7 Rehabilitation Station Nine Month Recap

Recently I had a lovely friend inquire as to where I find all of my Rehabilitation Station finds. What an excellent question, Mrs. Buie!

I think today is a great day to rewind and visit the history of my little friends. I completely understand if you have no interest whatsoever in this post. I am taking a purely selfish blog day and reliving all of my fast times with these good pals…

Rescued From: Habitat for Humanity ReStore

Oh Lady in Red, how I treasure thee. Not only was she my first “official” rehab, official in that she was the first I shared with you fine folks, but she also was by far my most bold. With an originally defective bottom right drawer, she left me no choice but to amputate her bottom two drawers, but in the end, she thanks me for it. Now updated and sassy, she is always the first to welcome guests to our humble abode.

Rescued From: Habitat for Humanity ReStore

This guy was made of solid wood and what a relief that was after working with our particle board princess/Lady in Red. We thought he would make for an excellent TV console table, and that he did…and still does.

Rescued From: Habitat for Humanity ReStore
This $5 gem of a window just needed a good scrub in order to make a fine addition to our mantle. An easy weeknight rehab and inexpensive space filler all in one!

Rescued From: A fabulous little lady named Melissa Bond
A coworker and friend of us Wilkersons just had these tables lounging around her storage unit, so we snagged them up and gave them new life. Thanks M. Bond, and no, you cannot have them back.

Rescued From: Habitat for Humanity ReStore
Alright now, this project definitely took the most imagination. Turning an old head and footboard from a crib into a headboard for a queen-sized bed was no ordinary project, but it was definitely a fun one!

Rescued From: Mom & Dad
I don’t think that this bed was ever officially given to me, but I just decided to give it a fresh coat of paint anyway. Don’t worry, my parents are used to this sort of behavior by now.

Rescued From: Arkansas Children’s Hospital
Don’t tell projects 1-6, but this fellow is definitely my favorite thus far. His spindly little legs turned me to butter and his price tag of nada wasn’t too shabby either.

Rescued From: Arkansas Children’s Hospital
Now don’t go around telling people that I steal furniture from hospitals. The acquisitions were totally legit. For the back story, click here.

Rescued From: Habitat for Humanity ReStore
Luckily for me, I grabbed these guys when they were half off at the Restore, also known as a little slice of rehab heaven on earth. At just $7.00 a pop, there was no way I could go wrong with my first crack at reupholstery.

Rescued From: A Family Member
A current rehab in the making. We will see how this lady turns out. So far, so good, but only time and a broken nail or two will tell.


Thanks for indulging me as I take a stroll down memory lane. I can’t believe how many projects I’ve acquired over the past nine months of this little blog of ours, and thank you for actually checking in to see the results!

-Cara

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1 Party Pics: Restore & After

 

 

A few weeks ago Habitat for Humanity hosted its first annual Restore & After event where local members of the community (including a few fabulous artists in their own right…and wannabes like me) rehabbed furniture for auction. Not only were hefty funds raised for a great cause, but a good time was definitely had by all. Take a gander…

Good times, good fun, and even better, as the never failing victim of unkind sneak attack photos, I was able to keep my awkward facial expressions to a minimum. An all around success!





PS...A huge thanks to Cara Beth Photography for capturing all of the fun on film! Click here to cruise on over to her blog and check out her work. 

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0 At Home in Arkansas: September Before & After

Our makeover maven Cara Wilkerson of Live the Home Life is back, and this time she has a furniture transformation that you can actually bring home with you! Read on for all the details…

Here we go again! Who’s up for a little furniture flipping fun? My hand is raised high and I have my fingers double crossed that yours is too. One of my favorite parts of any furniture rehab is the creative outlet it allows. However, truth be told, many times I crack open a can of paint without a plan in sight for the piece of furniture at hand. But over the course of a few days of adding a little of this here and a little of that there, I’m always surprised at the result. Sometimes I absolutely love the outcome, and other times, not so much. Regardless, the creative process gets my juices flowing and keeps me coming back for more. I tackled this month’s rehab with the exact same don’t-know-where-this-is-going-but-let’s-get-started-anyway gusto, and found myself dishing up a simple rehab with a twist. So let’s get the ball rolling by checking in with the before shots: a dusty little table in need of some creative intervention…click here for the how-to and after shots!

