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Confessions of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer

Simple DIY tutorials and thrifty furniture and decor makeovers

Painting the Smalls #15

Hello sweet friends, and thank you for stopping by today! I’ve got six more smalls coming your way!

But first, I’m so glad I got to hang with some of you yesterday on my Facebook page! I stopped in at Michael’s yesterday morning because I had heard that they had finally gotten all their Christmas garland and wreaths in and it was all 75% off. I ended up only buying a wreath, but I also happend upon a large stack of $5 grab boxes! I went live to unbox the two I bought, and it was fun to see what I got! If you missed it, you can see that HERE!

Onto today’s mini makeovers!

After the holidays, I was depleted of the smaller items in my booth, so I grabbed a bunch of things that had been hanging around the garage one day with the intention of getting them done quickly and in my booth. That didn’t happen as quickly as I had planned but I did get them started, so I was able to finish them up to share with you today!

They are just quick mini makeovers, so nothing too exciting but sometimes it’s nice to see the smaller projects too, right?

Here’s what I’ve got today:

Here we go!

I’ve included a few affiliate links so you can find the products I love.

Mini Makeover #1

Up first is this set of ceramic candlesticks I picked up for $8 for the set. That’s more than I usually like to pay, but candlesticks always sell, so I went ahead and bought them:

I started by giving them a quick spray of Rustoleum primer just to get a fast first coat on them. I then followed up with a coat of Dixie Belle’s brightest white, Cotton.

Once that was dry, I decided to highlight the details with some Gemstone Mousse in Golden Gem:

I left them unsealed since they shouldn’t be handled much:

Painting the Smalls #15

 

This is just another way of creating a distressed look when you don’t have wood underneath.

Candlesticks with gemstone mousse

 

Mini Makeover #2

Next up is this ornate box that I picked up for $5.75:

I love anything with pretty details like this, but the finish on this one was very um…unique!

I gave it a couple of coats of Driftwood using my Best Dang Brush to easily cover all those curves:

 

Then I followed that up with white wax:

White wax over Driftwood

I used my La Petite brush to push it into all the details.

I buffed away the excess wax with a soft cloth and this mini makeover was complete!

I love this combination, and you can see how pretty this piece really was!

White wax over Driftwood

 

Mini Makeover #3

This next piece was a super quickie! I found this glass knob hanger for a couple dollars a while back:

I really just liked the knob and figured I’d use it on something else possible down the road. As I was gathering a few quick things to redo for my booth, I went ahead and grabbed this too.

It got two coats of Fluff, a more vintage white.

Then I cheat distressed it with my distressing block and Coffee Bean paint:

 

Fluff white

I love this more subdued white. I used it on our bedroom furniture as well HERE!

Mini Makeover #4

Makeover number four is this clock that has been for sale in my neighbor’s booth at the antique mall for a few months now:

With the aqua face, I figured it might sell better if painted white. When she had a sale at the start of December, I snagged it for $12.

After applying my first coat of paint, I got bleed through, which happens when painting metal sometimes.

So, I followed up with a coat of White BOSS:

I left that to dry overnight and that did the trick. I gave it a final coat of Fluff and then distressed it a little here and there with sandpaper.

It almost disappears on my bead board wall, but I do prefer it in white!

It really makes the blue stand out!

 

Mini Makeover #5

At number five is this set of glass cannisters I found at the thrift store for $14 for the set:

I had actually planned to keep them for my own kitchen and so I didn’t mind paying that price. However, my MIL gifted me a lovely set for my birthday and so these will end up in my booth!

The lids got a couple of coats of one of my favorite blues, Vintage Duck Egg Blue.

Then I gave them the white wax treatment also:

White Wax over Vintage Duck Egg Blue

A quick buffing with a soft cloth removed all the excess wax and gave these a softer more coastal feel:

White Wax over Vintage Duck Egg Blue

I did paint the bases also but totally forgot to bring them in from the garage to photograph them!

White Wax over Vintage Duck Egg Blue

 

Mini Makeover #6

And finally, we have this country shelf that were all the rage in the late 90’s:

I used to see these at every craft market!

I chose to go from dark and masculine, to light and soft using Silk Endless Shore.

Then I dressed it up with a few pieces I had left over from my Magnolia Garden Transfer:

It doesn’t look that charming here:

But when you see the pretty transfer detail…

Ooh la la!

If you missed the anouncement on Tuesday, Dixie Belle is realeasing ten brand new SILK colors!

Woohoo! I can order them starting on the 26th, so I’ll be ready first thing, and I hope to have them listed in my Etsy shop by the end of the month! If you’d like to be notified when they’re available, just let me know and I’ll add you to the list!

And that’s six more mini makeovers complete!!

Painting the Smalls #15

Nothing too complicated about any of these!

