Purdy Prep & Paint Kit Review

 Purdy sent me their Prep & Paint Kit just in time for our bathroom remodel. Once the joint compound was smooth, it was finally time to get some paint on the walls!

The brush in the Prep and Paint Kit is angled, which was perfect for cutting in around the window seal and other areas of the room. It also comes with a handy little 6 in 1 painters tool...

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Red Rosie {French Style Chest of Drawers}

My original vision for this piece was Tiffany blue but since I do so many pieces in shades of blue, I wanted to break it up a little and let my Facebook fans help me chose a color. The majority of their votes were for a sage green, which would of been beautiful, but a few of them voted for red and I saw their vision. This piece is fabulous and would be a statement in any color, but, I believe, red was the perfect choice...

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Blue Montana Sky- My 1st CeCe Caldwell Piece

I finally jumped on the chalk/clay paint band wagon.

Up until this week, I've never painted with anything other than Behr, and I have to say, I'm on the fence.

I love Behr Ultra... it's never once let me down.

However, that whole no prep work aspect of CeCe is NIIIIIICCCEE...

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2012 Recap & an Anniversary Blog

2012 has been an amazing year for Simply Salvaged, I never expected so many doors to open for me in such a short amount of time.

I ''started'' Simply Salvaged in June 2011. When I say started, I mean that I came up with my business name, created a FB page, and bought a 1920's medicine cabinet off of Ebay...

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Purdy XL Elite Review & a Save the Walls Sweepstakes!!

Two of the most important elements to a smooth finish are:

1. a quality paint 

2. a quality paint brush

  I never understood the importance of a good paint brush until I painted with a Purdy. These are brushes that will last you a lifetime if you take care of them and simply clean them when you're finished painting.

I'm extremely loyal to this brand for a few reasons...

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November Recap & Being Out of My Element.

Last week I dreamed that I was a stand up comedian getting ready for a show. I was sitting in a room beside 3 other comedians and the director motioned for us to follow him. So, I was walking in line, I guess backstage, and talking to my husband on the phone. The director then motioned that it was my turn so I put down my phone and walked onto a stage in front of hundreds of people. I looked up, introduced myself, then realized hadn't prepared anything for my skit. My stomach dropped and then I recognized that I was dreaming so I made myself wake up as to avoid facing what was going to happen next...

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Depression Era Vanity {Before and After}

I'm questioning my decision to sell this piece. Oh how I'd love to have it in my guest room. The next one that I come across is mine, all mine!!

I love everything about this piece. It's painted in a very simple color, with glazed details, & original hardware, but makes such a statement- all natural beauty!! Plus, I drool over the fabric that the stool is recovered with. I think it added the perfect touch to this piece. I found it at Hobby Lobby, it's about $15/yard on sale- not cheap but totally worth it! Needless to say, I saved every last scrap of it... =)

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October Recap, Updates, & University Pickers

A lot of changes are coming in the next few months for Simply Salvaged.

I've been talking about finding a booth somewhere for a month or so now. I decided I needed to drive around and visit different malls, talk to the owners, figure out who has the best rent, etc... I figured I might start doing all of those things sometime after the beginning of the year after I catch up my custom work and the

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Depression Era Buffet (Before & After)

I love painted depression era buffets. Love them.

I know a lot of folks are all like ''Omgee, how could you paint that''

Yea, I get that a lot.

One thing you'll learn if you stick around me is that I will paint almost anything.

I know I'm probably wrong

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Dawn's Door & The American Dream

Finding the perfect color for your front door is an easy & inexpensive way to add some color and curb appeal to your home. 

Growing up, I always wanted a red front door. Something about them made me think of success and the American dream. So, of course, I painted our door red... our American dream was complete!

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September Recap

September was a crazy busy month for Simply Salvaged!

I shared my Trials and Triumphs of Defunking Furniture

I also shared some information about the Sanding and Fiberglass Valved Respirator by 3M tekk and protecting your lungs against the ailments of prepping furniture...

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3M TEKK Sanding and Fiberglass Valved Respirator

The single most important step to a durable, long lasting finish is prep work. I always start by sanding my furniture. When I'm prepping for paint, I do not sand down to the bare wood, but do sand off about 70-80% of the existing finish, weather it's paint or stain. While I'm outside, hovering over said piece of furniture, I'm usually standing in a cloud of dust full of contaminates from the existing finish that I just sanded off. If you're sanding an older piece, you're very possibly dealing with lead particles.. mixed with paint particles...

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Black, Walnut, & Metallic Knee Desk

I've had a few obsessions lately..

1. Metallic glaze

2. Black paint

3. Crystal pulls

This little desk was a handful.

I had to find a cure for the funk coming off of it. As wonderful as this piece was, I couldn't sell a smelly piece of furniture. You can read all about my trials and triumphs of defunking furniture HERE.

Once I was able to rid her of the funk, the top needed to be reinforced on one side before I could finally start dressing her up.

The top was sanded to the bare wood when I bought it (luuucky!). 

What that means to me- a stained top was in this desk's destiny.

So, stain she got =) 

I chose crystal knobs because I fell in love with they way they looked on the Black Table Desk I customized a few weeks ago.

 

The distressing and metallic glaze was inspired by the Black & Bronze China Cabinet that I customized for a client a few weeks ago, as well.

 Have I ever mentioned that the smell of saw dust and stain remind me of my childhood? My grandparents used to build, paint, and sell furniture...wonder where I got it ;-) I once walked into our garage and sniffed the air and said to my husband, ''Mmmmm it smells good in here!'' He said, ''...only you...'' Ha!

Here's how she looked when I got her

Thanks for reading!

-Audra

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Get the Funk Out of Your Furniture!

