Entryway bench.

Come winter, our little entryway will function as part mud room. It will be a place to take off muddy, snowy, wet shoes and boots. I had been keeping my eyes peeled for a bench that would fit in the space. Seeing as this space is pretty cramped as it is, the bench needed to be narrow and fit on the small portion of the wooden floor between the hutch and travertine. I found this piano bench at the Goodwill this week for $6. After I scored that awesome vintage window in my 2 minute stop in the store, I decided I needed to go back and actually take my time looking around. It seemed to have great potential for more steals. And sure enough, the piano bench was affordable and the perfect size. I am not sure what the purpose of the hardware (maybe handle?) was. I would guess for design. I like it. I also love the curvature on the underside and detailing in the legs.

First, I sanded down the bench until most of the finish was stripped and is felt rough to the touch. There were quite a bit of scuffs on the top of the bench. I did not put much effort into smoothing these out because I planned on making the bench have a weathered look in the end, so scuffs were welcome to stay.

Using blue painters tape, I did a professional job of covering the hardware. Ha. Before priming, I made sure to wipe off any dust and dirt remanants from sanding. I used BEHR enamel and udercoater primer & sealer to apply one thin coat over the entire piece (Again, not worrying about full coverage since I was going to sand some of it away in the end).

With the free quart of "country garden" paint I got at ACE hardware,  I set out to give this wood a new bright and airy look. I went with this light shade of seafoam because I like the color combo with tans and browns, which would show through once weathered and also with the hutch, wooden floor, and coat rack in the entryway. 

I went in with a thin flat brush to do the paint detailing around the hardware. After the paint was dry, I sanded the edges, legs, and a few places along the body of the bench, to give it that weathered look.  A seat cushion may be added later once my sewing machine is up and running and I have the space to make it. We already had a place to hang our coats and hats.  Now we have a place to sit, lace up those shoes, and slip off those boots. Convenient even for placing our bags and misc. things that go in and out of the house on a regular basis. I am so happy with the end result and the fact that I have had some part in making both pieces in our little entryway.

Mirror Pop.

This was an easy project that was inexpensive and a simple solution to getting me over my boredom with a green mirror we already had rather than spending a dime to get a new one. 

I bought this mirror at HomeGoods about 3 years ago. It was red tagged and dirt cheap because it had a scratch in the corner. I saw beauty beyond this mere blemish, and was so grateful for it because it made a $$$$$ mirror only $20.
This is the last place it hung. At our most recent home in Burbank, it sadly sat in the garage, accumulating dust and a few new scratches from our move to Colorado.

The first step was sanding. As an after thought, I question whether sanding was even really necessary because they paint was not peeling and it was not sealed with a finish. I think it could have done without this step, but it did no harm, except maybe delay the priming and paint process and test my patience. (Who knew sanding was such intensive labor?)

Next up, I taped off the edges. Don't want that paint on my reflection! Although, the primer was water based, so if it did get where I would not want it long term, simply a wet rag did the trick. A low VOC primer was then applied. A little goes a long way, so it primed and dried quickly on this 90 degree day. I also painted some side mirrors originally rusty red from ikea that I never had up because of the color just being too ho hum. I painted those orange sherbet, to compliment the aqua and sea foam in the bathroom.

Here's the exciting part. Color pop! I knew that I wanted a blue mirror, with it being a great accent to the other items in the living room. I had two colors to chose from (I bought sample sizes at Home Depot- only $2 and some change, what a steal, right?) Peacock and Silent Storm were my choices and I went with Peacock because it had a little more richness to it. Quiet Storm is closer to Navy...I'll keep that one handy for a rainy day.

I applied 2 thin coats of paint. I was surprised by how thick it went on. Because I purchased sample sizes, there was no option of glossy paint. It was just the pure paint, giving the mirror a more matte look in the end. I was happy with this though. If I were doing a bigger piece, I would have gone with a glossy finish. For a bigger piece, I would have needed to purchase at least a quart of the paint, giving me that glossy option. After the paint dried (only about 2 hours), and a few days later (once we purchased the hooks to hang the mirror), it landed on the wall perfectly in place above a writing desk to transition the space from the main living room to the hallway connecting the bedrooms and bathroom. Forgive the bare walls you see in these photos. I have yet to hang a single framed photo of artwork since we've moved in. That is a whole project in an of itself. Maybe tomorrow I tackle that one.