Did someone say THRIFT STORE? Let me hear it…UPCYCLE! Those words can only mean it is the second Wednesday of the month and time for the Thrift Store Decor Team monthly projects!

I have to admit that I am a little giddy this month. We have some new members joining us. And, I’m gonna say it, though it might sound creepy, I just know that you will all understand…I’m girl crushin’! These new gals to the team were seriously some of the creators that I would follow with awe and fascination back when I started to blog. Yikes! It’s been a minute but they are as fabulous as ever!

Welcome to Donna from Funky Junk Interiors, Kim from Exquisitely Unremarkable, and Julie from Redhead Can Decorate. I’m so grateful for this team and all of the past members. Creating is really a fabulous world and the blog world offers the best of the best. As we all evolve, we get to share on different platforms and graduate to new highs. We are all just living our normal lives. We have the same normal challenges of making a living, enjoying our families, starting jobs, leaving jobs, caring for family member, losing family members, raising families, becoming empty nesters. You know…all of the major life stuff. But we are impassioned by creating.

Beyond the actual process of creating, my most cherished part of this blog world is meeting new friends and making new connections. I am so elated that you are all joining us. I’m talking to our 3 new creators and TO ALL OF THE NEW FRIENDS WHO ARE JOINING US TODAY and, of course, to my devoted readers who help keep this little blog going!

WELCOME TO THE FABULOUS THRIFT STORE DECOR TEAM!!! We are going to have so much fun together!! I’m beyond glad and grateful that YOU are here! Can’t wait for you to see what magic happens in this community.

HELLO!

Hello! I’m Suzanne. I owned an antique store, The Blue Building Antiques and Consignment, for 10 years, here in Alabama near Birmingham. We closed it in 2019. I have loved creating for as long as I can remember. I’m an only child and my oldest memories are of puttering beside my dad in his workshop in our Philadelphia home. I’m back to work full time now for a regional bank but I still dabble with this blog every chance I get. My passion is for furniture but really any kind of painting gets me going. I love a good challenge and transforming old items into beautiful focal points is one of my favorite things to do. Enough about me, let’s get on with today’s project – the upcycle of this antique mahogany side table.

Upcycling Vintage Beauties

I’m sure you’ve all seen an old vintage side table like this. Maybe it was round like this one that I previously upcycled.

Maybe the side table was made of oak like this radio table.

We’ve all seen those old tables with great bones that just look sad and worn. When I see one that speaks to me, I feel compelled to grab it and give it new life. Much to Mr. Blu’s chagrin, these project pieces sit a while in our garage while life happens. But, I’m cleaning out corners and making space. So, you can count on some more of these reinvented projects in the future. And today, we are working on the mahogany side table upcycle.

To Paint or Not to Paint!

The big decision when working on old furniture pieces is always DO I RESTORE or DO I PAINT? So many people have so many opinions and I’m sure you’ve read the comments. When I had my store, it was easy. If someone brought me a piece of furniture and said “Paint it!”, I painted it. That was so easy. But when it was my piece, I found myself stuck. I finally realized that I was in the business to make money so if the piece was easy to restore, I would do that. If it was a piece that would take too much time and resources to restore, I would paint it. If it was a beautiful solid wood piece with little damage, I would restore. But as the number of these pieces dramatically diminishes and pieces are really damaged, I find my self wanting to restore which can take hours and hours of effort. You will never be compensated for that time because, let’s face it, folks want a good buy for a great price. So, I generally reserve the full restoration for sentimental pieces.

So this one was a quanumdrum for me. I saw the beauty. But she had so many issues.

Normal scrapes and dings and scratches covered this piece. There was not a single spot that didn’t look worn.

Burn marks on the leather.

As well as other damage to the top including the leather ends peeling.

So, I decided to paint. Don’t hate me. She will still be beautiful.

The Design Process

Honestly, this is sometimes the most difficult part of a project. I tend to put too much thought into colors and finishes. Should I go with a Mahogany wash to continue the authenticity of the piece? Blue wash because…well…it’s me and blue is always a priority. Or something that blends with the mint-ish green room where she will live? A watermelon accent color like that vintage table I upcycled, loved and just sold? A new accent color like a vibrant purple? Yikes.

Inevitably, the piece tells me what to do and in this case, she spoke loudly. The decision still shocks me. As I started to clean and prep her, it became clear that she is in much better shape than I had thought. Every issue was simply a surface issue. The legs and shelf were sturdy. No major dings or gouges. Just a bunch of finish issues.

Dang. Grab the stripper. She’s going to be restored.

FIRST STEP TO FURNITURE PREP

First step is always to clean and prep your piece. This girl had been in storage for years so a good bath of warm water and Dawn removed the grime.

I set her in the sun to dry.

The leather inlay top had two small burns and various discolorations.

I let the leather soak with some water for about 15 minutes and then tested to see if the spots seemed removeable.

No good. This would not be a quick fix. I could possibly dab with some stain to marble the top thus muting or possibly making the stains. But then I noticed the end peeling.

