After intensive stripping, these metal beds were painted a creamy shade. We used the headboards as footboards to give more presence.

If you are stripping multiple layers of paint, use a heavy-duty stripping agent. You can't get away with the low-fume, milder versions. They simply aren't powerful enough, and you will become frustrated with your lack of progress. Put on some thick gloves, and go with the strong stuff. (Do this outside, of course, and if you're a little wiser than me, not at noon in the middle of a sultry Southern summer.)

Who'd guess that this French chair cost $40 at a flea market? We stripped the paint, applied a washed-out green finish (latex paint diluted with water), and rubbed on furniture wax for an aged look.

Sometimes paying a professional is actually an investment in your sanity (and the health of your marriage). Stripping the metal bed frames was time-consuming, difficult, and exhausting. After that experience, I felt great about the $75 I paid a pro to strip the French chair.

Brass into stone? It's possible with a spray paint that provides a textured stone finish. A lampshade gets a custom look with grosgrain ribbon attached with fabric glue.

Explore the wealth of products that are easy to use. For example, fabric glue is great for certain projects such as attaching ribbon or covering an item when sewing isn't required. A simple coat of spray paint can really transform an item as in the stone finish I used on the brass lamp. Furniture waxes can impart an aged look when lightly rubbed on pieces.

Pillow fabric covers the old straps of this spruced-up luggage rack. The base was painted with two coats of green paint to match the chair.

Ask tons of questions and befriend the experts. Jim at Little Hardware in Birmingham's Mountain Brook Village was an invaluable resource for me--suggesting products and listening to my makeover woes.