I, Clara, would be lying if I said anything other than “my favorite hobby is thrifting.” I think about it all the time and love to share my favorite spots with anyone who expresses interest. Back in the day (who am I kidding, still true today), I had closets and closets of stuff I picked up at Goodwill to be repurposed, reupholstered, repainted, and remade into something better. Rarely do these grandiose plans ever get completed… but since I’ve been at Four Corners, my track record for finishing projects has greatly increased.
One of our first big projects, after repainting the store, was updating our check-out desk. Once covered by a huge computer system, we upgraded to a much smaller wireless iPad this summer, which left a lot of desk exposed. Getting a new desk with the same amount of storage would be difficult, so we (I say “we” like I did it. I would be lost without my partner in crime, Charles) decided to cover the top with wood. Using his puzzle brain, Charles was able to cover the original laminate with wood, nailed it in place, stained and polyurethane-d, and we were left with a wonderful wood top. I primed and painted the sides, and ta-da: a beautiful, functional desk!
My other projects for Four Corners have included a lot of paint and a lot of time. We had a very large sectional shelving unit in the back room that was perfect to replace one of our old fixtures. I was told by the person who had originally painted it that they absolutely would not paint it again and yeah. I agree. I’ll never paint anything like this again either. It took about 3 days to finish and I got paint everywhere. My one take-away is: prime. It’s an annoying extra step (and because of my shoddy job on the first coat, I ended up doing two coats) but it makes the actually painting much easier and smoother. Maybe everyone knows this (I’m sure everyone does…) but after painting a lot of our little side tables and having the paint chip off almost immediately, it’s worth it. (And I can see Charles shaking his head at me as he reads this.)
Two little fun things I have also painted were this small desk, bought at Goodwill for $6.99, and this globe, given to us by our fine friends at the sadly closed Just Trade in Racine. It’s been a lot of fun to update all these pieces! I’ve discovered a love of high gloss paint I did not know I had. I’ll be sharing more of my improvement projects on the blog, along with our new jewelry display that I’ve been working on over the course of the next few weeks.
If you have been inspired to repaint that old desk or try your luck at breathing some new life back in to an old piece of furniture you found on the curb, just try it. It’s a great way to minimize your impact on the Earth and brings a fresh look for Spring to your home or office!
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