I decided to remove the leather.

Fear not, I am saving it (you know I salvage everything). This will make a great future project on how to restore and reuse leather.

In the meantime, looks like the project got a little more complicated as now I have to decide how to finish the top.

I grabbed the stripper and got to work.

SUPPLIES

• Kleen Strip
• paint brushes
• rags
• sandpaper
• steel wool, both coarse and fine
• scraper tool
• rubber gloves
• safety glasses, always protect your eyes.
• trash can
• newspaper to cover the floor of your work area

My Safety Speech

Always wear safety glasses to protect your eyes. Splashes occur when you lease expect them

Always wear thick rubber gloves to protect your skin when handling chemicals. Chemical burns are not fun.

Always work in a well ventilated area. I strip my furniture in my driveway.

Place newspaper on the floor under and around your furniture piece. Floors and work spaces need protection too.

Tips for Removing Stain

The best tips for using stripper…

• Be patient.
• Wear gloves and safety glasses.
• Don’t rush the process.
• Keep the area loaded with stripper.
• Allow the chemicals to work.
• Scrape, reapply, scrape, reapply.

2 hours later, the old stain was removed (sort of…see next paragraph).

In the interest of not repeating posts, here are a few more detailed posts on restoring wood and removing stain. These posts list all of my best tips,

She Spoke and I Listened

For a minute, I considered changing the stain color to something more contemporary, like a light wash. But, I have other antique mahogany pieces in my living room and bedrooms so I decided to stay strong and preserve the integrity of this beauty.

Remember I said, I often let the project piece guide me? Well, it happened…yet again. I had a plan and as I worked the plan, the plan changed.

As I proceeded through the stripping process, I actually liked the stained wood beneath the thick old top coat. I decided NOT to re-stain, but rather leave the wood as is. This provided a lighter wood color and the existing stain really brought out the beauty of the mahogany wood. So I simply sealed the wood after the oldest top stain had been mostly removed. In this process, I removed the old gummy stain. But I stopped shy of completely stripping ALL of the stain from the wood. The wood was so beautiful.

I mean, gorgeous! Why strip it completely when this is so lovely as is??

Right??? My project time was just cut in half! Whoohoo! Stripping is so labor intensive and takes so long. I’m celebrating! I sealed the wood with a nice coat of General Finishes Top Coat, made for wood.

Moving on to the Top

Knowing that I will want to restore that leather top and eventually re-install, I resisted the desire to create a faux marble inset with resin. I topped off a sweet little plant stand with a faux marble resin finish and she is just lovely.

Instead, I chose to go the easy route and faux paint the inset to look like marble.

Creating a Faux Marble Finish

I started with one coat of white paint. I used simple craft paint that you can find in the craft section at Walmart – Folkart multi surface acrylic paint, because I am out of my favorite white furniture paint, Black Dog Salvage Furniture Paint.

The white was a little bright so I applied another coat with ivory.

Much better. I dabbed some white here and there to create some texture. Then I blended the paint by drybrushing across the dabs of white.

Next, I used a skinny art brush to draw some veining.

Use a sponge or rag or brush to blot the area muting the veining. Practice first if you are nervous. I’m more of a wing it and react creator. Do what works for you.

Keep blending, adding veining and repeating until you have the desired look.

Not bad, right? Seal the top with some polyurethane. MinWax Polycrylic is my go to.

How about that bright beautiful wood??!!!!

She looks great indoors by the window where the light hits that beautiful woodgrain.

She had a nice surface area for a lamp, candle, book, plate, or whatever.

And a little shelf for other whatnots or books.

I’m so glad I didn’t take the easy road an just paint her. She’s fabulous again!

Revamp a Lamp
Our Southern Home

Old World Santa Christmas Tray
Our Crafty Mom

Salvaged Jewelry Suncatchers
My Repurposed Life

IKEA Secretary Desk Makeover
Exquisitely Unremarkable

Mahogany Side Table Upcycle
Shop At Blu

Beautiful Thrifted Thanksgiving Tablescape
Redhead Can Decorate

DIY Christmas Bells
Songbird

Fry Pan, Tiered Tray, and Decorative Bowls
Funky Junk Interiors

Gingerbread Village from Christmas Houses
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

The post Mahogany Side Table Upcycle appeared first on Shop at Blu.

I am so very excited to have this project at the top of my to do list! You find the most fascinating things when you are out scouting for things that you don’t know you need. I fell in love with this antique Frezone ice box at first sight. My dad would tell stories all about the ice box they had when he was a kid. He was born in 1934 so perhaps those stories gave way to my fascination for old things. It’s finally time for this antique ice box refresh!

It is the second Wednesday of the month! That means it is time for this month’s Thrift Store Decor Team projects. This antique ice box refresh is the perfect example of taking something old and transforming it, in a thrifty manner, for alternate use. Renew! Repurpose! Restore! Let’s go!

