Thursday, April 22, 2010

Oh Craigslist how I love thee

I am addicted to Craigslist and religiously check it everyday during Brody's morning nap and after the boys are in bed for deals...and things I just can't live without. So for our bedroom I wanted some classic antique pieces and bought that double bow-front dresser w/mirror that I just finished restoring and the single bow-front that I am in the process of restoring...when I found this...

At first I thought ooh ahh, and then I had to see it, then I had to buy it. Every piece is stamped in the drawer Morganton. Morganton furniture from North Carolina specialized in making Dining and Bedroom furniture all in Solid Mahogany. This set included the dresser w/mirror, chest of drawers, nightstand, and 2 complete twin beds (headboard, footboard and siderails). I also love the hardware! For being at least 70 years old, it has almost no wear and is in excellent condition.

Lovely crafted dove-tailed drawers...with serpentine fronts...no particle board!

Solid Brass Hardware

Of course the finish is not my favorite...so it will take a lot of sanding and staining but when finished will be a beautiful dark wood-I am thinking walnut!
I will add pics of the beds, mirror and nightstand soon...

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Viola my 1st furniture project!

So a few months ago I blogged about Craigslist and the abundance of amazing antique furniture. I searched Craigslist daily for the right pieces for our bedroom and found 2 dressers. This being one of them... I have a great love of wood, and really wanted to restore this piece and not paint. Having no experience with antiques I read and read and researched and decided to strip the piece. I stripped one side, which was messy, time consuming and annoying. I got frusterated and thought okay I will just paint them and give up on the idea of restaining and restoring. So I bought the primer, brushes, paint, poly and couldn't bring myself to primer it...every part of me just fought the idea of painting hardwood. So I grabbed my palm sander and went to town. I thought okay I will give it one more go and if sanding doesn't work I will paint it... The sanding worked out perfectly...and was so much quicker! I wanted them dark so I chose MinWax Ebony and started to restain my naked wood..

I applied 2 coats of MinWax Eboy...then after letting it dry for a week I applied 3 coats of wipe-on poly...and VIOLA here she is...




I couldn't be happier with how she turned out! I have a new love...

Friday, April 9, 2010

My Favorite Things...

So I was watching the Sound of Music the other day and singing along to it...love that movie! I started thinking of what my favorite things are that make me feel better. So this is my list of my Favorite Things:
Wood, hardwood, wood work, mouldings, I love the beauty of wood
Antique Furniture
Historic Homes, I love the craftsmanship and character
Gardens, the work for the reward
Hiking
Mountains
Waterfalls
Kayaking
Rivers
Birds singing
Sunshine
The sound of leaves on a breezy day
My children laughing
Babies Sleeping
Motorcycle Riding
Smell and Sound of the Ocean
Smell of Horses, alfalfa, and Oats
Hardwork- it makes me feel good!
MY FAMILY!