aqua Archives - Prodigal Pieces

In DIY / Tutorials, Furniture, Home Decor, Project Gallery

Distress Paint with Petroleum Jelly

Earlier this week I showed you this vintage chest of drawers and promised you a makeover. I thought it would be fun to use this piece to show you how to easily distress paint to create texture and a feel of days gone by.

This chest of drawers had me drawn in when I first spied the legs, the height, and also the rose carved border along the bottom. It didn’t originally have casters, but I grabbed a few from my stash and stuck them on – already the chest improved. The drawers have damage and the previous owner had made some repairs that I was impressed with. The top was in great shape as well, but didn’t quite match the stain of the rest because it is a veneer with a different grain.

*post contains affiliate links so you can find the products I love to use too! (see full disclosure)

You know me and my love for a wood and paint combination like I just recently did with the other chest, so I decided to give the wood a fresh look. Out comes my sander and away we go! Read more

Larissa

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In Crafts, DIY / Tutorials, Furniture, Home Decor, Project Gallery, Thrifted

Aged Finish Created by using Paint

One of the most often questions I get asked by readers about my work is how I create an aged finish on my pieces. The kind of effect that tells a story of days gone by and looks as though it has been around for years. I recently acquired this vintage mirror with gorgeous ornate carvings from a good friend, and I thought it would be the perfect candidate to show you a quick and effective tutorial.

Now, don’t judge me by the mess in the reflection since we are still plugging away at our kitchen remodel, okay? If you want to stay updated on what we’re working on next in our remodel, just follow me on social media via the buttons on my sidebar.

This mirror had wonderful cracks in the carvings here and there and I love to see that for the character and charm alone, but the cowboy red had to go. Because it was missing pieces in several spots, (I don’t mind that at all) paint is one way to unify the piece.

To me, this mirror was begging to get the gilded treatment I gave my very first big vanity project and is my favorite thus far.

I called this gem My Painted Lady Read more

Larissa

16 Comments

In Furniture, Home Decor, Kids, Project Gallery

Garage Sale Freebie to Volkswagen Bus

Early this past spring, I was on the hunt for furniture for our girls room makeover. They had a mish-mosh of pieces that didn’t coordinate and needed more space. When I spied a local garage sale had a vintage French Provincial set, I hopped on over. (Bedroom makeover coming soon!) Turns out a good friend was helping her family with the sale and showed me this dresser. I instantly knew it would make a fantastic Volkswagen …oh yessss…

This is an Art Deco waterfall chest of drawers. It was marked $5 and she told me I could have it for FREE because it was junk. (Thank you, Julie!) Again, my brain says, “Bring it on!” Am I crazy? Maybe, but life is more fun that way.

So, now I have two Art Deco chest of drawers (or tall boys) awaiting new life and my first pick to work on was the second one. Read more

Larissa

133 Comments

In DIY / Tutorials, Furniture, Home Decor, Kids, Project Gallery

Why I Love My HomeRight Finish Max Paint Sprayer

There’s no denying that when you find something that makes your life easier and affords you more time for other tasks or pleasures in life, the first thing you want to do is tell others about it so they can benefit too. That, my friends, is what this post is all about. A few weeks ago I shared with you how much I adored my new toy, a paint sprayer called the HomeRight Finish Max , when I worked on this farmhouse dinette set (this post described using paint and poly).

Well, now that summer’s here and I’m able to be outside more doing my work, I’m having a blast (literally!) getting furniture done lickety-split. For instance, I’ve had this baby highchair needing a facelift, and if you’ve ever painted a chair before, you know how un-fun it is to paint spindles.

Ugh… you’re constantly checking for drips, incessantly brushing hoping for an even coat, right? All these reasons are exactly why I love my HomeRight sprayer. Yay!!

