn’t work out, I knew it wouldn’t be hard to change…but I had put a lot of work into this one and I wanted it to work.   I needed to see the image in my imagination come to life.

When I was FINALLY able to ‘dress’ this chest, and put my Tootsie spin on things…I got busy and finished it up. 

I have to admit it has been a LONG time since I have been THIS happy with myself.  




Everyone in my household LOVES this dresser now.   It has become one of MY favorite make- overs and since I shared it with friends and family, I have gotten a few requests (orders) for others.
 




Yay Me!  …. Right?   I now have the challenge of finding  the perfect place to place this piece, AND scrounging out the time to do the next ones up.   ha ha






So?   What do you think?  For me this project gave a new life to an old piece, and forever will change the phrase ‘living out of a suitcase’ just a little for me.      I am glad I decided to step out of my comfort zone and have something fun!    ha – ha.






Well guys…that’s it for me for today.


Until next time…  Happy Junkin’ !!!  ( and re-finishing!)

*)*)*)   When you judge another you don't define them, you only define yourself.


(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.
www.tootsietime.com

today’s post has been proudly sponsored by Chic-a-Boot…

Some Finishing and Re-Finishing!!

A few years back, the ugly divorce forced me and the kids to move.   In the new place, we didn’t have a garage and the house didn’t offer much along the line of storage…so I decided to just rent one.  Over the next few months, I FILLED that unit to the lips.  There were so many items for me to put into storage “until I needed or had ideas for them” that I actually could not see them all and even forgot I had some of them! 

If you follow Tootsie Time, you know that we recently moved again.   We are now living out in the country on a gorgeous acreage, and are super lucky to have all kinds of space and storage buildings for us to store the ‘good stuff’ in.   About a month ago, I got all caught up on the work for my company’s business and decided to switch up the gears a little bit..take a break, and play.  So…I dug into my stash of ‘good stuff’ in the sheds and got busy.

The first piece I pulled out was this little hi-boy dresser.   She was in bad shape.   (sorry!   I forgot to take a photo of the dresser before I touched it!)   She was missing a drawer and her sides were very beat up.   I wasn’t confident she’d be fixable to perfection…but I was gonna try!  I sanded and scraped and got her all prepped for a total make over.  My cowboy built me a drawer…(I had the original drawer front...but not the rest, so he really helped me out.  (yay me!) and I settled on a ‘look’ for the piece.   After a little stain, a little paint and a couple of hours of my time…
Ta-Da!






I didn’t have this piece posted for even 15 minutes and she was SOLD!

The next day I headed to the shed again and pulled out another piece.   This one used to be a blonde veneer with stained navy blue drawers.   (I also didn’t get a before of this one…ugh)



It turned out very nicely.  Sorry about the eyesore in the mirror reflection...my garage needs a really good cleaning.   Ha-ha.

Playing in the garage felt SO good that I just went to town and cleaned my shed right out!   I repaired and re-finished all of the dressers that I had been holding onto and I loved every minute of it!   (I will share the rest of the re-done dressers in the next post…they turned out AMAZING…)

The cleaning out of that shed sparked an unprecedented purge of the other sheds, closets, drawers and garage in our home.   I think it goes without saying…There’s going to be one heck of a garage sale hosted by us this summer!  

Well kids…that’s all I have to share with you today…Thanks so much for popping by.   Stay tuned…I can feel the winds of change blowing again…and you do NOT want to miss what comes next.

Until next time….Happy junkin’!

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.
www.tootsietime.com

today’s post has been proudly sponsored by Chic-a-Boot…

Re-dressing The Dresser

I have re-finished a lot of furniture…but never have I done a home made treatment.   I have used paint, stain, ink, fabric, paper and metal…but never have I looked into my kitchen cupboards to re-create a piece of furniture.  

A few weeks ago, I was looking online for a way to distress wood, to make it look old.   I happened upon a few sites that gave several different techniques that would weather wood quickly.   Intrigued, I tried every last one of them.   I was disappointed in all of them.   None of them gave me the results I was looking for.   So…in my usual Tootsie fashion, I mulled it over for a few days. 

Everyone knows how I love rust.   YES I said RUST.   I love old rusty metal things, that I can use in my decorating adventures…I just love it.   I love rust pretty much anywhere and everywhere…except on my Truck.  lol   I decided that I would age some wood…and I would do it using a coctail of rust, vinegar. baking soda, and strong black tea.

I poured a jug of vinegar into a pail, threw in a rusty piece of metal and added a sprinkle of baking soda.   It started to bubble immediatley…the vinegar was eating the rust off the metal and turning it to a wonderful shade of brown.   The tea was hot, super strong and a glorious shade of deep brown…It was time.   I just needed to find some wood to age!  I poured the tea into the bucket of vinegar water and was ready to get to work.

I did a few sample boards to see what the concoction that I had brewed up would do to them…Spruce changed to a glorious color of gray…so did cedar…it got very nice and dark…almost black.   Pine changed to a soft shade of brown-gray…I think I found my new favorite treatment!   I NEEDED to try this Tootsie Brew on a piece of furniture!

