This has been a fun week over at my friend Karen Ehman’s blog as she is doing Vintage Homemaking with over a dozen different bloggers, and I’m so excited to get be a part of it!
Today is my day to be featured on Karen’s blog, so if you’re visiting me from her site, then welcome!
Every day has held great information, tips and how to’s about gardening, canning veggies, throwing vintage parties, hospitality, baking, and vintage hair and make up styles – and there are lots of giveaways of great stuff! So if you haven’t been involved this week yet, visit her blog to see all the posts and find out how to enter to win great stuff!
I’d love to stay connected with you too – so consider subscribing to my blog to the right in the blue box, or connecting with me on FACEBOOK, TWITTER and PINTEREST. You can also “like” the Stressed Less Living Facebook page and receive weekly tips on managing your stress and anxiety.
Below is my how-to video about turning old antique furniture into beautiful shabby chic furniture.You’ll see how we turned an old chest, and an old side table, into beautiful vintage pieces. (I have to give my daughter Morgan kudos because she’s the one that got us all interested in doing this, since she was trying to furnish her new apartment on a budget!)
If you are receiving this post in email and cannot view the video, please CLICK HERE. Check out the before and after photos below the video to see some of the other unique old stuff we turned into special decorative treasures for our homes. (Please excuse my extremely messy garage which became a disaster during all our projects!)
I will be giving away a $20 Lowes gift card to one lucky winner which can be used towards getting started on creating their own shabby chic furniture and home decor. Winner to be announced here on September 3rd.
To enter to win, leave a comment stating something new you’d like to do for your home, or a special project you’ve wanted to tackle but have been putting off.
The cedar chest shown in the video was turned into a table, being used in my daughter’s living room.
Photos of the finished end table for my den, which was shown in the video.
Old, dirty, antique door turned into a beautiful and unique wall decoration.
Another old door turned into a jewelry holder which my daughter Kaitlyn helped create and is using in her bedroom. Each door only costs $12 at a junkyard, and the only other expense was a $10 quart of paint.
An antique desk Morgan is now using in her apartment – $30 at a junkyard.
Traditional cherry bedside table purchased for $25 at a thrift shop and transformed into a new, trendy piece.
Old fashioned kitchen table turned college apartment friendly. $15.00
Don’t forget to visit Karen’s blog to check out all the other vintage homemaking blogger tips from this week and find out how to enter each of the fun giveaways!
These pieces turned out great! I actually think I can do this! Off to the thrift store when the boys return to school next week 🙂 Thanks for the great ideas!
I would love to try any of these. I have several pieces at my Mom’s house that she left to me. WOW! These are all beautiful!
I’ve been wanting to tackle a redo of our bathroom. I’d love a free-standing vanity with a basin sink!
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Love your pieces. I’m slowing working on my entire house. I have a number of chests/dressers that I want to paint and make them more shabby – I love the freshness of the white furniture. Thanks.
Very inspiring! I have some furniture already that I could create something like you’ve shown here. Thinking!!!!
Your pieces are gorgeous! I’ve been wanting to tackle some side tables for a while now! =)
Love how the pieces turned out – especially the cedar chest! I have an antique table from my grandma that is used as an end table in my living room. It’s still in great shape, but I’d love to give it a distressed look!
We are redoing our kids bedroom. I have a dresser that I want to repaint and give it a new shabby chic look to match their new room.
I’ve been wanting to repaint a bookshelf that’s been sitting in my garage for awhile…
I have been searching and trying to come up with something to replace a wooden stand in our kitchen. I think I’ve finally decided on stacking crates, but I’m having a hard time finding some at a reasonable price. One of Karen’s bloggers, had info on staining with coffee, so I think I’m going to try it. Wish me luck!
So inspired to run and check out the thrift store. I need a table for a front entryway!
Joy – dont forget yard sales, antique junk yards and listings on Craigs List too – you’d be amazed what you can find!
We have been working on “remodeling” our house for about 5 years with not much accomplished. I have decided to do a lot of the updating myself and I have recently been looking for DIY projects to get started on. I love the pieces you transformed and I am excited to get started!!!
