How To Antique Fake Brass

When the hardware for the Murphy Bed arrived in all of it cheap-fake-yellow-shiny brass glory, I knew we needed to age it somehow.  To give it a little bit of patina. The card catalog was supposed to look old and all the yellow shininess did not say “antique” to me at least.  It said something more like “welcome to 1992.”

I did some google researching and most of what I came up with was about aging real brass.  At 1.15 a pop, I knew my handles were not the real thing.  The tint and high sheen also would indicate that. I did find some suggestions about sanding them down before painting them to take off the shine.

Hmmmm…

Way too many handles for that.

We had some extra pulls, so I got some plastic cups and let one soak in acetone and one in white vinegar overnight.

I looked at them the next morning.

Still shiny.  And they continued to shine the after another night of soaking.

So I took them out in frustration and to do some more research.  Because I was.not.going.to.sand.

The next morning, something miraculous happened.

The white vinegar handle aged after it was exposed to air. (the acetone one still looked the same)

Yes! I was doubly excited because vinegar is also cheaper than acetone and not a toxic chemical.

In effort to save containers, we dumped the handles into a gallon of vinegar with the top cut off.

It soaked overnight.  And then laid it out a trash bag to let the air do its magic.

Starting to see something.

After a day we washed them off in warm soapy water and had old looking brass.  With each looking a bit different.

The “new” finish held fine during install and all the handling involved in that.

If you were using this technique on a handle was going to get touched on a daily basis, I would check to see how it holds up first.  I assume it would be okay, but I did not try that variable since these are purely decorative.  Also I am not sure how many different types of fake brass there are.  This method may not work on all types.  Moral of the story?  Test your stuff out first to see what happens.

I am just happy to find a method that was quick, easy, and cheap.  And involved no sanding.

DIY Library Card Catalog Murphy Bed

I think I may have a new favorite DIY project.  It was not super cheap, it was not quick and when I described it at the beginning of the project, people looked at me like I had three heads.

But now we love it.


Really really love it.  (Photos taken in a basement with no natural light do not do it justice, trust me, I tried).

Why a Murphy bed?  Well, we have a four bedroom house and we are not moving.  When we have another child sometime in the future, we will need that last bedroom.  And getting rid of the craft room was not an option that I liked.  The guest room was the least used, but with out of town grandparents, it was still a necessity.

There is a bathroom in the basement, along with a TV and some empty space (and exercise equipment and a fridge and tons of toys if you are so inclined).  Bingo.  New Guest Room on an as needed basis.

The bed was going to be Queen Size, so the cabinet was going to be a predominant feature in the space.  We thought about making the facing look like an armoire, but I wanted something more interesting.  Enter the faux library card catalog.



So how did we do it?  We bought hardware that came with plans online (here).  And Derek and my father-in-law built the basic bed according to those plans.  They used predominantly plywood for the actual construction of the cabinet.



Then came the drawers.  After a whole lot of math by the boys, we settled on 102 of them.  One of the challenges was the foot of the bed had to be in a certain place and a certain size.  Since it would hold the bed while people were sleeping in it, it was important.



The drawers were cut out of 3/4 inch MDF because of cost.  Then all the edges were routed.  Bless my father-in-law with that stack of drawers.



The drawers were nailed on in rows with a paint stick used as a spacer horizontally and flat molding nailed on vertically. 




We talked about adding molding on the top or on the sides, but after extensive research on library card catalogs (I’m looking at you Google Images), we decided to leave it plain to make it more “authentic”.

And then I finished it using a modified glazing technique.  Which will be a story for a another post.  Sneak peek: It took forever, may have involved some tears and cussing but I think the results were worth it.  I learned a lot. Stay tuned.

After it was finished, it was time to install the hardware.  Which was another challenge with this project.  When you need 102 pieces of hardware, they can’t be $7 a pop.  Especially since they are completely decorative and non-functional.

