a love story: barkeepers friend + me.

part one: 
NOT love at first sight

i have heard all kinds of hoopla about bar keepers friend for years. i even bought some about a year and a half ago, and after half-heartedly using it on a few things around my house, decided it was not a keeper. the nearly full bottle was one of things that got thrown out when we moved into our new house about a year ago.

part two:
second chances

jenny recently revived a vintage desk chair and used barkeepers friend and a pumice stone. i have a similar chair (vintage, chrome) that also has some rust on it....

i tried using some backing soda and steel wool, but i wasn't super impressed with the results.

 i decided to give barkeepers friend a try...

i bought the liquid form, and slathered it on my chair, making sure that i had some old towels and cardboard under it.

at first, i used the pumice stone, which was nice, but my chair has so many little nooks and crannies, and i knew i needed something more brush-like to reach into all those groves and details.

  i bought this wire brush that works with my drill, and it was amazing! i cannot tell you how much time it saved me. at first i was a little worried that it would dull the finish or scratch the chair, but it actually took off the rust, and even buffed the chair so that it was way shinier than before!

the combination of the bar keepers friend with the wire brush was the magic bullet for me. these two together removed nearly all of the rust (there are still a few small areas where the pitting was pretty bad), and really shined up my chair!

i had to admit, that i was falling in love!

part three:
i-truly, truly-love-you-and-i-dont-know-how-i-ever-lived-without-you!
(and why did i never realize how awesome you are?)

ok, well this is the part of the love story when i REALLY fell in love!
i have been avoided stripping my vintage desk for a long time. i purchased the desk about 8 years ago at an antique shop in hartselle, alabama. when i bought it, i knew it needed to be refinished.

i took this picture two weeks ago--you can see how badly the finish is damaged.

as you can see, the top of the desk had some pretty severe water staining on it--the entire left side had about a dozen little water marks. here is what it looked like after i stripped all the stain off:


on the right side there were also some water marks, but the biggest and most obvious culprit was this dark stain---


i did some research online that said that these dark watermarks can be removed with something called oxalic acid. apparently, this mild rhubarb-dervied bleach is available in crystal form. it needs to be dissolved in water, and then can be applied to the wood.

i watched a few very convincing you tube videos, and then set off to find me some oxalic acid!
easy, right?
i went to lowes, thinking for SURE they would have some. (NOPE.)
i showed the "wood and stain EXPERT" the picture of the dark stain on the desk top, hoping she would have some other ideas, and do you even want to know what she said?
sure you do.
because it was pretty awesome.
it a bad way.
she said.."you know---i think that might just be the grain of the wood...yeah. that's what it looks like. you know---that's probably not even a stain."

YEEEEAAAAHH......
that is what it is like 47 shades darker than the rest of the wood.
and in the outline of a GLASS.
oh boy-eeeeeee.
the "expert" then tried to convince me to buy me a gallon jug of deck cleaner for $30, and i was like "uh...no. i actually trust you less than my 10 year old son to advise me on wood stain removal. but thanks."
ok, i didn't actually say that, but i wanted to.

ANYWAY, i went back home and googled where i COULD find this elusive oxalic acid. it was easy to find a place to purchase it online, but i wanted it YESTERDAY. even if i had to drive across town to get it, i was convinced i would have some by the end of the day.
well, as i was researching oxalic acid, an article caught my eye that said that the active ingredient in bar keepers friend was OXALIC ACID!
what??
of course i was super skeptical, so i tried seeing if i could find any pictures of of before and afters of people using this method....i am not gonna lie. there were only a few. and none of them very convincing, but i decided to give it a try.

here  is the dark stain before:



at first, i very cautiously dabbed just the stain with the barkeepers friend:

i was literally petrified that it would ruin the wood.
i only left it on for about a minute, but i could tell it had indeed lightened the stain.



i applied two more quick applications, and i then started worrying that there were going to be bleach marks on the wood where the barkeepers friend was applied, and so i mixed some water with my liquid barkeepers friend, and smeared it over the entire desk.



i let it sit for about 3 minutes, and could totally see that it was working to remove the other water stains! i applied one more all-over coat, and was AMAZED at what a difference it made!
AMAZED!!



