I'm Back, 2012 Look Out!!

It's been a while but... I'm back. Back to finding great things and giving them a second chance, an encore. Some of the things I've found were used to complete my new house and some were to launch a new career. I've chosen one word as my word for the year, Believe. I believe this will be a breakout year for me. 2012 Look Out , here I come.

These are the words that are sending me forward into 2012. Now before I start showing and sharing my latest projects I must show you what I did in 2011 afer the Great Move.  One of my projects was to give my daughter a new look for her new room. We kept the platform bed that I made her a couple of years ago and added a new dresser and chest. Here is a before and after look at the dresser. This dresser was my last find at a Salvation Army store in Metro Detroit. It was $35.

After a summer under a tarp ( supposedly protected from the rain) I discovered the top had warped and had to be replaced. Off to the Home Depot for a sheet of cabinet grade plywood,  and molding. Adding about $45 to the cost ! I know I can't claim this one was a deal but it looks so good I don't care. What do you think?

The mirror was a $4 find that I painted the same color as the dresser. The dresser and chest look white but 

are actually a very light gray. Just enough gray to not look white. LOL.  Drawer insets are a darker gray. Hardware was spray painted black and the whole thing got a couple of coats of polyacrylic. Here's the chest of drawers. I forgot to take a before picture, but you've seen this chest a million times in a million places.

This little baby was found at the Goodwill and I already had the paint. Notice the silver cylinder on this chest, that is a lamp base that I painted silver. It was cream but you might have noticed I have a thing for silver and shiny. Still looking for a lamp shade for it.

NEXT... My Bedroom

In addition to my love of silver and shiny is my love of chandaliers...

I was able to put up my chandalier that I had spray painted and strung beads to decorate.  $7.00 for fixture, can of spray paint, ( you guessed it, already had the paint), and about $6.00 for beads.

Next..

This vanity was purchsed at a yard sale in Southfield, Mi . It too traveled the highway unfinished to GA.  This late fall I got around to giving it an encore. Yes, I know it looks great as is but I wanted it to have a totally new look on life. 

This beauty was painted with the much talked about ASP Chalk paint. It has a matte gray finish highlighted in a shiny silver . It is finished off with a couple of coats of furniture wax. Great contrast to the shiny silver dresser with the inlaid mirror and the silver bedside tables ( both shown in earlier posts).

AND IN THIS CORNER...

The last project before Christmas decorating got under way was an upholstered headboard. Of course as I so often do, I forgot to take a before picture.  This headboard was the right shape and the right size and

goodness gracious, it was definitely the right price, $8.95!

 I wanted to bring more texture into the room so I went with a gray/silver no-wale corduroy. I created a design then had it enlarged at Kinkos for under $3.00. The design was approx. 32" x 28".

 Using dressmaking tracing paper I traced the design onto the fabric and  hand stitched cording to outline the design. I also added additional padding behind the design elements.

Havn't really come up with a cost but the fabric was $18.00. the copy was $3.00 the cording was $1.99 per spool ( needed 2) but used 40% off coupon at HL. I already had a roll of batting, so adding the $8.95 for the headboard itself I think as custom upholstered headboards go this was a good deal! How about you?

Here are the elements of the bedroom ...

Until the next time...

Hello from GA

After discovering that I am a hoarder ( mild case, not ready for Hoarding:Buried Alive) I have stored a lot of stuff and moved the rest to GA. I took a break from settling in and participated in the I Love Thrifting event in Atlanta on July 9, 2011. It was so cool!! I met a lot of really great ladies.  And thanks to my GPS I now can go back to the thrift stores that we visited. I did score some cute accessories. And in my excitement to give them an encore you know what I forgot, that's right, no before pictures. Well, what can I say, it's been a while since I've had a can of spray paint in my hands. Can you spell anxious!!  Stay tuned, pics to follow.

The last great encore from Detroit

I am up to my eyebrows in packing to move across the country. I shouldn't be looking on craigslist for anything else. But wait, let me explain. Here's what happened. While eating lunch on Friday, I decided to check craigslist for free moving boxes.  I'd been lucky on there before, well not this time. But right there calling my name was a 15 pane french door. For Free!! See, you wouldn't have turned your back on it either. Frame was fine only one broken pane. How much space could 1 door take up in the moving truck?  

Anyway a break from packing the gararge led to me trying to remove the moulding and taking out the panes of glass.  I'll stop there so you will just have to let your creative minds runs wild about the final project. Probably won't get but 1 more post before the big yellow truck heads from I-75 to my new home state of Georgia.



glass being removed from door.

If you have any creative uses for the door, share.



INTRODUCING... ME


Still working on my latest project, just waiting for paint to dry so I thought I take some time to tell you a little bit about myself. So...

Hi, my name is Tina and I am an incurable DIY girl. who's been creating home decor, holiday items and other fun, unique items for most of my life. Following a twist in the road a few years ago, I found myself divorced and on my own for the first time in my adult life ( marriage 3 weeks after college graduation sure seemed like a good idea, at the time)!!

Needing furniture on the cheap, I  headed to my local thrift store.  Little did I know it would be like Alice falling into Wonderland!!  That was the beginning of treasure hunting ( that's what  my daughter calls our visits to thrift stores) and a whole new world. I have taught myself how to refinish and upholster furniture and to look at someones' castoffs in a whole new light. I also make daily visits to some wonderful blogs that have helped me develop my skills.

I can't bring myself to call my finds junk, even if it was on the curb waiting for the garbage truck. They're more like extras waiting in the wings for, you guessed it, an Encore performance.

Encore Creations has become my passion. Like me, it is all about giving  a chair, a table, dresser or life an encore.  A second chance to do it all a little differently. Not looking at it based on it's past, but as a new creation full of potential and a great future. I truly feel that this small business will allow me to reach the true potential that God had planned for me all along. After all this gift of creativity that we have is a gift from Him. I plan to step out on faith and use my talents. 

While there's probably nothing earth shatteringly new here, nothing you couldn't probably do yourself, some ideas are just worth seeing again.  Maybe it will be just the right color combination, or unusual accessory.  Whatever it is, I  hope you enjoy, are inspired, captivated and encouraged by the pieces you find here.

...So, come on in, take a look around, come back as often as you can.  I hope you will live comments when you visit. After all what's a visit to someone "house" without conversation!! If you see anything that you'd like to buy, let me know, it's probably just waiting for you to give it an encore!! 

A Blast from the Past

TGIF.

Taking a minute to unwind and going through pictures that I have taken of projects.   Thought I'd share these with you.   These chairs were found at the Salvation Army store for little of nothing. But I didn't buy them right away, oh no, I left them unattended and just waiting for someone else to snatch  them up.  Riding home from the store, common sense caught up with me as I hit the freeway home.  How did I not buy those 4 chairs, yes 4 of them for under $50.00?!!!. I know what you're thinking, I know, but I did some fast talking and was able to get a good friend who lived near the store to go by and grab them up for me!!  At the time I didn't have room for them, but I was patient and about 2 years later, I moved. This is what they looked like when I bought them:


There are 3 like this and 1 arm chair.

There's a lot that could be said about this fabric but, I think I'll leave it unsaid!!
Saw a print in JoAnn's that I fell in love with but thought the entire set out of this would be too much. Too much print and too much money ( even with 50% off  sale) so I both some of the print and used a solid chenille that I had bought a lot of for another project. This is the encore:

If this fabric looks familiar, it is!! I used the same color combo on the off white cane chairs.

Anyway time to close, I've got paste wax on a new project waiting to be buffed!! Check back soon for more Encores!