exterior is the home too

There's something special in giving a thing a second life rather that just throwing it away or buying something new. If it comes to the home you can do a lot. And the more I do the more I like!

Why?

• Practice your creativity. You have been given talents for various things, please make sure to use them or at least try.

• Destress. Finding a hobby is often recommended and once you do, you quickly realize how helpful it is to transfer your thoughts from problems or worries into positive attitude.

• Passing traditions. There is this feeling of satisfaction when you say I plan to give this old piece of furniture belonging to my grandmother to my child... even though they may find it beyond old-fashioned.

• Old good quality. Their is also this opinion that things aren't the same quality as they used to be. So it's good to fix them up and use again.

• Frugality. I want to say saving money but I'm not sure if that's always the case. Mass production ready made things may be cheaper sometimes.

• Uniqueness. Create something that is one of the kind because it's yours, you'll value and care for it more.

I wish you that your work is beautiful!

My friend Anna got me inspired by her furniture renovations. Sometimes I have this excuse I don't know how to do something so I don't do it, but the better answer to this is: learn! She attended classes to learn how to refurbish furniture and this is her work which she showcased at a local exhibition...

This is how the old chair was transformed. First she had to get rid of some beetles that had infested the chair. Then she painted it white and changed the material on the seat.

This was an old sewing machine from her husband's grandmother. The base was originally black but was spray painted blue, the drawers were painted with an acrylic blue on the outside and varnished on the inside to keep the old look, and lastly she added a planked board table top which was also varnished.

The wood of this trunk was first cleaned and then gently sanded to erase someone else's attempt of renovating it. The fabric material covering the trunk was thoroughly washed as well. And lastly the belt endings and buckles were fixed. This former traveling trunk is now used for storage and an accent piece.

Personally, I'm not there yet but I decided to paint few things to freshen up my side door entrance.

This is how it looked like before...

This is how it got changed to look beautiful...

For the plants, in the white big pot I have a rose that is about 2 years old which was a gift for my wedding anniversary. I'm trying to learn how to take care of the plants I have before I buy more. In addition since I'm getting sentimental about my childhood I have some Lilies of the Valley in the small white pot. I used to collect these from the forest when I was a child and in the future I plan to use them to populate our big property with them.

The table and the chair start to look old but I was told you are supposed to let teak age naturally. You shouldn't paint or stain it. I need to investigate this further. The mat really needed to be replaced with a new one.

The door, lamp, box and the 'F' for my last name got painted blue. I liked the idea of personalizing my old flower wreath this way. The box got spruced up with a small welcome sign that I painted white. I thought a fern would work perfect in the blue box, again a memory from my childhood when I was learning poems about ferns.

I find entrances important as they are an introduction to the whole house. They give an idea of what to expect inside. Hopefully they are welcoming so your guests can enjoy their visits! Help them by making your entrances beautiful.

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Anna

a beautiful friend who brings life to worn furniture so homes can have a feeling of old and new at the same time.