3 Roadside Finds, 2 Paintbrushes and a Pot of Tea

Morning All!

It has been a big week in our family – my eldest boy who was playing with dinosaurs and trucks just a few minutes ago has hit the 18 year milestone  – I can’t quite believe it.  We had a big celebration around the table, lots of food to eat, candles to blow out, songs to sing and a few proud tears were shed…

It was a big moment for us all.

But that is not what I am really going to write about today…

No, we are going to look at some things I have been working on over the last few months.

It involves one of my more serious afflictions.

I just can’t help this one.  While others can happily drive by an old piece of ‘junk’ on the side of the road with the “FREE” label flapping in the wind…

…and not blink an eye…

I can’t help but slam on the brakes, screech to a halt, leap out of the car like a gazelle and with a crazed eager look in my eye, check to see if I have made a ‘genuine find’.

I should add that if any of my children are in the car during this process, the whole event is accompanied by howls of protest and by the time I am slotting my find into the back of the car, they have usually contorted themselves into a small humiliated ball in the bucket of the back seat in case anyone should see them…

…perish the thought…

Still…I press on…such is the affliction.

So here are three such finds. First is this pretty plain looking chest of drawers…

This is how I found it –  chest… with drawers on the side…

I decided to be bold and not go for my default white and instead went for Benjamin Moore’s Hail Navy – for the name alone…

So, a quick like of paint, two cups of tea and Bob’s yer uncle…

This was perfect for my youngest child who has the smallest bedroom in the United States of America.  He needed something that could squeeze between his bed and the wall and hold as much stuff as possible.

It will hide….for a good few years….the kicks and bumps of soccer boots and smears of grubby fingers…

Find number two was this little set of wooden steps made for Princess Ariel…they were actually not found by me, but my canny friend Elaine who pulled them from a skip…

I mean…look at that little castle and the rose on top…

But since there are no girls in this house under ten who fantasize about living in Disneyland,  I went for my very favorite Benjamin Moore Knoxville Grey.  This took only one cup of tea and a funny Terry Gross interview as a companion to my painting…

And now, it is a new addition to my bathroom…

And these little steps can hold a few spare towels…

And a flannel or two.

And find number three.

My favorite find of the month…

I left skid marks on the road when I saw this…my daughter is still recovering from whiplash…

But no pain, no gain…

I mean a few months of physical therapy is neither here nor there when you make such a top find…

Yes…I am joking…

No, this little wooden desk had, in my eyes, big potential.

So first off, I persuaded my extremely nice, totally handy and frankly rather handsome husband ( it pays to appreciate fine labor… ) to sand the top for me…

And then I oiled the top and primed and painted the bottom in Kelly Moore’s Antique White…

That alone meant consuming an entire pot of tea and listening to a full morning of NPR…and here are the results…

A new little addition to my sitting room…somewhere to display some beautiful peonies…

And something to put a lamp atop…

But life is never perfect and within five minutes my flowers had exploded into a thousand petals…

My six year old boy still maintains that it was the ‘indoor football’ that hit the peony full on the face and therefore somehow legitimate…

If you have ever wondered how many petals a peony really has, wonder no longer…

So there you have it, three pieces of wood that were destined for the dump have been given a reprieve and a chance to reinvent themselves…

…a bit like Madonna…

But so much easier to paint.

That’s it for me this week.  Leave a comment and let me know what you think…

Coming soon, more gorgeous Front of House finds from the Bay Area…watch this space…

See you later,

Ros

ps Welcome as ever to those people who have made the jump from the lovely Beach Cottage.

About Ros

My name is Ros Wyatt and I live across the bay from San Francisco. I moved here from England fifteen years ago with my husband, two children and a dog. Since then I have had added one more child to the line up and work as a painting contractor, color consultant, blogger, and screen printer.
This entry was posted in Bathroom, California, Green Plum Design, Inspiration, Interior design, Roadside Find Makeover and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

10 Responses to 3 Roadside Finds, 2 Paintbrushes and a Pot of Tea

  1. harriet garbers says:

    Love them all!

  2. anna clarke says:

    aren’t you a clever girl
    they all look fabulous
    you really do have the magic touch
    next time could we see more of the handsome husband?
    ax

  3. admin says:

    Thanks! My husband is the shy retiring type and far too modest to reveal his natural beauty to the rest of the world!!

  4. admin says:

    Thanks Harriet – hope to see you in Inger-landxx

  5. Lauren Edwards says:

    Ros… the white table with the wooden top is my FAVOURITE! Love it, love it, love it!

  6. admin says:

    Thanks Lauren – my favourite tooxxx

  7. Bernadette says:

    Amazing! I need to show this to MY handsome husband who wanted to buy a $2,000 marketry console table at the Live Oak Fair. I dragged him away.

  8. admin says:

    Wow! I think I am in the wrong line of business! xx

  9. Love your finds and what you did to them. They look wonderful! Thanks for sharing at Beach Cottage Good Life Wednesdays.

  10. admin says:

    Thanks Sarahxx

Comments are closed.