River Bank{er} Barrister Bookcase

This post could easily be titled . . . I'll get by ♫ "With a Little Help from My Friends" ♪ . . . 

Our story begins when my friend Monica snags a well-worn Barrister Bookcase at a garage sale and 

brings it by my Humblenest, sharing the love and asking me if I could do anything with it.  

'Heck Yeah!'

He (I tend to refer to my projects in either the masculine or feminine sense -- not sure why :-) . . . 

needed a base to bring him up to standard console / sofa table height . . .

 plus, I thought he needed a little more weight on the bottom.

At first I wasn't sure how to approach this task . . . 

My bookcase wasn't a standard size to simply use a ready-made base,
and to be honest I wasn't too keen on the style.

So . . . I used 4 solid wood, corner feet and added a bit of rope molding to increase the 'curve' appeal.

My brother in law (friend 2) and his handy nail-gun and miter saw helped to 

make his new parts and original parts all come together nicely.

I knew I was going to paint and distress this piece -- allowing a bit of the stained wood to show through.

Since the new molding and corner feet were not stained I painted them first with a dark brown . . . 

I didn't have any dark brown chalk paint, but a friend did :)
So a quick call and short road trip and I had a sample of Virginia Chestnut (CeCe Caldwell's)
from my friend Allison . . . (friend #3 if you are keeping tabs).

My color inspiration came from an unlikely source . . . a salad plate:

from my 8 Great Ways to Set a Place for Dad blog-post

The plate is called Riverstone and the color is a warm grayish-blue with a medallion in taupe.

I painted the interior (and I apologize that I didn't open the glass doors!) in Annie Sloan's Country Grey
topped with clear wax and lots of dark wax to really bring warmth and depth to the piece.

The interior really turned out nice  . . . though it was a real workout on my arms to achieve!

For the exterior I created a custom color mixing :::
3/4 Annie Sloan's Graphite and 1/4 Annie Sloan's French Linen  {a YuMMy Color I will use Again!}.

He received a few sweet coats of my custom color and a bit of distressing.  

Lots of clear wax, with a bit of dark wax on his curves.

I also changed out his original hardware -- going with a wider knob, 

that was also a bit more masculine, in a oil-rubbed bronze.

Here is a great tip I picked up from This Old House for painting the wood around windows 

that worked perfectly for painting the glass doors.

Use Pages from an old magazines to keep glass paint-free (Frontgate's catalog was 

the perfect size for this project).  Simply wet the edges of magazine pages and press them 

onto the panes. After painting, the magazine paper peels off easily.

He was distressed in all the right places (kind of like Tom Selleck in Magnum P.I. -- am I dating myself?).

Here he seemed to enjoy strutting his custom color in the sunshine.

He left my life too soon . . . he was sold at 'my shop' almost as soon as he came in.

He brought friends into my life and I made a new designer friend, Deborah, in the process.

Deborah proudly owns River and we both couldn't be more pleased.

Thank you for stopping in!  I always love to see a friendly face :)

Here is where me and River are linking up this week:

Miss Mustard Seed                                              Funky Junk Interior's Saturday Night Special

Elizabeth & Co.                                                    Savvy Southern Style
Under the Table & Dreaming                               I Heart Naptime
Nifty Thrifty Sunday                                              Coastal Charm
French Country Cottage                                      The Shabby Nest
My Romantic Home                                             Mod Vintage Life
Between Naps on the Porch                                Homemaker on a Dime
Not Just a Housewife                                           The DIY Dreamer
Southern Lovely                                                   Fine Craft Guild
Uncommon Slice of Suburia                                Home Stories from AtoZ
From My Front Porch to Yours                            Stone Gable
Jennifer Rizzo                                                      Common Ground
Redoux Interiors                                                   The Charm of Home                                              
Say Not Sweet Anne                                            Fox Hollow Cottage
Too Much Time on My Hands                              Tater Tots & Jello   
Pieced Pastimes                                                 Finding Silver Pennies
Three Mango Seeds                                            The Tablescaper
The Rustic Pig                                                     Alderberry Hill
Uncommon Designs                                            Shades of Amber
Married Filing Jointly                                             Salt Tree Social
If it ain't Baroque                                                  Homemaker on a Dime
A Stroll through Life                                              Lil' Luna
Blue Egg Brown Nest                                            House of Hepworths
Life We Live 4                                                       A Bowl Full of Lemons
Practically Functional                                             Wait Til You Father Gets Home
Six Sisters Stuff                                                     Love & Laundry
Flamingo Toes                                                       DiY Showoff
PJH Designs                                                          The Dedicated House
Cozy Little House                                                  Thrifty Decor Chick

DIY Beverage Cart --- or How to invite a Changing Table to a Party.

Forecast calls for Cool Breezes with a Good Chance for Cocktails by the Fire!