I have all hand-me-down furniture in my living room that is wood. I really want to paint it all white to go for a coastal look. I know there is some sanding probably involved, but I am in need of some guidance! 🙂
Sue – that sounds like a great idea! You can either use an electric sander, or just some sheets of semi-course sand paper, to do the trick. You only want to sand the top layer without the damaging the wood, so sand paper would work great. After you sand it, be sure to wipe it down good with a damp cloth to get all the dust off, then let it dry completely. Then you would just coat the entire piece with your base color, let that dry, and then paint the top coats. If you wanted the distressed look, paint a darker color onto top of the white and then rub it in as I did and then sand the edges and creases. You can do it! 🙂
I would love to refinish our antique rocking chair.
I heart these pieces! I want to paint and personalize a rocking chair and a book nook. I want my own oasis/ reading space!
I’d love to win the card to give it to (one of my) mom(s). She loooves Lowes. She often goes there on weekends just to even look around :)… and just recently they bought the house where she grew up…so there is a lot of refurbishing going on at the moment, so I think this kind of gift would be super handy for her. And thank you for your ideas too- these I’ll keep for myself! 🙂
We were thinking of removing or painting over our wall paper (too old fashioned according to some people).. but now…. maybe we will just go all antique-y and leave it!! And add some MORE old fashioned stuff!! Thanks for the ideas. Beautiful pieces!!
I’d like to find a small cabinet to make over for beside my front door/entrance way to store all the stuff that gets dropped there…
Oh, I want to go shopping & find some pieces to be transformed. Thanks for the inspiration!!
I’ve been trying to paint an office space turned “Art Room” in our new garage. I’ve got the holes all patched and sanded down, got the paint…now just need some muscle from my husband to remove the sack of tires in the room 😉
We have an old brown wood dresser and chest of drawers that I would love to sand and paint, but I’m nervous about tackling the project. Your inspiration may push me in the right direction though 😉
We have a sweet headboard that was my son’s as a ;itt;e boy- thanks for the inspiration to morph it…soon, I hope!!
My whole house is a project! It was built in 1950 and we are slowly fixing it up. I have also collected a lot of furniture over the summer I’d like to get painted.
I have been putting off painting and decorating our basement playroom for our son! I now feel energized and motivated to do it this weekend! Thanks for a great post!!
I was sick out sick the day God passed out the creativity genes! These make it seem almost possible for me. I would love to make an upholstered headboard for the master bedroom. I want to make that room our sanctuary…but it’s not even close at the moment!
These are beautiful. I made a pallet couch last summer and mounted a ladder on my wall as a bookshelf! I love it!
My next project is our dining room table…I’m thinking of refinishing some unmatched chairs. 🙂
I have a sofa table/small desk that I purchased for $40. I’m planning to sand, paint and distress to use in my cottage decor style home. I’m excited!
That’s very inspiring! I’ve been wanting to redo my kitchen and dining room.
I’m all about saving money by making my own pieces! Thanks for these great ideas. I have never done this before, but I bought my first item at a thrift store last week for $5, so now I’m trying to figure out how I want to finish it.
I have a large antique porch screen door that I want to build into a jelly cuphoard/ cabinet.
I love your ideas. I have a chest of drawers that didn’t sell at my last yard sale. I decided to keep it and give it a makeover. Thanks for inspiring me to tackle that project!!!
For a long time now I have been looking for the “perfect” cabinet to display my vintage kitchenware. This will be a huge help, all I have to do is find a cabinet and make it perfect for me!
Thanks so much for the ideas. I have a very old desk currently in use as my bedroom vanity. It has great lines, but UGLY. For some reason a layer of Formica was glued to top. Would love to paint this piece lax cording to your tutorial, but concerned that removing the Formica may be more than I can handle. Anyone has any suggestions. Also appears the top may have originally had some form of lift up top, so not sure what I be discovered under Formica. Can Formica be painted with decent results?
Hi, I saw on This Old House they used a lightly heated iron to soften the glue underneath the formica which allowed the formica to be peeled up. They worked from one side (very slowly & uniformly) and used a stiff chisel to peel the formica up. They had smaller pieces to work with because they cut into the top with a very shallow saw but I don’t know how well you handle a saw. I would cut it off as it peeled up if not comfortable with a saw. They sell adhesive remover to use after the formica is all off but I have used turpentine thinner before with good results. When all gone and dry sand the heck out of it to a smooth surface. If the wood isn’t that great or if it seems too much to handle just leave it and you could always get a nice piece of wood cut to size that can be painted or stained to match the rest of the piece and glue right on top. I use my childhood desk as my vanity too and decided to buy a piece of table glass cut to size so I can dust & clean any makeup spills much easier. Good luck!
i would love to buy the wood for my daughter to do a storage chest
Love this! We recently moved to an old 70s style :/ home which is much smaller…. I’ve been wondering what to do to make it more welcoming and not so….. 70s… Lol we had to get a very used small kitchen table, which is a bit beat up! I think this would be great for my tablet!! And I’d love to do this for a toy chest for my daughter and s frame for her bows 🙂 thank you for sharing!!
