a true "upcyling"

It's like Christmas morning when someone gives me free furniture and says "go crazy! I just want it out of my house." No one can understand this obsession (especially my sweet, patient roommates who I know roll their eyes when they see a new desk in the back yard), but seriously..nothing makes me happier.

So when Kristin had a little trouble staining a desk from her grandmother and handed it over to Wade..I was in immediate "covet-mode." Wade finally cracked and let me take my beautiful baby home. This truly was a gift--after two weeks of rush, I needed a project to de-stress and let my creative juices flow.



Charlotte struck again with her fabulous and colorful room as inspiration. We had some fun and lacquered it up with apple green paint.

The wooden knobs were simple and cheap from Home Depot and allowed me to tie in the coral from her side table:

So here's my DIY tip for the day:

Distressing is SO easy! Use an old brush with slightly watered down white and gold paint- with a little on the brush (I usually wipe some on my hand or a paper towel to make it as minimal as possible) wipe random marks on the wood where there might normally be some wear and tear. Don't worry if it goes on too "harsh" in some places, just wipe it with your hand and come back to sand it later.

Make sure and get the edges and any indentations in the wood to create shadows and depth. It may sound confusing, but just grab a brush and start swipin'! When it's dry, go back with sand paper and rough up any places that are too bright or look heavily painted.

It's really about trial and error and the great thing about shabby chic-your "errors" are simply shabby :) Try distressing out on a piece and let me know how it goes- as always, feel free to ask me any questions at all!!

Thanks Kristin, Wade and Charlotte for this wonderful find, you are great and supportive friends.

Property of Texas A&M University

I have an obsession with chairs and ever since my sister found a school chair at a thrift store in Dallas, I've been on the hunt to find one of my own. I found this beauty, in great condition, for a steal and with a "Property of Texas A&M" stamp on the bottom...it was fate.


I decided to keep the green iron and only paint the wood and screws--I love the old school style.


Sea foam green and coral--perfect color combo!



This chair is for sale and would be perfect in any room with a number of color combos. Let me know if you're interested!

come and take it.

a Mission of many

As many of you know, I worked as an intern this summer at Twin City Mission in Bryan, TX. The Mission services a large area of central and south Texas, through programs addressing four main problems: homelessness; violence and abuse; family conflict; youth in crisis; life skills deficiencies; and poverty. They aim to provide "A safe and caring environment in which all individuals and families have an opportunity for hope, acceptance, and stability."

The dedicated servants at Twin City Mission, both at the administration office where I worked, and the many other employees at the non-profit's two shelters (Phoebe's Home Emergency Domestic Violence Shelter and The Bridge Homeless Shelter) are working hard to give Brazos Valley's "forgotten population" a second chance. More than an incredible learning experience in grant writing, I left with an inspiration to serve others- to not judge an individual by their past, but to LOVE always.

So hard as it may seem, this somehow DOES relate to furniture! One of Twin City Mission's programs is Donation and Resale Services, which sells clothes, furniture and household goods at their four local stores in BCS. (see website for locations). You can donate ANYTHING and know it's for a good cause, but you can also find incredible pieces to fix up and put in your own house! They give incredible deals and there are new things in every week, s0 go in with an open mind-or take me, I think everythinnggg has potential :)- and find that perfect piece you've been looking for!

Look what Kristin B. found for $7 (yes 7!!) and had me paint for her new room:

So proud of my thrifty friend-what a stealllll...and since she's using gold accents in her room, we left the potentially tacky gold-plated strip as is and played it up in the color scheme. See Kristin, you know more about design than you think.

Anthro (Wildfield) bedspread. I'm sensing a trend..

In love love love with this color

Wooden knobs, painted gold to match the strip. There's also a bit of gold used in the distressing to give the aqua color more dimension.

Still learning how to "properly" distress, if there is such a thing..but I'm pretty proud of how it turned out. Thank you for the opportunity Kristin, can't wait to see your finished room!

For more information on Twin City Mission and all the incredible work they do for our community, PLEASE please check out their website or ask me about it. I would be happy to tell you more! They also have great volunteer opportunities throughout the year if you are at all interested :)

Taken!

Remember the bedside table from my post on August 1? Just in case..here's a before:



Now check out its new look for Laurie's apartment at TCU:

This is her awesome bedding from Anthro, called Laelia:

New knobs from world market!


I printed off frames and mirrors from the Anthropologie website to decorate the cork boards--colorful, cute and FREE.
Thanks for your support Laurie, hope you love your new comeandtakeit design! LOVE YOU.

English Inspirations

Charlotte English came to me with a beautiful estate sale-found bedside table and a Michael Kors box.. and said, "have at it." Thank you Char for being my first real "come and take it" customer and trusting me with this design project--I hope you love it!