After much searching, I found my pulls here (but if you are buying them in bulk, check out their store on eBay).  At about a dollar each they were the winners.  When they arrived they were shiny in fake brass kind of way, so I aged them.  I tried a variety of methods with different results, (bringing me back to my junior high science fair days) with a clear winner.  Again another post. Now they look old and worn.



Derek constructed a jig to make sure they went on straight.  And then he had the super fun task of screwing on every.single.one.

We brought down the mattress from the guest room, and the new guest suite was born.
Just pop open the leg and the mechanism releases.



Add some pillows and a quilt and we are ready for guests.



And the majority of time when it is closed and being played around, it is just nice to look at.



And we can tell Carter about the good ole days when that was the way you looked up books. 
And he will look at us like we have three heads.

Cost breakdown-
Murphy Bed Hardware and plans- approximately $300
Lumber-About $300 (rough estimate as we were also buying supplies for other DIY projects at the same time)
Hardware- $155
Glazing Supplies- $15 (I already had the glaze itself from previous projects)
Mattress- $0 (used the one from the guest room)
Total: $770

Not bad for a incredibly functional yet nice-to-look-at piece of furniture.

We loved this project (especially now that it is done) and it is DIYable.  My father-in-law used to work as a contractor/carpenter so his skills were a huge help to Derek with the construction while he was in town. But if you are good with DIY and furniture building, we think you would be able to handle it, as the plans come along with the hardware. Also as I mentioned before, this was not a fast project.  The actual construction took Derek and my father-in-law a weekend.  But the finishing and the hardware application kept us busy for awhile.



But worth it.  What do you think?

Spring Break!

In the middle of some Midwest snow, we jetted off to southern California for our spring break.  The thought of taking an almost two year old  on an airplane for 4 hours gave us hives, but the call of sunshine and grandparents was too much to overcome. 

In the end, the plane ride turned into 6 hours because of the airline computers completely crashing.  And he was a champ.  Whew. 

Things Carter loved about our vacation-

1) We discovered Carter’s love of picking fruit courtesy of my in-laws citrus trees.  He may have a future as a farmer.  Who picks things one at at time and then throws it at the recipient.

2) Disneyland.  Specifically rides at Disneyland that had continuously moving lines.  Such as It’s a Small World.   

The teacups were also amazing…but the pain and suffering of waiting in a line that stopped and did not move for an eternity, at least in toddler minutes, was almost not worth it. 

OK the video of the joy on his face while we spun would make anything worth it.  But at that moment, there may have been threatening of us leaving.

And honestly he would have been happy riding the train all.day.long.

3) The beach. 

Oh the sand.  And the shells. 

And the wine. 

4)Travel Town.  Lots of trains-no further explanation needed. He takes his train riding very seriously.

5) Swimming in his grandparents’ pool.  Oh the joy.

6) Meeting Big Nonna.  And spending time with family. 

That one is going on the mantel.

7)Goofing off and just playing.

Things Carter did not like about vacation:

1)IKEA. 

Sigh.  His expression in this picture is deceptively pleasant.  The whining and throwing of every toy (and phone) we gave him for entertainment was not captured.  And we thought we were raising him right to respect IKEA time.

My favorite part about vacation?  The sun.  And toddler naptimes by the pool without any guilt about what I should be doing. 

I was accidentally unplugged all week by way of forgetting my phone on the bathroom counter at home and remembering it halfway to the airport. After a mini freak out, I decided it would be nice to be free of it all week. And it was.  Even though I missed posting pictures on Instagram of the fun in the sun.

We all had a great time in the sun and with family.  All of anxiety about time changes and lack of naps was for nothing as he rolled with it. Carter did get very sick right after we got home. While it was snowing and my sunburn was fading under sweaters. 

Natural consequences of licking carousel horses at Disneyland.

New Kid on the Block

Last weekend was very exciting for us.  And by us, I mean me and Carter.  After not so patiently waiting a couple of months for it to come in, my new sewing machine has arrived.  The Bernina 750 QE. (If you follow me on Instagram, pretend to be surprised)

And Carter got a new box to play with.  Win win.

Did I need a new sewing machine?  No.  My old Bernina was still doing great.  But it was missing a number of things that you can’t get on a mechanical machine. 

