DOORS

Our new thing is re-purposing doors.  Trevor and Chrissy found an old door curbside and I believe they are making it into a bench.  They followed a board on Pinterest that had a lot of good ideas.  While shopping at the Habitat Restore for supplies we had noticed that they were selling bifold doors for just $1.  We started pinteresting it and finding ideas and figured it was definitely worth a buck to pick some up.  

 Our first project with the skinnier bi-fold door was going to be a horizontal shelf with hooks.  The others we were thinking about making corner shelves.  After cutting into the doors and finding that there was no way to really cover up the hollow sides from cutting it in half Dad did a little improvising and made little corner shelves.  Mom said they were nice but didn't have much of a purpose until Dad grabbed a vase from our house and placed it on the shelf.  Then Mom saw that they had potential.  Good work by Dad on this one.  Pretty sure we'll make a profit on this one.  

 The tall corner shelves are coming soon.  We also have a full size door we found curbside that we will be adding a shelf and maybe a mirror and some hooks.  Can't go wrong with free. 

New Items Ready to Sell

As we were roaming around a yard sale early Saturday morning we came across a nice quality round beveled mirror marked $2.  We thought that it would make a great tabletop, even though we didn't have a base in mind yet.  We picked it up and continued to browse when we took a second look at a table that we had previously walked past.  The table was a round and made of particle board.  It was in good shape and looked like it was the same size as the mirror.   We placed the mirror down on top of it and the table was a hair bigger but we thought it could work.  The table was marked $2 also.  We managed to bargain a little bit with the guy.  Dad bought a saw that was marked $20 but we ended up getting everything for just $20.  

 We decided to take a little bit of a risk with this one and get creative.  We painted the table black and printed out some black and white photos of NYC.  We have different landmarks, libraries, taxis, buildings, bridges, and anything else that came up on Google that shouted "NYC."  Mom and I decoupaged these pictures very non-strategically on the legs/base of the table.  With lined the rough edges with black studded ribbon which really cleaned it up.  With a little construction glue, we attached the mirror to the top and that was it.  

 To keep with this same inspiration, Mom had some wood wine boxes that we picked up at a garage sale for just a buck or two and needed something to do to the outside of them.  She painted them black and decoupaged smaller versions of the same NYC pictures on the outside of them.  They turned out great, maybe not a potentially successful Craigslist sale but a definite garage sale goodie.  

There was a third box that didn't have the same hardware as the other two so we tried something different with that one.  Still painted it black but instead decoupaged a foil type of wrapping paper to the top that was gold with an Egyptian design.  It is also an item that will be better at our garage sale than on Craigslist but we listed it just in case.  

We also got another shoe shine box. Very random item and we now have two of them!  This one is totally different than the other one though.  The foot piece is on top and this one is smaller.  Mom thought about painting it red and I suggested that we paint the foot piece and the feet of the box black to make it pop more.  We took a trip out to Lowe's for some red paint.  With our free paint sample coupon we picked up our paint for $0 and headed home.  Red is a tough color to paint and Mom said ti would need a few coats.  After the first coat I said that I actually liked it with the scuffs and imperfections showing through the thin coat.  She looked at it again and agreed to it stayed as is.  This one even comes with a brush!

And for only $0.50 Mom and Dad found these two little kids chairs that fit perfectly under the kids table we already had.  With a fresh coat of baby blue spray paint and a seat covered in a new sheet of contact paper our table became a set.  We listed it on Craigslist with the storage bench we had but listed separate prices.  Hopefully they all get sold together.

 

 

A Minor Setback

Soon after our umbrella stand sold for the listed price, I received an email about the hub cap end table, our most recent creation.  I wasn't too hopeful at first but she then specified a pickup time and called for the address.  On Wednesday morning, our third item left the showroom for $40, the original listed price!  The hub cap table was one of our most creative items, a risky vision that turned out great!

While I was exchanging emails with the future hub cap table owner, I was also in communication with someone interested in the colorful cubbie and dresser set.  There has been so many people interested in these items and no one following through that I didn't think too much of this person.  However, after speaking with this person I found out that she is a preschool teacher that really wanted these  items.  I agreed to lower the price a bit and she even convinced me to deliver them, fortunately not too far but only to Highland Mills.  Since I was getting so many people asking about the dresser but not actually coming to get them, I really just wanted to sell them.  

This is when the setback happened.  After the hub cap lady picked up her table, Dad and I loaded the car with the dresser and cubbie.  Mom and I took off to deliver them to the Highland Mills lady.  On a bumpy trip through Cornwall the dresser drawers suffered some pretty major scraps in the paint.  I had no choice but to fix them up and explain to the women what happened.  I knew after painting the dresser that it chipped easily, I found out because of the finish I sprayed on it.  Fortunately, it made it really easy to peel/scrap off and sand down to repaint.  I invested in some good quality primer and put a coat on Wednesday evening.  

I heard from the Highland Mills woman and she said she was still interested even with the chips in the paint.  I said I'd feel guilty selling them in that shape and had already started fixing them.  I let the primer dry and on Thursday touched the drawers with a few coats of paint, no finishing spray this time.  I let it dry overnight and told her if she was still interested I can deliver them Friday morning.  

This time around Dad and I packed the dresser with bungie cords, blankets, and towels to prevent any possible chipping.  We made it there safe and sound.  Upon arrival to this rich development of mansions, we noticed her large SUV, the vehicle that was too small to pick these items up herself, and a lot of kids toys in the driveway.  Was she actually a preschool teacher?  I don't know but she definitely seemed rich and lazy and wanted us to deliver the dresser and cubbie to her so she wouldn't break a sweat in her fashionable workout outfit.  Good thing was that she had no questions or complaints and gave us the money and we left.   

