Guest Bath Vanity

I just couldn’t pass up an old 1927 sewing machine when I saw it at a local thrift store.  It was calling my name!  I loved the scrollwork on the wood, the feel of it.  Originally, I was mesmerized by the actual sewing machine and wanted to turn it into a desk lamp.  That’s another post.  But the furniture piece was also lovely, and begging to become something.  So, I began scouring Craigslist, thrift stores and yard sales trying to find the top of a pedestal sink.  You all think Bear has all the hard work!  (That’s my brother.)  But sometimes it takes a bit of time and effort for the sourcing.  That’s right folks.  I’m patting my own back here.  Not to mention, it’s not always the best feeling when I pull up to my brother’s workshop with the two pieces you see below and tell him I want them to somehow become… something.  Luckily, Bear has talent, vision, and he’s a bit longsuffering where I”m concerned as well.

And this is where I, Bear, pick up.  So here is the base of the sewing machine.  I should have taken a picture when the Sewing Machine was still attached.  Also, here’s the random sink that Jenny found at a thrift store with hideous brass hardware.

After taking off all the hardware and removing the sewing machine, I place the sink on top to see what I'm working with, and what modifications I need to make to the top of the base (I also removed the very top of the base which was on hinges that covered the sewing machine when it was put away. The top which is not shown here will be the finished top of the sink).  Because the sink is from a pedestal, it is not level from front to back, nor is it perfectly symmetrical. I will need to notch out the back (right) end of the wood top by the same amount as the gap seen here to make the sink level.  I measure the depth needed to cut into the wood…

I set the skill saw to the depth measured, and marked the area that needed to be cut.  I cut strips into the wood so that I could chisel them out.  The wood then breaks off at the correct depth.  And here is a close up of the wood once the chiseling is complete.

Now the sink fits and the top is now level. Since the new vanity sink will need to sit flush with the wall, the lip on the back end of the base was also cut to be flush with the back of the sink.  To make a template of the sink to cut out of the top piece of wood, I used paper and tape to surround the sink for a rough stencil.


This is the stencil on the top piece of wood. The top piece was previously hinged to the piece seen earlier and acted as a cover for the sewing machine. As you can see, the pedestal sink is not exactly symmetrical. I outlined the stencil with a carpenter's pencil.  I glued and screwed the top to the base of the sink.

Since I wanted the wood top to look like one solid piece, I used wood filler to fill the cracks. I had to make sure I used "stainable" wood filler since I was going to be refinishing the top.  Since I wanted the wood top to look like one solid piece, I used wood filler to fill the cracks. I had to make sure I used "stainable" wood filler since I was going to be refinishing the top.

The sink was completely disassembled and cleaned using a wire brush. There was a lot of scum build up around the faucets and drain.  Base painted an off white semi gloss. Top taped to protect the top for staining.

The drain was going to be more of a hassle to remove than necessary. So I taped around it so I could refinish the brass.  I used a high quality spray paint to refinish the brass fixtures, and then sealed the paint with a sealing spray.  I was amazed at how great a finish the product produced!

 

This is the finished product. The top was sanded, re-stained, and sealed with polyurethane. The sink was placed into the top, and white silicone caulking was used to seal the sink to the top. All the hardware and front door were reattached.

So, now we’re debating… Should we sell it?  Or which of us gets to keep it?  I suppose it sort of defeats the purpose of our little business venture, if every time we make something, we want to keep it, right?  Oh, well.  On to the next project.  Thanks for stopping by!!

Up-Cycled Shirt

I had this shirt in my closet, and I liked all of the lacy trim, but I didn’t like how it fit, and decided to get rid of it.  I snatched it back out of the donate pile though, as inspiration struck.  I’d made a pillowcase dress before, and realized that if I removed the part of the shirt above the lace band, it could easily work.  (And with minimal sewing!)

I made a pair of linen pants to go with it, and used the “booby covers” that I’d cut off the shirt as back pockets.  I didn’t get a picture of the back of the pants, but it turned out really cute!  The only things I had to purchase were the ribbon, the fabric for the pants, and elastic.  In all, less than $8 for an outfit she wore to all the fall festivals.
If you need a good tutorial for pants, HERE is the one that I purchased off of Etsy.  The lady walks you through, step by step, exactly how to make pants!  Super Easy!!
Thanks,

Shutter Sofa Table

We've finished another project!  For those of you who don't know, my brother (Bear) and I work together to create these furniture pieces from mostly found, recycled, and thrifted materials.  This piece is special to me.  I'd actually found this old shutter at a large antique show.  I had hoped to use it for something at my house (I can't even remember what I wanted to do with it now) but it didn't work, and I had this gorgeous shutter just lying around.  I scored the legs at our neighborhood thrift store for $5 total!!  I knew exactly what I wanted, and as usual, my brother not only came through, but made it even better than I'd imagined!  He's pretty awesome like that.

So, first, the finished project.



I started with the inspiration of an old wooden shutter and some pretty cool metal legs.  A couple of metal baskets scored at a thrift store got added to the pile.  I didn't have to think long and hard over this one.  (Seems pretty obvious, right?)  So at this point, I handed everything over to Bear.

And that's where I (Bear) came in.  I cleaned the shutter using vinegar and water.

Since the shutter had varying widths of end pieces, I cut the one to match the other.


The legs used were metal, and I wanted an aged look to them, so I used paint stripper to soften the paint.

After scraping the legs to expose some of the metal, I places all four legs in a bucket of water for a few days so rust could develop, giving them more of an aged feel.

The base of the table was constructed using white pine. I first stained the wood, then immediately applied white paint.

Since the stain was still relatively wet, it made  scraping the paint much easier. I liked this approach better than sanding because I didn’t want the white of the pine to come out.  This is a look at the paint scraped immediately after applying the paint. It leaves a nice residue.

The first picture shows “Hand scraped”.  The longer you let the paint set, the different looks the scraping will produce.  The last photo is when the paint was nearly dry. The scraping gives a more choppy look to it.

The wood pieces are cut down, and the legs attached.

Since the legs were metal, I wanted the table to have a vintage industrial feel to it.

I decided to go with these metal plates and screws.  The shutter was going to be hinged to the back legs, so that it could open to reveal metal baskets inside. To do this I had to cut on of the supports off the back using a grinding wheel.

To screw into metal, you have to use self-tapping screws. I wanted the same screws to use for the wood also, except that it isn't a good idea to use self tapping screws to fasten to wood. The end of a self tapping screw is made like a drill bit, and if it were drilled into the wood, it would make a whole too big to allow for proper fastening. Therefore I also used the grinder to make a nail-head at the end of each screw going into the wood.

The metal baskets were just too large to fit into the table. They were too wide. So again I used my grinder to remove the spokes on the side of the baskets. There are two small and one large depth baskets. When the large basket was modified, the connection to the side was lost. Therefore, I used one of the spokes to create a connection to the other side by bending it around each other. This created a more stable basket.
 
There were also handles on the baskets that had to be removed. I grinded those off so that the baskets could lay flush with the top of the table base.  This is what the large basket looked like after the modifications to fit into the table.

And now the baskets fit perfectly.  The larger basket, sinking lower, is visible when the table is closed.  (I love the idea of placing a stack of antique books in this basket since they would be visible!)  The baskets match the hardware of the legs.  And then, there is a better look at the baskets underneath the table.


The top has the original coloring. A coat of poly-acrylic was used to seal it and give it a nice shine.  And that is, step-by-step, how I made a table from an antique shutter and four metal legs!

TA-DA!!!!