My Cowboy had this dresser sitting in storage.   It needed to be fixed up.  It isn’t in the “worst” shape…nor is it “old”…but it is something he likes, so he wanted it fixed up a bit.   It is made from solid pine…and had a varnish treatment on it.   I was absolutely “up” for the challenge to make this small dresser over.   It would need to be done in such a way that it would look like it belonged in the Minburn house that we are renovating and transforming.  

I eagerly pulled out the electric sander, and got straight to work!

I sanded for a couple (3 1/2)  of hours, until the dresser was completely naked.   None of the varnish was left at all….It sure did come out white!

There are a few blemishes on the front of the bottom drawer, but for the most part, this piece is in good shape!

I then pulled out my Tootsie Brew…of vinegar, rust, baking soda, and black tea, and got busy painting it onto the dresser.

Waiting for that coat of “brew” to dry seemed to take FOREVER!….

….but it was worth the wait!   I am loving the way this wood is aging!  

I sent my Cowboy a photo of his dresser thus far.   We both agreed that maybe I should try another application of the “brew”   just to try to darken it up a bit more. 

So…I applied another coat.   While I waited for it to dry, I worked on the hardware.

I bought a can of hammered metal spray paint in a brown color…and sprayed each of the drawer pulls. 

By the time the drawer pulls were dry, so was the dresser…and I could marry them!

OH YEA….This looks GREAT.

I love the new look for this dresser…it is rustic and aged…it’s not shiny, it’s not pretty…it’s gorgeous!

It is a great change for this inexpensive dresser.  I am so happy with the way it turned out…and best of all…my Cowboy loves it.  We are both looking forward to putting it into the 108 year old house we are fixing up!

If you would like to read about the 108 year old house project…you can find links to the first 4 chapters at the end of this post.


What do YOU think?   Did I do this dresser justice?   Did my “brew” age it?   Don’t forget to weigh in with a comment!   I’d love to hear from you!

Until Next Time…  Happy Junkin’/ Renovating/ Decorating!

*)*)*)… Beware the true intentions of false people

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.

www.tootsietime.com

Did you miss a post or two in the 108 year old house series?
Article #1  If The Walls Of This Old House Could Tell A Story…The Saddest Chapter Is About To End.

Article #2   If Walls Could Tell A Story…The 108 Year Old House…On The Inside

Article #3If The Walls Of This Old House Could Tell a Story…The Small Bedroom In The 108 Year Old House

Article #4 If the Walls Of This Old House Could Tell a Story…The Master Bedroom

Add To Junkin' Cart??? Yes Please!!!

Welcome!

When last we met, I left you with this photo.

I asked you if you noticed the new addition to my garden.  Did you find it?   That new addition is where today’s story/post begins.
 
Sadly, I had taken a bunch of photos of my new addition, and the step by step process to making it part of my gardens, but somewhere along the line…I misplaced them!  So, I had to do some fancy work to take a few more, so that I could share my story.

Lets get started.

A few months ago I went to a garden show in Seattle Washington with my Cowboy.  While we were there, I spotted a rusty old shopping cart that I REALLY wanted BAD.  

My Cowboy, who is very practical and level headed refused to indulge my junkin’ urge. 

He did not want to walk around in downtown Seattle pushing a rusted old shopping cart (or carrying it if the wheels didn’t work)  and saunter up to our very nice hotel room with it.

He absolutely refused to let me purchase this most beautiful piece of junk.   I was very sad.

He tried to distract me with other things, thinking I would forget all about that little shopping cart issue…but- I would have none of that.  I must have driven my sweet cowboy crazy with all the shopping cart talk.

When we got home, I shared a photo and my desperation to have said shopping cart with my Dad.   Now, if you have been following Tootsie Time for a while, you will know that I was raised by the KING of junk…and if he doesn’t have it, he knows where to find it.   He tried to settle my whining by telling me he knew where there was one, and that he just might be able to get it for me.   I was a little happier.

I waited…and waited and whined a little more about my NEED for this rusty old shopping cart, and STILL there was nothing coming my way.   I was not happy.    I was desperate and admittedly a little grumpy about it.

I had all but given up on my quest for a beautiful old shopping cart all adorned with beautiful rust and wear, when one day I arrived home from some errands to the most wonderful surprise.  A SHOPPING CART!

He had tossed it on the front lawn as if it was garbage and left it for me to find when I drove into my parking spot.   I was so excited I nearly forgot to put my truck in park!


The heat was on!   I had yapped about this shopping cart for so long, that he finally got me one, and now I had to do something with it!   I stared and stared at this cart… it is much bigger than the one I saw in Seattle, that got me into this tizzy.   WHAT on earth will I do with a full size one???  

I was blocked… drawing a stone cold blank!   I moved it around my yard, from spot to spot to see if it would fit into my garden somewhere…anywhere!   NOTHING seemed to make my eyes smile.   I just could not figure it out!   So…I set it aside…and put it out of my mind… I needed inspiration to smack me square in the face.  