Very cool. I have a display cabinet and a kitchen table/chairs I have on my to do list but it keeps getting bumped down the to do list!
I love these ideas. Getting ready to move into my Mom’s house and lots of projects to do there and furniture that maybe I can do a shabby chic treatment on. Thank you for the ideas.
Very inspiring!! I have about 4 pieces of furniture I’d love to give this a try on. One piece at a time! 🙂
I loved the video on the “how to’s” to make the furniture look antique. I have a piece that has been waiting for me in the garage that needs redone. I wasn’t quite sure how to refinish and still give it the antique/distressed look! Now, how do you do that with an iron bed? Regardless, thank you, you’ve helped me get over my fear of tackling the project that has been on hold!
Hey. I love that you show people how to revamp older items. I hate seeing perfectly good furniture discarded BC people can’t see what a coat of paint can do to it. Way to go!!
I’d love to buy a new couch and paint my living room!
I would like to redo my bedroom and paint my bedroom suit. Don’t know how husband will feel about that
but I would love to do that.
I would love to redo our bedroom!
I want to find an old, old swing to vintage paint and decorate with pillows & scarves for my Pergola… Love your projects. Also I am repainting an antique dining table and buffet.. just have the chairs to finish.
I have a bench in the entryway of my home that I would love to redo. Watching your video has inspired me to give it a try!
Have a doll high chair, cradle and a child’s ironing board have wanted to paint and _____ . My grand children love playing with them but they need help.
I’ve a rocking chair I purchased at an auction for $10. Put new cushions on it and rocked all my babies. Now my “baby” is 8 and the shabby rocker is hidden in my bedroom. I’d like to refinish it & set up a “coffee corner” for hubby & me to read devotions while drinking coffee before we leave our room in the morning. I’ll just have to make cushions for his chair.
I need to remodel our bathroom. I have been putting it off for many years because the walls were never prepped before wallpaper was put on and that wallpaper is going to be a booger to get off. I have tried pulling it off in a small area and it is sticking to the Sheetrock. It also has the old medicine cabinet with the slide mirrors. That needs to go…
Beautiful! I have a couple of chairs I bought at a yard sale years ago that I always wanted to redo.
Makes me excited to do the pieces I have collected. I brought them out of the barn & put them on the porch so I could look at them & decide colors. I have a small hutch, 2 rocking chairs & a little table that I want to paint a checker board on! I’m excited!
Now I feel inspired to paint and cover the pads of a couple of old thrift store chairs I’ve had around for a while. I’m painting them glossy black!
I took an old sideboard and made it into an entertainment/tv stand. I would like to refinish our dining room table. I just love all your projects, it is inspiring!
Love all of your remodels! Im in a rental house so i can do much but i would love to repaint (with landlords permission) my daughters room. Its so white and bland right now 🙂 Thanks for the giveaway!
I FELL AUG. 5 AND BROKE MY FEMORA LEG BONE ON RIGHT SIDE SO I AM FILING AND PASTE & COPY. I AM WHEEL CHAIR ETC. BOUND UNTIL PROBABLY NOV. 5, 2013. NO WEIGHT BEARING AT ALL ON THAT LEG . SURGEN IT SAID IT COULD EXPLORE FROM WEIGHT BEARING SO ZERO WEIGHT BEARING ON RIGHT LEG AT ALL A LOT OF FUN. HERE WHAT I POSTED ON CHURCH WEB SITE !!!1
Had wonderful day !!!!!!!!!! computer was down a few days!!!!! Good to be able to post that I am only on over the counter pain meds That is PRAISE GOD!!! HUBBY& I ARE LEARNING TO REVERSE ROLES. Just wanted to hello & good night!!!!!!!!!!SHOUT IT OUT WHAT A WONDERFUL CHURCH FAMILY HUBBY & I HAVE GOD BLESS YOU AND YOURS KAY
I have a small dresser that I bought for $10 that I’d like to paint a shabby chic shade of turquoise and pair it with my husbands “college” table(over 10 yrs ago) that I just painted white. They would go together great in my dining room.