History of the Antique Ice Box

Here’s what Google says about the ice box:

“The icebox was invented by an American farmer and cabinetmaker named Thomas Moore in 1802. Moore used the icebox to transport butter from his home to the Georgetown markets, which allowed him to sell firm, brick butter instead of soft, melted tubs like his fellow vendors at the time.”

Blocks of ice were kept in and sold by local neighborhood ice houses. There was an ice house as recently as the 1980’s in my childhood Philadelphia neighborhood of Manayunk. My dad would buy blocks of ice to cool kegs of beer for the famous Core States Bike Race that went past our house on Lyceum Avenue in Roxborough. Dad was a local celebrity during the event. But that’s a story for another day…a really long and fabulous story.

The Vintage Frig company website states that “During the early 1900s domestic electric refrigerators became available, and by the 1940s they were common in US homes.” Before that time, people used ice boxes.

“Ice was shipped to its destination city or town in block form to be kept in an icehouse and then delivery by horse and wagon in block form street by street through the city. The refined form of icebox as kitchen furniture or appliance was invented between 1850 and 1860 and remained in production in a similar form until the advent of the electric fridge in the 1940s.” (sourced from The Vintage Frig website).

Ice boxes were usually made of wood and had a zinc or metal interior lining that kept the cold inside and cooled your meets, dairy products, drinks, etc.

Here are photos of different styles of ice boxes:

I don’t have a spot right now for this antique ice box inside my home right now. It’s gonna take some purging to make space for her and I’m not quite there yet. In the interim, I plan to put her to functional use outside under our covered patio area.

Choosing a Paint

Being made of metal, it is important to make certain that this beauty will be protected from the severe Alabama weather. Although the patio area is covered, it does get some scattered rain and is definitely exposed to extreme heat. Both of these elements of nature are adversaries to metal items and can cause rust. So, I grabbed my favorite paint, BLACK DOG SALVAGE FURNITURE PAINT which was created for salvaged and antique objects. Not only is the paint fabulous for this antique ice box, BDSFP makes heavy duty sealer that, in my opinion, is second to none in protecting your favorite vintage items from the extreme outdoor elements. Crab Coat is my go to for protecting outdoor items.

Prep Your Project Piece

I won’t go into great detail about how I prepared this piece but if you are interested in ALL of the details, check out these other posts on how to prep items for paint.

As always, prep your piece in the following manner:

• clean with warm soapy water to remove any dirt and surface debris
• lightly sand the surface to smooth any inconsistencies or minor scratches, dings, or mars
• wipe or dust away any heavy dust from sanding
• wipe surface with TSP to remove any lingering dust, oils or dirt

There was quite a bit of cleaning, then sanding, then more cleaning to do.

Fortunately, most of the rust was just on the surface and sanded off.

Even the spots where rust was a little heavier cleaned up nicely. I was so grateful!

The degree and severity of rust is always a big consideration when I buy metal antiques. You always want to make sure that the integrity of piece is intact and that the rust is not excessive. I only buy items where light to minimal sanding is required.

For metal items, you should select a paint that is made for metals. Just check the label to see if your favorite paint can be used on metal surfaces. You always want to select the best paint for the job so that it adheres well and lasts a good long time.

I selected BDSFT in Clean Canvas, their version of pure white. I conducted a few tests as this piece is metal and I was super worried about further rusting of this antique, though most of the rust was just on the surface. I prepped the piece using the steps above. Then I applied two liberal coats of paint allowing each to dry between coats. I applied two coats of Crab Coat, BDSFP’s marine grade environmentally safe exterior top coat, allowing each coat to completely dry overnight. For final application, 3 coats are recommended. I allowed the piece to sit outside under the deck for what I intended to be about 2 months. It actually sat there for a year.

Here are the photos with the test coats applied.

And here is the piece almost one year later after withstanding the outdoor elements.

Once I cleaned off the dust and thin layer of dirt, the surface was virtually rust free. The paint had help up marvelously! I call this a win!

I should also mention that I used Bar Keeper’s Friend to clean up the handles/pulls. It worked fabulously! I also use it to clean my hammered copper farmhouse sink.

BDSFP protected this beauty from the harsh Alabama elements. I was confident that this antique ice box would be safe in this under deck location. So I started the process again by using the prep steps again. I lightly sanded the top coat and wiped it down with TSP. I applied two liberal coats of paint. Two were enough, and though I considered adding another for extra protection, alas, I was low on paint. So two coats of paint were followed by three coats of Crab Coat.

And here she is, ready to hold any items we need protected from the elements.

She adds a bit of nostalgia and class to the area. Just the inspiration needed to get the rest of this new patio spruced up.

I’d say this is quite an improvement.

I am missing one latch handle. So if you come across one for a Frezone Ice Box, let me know!

Be sure to leave them a comment as to what you liked and what you would like to see in the future!

Wicker Table Makeover

Welcome Wreath

Turn A Storage Bin Into A Planter

Antique Ice Box Refresh – You are HERE!

