We are taking this month off here on OMTWI. Get ready for the auditions the first week of March! I know that most of y'all have not been around here since the beginning. I thought it would be fun to go back and revisit some of our past seasons and the fabulous projects we have had! All of these projects are from week 1 and 2 of season 1.
Jenn's Media Dresser is so fabulous it makes me look at my furniture in whole new way!
All three of you outdid yourselves. We are SO proud of everything you made throughout the competition. Thanks to all of the contestants for their hard work and for sharing their talents with us.
From Angie, Lisa, Gina and our amazing guest judges.....THANK YOU! It was a great season.
Time for some furniture inspiration from our judges! For those of you that have not voted this week, there is still time to vote for your fave furniture project! Now let's get to the inspiration! Did you all know that our judge Lisa won OMTWI?? Oh yes!! This deck furniture sent her over the top....
Voting continues for your favorite furniture project in our finals. Head on over and vote!
Our guest judge this week is the fabulous Beth from Home Stories A to Z. Beth's blog is full of fabulous posts. What to feature with that many goodies? I thought I would highlight some furniture posts since this furniture week.
Most of the crafts I make are to complement my home decor. Growing up, I moved around a lot and in each new home I was given the opportunity to decorate my new bedroom. I loved making a space my own and have never outgrown that love!
What's your favorite style (steam punk, modern, shabby, etc)?
I have subscriptions to House Beautiful, Elle Decor, BHG, and Country Living, but I typically get the most excited over my Pottery Barn catalog! I would characterize my style as cottage traditional.
Besides crafting, what are your other hobbies?
Do people actually have time for more than one hobby? Sheesh, I'm just trying to keep up with one :). I would say (in the very few hours) when I'm not blogging, working on a project, or running the house, I am hanging out with my favorite peeps in the entire world...my hubs and two little boys, A and Z.
Can it be the final round of season 7?! I can't wait to see what the three finalists have come up with for their furniture projects. Be sure to vote at the end!
Number 1: Ribbon Storage Station
I'm so excited to have made it through to the final week of One Month To Win It! Furniture is kind of a big deal, so I was pretty nervous about this week. I had a lot of ideas and a hard time deciding. I wanted to make something I really needed. The ribbon in my craft room was a jumble of mass chaos, so a storage solution seemed like the perfect choice! I made a run to the home improvement store, dusted off our power tools and got down to business!
Ribbon Storage Station
I used a couple of 1x6 lengths of wood (cut down to size at the store for free) and created a basic bookcase. I added a couple shelves near the bottom and drilled holes for dowel rods, which I capped off with wood finials. I finished it up by adding scraps of crown moulding at the top and bottom. I sanded the whole thing down and painted it.
On one side, I added corkboard, which I cut to fit. I also added a removable yard stick so I can easily measure the amount of ribbon I need without needing to remove the spool.
The dowels slide right out to easily swap out ribbon spools and I left plenty of space to add more rows as my collection grows. I added some jars to hold more supplies and a couple of baskets, which I labeled with chalkboard tags.
I absolutely love that all the things I need to work with my ribbon are all in once place! This was my first go at building custom furniture and I think I'm hooked! For less than $50, I built something that is exactly what I need with none of the stress of trying to find something that just kind of works for me.
And I LOVE seeing all my pretty ribbon lined up, ready to use!
Number 2: Media Dresser
Media Dresser
I feel soooo lucky to have made it to the finale of One Month To Win It! I was really on the edge of my seat for the results of last week's voting, so thanks everyone!
For the furniture theme, I wanted to tackle the media center in our family room. We had recently wall mounted our television, so no longer needed a unit for the TV to stand on. I searched Craig's list for a piece of furniture that could be repurposed to fit underneath and found this charming little antique dresser.
Now don't go getting all upset at me for painting an antique - it wasn't in the best of shape, and whoever had stained and sealed it previously had not done it any favors. I used paints from the Martha Stewart line and painted the drawers fronts and side panels a high gloss buckwheat flour and the body of the dresser cast bronze.
I removed the top drawer to house our DVR and DVD players; reusing the drawer bottom to make a shelf. I wanted the components to be somewhat hidden but still able to receive the remote control signals and also be able to access the DVD player to change disks. To accomplish this, I built a frame and used L-brackets at the corners and a mesh screen called hardware cloth to back it. I sprayed the hardware and screen with oil rubbed bronze spray paint to go with the new drawer pulls I installed. The door lifts up on hinges so we'll be able to reach the components. I think the L-brackets give the piece a look similar to campaign furniture.
I lined the shelf and both the drawers (which had seen better days) with linen fabric decoupaged to stay in place. The drawers will hold our DVDs, spare remotes, and a cozy blanket for snuggling up on the sofa to watch a good movie!
This has been such a fun challenge - regardless of the final outcome, it has been a pleasure to participate on One Month To Win It Season 7!
Number 3: Grain Sack Painted Dresser
Hello again, OMTWI readers! I’m elated to be back for the final round of competition!
This round is the furniture round, and I couldn’t wait to get started on this piece. I picked up this Craigslist dresser on New Year’s Day… for fifty bucks (score!). I wish I’d have remembered to take before pictures before the stripping and sanding began, but just picture layers and layers of yellow and tan paint, if you need a visual… Hopefully, the end result will make up for it ;).
I love vintage textiles, and found my inspiration for this dresser in the rustic beauty of striped French grain sacks. The simplicity of the design is timeless… and that’s what I wanted to bring to this piece. After sanding and priming, I painted the dresser with two coats of Martha Stewart’s Glass of Milk. Once dry, I taped off my lines and dry-brushed the stripe (Martha Stewart Wrought Iron). I then lightly distressed the surface with sandpaper and added a burnt umber glaze for patina. New antique brass hardware (98 cents a piece!) added a nice finishing touch.
My plans of staining the wood top were foiled when some hidden leftover paint decided to peek through my walnut stain… I didn’t want to chance sanding the wood too thin so I decided on another plan. I dry brushed the wood top with the Wrought Iron paint and added a polyurethane finish, buffed to a soft sheen. The end result was a nice, weathered effect with a smooth as glass finish.
I’m quite excited about my new dresser… and it’s new home in my front entry, a great reminder that it is possible to not only make do with old items, but to make them beautiful as well.
I hope this project inspires you to give new life to an old piece with a little paint and elbow grease… and I really would be honored to have your vote in this final round.
Thanks to all of the OMTWI team for hosting this great event and best of luck to the other contestants!!
Time for the finals! Our theme for the finals is furniture. The contestant projects will be posted tomorrow for your vote. For now, a little furniture inspiration from around blogland...enjoy!
We have decided to skip February for a variety of reasons. Most importantly it will put us on a consistent schedule round these parts. Stay tuned as next month the judges have a few posts planned. :) Then the first week of March YOU can audition for next season...can't wait!
The finals for this season will be posted on Tuesday and you can vote for your favorite! This season has been amazing and I can't wait to see who wins this thing!
