Second Chapter Restorations

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Second Chapter Restorations

I make old things new. This may be furniture or beautiful home decor. Everything and everyone deserves a second chance!

06/03/2026

BACK TO VINYL
A sweet friend texted me the other week telling me her parents were getting rid of this cabinet and wanting to know if I would like it. Well, the answer to that will OBVIOUSLY be yes!
The back needed to be replaced, the door pulls brought back to life and just a lot of cleaning and touch up, but she is now as good as new and OH so beautiful!
She is a mid-century Record cabinet, which I love. But I thought it could be used in other ways as well. BUT then a working vintage record player turntable popped up on Facebook and I thought it was meant to be. The player itself had that lovely faux wood laminate that was peeling all over so instead of using a lot of wood glue and clamps and praying that would be enough I decided to remove it all and put a slick coat of black paint on it.
I really wish I had some vinyl myself to enjoy this duo, but I’m hoping someone else out there might 🙂.

06/01/2026

ANOTHER LABOR OF LOVE
As I noted before, a few weeks ago I was slammed with challenges. I picked up two very old dressers that looked a lot better in pictures than they did up close. The green one I painted took a lot of TLC, but THIS one was on another level!
The fact that this dresser was able to be saved was practically a miracle. Drawer bottoms were replaced. The back was replaced. Structure had to be secured. Drawer slides were adjusted. And that’s BEFORE even thinking about closing up and drilling new holes for cabinet pulls.
For a brief moment I thought about adding to the insanity by sanding down to pure wood. But when I tested out some spots, the wood wasn’t as beautiful as I had hoped, which was in all honesty a relief given what sanding down those detailed edges would have required.
When deciding on a color, the details seemed quaint to me and I could see it in a nursery, a child’s room, or a sweet little cottage. So I went with this London color that I just love. The color and mood also seemed perfect to go with this timeless bird and tree wallpaper I recently bought.
I finished it just as I brought these two little nightstands into the shop and I decided that they would be nice little companions. Thankfully, these two had few issues, which was a welcome gift after the HOURS spend on their companion. I love how this mini set turned out and I can’t wait to see where it ends up!

05/29/2026

THIS IS ALSO ADHD
Yes, the ADHD can be chaotic and frustrating and messy. It definitely is not as efficient as I would like it to be. BUT, I also believe it is one of the keys to my success doing the work of repurposing and restoration. The ADHD brain is creative. The ADHD brain often thinks outside the box. The ADHD brain craves beauty and novelty. The ADHD brain often finds solutions to problems that others don’t. The ADHD brain often tries before thinking, which definitely CAN end poorly, but luckily can also end really well. I had a job in college stapling fabric swatches to catalogs. It was literally painful to my brain. This, on the other hand is exciting! I can work when I feel like it, doing what I feel like doing in whatever way I want. It truly is an amazing gift!

05/27/2026

THIS IS ADHD
Picture #1: I’m sure there are some people who do this work who complete one project before starting the next. I am not those people. No, often at one time I will have 4-5 different pieces on my “work patio.” Part of it is wanting to do like tasks at the same time (sanding, repair, etc). Part of it is that my brain often likes to have options. Some days I just need to do what sparks my interest.
Picture #2: you all know the old adage: “measure twice, cut once.” Well, for my brain it is more like measure 5 times and hope that when you cut you get it right. Last week I needed to cut 6 drawer bottoms for various projects. I had a huge board of underlay to work from and the puzzle almost felt like too much. If you look closely you will see how many mistakes I initially made. I am thankful I worked in pencil.
Picture #3: the MESS! While my brain loves problem solving, that often means bringing a ton of tools to the table. Unfortunately once I’m done I just want to be done. Cleaning up isn’t fun so it is extra hard to do. Sometimes the best I can do is pull everything to a common space that is HOPEFULLY under cover in case it rains. The good news is that usually within a few days my brain requires order and I am motivated to put things away.

