Oak Desk Re-do: part 1

To see the finished product, check out Oak Desk Re-do: part 2

While I was out scoring this a-maze-zing dresser set last week I came upon this little oak desk. Its solid wood and very unique. I love the different sized drawers. The owners made me an offer I can't refuse so on top of the trailer she went. The husband and I were actually out on a date for our 5th anniversary and you should have seen he and I trying to squeeze everything on top of a small trailer and my even smaller car... but that's a story for another day.

 I ended up not being able to fit the desk in with the rest of the pieces, so the boys and I took a trip the following morning to go get it. I was so proud of myself, getting it lifted up and tied down on the trailer all alone. I did have one small disappointment when I got home though. I noticed when I bought the desk the two outer drawer faces were cracked and broken, but nothing some strong glue and some clamps wouldn't fix. On my way home I took a peak to see how my cargo was traveling and I discovered one third of one of the drawer faces had cracked through and fallen off somewhere along the road. As I'm writing this I'm still super bummed. That meant 2 more hours of work and a lot more effort to construct two new drawer faces. Oh well, It's still a fairly basic project. 

It was that early 80's, speckley oak, so of course that was going to go. Plus, you can kinda see in the photos the finish was cracked and peeling all over it. The nice part about all that is though, it's easy to remove.

This was the perfect opportunity to bust out one of my new Christmas toys. I just have to say, I don't know how I lived without a belt sander before. The little palm sanders just don't cut it for some jobs

 I've been wanting a more serious sander for a while, and now I have one thanks to my always-helpful father-in-law.

So off the top stain went (Man I love that sander!). Unfortunately it involved hand-sanding (ugh), but it went pretty fast. First 60 grit, then 150, ending with 220. The top came out nice and smooth.While sanding the top, I realized it was just screwed on, so off it went too.

I rubbed in 2 coats of oil-based Minwax stain. I mixed what I had of hand. I think it something like 1/2 Golden Oak, 1/2 Special Walnut. Of course that was pretty yellow, so I added two coats of Classic Grey to help tone it. In my opinion, Classic Grey has a blue tint to it, so I knew it would help take out some of the brassy color.

(pardon the crappy lighting. It was well past sunset by this point)

Definitely better, but I wanted something more "antique", less "vintage". I added a chocolate glaze, wiped off and let dry. I then mixed a black glaze, brushed all over and wiped the majority off, making sure to leave some shadowing in the crevasses. Since I was going for an old look I then took my brush with a small amount of glaze and feathered it on the corners and edges, darkening them slightly more.

Topped it off with two coats of Polyacrylic in satin (my favorite sealer) and my desk top is now done.

Changes coming soon!

I don't know what's up with the chandelier picture... I just wanted a pretty picture for my post. 

For the last couple months I have used this blog mostly to showcase and sell my furniture. Since the boutique season is over and the craziness is winding down, I want to start transitioning towards what I always wanted- A DIY furniture blog. Now that I've got a fancy-pants camera, I'm going to start photo-documenting my projects and offering tutorials. Although a have the camera, I'm not quite sure I have the photog skills yet... so bear with me :) . Please join (there's a little button on the right) and feel free to request any projects you would like to see! 

White Entertainment Center

I wish we had a flat screen TV. I would be keeping this piece if it fit! I updated and enhanced this entertainment center with new moulding, hardware, paint, and a paneled back wall. The solid back wall is especially great because you can mount your TV with a wall mounting kit instead of placing it on a stand if you chose. Its all solid hardwood. VERY HEAVY! Its on casters but you will need at least 2 people and a truck. Overall measurements at 62" wide x 64.5" tall x 26" deep. The TV opening is 38" wide x 34.5" tall x 15.5" deep. I looked at the size of some TVs online and it will fit around a 40" flat screen. - SOLD

                                                                        

Beautiful Solution: Tilt-out Trash/ Recycle Bins

So what if stainless steel isn't your style and you hate that you can only fit a tiny trashcan under the kitchen sink? You aren't left with many options. With some plans from ana-white.com I built two beautiful solutions. Tilt-out trash bins. They will accommodate a plastic can up to 16" wide x 22" high x 12" deep overall. . Cute option for a recycling can too. Available in black or creamy white. 

Now I can get my life back!

I just finshed Blitzen's Boutique today... I need a nap. I haven't posted anything lately because I was so busy gearing up for the boutique. I've gotten so many cool pieces done in the last couple weeks! Not much sleep, but lots of pieces. I sold a fair amount, but I still have a trailer full of furniture and decor. Here's a couple photos while we were setting up.

I'll be listing specific pieces with prices soon. I'm still taking custom orders on the over-sized letters. Email me with the letter and color desired and I'll contact you with return time.