With a beverage cart your 'party' can go anywhere! 

If you want your guest to congregate on the patio, or perhaps by the fire . . . 

just roll your beverage cart out and fill it up with every thing a well-stocked party needs!

Our beverage cart wasn't always such a party girl.   I found my stable, reliable friend in a garage sale. 

She was once a hard-working Jenny Lind changing table; 

that is until she got her invitation to PARTY!

I gave her a pair of party shoes {a.k.a. casters} and

dressed her from head to toe in Annie Sloan's Duck Egg Blue. 

Accented her with Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint in Versailles 

. . . simply by dry brushing and adding a swirly graphic on her top.  

Gave her a wax and a buff (kind of like a trip to the spa ;)

Now, she was feeling pretty, but also needed a little BLiNG . . . it IS a Party after all!

A little touch of Gilding Wax in King . . . 

. . . was all she needed to feel like a QUEEN!

I applied the gilding wax using a tiny paint brush, and boy does that stuff shine!  

Gorgeous!

Now she was dressed for the Party . . .

. . . so it was time to Accessorize with all our Cocktail Party Essentials.

I love how our martini glasses mimic her spindles. 

She was once sequestered to the nursery . . . now she is dressed and ready to join the party!

Thank you for joining me for her debutante party!  

This beauty is available at my 'shop' in the Vineyards Antique Mall and is ready to Party with You!

What's that?  Okay . . . one last curtain call ;)

Here is where Me and my Party Cart are Partying this week! :::

Miss Mustard Seed                                               Funky Junk Interior's Saturday Night Special

Elizabeth & Co.                                                    Savvy Southern Style
Under the Table & Dreaming                                 I Heart Naptime
Nifty Thrifty Sunday                                              Cowgirl Up
French Country Cottage                                        The Shabby Nest
My Romantic Home                                              Mod Vintage Life
Between Naps on the Porch                                  Homemaker on a Dime
Not Just a Housewife                                            The DIY Dreamer
Southern Lovely                                                    Fine Craft Guild
Uncommon Slice of Suburia                                   Home Stories from AtoZ
From My Front Porch to Yours                             Stone Gable
Jennifer Rizzo                                                        Common Ground
Redoux Interiors                                                    The Charm of Home                                             
Say Not Sweet Anne                                             Fox Hollow Cottage
Too Much Time on My Hands                               Tater Tots & Jello  
Pieced Pastimes                                                     Finding Silver Pennies
Three Mango Seeds                                              The Tablescaper
The Rustic Pig                                                        Alderberry Hill
Uncommon Designs                                               Shades of Amber
Married Filing Jointly                                              Salt Tree Social
If it ain't Baroque                                                    Homemaker on a Dime
A Stroll through Life                                               Lil' Luna
X0X0Rebecca                                                       Blue Egg Brown Nest
House of Hepworths

I'm BAaaacccCK . . . Changing Table to Kitchen Hutch

Let me start my offering my sincere apologies for being absent from the blog world for far too long!
I am SO Glad to Be Back and Giddy to Share a Thousand-and-One projects with you!  Many seasonal decorating ideas will probably have to wait until their next season -- but the furniture makeovers will be shared away!

I opened a booth in a local antique mall at the end of last September and had a blast thrifting for treasures to fill it with . . . and of course learning A LOT along the way . . . as you will hear more about later.

I revamped this baby changing table into a stylish kitchen hutch last October . . .

. . . here is a side by side BEFORE {blah yellowish 'wood'} and AFTER {yum coolness}:

I bought 'her' from a local family who no longer needed her . . . and while I didn't 'need' her either, I knew she could be more than just nursery furniture and could provide fabulous kitchen storage for a hip young couple (again not me -- it is just who I imagined would fall in love with her -- ever do that?).

I replaced her flimsy hutch backing with bead-board that I had cut to size at Lowe's.

She was painted with multiple coats of Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint goodness in Old Ocher and French Linen.  I applied a combination of clear and dark wax to the French Linen (hutch back & 'counter tops'), 

and just used clear wax on the Old Ocher.

The interiors were painted in Duck Egg Blue for a bit of happy!

All the hardware was purchased at Pottery Barn {yay coupons!} . . . 

I love the 'ice box latch' for the cabinet door -- coolness!

I hand-wrote the labels for the 'bin' drawer pulls, and included additional labels 

for the new {hip} owners to change out as needed.

I was really happy with how she turned out . . . but I hope to stick to real wood furniture going forward.

She sold rather quickly in my shop {yay, income producing hobbies!} 

and is making a hip-young couple very happy in her new home!

Thank YOU so much for stopping in -- I will be sharing more soon (I promise)!

