That's what I should name my new business. I change hobbies at least once a week and it's probably a problem. I am a woman of many interests; writing, doodling, sewing (clothes, dolls, etc - depending on the week), cooking, baking, crocheting, exercising...you get the idea. This week I've started on a new hobby: antiquing furniture. It all started when my mom dragged me to the antique store (kicking and screaming, I might add). Ever been to one of those? It's like everybody cleaned out Grandma and Grandpa's closet and brought their junk to one place. You can find anything at an antique store. Even just a bunch of garbage that nobody would ever want (think armless Skipper dolls). My mom went in looking for an old oil can for my stepdad. Of course she found one.
I was mildly interested until I came across something that I knew I had to have. Of course, the price tag on the antique china cabinet was $2500. But it was perfect for my dining room! So it got my mind a brewin'. What if I could find somebody's crappy discarded china cabinet on Craig's List and make it look like an antique? Suddenly my options were endless...and that's when I decided to create an antique-looking guest room. I have huge ideas: beautifully remade shelves, dresser, pictures on the walls...my mom even offered to make me a matching quilt. We picked up an adorable powder blue bed frame that was perfectly distressed. Now we just need to wait for J to move out of the room...haha (kind of).
We decided to hit the thrift stores first. There we found several cute shelves and a hanging quilt rack. I think I paid a whopping $12 for everything!
The first thing I did was sand everything down to a dull finish. That took a while but it was worth it. After that I painted them and let them dry. When they were perfectly dry I distressed them - sounds insane but I threw rocks at them, dropped them a few times and sanded down the edges to roughen them up (to give that worn down antiqued look). Then I gave them a nice polyurethane bath and called them complete!
The other day I picked up a dresser on Craig's List for $30. Solid wood that was beat up a little but that's a good thing in my book. Less rocks I have to chuck at it. I sanded it down (it took considerably longer than the shelves but it was good exercise, right?). Oh, I also removed all the spiders (EW!). Then I painted it and let it dry. Roughed it up and sanded it down again. Once it was dry I polyurethaned it and I will give it to the girls for their bedroom until J2 moves out and I can move it to the new guest room...unless I find something better for that room in the meantime
I'm still keeping my eye out for the perfect china cabinet...it's only a matter of time until I find just the right one! I'm also considering doing a vanity with mirror for the girls...we'll see where my ADHD takes me next!
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