here is the desk top, after the first coat of stain:


so, in short, here is what i learned:
barkeepers friend is really great at not only removing rust from metal, but it can also be used to remove water stains from WOOD.
and, i am now in love:

affordable find: curved base table

dalat end table
on sale right now for $152
(regularly $189)

alex accent table
$229

happy shopping!

one week challenge: week 5. stripping, sanding, and painting, oh my!

i was busy this past week!

here is what occupied most of my time:

stripping my vintage thomasville desk! 

there is so much detail in this piece, that eventually, i ended up using q-tips to remove all the stain from the carved areas and recesses.

once all of the old stain was removed, i actually liked the way the way it looked unfinished....but i thought this piece needed some color.

the top had many areas with water damage, and i finally managed to remove it with a secret weapon i discovered! (more on that SOON!)




for the stain, i started with a coat of minwax "golden pecan", but it was so light, that all it did was highlight the fact that the legs and drawers are made from what i believe is oak, and the side panels and top have a cherry veneer. i ended up mixing "dark walnut" with the golden pecan, and ended up with what i thought was the perfect color.

here is the top, all refreshed and pretty.

i thought i loved this desk before, but now i am MADLY in love with it!

i made a total mess in the garage, but it was worth it.

i just started the fist coat of black paint on the drawers. i have been going back and forth about using the old hardware, and getting new polished chrome hardware, and for now i am going to keep the original. i think it will look nice against the black paint, and i want the desk to LOOK like the vintage piece that it is!

also this week----

we finally got the shelving up above the credenza!

first, we screwed and glued (liquid nails) some support cleats to the wall...

and then we used a nail gun (and more liquid nails) to attach the shelf to the cleats.

after that, we attached  trim board across the front.
i am SO excited to have all of this extra storage space! having the shelves in here also makes the ceilings look so much taller!

we are in the home stretch!!

 heres what is still left to do:
-remove the rust from my office chair
-caulk, sand and paint the shelves
-repaint the walls
-get my chair cushions back from the upholstery shop and reattach to chair
-swap out the light
-hang the art
-organize and accessorize!

see you next week for the big reveal!

design plan: colorful shared office

this design plan is for a repeat client who LOVES color. she wanted to turn her dining room into an office she could share with her husband.

the walls were currently painted a soft neutral. i suggested we paint the walls charcoal to balance all the bright colors, and bring in an affordable desk and wall of storage from ikea. here is the design board, which should give you an idea of what the finished room will look like:

interested in working together to create a more beautiful and  functional space?

i only take limited clients during the summer months so i can spend as much time with my kids as possible, so if you would like to schedule a consultation for june, july or august, email me at autumnclemons@yahoo.com!

one room challage-week 4: working on a budget gallery wall

it is week 4 on the one room challenge!
week 1 
week 2 
week 3

i was really busy with work, and didn't have time to tackle some of the projects i was planning on.
what i DID do was work on gathering some art for the gallery wall, which will be on the back wall of the office.
i am a big fan of gallery walls. i want the one in this room to feel loose, eclectic and a reflection of things i love and items that have meaning to me.

building a gallery wall can cost a small fortune. even the smallest wall may need 10 or more items, and by the time photos are printed or art purchased, and are either custom framed or mats and frames are bought, the cost can be staggering.

while working on my gallery wall, i have employed a few tricks to keep my costs down.
lucky for you, i am going to share them with you today! (not a single idea costs over $25!)



1. soft landscape original art in white frame
total cost: $25
ikea ribba frame = $10
original art purchased at local craft fair = $15

this piece is on the high end of my affordable gallery wall ideas, but i think the texture and movement from and original piece of artwork adds so much to any room! to save money, consider making the art yourself!


2. fossil fish in wood tone + linen shadow box
total cost: $21
target shadow box = $12
fossil fish, purchased on ebay = $9

i used loctite indoor adhesive to attach this fossil to the linen background of this shadow box, and let it dry overnight. if you haven't shopped on ebay before, you need to give it a try! it is a wonderful place to hunt for one of a kind treasures for your home. i have bought pages from books, vintage postcards, original art, and embroidery pieces...just to name a few. to make this even less expensive, find a shadow box at a thrift store, paint it, cover the back with a scrap of linen and use a piece of driftwood, a great rock from a hike or a pressed flower from your wedding or other special occasion!

