Last week Joey and I were on our way back from the local farmer's market when we saw a little garage sale and decided to stop and check it out. The home owners were in the process of decorating their yard for Halloween and the lawn had some gravestones going up and zombies starting to come out of the ground so we figured maybe they were interesting and had interesting stuff. They had some 70's knick knacks and a row of dog costumes on a line and I was just about to head back to the car when I saw this china hutch at the back of the driveway. It had no price tag and I was afraid to ask since it's always been my theory that they just wait until they see that you want it and then come at you with a crazy price. But I was curious. I asked the lady what the price was and she said "Hold on. Let me go check." and I thought "Oh great. Here we go". She came back and said....wait for it.....wait for it.....drumroll please.....$20.00!! Can you believe it?! I know, right??!
Once I got it home I set it against the wall and waited for the weekend. It had already been stripped so on Friday I just cleaned it up and taped off the glass and got to work.
I had plenty of supplies left over from when I painted my sideboard so I just used those (I did treat myself to a new brush and roll of blue tape though). Glidden Gripper primer and Behr Swiss Coffee (with some Floetrol added for a smoother finish). 2 coats of each and everything was fresh and beautiful (I already loved the hardware on it so I was set there). That Swiss Coffee paint is quickly becoming my favorite. It's such a beautiful shade of white it makes everything look high quality.
For the back of the hutch I had Joey pop it out (after I had already squeezed my upper body in there to paint the primer on, duh) and slathered it with a slurry made from 1/2 Elmer's glue and 1/2 water all over it (and for those who have been curious you can see how my grey hair is growing out in this picture).
And wouldn't you know it, the board was 45" wide. This was meant to be. I had ironed all the creases out of my fabric (Taza by Dena Fishbein), and gave it a quick shot of spray starch and I was ready to go. I slowly smoothed it out on the board while my 13 year old son Asher held one side up for me. Together we got everything in place nice and even. It didn't take long to dry.
I nailed it back in place and Bam! Isn't it lovely? I'm over the moon with happiness. $20.00!!!
Here are the before and after pictures, side by side. What a difference a little paint, fabric, and time makes.
Now I'm busy sprucing it. I finally have a place for all of my sweet little teacup sets.
So when you're at a garage sale, don't be a chicken. Ask! :)
And speaking of Starsky and Hutch, here is a picture of my pretty mom with David Soul taken at my uncle's studio back in the day. Cool, huh?