One afternoon, as I was primping and pruning and playing with my flowers, getting things ready to photograph for Friday’s weekly party, I got the idea I had been waiting for.  

This corner was screaming for me to do something new.  It didn’t  “work” quite the way I wanted it to anymore…and I needed it to change…NOW.   I ran to the side of the house, and grabbed my wonderful old shopping cart.   I was inspired!

I moved the ladder to lean against the fence…and supported it with a bunch of old clay pots that were no longer strong enough to hold anything, or were broken.  I leaned my rusty old shovel piece against the ladder and got busy.
  
I gathered some left over annuals from this year’s greenhouse crop and a few little pieces of junk for decoration and set to planting.

It took me a while, but I figured out how to plant that shopping cart…I turned an empty bag from the bales of soil that I use in the greenhouse inside out…so that there was no writing visible…and filled it with potting soil.

I planted that baby right up!

I poked a few holes in the sides to add some trailing lobelia to the mix, and to help hide the black bag I used to plant in.   I added a pot of portulaca, an old watering can and a ceramic angel to the bottom. and stood back to admire my work.     It needed more.

I added a left over piece of garden hose…



…a couple of rusty plant hangers…

…placed an ornamental cabbage in the wash tub that was there before…and set it by the back handles of the cart.

There was one small window box left over from my spring planting, so I did it up to put into the seat of the cart…and I was DONE!!!

I waited a week or two before I shared it, to make sure that things were going to survive, and now I am ready to show you my fabulous, slightly rusted old shopping cart…done up Tootsie Style!

Ta-Da!!!



I am loving it!  I hope the rust spreads and fills the entire thing with glorious rustic color!

For now, I am happy with my semi- rusted old shopping cart.  

I can’t wait to see it all filled in and blooming like crazy!
 
That’s it for me today…I have just one more thing to say:

HA-HA COWBOY!   I GOT A SHOPPING CART!   (he actually really likes it…in spite of himself!)

So?  What do you think???   How did I do?   Do you need a cart now??? 

Until Next Time…Happy Junkin’, Plantin’ and Gardening!

*)*)*) show me a person who has never made a mistake…and I will show you someone who has never achieved much.

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.

www.tootsietime.com

All of my house and garden plants are planted in Sunshine potting mediums.  

The Making of a "Butt Print" :)

I have been working on my house here and there, when it is too dark outside to be in the greenhouse.  I am desperately waiting for spring to come, but while she takes her sweet time showing up, I will continue to work on my home.  Today I am going to share one of the junkin’ projects I have been working on.

 I had purchased a couple of wooden chairs to use around the dining room table that I recently made out of an old wooden door.
 


This one was painted white…and did not look quite right with my dining room décor….so I thought maybe I would try to do a little Tootsie Touch up on it. 

I had tried to paint it with some latex paint, and HATED it.  I think I would have rather had it plain white than have it looking the way it did.   I didn’t take any photos of the first attempt, as I was too busy freaking out at the horrible job that I had done!  (yep…I screwed it right up. )   This would have been a great post to use as an example of how easy it is to change it after you paint and it doesn’t turn out quite the way you saw it in your imagination…except that in my panic, I forgot to snap some photos!   You guys are creative…you can use your imaginations.

 

I primed it out….I just LOVE primer…it is like a super strength eraser.  It will make all the bad and ugly things, just go away!



This is what I want my chair to look like when I finish working on it.   I love the worn and aged look of this one.  I bought it a while ago, and it looks good with my table.   I decided that am going to try my hand at replicating this look!

Shall we get started????




After the primer dried, I took some stain and got busy applying it to the chair.  I am not applying much stain to the areas that would be naturally worn.   That part will come later on.   I made a “butt print” and tried to make places on the chair that would have been naturally worn over time.



Once the first layer of stain was completely dry…I applied a final coat of stain…using a little darker color.  I went over the entire chair with the darker stain and made sure none of the primer was left to show.   I then waited for the piece to dry.

If you look closely you can see the next piece of the dining room furniture that I am going to tackle in the back ground!



Here is the inspiration chair…



Here is my version…



I think I might have almost gotten the look!  I know my “butt print” is a little less than perfect, but I think it turned out quite nicely over all.



Here are both my wooden chairs together.   I had a hard time taking photos of them…they always ended up with a few shadows or shine from the sun or lamps.   I think that they look good together…MUCH better than before! 

What do you think?   Can you pick out mine?  :)

Have you ever tried to replicate a time worn look?  How did it turn out?

I can’t wait to show you the chairs in place at the dining room table…but will wait until after the last piece that I am working on is finished…and you can see the entire project all finished up!

Until Next Time... Happy Decorating/ Creating/ Painting!

*)*)*) There are three types of people in this world.  Those who make things happen, Those who watch things happen, and Those who wonder what the hell happened.  Which one do you strive to be?

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.
www.tootsietime.com