Old Mirror: New Look

Vintage Aluminum Wash Basin Hanging Planter

Framed Coastal Wall Art on…Sandpaper!

The post Antique Ice Box Refresh appeared first on Shop at Blu.

A Preliminary Visit to Antiques in Elizabethton

I had strolled this lovely little small town shopping district back in December.  It was a cold and dreary early morning Sunday.  DIL#2 and I had a delicious breakfast at Southern Restaurant.  First rule of shopping for antiques, enjoy the local food!

Then, we window shopped the small cluster of antique shops. Sadly they were all closed. Covid has really taken its toll on small mom and pop businesses and it was blatantly obvious on Elk Street.  We did enjoy the limited views through the storefront windows of all of the treasures that were just out of our reach. 

And that time certainly placed the area up on the list of places to revisit in the spring.

I’m was dying to get inside of these little shops.  Zoom in on the detail on this mirror!

Even the local coffee shop has charm and antiques and…honey!

While no shops were open, we did a walking tour of the historic markers and monuments.  It was quite lovely.  I share some highlights at the end of this post.

The Return Trip:  Actually Shopping for Antiques

Today we returned with #2 in tow.  It was probably 4:30PM when we arrived and with a 6PM closing time for the shops, we promptly got to our mission.

I’m drawn to so many things and when I enter a shop, I simply must see everything.  I’m always drawn to glass, French antiques, all furniture, kitchen anything, and everything primitive.  So #2 and DIL#2 are always aisles ahead of me.  At some point I’m sure they make a second pass.  And they always end up near the entrance giggling and patiently waiting for me. 

My First Find

The first shop we browsed was Picket Fence Antiques.  This store, like many, had vendors who rent spaces. There was a great variety of incredible finds at Picket Fence.  My first purchase was this grain scale for $7.  She reminds me of my MIL who kindled and inspired my love for country primitives.

  I said my weakness is glass.  So when I saw this RED bottle, I almost tripped over myself trying to get to it. 

I’ve had a bottle tree since before I opened The Blue Building Antiques back in 2009.  But authentic red bottles are so rare.  This bottle is Red Ruby Anchor Glass per the bottom.  The markings on the bottle can identify the maker and help date the item.

So many great finds and good prices too!

I’ve never seen a double ice cube tray!  Have you??

The second store we shopped was a two story shop!  This gem had some incredible antique furniture pieces.  I saw this beauty and she was only $159. 

And yes, I should have bought it!  She’s now haunting me.

Here are a few other beauties from the same shop.  I should have bought this basket!

How about this beautiful grain box???  I need one of these!  Didn’t know it until today.

There were some gorgeous primitives!

If you are looking for replacement chimneys, head to Elizabethton!

And I would not be me if I didn’t share the icon on one of these trips!

As you probably are aware, I’m a BLUE girl.  Always have been.  Combine cobalt blue with glass and, well, enough said.  This little bottle just pulled me in. 

I have never seen one with the lid!  Score!

And, you might know that since updating My Tuscan Inspired Kitchen, copper is yet another weakness.  So this little beauty had to come home with me.

She still has the label on the bottom.  It is not familiar to me so I will do some research that should help determine her age.

Last and Best Find of the Day

My last find was this darling tiny chest. 

I’m envisioning her all chippied up sitting on my kitchen counter.  Perhaps she will hold some tea. 

Or maybe she can be the solution for the loose mail scattered across the kitchen counter that drives Mr. Blu into a frenzy.  The oil based paint is the best to get a chippy look out of so that will be a project for the driveway on a warmer day.

We strolled the rest of the street and peeked into the closed shops which just intrigued me more.  I’ll have to make some calls before my next trip.  I must gain access!  I must see the treasures inside!  I’ll keep you posted!

Until then, antique on my vintage loving friends!

Sites and Sights in Elizabethton TN

Here are some more shots of this quaint little Tennessee town from my first visit for you to enjoy.  And here is a brief history of Elizabethton. 

This little town is filled with gorgeous old homes! 

I highly recommend the walking tour.  We saw the lovely war memorials.  Very impressive and solemn.  I suppose we walked for about 30-45 minutes.  We started at the creek and the covered bridge.  Just past the covered bridge was a side street that runs parallel to Elk, where the shops are located.  There were so many beautiful homes.  A few were even being updated.  We circled onto the main street (Elk) where we peeked into the shop windows.  And we ended up back at the water where we had parked.  

I guess I spent a total of about 6 hours in Elizabethton.  But it was enough to make me want to return and continue shopping for antiques!  

If you are looking for great places to find antiques in Tennessee, here are a few post from some antique loving friends.  They’ve identified some incredible shops and markets!

Bristol Tennessee/Virginia with Sadie Seasongoods

Nashville Flea Market, Nashville Tennessee with Petticoat Junction

Nashville Tennessee with Sadie Seasongoods

The post Shopping for Antiques in Elizabethton Tennessee appeared first on Shop at Blu.