05/25/2026

GREEN SWITCH-AROO
I have said before that I have learned that sets usually sell better than individual pieces. Combine that with my disdain for the injustice of having to clean my paintbrushes 😉 and you will often find me adding new pieces to sets I have already finished.
Last week I shared with you a green dresser and nightstand. When I got two antique tall dressers into the shop I decided to paint one that same green to add to the set.
While the initial wide dresser and nightstand were very solid pieces and didn’t need much repair, this one was a different story. A couple of the drawers needed major work. So I probably spent as much time on this single dresser as on those other two combined.
Since the other two hadn’t sold yet once I finished, I added this one to the set. Ironically, I had someone come in with a full price offer on the wide dresser alone, so I decided to take it. I was less than optimistic that anyone would be interested in the tall dresser and nightstand but I put it out there anyway, while I simultaneously looked for another wide dresser to flip.
Wouldn’t you know it, just a day later a woman asked for this mini set?! So all three pieces have found their next homes!

05/21/2026

OH THE THINGS YOU’LL FIND!
Getting vintage and antique furniture sight unseen is always an adventure. And once you get in, you often find…. Creative fixes.
One drawer of a wardrobe I am refinishing had a bottom that was replaced with what looks like tin roofing material.
While gorgeous in the pictures, a vintage dresser I purchased had much of it literally being held together with duct tape.
The drawers of another dresser had also pretty clearly been DIY fixed many times in many ways. The best was all these nails that I guess were meant to be holding the base (that I had to replace) in place. Only problem they didn’t seem to catch on to was the fact that the nails they used weren’t long enough to go through the sides. But I guess they make some lovely decorations 😂.

05/19/2026

ADVICE TIME!
I am finishing off the beautiful old wardrobe and need your thoughts. I definitely want to keep this beautiful wood and I definitely DON’T want to try and get the paint out of all of these details 😉.
So, do you think I should keep those details black? Or paint them white?

05/18/2026

FUN FIND
My son finished his AP exams on Friday so I took him out to lunch, as is our tradition around here. Of course I NEEDED to pick up some nightstands so I decided we would find a place in Griffin, which is not my normal stomping ground. I was also planning on checking out my friend Nolan’s secondhand bookstore while we were there, when Drew said, “we should go see H’s mom’s shop.” This trip was long overdue! I would highly recommend taking a trip to Tea Olive Books in Griffin. It’s an adorable shop with sweet places to sit and browse books and visit with the adorable book dog, Yuki!
I came upon this book in my perusing and thought I had to have it. If anyone knows my writing, you can see from his introduction why I knew we were kindred “just go with the train of thought people.” It’s extra fun, because it was written in 1962. I have to keep remembering that when he says “modern furniture” I need to add “midcentury” before it because to him it was just NOW. ☺️

Check out TEA OLIVE BOOKS here
https://www.facebook.com/share/1EHQqLmTN3/?mibextid=wwXIfr

05/15/2026

A BREAK FROM THE LEARNING
While I am grateful for all of the lessons of the past few weeks, this set was a pleasant break. It still required time and energy, but nothing that took too much brainpower.
I just love finding these traditional pieces that are solid and sturdy, but just outdated. They are the perfect canvas for some fresh paint and drawer pulls that will bring them into this century while hopefully remaining beautiful for many years to come.

05/13/2026

DO YOU OFFER CLASSES?
I have been getting this question more and more, ironically less from folks here in this group and MORE from people on marketplace who follow what I sell. I have talked many people through how to try and refinish a piece here or there, but what I have learned over the past few years of doing this is that doing a good job is a process, and can’t really be explained in a phone call or series of texts.
The idea of leading classes actually excites me a lot. I love to share with people the things I have learned, and let me tell you… I have learned a WHOLE lot in the past two years. I have been starting to write down some ideas of what a class like this could look like both live at my home in Fayetteville or online.
So what I would love to know is, are there people out there who are interested. If you would be interested in learning more about being a part of a live or online class to get you started on your restoration journey or just prepared to do a good job with a piece you love, please message me or comment below.

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Fayetteville, GA

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https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/profile/792847500/?ref=permalink&mibextid=6ojiHh

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