Drinks Trolley / Storage Cart

When I was growing up there was always an old drinks trolley on the corner of the lounge room. It didn't ever have drinks on it; there was always a variety of nic nacs, books or general 'stuff'. I always thought for its original purpose it looked pretty boring and needed a little colour, so...

I just love this as a piece of furniture - it can do anything! Prop up a vintage mirror, some of my nannas old books and a stack of magazines and it looks gorgeous and is great for storage. A perfect pop of colour in the lounge room; a great hall table; or I can even imagine it stacked with towels, bubbles and soap in a bathroom!

Arrange a retro drinks set and a few bottles of wine and it has another life again. (Yes I know. My drinks supply is rather sad, and you should see the dust on those things. Thing is, I'd take a chocolate over a wine any day!)

With this piece I spray painted it fire engine red, the rubbed it over wth black acrylic. I've kept the original wheels, they work perfectly and I love the patina developing on top.

With any luck this piece will be grabbing the attention of passers by at my first market stall in September. I should hear next week if I've been accepted, keep your fingers crossed for me!!

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Too Much Time on My Hands

Two Tone Drop Leaf Table

When I found this drop leaf table during an op shop / thrift store shop with my sister, I knew I had to take it home with me. I love the turned legs and think she's a perfect piece of furniture for someone tight on space.

I went with the same two tone style I used for my coffee table. This time though I used a pale blue grey for the under side, and distressed lightly. I used the same chocolate stain, but this time only gave it one coat to let the wood grain shine through. Here she is again...

The table top was in poor condition when I bought her; loads of little scratches and what looked like someones initials in the centre. But with a bit of sanding and some stain, the top has come up beautifully.

I thought I would leave you with one of my favourite finds. I picked this up at my local tender center - I couldn't believe it when i saw it sitting there; I'd being looking on ebay at them, but they were always out of my price range. She might be dirty, and a few of her keys skewiff, but it's love!

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Retro Coasters

I've been sewing a little lately, and came up with these.

I love retro tea towels, and there's always a good supply of them in the Op Shops/Thrift Stores around me. Some are a little worse for wear, or have sections that are worn or stained, and these are perfect for cutting into and making into coasters.

While I love the cool floral of the first set, but who doesn't love a bit of Australiana kitsch! A giant crocodile next to a scenic boat cruise - I love it!

My coasters are made from two fabric squares, about 11cm all round. I use vintage tea towels and denim, but you could use anything from your stash... I have a few coffee sacks in the stash that I also think would look very cool! I also add in a layer of wading to make them sit nicely.

After lots of encouragment from family and friends, I've gone ahead and set up a madeit store, Paisley Vintage. If you have time please head on over and check it out, and I'd love to hear your thoughts or feedback if you have any. I'm working on an etsy store too, but one thing at a time!

It's a crazy, scary adventure, but I'm ready for it!

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The Captains Chair Makeover - Industrial Style!

I picked up this chair at a local op shop / thrift store for next to nothing. Literally. Why? Someone had been stabbing it with scissors or some other sharp implement and had not only ruined the seat but had made huge holes in the wood. You can just make out the gouges in the arm rests - awful right?

SIGH. I have no idea why someone would want to destroy such a beautiful chair, but it made a great buy for me and my next project! And here it is!

My husband commented to me that alot of the painted furniture he'd seen was a bit on the feminine side. While I don't agree, I wanted to use this chair to create something I thought he would use in his office.

I've recovered the seat in an old coffee sack, and painted the chair a flat black. I've seen so many great projects using black lately that I wanted to give it a try. And I'm pretty impressed with how it worked out!

So what about you? Do you agree with DK that painted furniture can be a little on the feminine side? Or have you given a bit of black paint a try recently? 

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Antique Writing Desk

My latest project...

As soon as I saw this writing desk in the OP Shop / Thrift Store I knew it was coming home with me. Forget an already cramped car full of other furniture finds, this was gorgeous. Well, it could be...

I don't usually criticise the colour choices of others, but I have absolutely no idea why you would paint an antique writing desk in this green. Don't get me wrong, green can be beautiful, but this... isn't. For some reason it reminds me of my primary school uniform, and not in a good way!

I knew I wanted to take advantage of the closed interior to use a soft colour, so I found this gorgeous blue grey for the inside...

...and for a lotus flower on the front.

I don't know about anyone else, but I find getting the perfect knobs a little difficult. The stores near where I live have very basic (and a little ugly) ones, which were definitely not right for the piece. Lucky for me my sister pointed me in the direction of Ezibuy (who knew??) where I found the glass ones for this piece. I would love to hear where you source your drawer knobs - is it luck or do you have a tried and true source?

While I love this desk, it's another item I'm hoping to sell. Lucky me sold the entertainment unit I blogged about here, so I'm feeling good!

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