Rita's Vintage Buffet Project: The First REVEAL

To Review, the inspiration for my Vintage Buffet Project was MY FABULOUS NEW RUG..!!

I cannot tell you how much I LOVE THIS RUG.  It makes me smile every single day.  THANK YOU, Wayfair!!

Phase One of my Vintage Buffet Project is complete. Here are the three drawers...

 

I am CRAZY in love with this project..!!

Here's another major reveal --  The fabulous rug was the first thing I purchased for our new home.  I cannot manage another winter in this house.  

John doesn't know it yet -- but he and I will be moving into town next Fall.  Our new place is being built and I am VERY EXCITED about it. Everything will be on one level -- and it will be much easier for me to care for him there...

My Vintage Buffet will obviously be going with us.  I look at it as a bridge between our past and our future...

You've got to admit -- the zebra drawer really grounded the geometric design...

I am oddly content with the buffet right now. Although I am SURE the top of it will be zebra...it hasn't been revealed to me what the side doors should look like... 

So, I'm taking a buffet break.  

I'm also at peace with my decision to move into town.  And I'M HAPPY TO HAVE A WHOLE YEAR to get things organized here.  I've been busy sorting and packing...40 years in this house.  Moving is gonna be A BIG JOB,,

Tomorrow, I'll write about our new place...

Rita's Vintage Buffet Project: Chapter 6

First of all -- THANK GOD I did that "test" piece of wood. I applied one coat of the water-base varnish, and the pink paint ran like crazy...ugh. 

So, to save the geometric paint job I'd spent three days on -- I applied a coat of clear spray varnish.  (which is NOT water base)...and that seemed to seal everything.

THEN, two days later, I applied 3 coats of water-base varnish...Here's the wonderful thing about this project. I'M LEARNING NEW THINGS all the time!!

And, at my age -- who are we kidding?  That is damn near a miracle. 

Now -- moving on to my ZEBRA drawer. I AM SO EXCITED. Of course, I could paint the zebra on the drawer...but I have tried to paint zebra on many things (as you well know) -- and I'm never particularly happy with the finished job.

So, I decided I would DECOUPAGE fabric onto the drawer. I went to YouTube to check out some videos...

I had my Mod Podge....

And the drawer was prepped and ready to go.  Painted with three coats of primer...So, I painted a coat of Mod Podge. Then -- here's the magic -- instead of laying the fabric into the wet Mod Podge...and working to squeeze out all the air bubbles....I let the Mod Podge dry completely..overnight.

THEN, the next day, I laid the zebra fabric on top of the dry mod podged drawer...used some parchment paper, and USED A HOT DRY IRON to reactivate the Mod Podge...

THIS WAS SO SLICK...I couldn't believe how easy it was to do.  AND there were no bubbles at all...the zebra fabric was completely smooth, and perfect adhered. The piece of zebra fabric was about 2 inches bigger than the drawer...and YouTube gave me the PERFECT way to trim off the excess fabric...

SANDPAPER...!! Wow. Sooo much easier than trying to use a scissors or an exacto knife.  After I sanded off the excess fabric -- I had a perfect clean crisp edge.

HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS??

Using my new blue applicator, I put on a top coat of Mod Podge...

Rita's Vintage Buffet Project: Chapter 5

I touched up all the chipped spots in my primer paint...but now, my confidence about using any-old-paint I had laying around the house has been shaken. Kathy Keefer has painted EVERY SINGLE THING in her house (including her countertops) -- and she highly recommended Dixie Belle Chalk Paint.  So, I went to Amazon and ordered some black chalk paint...which I will put on the top of the buffet -- and the sides.

But -- for the drawer fronts -- I want to salvage the work I've already done.  The question is -- what will this cheapo paint do with a finish coat of varnish?

I was pleased with the abstract paint job.

But, I realized three abstract drawers would look too busy -- so the middle drawer will be zebra (tomorrow's post)

To TEST the finish coat of varnish -- I painted a scrap piece of wood with the primer paint, then the craft paint...

I may decide to add some black lines -- or words -- and I would use a Sharpie marker to do that...so I wrote some random words, using a sharpie...to see how they will be affected by the varnish.

Rita's Vintage Buffet Project: Chapter 4

Things were going great...I am really rocking and rolling on this project. I was so excited -- and then, THIS HAPPENED..!!

When I removed the painter's tape -- the white primer coat lifted in places.

The low-tac painter's tape is supposed to give a nice crisp line...which it did...

But,when I pulled the tape off -- there were many spots where the primer paint came with it....

 

UGH.

Maybe using up the crap I already had on hand was not such a good idea...

Rita's Vintage Buffet Project: Chapter 3

Again, in the interest of being a cheapskate -- and determined to USE STUFF I ALREADY HAVE -- I looked at my craft paint supply -- and picked out the colors I needed to go with the rug...

I had yellow, orange, pink and teal...yes...this will do...

The drawer fronts were perfectly primed -- and I waited for two days before taping them off...

I used a pencil to draw a few light lines -- quilt rulers came in handy.

I had a basic sketch for each drawer.

I used painter's tape to get nice, crisp lines...

I am sooo loving this!!

 

Rita's Vintage Buffet Project: Chapter 2

Okay...Iwant to do this right. I LOVE this old buffet, and it houses so many important things in my home. I could be from the 60's...or even the 40's...gheesh...maybe it was born the same year as me!! I LOVE THINKING ABOUT THAT...

Anyway -- this old girl is about to start a NEW CHAPTER in her life...

With some 60 grit sandpaper, the old finish came right off...and I was down to the beautiful blonde wood...

I had a gallon of this paint.  So, in the interest of USING CRAP I ALREADY HAVE -- I used it to prime the three drawer fronts.

The "white" paint dried as off-white. But that's perfect -- and will go with my rug...

 

Because I want to do an EXTRA GOOD job -- I applied three coats of the primer...Oh, yeah, this is gonna be fun...

Rita's 2021 Vintage Buffet Project: Chapter 1

Oh, yeah!! This project is EXACTLY what I need right now. And it's gonna take some TIME...and some PLANNING...and it will be CREATIVE...and, well, there's a little more to this story -- but you'll find that out as we go along...

To review, my sister Ronda made a remark about this buffet sitting in my kitchen for all these years -- and she can't believe I never painted it...

Time to remedy that oversight...and, hey -- TIME IS SOMETHING I'VE GOT PLENTY OF RIGHT NOW...

But actually getting started is the hardest part...what to do, what to do...

I considered all the ways I could paint this wonderful, sturdy vintage buffet...

I drew some pictures, imagining all the colorful choices I could make...

You know I love WORDS on everything...so that's a definite possibility...

THEN -- THIS HAPPENED..!! OMG...my new rug is TOTALLY going to be my inspiration for my old buffet...!!

I immediately started sketching and coloring possible drawer fronts...

I AM LOVING THIS...