2017DesignChallenge

"Vintage beauty meets modern functionality in this record player converted bar cabinet! The cabinet is designed for 5 bottles of your finest, plus 12 glasses, a drawer for smaller items along with shelves. Pretty much designed for happy hour waiting to happen. When happy hour is over, the beautifully carved detailed doors can be closed, concealing the fun that was had. The top, inside and legs were stained using General Finishes Antique Walnut Gel Stain.  Antique White Milk Paint was used...

"I sanded a cable spool table then painted it in Queenstown Gray and white wash wood stain both products of General Finishes.  with a damp rag blending in colors. I then dry brushed to highlight areas. I applied a French transfer to the top and then sealed it in high performance top coat. I cut the foot out for storage in center of the table. I added another transfer to the door as well. I then used Flat out Flat and then High performance to seal it with. I added rollers to the bottom for...

"We took an old broken down Antique Armoire and transformed it into our favorite reNEWed piece thus far. The bones were there, along with the original coat hooks, drawer and drop down cabine,  it just needed a little vision and work to make it into something special. The exterior was painted with General Finishes Millstone. Glazing & distressing was added to give a worn patina look. To add a little more character to the Nook we added reclaimed barnwood to the back.  A new hanging wire...

"First of all I had sanded it and filled the gouges and scratches with putty. When dry I've applied two coats of Milk Paint in Seagull Gray. Sealed it with Flat out Flat.

I decided the piece needed some more color to go along with plain gray and picked this cute wrapping paper with triangles. I laid the wrapping paper over each panel inside to get an idea of what size to cut it down to. 

Once I cut it out, I put a coat of decoupage glue on the wood panel, laid the paper on...

This solid desk was given new life using all GF products. Custom mix of Driftwood & Linen to achive the perfect Greige color. Sealed in High Performance Topcoat in Satin 

Flame box elder form 6" diameter X 3-1/2" tall. Finished with GF Wood Turners Finish

We created this wild eye popping bench using a 6" thick highly figured live edge big leaf Maple slab that we've ebonized and paired with custom i-beam chevron legs.  The slab top has been finished using Seal A Cell and Arm R Seal.  The i-beam legs were created using reclaimed salvaged steel and finished in an iridescent gold powdercoat. 

This piece consists of curly maple with an african blackwood trim ring and ebony lip. It was dyed with a mixture of red and yellow dye. It was finished with General Finishes Wood Turners Finish.It measures 8-1/4" diameter X 3" tall.

The flashy figure in the piece of black walnut really pops with the high gloss of General Finishes Waterbased Turners' Finish. I first apply two coats of varnish and allow the grain to rise before sanding that down with the coarsest grit of MicroMesh. I then apply up to 10 coats of varnish until I'm happy with the coating. I then meticulously sand through all grits of MicroMesh to flatten and remove any specks, working up to a fine gloss. I apply one last coat of varnish before polishing...

This was my first big project using dovetails and it turned out really well, especially for being built entirely with hand tools.. I found this amazing board of curly birch hiding under boring boards at Home Depot. I wanted to really highlight the grain in this box so I used Arm-R-Seal. This was my first time using it and I was super happy with how well it worked. I put 5 coats on and sanded inbetween coats with 600 grit sandpaper. Taking my time with the finishing gave me glass smooth...

This is a Maple Burl vessel with carved feet. People that have seen this piece have said they see a face on the one side of the vessel. 

"I filled the rather large voids with a mixture of epoxy and French Roast coffee grounds. The whole project was sanded to 600 grit before applying 3 coats of EnduroVar, while still on the lathe. I lightly sanded with 600 grit paper after each coat, and ended by using the 3 step Beall buffing system (tripoli, white diamond, and carnauba wax)."

This is a Ambrosia Maple bowl and is probably one of my favorite woods to work with. I love the coloring In this bowl. 

"This piece was made with over 3,000 pieces of wood that includes cherry, maple, peruvian walnut, yellowheart, spectra ply and black veneer. It measures 12-1/2" diameter X 6-1/4" tall. The finish consists of several coats of sanding sealer and ten coats of General Finishes Wood Turners Finish sanded and buffed to a high gloss."

Ebony and amethyst are a such a natural match, and this curly figure is so well complemented by the rough, natural beauty of the crystal. The warm tones of the wood are brought up so perfectly by General Finishes Waterbased Turners' Finish. I first apply two coats of varnish and allow the grain to rise before sanding that down with the coarsest grit of MicroMesh. I then apply up to 10 coats of varnish until I'm happy with the coating. I then meticulously sand through all grits of MicroMesh...

“Earth On Fire” is a piece of Buckeye Burl wood was recovered from a trash pile.  It had been ravaged by the effects of weather, rot, worms and insects and was simply thrown away.  In its natural healthy state, Buckeye Burl is a beautiful colorful wood of dark and light grays and yellows.  The wood was turned into a sphere and the natural colors were enhanced with dyes of black, red, orange and yellow.  The finish is General Finishes Wood Turners Finish and the overall size is 5" x 5".

A local hospice organization (Hospice Support of Fauquier County, Virginia) contacted me to design and make a wall display for their office.  Their desired theme was the Tree of Life, and the display would be used to recognize volunteers and contributors to their organization.  We began a collaboration that led to making a scale model to verify the design, and then the final product pictured here.

The display consists of 3 large panels decorated with hand-cut marquetry to portray the...

"My first time around with General Finishes Driftwood Milk Paint was a great success! But really, starting with a dresser as darling as this one (which happily required no repairs) set me up for a great start! The dresser top and drawer fronts were stripped and refinished in two different stains to set off the varied veneers and top coated with my favorite wiping varnish, General Finishes Arm-R-Seal." - Trillium Park Designs

"Recent custom ornate dresser painted in General Finishes Antique White Milk Paint. Top completely sanded down and stained in GF Antique Walnut Gel Stain. Beautiful carvings enhanced with black wax and original hardware updated to a more modern iron color." - VintagelessJules