Click on the links to see all the fun blogs I am sharing with today:

• Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday       Funky Junk Interior's Saturday Night Special
• Elizabeth & Co.                                                    Savvy Southern Style
• Someday Crafts                                                    {Primp}
• French Country Cottage                                        The Shabby Nest
• My Romantic Home                                              The Better Half
• Between Naps on the Porch                                  Thrifty Decor Chick
• Not Just a Housewife                                            DIY by Design
• Southern Lovely                                                    Fine Craft Guild 
• Cedar Hill Ranch                                                   Uncommon Slice of Suburia
• From My Front Porch to Yours                             Stone Gable 
• The Thrifty Groove                                                Common Ground
• Redoux Interiors                                                    The Charm of Home
• Jennifer Rizzo                                                         Chic on a Shoestring
• The Shabby Nest                                                   Fox Hollow Cottage
• Too Much Time on My Hands                               Tater Tots & Jello     
• Pieced Pastimes                                                     Finding Silver Pennies
• Three Mango Seeds                                               Shades of Amber

PoP of CoLoR for the Porch with a Ladder Style Makeover

Sometimes the best ideas are simple.  

And this year my fall decorating belongs in the simple category . . .

bringing together all the beauty of fall in an uncomplicated manner.

I adore the warm colors of fall -- but when it comes to my back porch 

(which is already a rustic brown), I need to liven things up with a PoP of CoLoR!

And that PoP came from an unexpected purchase . . . 

. . . a dusty Bamboo Style Ladder Shelf that wasn't feeling 'the love'.  

The previous owner wanted to lose it because her toddler son 

couldn't resist using it to practice his climbing skills (owner's picture -- see her cute climber?)

 Can you blame him?

So I picked it up, cleaned it up and gave it the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint treatment . . . 

in a gorgeous Florence with a dark wax finish.

This ladder shelf was exactly what my porch was looking for . . . 

after all, who doesn't need a display piece on their porch?

And I am in love with the color!  Running my hands along the finish . . . I seem to hear a sigh of gratitude.

The details are now apparent and the shelves are no longer being climbed . . . 

well, perhaps a hungry pest may climb them . . .

. . . in search of that tasty Indian Corn.

But as I see this gorgeous PoP of Color from my screen door as I type this . . . 

I know we will be enjoying this piece for a while, and that 

I will not be leaving the corn out for any pests that happen to pass by :)

P.S.  Do you own a furniture piece that isn't working for you?  

Give it new life or sell it to someone who will -- psst . . . I'm in the Dallas / Fort Worth area :)

Thanks so much for stopping in!  Hope you are having a Fabulous Day!

Linking Up With :::

•  Southern Hospitality's Fall Porch Makeover

•  Primp Junction's Primp Your Stuff Wednesday

•  Stone Gable's Tutorials Tips and Tidbits

•  Mod Vintage Life's Mod Mix Monday

•  At the Picket Fence's Inspiration Friday

•  Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday

•  Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

•  My RePurposed Life

•  36th Avenue's Party Time

•  So Very Cheri Countdown to Fall

•  Ivy and Elephant What's It Wednesday

•  Funky Junk Interiors SNS

•  My 1929 Charmer's Sunday's Best

•  Between Naps on the Porch's Metamorphosis Monday

•  Carter's Cottage's Monday Muse

•  2805's Potpourri Party

My entry into 2805's Potpourri Friday Party is sponsored by Appliances Online.

Quick, Grab Your Paint {Sconce Makeover}

A quick story about a little resin sconce that wanted to be noticed . . .

My office is paneled . . .

I love the warmth of wood paneling in certain spaces -- and this is one of those spaces :)

. . . and in desperate need of a makeover.  But I have yet to envision the end result -- but I know the built in bookcase will be a part of it.

Above I had a cross to the far left on the wall -- I picked up this sconce for a great price and thought a little candlelight would be a nice touch on the wall.

And yes, candlelight is nice, but the sconce almost blended in to the wall :( and was ignored unless a candle was lit.  It really just needed some COLOR ☼.

I mixed up a bit of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint -- attempting to match the Chief's turquoise pants.  I didn't have any Provence on hand, so I used Aubusson Blue and Arles Yellow with a wee bit of Old White . . . and the result was not too far off :)

I painted the sconce and gave it a colorful new life.  Then I sanded it . . .

. . . to highlight it's beautiful curves.

And gave it a bit of brown glaze . . .

. . .  to show off it's 'carved' details.

And the turquoise sconce now lives happily on the wall getting the attention it so desperately was seeking.

The End!

Psst -- any hints on what color the built-in bookcase / credenza should be?   All suggestions welcome . . . what about a washed black (with lots of wood grain showing)?

Linking Up With :::

•  A.K.A. Designs Doin' it Yourself

•  Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special

•  Redoux It at Redoux Interiors

•  Between Naps on the Porch's Metamorphosis Monday

•  Shades of Amber Chalk Paint Party