It's Prime-tastic!

We had another decent day, so I dragged some more of the thrifted pieces out and set them up on my 'work tables'. 

At the moment, I don't have a dedicated space to do the dirty work - sanding and lots of priming/painting. That may never happen and I'm ok with that because I'm the queen of making do. Sawhorses and a board? Instant table. Old shower liner? Leakproof drop cloth. This solution adjusts to my needs, and is portable to boot. You can go crazy buying something that's specifically designed for a problem, but gadgets are endless. Figure out if you have something that will work just as well and spend the bucks on something truly worthy. Like cupcakes good tools ;) 

I read a great post from Donna at Funky Junk Interiors about doing 'Look and Learn' posts instead of just 'Show and Tell'. I'm going to try to do more tips and tutorials, along with the show and tells. You'll have to let me know what you're looking for and maybe I'll pick one and do it in the future.

I may have promised to finish something soon…well, nothing's done but a few pieces are well on their way! 

Remember how I said I loved this curvy piece? I loved it right up until it couldn't be sanded down with my palm sander. The entire piece needed to be hand-sanded…not my idea of fun. Oh well, it'll be worth it.

This little tote needs a little surgery - don't be afraid to make changes to something you see! I saw this and immediately saw it's potential…as long as the stars and heart were gone. Think something can't be changed? Well, if it was only 50 cents to begin with, what's the harm in trying?

After an experimental try with a scraper, I went all in with a screwdriver and hammer. Easy-peasy! No harm done and it's looking better already.

This little box was 80's-tastic. For all of you too young to remember the colors of the 80's - spongepainted peach was HOT as a home decor color (!) Fast forward to 2011 and it's a little unfortunate. This one required a little surgery also. One whack with a hammer and no more strange lid handle. More to come on her makeover. Think glamorous.

Progress - I was a priming fool!

See? First coat of priming is done and then it got too cold to do another (42 degrees). I like to use a stain-blocking latex primer and am using those little throw away foam brush/pad things. The final coats will be brushed on, and I'm debating whether or not to spray some things. As long as they're nicely done and subtle, I like brush strokes to a point…what about you? 

That's the progress so far. If the weather warms up again, I'll be able to do some more painting. After the painting, I'll take each piece and show you how to pretty-it-up. Hopefully, you'll see something that inspires a creative thrifting project of your own!

PS: Did you notice the painted piece in all that white? Here's another look (sorry, I was losing the light) - next up is a tutorial on how to decorate it.