3. snake print in wood frame with gold accents
total cost: $2
thrift store frame : $1
print taken from old calendar: $1

this is the cheapest and easiest artwork ever! thrift stores can be amazing places to find good quality, unique frames for almost nothing! 



this frame was a little beat up, so i just rubbed it with some stain (leftover from here and here) that i had on hand and used a gold marker to highlight the edges and the very inside lip of the frame. 

the snake print was a little bit larger than the frame, so i just trimmed it to size. 


4. mustard deer embroidery on black
total cost: $17.25
ikea ribba frame: $10
embroidery from trip to mexico: $7
black paper: .25

if i am ever feeling lazy or cheap and don't want to get a frame cut for a piece, i just mount it directly onto a sheet of good quality scrapbook paper. if the piece is larger than 12" in any direction, then i use canson paper. for this piece, i just used adhesive dots to attach the embroidered fabric onto a piece of black paper. this project can also be done with a beautiful scrap of fabric or wallpaper. bonus points if it has some meaning---a small cutting of your mothers wedding dress? wallpaper from the home of your grandparents? 


5. sepia wave print in modern wood frame
total cost: $11
target frame: $11
art printed from internet: 0

the cheapest and easiest artwork ever! there are so many resources for printable art. just choose your favorite, print it and frame it! so easy and you can customize the print to fit your mat!
my favorite source is the new york public library digital gallery.
jennifer did an amazing round up you can check out as well!

6. small fossil in two tone shadow box 
total cost: $7
frame, bought on sale at michaels: $6
stone fossil, purchased on trip to southern utah: $1

this frame was super cute and cheap, and i couldn't resist. if you like the look of this two tone frame, recreating it would be super easy with some spray paint and tape. for this piece, i simply put a small fossil from a family trip onto a piece of scrapbook paper (i like the paper to have some texture) with some adhesive dots! simple, cute, and every time i look at it, i am reminded of being on vacation with my favorite people.

7. pastel beach scene in gold rope frame
total cost: $8.25
thrift store frame: $1
original art, purchased on etsy: $8
paper: .25


this piece was a little more tricky than it looks. i actually "made" this thrift store frame into a very shallow shadow box by adding a spacer.


i got mine free from my local framer since this was such a small piece, but you can see something similar here. you just trim the spacer to fit, peel the paper off of the adhesive, and stick it to the glass. this created enough space for me to mount this tiny pastel beach scene onto some double stick foam, which gives the piece some dimension, and since it is held off the glass, will also keep the artwork from smudging.

there is still a lot to do! i am hoping that a LOT will get done this week, including:

finding the perfect wall light

stripping and staining the desk

adding the shelves!!

stay tuned, and thanks for following along!

affordable find: marble column lamp

noah snow marble lamp
$792

pilani scroll table lamp
$165
($330 for a set of 2, on sale for $264, so $132 each!)

happy shopping!

where am i? (again.)

i walked in an eatery last weekend, and was really impressed with the finishes.
can you guess where i am?

 hmmm. classic subway tile with dark grout....

 white carrara-like countertops with light gray shaker type cabinets...

 darker gray walls with ribbed glass inserts...

 reclaimed/distressed wood tables, classic metal stools.


fun metal detail on tables.

 
wood paneled walls...

brown "leather" seats with top stitching and metal legs...

 cross hatch/strie laminate tables with geometric print upholstered banquette backs.



 

HAVE YOU GUESSED YET?
no?
need more pictures??
ok.....

 red bar stools and tall tables...

 long glass and metal light (i think the glass is made from recycled coke bottles!)

i really loved the details on the inside of the women's bathroom!

ribbed glass...


red penny tile with gray grout...

there was also this fun low kids table area, complete with little stools:

LOVED the ceilings!

have you guessed yet??

ok, how about a wider shot?

and finally-----!

chick fil a!!
who'd a thunk it?
not me.
way to go chick fil a. i am super impressed.


now that you know where i took these, here are a few wider shots of the place:

inspiration is everywhere!!

what do you think?
have you been in any fast food restaurants lately and been pleasantly surprised by the finishes and attention to the design of the interiors?
(i blogged about another fast food resaturant that caught be pleasantly off guard here...)
do nice interiors make you want to eat at a place more often?