Supply List:

Watco teak oil + Stain in flagstone

staining cloths

Orbital Sander 

120 grit sanding discs

Step by Step Instructions:

First, I cleaned the table with a cloth and a tiny bit of dish soap

Next, I sanded the table 

I waited until I sanded it to see if I wanted to use teak oil on its own, or one tinted with a stain. Here's what it looked like after sanding:

After I allowed the table to dry thoroughly, I soaked the staining cloth and wiped in the direction of the grain while feathering the ends so there wasn't a clear line of demarcation where one section ended and the other began.

Per the instructions on the can, I waited 30 minutes and then wiped it off. 

If I had it to do over again, I think I'd use a brush for more even coverage, and sand a bit more. But it is a vast improvement from where we started! Tomorrow I'll share it with the new chairs and umbrella. It feels like an oasis!

I meant to post this a week ago.  Key words: Meant To.  Here are just a few things I "found" at my last visit to a local thrift store.  Underneath each photo of the furniture finds I've written a  little blurb on my "vision," for the piece with a photo included--just one vision; there were many more floating around this head of mine.  This a scary peek into my psyche.  I can't help it. I see the potential in junk.  It's a blessing and a curse.  Oh and I'm sorry about the bad photos/lighting but let's face it--it's a thrift store, not a studio ;)

After this post fed to Taste{full}'s Facebook page, I got a question: Where do you get the furniture you paint? Here are my top sources for used  pre-loved furniture:

1. The side of the road.  Yes, it can be embarrassing.  You have to be fearless. Like me.  I seriously don't care what people think if I see potential in a cool piece of furniture for FREE! Unfortunately the husband is not like me so I've passed up some good pieces because he refused to didn't pull over.  (Although maybe it's good that he's less tolerant because my garage would be even more of a mess than it already is).  Here are the pieces I've found on the side of the road:
-magazine rack.
-nadia's modern rocker.
-cool vintage office chair kind of like this one (I never got around to painting it though and ended up selling it on Craigslist.  Easiest $15 I ever made).


2. Craigslist.  You have to be patient, willing to negotiate, and willing to drive.  Here are a couple of pieces I've found on Craigslist.
-genevieve's "new" dresser (to be revealed soon)!
-"vintage" wooden high chair (below).


3. Thrift/Antique stores.  This might be my favorite "source."  It's more convenient than randomly stopping on the side of the road, they'll hold furniture for you until you can pick it up (usually 24 to 48 hours), and while it's more expensive than "free," it's still pretty cheap. Here are a few pieces I've found at Thrift stores (I could list so many more!).
-Genevieve's 1st Dresser.
-genevieve's rocking chair.
-nadia's changing table.
-Quarterfoil bar- I can't wait to share this project with you.  I just have to start it first.



1. Bring a tape measure with you whenever possible.  And have your home/space measurements with you if you're looking for a specific piece (I keep a "note," in my phone).
2. Take your time to check out condition and if the item is real wood.  If it's in rough shape and you're aware of that, fine, but it's a bummer when you get home and realize the piece isn't what you thought it was or is more damaged than you realized--this has happened to me a few times!
3. Don't be scared to negotiate.  The worst that can happen is they say no.  The best- with 20 seconds of your time you just saved ten or twenty bucks!

Well I have to say, looking at all the furniture I've painted over the last few years (and I didn't include every piece) is so fun. It often feels like I never get around to projects but now I have proof! ha!

This will be my third dresser re-do.  I learn something new each and every time I paint furniture.  I love furniture refinishing and would love to do it as a side job one day (kind of like her).  Unfortunately I can't seem to find the time to finish my own projects let alone work on others so for now I'll continue learning, 'building my skill set,' and perhaps delve into the furniture up-cycling business another day.  As for this dresser, I can't share the finished photo with you because, well, it's not finished...  But here's what I'm working on:



I love this little dresser. I love the "feet," the key holes, the size...everything.  Of course I'm painting it just like I did Genevieve's first dresser and Nadia's dresser.  It's a bit annoying because the knobs won't come off.  There are always surprises when you're working with old furniture.  This is frustrating for 2 reasons: 1. I was planning to switch out the knobs for much cuter ones.  Like these beautiful knobs for example:


Mottled Knob

Ceramic Melon Knob

2. I have to paint around them.  Joe was about ready to take a hammer to them but I was afraid of splitting the drawers. Painting around them is awfully annoying.  I'd be finished priming by now if I didn't have to take the time to do that.  But this beauty cost me $50 and I love it, so I can't complain.

Oh and if you're wondering why Genevieve needed a dresser in the first place it's because her room is small and I'm making room for play space.  Her other dresser was adorable and I loved how much storage it provided but at over 4 feet wide it took up a lot of floor space!  I'm trying to use vertical space more in her room (and my house in general) to create storage and free up that coveted floor space.

So there you have it.  I hope to be finished it within a week or so and when I do, I'll be sure to post my results! 

I had the post half written in my mind. I'd say things like "seriously, in 30 minutes, you have a beautiful new chair!" or "THIS is why I love spray paint."  And then I used the sealer/top coat.  And then I started re-thinking the blog post.  Maybe I should start at the beginning.

My daughter has a thing for chairs.  I don't judge her.  I have a thing for shoes.  She picked this cute one out at a yard sale.  I'm pretty sure the homeowner was a hoarder.  There were TONS of toys--lots of Barbie paraphernalia, Bratz dolls, and all kinds of other stuff.  My little angel picks a $2 forest green wooden chair out of the mess.  I love her.  She didn't ask me to paint it but I knew how adorable it would be in a fun color. I considered pink.  She asked for yellow.  We settled on aqua.

