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Pretty In Pink

March 24, 2015

Got a call the other day from one of my dearest girlfriends who was looking for a cute little desk for her bedroom.  She asked me if I thought I could find her one to fix up and make it her own.  I of course said, “Absolutely!”  I immediately started out on my search for a petite desk with potential.

The next day, Chris and I happened to stop by IKEA for a few supplies, and on the way home we made our usual “peak ins” at the neighborhood Goodwill stores.  I always beeline straight to the furniture section.  That day, there just happened to be a little desk left behind that was chipped up, scratched up, stained and missing a knob.

It definitely needed to be saved!  I immediately took a picture of the desk and sent it directly over to my girlfriend for the OK.  5 minutes later, the desk was hers. 🙂 Now I just needed to get to work.

My girlfriend knew exactly what she wanted.  She was a pink girl at heart, so she decided to go with Annie Sloan’s French Linen for the desk and a custom pink top with matching striped drawers.  I knew her taste, so this was nothing new to me.  Her kitchen chairs were pink…her living room coffee table was pink…so of course she would have a pop of pink in her bedroom/office!  How fun! I couldn’t wait to get started.

I started the desk project off by cleaning up the desk.  Yes I am definitely all about having unique pieces with imperfections all throughout my house, but this desk still needed some work to get it ready for painting.  The top of the desk and a few of the drawers were showing their age by the crackling of the paint.  Before I started painting, I made sure to fill in the crackled top with wood filler and sanded it down for a smooth finish.  If I would have painted directly over that imperfection, the paint would never have went on smooth and would forever continue to show cracking wear in sporadic  areas

Next, it was time for the Annie Sloan French Linen chalk paint…

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To add a pop of her favorite color, we decided to add stripes to the drawers in two different shades of pink.

I started by mixing a little Annie Sloan Old White to a little Annie Sloan Emperor’s Silk until I had the perfect shades of light pink and dark pink.

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I then painted all of the drawers the lighter shade of pink.

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added some blue painters tape….

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I painted the non-taped section the dark pink.

Annie Sloan French Linen Desk Emperors Silk & Old White Pink striped drawers & bling knobs.

 

 

I think they turned out great. What a cute pop of color!

Annie Sloan French Linen Desk Emperors Silk & Old White Pink striped drawers & bling knobs.

To finish it off, we changed out the old hardware for some new “bling”.

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and pulled it all together with a pink accented top!

Annie Sloan French Linen Desk Emperors Silk & Old White Pink striped drawers & bling knobs.

Her exact words were, “I LOVE IT!!! IT IS PERFECT!”

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 Another satisfied customer! 🙂

“For more information on any of our pieces or to have a piece custom reclaimed for you please send us a note”

Reclaimed Karma design 3

Staining Aint Easy!

March 19, 2015

In some ways this is a continuation of an earlier post about our adorable Kitchen/Dining room table  we sold to a cute new expecting mom.  Well, that same mom contacted us about a week later and said she had found chairs she would like to have stained to match the top of her new kitchen table.  My first thought was “No Problem! That’ll be EASY!”.  So I did what I love to do most…I signed my husband Chris up for the job. 🙂

After carefully staining the chairs in a beautiful Kona (chocolate) yummy color to match the table top,

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Chris ran out to buy his favorite polyurethane product Minwax-Satin Polyurethane Fast Drying Spray.  He came home and immediately sprayed those suckers down and waited for them to dry! He just knew he was done with the chairs and they were on their way to their new home!!!

So we called the customer and she headed right over to pick them up.  While waiting on her, I sat them out in our dining room, which has a huge window and brings in a ton of light.  As I glanced back at the chairs, I noticed that the light was making the chairs appear cloudy and milky!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!! I can’t send these home with our trusting customer looking like this!!!  Anyone that knows me knows that I don’t sell anything that I can’t proudly put our Reclaimed Karma stamp of approval on!  Call me a perfectionist…but that’s just how it is! I had to tell her it would be a few more days, and that she would have to make her way home once again without her chairs.

Back to the drawing board we went.  We spent some time that night researching online how to finish furniture with polyurethane and not have a “milky/cloudy” finish.  We decided that maybe our satin poly spray was the problem with this specific piece and decided to try the more detailed, time consuming way called…a can of high gloss polyurethane and a paint brush. 🙂

After carefully painting on another good layer of polyurethane and letting it dry for most of the next day, we knew we had found the answer.  They were looking awesome!

The next morning, I went into our work room to check on these infamous chairs and they still were looking beautiful.  The color was deep and rich, the shine was clear as day…but when I went to touch them, they felt gritty and rough.

Here we go again!!!  Back to my good friend “google” I went.  What the heck were we going to do? We can’t hand our work back to the customer and have it feeling like sand paper.  I found out quickly that many people have problems with staining their projects.  From the stain having brush strokes, to the finish coming out cloudy/milky, to the polyurethane drying gritty and rough.  It was normal!

