I love building from scratch but I love upcycling what we need even more out of a piece that someone else might have even thrown away. I transformed my great grandpa's radio stand into a kitchen island many years ago and it remains one of my all time favorite pieces in our home.
I am really proud of all of my before and afters and plan on doing a lot more furniture refinishing in the future!
Doggie door flap, a Prettier Replacement using a Stencil
Replacing an ugly doggie door with a new flap and a pretty little stencil. A couple of years ago we moved our back door into the workshop so we could enclose a big closet and hallway to give us a third room on the main floor. This worked well for us as it gave Lodi a room for his hobbies and moving the back door into the workshop has been really convenient. If I have big projects, pieces of wood or tools etc. now I can just bring them to the back of the house and right on in to the workshop. Also, the back door is primarily used by our dogs with their doggie door in it, so any dirt they drag in primarily stays in the workshop which is our “dirtiest” room of the house anyway. Read the rest of the post »
An old cabinet: Paint and new hardware for a face lift!
I just can’t get over how amazing it is for me revisiting these old posts. I guess this blog really is a diary of sorts but I totally forgot how long I lived with a REALLY crappy laundry room lol. It had no storage and it was just plain UGLY. Even after this “update” it went through many over hauls and took me a lot of time and work to get it into something that actually worked for us. It all started with this cabinet that my Grandparents’ made and, of course, its still there and going strong. Read the rest of the post »
Dresser refinish before and after, refinishing furniture with black stain DIY
Continuing on our throwback series this post first came out all the way back in September of 2015. This was one of the first pieces of furniture I ever refinished so I learned a lot here at the expensive of myself lol. Instead of stripping I decided to just sand the whole thing down and stubbornly stuck with that silly plan. It took me a LONG time and A LOT of sand paper but, eventually, I did get down to the wood grain. I chose a black stain and new silver knobs and I really still love how it turned out. We still use it every day in our entryway! Read the rest of the post »
Reupholstering Eleonora’s Rocking Chair
Moving on with our throwback posts this one published back in September of 2015 and was my first time reupholstering anything. Its funny looking back I didn’t remember how much I hated the fabric on this rocking chair after I got it done. I totally love it now! What I do remember though was what a long-fought job this was to get the old fabric off and finally refinish the whole chair. It was pretty icky actually. This little rocker is still with us up in our master bedroom closet where I use it every day! Read the rest of the post »
Upholstered Coffee Table – Changing it up in our Living Room!
Upholstered coffee table in our living room. When I picked up this coffee table at an estate sale years ago I knew I wanted to upholster the top and make it more like a bench / way softer foot rest. It also doubled at making our couch big enough to practically create a bed too! At the time I picked a fun paisley table cloth on Amazon and we’ve loved it for years. However, well, spills happen and though the old fabric I chose held up for a long time it was time to be replaced. Read the rest of the post »
Oak dresser from the screened in porch – before and after!
Our fifth blog post from September 2015. This dresser takes me a lot farther back than my moving into this old farm house and starting this blog. For as long as I can remember it was always out in the screened in porch. Who knew one day I would be taking it home with me, my heart full of grief, after my Grandma passed? It was one of my very first projects. I don’t know what compelled me to tackle all of the furniture from the house (maybe too much HGTV?) but I wasn’t willing to give up any of it and it turned out that I absolutely loved the work. Read the rest of the post »
Thrift Store Floor Lamp Makeover – A $10 find for our living room!
Floor lamp makeover for our living room. Beside our sofa we have a little table I built years ago with a built in power strip. Its fine for setting a drink on and we charge electronics there all the time but its always been a bit narrow for a lamp. This last year I finally knocked the lamp off of it for the 100th time and had had enough. We needed to do something different. Of course the fact that it gave me the opportunity to go thrifting (one of my favorite things) had no bearing on my decision to buy a new floor lamp whatsoever… Read the rest of the post »
A radio stand converted into a red kitchen island
Continuing on in our throwback series to our third post from September of 2015. This red kitchen island that I built out of my great grandpa’s radio stand will probably always be one of the most popular posts here on Grandma’s house DIY. I just loved how it turned out! It was my favorite place to perch every morning before work and every night when I came home for many years. Initially it was a little too tall so I fixed that, then the top needed some adjusting, so I fixed that too. The most recent addition was a lace doily to replace the old fabric and I think it turned out so pretty. Read the rest of the post »
Storage Bench Makeover for my closet – before and after!
