Estate sales are one of my favorite things on the weekend. I try to go every Saturday morning until they all close in the afternoon. I start on Wednesday looking online and making my plan as to where I will start and where I will finish. I use the APP estatesales.net for all the local sales. This APP also has local auctions and private sales.
Last weekend Greg’s Dad and his friend Helen came from Arkansas so we took them along with us to the sales. The first sale really wasn’t much of anything but marked up furniture. There wasn’t anything I could turn from trash to Blue Happy. It happens that way sometimes you just don’t hit any good sales. At the second sale I hit jackpot not only did I find a great organizing piece but the sale was offering 50% off. WOW so excited over this piece. It was marked $20 so with the discount I scored at $10!
What I found was this great little pocket organizer. It would be great hanging by the back door or on a wall just about anywhere to organize the family keys, gloves, mail and so many other things you need daily. The back had this really old print that had its time and place in deco but updating was in order. I started by cleaning it up with a good wipe down. I removed the metal label holders and hooks and sat them a side. I will reattached these items once I’m done making over the piece. What I thought was an old print that had served its time in decor wasn’t that at all. When I removed the back I was surprised. It wasn’t a print of a painting this was a real oil painting done on canvas many years ago. Who ever decided to use it in this frame cut off the edges of the painting. Destroying any name or information about the artist. This is so sad because who ever did this piece did an amazing job with the oil paint. Looking at is closer there is a lot of detail and it appears to be of an old home place maybe in Louisiana. I’m going to preserve it and have it reframed in the proper way. It deserves a home on someones wall. If it’s framed in a more updated way it can be part of todays decor. I will never toss out any art that has value such as this piece. It needs and will be recycled back into someone’s home decor.
I decided to paint it this amazing orange color that might be a bit of a shock for some of you. Adding a pop of color in small ways can get you out of the normal beige tones and make your home happy. I didn’t want a shiny finish that looked all new and plastic so I tried a new technique that aged the paint more than just sanding the edges. I used Valspar spray paint in a satin finish. I sprayed the piece very heavy with spray paint and let it sit for a bit, until it was almost dry. When it had a bit of a sticky feel I started sanding it. This made the paint in areas smear and get a rough feel to it. I dusted it all down and then gave it one more light coat of the orange paint. It is no longer that sleek look to the wood it had before the paint and after the first coat of spray paint. Old but new is the best way to go. As for the back of this piece well that was so easy I used black chalk board paint on one side and added cork board to the other. This little board is now a place to organize your families morning. What a great place to write down notes of things you need to remember as you walk out of the door early in the morning. Pin notes that keep everything on track as your week gets busy or party invites that are coming up. The pockets on the front are great for those little things you need all the time. For my family if things got past the back door into the kids room it was not gonna make it back out the next morning. There are 3 pockets maybe assign one to each kiddo or one to the parents. The hooks will be great for keys, dog leash or a purse if you hang it well supported on the wall to take the weight. I felt like it needed a bit of fun so at the top I added the old scrabble letters to spell out “Life Is Good”. Just a quote to remind yourself each day is a gift and no matter what the heck is going on in your life it’s good to be alive. I’m mean come on it beats the alternative, RIGHT!
These small projects are so great in helping you organize your home. If you’re not a person that likes estate sales then you can shop thrift stores or garage sales. I try very hard to find pieces that are low cost and add things to them to recycle them into my home. Although I do spend lots of time on them as I recycle I still feel like I save myself mucho money. If you love this piece you are in luck it’s gonna be for sale here on Blue Happy at the end of the month. We are getting really close to having the Blue Happy online store open up. More info to come about all that. There are gonna be so many nice pieces for sale, you will love it.
I hope you enjoyed this project and your Tuesday is so Blue Happy and blessed!