My favorite picker grabbed this piece for me at his auction. He said he knew I would love it and he was right! I loved it as soon as I saw it!
Ohhhh the possibilities! 

I gave it my standard inspection:

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Black & Bronze {China Cabinet} Before & After

Wowza! 

I'm so far behind on posting my projects... Maybe, just maybe, if I post one per night for the next 2 weeks, I'll be caught up... maybe.

I guess I'll start with a China cabinet I finished the week before last. It is one of my favorite flips to date.

I'm in love with this piece- the black, the distressing, the hardware, the metallic glaze, the lined drawers. 

Heather chose the whole nine for her new China cabinet.

I would paint this piece 100 more times.

Here's the before:

Thanks for reading!

-Audra'

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Back to School Table Desk & a Photography Tip

This was a custom order for Shannon and her daughter who needed her desk flipped so she could study in style. I'm in love with crystal knobs on black furniture. I looks so classy! I buy mine at Hobby Lobby but when they're out you can find them at Home Depot or Lowe's.

I got a little carried away while I was editing these pictures- I also discovered the ''auto fix'' option... It made a HUGE difference in the pictures. You'd never know the sun was going down when I took these pictures... or that they were taken from my cell phone... unless you're some picture expert or something, maybe.

I usually spend roughly 30 minutes photographing each piece that I paint and take around 60ish pictures that I sort through and pick my faves. I then spend between 30 minutes to an hour cropping, editing, and adding my logo. When it's all said and done about 10-20 make it to the interwebs (I post more to my Facebook than my blog) and I invest upwards of an hour and a half of time to pictures of each piece. I think it's really important to have good pictures and capture your hard work. I lack in the area of photography but I'm learning a little- I do know that good sunlight will make a world of difference if you're using a regular ol camera that doesn't have fancy options. Orrr, just hit that auto fix button =) That's my photography tip of the day- and probably the only one I'll ever give.

 

 Thanks for reading!

-Audra

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Art Deco Meets Sophia's Coco

This week I've had the pleasure of doing some furniture flipping for Momma Kim. Who is Momma Kim you ask? She's the person who shuffled "The Three Musketeers" around in high school... To the movie, on dates, youth group, shopping... you name it. The 3 Musketeers met at her house almost every weekend and didn't leave until after we got some breakfast casserole on Sunday morning. Her daughter, Katie, Kala, & myself were inseparable. Our summers were spent laying out by their pool, and at school we hung out in the halls between every class. Momma Kim was the mom away from mom and her home was our home way from home.

Enough reminiscing, on with the furniture flipping!

When she dropped off her art deco chest of drawers and the bed to match, she asked for cream, grey, & ''scratched up'' =). That idea got pushed aside after she saw the Coco Dresser by Sophia's Decor on Pinterest. So, I sent over an email to Kristen of Sophia's Decor and she was totally cool with me replicating her work. I changed up the colors and added some distressing and this is what I got:

  Before:

Check back later in the week for after pictures of her deco bed =)

 

Thanks for reading!!

-Audra

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Black Beauty {Painted Dresser} {Before and After}

This was a custom order for an old friend of mine, Courtney. We were neighbors for a few years when I was 12ish. They had the best play house ever! It was the size of some people's actual homes- it was 2 stories and pink (I think)... it was fun. Now we're all grown up and married and getting our furniture painted and doing things adults do... Not playing hide and seek with Amanda and Leah =)

I forgot to take a before picture (of course) but use your imagination like every other time I forget the before =)

My husband has been off of work this week and gotten 6 pieces sanded and primed for me! Poor guy- he works ridiculous hours with his regular job... some weeks he barely gets an entire day off... then, when he does get a break, I put him to work. He must love me or something. I'm planning to have 4 of those pieces finished by the end of this week, I can't wait to share them with you!

Thanks for reading!

-Audra 

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Turquoise Dresser {Before and After}

Remember the Broyhill dresser I found in Atlanta last week? No? You can read all about it here. Anyway- I was so excited to start working on it that I unloaded it all by myself- where there's a will there's a way! 

I get so excited about my projects- I worked and worked and worked on this piece. I don't even think the paint was completely dry before I was dragging it out in the back yard for a photo shoot. Thank goodness for hand trucks!

Here's the before

Thanks for reading!

-Audra

PS- New followers put a smile on my face =)

Sharing at:
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Simply Salvaged & the Late.

Last week I gave myself a little time off to hang out with my little brother before he starts back to school- I'd planned on keeping him an entire week but after one night he wanted to go home. It really broke my heart. I actually shed a tear or two secretly and that, my friends, is rare. I felt like a crappy big sister who isn't entertaining enough for a 7 year old. I can't imagine how emotionally difficult it must be to be a parent once kids start getting minds of their own. I got a little glimps of the ''I'm too kool for you, mom'' thing. It made me feel really bad for my parents raising me because when it came to the 'I would rather do anything but spend time with my parents' thing I was as guilty as they come. Not to mention the hell I gave them ontop of that.

Anyways I decided to go ahead and take advantage of my empty schedule and spend some time with my husband who was working in Atlanta. He was actually working in Alpharetta which is where he lived when we started dating. I mapped out the area's thrift stores before I went, of course.

The drive was beautiful...

...The food was awesome!...

 I LOVE Mediterranean food!

...the price on this Broyhill dresser was AMAZING!...

You should of seen me unloading this thing off the back of the truck ALONE. Don't ask me how... I just really really really wanted to paint it.

...also a vintage filing cabinet I got for $10

Sitting in a hotel room with nothing to do but think about what all you want to do next is great for motivation. I didn't even take my bags into the house before I started working once I'd gotten home.

I hope you all are having a good week!

Thanks for reading!!

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