One more trip to the hardware store to pick up:

1. Steel Wool (you could also use a VERY FINE GRIT Sand Paper 400-600 or even paper from a paper bag)

2. Buffing Towels

I started with sanding every inch of the chairs.  WARNING, when you do this, it will look dusty and cloudy and will look like you are ruining the poly top shine, but that’s why you have your buffing cloth.  After I sanded down my entire piece of furniture, I went back over it with my buffing towel and buffed the shine right back into the finish.  When I was done, the chairs were as smooth as a baby’s bottom and they shined like the sun!!! Even I was impressed!

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Long story short :-)…Staining Aint Easy Baby!!! If you know that it’s going to be a long detailed process when you walk into it, and you are prepared with the right tools from the start and prepared to take your time to do it right, you’ll be ok!

“For more information on any of our pieces or to have a piece custom reclaimed for you please send us a note”

Reclaimed Karma design 3

 

Not Your Average Entertainment Center!

March 2, 2015

So Chris comes home one day with a truck full of “goodies”! There had to be three credenza/buffets, a dresser, a coffee table and a few mirrors all piled up in there.  As I started to dig through the back of his truck, I noticed a large, beat up, beautiful piece of furniture that I thought might just be the exact piece I had been looking for!  You see, the owner of the company that cleans my home had mentioned that she was looking for a unique tv console/entertainment center to be the focal point of her living room.  The description she gave fit this piece of furniture crammed in the back of the truck perfectly…or at least I knew once I cleaned it up it would!  I couldn’t wait to get to work!!!

 

The project was pretty beat up, so I started by cleaning it off really good and then sanded down any bad edges, gouges or other imperfections.  Usually, when I am painting with Annie Sloan chalk paint, I don’t have to spend much time sanding because chalk paint is so versatile it seems to hide most problem areas, and on top of all that, I honestly believe those imperfections give the piece it’s true character.

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I will admit, however, this specific piece was even more damaged then the best chalk paint could cover.  The top of this credenza/buffet was veneer and it was on it’s last leg.  Now, reconstructing veneer is not always easy, but if you are willing to take your time and do it right, it can make all the difference in turning an old piece of “trash” into a new “treasure” in your home.

Chris helped me out with this part.  He started by filling in all of the chipped veneer areas with Elmer’s Wood Filler.  A word of advice, if you have a detailed big job, get the filler that comes in the “pint” containers and don’t forget the putty knife.  He took his time and tried to make sure the finish was as smooth as possible so as for it to dry without any imperfections.  I also found that the longer we let the filler dry, the easier it was to sand down to a perfect finish.  On average, we normally wait about an hour.

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Once the wood filler was dry, we used our new Skil Orbit Sander to smooth out the surface so it was ready to paint!  We really took our time on this part because we knew that if it was not sanded down to perfection, that where the filler stopped and the veneer started it would always be an eye sore to it’s new owner.

My husband always tells me what a perfectionist I am.  I wouldn’t say I’m a perfectionist, I just know what good work looks like and I don’t think our customers deserve anything less!

The buyer also mentioned that she would like the top two drawers converted into shelves.

It was finally time to paint!  I pulled out my old faithful…Annie Sloan Country Grey chalk paint (my favorite!) and went to work!  After two coats of chalk paint and a little extra distressing, the piece was really starting to take on a new life!

Instead of replacing the knobs and pulls, I decided to paint them the same color as I knew I was going to paint the top…Annie Sloan Graphite, which is

a grayish black.  Next it was on to the top.

Two coats of Annie Sloan clear wax over the entire piece and a little buffing elbow work…and…

HERE YOU GO!!!

Creatively Yours…

“Custom…Reclaimed.. Restored. We do it all! Send us a note.”

This Dresser is a Statement Piece!

February 1, 2015

As we made our move into our new home, it was time to get ride of all the “bachelor” furniture my husband had collected.  First to go was the big green nasty couch that every one of his friends has slept on.  It had to go! Next was the old rugs, worn out kitchen items and of course the half suede half leather furniture every bachelor pad in Atlanta had…needed to go!

Once we started to look at our master bedroom, we realized there really wasn’t anything to get rid of, but instead to the contrary, we NEEDED furniture.  We really didn’t have any storage, so I set out to find the perfect dresser.  I wanted something original and unique and I definitely wanted it to be a statement piece.  I looked at every furniture store and garage sale in town, and one day I ran across it.  It was a diamond in the rough.  A guy was selling it on craigslist for $35.  I had to have it!

With our room being a beautiful grey, taupe and shades of blue I decided Annie Sloan’s Aubusson Blue was the bold way to go!

As I started to paint the top of the dresser, I instantly fell in love with the color!  The deep beautiful rich blue was transforming this piece right before my eyes.