Of the four storage benches that we own that my grandparents’ made this one absolutely has had the roughest history. It lived in my child hood entryway for many years and suffered quite a bit from teething puppies gnawing on it. From there it moved to our horse barn where it provided a lovely home for mice and chipmunks as well as storing horse tack and the like. Move ahead a couple more decades and it came with me here to Grandma’s house where it lived in the barn (still full of horse tack), then in the wood shed and then, finally, in the old well house for several years up until right now. Read the rest of the post »
Basement Refrigerator Makeover – Before and After!
Lodi did a refrigerator makeover a couple of weeks ago and I can’t wait to show you the before and after! Our basement refrigerator is a solid 30 years old (at least) I grew up with this refrigerator and remember poignantly the awesome day when my mom got a brand new one and this one was retired to “beer refrigerator” status. When she moved she asked me if I wanted it and I immediately jumped on the opportunity. Our basement has been slowly coming along but, not long ago, this was a totally unfinished space I often used for painting and staining if it was cold outside. Read the rest of the post »
Cork board and Key Caddy Makeover!
I’ve had this little pine cork board my grandparents’ made for many years now. It comes with the added perk of also being a key caddy so, of course, we put it right by our front door. It really comes in handy! However, it doesn’t exactly mesh with the look we have going throughout our entryway. Varnished knotty pine in that gold color is really not our style so its been on my list for awhile now to give it a little makeover! Read the rest of the post »
Adding Tufted Upholstery to an old Coffee Table
Adding a tufted top and a new paint job to an old coffee table. I’ve been working on the refresh of my living room for awhile now. It started when I decided I hated my sofa and was ready for a new one! That worked out perfect because I really needed my old sofa to complete my seating area out in my garage. Following my old sofa to the garage was my coffee table and one of my end tables too! That left my living room pretty barren: the perfect time to do a makeover! Read the rest of the post »
Three Legged Stool Makeover: Paint and stain combo with dipped legs
Teaming up with Chas in our DIY blog hop this month with projects for our bathrooms! (Make sure and check out all of the bathroom projects following this post and feel free to join in!) This little stool has a fun story behind it. My Grandparents’ were wood workers and made and sold lots of these along with many other pieces of furniture. One of my neighbors is an avid follower of my blog and felt she simply had to return it to me so this milking stool came home after being gone for over 30 years! Read the rest of the post »
Lace Doily Upcycling on my Radio Stand Kitchen Island
Lace doily upcycling across the front of my kitchen island that I made out of my great grandpa’s radio stand. This piece remains one of my ALL TIME favorite transformations that I’ve created. Some projects just work! It was like this old radio stand had been waiting 100 years to be made into a kitchen island. It looks great from the front and the shelves in the back house all my recipe books too. During my recent kitchen remodel I did some surgery on it to work even better for me. Read the rest of the post »
Thrift Store Lamp gets a Country Makeover with the Farmhouse Hens
So, a few months ago, I went to my local thrift store to get myself a sweater to make mug koozies for my Christmas in a Jar post. I left the thrift store with two sweaters, some shop rags, a mirror tray and a lamp! To be fair I still only spent $8 and no one really believed I was just gonna be able to get one sweater right? Read the rest of the post »
Lamp gets a country girl makeover using license plates! Before and After!
My new guest bedroom and library needed a reading lamp for the bedside table so, of course, I went thrifting! I found this little dude for only $6 and then went directly to walmart and found what I decided was the perfect burlap lamp shade. From there it was time to decide just how I was going to transform this little lamp into something country and fun! Using two old MN license plates I got to work! Read the rest of the post »
A little end table gets a full on adult country girl redo!
There are a lot of changes taking place here at my Grandma’s old farmhouse. You guys know now that I got divorced and that means new and very different plans for the whole house. My old office is now going to become my guest bedroom and library and it felt really important to refinish all of the furniture that will be going in there. So, I got to work! Read the rest of the post »
An old steel bed frame becomes a painted, girly country dream!