I was at Home Depot anyway buying stuff for a future furniture re-do that I can't wait to start share with you!  I walked past the spray paint aisle and this can of Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch Ultra Cover in Aqua jumped off the shelf and into my cart. Just like that.  I've been going to Lowes more lately so I haven't used Rust-Oleum in a while. But I know other spray painters swear by it.  I decided to give it a whirl today and was SO Pleased! It was soooo quick.  The coverage is definitely better than your average can of spray paint.  I was seriously coming up with my blog post titles as I sprayed.  It was literally a 30 minute (maybe) job.  And then I added a clear top coat (Valspar).  And I don't know what happened.  The reddish stain (that was under the green paint) started seeping through.  I tried not to panic.  I waited to see if it would seep through everywhere or just the few spots I was noticing.  It was so hard to be patient instead of making the problem worse by doing something stupid.

After a few minutes, I realized it wasn't coming through anywhere else and it was really the same places I'd noticed the red stain before I began painting.  So I re-painted those sections with the Rust-Oleum and it turned out fine.  And in reality only added an extra 5 minutes to my super fast chair re-do.  But it just proves my theory that there really is no such thing as a super easy DIY (even this one is totally rusted now!).  But it was worth it right?!  Let this be a lesson to prime first.  Always.  I usually do but darn my impatience!

My impatience is rearing its ugly head yet again because I can't wait to take a photo of Genevieve or Nadia in the chair and then blog it.  That would mean waiting an entire 24 hours while it "cures."  No. I must show you now.

Nadia is 8 weeks old and I am finally finished her nursery.  Actually I'm lying.  I still have one more tiny task to take care of but it requires shopping around for the perfect thing and I don't know how long that might take (I mean it IS me, after all!).  But more on that later...

Nadia's Nursery was such a fun adventure.  I really wanted to create a fun, unique, functional nursery on a budget.  I wanted it to reflect my style but also be suitable for a baby/toddler and a happy place for Nadia.  I have a love/hate relationship with decorating.  On one hand, I love it.  I love all things pretty and the thought of creating a space that makes me feel a certain way is a welcomed challenge.  On the other hand, I am very indecisive, can have a hard time visualizing the finished project, and am painfully aware of my shortcomings when it comes to interior design.  But when all is said and done, I love learning about design and learning how to execute my ever evolving style.

my inspiration.

Initially I had several different design schemes I really liked for Nadia's nursery. One involved a palette of beige, cream, taupe, and white...a peaceful, natural vibe.  One involved Joel Dewberry's aviary line with a rustic woodsy feel (I have to admit part of the draw here was using owls which despite their trendiness, I think are simply adorable).  The next involved a modernly shabby chic feel with florals and distressed furniture in a palette of bubble gum pink, red, and aqua.  The last was a girly room of bright colors- aqua, pink, and yellow, with an ethnic vibe- based on Dena Fishbein's Kumari Garden line.  Hey, I warned you about my indecisiveness!  I dropped the Joel Dewberry version and then showed photos and described my 3 ideas to my super artistic sister and my designer friend and they both gave me the same advice: combine all three.  At first I wasn't sure if I could do that--I'm a bit of a design schizo and I felt like they were all so different.  But the more I thought about it, the more I felt like I could totally take my favorite elements from each scheme and make it work.  So that's what I did.  I did give one priority and that was the Kumari Garden inspired room.

I had crib bedding made from it and the rest flowed from there.  From the peaceful beige palette, I took the natural elements and used DIY drop cloth curtains, the cute hamper, the natural blond wood shelves, and woven accessories.  From the shabby chic scheme, I took the aqua and pink, used a painted yellow dresser, and painted and distressed an antique dry sink to re-purpose as a changing table.  I also used the ornate (and yes, ubiquitous) ung frame.  The goal of "ethnic" might not have been achieved. I ordered a Moroccan Pouf from Morocco (yes straight from Morocco) and it ended up being a total NIGHTMARE!!!  I ended up returning it and since I can't afford the $400 version and am now deathly afraid of ordering a cheap one after my experience (let's just say it involved goat urine.  yeah that happened), I had to give up that dream. I also ordered a cool coffee sack pillow that I thought gave it an ethnic vibe, but that too didn't pan out.  I won't give you the boring details...I did however create this cool (if I do say so myself) Chinese lantern, pom, and lace lantern mobile and order this beautiful print from Jones Design company--all of which I think contribute to an ethnic feel.  And the Dena Fishbein print which was the entire inspiration, is one of the beautiful prints in her Kumari Garden collection which invokes an ethnic bohemian vibe. I also used her Tarika in gem as well as the Sujata in pink prints.

One last note and then I'll shut  up!  One of the most fun things about this room was doing it on a budget (Not as super tight as Genevieve's nursery but not nearly as expensive as many of the nurseries I ogled on design blogs).  Many of the items in her room came from thrift stores, yard sales, and even the side of the road.  I loved upcycling the changing table and painting the $20 yard sale dresser a cheerful yellow.

So here are some photos for your viewing pleasure (sources for almost everything at the very end)...

One of my absolute favorite features!  Lantern and pom mobile inspired by hers and hers.

Natural wood shelves-- styled but functional.