It is Week 2 of the One Room Challenge and I am ready to tackle how to restore this antique mantle.  In this post, I will teach you how to strip an antique mantle of old stain and paint.  

If you missed Week 1, here is the link that explains the ORC and my plans for my master bedroom.

How to Strip Wood…But First, A Little History

This antique beauty was savaged from a very old home in Bessemer Alabama.  Bessemer was established in 1887 and was a steel making center from 1890 through the 20th century.  I suspect that this mantle was installed around 1890 in one of those historical Bessemer homes.  Here are a few of the other mantles that were salvaged from Bessemer.  These are photos from after I used my special magic to make them chippy gorgeous.  Their pre-Suzy splendor looked much like that black mess above which is covered in not one, not two, not three, but at least four coats of paint as best that I can tell.

Tiger Oak was the primary choice of craftsmen as the wood is commonly found in historic homes and in antique furniture.  Over the years, people would slap some paint onto their tiger oak mantles, doors, woodwork or furniture in an attempt to contemporize.  We still do this today.  When a stained wooden dresser gets old and needs refreshing, the logical and quick choice is paint.  This is evidenced by the multiple layers of creative paint colors on old wooden pieces.  Check out these doors…

These layers make for incredible chippy creations.  Check out my post on how to get the most incredible chippy doors!  It is so much easier than you would think.  Are you ready to learn how to strip wood?

Restore and Widen Mantle

My first project for Week 2 of the ORC is to restore the mantle and create the design for its use as a king sized headboard.  Here is the plan:

1. Completely strip the mantle of all paint and stain. 
2. Select a finish, most likely a stain but I am considering leaving the wood natural and simply sealing it.
3. Extend and embellish the sides of the mantle with wooden panels of some sort to widen the headboard width to meet the king sized mattress, most likely an addition of 12 inches on each side of the mantle.
4. Select sconces or other embellishments for the 12″ extensions on each side.

Sometimes You Do the Hard Work

I very rarely strip furniture.  It is very time consuming and requires the use of strong chemical solutions.  But every now and then, I find a piece that simply begs to be restored.  This mantle is one of those pieces.  

The most physical part of this project was simply getting the mantle upright to photograph and then into a location where I could work on it without having to move it.  I pride myself in being able to move giant and heavy furniture pieces alone.  Over the years I’ve learned how to maneuver giant dressers, sofas, massive china cabinets and other furniture by working smarter and utilizing tools like furniture dollies, hand trucks and methods like sliding, wiggling, rolling and other mom tricks.

But, 2 years of Covid couch sitting and inactivity have forced me to ask for help with this heavy and awkward mantle.  So both V (child #5) and Mr. Blu kindly lent their assistance when needed.

Prepping the Mantle

Since my ultimate goal is to strip the mantle with a chemical solution, I did not clean it thoroughly before starting since the chemical process will remove everything from the wood’s surface.  But I did give it a good dusting and wipe down with a damp rag.  This baby had over 100 years of dust.  If she could only share her

stories!

As with most dated mantles, you will find stray nails, staples, and oddities embedded in the wood. 

I took a minute to remove any visible nails.  You always find a few more when you start to strip and drag a scraper across the wood.  It’s also interesting to see the different quality of nails…some skinny finish nails and some that are obviously very old.

Stripping Supplies

I am fortunate to have had a father who was quite handy with tools and blessed with handy skills.  Pop’s grandfather was a carpenter.  I love the stories of how Pop and his brothers acquired their handyman skills by helping their grandfather renovate their childhood home in North Philadelphia.  In fact, I have several wood planes that belonged to my great grandfather.   

Pop used to refinish pianos for a living.  I can’t ever remember a time when he wasn’t stripping something in the basement.  His rule for stripping…be patient.  You will see why.

To refinish any wooden item, you need some basic tools.  Here is a list:

1. Paint brush to apply the stripper.
2. Plenty of rags.  I use cut up old towels.
3. Steel wool.  I start with 2 bags and replenish if needed.
4. Stripping solution.  I use Stripeze. 
5. Metal or plastic scraper.
6. Sandpaper 
7. Tin can.  I use an old soup or coffee can.
8. Gloves

The Most Important Rule:  Safety

The first rule is wear gloves.  While there are many new stripping solutions than don’t use harsh chemicals, the old stuff is tried and true and most effective in getting the job done quickly.  Just my preference.  The chemicals are hard and can burn your skin.  Stripper is like paint.  You think you will be careful.  You think you won’t splatter.  You are wrong.  It gets everywhere.  Drips.  Splats.  Globs.  But with stripper you add “burns”.  Just don’t risk it.  Wear the gloves.

Preparing Your Work Area

Protect your work area by laying paper or a drop cloth beneath your furniture piece.  Stripper can drip, splatter, and run.  It will take paint off of a floor and skin off of your body.  Protection is key.  Wear your gloves and cover your surrounding surfaces.  