I have a dining hutch from my grandmother. It isn’t old and is in good condition, just doesn’t match anything I have.
I love taking “unloved” items and turning them into useful, beautiful pieces that we enjoy in our home. I have an old chest that is pretty beat-up. Planning to paint and add new knobs so we can use it as a side table on our screen porch. Much like God does for us — we we are feeling beat-up or run-down, his love and grace makes us new! 🙂
You have an eye for color and the right furniture. I would like to redo a massive desk in my bedroom that currently has a cherry finish. It is hard to get motivated!
Furniture for our new screened in porch
I have a pair of chippy green shutters from a farmhouse perhaps? I haven’t decided what to do with them yet. A place for hanging coats, a headboard, a photo spot? Undecided!
I have an antique wooden rocker from a great-grandfather that has been stored in the basement for years because it does not go with my furnishings. Now, you have inspired me to refurbish it and give it new life with your super painting techniques and sanding. Thanks so much. Love the pieces you have shown. I have an antique desk nearly like the one you repainted, but it’s in such good condition that I think I will leave it as it is in my spare bedroom.
Thank you for sharing these amazing ideas. I have been intending to hang new wooden shelving in my girls room but I have been procrastinating due to the sanding and painting that needs to be done. Thank you for inspiring me.
I have many unfinished projects I would like to complete. I need to winterize my porch this fall. Thank you for sharing your talents.
Thank you so much for sharing these! I will now be on the hunt for some pieces to restore. I would love to do a desk and a table.
I’ve been having a lot of fun working on some pieces of furniture made out if old pallets. I have a whole pinterest board full of new ideas I would love to work on!
I would love to make an old picture frame into a chalk board or either paint a table for my new apartment kitchen.
I would love to repaint my daughters’ room. They are wanting a pink girly theme….right now it’s decorated in WWE wrestling and Spongebob. I can’t wait to redecorate!
I LOVE all these ideas. I think they are all pretty cool. I love that if one is willing to do a little bit of elbow work you can get some really pretty things. I have two old windows from my dad’s house that I am going to repaint and then paint bible verses on them to hang on the wall. I am thinking what beautiful Christmas presents for little or nothing. Thank you for sharing…Have a blessed day!
Smiles & Blessings,
Robin 🙂
I have never been good at stuff like what you described but I do know a girl who is & my mom paints so maybe with a little help I could do a project someday. But on the up side your pictures & article did remind me that we had some rooms that need to be painted in our house & some things I’d like to do to make our living room a bit more “homey” & inviting & I have been putting those things off. Now with school starting up I’d like to put up the drapes I haven’t put up & maybe think about choosing some paint color etc. Thanks for pictures~I am definitely a visual type person so seeing pics makes it seem more feasible:) Blessings~
I want to do beadboard or planks in my entryway, plus put some neat hooks I bought and add a shelf to put the windows I got from my grandparents house.
I’d like to redo an old dresser I have from my childhood and use it as a buffet in my dining room.
I love these ideas and have always wanted to try my hand at it. I just never seem to feel like I have time for it.
We have a really nice end table that is in dire need of refinishing after kids, cats and dogs have gradually destroyed it’s beauty — but I’ve been putting it off forever. That’s what I would like my next project to be!
I am moving and would love to try this idea in furnishing my new home. I have some pieces that are from the 1930’s but need to add a couple of others to complete the room. You gave me some great ideas as to how to make that affordable. Thank you!
I love this. I have two night stands that I have been wanting to do refinish for 13 years now! This is going to be my fall project! Thanks.
I am dying to create a mudroom with a mirror background from an antique mirror I rescued
I’d love to try making a sewing center out of an old desk. Saw this idea on pinterest and have been thinking about it since 🙂
I would love to shabby up a lot of items, but I get so scared it will look worse! I have to start small, one day I will work up to doing my coffee table. I really want to paint my cupboards!
This gives me the courage to refinish our kitchen table. I inherited it from my Grandparents 26 years ago and haven’t dared refinish it. You make it look easy!!
I like your tutorial! I will use this idea to make a coat/shoe rack out of an old display hutch and also repaint an old chair a neighbor threw out…both for free!