Larissa

161 Comments

In DIY / Tutorials, Furniture

Creating Layers of Love with Paint and Stain

Do you swoon when you see layers of paint and stain on the side of a barn with time-worn wear, or better yet, on a piece of furniture? I mean, there’s a story there. That chippy goodness tells the life of that piece, and what travels it’s had – those layers of love. No, I’m not crazy, but maybe a bit head-over heels with appreciation for the past. Let me show you how I go about creating layers of love.

Those layers I mentioned above speak to me telling me a bit about each change in life. For instance, the life of a table could be this: a table was built and stained and sold by the original creator. Then the new owner wore out the top with her kids meals and decided to throw on a coat of white paint to freshen it up. Eventually that same table heads to a garage sale, where a man purchases it to put in his garage and throws on a coat of blue paint because white gets too dirty….you get the idea!

When I am blessed enough to have such a piece come across my path, I try to find out as much as I can about it’s history so that when it’s no longer mine I can continue the story. But…sometimes it’s fun to create my own story by using paint and stain make something appear to have had a history.

Larissa

9 Comments

In Furniture, Home Decor, Project Gallery

Aqua Blue Table ~ My Favorite Furniture Color

Want to see my favorite aqua blue table makeover? Recently, a client of mine asked for a pair of nightstands to go with a dresser she had purchased from me, and so began the hunt. I love this part. I mean, what could be better than shopping for furniture? A new little flea market had opened downtown a few weeks ago and I wanted to stop in and see if they had anything suitable. They ended up being closed, but when I drove a couple stores down I noticed another place that I had seen before, but never stopped in.

WHOA…when I walked in the door I turned and said to my kids with excitement in my voice, “I really shouldn’t have found this place.” Furniture everywhere, and not your department store stuff. This is old, vintage, and absolutely lovely gems.

The guy had priced things accurately for their worth and no nightstands for my client, but that’s when I saw this beauty.

Table Before Makeover | Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com

Little lacking in the love department with it’s damaged veneer surface, but oooh the lines and legs of this piece!

Can you see the intricate geometric style inlaid pattern?

If you follow me on social media, I shared this picture with hesitation because I wasn’t sure if I would stick to my intentions of painting. Most of the time no one wants a stained piece – painted wins out every time.

There’s no way I could paint that gorgeous top, so I sanded it down and refreshed that old stain with a new coating, then finished with several coats of poly.

Now for the base. It took me a day to decide if I should paint. I really love wood, but those hand carved details were just begging to be drawn out. After much fretting, I dove in with my eyes closed and cringing. Seriously.

Can I just say that I LOVE how it turned out!

Antique Vintage Side Entry Table Gets an Aqua Blue Facelift by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces

I’ve already had people asking me about the color I used and the ironic part of this story is, I don’t know. This paint was one of my first scores from Home Depot’s “seconds” stash and I nearly fainted when I saw it. I have added it to the collection I’m creating for one day owning my own line of paint – we’ll see.

I ration this color out for special projects like my Art Deco waterfall dressing table…

Antique Vintage Art Deco Waterfall Dressing Table Vanity Gets an Aqua Blue Facelift by Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com

and my Bentwood rocker that I cross-stitched.

Antique Vintage Bentwood Rocking Chair Gets an Aqua Blue Facelift with Shabby Chic Crosstitch by Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com

This little table fit the bill, didn’t it?

Corner of Aqua Blue Table | Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com

So, what do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts….would you have painted or kept it wood? No regrets here, but curious if you would have done the same.

Antique Vintage Side Entry Table Gets an Aqua Blue Facelift by Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com

Damaged Table Before and After | Prodigal Pieces

There’s just something about how the paint draws out that woodwork, that wasn’t being showcased with stain.

Distressed Aqua Blue Table by Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com

Ornate Legs on Side Table by Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com

While this aqua blue table has already sold from my shop, you can peruse other furniture or request a custom piece done just for you. Now back to the nightstand search.

Shop Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com

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More projects like my aqua blue table makeover:

Larissa

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