Ensure your work area is well ventilated.  I always complete the stripping process outside in my driveway or in the garage with the doors open and a fan blowing.  Chemicals can emit dangerous fumes.  Always wear your gloves. 

Stripping solvent usually comes in a metal container with a small pouring spout.  I use an old soup or coffee can, depending on the size of the brush I am using.  Pour some solvent into the can.  Start with a small amount, maybe 1/4 of the soup can.  The solvent evaporates quickly.  Remember Pop’s rule…be patient.  Stripping furniture involves a lot of waiting.

Application

Use your brush to apply a liberal amount of stripper to your wood.  Work on one section at a time.  In this video I was overly cautious not to drip solution because I had not placed drop cloths around the mantle.  So I am applying thinner coats to avoid dripping.  You will see a much more aggressive application in later videos.  Proper work environment saves time and ensures safety.

Application

You want the solution to be thick enough that it will not dry out or evaporate as it is reacting with the old paint and stain.  If your solution dries, you must start all over again.  So, start with a small section.  Apply the solution.  And wait.  It takes anywhere from 5-30 minutes for the stripper to start dissolving old paint or stain.  My mantle is well over 100 years old.  It has, from what I can see, 5 coats of paint plus the original stain.  Sometimes you can see an immediate reaction as the paint appears to bubble. 

The older the paint or stain, the longer the solution must sit.  Several applications will be necessary.

After 20 minutes, I used a flat scraper to remove the top layers of paint that were loosened by the stripper.  In this video, on this section of the mantle there were only 2 coats of stain and paint so the first application was very effective and revealed the original stain on the wood.  Most of this mantle, however, had 4-5 layers of paint and stain.  

Then I applied a second liberal coat of stripper to remove the stain.  And I waited.  After 20 minutes, I repeated the removal with the scraper. 

This step removed removed the stain.  This part of the mantle seemed to just have 1-2 thin layers of paint and the original stain.  The first coat of stripper removed the paint and the second coat removed the stain.  

https://youtu.be/7pmWt9uaB9s

Once you think you have removed the paint and stain, apply one last coat.  Allow the solution to sit for 10-15 minutes.  Then use steel wool to remove any residual stain.  At this point you should be able to see the beauty of the wood.

For flat surfaces this is very easy.  However, the mantle has some curves, grooves, and moldings.  For these areas I used a wire brush and a sanding sponge.  Both of these tools are pliable and can get into the grooves and around the curves as needed.  

A final wipe down with a rag dipped in the stripper solution completes the process.  This ensures that the wood is completely stain and paint free. 

Final Step

Next you should lightly sand the entire piece with a fine grit sand paper.  Clean the wood of all dust and debris.  You are now ready to stain your mantle.  You have learned how to strip wood!

Now you must decide on a stain color or final finish.

This entire stripping process can be very simple when your wood has just one coat of stain.  But the process is very time consuming when you have a 120 year old mantle with 5-6 layers of stain and paint.  And the process is that much more complicated when you change plans mid project.  Here is what I discovered when I started to strip the heavily painted areas of this antique mantle…

I did warn you back in week 1 about my tendency to change plans mid project!  Let’s just say…there’s been a change in plans.  Can you guest what it is???   

See you next week!

Check out the Week 2 projects of the Featured Designers  all of my fellow Guest Participants.  There is truly so much talent and inspiration here!

The post How to Restore an Antique Mantle appeared first on Shop at Blu.

The One Room Challenge, started by Linda Weinstien of Calling it Home , is in its 20th season!  The ORC is a biannual event where twenty design influencers are selected as Featured Designers and challenged to transform a room of their choice.  Hundreds of additional decorators participate as Guest Participants.  This post kicks off my official participation as a Guest Participant in The One Room Challenge!  Anyone can be a Guest Participant.  All you need is a room to transform and a blog or Instagram account through which to document and share your project. 

Past ORC Projects

My first ORC was in Spring of 2020 and my project was My Tuscan Inspired Kitchen. 

I also participated in the Fall 2020 challenge with Reclaiming My Dining Room. 

So this Master Bedroom Makeover is my 3rd challenge.  Over the course of 8 weeks, each participant works through the process of transforming their room.  Some rooms see extensive constructive overhauls and some see more budget conscious and more minimal changes.  While my kitchen project had a large budget, this project does not.  I specialize in affordable and low cost DIY transformations.  Consequently, my budget for this room is to keep the costs under $500. 

My Master Bedroom

 When we moved into our home almost 20 years ago, all of the walls were pale pink.  Funny how millennial pink has resurfaced recently.  I had painted the walls to our MBR a King’s Gold.  It was a nice stately color.  My plan was to faux finish with an antiqued look.  

While I did succeed in painting the entire room a pale gold, I completed only about 20% of the antiquing on the walls of the room. 

At the writing of this post, I am still undecided as to whether I will change the color completely or simply finish the walls with the antiquing process.  I suppose it will depend on how complicated I make the design for the rest of the room.  