My grandmother passed away a couple of months ago and with the money from her estate we wanted to get something to remember her by.  Something that 10 years from now we wouldn’t have to try to remember what we had used the money on.  Something that when I look at it, I will think of her.  For my other grandmother, it was the grandfather grandmother clock that sits in our foyer.  But we did not need two clocks.

We kicked around a couple of ideas, but nothing was perfect.  So we did nothing.  Then Derek mentioned a sewing machine.  The one I had gushed about months before (the Bernina 750) but then promptly did not think much of because of the price and the “lack of need” for a new one.  He is awesome.

It would be something that would bring me a lot of joy.  And something I will use very frequently.  Perfect.

Best husband ever.

I had loved my previous Bernina and when the new 7 series came out, I knew that’s what I wanted.  There is a bit a learning curve obviously going from my old machine to the new one with all the bells and whistles.  And with a touchscreen. 

It is much larger (and heavier) than my old one.  When we get to know each other a little better I will do a more thorough review of what I like and don’t like and specifically why I chose this machine.

What about my old machine?  We thought about trading it in, but we decided to keep it and house it in the basement.  One of things I do not like about sewing is how solitary it can be.  Just me and my room.  Carter has limited interest of playing in there and honestly with all the pins and rotary cutters, it is not best place for him.  So my hope is to be able to do some simple piecing on old machine while he is playing in his area in the basement.  And since Derek has already won the “best husband” award, the man room will now include a sewing machine.

And my old will be the machine I travel with to sew with friends.  Which happens more often than I would have thought.

So if you need me, you know where I will be…

How To: Make A Simple Tray

I love trays.  You can have a random collection of stuff sitting on a flat surface looking a whole lot like clutter.  But with a tray, presto.  It looks deliberate and styled.  Magic.

Over the past couple of months, we have been trying to spend a little time spiffing up our master bedroom.  The room that one could argue should be a top priority had been getting the short end of the decorating stick. 

So I wanted a tray for the top of my dresser.  And I wanted it to be a very specific size and color.  DIY project time.

How To: Easy (and Customizable) Wood Tray

Materials:

Plywood the size of your desired tray

Molding with a rounded edge

Wood filler or caulk

Miter or block of some kind (only a couple of small simple cuts)

Pretty paper for the bottom of the tray

Coordinating Paint Color

Primer

Polyurethane of some kind

Pourable resin (can get at hardware or craft stores)

Hammer and Nails (or nail gun)

Spray Adhesive (optional)

 

1. Cut you wood to the desired shape.  Nail the molding to the side with 90 degree miter cuts at the corners.  Use caulk or wood filler to hide the corner seams.

2. Prime and then paint the sides.  Here is where I tell you not to do what I did.  Either stop the paint before you get any on the tray edge. Or paint the ENTIRE thing.  You will see why in a minute.

 

3. Poly the sides.  I used a spray.

4. Cut your paper to the exact size of the bottom of the tray.

5. Dry fit it and then spray a light coat of spray adhesive to adhere it to the bottom.  You could probably skip the spray adhesive and be fine if your paper is a tight fit.

6. Mix your resin and pour according to the directions on the packaging.

This is when my mistake became apparent.  With the resin, my paper became translucent and you could see the wood grain…and my paint line.  I did not mind the grain, but the line annoys me.  Not enough to redo the whole thing, but enough to tell you about it.  Oh well…learn from my mistakes.

7. After the resin hardens the amount of time on the packaging (I believe mine was two days), put your crap in there and watch it become collection-like.

My tray is my dump all on my dresser.  And the place where I keep  my favorite jewelry.  Having it out and seen makes me wear it a whole lot more.  And every once in a while I rotate it around.

Not to mention I love the marble paper (found a local paper store).  And I choose to ignore the blue peeking through.

I have been dumping stuff on the tray for two months now and the resin has held up beautifully.

This will be my go-to project for any space that needs some spiffing up.  Next time I will do it properly…or choose some thicker paper.