Perfume box inspirations..genius.


Manning photography..thanks Kate.



I love the coral and gold-so simple and clean but perfect for the bright colors in her design scheme. Look for a future post of the finished product in her room!

Texas on My Mind

I have Texas in my blood, through and through. The name "come and take it" wasn't just a clever anecdote for antique furniture (though it worked out nicely)...my family comes from a long line of Texas history, specifically in the town of Gonzales.

The Battle of Gonzales was a small skirmish in which American colonists refused to return a canon to Mexican soldiers--they raised a taunting flag, bearing the words "COME AND TAKE IT." The battle initiated the Texas Revolution and proved Texans stance against the Mexican government. Now how does relate to the Dean family, you may ask?

On my mother's side, my family was well known in the small town. To this day, the JB Kennard house stands as a Historic Marker in Gonzales. My aunt has moved back to our town of family roots and lives in a precious pink house with her two pups, Gracie and Scout. I'm jealous of her endless access to great vintage stores and cute boutiques.

Anywho, I digress. This entry is dedicated to two pieces I found at Canton and literally covered with Texas flair. The first is a gorgeous vanity (my mother is so happy we found it before my spray painting phase..)

I found several old pictures from my grandmother's house of her and her siblings in south texas during the 40's. I also managed to snag some of my mom and aunt as chili-bowled little girls at their first house in McAllen, TX. All in sepia or black and white and perfect for the top of my vanity--

With some double stick tape and a custom piece of glass from ACME glass (for $12!!!), I had a whole new piece of furniture and a little reminder of home.


Another find from Canton gave me a similar idea, but on this one I used postcards and an old Texas road map. I'm in love with the bright colors and handwritten letters. Find similar cards, photos, etc. at just about any antique store (if you're in Dallas, try Curiosities) --they can be as cheap as 25 cents and are a perfect tribute to southern roots.

what I've been up to lately..

A summer full of silly bands, chillin and grillin, twitter..

and lots and lots of crafting. my roommates have just about had it, but we now have a beautiful home (when it's clean) and I have a large collection of refurbished furniture for all of you to buy and enjoy!!

Take a look at these two chairs. They can also be found in my store on Etsy.com

Modern Maude School Chair:


(same chair, just different lighting)

Red Lovebird Stool:
my absolute faavvv
And what they used to be!
It's an obsession. I really can't stop.

come and take this!

I am going to try something out for all of the blog world, but more specifically my good 'ol Ags in College Station moving into houses this semester! As I have run out of space in my kitchen, living room, bedroom, and roommates' rooms for my growing hobby, I am opening up my restyled second hand pieces to all of you--

Etsy serves well for national selling of my small pieces, but for larger furniture, I will use my blog to post pictures of the "before" and let you choose the after. Shipping will be limited to the Bryan/College Station area (or Dallas, when I come home) and pieces can be completely customized to your liking. Let's take this first piece, for example.

Need a side table for your new room? Check out this fun, functional find:

The front glass has been replaced with cork boards to frame your besties in a whole new way--change out the pictures just like a bulletin board.


Cool wood side paneling. What color matches your room? You choose, I paint.


Two shelves and a drawer make this perfect for storage. Hide the clutter in something cute!


Comment on this post if you're interested and we can talk colors and pricing--I'm totally flexible. But more importantly, what do ya think? If I have more pieces like this, or find them on one of my many thrift store trips, would you be interested in customizing a piece for your own home?

come and take THIS!

"Local Digs"

It has been my dream for years to become a published author--so world, (Bryan/College Station that is) HERE I COME!! Home In-Style is a quarterly magazine insert in "The Eagle" newspaper and I have been given my very own two-page spread to showcase furniture redoes purchased in the Bryan, Texas area.

It will be styled as a "How To" column and feature before and after pictures of my crafty creations. I am unsure of the publication date at the time, but I know there is a "mugshot" to be taken in the near future (eek!). I will post the final product and link to the article as soon as it's up--but here is a preview of the desk that will be the star of the article. Major thanks to Katelyn Manning for funding the project and giving me a wonderfully lime green room as inspiration..youda youda best.

Purchased at Twin City Mission Second Hand Store on South College Avenue in Bryan, Tx for TEN DOLLARS. Ya, you heard me right.



The article will include detailed how-to instructions, but with a few coats of paint for $17 total, new hinges, and the cutest Anthro handle you've ever seen for $18...the desk cost a grand total of $57. What a steal.
Here are pictures of the finished product in Katelyn's room, complete a with precious yellow pencil jar from Uptown Country Home for $7.50.




So there ya have it, my first real entry. Look for how-to's on previous pieces currently for sale on my Etsy shop, comeandtakeit and opportunities to customize thrift store finds in the BCS area!