And, there is it.  My projects usually start out with a preliminary vision and may or may not take a hard curve right in the middle of the process.  I tend to let the “vibe” of the projects direct me when I am creating in my own space.  So, perhaps we should call this the Chameleon MBR Project.  Because I really don’t yet have a complete end goal.  Let’s call my plan fluid.  And here it is…

Create a headboard from an antique mantle

Remove king sleigh bed and replace with this antique mantle headboard. 

The mantle must be restored as it currently sports several coats of black , yellow and white paint.  Our current headboard consists of the headboard only from a massive king sleigh bed.  The piece showed up at my store, The Blue Building Antiques, about 2 years before we closed (which was March 2019).  I love the curves and the detail on the headboard.  The footboard was missing and that was ok because the scale of this bed would have been magnified by a footboard.  We decided to just use the headboard with the intention of painting it at some point to refresh the look.  That never happened.  And it’s time for a change. 

The mantle will be completely stripped, widened to accommodate a king sized mattress, and sealed.  The fun part will be selecting embellishments.  

Select and Paint Side Tables/Nightstands

Once the headboard is restored, redesigned and in place, side tables or night stands will be added.  I expect to use one of these two sets and will need to decide if they should be painted. 

I am hoping to have several antiques with complimentary wood tones as the anchors for this room.  As I am an experienced furniture painter, this is an option for all of the furniture pieces for the room.  Note, we have mismatched furniture and my goal is to unify the look of the room with stain, paint, and other magic tricks.

Wall Color

I’m having a hard time deciding if I want to repaint the walls.  Over the last 18 months, we have whitened and lightened up most of the rooms in our house.  The MBR has not had the whitened effect so I am considering painting the walls with a very light color, perhaps a very pale blue or greige.  I do, however, love the Old World feel of the antiqued gold walls.  And with the restored mantle, I believe the gold would be a nice compliment.  Mr. Blu is quite tired, like most of the design world, by the farmhouse white trends and would love some bolder color.  HOWEVER, my style severely leans toward the woods and whites of a classic traditional french country home with a mixture of rich wood furniture against the crisp whites of neutral walls.  As I’ve obviously not made a decision, the final color should be a nice surprise for us all.  So you will be as surprised as I am by the final selection.

Furniture Switch-A-Roo

Having owned an antique store for 10 years, I have accumulated many incredible furniture pieces but nothing matches and consequently the furniture does not always appear complimentary.  Life is too short to not use your favorite things.  So I am going to move out some older furniture pieces and bring in some favorites.  Here are some of the players who will be undergoing transformation.  Some will stay and some will go.

What do you think?  Can you imagine any of these in the same room with this…

These are the main elements of this makeover.  As my budget is quite low, there are other bucket list items such as:

• Buy a new rug and runner
• Create a comfy sitting area 
• Replace curtains
• Make a cushion for the lane hope chest 

Who knows??!  Maybe I will be able to complete a few more of these items on my wish list.

Check back next week for updates.  I hope to be well into the mantle project.

Here is the ORC Blog .   You can check here to see all of the project from the Featured Designers and from the Guest Participants.  

The post Master Bedroom Makeover : ORC Fall 2021 appeared first on Shop at Blu.

First, a little bit about Vintage Market Days.  This is  franchised market that it popping up all over the country!  If you love vintage markets, you need to check out the website Vintage Market Days for a venue near you. We are in central Alabama.  There are now THREE VMD events near us. The next show is in Decatur AL.  “Southern Picnic” is April 21-23 at Celebration Arena.  Mobile will host another August.  And Birmingham’s first venue is November.

Admission is generally $10 and covers all three days!  Birmingham has not had many vintage markets so I was simply elated to browse through all of the glorious vendors.  Vendors must submit an application with photos, as “Vintage Market Days® is an upscale vintage-inspired indoor/outdoor market.  featuring original art, antiques, clothing, jewelry, handmade treasures, home décor, outdoor furnishings, consumable yummies, seasonal plantings and a little more. Vintage Market Days® events are so much more than a flea market. Each Vintage Market Days® event is a unique opportunity for vendors to display their talents and passions in creative venues.”  (quote from website).  

Here are some photos of The Blue Building Antiques and Consignment Vintage Market Days® space from Vintage Market Days® of Mobile:

If you’ve been to my store, you know I like to cram alot of happiness into one space.  The more to see, the more to buy!  Right?

My friend Dennis, formerly from The Yellow Building (I miss that store) hand paints incredible signs.  Call me to order ANY sign.  Dennis is also a super talented portrait artist!  How bout that chippy door?  I did a post on how to get this chippy look!

We had a nice mix of vintage, antique, and collectibles as well as our usual JUST FUN STUFF!

My friend Nancy is the Upholstery Queen!  Her chairs were a big hit!

One lucky lady went home with the beautiful antique rocker that was reupholstered with a 1942 Australian army blanket.  Simply lovely!

This show was a great success for us!  And so many folks promised to visit us on their next trip to Birmingham!