With my newly single life here at Grandma’s House I’ve been keeping busy and finding fun projects to look forward to. I always hated the colors I painted the furniture in my guest bedroom so I knew it was time for a change. I brought them back into more my taste starting with the old steel bed I inherited from my grandparents. I also got on the move with everything by converting my old office into my new guest bedroom and library! Read the rest of the post »
Country bedside tables get a glamorous makeover for my master!
I had been looking for two new bedside tables for my master bedroom for several months when I finally came upon these! Yeah, they’re pretty much nothing like I was hoping for however, they have all the elements I wanted. Curves, country and some kind of storage. Of course I had to pop over and buy two little wicker baskets for storage but they fit so perfect it was clearly meant to be!
A $5 Retro desk becomes my brand new coffee station!
I can’t begin the story of this little retro desk until I explain first why on earth I need another piece of furniture in my kitchen. The plan was for the outside glass door there beside the kitchen sink to swing in and fold over in front of the window, so I chose a window the width of a regular exterior door and just left this area totally empty. I had the dream of this door swinging in and against the window/wall: getting conveniently and awesomely and totally out of the way in the summer time when I would then use the outside screen door instead. Read the rest of the post »
Indoor to Outdoor furniture – I painted until my arm fell off
Hey guys, I’m so excited to share my new outdoor furniture with you today! I have a lovely and enormous deck that I will tell you all about someday when I finish it (still gotta get those pesky railings done and stain it this fall) so you’re just gonna have to believe me for now when I say its wonderful but its been a waste land since I moved in. Outdoor furniture is expensive! And it was NOT in my budget. So, I’ve been keeping an eye and ear out for something I could buy and refinish. Remember when I mentioned scoring a bunch of furniture at an estate sale a couple months ago? Yup I finally finished it for my deck! Read the rest of the post »
Painted Rocking Chair – From dated to stunning!
I scored at an estate sale a while back, picking up one painted rocking chair, another chair with a matching couch, two end tables and a coffee table for only $100 and, as you might imagine, I had big plans for all of it! You can read my post about when I picked them up here. I already completed the two end tables awhile back and I’m very happy to report that I still love them in my living room! Two end tables get a sweet country makeover. This last weekend I spent the ENTIRE day Saturday working on the painted rocking chair and the matching chair and couch and the coffee table. Read the rest of the post »
I finally fixed my grandma’s old red bench!
I’ve had this bench makeover on my to-do list for a long time, it holds a lot of significance for us as it sat by my grandma’s house for many many many years. When we visited her, not long before her passing, we would come outside with her and sit in this old bench in the sun and visit. One of the last photos taken of my grandma she was actually sitting out front of the house, on this very bench that my grandparents’ built years ago. Read the rest of the post »
Wicker chairs makeover in bold red!
Last summer I spotted my aunt giving away a couple of wicker chairs on her Facebook page on a “first come first serve basis” I jumped on them! They were so darned cute I couldn’t help myself! They were a bit beat up and needed a good bath but I really thought that they would clean up just fine. I don’t have ANY experience with wicker furniture but these two were on my list to get done as early this spring as I could. So, I stopped by Ace hardware after I left work one Friday and picked up three cans of outdoor tinted primer, three cans of outdoor red spray paint and two cans of spray-on outdoor sealant. Then, I covered my garage floor with a tarp on Saturday morning and got to work! Read the rest of the post »
My Grandma’s old Cosco step stool
Of all of the memories I have of my Grandma throughout my childhood this step stool seems to be in every picture I have of her in my mind. She will always be sitting on it, by her kitchen stove, whether a fire was burning in it or not. I had a pretty cool Grandma, she had herself the very first Nintendo and she and I went through and beat the very first Zelda multiple times one summer when I was 11 years old. She hand drew maps of all of the dungeons – seriously though, how cool is that?! I went looking for those old maps years ago and could not find them but still think of them from time to time. This old step stool, if Grandma wasn’t sitting on it her kitchen, I was! It was my favorite spot and when Grandma passed and this became my home this stool was with me throughout the entire renovation. It was already very old and not in the best of shape and us using it – me standing on it while drywalling or running electrical or plumbing, did nothing but just make it more rickety. By the end of the renovation this poor old Cosco step stool was not safe to use anymore! So, I stashed it in the garage for a day when I knew I could bring it back to its former glory. This weekend I rolled up my sleeves and got to work! Read the rest of the post »