Painting the Smalls #15

And that gives me a few more pieces for my booth!

I need to get some more furniture in there now. The French provincial dresser that I shared on Tuesday sold before it could make it there…time to get to work!

Have an amazing weekend! We are expecting snow but you never know around here!

I’m hoping to get this piece completed for Tuesday:

Update! I wasn’t able to get this mirror completed due to the now, but I shared this little gem instead:

See how sophisticated it looks now here!

See y’all then!

XOXO,

 

 

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Comments

  1. Awe, be still my beating heart, I LOVE the smalls! What a great transformation on all of the items, but my favorite is the shelf with the transfers, so cute! I am always amazed at the beautiful magic you create with the smalls make overs!!

    • Aww thank you, my friend!! I enjoy knocking out several pieces at once…it feels like winning ha ha! XOXO

  2. These mini makeovers are inspirational. I love getting your emails because I never know what they might inspire me to do next. I also, love your Etsy shop – I’m all about supporting small businesses.

  3. I respect all of your wirk but why everything is white???i love to see more colors thank you .

    • Hi Gracy! One thing I have learned as I’m entering my 10th year of sharing two makeovers every week (and sometimes more when I gather these mini makeovers together), is that I have to do what I personally love. I love white, it’s true, but it isn’t always about the color of things, but rather I hope you are inspired by the other things I add to a piece. My hope is that you can take those ideas and apply them to your own projects. XOXO

      • Hi Gracy,
        Christy runs a consignment shop in Virginia Beach, VA. Can’t you imagine that the smalls painted and distressed in whites and pastels sell faster and quicker in a coastal town as Va Beach. I too notice the number of white things, but know that they will leave the shop faster that way. Keep up the good work Christy, still plan on visiting your booth on my next trip to the beach.

  5. Way to go Christy! Love that the French Provincial dresser sold lickety split! That is wonderful! Love all these smalls but I think the glass doorknob one is my favorite. I’m a sucker for glass doorknobs and white. 🙂
    I hope you don’t get snow. Stay warm and have fun!

    • Thank you, Christina! Yes, me too! Oh I am with you on that…love that white/glass combo too! I hope we do get snow, but then I hope it goes away fast lol! Have a great weekend! XOXO

    • Thank you, Kellee! I found those in the carts they roll out as they are putting stuff out. That’s often how I nab the good stuff! XOXO

        • Ours usually do too, but these were priced already…just waiting to be shelved. I’m talking tall rolling racks with shelves…I probably didn’t describe them very well. I think they roll them out and let them sit a bit because they know we’ll all pick through them, and that’s less they’ll have to shelf themselves ha ha!

  7. Thank you for the inspiration yet again. I actually have that exact same glass knob I purchased as a set many years ago. I just may need to get them out of the attic and try your makeover with them. You always have the best make overs!

  8. Christy, Once again, beautiful makeovers of the smalls. That “unique” little box looks like a completely different piece. ❤️ And the canisters—lovely! I also love the clock. Well done!

    • Hi Tami! Absolutely, come on down…I’m in the Virginia Beach Antique Mall on Bonney Rd. 🙂 XOXO

  10. Christy, I’m sure I’m not the only one who enjoys the smalls as much as a piece of furniture. They’re fun, even if they’re simple makeovers. And that box! That was a shocker. I thought it was badly tarnished silverplate, not realizing it was a tragic paint job 😂 It’s so good now. They all are! You actually can see the clock face is blue, the transfers glam up a simple shelf, and paint does the trick on just about anything.
    Don’t hesitate to share the small pieces. Not everything has to be complicated to be an amazing makeover (Exhibit A: ugly box 😉).

    • Aww you are the best, Marcie! Thank you!! I’m so glad you enjoy these more simple makeovers…I do too!! And that poor box…what a crime that paint job was ha ha! XOXO

  11. There are some real gasp-makers in that bunch. The little ugly brown/yellow/everything Jar? literally made me gasp when I saw the trasformation. I could not even see that detail on the “before” picture! And the jars. From plain to elegant with so little work, but with so much experience and inate artistic talent behind the choices. I must admit I am dying to see them in their bases.
    Honestly they all turned out beautiful, but for the first time EVER, and don’t take this as an insult, I didn’t care too much for the candles. I find that wierd; that YOU did something I did not like that much! That just shows how diversified your talent can be, something for everyone.
    You rock no matter what idea pops into your head!

    • Thank you so much, Marietta! I’m not sure who did that to that poor box, but it I’m so glad I could save it!! And between you and me, I wasn’t in love with the candlesticks either ha ha! I did a lamp like that a few months ago and it sold the day I put it in my booth, so that’s where I was going with those lol! Appreciate your honesty, my friend! XOXO

  13. Well, MY favorites are the hanger, the set of 3 canisters (of COURSE, love the coastal color… 😍), and the LOVELY shelf (being in my “prime” when the country shelves were so popular… 🤭). When I see what you can do with those gorgeous transfers, I have the urge to run and get something to redo so I can try one of those transfers! That white shelf is simple, yet sooooo elegant. Love it!!! How I wish I lived near your shop /booth!!

