Faux suitcase chest

Faux suitcase chest

I picked up this chest of drawers ,

looking a little the worse for wear.

Missing a couple of knobs and

generally tatty.

Structurally sound and ready for

a revamp.

 

Remnants of upholstery fabric,

A few dismantled handbags

and random bits and bobs

to create suitcase fronts

BIG MISTAKE! 

I am inclined to get a little carried away and spent hours upholstering my suitcase fronts onto the drawers, added handles and clasps and studs.

ONLY TO DISCOVER......

The drawers didn't fit. I didn't account for the upholstery adding to the depth of the drawers

Could have kicked myself :(

Only one option, strip off my work and plane a little off all three drawers.

GOT THERE IN THE END

FAUX SUITCASE CHEST.

A pair of chairs

A pair of chairs to a bench

I had two of these chairs, one of which was beyond repair and half painted, I enlisted a partner in crime, well bullied big bro into helping. He removed the backs off the chairs and framed the two together :) 

I added a lathe of wood either side inside the frame to hold the seat, cut planks to size and screwed them in place.

I painted the frame with a grey undercoat and then sprayed with rustoleum's graphite.

Then sanded back the finish in places to give the piece a distressed look.

I cut a 2" foam to size.

Lastly I covered the seat pad in a grey linen upholstery fabric and my two old chairs are now a bench.

Pair Of Wardrobes Revamp

I had been looking for 2 wardrobes for a while. These are actually a his and hers set.

They are the same in every way apart from one being slightly deeper than the other.

Beautifully made solid wood pieces but all that varnish....pre-loved for sure. Sanding was a whole days entertainment. old style wooden knob handles dowelled into the doors, an effort to remove.

two coats of primer followed by two coats of satin finish gloss inside and out

Added a little glass knob and baskets to the shelves

A bit of an effort to do the two but worth it I think.

1950's china cabinet re purpose

1950's China Cabinet Re purpose

Charity shop find!

Glass doors had to go

I had originally planned on painting this but it was so shiny that I wasn't confident of getting a good finish.

A wee cheat that I have used a few times is good old contact. a bit of careful cutting, peel the back and stick it on.

I redone the inside and the out side with the contact, Returned the original glass shelves and finally added an LED light

 Okay so it no longer displays china but has found a home and houses lady Jane's vast array of cosmetics. I added a ring to the side to slot the hairdryer into .

Previous project 

The little Mackenzie child inspired drum stool has also found a home

Inspired by Mackenzie Childs

Retro geek to Harlequin chic

 

Not much to dismantling this one.
just remove the upholstered pad and
screw off the top.

masked out my harlequin pattern using
green frog tape.

Thought about masking off the white to paint the black but decided to test my steady hand and paint it free hand.

added a little gold stud on the points of the diamonds, and a band of gold top and bottom.

I upholstered the pad in black velvet adding a white button at the centre. A row of studs on the lip of the top panel.

Screwed it all back together. 
Inspired by mackenzie childs

Beautiful bird bath

I bought this piece months ago off my buddy Stanley. The peeling paint and rust came free but I kind of thought I have loads of time between now and Christmas to strip and re-do. Me being me I started it on Sunday 18th Dec.......last minute .com as usual

First job involved a lot of scraping and a good deal of a wire brush. On number one sons advice I decided to treat with a rust stabiliser 

This one from hammerite is a really easy process, just paint it on. It turns a blue/Black and can be painted after 3 hours.

I really would have loved to have kept this finish but it wouldn't last in the garden

First coat was an undercoat, followed by 2 coats high gloss metal paint, branch and beak in gold. 
This piece has a bit of weight to it and so will be perfectly suited to its final destination. Donegal coastal gardens.......Everything can and does take off in the wind

Definitely not wrapping this Christmas present but can't wait to give.