Two end tables get a sweet country makeover – before and after
The weekend before last I ran over to an estate sale not far from us and scored big. For $100 I picked up a wooden sofa, matching chair and coffee table, a rocking chair and these two end tables. I am planning on refinishing the rocking chair (see it here!) and selling it on craig’s list to try to recoup some of that $100 I spent. But the sofa, matching chair and coffee table I have big plans for on my deck (see them here!). Meanwhile, I went to work on these two old end tables almost immediately thinking that I could really use them in my living room. On top of that, I’ve just been chomping at the bit to try the refinished top and painted base that I’ve been seeing online so much lately that I just love. Read the rest of the post »
Kitchen Painting out my Mom’s entire Kitchen
It has been said millions of times: Kitchen painting is amazing! When my mom asked if we could paint her kitchen cabinets white I told her YES without a second’s hesitation. If there was ever a kitchen (or house) that needed some new paint it was my mom’s new little place that she had downsized into! She added a breezeway, front deck and two car garage last year and that had helped the house work substantially better. However, it remained small (and felt even smaller) the walls were damaged and everything was in a shade of a dark brown or pink (and several little tykes had lived here leaving lots and lots of crayon artwork on the walls). This little place needed a makeover BADLY. Especially her kitchen! So, we got to work planning to paint her kitchen cabinets white. Read the rest of the post »
Before and After: The last piece of my Hollywood bedroom set!
And now, I’ve come to the final piece of the puzzle of my bedroom set. The last Hollywood dresser before and after reveal! I already showed you guys this dresser’s sister here: Refinished dresser goes Hollywood glam with black paint! And from there I showed you the old washstand that got a MAJOR makeover here: An old washstand gets new life and purpose! Read the rest of the post »
Before and After lamp painting and adding a new shade!
Paint an old lamp white for a brand new look! I picked up this old lamp at a thrift store a LONG time ago. It sat around for years before I finally rolled up my sleeves and tackled it. I’ve seen several posts about how to “create” milk glass all over pinterest lately and I thought maybe I could pull it off here too. Read the rest of the post »
My entertainment center! Eleonora’s beautiful buffet refinished
Eleonora’s beautiful buffet refinished into my entertainment center. This post is actually not about the Grandma I talk about so much (the wonderful lady who inspired this blog, who lived in this beautiful old farm house before her passing a few years ago) No, this post is about a different Grandma, my dad’s mom Eleonora. When she passed they gave us grand kids full run of her house with the notion that we needed to take something to remember her and grandpa by. To say the least, none of us really wanted to do anything let alone go through Grandma’s far too quiet house. Read the rest of the post »
An old cabinet made by my grandparents gets new life as an entertainment center!
This old cabinet has had the job of several duties over the years. My mom thought it had been made by her parents for my brother though I had a vague recollection of it spending some years in my childhood room as well. Where it really spent most of its time was in her old house’s entryway/closet doing miscellaneous storage duty of tools, hats and anything else you can think of. When it was time for her big downsize she was at a loss as to what to do with this big cabinet. Read the rest of the post »
An old washstand gets new life and purpose!
After being gifted the incredible bedroom set that my grandma left behind I was in a dilemma for end tables to match. The two gorgeous dressers I had already painted black and added glass knobs to but the more I looked for end tables for the bedroom the more I came up at a loss. (See one of the dressers here: Before and After: My Grandma’s dresser goes Hollywood glam with black paint! and see the other one here Before and After: The last piece of my Hollywood bedroom set!) My eyes settled on this old washstand piece for two reasons. One: it was about the right size (albeit a bit big for an end table) and Two: It shared similar curves to the dressers though it was a different piece entirely. Read the rest of the post »
Before and After: Refinished dresser goes Hollywood glam with black paint!
My Grandma’s white cabinets get a face lift in my kitchen!
Moving on in our Throwback series from October 2015! I always loved these cabinets in my Grandparents’ entryway so you guys know immediately that I had to save them. Unfortunately the only thing I could salvage off of the top cabinet was the doors as the cabinet itself had been built in place. The lower cabinet though was a stand alone piece and I’ve always wondered where it came from!
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