 

This table will also be up for grabs at the upcoming Restore & After fundraiser benefiting Habitat for Humanity. For more details and to snag your tickets, click here.

Happy Friday, y’all!

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3 ReStore Rehab: Round 2

Here we go again.

We just couldn't stay away. Not after the lovely lady that came into our lives after our last trip to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. So, we went back for more and found it. Restore Rehab: Round 2...

Unlike our particle board princess, this guy is solid wood and only cost us $25. Once primed, painted and accessorized, it will serve as a TV console table for our living room.

Our current TV stand has served us well but has been with us since Eric's days of bachelorhood and has definitely seen better days. While we like the color and plan to paint its replacement black, the laminate is chipping and it barely has enough storage space to house all of our DVDs and, more importantly, our old school Super Nintendo.


Check back to see the finished piece. Hopefully, he will make a handsome addition to our space.

-Cara

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8 Lady in Red

Earlier this month, during a trip to our local Habitat for Humanity ReStore, we came across an old dresser in desperate need of a face lift. We had a feeling that, with a little TLC, this particle board princess would serve as a lovely console table in our home. Well, after a bit of sanding, painting, and reconstructing, she is ready to make her debut!

Here she is when we found her at ReStore...

First, we had to clean her up and sand her down to create a suitable surface for the primer to stick to.


Then came the hundreds of coats of red paint. Not really hundreds, but at least four or five. Those of you who have ever painted anything red know that it is not an easy color to work with.

 

Next, we attached contemporary brushed nickel hardware. We also opted to scrap the bottom two drawers to add a shelf for two seagrass baskets. We decided early on to use the piece as a console table instead of a dresser, and this simple step gave the piece a whole new look.

 

Finally, after a lot of love and patience, our new console table is ready to roll. Here she is in all her glory!

Isn't she lovely? Okay, I'll stop with the song references. What is even more fantastic than the end result itself is the price tag.


Budget Breakdown:

Dresser . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25

Paint & Supplies . . . . . . .$20

Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . $18

Baskets . . . . . . . . . . . . . $30

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $93

For under $100, our entry way is no longer a neglected space, and we were able to gain more storage for odds and ends around the house. Not too shabby.

-Cara

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4 Caught Red Handed

I had a hot date Saturday evening with this soon-to-be handsome fella. In need of a major facelift, he and I spent a little time sweating it out in the carport.


Forget dinner and a movie, this ottoman and I had a rehab date planned. Obviously the first step was to free him of the layers of fabric and batting locking him into 1973. Not an easy task considering three layers of material equals three layers of nails & staples to pluck. One. By. One. It gave us plenty of time to get to know one another, and I thought we were really hitting it off…

…until I found out my furniture friend was cheating on me. Caught red handed, buried under the last layer of of batting I discovered a piece of paper with not one, not two, but three girls’ names complete with address.

 
No worries, ladies. I have the ultimate revenge planned. Instead of rehabbing him into a sleek and contemporary ottoman, I’m now thinking an ultra feminine fabric fit for a little girl’s room will suit him better. Much better.

PS…as the first of several rehabbed furniture pieces donated by moi for the upcoming Habitat for Humanity ReStore & After auction, this piece could be yours! Check back soon for more info on the fundraiser and to catch a sneak peek of the after shots.

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0 Restore & After: Recap of the Rehabs

With Habitat for Humanity’s Restore & After fundraiser just 24 hours away, my donation creations are officially a wrap. There may or may not be a pair of arm chairs that did not make the cut, but overall I’m pretty pleased with my donations that will be up for auction tomorrow evening. Let’s revisit the before & afters… 

Be sure to join us tomorrow as we ooh and ahh over all of the fabulously rehabbed items donated by folks much more talented than I. Click here for more info on the event and to reserve your tickets. I look forward to seeing you there!…and if you can’t join us, you can bet your tool belt I’ll meet you right back here with a full recap of the event.

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