A Houston Family Heirloom... The Piano Bench

Over my summer trip home to Houston I took on two more projects and one of them was the old family piano bench at my sister's house. My grandfather, on my dad's side, was a professional piano player in Miami and this was the piano he had in Miami. It was brought to Houston when my grandparents moved in with us in the late 80's.

Our house was always filled with music. I can still hear my grandfather playing old songs from his night club days and how he endlessly practiced his new sheet music for his Lutheran church where he played.  I learned how to play "She will be coming around the mountain" on this piano. Can I still play that today? No, but I have fond memories of my grandfather teaching me.

piano bench before

To reupholster this bench I used fabric, trim and studs picked out by my sister. She also monogramed her family initials on the top. The monogram added an elegant yet personal touch.

piano bench after

close up on the monogram

It turned out beautifully and now looks great in her family study.

linking to:

coastal charm
skip to my lou 
miss mustard seed

My Etsy Store

Many of you have asked where I sell my furniture, well besides my mini pop-up shop at festivals and trade shows you can also find Refurbished with Love furniture and home accent items here at my Etsy store, Refurbished with Love.

my etsy store

I do have many more things to add to my shop, I just need to find the time to take pictures! Therefore, thank you in advance for your patience. In addition to these items I have 4 lamps, 4 tables and a chair not shown in my online store. If there is anything in particular you are looking for please send me an email and I will send you images of more items.

Happy Shopping!

It's a chevron transformation!

Chevron, chevron and more chevron.. I can't get enough of it! Some of you may remember my 'old obsession of the week' post discussing the pattern chevron. Well, I have finally started to put those ideas into action! My first chevron project was this coral colored side table.

I picked up this table in northern New Jersey and instantly loved the shape of it with the curved edges and detailed legs. The table originally was white and the worst paint job I had ever seen. It had the thickest coat of white acrylic paint. In some parts I could literally peel it off in sheets and in other areas I had to used a heavy duty stripping solution twice! Once all the acrylic was removed, I painted it a base color of Behr's 'Cool Melon.' Then I stenciled on the chevron pattern and painted the stripes in Behr's 'Cool Lava.'

side table before 

close up on end table

end table after

Here is the second chevron project I recently completed.  I picked up this bench from the same place where I got the table. This poor bench was in bad shape when I picked it up, but I love the final product!

After some much needed TLC. I stained the wood a rich ebony and made a new cushion from the beautiful beautiful navy and white from Premiere Prints zig zag fabric.

chevron bench after - SOLD

I have more of this fabric left over and I think I will use it on my work stool!

Check back to see more pattern projects!

Antique Glazed 1950's Two Tier Side Table

I picked up this vintage side table on one of my many furniture hunting trips in New Jersey. This beautiful end table doesn't have a date on it, but after much research I have come to the conclusion it is either from the 1940's or 1950's. What drew me to the table was the curved detail on the top and the scalloped legs. Once I got the table home, my creative juices started flowing and I decided to paint the table 'Quilter's White.' I also added a decorative glaze to create an aged/vintage look. In my opinion, the dark cherry wood gave this table a very dated look, something you would find in your grandmother's house.

end table before

You may not be able to tell from the before picture, but this table has a draw.  Originally it didn't have a handle, therefore I added this Anthropologie draw pull.

end table after

A fresh coat of paint completely transformed this table from drab to fab and the draw pull is my favorite part! If you are interested in purchasing this antique end table visit my RefurbishedwithLove shop on Etsy.com.

linking to:

miss mustard seed
coastal charm

Shaken, Stirred or Straight Up Bar Cart

Recently I have been in love with bar carts of all varieties; metal, glass, wood all kinds. Bar carts can be a great addition to any large or small space.  Just imagine, in a large game room, a trendy cart on wheels helps to keep the party moving! In a small space, a bar cart helps to create a festive cocktail area without taking up too much space.

A couple months ago I found this bar cart on one of my furniture hunting trips. I instantly envisioned the changes I wanted to make but with juggling my other projects, I wasn’t able to refurbish it until this May. It was in need of some serious TLC!  Below are the before and after pictures of the beautiful cart.

bar cart before

I wanted the cart to have a vintage look and was inspired to write common bar terms on the top tier. Each word was hand stenciled and took a lot longer than I thought it would!

bar cart after

bar cart after

close up on top tier

close up on handle stencil

bottom tier

Here are some other great carts featured on Houzz.com. I especially love the gold bamboo cart by Bagues.

Bagues bar cart

Here is another by William Sonoma Home.

For those of you who are thinking, "I don't drink alcohol or need a bar cart". Let me tell you these carts can also be used a serving station, mobile desk or mobile end table. So next time you see a bart cart pick it up, take it home and tell me what you have done with it.

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elizabeth and co

Easy as A, B, C

I know this is very late, but here is the bookcase I refurbished for my niece, Sloane's, nursery over Christmas. I apologize for not having a before picture. Originally it was a dark cherry wood and my sister wanted something brighter for the room. Therefore, she chose a crisp white for the outside and a bright tangerine orange for the inside.

The nursery colors are lavender, pale orange and white.

bookcase after

It's Spring time for Craft festivals and Street Fairs

Spring time is upon us! The weather here in NJ / NY is amazing and it's that time of year for street festivals and craft fairs. This year, I have decided to participate in several going on in and around my area. I'm especially looking forward to the Hoboken Art & Music Festival on May ? due to the fact it is right outside my door! Talk about convenient!

Recently, I had my first festival in March at the Paramus Craft Show and fortunately, all my great experience in event planning helped me get organized. Here is a picture of my booth area. Please forgive the wrinkled tablecloth, it drove me crazy! I am definitely adding a handheld steamer to my list!

My allotted 8' x 10' space was stocked full with wine glasses, lamps, coaster, pillows and end tables. I have to say, the craft show was very interesting. There was a plethora of handmaid crafts from life size wooden rabbits to chenille stuffed carrots. I was actually the only furniture booth but my coasters sold like hot cakes! I used an assortment of colors and patterns and they turned out super cute! For the next fair I think I'll experiment by stamping them with a single letter with a background pattern for variation.

coasters

coasters

Lastly, a big shout out to my oh so awesome friend Rachael for volunteering her time and crafty work which made my first fair even better!! 

My next festival is May 6th the Hoboken Art & Music Festival and more to come.

If you are round come stop by and see me!