Speaking of Birmingham, we are planning on doing the VMD of Birmingham this winter…it’s the weekend BEFORE the Iron Bowl (if you aren’t from Alabama where all scheduling of life activities revolves around college football, it’s the weekend before Thanksgiving)!  Stay tuned as I will be posting some of the goodies we will be bringing to this market.

The post Our First Vintage Market Days of Mobile appeared first on Shop at Blu.

She’s a beauty!  And already has some hooks.  I have the perfect items for a Christmas display!

My MIL made these beautiful stockings out of old ticking and fabric she had laying around back in the late 80’s.  Aren’t they fabulous?

She was the queen of primitive and what is now called Farmhouse Chic!  

Don’t they make the perfect accent for this washboard?

I think I will add some greenery just to brighten it up a bit.  I have an old beat up artificial Christmas tree that isn’t functional.  I have been using the branches for miscellaneous projects.  Some of these greens will be perfect.

Add a burlap-ish bow.  And here she is…

Here are some links to purchase similar items should you wish to re-create this look in your home!  Note:  links contain affiliate links for your convenience…

Not bad for a 15 minute upcycle project!  

This baby needs to go in my Farmhouse Kitchen, once it’s done!  For now, she’s looking pretty at The Blue Building Antiques and Consignment in Alabaster, AL.   

Linking to the following parties…won’t you stop by and share the love?

Made by You Monday

Inspiration Monday Party

A Pinch of Joy Holiday Link Party

Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party

Mad Skills Party

Dishing it and Digging it!

Talk of the Town

Tutorials and Tips

Show and Tell

A Little Bird Told Me Linky Party

Creative Spark

Share Your Style

Wonderful Wednesday

Wow Me Wednesday

The Inspiration Gallery

The post Quick upcycle project at The Blue Building Antiques #1 appeared first on Shop at Blu.

I have helped at each of the previous markets.  You can read about two of them here:

2015 The Market on Chapel Hill

2014 Chapel Hill Market

Two of my wonderful friends and dealers, Kelly and Tammy, at The Blue Building Antiques and Consignment will be helping at the show.  I’ve also recruited a fellow Haven Maven and blogger, Nancy, from Cobani Bleu, to help for the day.   We are busy gathering only the best items for this sale.  Here are some items that we have ear marked for The Market On Chapel Hill:

How about those zinc drawers in this beautiful unit??!!  And yes, I will be parting with some of those scales…sad face inserted here.

There will be plenty of glass and bottles and a few clocks.

We are planning on bringing lots of Farmhouse goodness along with some great selling vintage items and antiques.  I have a few special furniture pieces ready to make the trip.  And I have been working on our trademark shabby and chippy vintage doors.  There will be no shortage of chippy in our space!

I hope you have enjoyed the brief intro to this fabulous market.  Stay tuned for more updates.

And most importantly…pencil in the date and get your trip planned for The Market on Chapel Hill!  Hope to see you there!

The post Going to Market! The Market on Chapel Hill 2016 appeared first on Shop at Blu.

I thought this next one was crab apple, but I like to properly identify them.  It’s fun to research.  It’s always a bonus to be knowledgeable about the details on highly collectible items.

I did a quick google search of how to identify Blue Ridge Pottery patterns and was amazed to find hundreds!  Here is the link I found most useful.  In this guide alone there are 247 patterns!  Right??!!!  Who would guess that there are so many patterns for this pottery.  And apparently there are more patterns because my first two patterns above were not on this extensive list.

Usually, when I need to identify a pattern, I refer to Replacements.com.  This is a service that will purchase individual pieces of china or complete sets.  They have a quite extensive list of china, porcelain, pottery by manufacturer.  Most items are accompanied by a photo so is easy to identify you pattern.  This is by far the most extensive reference I have found for identifying china.  And guess what?  They do have the two patterns that were missing from my first search.  The first is Anemone and the second is Ring O Roses.  While Replacements.com’s list is not as extensive as blueridge-sp.com they did have several patterns that were not listed on blueridge-sp.com.

Below are some of the more common patterns that we see here at The Blue Building Antiques and Consignment:

I was very surprised to learn that patterns BRP34 and BRP37 are in fact Blue Ridge Pottery patterns!  These are very common patterns among estate items.

I have found that different manufacturers will produce similar patterns.  Here is pattern similar to Blue Ridge Pottery BRP34 and 37.

This is in fact a pattern by Taylor Smith, Taylor USA #5431

Here is a similar Taylor Smith pattern #10631:

Have you ever wondered how to identify china?  Usually it has a “mark” or a stamp on the back of each piece.  The stamp contains a Maker or Manufacturer’s name and a pattern identification, usually a number.

Here is an illustration of what this stamp or Maker’s mark means:

I have seen these china pieces with pastel florals and gold ornate trim many many times.  Usually, they do not have a stamp.  But now I have an idea of maker and age thanks to this little dip into the world of China!

I hope this has been helpful.  The next time you are at a yard or estate sale, you will have a reference on how to research and identify china patterns!

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