Prepping

The long weekend is over and aside from enjoying some much needed sport-free time I managed to get my butt out of neutral when it came to the makeover of a certain desk and hutch that has been waiting to be rescued for more months than I care to mention!

Rescued from a local street they are of the sturdy pine variety and aside from a fresh coat of paint and some new knobs are in pretty good nick.

Out came the trusty palm sander along with a bucket of soapy water and they were prepped to an inch of their life!

I undercoated the hutch (shelving unit) and drawers last night and today started painting them. I'm going with a two-colour combo which I shall reveal in coming days....so stay tuned!

My painting clothes were fitting so comfortably they almost made the outing for school pickup!! I decided against it though as I don't think I know the kindy mums quite well enough (some not at all) to expose them to my paint spattered gear:)

 

 

A bamboo sofa makeover

It may seem like not much has been happening on this little blog but behind the scenes it's been moving along nicely.

I've been working on a few projects and am in the midst of revamping this here bamboo (otherwise known as 'split cane') two-seater sofa.

I picked it up by the side of the road and it's soon to be given a whitewashed effect and fresh new base cushion covered in a lovely Sunbrella fabric.

This is the look I'm going for - nice deep base cushion (mine will be 150mm thick) with large scatter cushions. The colour of the Sunbrella fabric is a lovely linen to tone in with our patio....yes, I admit it...this is a personal project! I saw this sofa and fell in love with it...it isn't going to a new home.

The patio is also now home to a Revamped By Libby bamboo coffee table that I've completed. Picked up in a state of mouldy decrepitude it is now glowing thanks to a de-mould and whitewashed effect.

I took this snap as I headed off to the upholster this morning to sort out the sofa cushions.

Installing a new glass top was the final piece in the puzzle. Because I'm a paranoid mother I went with safety glass:)

I took these Instagram shots the night I got it back from the glazier....can you tell how in love with my own handiwork I am?

Stay tuned...after shots of the sofa will follow eventually:)

 

Meet Phoenix

  Last week I decided that as it was time to get cracking and complete my first official piece since commencing this little foray into the world of revamping 'stuff'!

 

 

This rather worn and grubby piece was one I collected in all my brazen glory during a council clean-up last year. 

 

I was simply driving to the shops and there she was on the grass verge in a neighboring suburb.

 

How serendipitous that I happened to drive down that street on that day and she was waiting for me.

 

The poor neglected dear has sat outside the back door for the better part of four months and many times I (and my none too subtle husband) considered putting her out on OUR grass verge!!

 

Instead, I decided that she would make a perfect candidate for me to trial a new technique that is getting a bit of air time on Pinterest....the Ombre effect.

 

 

This technique uses paint in varying shades or complimentary colours to give you a shaded effect...moving from darker tones to lighter tones....this image from my beloved Pinterest is a delightful example

 

Image from here

 

I realise the vivid hues will not be everyones cup of tea but I'm pretty happy with the result.

 

In my case I decided to go big or go home and went with vibrant yellow, orange and white!  Since I was trialling the technique I figured I'd go bold as I can use the piece on my front porch if it was a complete dud:)

In honour of her transformation from drab to fab I am hereby naming her Phoenix as her vibrant hues are quite reminiscent of the flaming bird of fire.

 

 Phoenix had to submit to a rather uncomfortable "cleansing" process involving some sugar soap, a toothbrush and a rag.  She was then introduced to her "White Knight" in the guise of the aforementioned brand of spray paint undercoat.

 

Have I mentioned how I now have a new appreciation of the merits of paint sniffing??  A few cans of spray paint and I was wondering where my headache had descended from.

 

So there you have it.  Phoenix.  The first of many projects and a bold one to begin with!

 

If you are interested in her she is going for the rather modest sum of $80 as she was a trial and she has a rather unfortunate bunion on her foot (ie the wicker has eroded on one of the legs).

 

In the event that her beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder (that would be moi) she will remain ensconced on our front porch to compliment our orange front door!!!!

 

 

Dipping In

http://pinterest.com/pin/92253492338994824/

http://pinterest.com/pin/92253492338994851/

http://pinterest.com/pin/92253492338994302/

http://pinterest.com/pin/92253492338994375/

http://pinterest.com/pin/92253492338994849/

I'm inspired by color blocking on Pinterest at the moment. It's also referred to as colour dipping.

I'm madly pinning inspiration for Revamped By Libby and this theme has definitely emerged!

Yes I think I will be experimenting with colour blocking very soon!

It may seem like not much is happening here but it is!! I'm working on logo design and marketing ideas and now that the girls are back at school I can get cracking on some pieces.

Getting Started

 

things to do, things to do,

so many things to do.

 

ideas swirling,

inspiration whirling.

 

details to address,

yet refusing to stress.

 

That's about sums up how I'm feeling about this little venture of mine!

 

 

 

 

Venture Into Happiness With RBL

Welcome to Revamped By Libby or RBL as I will be referring to it.  Lovely of you to drop by!

I love to paint.  This may seem a bit odd but bear with me.

I've always loved colour.  From when I was a little girl I enjoyed drawing and putting marks on paper.  But what I really love is the colours.  I still recall the sheer joy of my first set of Derwent Pencils.  It was the sublime spectrum of all of those seventy-two colours that entranced me.

As a mother, a wife, a home-owner (albeit with a mortgage and a long-suffering husband) I love the challenge of creating a home for our family.  Much as I have resisted it at times, I am not a beige or white kind of gal.  I love imbuing our surroundings with bursts of colour.  Be it furnishings or surfaces. 

To the relief of my husband I have contained this thirst for colour and restrained myself to white walls upon which to construct my home (Dulux Natural White if you're interested).

I've always loved doing up tired, old furniture.  My oldest daughters nursery was decorated over a decade ago with a recycled cot which I lovingly stripped and repainted.  In those days though I stuck with white.

Be it tables, chairs or chests I have honed my skills stripping them back and repainting them. 

In the last twelve months I've become more game with my colour choices and finishes...branching away from white to using more vivid hues.

I love the excitement of a new project.

I love the feeling of revealing the raw beauty of a discarded piece and then showing it the tender care to bring it back to life.

In the spirit of doing more of what makes you happy, I'm going to tap into this love of paint to help other people enjoy these revamped pieces of furniture.

I will undertake projects on items I find or pick up on my travels.  I will transform them and put them up on Revamped By Liz for you to purchase.

Alternatively, if you like what I do and think I could help you with an item that you need revamped I would love to hear from you.  Don't worry, I believe in listening to my customers so if shades of white are your preference I will be more than happy to accomodate you:)

I will be recording my projects, my inspiration and my thoughts on this foray into happiness with you on this blog.  I'd love it if you'd come along for the ride!

Libby