The set is officially sold! $60 wasn't too bad for all this work.  Still made a large profit.  Now hopefully people will stop bothering us about them since no one was actually serious in picking them up. 

Trash to Treasure

Trevor and Chrissy have been finding some real gems curbside and around town for free!  The stop and pick up any junk that looks like it has protential but has also been utilizing Craigslist's free section and freecycle.org.  You really can't go wrong with something that was free and they have creates some really good pieces.  They have been picking up so much stuff that they couldn't fit it in the garage anymore and needed to move into the driveway under a tent!

 One free item they picked up was an old wicker bench/table.  They found it curbside while driving by and stopped and picked it up.  With some structural repairs, a fresh coat of paint and an added glass top, it looks like new!

Another street find was an old step stool.  It simply needed some TCL to make it work and look like new. The color choice definitely made a huge difference!  Good work by Trevor and Chrissy

The competition is heating up! We are all having so much fun.  All the projects are looking so good!

 

The Competition

While mom and I have been working hard here in NY, Trevor and Chrissy have also been working hard in NJ.  They began their project search at the Stormville flea market as well.  Some of their great finds included three old wood baseball bats cut in half for $2, a semi circle metal table for $3, a metal corner stand for $4 and an old wood round table for $5.  

 For the three bats, Trevor and Chrissy decided to make a stool.  They made a perfectly matching seat by painting it with the pattern of a baseball.  Stool is perfect for a kids room or playroom or even a baseball fanatic's man cave.

As for the semi circle wire table, a little cleaning up was necessary.  A fresh coat of black paint brought it back to life but there was a leaf missing.  Instead, they added a little pop of color with lady bugs

 The wire corner stand has seen better days and needed a little freshening up.  As Trevor said about this one, "a little paint goes a long way."  The final product looks terrific!

The little wood table needed a new surface.  Trevor and Chrissy also purchased at the Flea market a sheet of tiles.  With the tiles cut to shape and a little TLC the new table looks better than ever.

All these projects look so good.  It is definitely going to be a tough competition.  Whoever makes the largest profit on a single item wins! And with these great pieces, Trevor and Chrissy are giving us a run for our money!

Sold Our Second Item!

We have been getting calls and emails about people being interested in our items on craiglists but people are not following through.  We received a call on Saturday from someone interested in the umbrella stand tile table.  She said she would call back and that, we have learned, typically means that they will not call back.  However, she did and we sold the umbrella stand table for the listed price of $20! We had spent $2 on the umbrella stand and $1 on the tile.  

 

A Creative Mind

We are beginning to see new life in old items.  Our creations are getting a little craftier.  While out at garage sales, we found this nice little two cubbie wooden shelf.  We inspected it found that all edges were finished, even the bottom.  We thought that if we turned it sideways we could make it into a bench with divided storage underneath.  We bargained with the garage sale host got the original $5 item for only $3.  

With a leftover cushioning from our ottoman project we made a padded bench seat from some old fabric we had.   Our workshop expert added the wooden pieces to the bottom of the seat so it fits right into place on top of the bench.  

 Our creativity continued when we found a cheap end table that had a round glass top.  It was marked $1 and we thought it would be worth it just for the glass top.  We figured we could find some sort of creative base and make it into a new end table.  As we continued to garage sales we found an hold hubcap for $1.  We though that would be perfect underneath the glass as a table top.  All we needed now was a base.  We ended up picking up two things.  The first a lamp for $2 and then an umbrella stand for $2.

 

Both items looked great as a base for our hubcap table top.  We decided to go with the wicker lamp because it had that extra feature of actually lighting up.  We spray painted the wicker black and attached the hubcap.  With mini suction cups we attached the glass top.  It looks great both with and without the lamp on.  

 

Of course we could not leave the umbrella stand alone so we made that into an end table as well since it made such a great base.  We had a 12 x12 tile left from another project and used a picture frame to frame the tile.  We anchored that to the umbrella stand and made another end table!

 

Garage Sale Treasures

Every week we now look forward to going garage sale shopping on the weekend.  We check the papers and signs around town looking for places to go.  

Some of our garage sale finds include an old wood crate for $4, an glass top end table for $4, a $2 shelf unit with screen doors, and a $3 shelf unit with washboard doors.

Since the wood crate was old and rustic already but very heavy duty, we kept it simple.  We stenciled "storage" on one side and "handle with care" on the other.  We added 4x4 railroad ties for feet.  We then needed a cushion to make the top.  While driving home one day, mom and I pasted a man putting out some junk on his curb.  In the pile was an outdoor patio chair with a seat cushion in great condition!  We swiped that up and opened it up at home.  No stains or damage of any kind. Perfect find.  We were able to turn the plain crate into an ottoman.  

The shelf with the screen doors did not need much work.  We added a dowel to the bottom of it with a little stain to match it in color.  We then added a back made from foam board behind the shelves lined with black and white snake skin material.  We simply nailed it to the back of the unit.

The glass top end table did not need much work.  To make it pop a little more we added a little black trim to the bottom and around the edge of the glass.  We the topped the surface of the base with some black and white snack skin material. 

 For the shelf with the washboard doors we added some fabric to the empty space and added some jars to make it into a spice rack perfect for a kitchen.  It can also be perfect in a bathroom as a medicine cabinet.