Makeovers and a DIY Sign

I have done a couple small makeovers starting with this clock.

My Mom and Dad had given this to us about 20 years ago. I just don't care for the golden honey finish anymore.

I decided to give it a bit of a prim facelift with a coat of 'Mopboard' black and a little distressing with sandpaper followed by some 'Dark Walnut' stain. A little hint for getting in the small tight spots is to use an emery board - it works like a charm! The clock face was a very bright white. To age it some, I gave it a coat of 'Early American' stain and then wiped it down. That seemed to tone it down just enough.

Another quick makeover was this cute little Hurricane Lamp. Sorry, I forgot to take a before shot. I bought this at the 'Christmas Tree Shop' for $4.99. It was painted an odd shade of bright blue and not to my liking, so I gave it a coat of black. I like it much better now.

I bought these candle holders (and a few others) for next to nothing at the antique shop. Since I had my paint and brushes already to go, I gave them a quick makeover. Again, sorry no before shot - got to work on that. They were just stained brown before and I painted them black and sanded in a bit of distressing and a quick coat of 'Dark Walnut' stain.

This is my first DIY sign. Remember my 'Factory Cart Coffee Table' - we had replaced the wood on top with some old boards. Most of the original boards were pretty rough and not salvageable, but I was able to keep some of them and this is one of them. It is weathered so nicely. Instead of stenciling, I tried a new method of transferring a printed image directly onto the board with 'Elmers Glue' and 'Modge Podge'. There is a nice tutorial for this on the 'Matsutake Blog' .The grain on the board was raised pretty badly and I wasn't sure if it this method would work, but to my pleasant surprise it did and I am happy with the results.

This is a cute little sampler that I picked up from the 'The Wagon Shed' in 'Billerica, Mass'. The picture is not that great, but I thought it looked fitting next to my 'Whale Tail Sconce'.

And lastly, this is a cute 'Cranberry Scoop' that I picked up at the local antique shop. I purchased the prim floral spray from 'Frills and Furbelows' in Kingston, NH. The owner is a very nice lady and she always has the nicest things. Be sure to visit her shop if you are in the area.

Until next time ~ Suzanne.