“I have a creative spirit, but I’m not hands on,” she bravely and honestly admitted. This particular client had acquired a lot of furniture with the idea that she could re-use or repurpose it, but no real plan to make it happen. A lot of us love the idea of redesign, the possibility that a sturdy old dresser holds, the makeovers that we see on Pinterest and in magazines. But the actual getting from here to there is a bit daunting, or maybe completely overwhelming.

Habitat for Humanity ReStores are an excellent place to find amazing items ready for another life in your home, sometimes as is, and sometimes with a little DIY work. They have an excellent stock of larger items and smaller pieces to start on when you have an itch to transform with paint and imagination. And on August 7 and 16, the Montgomery County ReStore has asked me to show you exactly how to do it!

This workshop in 2014 was a sold out success for both dates! If you’d like to host this workshop for your group, please contact us.

On those two dates in 2014, we’re going to have a Painting 101 workshop, where no question is silly, and we’ll start with the basics (what is primer, anyway?). I’ll demonstrate, but you can get hands-on, as well. We’ll be covering techniques like painting with brushes and rollers, spray paint, Chalk Paint®, and some specialty finishes that you may have only seen in magazines, like Rub’NBuff and even a very cool mirror finish.

If you’ve never been to a Habitat for Humanity ReStore, here’s a virtual tour. I admit, some of these look a little rough now, but if you can imagine them done, like I can, you are half way there…at a fraction of the price of new!

This little piece reminds me of the end table makeover I shared with you a while back. She just might get a  little beauty treatment during our workshops in August. (Update: Click here to see how this little yellow end table makeover turned out, with a surprise inside.)

This coffee table has great lines. Can you imagine it with a sassy, bold color (like canary yellow or Antibes Green), or maybe something a little more ambitious, like a new plank top?

This little end table has something special…a real marble top that I wouldn’t redo at all. But those classic lines (and real wood body) could be amazing with something like gilding, or nail head trim, or a small stencil. There are so many possibilities. Don’t you just want to take her home?

This cheap but functional bookcase could be just the storage piece you need to create that homework station you’ve been dreaming about. Painted all over and backed with a vibrant wallpaper or even wrapping paper, this could be amazing.

Nearly everyone at some point owns a metal file cabinet that they hate. Did you know you can paint them? A metal file cabinet painted with Chalk Paint® decorative paint from Annie Sloan looks amazing. The folks at the ReStore are looking out for you, and they post ideas right on the floor. Isn’t this chalkboard file cabinet a great idea, too?

Not everything needs work here. This AMAZING wood inlay dining room set for 12 and sideboard are huge scale and in great condition. WOW. I might cry if you painted it.

They’ve even got entire kitchens that are real wood, amazing vintage doors that are great decorating backdrops or a creative alternative to your average bulletin board, and rugs.

By the way, you can donate your household items to the ReStore, they will come pick them up, and you get to take the tax deduction. So our organizing projects feeds someone else’s decorating obsession, as well as helping Habitat for Humanity raise funds to support their mission to eliminate substandard housing issues in Montgomery County.
Are you getting excited yet? There are plenty of other materials to wander through at the ReStore, like pedestal sinks in perfect condition, lots of tile that might be perfect for your next back splash or craft project, hardware and tools.

But back to our painting workshops in August, we’re going to have hands-on fun with items like these dated lamps that can look totally fabulous with a whole new attitude and layer of paint. Of course, we can makeover a lamp in black or white pretty easily, but I know you want to see what happens to these sweet babies.

I hope you are getting excited about the workshops. We’ve scheduled two days with exactly the same information, so pick whichever date is best for you. And…shhh…I can’t spill the beans yet, but we’re working out some fun giveaways (maybe from some companies I’ve mentioned in this post) and coupons for the ReStore as well. If you are inspired to start on your own project, we want to make it as easy as possible for you to take home what you need from the ReStore and get started on the day of the workshop. But these goodies will only be available for registered participants, so register by phone or email to Erika at: 610-278-7710 x117 or ereinhard@habitatmontco.org before July 31. Seats are limited and are going fast.

I can’t wait to see you there!