How to find your project

One of my finds, repainted & antiqued

After my fun with the wardrobe, I found out that my sister-in-law had been repainting old shabby furniture. Her results were fantastic and she suggested that we try to sell them. So over the course of a few weeks we laid out a plan to start up our own business and we did the first thing every upstart business run by a couple of middle aged ladies does, we went shopping!

Prior to this business venture we had already gained a lot of experience shopping for used and antique furniture. We figure it’s only fair to share some tips for finding your own furniture projects.

Here are the top 3 tips:

1.  Scour your local craig’s list. In the “for sale” section under “garage sale” you can often find advertisements for nearby flea markets. They can be a gold mine.
2. Little towns are often the homes of wonderful antique and junk stores. Check the business listings of nearby villages and towns to find these of shops.
3. Do you live near a University town? Often when the students move in or out for the year there is a “moving day.” On this magical day, they curb everything including the kitchen sink. There are amazing treasures to be discovered if you have the patience and a vehicle for hauling!

The lion, the witch & the wardrobe

The wardrobe before enhancements.

This is the wardrobe that got me started -- minus the lion and the witch (although my husband may disagree about the later.) This piece of furniture arrived in my house as an ugly piece of utilitarian particle board. It was something my son-in-law picked up on a construction site. Apparently a hotel was renovating and had the good taste to toss this piece in favor of something nicer. At the time of its arrival my daughter and son-in-law were staying with us and closet space was at a premium, so as plain and drab as it was, the storage it provided was priceless.

The wardrobe after I spruced it up.

Shortly thereafter, my daughter and son-in-law found a home to rent. Rather than take this monstrosity with them they thought it would be nice for me to keep...you know, for the closet space. Acknowledging it actually was a useful item of furniture, I decided I had to figure out a way to make it fit in with my aesthetic.

My husband was putting crown molding up in the bathroom and it gave me an idea. With a little paint, some lovely wood appliques and molding strips I could make this look like a wardrobe I'd actually want to have in my house.

I was so excited by how well this project turned out I was inspired to do more.

It Begins

This blog will be an attempt to chronicle the adventures of two middle-aged ladies attempting the impossible: harness the power of the internet to share the joy we get from reclaiming, redecorating and then reusing old furniture.

We're planning on posting our flea market finds, painting techniques and finished products. We can't wait to get started, so stay tuned.