After two coats of Aubusson blue and two coats of Annie Sloan clear wax….the $35 dresser I had bought just the day before had turned into a priceless piece right before my eyes!

 


I even decided to keep the original hardware.  I thought it really complimented it.

This was the perfect addition to our eclectically beautiful master bedroom! Now it’s on to the next project….

“For more information on any of our pieces or to have a piece custom reclaimed for you please send us a note”

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Loving our Welcome Bench

February 1, 2015

I knew the hallway off our front door needed something, but couldn’t put my finger on what.  Chris came home one day with a truck load of furniture and near the bottom I found an old worn down storage chest.  It was an ugly chipped army green, and at first sight it just looked like a random piece of junk.  Then I started to think…

What if we stripped the paint off the chest, stained it a dark beautiful stain, maybe construct a cushion and cover it in burlap.  Wouldn’t that be fabulous!!

I was right.  It turned out perfectly.  I decided to add an antiqued metal detail to the front to just give it a little more uniqueness.

 

Topped it off with beautiful throw pillows…and “Wha lah”!

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Entryway seating complete! Now on to a beautiful mirror to fill the wall above.

“For more information on any of our pieces or maybe for us to “reclaim” one of your own, please send us a note.”

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Gorgeous J.K. Rishel Buffet/Credenza

February 1, 2015

I can’t believe I got this credenza/buffet for FREE! Granted, it didn’t look anything like it does now, but to find a J.K. Rishel piece that someone literally was ready to throw away was sooo awesome!  It may have even made my month!

I decided to paint this stunningly beautiful J.K. Rishel, solid wood buffet/credenza/sideboard in Annie Sloan chalk paint “Old White”.  I then lightly antiqued it and topped it off with two coats of Annie Sloan clear wax for a beautiful vintage/distressed finish and for extra protection.

 

This piece has very detailed drawers and edges and all seven drawers move and slide with ease. There is an abundance of storage with this piece, including shelving that would work perfect for any needs.

 

I so wish I had taken pictures of this baby before we brought it back to life.  This truly was one of my fave “reclaimed” projects!

“If you’d like more information on our pieces or on “reclaiming” one of your own, please send us a note”

Reclaimed Karma design 3

An Adorable Kitchen/Dining Room Table

January 19, 2015

The woman who sold this to me said it had been in her family 50+ year…I just knew I could bring it back to life!

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I immediately sought out my handy dandy assistant (my husband Chris) for help! 🙂 I asked him to help me sand down the top of the table (because I really wasn’t in love with the square design the tabletop had).  Chris grabbed our power sander and went to work!

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Next was the big decision..What color to stain the top??? Off we went to Home Depot to check out all the different stain colors.  After much debate we decided on rich deep chocolaty color “Kona”.  Screen Shot 2015-01-18 at 11.51.12 PM

I have to admit, it was a great choice.  I could tell from the first few strokes that it was going to look perfect!

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Ok, so with the tabletop looking Amazing, it was time to move on to the legs.  I decided to paint the legs an old white. The contrast turned out just like I imagined.  Perfect!

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The table has a removable leaf so you can easily adjust this table from seating 4-6 to seating 6-8 people with ease!  It even has a cute little drawer at each end of the table for your extra utensils or napkins.

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I’ve received many compliments on this table and I think it would be a beautiful addition to the perfect kitchen or dining room!

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With Leaf:

L: 83 1/2″
W: 39 1/2″
H: 30″

Without Leaf:
L: 65 1/2″
W: 39 1/2″
H: 30″

$225 (Sold)

If you’d like more information on this piece please send me a note!

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You’ll LOVE this Pallet Coffee Table!

December 1, 2014

Look what my husband picked up for us today!!! Pallets…Pallets and MORE Pallets!!!

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Although I was the one that initially started rehabbing furniture, I started to see that as Chris watched me day in and day out bring old pieces back to life, he started to ask more and more questions.  One day, I jumped on his iPad for something and noticed he had downloaded the Pinterest app (yes Pinterest!) and was looking at different pallet furniture online.  From there, he began to clear out more space for me in my office (the garage lol), he made me a logo…

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…and the rest was history!

Sooooo….I’m super excited about this coffee table! Chris decided he was going to try his hand at pallet furniture and I think he did AMAZING!  Remember those pallets above??? Well, he made this table out of reclaimed pallet wood and I think it is simply beautiful!

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I decided to stain the table top a dark chocolate brown, but painted sides and legs in Annie Sloan “old white” chalk pain.  I think the difference in color from top to bottom added even more beauty to this table.  It will definitely be a discussion piece in someone’s living room.

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Each sides of this table has a unique metal rustic detail.  Yep…Chris added that! It turned out amazing!

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I have gotten so many compliments on this coffee table in my living room as it waits to make a forever home in yours.

H: 17
W: 40
D: 40

$285-SOLD

 

Creatively Yours….

“Custom…Reclaimed…Restored. We do it all! Send us a note.”