    • Thank you, Denise!! I wish you were closer so you could shop too, but that just means you have to get creative instead ha ha! The transfers are so fun to create with! XOXO

  14. I am so excited to see more smalls! Especially when I have some of the same items in my stash and haven’t been motivated to do something with them. I bet you were jumping for joy when you sold the French Prov. chest! Especially before you hauled it to your booth! I cant wait to see what you do with the sad piece for Thursday; even with the snow I’m sure you will get it done! Stay warm! XOXO

    • Aww yay!! I really enjoy the smalls too! And yes…always glad for a quick sale! Have a great weekend! XOXO

  15. Wow! I love, love, love your transformations! Thank You for sharing your work! I’m just about ready to start a “small” as well. It is a square-shaped glass jar that I can’t seem to part with. I’m thinking of painting just the lid. Any tips on painting over glass?

  16. Hi Christy😊
    I love the smalls, too! The jars are beautiful finished, and I especially love that ornate box! Thanks for inspiring me to tackle all the little stuff I have lying around!💕

  17. Love the smalls, they are my favs…keep ‘em coming..love your other things too, but smalls inspires me the most..hey what does MIL stand for? Thanks

    • Thank you, Kathy! I’m so glad you enjoy them! They are fun for me as well!! MIL is Mother in Law. 🙂 XOXO

  18. Fun mini’s today Christy. You’d probably make out like a bandit at my house. I never know what to do with small stuff, so I usually send it on down the road. I’ve found that I dislike clutter and I don’t have time or patience for them either. Maybe one day……Looking forward to seeing what you do with the mirror frame for Tuesday. Stay warm and safe!

  22. Love the smalls! They’re less expensive, easier to come by, and faster to transform into something amazing. And seeing yours gives me the inspiration to get working on my own stash of smalls. Thanks for sharing!

    • I’m so glad they leave you feeling inspired, Mariah! Thank you! Everyone has a couple smalls they can tackle! Have fun with yours! XOXO

  23. You always do such a fabulous job on your thrifted smalls. Each one of these is equally beautiful! Dang, if I lived near you I would be taking a visit to your booth to pick up those pretty canisters.

  24. Loved all your pieces but especially the ornate box and the clock. I’m an all white fan also. Wish our place I’m NC was closer so I could visit your booth. Have fun. Looking forward to next Tuesday’s video for some more goodies.

  25. I do like the ‘smalls’ ! Inspiring for sure.
    Amazing how a clean up and some paint make such a difference. 🙂
    The canister jars now look wonderful ! And I love your tutorials – Sooo helpful and detailed.
    A question: I saw in a comment you have an etsy shop…? I search etsy, but can’t find it. 🙁 Can you provide a link or site name please?
    I really like the clock. The soft blue face is so pretty. Is it available on etsy too ?
    Keep doing what you do.
    Thanks,
    p

    • Thanks so much, Robyn! I’m so glad you enjoy them! Me too! And those canisters were a great find! XOXO

  27. Hi Cindy – the ugly box makeover is terrific.
    So are the new silk colors – looking forward to learning the names.
    Sheila

    • Thank you, Sheila!
      Here are the new colors:
      Oasis
      Morning Sunrise
      Cactus
      Prickly pear
      Fiery Sky
      Mirage
      Umber
      Midnight Green
      Desert Rose
      It’s a desert theme! The last one escapes me lol, but there are ten in all! XOXO

  28. Love, love, love…especially the small box. It doesn’t look like the same item! Great job on the canisters; they’d be gorgeous in a bathroom or on a vanity.

    • Thank you, Carol! That box was so pretty underneath that paint job! And yes, the canisters would be great in a bathroom! XOXO

  29. Ask beautiful as usual! I’ve had Covid. Just started following f again so love your work! Cheers!

  30. I love the smalls. You do a fantastic job and so much of your work is in white or some variation of it. It just shows that it never goes out of style. These items are impressive. I would have a problem letting any of the items go. I especially like the door knob shelf/hanger and the little box. I have a yen for boxes-of all kinds and all materials.

  32. Love, love, love this batch but then again, I usually love what you do. I am inspired to redo some pieces I have had for years to try to sell as I am thinking we may be downsizing in our future. Soon to hit the big “70”, I wonder if you would consider sharing what you sell some of your items for. I have no idea where to start with that. For instance, that dresser that sold right away. Could use some help here to get started with that. Looking forward to your next email.

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